BayHillRev

Confessions of a Middle Aged Pastor

2012-01-18T13:22:00.000-08:00

By Barry Howard

With the celebration of yet another birthday this week, I have officially started on my third year past the half century mark. I suppose I am complimented by the term “middle aged” because I have reached that central season of life with exceptionally good health, with my sanity intact, and I still enjoy attempting to fulfill my calling.

However, it does occur to me that the way I see life and faith and church through the lenses of a middle-aged pastor is rather unique. I am neither a militant traditionalist or a rabid post-denominationalist. I was mentored by some of the great pastors of the 1950’s and 1960’s. And I appreciate many of the innovative and creative non-traditional approaches to pastoral ministry that I see working in suburbia and around the globe.

In the rural context of my home church, I “felt the call” to ministry at age sixteen and preached my first sermon two weeks later. I started serving part-time on a church staff at age 18 and was serving full-time by age 19. This year I begin my 34^th year in pastoral ministry.

If nothing else, thirty four years of service on the staff of Baptist churches means that I have a little durability. Although there have been hurdles and a few monumental challenges along the way, overall I have been blessed with the opportunity to serve alongside some great, yet imperfect churches.

Supposedly everyone entering middle age goes through a stage of re-thinking life. For some, it is a painful agonizing struggle, often second guessing important decisions made along the way. For some, it is a time of re-direction, often resulting in a change in vocations, hairstyles, automobiles, and occasionally, even spouses. For me, however, middle age, so far, has been a time of reflecting, thinking about how I’ve changed and how much more room I have to grow.

If confession is good for the soul, maybe I will be more healthy if I confess where I am and what I believe about church and ministry at this point in my life as a middle-aged pastor:

Other churches and other ministers are my colleagues, not my competitors.
Being the church is more important than going to church, but I cannot fathom how we can do one without the other.
For me, the authenticity of a pastor is more important than the authority of the pastor.
Ministry energizes me. Trying to keep others focused on ministry exhausts me.
What we do inside the doors of the church should make a drastic difference in who we are outside the doors of the church.
I continue to discover the family of God to be much more inclusive and much less exclusive than I previously imagined.
An open Bible and an open mind always trump a closed Bible and closed mind.
As a pastor and a Christian, I am to be priest and prophet, not judge and jury. (I am free to love, share, and exercise grace toward all kinds of people without having to first judge their worthiness. I am relieved to know that whatever final judgment looks like, I will not be the one holding the gavel.)
Church should be a clearinghouse where talents and gifts are blessed and sent, never a warehouse where talents and gifts are counted and stored.
In the Christian life, I believe the local church is where the action is. The church is where faith is nurtured, where community is cultivated, and where missional service is launched.

Actually my pastoral confession of faith is much more lengthy. At this point in my life, I have more questions than answers. I get frustrated far too easily with petty complaint and criticism. Yet I realize that I have far more to learn than I already know, and far more to do than I’ve already done.

Even during my middle age years, I love serving as pastor. I have the privilege of walking alongside folks from the moment of birth to the moment of death and all seasons in between.

Paul summed it up this way: “I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14 NIV

Although I have not arrived, I am intent on enjoying the journey of growing forward.

(Barry Howard serves as senior minister at the First Baptist Church of Pensacola, Florida.)

Listening to What Simeon Says

2011-12-30T15:11:00.001-08:00

A few days after the birth of Jesus, Mary and Joseph took the baby to the temple, as was the custom, to have him consecrated to the Lord. After offering their traditional sacrifices, they encountered Simeon, a man who was “righteous and devout” and who was “waiting for the consolation of Israel.”

As Simeon was moved by the Spirit, he took the child in his arms and praised God, saying, “For your eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”

Joseph and Mary marveled at the mysterious blessing. But Simeon continued, “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many will be revealed. And a sword that will pierce your own soul too.”

Although the birth of Jesus is celebrated with peace, joy, hope, and love, this matter of following Jesus is risky business. It requires loyal commitment, frequent forgiveness, and stubborn faithfulness.

You have followed the star of Christmas to find Jesus in the manger. Now that a New Year has begun, will you follow him further?

Dare to March to a Different Drummer

2011-12-22T18:00:00.001-08:00

The holidays typically usher in a shopping frenzy and frantic pre-occupation with gift giving, but again this year both will likely be tempered by a recurrent wave of market anxiety. As I reflect on how we celebrate Christmas in this challenging economic context, I am focused on the juxtaposition of two seemingly unrelated Bible texts. The first summarizes the journey of the Magi who traveled from the East in search of the mysterious child of promise: When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh (Matthew 2:10-11 NIV).

The second text, which I readily confess does not typically invoke Yuletide emotion, is Romans 12:2, a passage that boldly challenges believers to live out our faith with subversive authenticity: Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will (NIV).

Treasures construed to be the contemporary equivalent of gold, incense, and myrrh are not the only gifts you can present in honor of Jesus. As you finalize your Christmas shopping, perhaps you might consider offering something that costs you a little more of your self, a contribution from your own stratum of talent or giftedness.

Do you recall the legend behind the musical story of “The Little Drummer Boy,” the song about a boy who gave of his meager talent by playing the drum for the Christ child? Introduced in the U.S. in the 1950’s, this memorable holiday carol made popular by Bing Crosby, was actually based on a Czech tune, “Carol of the Drum,” composed by Katherine K. Davis in 1941 and later recorded by the famed Von Trapp Family Singers in Austria. The more familiar “drummer boy” version details the fictional but meaningful tale of a young boy who approached the manger with nothing to offer but his drum. However, as the boy began to play his drum, his unique gift brought a smile to the face of the infant.

Throughout this holiday season a variety of colorful and thematic decorations will adorn many of our church campuses, iconic symbols such as a Christmas tree, an Advent wreath, or a manger crèche. Peculiar in the décor of the church I serve is a drum tree which is constructed annually in our church atrium. Vick Vickery, our recently retired Scoutmaster, assembles this drum tree each year out of 34 percussion instruments from different eras in history. Included in this display are replicas of the rope drum used in the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. Historically, these instruments were crucial for conveying instructions and maintaining morale, for in the days prior to advanced telecommunication, soldiers were trained to listen carefully for strategic commands encoded in the resounding beat of the drummer.

Now, stacked and configured in the form of a Christmas tree, our drum tree serves as a Christmas reminder that God calls us to march to the beat of a different drummer, receiving our formative cues and motivation from the teachings and lifestyle of Jesus. While the default values of our culture may prompt us to spend irresponsibly, to consume disproportionately, and to hurry frantically, our faith calls us to march to the rhythm and cadence of a different percussionist, to be cheerful in giving, gracious in receiving, and intentional in living.

During this festive season of the year, you and I are invited to invest our best gifts, tangible and intangible, in ways that express our allegiance and alignment with the One born in Bethlehem.

A Christmas Prayer for Our City

2011-12-20T09:24:00.000-08:00

December 15, 2011

Good and gracious God, during the Advent of this holiday season we give you thanks for the privilege of living in one of the most scenic and resourceful communities in the world.

During this historic week as our military campaign in Iraq comes to a close, we continue to pray for the stability in the Middle East, even as we continue to pray for all the men and women who serve in our nation’s military, especially those deployed in other campaigns. We pray for them to perform their humanitarian mission with effectiveness and precision, and return home safely and soon.

Tonight, we pray for all of our local, state, and national leaders that they will rise to a new level of bipartisan cooperation and that they will have moral courage commensurate to the challenges of our day.

And on this evening, we pray for our great city, for our mayor, our council representatives, and for our fellow citizens.

We are grateful for many exciting and emerging opportunities and possibilities that can potentially make our city more vibrant, more beautiful, and more family-friendly.

We especially pray for those members of our community who are unemployed, those who are facing health hurdles, and those who are striving to make ends meet. May the joy of this season create hope, motivation, and opportunity for a better quality of life for all.

Now, as we come to the close of 2011, and as we look forward to a great year in 2012, may our dreams be big, may our dialogue be civil, may our strategies be effective, and may our resolve be firm.

Just as the lights of Christmas illuminate our town during this season, so may your love and grace provide light for our lives all year long. For we offer our prayer in the name of the one who came to be our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. Amen.

(Barry Howard serves as senior minister at the First Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida. This prayer was offered at the December City Council Meeting.)

Rekindling Hope

2011-12-16T07:57:00.000-08:00

by Barry Howard

Advent is a time to reclaim the hope we have in Christ. Our hope in Christ reminds us that through the ever-changing circumstances and seemingly insurmountable challenges of life, “with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).

As our nation emerges ever-so-gradually from a recession, economic uncertainty has become a global concern, with many European countries either re-organizing or teetering on the brink of financial collapse.

As we prepare for a crucial election year, the rhetoric of the campaigns already sounds more indicative of superficial political posturing than substantive problem-solving.

A general cultural malaise that is saturated with complaint and almost devoid of optimism seems to be contagiously infectious, not just around the nation, but around the world. And to make matters worse, that sense of hopeless discontent has infiltrated the church. If the community that has been called to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13), the very bastion of hope, forfeits hope for hopelessness, we may find ourselves rushing toward an apocalyptic future.

Real hope is neither blind nor naïve. Real hope motivates us to rise above despair and deal with challenging circumstances proactively, constructively, and collaboratively.

A few years ago I read of a rather profound exchange between two clergy who were working together during a season filled with monumental changes. In 1960, John Claypool began his tenure as pastor at the Crescent Hill Baptist Church in Louisville. Shortly after his arrival, Claypool became friends with a Jewish rabbi who was forty years his senior. Their friendship grew deeper as they worked together in the civil rights movement. After a tense and unproductive meeting one day, Claypool looked at his Jewish friend and said, “I think it is hopeless. This problem is so deep, so many-faceted, there is simply no way out of it.”

The rabbi asked Claypool to stay a few minutes after the meeting and said, “Humanely speaking, despair is presumptuous. It is saying something about the future we have no right to say because we have not been there yet and do not know enough. Think of the times you have been surprised in the past as you looked at a certain situation and deemed it hopeless. Then, lo and behold, forces that you did not even realize existed broke in and changed everything. We do not know enough to embrace the absolutism of despair. If God can create the things that are from the things that are not and even make dead things come back to life, who are we to set limits on what that kind of potency may yet do?”

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:28-31

Like the stoking of warm embers to re-awaken the flame, hope can be rekindled by stoking the fire in our bones that propels us “to act justly and love mercy and walk humbly with our God” (Micah 6:8) in all of the seasons of life.

Advent is a season to rekindle our hope and to renew our strength, a hope inspired by God’s perspective and strength that motivates us toward God’s plan, realized on earth as it is in heaven.

(Barry Howard serves as senior minister at the First Baptist Church of Pensacola, Florida.)

Advent: A Progressive Journey toward Christmas

2011-11-28T13:02:00.000-08:00

by Barry Howard

When observed faithfully and progressively, Advent can prepare us for a Christmas celebration filled with mystical wonder and deep meaning, a spiritual communion that far exceeds the buzz of shallow commercialism.

In the rural church of my upbringing, we didn’t observe Advent. We jumped directly from Thanksgiving to Christmas. In our close-knit congregation, the non-negotiable liturgical dates on our church calendar other than Christmas and Easter were Church Conference after worship service on the first Sunday, Gospel Singing on the fourth Sunday night, Revival during the second full week in August, and Homecoming the last Sunday in July. Advent, Epiphany, Lent, Passover, and Pentecost were nowhere to be found.

During my early years as a minister, I was introduced to the colors and candles of Advent and my journey toward Christmas changed drastically. Today, I am convinced more than ever that as mission-driven Christians who live in a market-driven culture, we need the reflective disciplines of Advent to keep us alert to stealth forces like materialism, busyness, and greed, illusive grinches who would love to steal away the real message and gifts of the season and replace them with superficial slogans and glamorous counterfeits.

For the Christian, the season of Advent calls us to a progressive journey toward Christmas. When our days are seasoned with prayer and saturated in expectation, we think about Christmas differently than the rest of the world. Advent has a way of rescuing us from the busyness and the relentless anxiety to meet materialistic expectations.

This year in our church we will count down the days until Christmas by listening to the prophets, singing the carols, re-reading the gospels, and lighting the candles that refuel our peace, hope, love, and joy. Then we will be better prepared to sense the anxiety of Mary and Joseph, to feel the labor pains of God, to celebrate the birth of the world’s most renowned newborn, and to hear both the singing of angels and sobs of Rachel weeping. This gradual journey of Advent culminates when the Christ candle is lighted and the Christmas Star shines over the manger in Bethlehem.

If we dare to journey through this season one day at a time, to reconsider the promises of the prophets, and to revisit the nativity narrative of the gospels, we may discover that we are more than ready to follow Christ from the cradle to the cross and beyond.

(Barry Howard serves as the senior minister at the First Baptist Church of Pensacola, Florida.)

A Pastor’s Prayer for Parishioners

2011-10-17T09:30:00.001-07:00

By Barry Howard

Good and gracious God,

I come to you praying for those who are members, formally or informally, in the congregation I serve.

I pray for the young and the elderly, the sick and healthy, the employed and the unemployed, the happily married and the unhappily married, the active and the semi-active, the veteran saint and the new believer, and the spiritually passionate and the spiritually frustrated.

I am aware at this moment of the diverse and divergent life experiences confronting each individual on this day. I pray for those who are at the top of the mountain, experiencing success in their business, stability in their home, growth in their faith, good health, and/or unspeakable joy in their heart.

I also pray for those who are currently in the valley of despair, experiencing frustration in their business, anxiety in their home life, lukewarmness in their faith, mounting concerns with their health, and/or perplexing grief in their soul.

I pray for every member of this spiritual family to know the deeper purpose of congregational life, to worship and to serve with faithfulness, to listen and to speak with intentionality, to be honest and to be humble, to be reverent and to be respectful, and to weep and rejoice, privately and together, as needed.

Help us as your family to balance those ongoing tasks of reaching out to those outside our family while ministering to each other within the family, so that neither task is lacking.

Help us as your people to work energetically for the common good of your community-yet-under-construction, so that our personal ambitions and our preferential agendas do not derail or defeat your initiatives that are often invisible to the self-absorbed eye.

Help us as your church to experience an emerging momentum toward faithfulness, the elation of cheerful giving, the gratification of serving, a growing willingness to make sacrifices, and the inner peace that comes only through your divine presence within.

Help us as your children to continually and wisely realign our lives, not conforming to the mirage of pop culture, but always being transformed by the durable and timeless work of Jesus Christ.

Keep us in tune with your Spirit who convicts and comforts, guards and guides, and equips and encourages, and who is working actively to generate good in all circumstances, especially those things that we perceive as devoid of good.

Since life in this world is imperfect and every individual life including our own falls short because of the brokenness of sin, teach us to be more gracious and less judgmental, more inclusive and less exclusive, more compassionate and less condemning, because we have already seen this kind of grace demonstrated in the story of Jesus.

In this crucial day in time when many have forsaken spiritual community for religious conglomerate, replaced worship with trendy entertainment, and prioritized self-interests above service, remind us that we are people of the towel, both to wash each other’s feet, to dry each other’s tears, and to wipe clean the slate of sins on earth even as you have purged our sins from our private record in heaven.

Encourage and equip us to be your hands and your feet, your light and your love, and your disciples and your servants in a world that needs authentic witnesses of your love and your mercy.

May we receive each day as a gift, and like Jesus, to value relationships above the quest for riches and the preservation of traditions, and to prioritize covenant loyalty above comfort, convenience, and temporary gratification.

As you free us to live life to the fullest, make us to be incarnate representatives of your presence and illustrative constituents of your grace, for we pray in the name of the one who came to give us life and life more abundantly.

Amen

A Pastor’s Prayer for Pastors

2011-10-07T06:34:00.000-07:00

by Barry Howard

(This prayer was offered at the Mercer Preaching Consultation on St. Simon’s Island on September 26, 2011.)

Gracious God,

I come to you as a pastor praying for pastors. I pray all men and women from every walk of faith who are called into this peculiar work of encouraging and equipping others for their journey.

First I pray for pastors to be encouraged. For all its rewards, this work can be discouraging. I pray for those pastors who are right now living through the dark night of the soul, some experiencing darkness because of the challenges of their congregation, others experiencing darkness because of emotional depression, and still others experiencing darkness because of physical or spiritual fatigue. I especially pray for those pastors who are discerning whether to go to a new place of service, and for those pastors who have confirmed the call to stay where they are to seize the opportunities and tackle the challenges. I pray for the energy of pastors to be revitalized so that pastors can dream dreams and have visions, do their work with the right spirit.

I pray for pastors to be faithful. I pray for pastors to live in faithful covenant to their families, both their parish family and their personal family, and to always know the difference between the two. I pray for pastors to be faithful to our calling, always discerning and following your kingdom initiatives, and to be continually engaged in dialogue with you.

I pray for pastors to be anointed with a fresh dose of courage. These are stressful times and it is no time for your shepherds to be sheepish. You did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of courage, so help us as pastors to speak and act courageously with moral and ethical conviction for causes that are just and right. Help us to act with courageous conviction in living and preaching the good news to all people regardless of ethnicity, creed, or economic status. And help us to have the courageous insight to navigate our congregations toward the ways of Christ, and away from any popular fads, trends and perceived shortcuts to growth that both trivialize the gospel and minimize the Christian experience.

I pray for pastors to have endurance. I pray for pastors to work intentionally and intelligently, to carefully manage the demands of an unpredictable schedule, to faithfully practice Sabbath-keeping, and to respond with tough love to those occasional high maintenance saints who can become like thorns in the flesh and pains in all of the wrong places.

I pray for pastors to be effective preachers. I pray for us to be both prophets and poets, who tell the truth and love the people. I pray for pastors to speak with authority from on high and yet have street level savvy, so that we can simultaneously be heavenly minded and do some earthly good. In a world filled with bad news, I pray for pastors to be articulate and welcomed voices of good news, bringing your right word at the right time.

Lord, it is an exciting, but gut-wrenching time to be a pastor. And although faith no longer enjoys privilege and preference in the public square, we are confident that the message of faith is astoundingly relevant at the major intersections of life and that the message may be heard more profoundly in the congestion of the daily grind than from the assigned seats of privilege.

In a world where people are not content with easy answers; where truth is sometimes black, sometimes white and sometimes gray; where superficial spirituality is insufficient; and where seekers are searching for authenticity; help us as pastors to rise to the occasion to speak the truth in love, and to be more about the business of the kingdom than the kingdom of business. Help us as pastors to find security in our belonging to you and not in the whims of the culture in which we live or the opinions of the beloved people we service.

For every pastor, and especially me, O Lord,

I pray for clarity of call and clarity of conscience.

I pray for physical health and spiritual vitality.

I pray for emotional stability and spiritual sensitivity.

Restore unto us both the joy of our salvation and the joy of ministry,

That the fire in our bones will be transformed into the energy and enthusiasm with which we serve.

In the name of the one who calls us, who encourages us, and the one who will see us through until the end. Amen

Who Will You Invite to Church This Sunday?

2011-09-16T09:43:00.000-07:00

By Barry Howard

A young professional said, “I got out of the habit of going to church while I was in college. I usually slept in on Sunday mornings. I’ll get started back when I get my life together.”

A single woman said, “Since my divorce, I’ve been too embarrassed to return. I feel like a failure and I really don’t want to answer questions about my ex-husband.”

A businessman said, “My wife and I used to teach youth Sunday School. I was an active deacon and she served on a couple of committees. But we decided to take a sabbatical from church for a while, you know, so we don’t get burned out. We will be back someday.” Their sabbatical was moving into its fifth year.

An engaged couple said, “We want to start after we get married. But since we’ve moved in together already, we feel sort of strange coming to church right now. We don’t want people to judge us.”

And the list goes on. Through the years I have learned that people disengage from church for a variety of reasons, sometimes intentionally and at other times, unintentionally. Whatever the reason, it is not our responsibility as church members to judge them, but to lovingly welcome them and reconnect with them.

This Sunday September 18 is National Back to Church Sunday, a multi-denominational effort to re-enlist those who have become inactive or disengaged from the life of the church. Although 83 percent of American adults identify themselves as Christians, only about 20 percent attend church on any given Sunday.

This Sunday is a great time to invite friends and neighbors who have become disconnected from their church family to come to church with you. A 2008 study by LifeWay Research and the North American Mission Board of 15,000 adults found that 67 percent of Americans say a personal invitation from a family member would be effective in getting them to visit a church. Sixty-three percent say an invitation from a friend or neighbor would likely get them to respond.

While there are many seekers who float from church to church to hear popular preachers and trendy Christian music, there are thousands of non-churchgoers who long to connect or reconnect with a caring spiritual community, a church that accepts them as they are and challenges them toward a journey of growth and discovery. Isn’t that how Jesus related to his early followers?

A personal invitation from you can open the door for someone who is disconnected to become an engaged participant. Who can you invite to come to church with you this Sunday?

(Watch video at http://www.fbcp.org/Uploaded/11-Summer-Video.swf )

(Barry Howard serves as senior minister at the First Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida.)

A Day That Haunts, A Faith That Hopes

2011-09-09T08:40:00.000-07:00

A Pastoral Prayer for September 11, 2011

On this tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001

We gather to remember an atrocious day, a day that we wish we could forget.

O God we confess our ongoing need of your transformative and emerging grace

For we are all too mindful that this date still haunts us

With memories that strike fear

And with emotions that convey pain.

As we attempt to apply your words to life,

And to live by faith as we embrace your promise of a better future

We confess that our anger and grief from that fretful day are not nearly resolved.

And that retaliatory impulses of vengeance and hate incubate deep within.

And yet we acknowledge that our hurt does not compare to the pain

of those who were touched more directly

through the unexpected and unfair loss

of family members, friends, and co-workers.

We shudder at the memory of horrific images of death and destruction,

We worry over the ongoing armed conflict that seems to be unending,

We grieve over the deaths of the sons and daughters of our nation,

As well as the subsequent casualties among our allies and our adversaries.

And we long for a civilized and lasting resolution

So that our sons and daughters may return home safely and soon

And that those who have longed for liberation from tyranny

Might govern and be governed with dignity and integrity.

Rather than being consumed by our grief,

And controlled by our fears

And constrained by our anxieties,

Let us set our minds to addressing the injustices that precipitate hostility,

Let us direct our souls to living out our moral conviction,

Let us turn our hearts to loving the poor,

and the disadvantaged,

and the disenfranchised.

And let us determine to fight terror,

Not with our own terroristic threats,

But with a responsible and courageous exercise of freedom,

And with a proactive and authentic faith.

And though it runs counter to our deepest instincts,

You continue to teach us to love our enemies,

so that we do not become like them.

Today, especially today, we pray for the leaders of our nation and our world

For the leaders of our state and our community

To act and react with wisdom and discernment,

And to maintain a disposition that will defuse conflict

And advance the cause of peace.

And we pray for the leaders of our churches and synagogues

And for people of diverse faiths

To act and react with transformative grace and eternal hope,

And to maintain a disposition that will dispel propaganda

And advance the cause of truth and compassion.

We offer our prayer in the strong name of the One who came to bring peace on earth and goodwill to all humankind. Amen

A Unique Vocation: The Calling to Be a Pastor

2011-08-31T19:43:00.000-07:00

I have been reading several good books this summer but one has inspired me to re-think and re-affirm my calling. The Pastor: A Memoir by Eugene Peterson is an inspiring autobiographical account of what it means to be called to pastoral ministry and to live out that vocation in a unique community.

While Peterson is known to many primarily for his popular Bible translation called The Message, for me his greatest contribution has been his writings about pastoral work. Years ago I read three of Peterson’s books about pastoral ministry: Five Smooth Stones of Pastoral Work, The Contemplative Pastor, and Under the Unpredictable Plant. In a church world that looks to the pastor to be the CEO, a chaplain-on-demand, or an ecclesial entrepreneur, Peterson reminds ministers and churches that a pastor is more like a spiritual director, a “soul friend” who walks alongside others pointing out what God is doing in their life.

In a fast paced world, where a competitive consumerist culture has invaded the church, pastors are often expected to be an idealistic combination of captivating motivational speaker, savvy executive/administrator, and extraordinary counselor. But the call to be a pastor is unique. There is no other vocation like it.

The call to be a pastor is unique because the nature of the church is unique. Veteran pastor Hardy Clemons reminds us that the church is to be “more family than corporation.” Clemons reminds pastors and churches of their peculiar mission:

Our goal is to minister: it is not to show a profit, amass a larger financial corpus or grow bigger for our own security. The ultimate goals are to accept God’s grace, share the good news, invite and equip disciples, and foster liberty and justice for all.
While serving as a pastor involves skills and responsibilities that are similar to other career paths, being a pastor is a vocation like no other. Although ministers and laity alike will be tempted to compare the role of the pastor to executive roles in the marketplace, the call to be a pastor is distinctive. Peterson stresses that a call to pastoral ministry is a call to spiritual discernment and caring within a particular local congregation and community. It is not a “one size fits all” occupation that functions uniformly in cookie cutter churches.

In Peterson’s Memoir, he summarizes his understanding of the biblical role of a pastor:

The pastor is “not someone who ‘gets things done’ but rather the person placed in the community to pay attention and call attention to ‘what is going on right now’ between men and women, with one another and with God—this kingdom of God that is primarily local, relentlessly personal, and prayerful ‘without ceasing.’
Each one of us is responsible to God for fulfilling our calling in life. Thirty-five years ago I confirmed my calling to be a pastor, and I am still learning and growing and understanding more of what it means to provide spiritual direction to a congregation.

While the call to be a pastor is neither a superior calling nor an elite calling, it is an important calling. For me, being a pastor is more than what I do. It is who I am called to be. It is more than a job. Being a pastor is the life I am called to live, a life that connects with all kinds of people in all kinds of circumstances at the most crucial junctures between birth and death. And that is a calling unlike any other.

A Prayer for Independence Day 2011

2011-07-04T04:01:00.000-07:00

God of all grace and mercy, as we celebrate our nation’s Independence Day, we are beaming with gratitude.

We are thankful for the privilege of living in “the land of the free and the home of the brave.” We are grateful for unequaled liberties that allow us to freely make choices about our work, our worship, our ideology, and lifestyle. We are indebted to past and present veterans who risked life and limb in the pursuit and protection of these liberties.

From the “mountains to the prairies” we are inspired by some of the most spectacular and diverse landscapes on our planet. From “sea to shining sea” we are privileged to draw from a treasure trove of the world’s natural resources. We have access to comfortable housing, the best in healthcare, a more than adequate wardrobe, and an abundance of favorite foods. We are blessed far beyond our deserving.

During this season of celebration we are grateful, yet concerned….concerned about our nation, concerned about our world, and concerned about the future.

From our many different perspectives and ideologies we are concerned about things like the threats of terrorism, the brutalities of war, the abuse of political power, the divisiveness of harsh and misleading political rhetoric, a lack of civil discourse, a growing sense of moral anarchy, and the possibility of an approaching storm or natural disaster. These concerns lead to heightened anxiety about the stability of our economy, the tenure of our employment, and the cost of our insurance.

And we confess that these anxieties often divert us from our mission to “minister to the least of these,” and to “love mercy, act justly, and walk humbly” with you.

These concerns and anxieties also remind us of our need to confess our sins, personally and corporately. We confess that we have too often taken our freedom for granted and we have too frequently been slack in living up to the responsibilities of our citizenship. We confess that at times we are too quick to judge and quicker to criticize. We confess that we are slow to intercede and slower to trust in your sovereignty.

We confess that our self-interests have too often taken priority over the best interest you have in mind for our nation and for our world. We confess that we have been irresponsible in our stewardship of “our space and our stuff,” often consuming and storing compulsively without conscious regard for sharing. We confess that we have too often trusted in our own initiatives and ingenuity more than we have trusted in you.

You tell us in time-tested scripture that, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (II Chronicles 7:14)

As we approach this Independence Day, we ask you to forgive our sin and to heal our land.

On this day, we pray for the leaders of our nation, our state, and our community that they will lead with wisdom and courage.

We pray for the men and women who serve in our military that they will fulfill their humanitarian mission and return home safely and soon.

We pray for our enemies that their swords will also be “turned into plowshares,” even as we long for that day when the “lion will lie down alongside the lamb.”

We pray for the churches, cathedrals, and temples of our community and our world that they will be lighthouses of grace and peace, ever pressing toward the mark of our high calling.

Because you are the freedom-loving God, lead us to exercise our freedom responsibly and to pursue “liberty and justice for all” people around the globe.

We pray in the strong name of the One who came to set us free. Amen.

Celebrate Religious Liberty: Exercise the Freedom to Worship

2011-06-29T08:01:00.000-07:00

Fourth of July weekend is approaching. Where will you be this Sunday morning?

While many of us have appropriate plans in place this weekend to celebrate our nation’s independence with picnics, barbeques, ice cream, and fireworks, one of the most fitting ways to celebrate is to exercise our freedom to worship.

Our Baptists ancestors were among the many who contended for religious liberty for all faiths. The first amendment to the Constitution of the United States confirms that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

As citizens of these United States, we enjoy greater freedoms than any nation on earth, but with great freedom comes great responsibility.

In light of our religious liberty, let us pray fervently for those who live in regions of the world that are subject to harsh religious persecution. As we freely choose where and when to worship, let us remember our brothers and sisters who will gather anxiously but faithfully in underground churches, taking risks unfamiliar to most of us, in order to worship God and gather with their fellow believers.

From my perspective, joining regularly with other believers to worship nurtures spiritual growth, fosters moral character, and encourages humanitarian service. Hebrews 10:25 reminds us, “Some people have gotten out of the habit of meeting for worship, but we must not do that. We should keep on encouraging each other, especially since you know that the day of the Lord's coming is getting closer.” (CEV)

For believers to neglect the opportunity to gather for worship and Bible study is to trivialize the tremendous price paid for our freedom to assemble without fear of reprisal or repercussion. Perhaps the worst expression of historical amnesia is the tendency to take freedom for granted.

I think we best celebrate and preserve our freedom by exercising our freedom. This weekend is a time to celebrate our many freedoms. Whether you are at home or traveling, I hope you are making plans for a fun day of celebration with family and friends. I hope you will take time to give thanks for our great heritage and to pray for our nation’s leaders and country’s future. Most importantly, I hope you will celebrate by exercising your freedom to worship.

Be Informed About Alzheimer's Disease

2011-06-06T05:26:00.000-07:00

Alzheimer’s disease is difficult to diagnose and the number of people who are afflicted is growing. Each year I talk with multiple families in our community who are affected by Alzheimer’s.

A few years ago, it struck home for my family when my grandmother was diagnosed with the disease. The symptoms were there long before the diagnosis was confirmed. We wrongly assumed that the symptoms were merely normal signs of aging, or the acceleration of basic dementia.

Staying informed with accurate and up-to-date information is important. Families who are well-informed about Alzheimer’s are better prepared to recognize and respond to someone who is experiencing the disease.

Alzheimer’s disease, a progressive, degenerative disease of the brain, is the most common form of dementia. In 1906 Dr. Alois Alzheimer, a German physician, first called attention to this condition.

The Alzheimer’s Association offers the following statistical data on the disease:

• Approximately 5.4 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease.

• Unless a cure or prevention is found, that number will increase to between 11 and 16 million by 2050.

• One in 10 persons over age 65, and nearly half of those over 85 have Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease can occur in people in their 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s.

• A person with Alzheimer’s disease will live an average of 80 years, and as many as 20 years or more from the onset of symptoms.

• Depression is found in 20 percent of persons with Alzheimer’s disease, and in up to 50 percent of Alzheimer caregivers.

Although there is no single test to identify Alzheimer’s, a probable diagnosis may be made after a comprehensive evaluation that includes a complete health history, a physical and neurological examination, and a mental status assessment, as well as observation of symptoms and behavior.

At the present time, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Progress of the disease cannot be stopped or reversed. However, intervention strategies and appropriate medication may be effective in lessening symptoms, and hopefully allowing for continued participation in many activities.

A person with Alzheimer’s disease may not be identified based on appearance alone. Persons with Alzheimer’s may maintain their social skills or behave normally in familiar settings. Many individuals with Alzheimer’s are conversant, articulate, and physically fit. Some may even hide or deny their symptoms. Symptoms and behaviors vary because the disease progresses at different rates in each individual.

Usually a person with Alzheimer’s disease displays some of the following symptoms:

• Poor or decreased judgement

• Frequent, short-term memory loss

• Difficulty performing familiar tasks

• Problems with language

• Disorientation as to time and place

• Problems with abstract thinking

• Problems misplacing things

• Wandering

• Sudden mood changes

• Loss of initiative

At some point, Alzheimer’s will affect every family and every congregation. Learn all that you can about the disease now, so that your response will be informed and caring. For more information, visit the web site of the Alzheimer’s Association at http://www.alz.org.

A Time to Remember and Never Ever Forget

2011-05-30T04:53:00.000-07:00

The last Monday in May is a unique holiday. Memorial Day does not generate as much holiday enthusiasm as Christmas, Easter, or Independence Day, perhaps because it is more an observance than a celebration. This important holiday is not just another “day off” but a day to remember those who have lost their lives in the military service of our country. This is a day to remember those who, according to Henry Ward Beecher, “hover as a cloud of witnesses above this Nation.”
In a culture that is increasingly attention-deficient, remembering is a painful but necessary discipline. Remembering historical facts should help us to remain consciously aware of the harsh realities of global conflict. Revisiting stories from the battlefield may enable us to learn from both the successes and the failures of our national ancestry. When we remember the fallen we keep alive the individual and corporate legacies of valor and courage that inspire and challenge us to be responsible citizens of the free world.

To fail to remember is to develop a convenient amnesia that eventually robs succeeding generations of acquaintance with our national heritage. To fail to remember creates a contagious apathy that leads to a neglect of both our freedom and our citizenship. To fail to remember can produce a false sense of protection and a perceived exemption from future warfare. A loss of memory eventually leads to a loss of national identity. Remembering is a painful but necessary discipline, a discipline that forges vision from memory, and a discipline that extracts wisdom from knowledge.

In The Roadmender Margaret Fairless Barber suggests that “To look backward for a while is to refresh the eye, to restore it, and to render it the more fit for its prime function of looking forward.”

This year take time to observe Memorial Day…A day to remember the past with gratitude and to look to the future with hope and faith.

Dr. James Pleitz: A Pastor's Best Friend

2011-05-17T05:05:00.000-07:00

Dr. James Pleitz departed for his eternal home on Sunday evening. He was ready to go and looking forward to the trip. Dr. Pleitz told me that over and over again. I told our congregation last Sunday morning that Dr. Pleitz was "sitting on the launching pad awaiting liftoff." The launch sequence reached zero shortly before 8 o'clock.

While we have no doubt about his destination, he will be missed. In addition to serving as a legendary pastor at both First Baptist Church of Pensacola and Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas, Dr. Pleitz spent his final years as our Pastor Emeritus. He fulfilled the responsibilities of that role more effectively than any emeritus pastor I know.

"Pastor Emeritus" is an honorary title given by a congregation to honor their founding or long-time pastor. It means, "We know you are retired, but we still look to you as a senior shepherd." With that honorary title comes an extremely important job description, which includes encouraging the congregation, supporting the current pastor, and utilizing his or her influence to advance the ministry of the church.

A few of my pastoral colleagues around the country have had the misfortunate experience of serving alongside rogue emeriti....that is, emeritus pastors with control issues, inflated egos, or a bad case of "retired preacher syndrome."

Dr. James Pleitz could have written the book on how to be an effective and influential emeritus pastor. He encouraged the congregation in every way imaginable, even giving me words of encouragement to share with them during his final days. He was my number one encourager, always sending me handwritten notes and placing well timed phone calls to inquire about my family or to ask how my week was going. He would often stop by my office unannounced....request a cup of coffee...one cream, two sugars...and once the door was closed, he would say, "I just wanted to come by and pray for my pastor." He would lay his hand on my shoulder and pray in way that would lift my soul heavenward and fortify my confidence for the day. He will be missed.

And he was an ambassador for the kingdom. He knew how to work a room by learning names and listening to stories. One of our associate ministers said, "Dr. Pleitz had a way of making you feel like you were the most important person in his life at the moment he was speaking to you."

Although there is a great reunion occuring this week in the heavenly realm, there is a great hole in the heart of First Baptist Church of Pensacola and their pastor because our pastor emeritus is no longer with us. His presence will be missed but his influence will be felt for generations to come.

And I hope that other retiring pastors around the country will learn from Pleitz' example of how to be a great Pastor Emeritus, and how to be the new pastor's best friend.

The Church That Became a Submarine

2011-05-14T03:21:00.000-07:00

(Several years ago, in warning the First Baptist Church, Pensacola, Florida, not to turn into "a submarine," Pastor James L. Pleitz gave this submersible parable.)

Once upon a time in the twentieth century there was a church that became a submarine. It wasn't as difficult as it might seem. One day it just shut the hatch on the outside world and submerged into its own sea. Occasionally it ran up the periscope to see where it was going.

Once the captain got a real vision through his periscope and when he demanded that they get back to the surface and fast, the crew quickly developed the bends and the sub stayed down.

While submerged there was a lot for the crew to do. In fact they were kept on alert and asked to make maximum efforts. They tinkered with the machinery constantly. They overhauled their kitchen. They inventoried their ammunition at least once a week but they never used it. They paid salaries to the officers and went through endless drills occasionally interrupted by prayers that no depth charge would disturb their isolation. The air got stale too, so did the routine, but they put up with it because the alternatives were too demanding. Several committees even decided the stale air was good for them.

One of the members who had sneaked a look through the periscope suggested a change in course and the giving away of their surplus supplies. He was immediately eliminated for mutiny.

The last entry in the captain's log book read, 'Have probably set a new record for being submerged and maintaining predetermined course. See no reason why we should change directions. Crew continues to give maximum effort. We did sight an enemy and appointed three committee members to study the situation."

(Dr. James Pleitz is the beloved pastor emeritus of First Baptist Church, Pensacola, Florida)

Lessons from the Palm Sunday Tornado

2011-04-30T18:21:00.000-07:00

On Palm Sunday in 1994 a tornado touched down near Ragland, Alabama and cut a trail to Rome, Georgia, demolishing hundreds of homes, destroying five church campuses, and taking 29 lives before leaving that area.

The unthinkable happened on the first day of Holy Week. Entire communities were in disarray. I lived in one of those communities hit hard by the storm. My home was one of those damaged by the storm. The church I served became a Disaster Relief Center. And we learned a lot of lessons.

The Williams Community is a rural settlement located about five miles northeast of the city limits of Jacksonville, Alabama. It’s a place where the church is still the center of community life and it boasts a general store where you can buy your overalls and work boots just a few aisles over from the sweet milk. The Williams Community began as a settlement of farmers and educators, and those influences are dominant to this day. With its picturesque pastoral landscape and its Mayberry-like hospitality, it would have been an appropriate setting for Norman Rockwell masterpieces had Rockwell lived in the south.

On March 27, 1994, church services ended at 11:00 a.m. Following services many families who would normally have eaten Sunday dinner at home had gone to a restaurant in town or to visit relatives on Palm Sunday. At 11:24 a massive barrel cloud tumbled over the horizon from Webster’s Chapel into the Williams Community steamrolling homes and carving a path that looked liked a clearing for a new highway. In the Williams Community lives were spared…some miraculously. In fact, one family who had taken shelter in a small bathroom, fell from their air-born home into a lake just seconds before remnants of the home slammed into a hillside.

But just up the road a piece a different story was unfolding. At 11:39, the F-4 tornado slammed the Goshen United Methodist Church while worship was in session collapsing the roof and taking 20 lives, mostly children.

Throughout that fateful afternoon, as emergency workers were scrambling to respond to calls and as local residents were digging out their neighbors, another wave of storms dumped several inches of rain on the area further hampering rescue and recovery efforts. When Monday dawned, residents were faced with a haunting reality. Life would never be the same. But for most, at least, life would continue.

Following that tornado, our community learned a lot about patience and perseverance. We learned a lot about grace and hope. We learned the importance of looking forward and not backward. We learned that our dreams trumped our nightmares. We learned a lot about faith and life.

Here are five of the crucial lessons our community learned after the Palm Sunday Tornado that helped us to move forward:

1. We learned that you have to grieve quickly, then get to work. Once the initial shock of the devastation has been absorbed, it's time to channel all of your energy to re-building and moving forward. Despite the grief over things lost, there is a unique kind of joy that arises when you begin dreaming of the new things you can build...together. And interestingly, the work of re-building had a healing effect.

2. We learned emphatically that God doesn’t exempt folks from tragedy just because they have faith. I remember someone asking me, “Pastor, why do you think God let that tornado hit five churches on Sunday morning?” Since I can’t imagine God sitting in heaven and pushing a “Create Tornado” button, then hitting “Send” to a specific address, I remember responding, “Try drawing a line 55 miles in any direction on an Alabama map without hitting at least five churches.” The Bible says something like “it rains on the just and the unjust.” Since most churches are comprised of some combination of just and unjust people, I take that to mean that there is no place or people group who are given a free pass from natural disasters.

3. We learned that when the going gets tough, people of faith mobilize and work together cooperatively. After the Palm Sunday Tornado, the First Baptist Church in the Williams Community served as a Red Cross Relief Center. We partnered with the Cherokee Electric Cooperative, Bellsouth, and FEMA, and each of them did admirable work, eventually. But we also hosted Builders for Christ, Campers on Mission, Mennonite Response Teams, Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief Teams, and a Latter-Day Saints Team. The volunteers from churches and faith-based groups organized quickly and went to work, while the professional and government groups were slowed by paperwork and red tape restrictions. I distinctly remember many of the professional workers who partnered with us telling me how they admired the work ethic, the productivity, and the cooperative spirit of the volunteer teams from churches and faith-based organizations.

4. All kinds of talents and skill levels are needed. We were fortunate to have a huge corps of skilled personnel who managed chain saws, dozers, cranes, and front-end loaders. However, we also needed folks to cook food, drive trucks, pick up debris, run errands, care for children, visit the elderly, sweep the floor, manage communications, and do household cleaning. In disaster relief, every job is important and every volunteer has something to offer. Never underestimate the importance of doing all the good you can, where you can, when you can.

5. Relief work builds community. We learned that remarkable bonding occurs in the field. The sense of community born among those who work together following a storm forges a spiritual kinship that lasts for a lifetime... or longer.

Seventeen years later, another wave of tornadoes has wreaked havoc across the state of Alabama, storms even more powerful and more destructive and more fatal than the tornado that struck on March 27. And one of these post-Easter tornadoes followed a similar path as the Palm Sunday storm of 1994 hitting Webster’s Chapel, the Williams Community, and Goshen.

People there are hurting, even grieving over the loss of life and the destruction of property. But those good rural people are not just weathered storm veterans. Like so many Alabamians, they are a determined, hard-working, and faith-filled people who do not back down from a challenge. They are already drying their tears, rolling up their sleeves, and getting ready to repair and rebuild, because there are some things deep inside that the strongest storm cannot destroy.

A message from the pastor…

2011-04-28T08:36:00.000-07:00

Overnight and today we are watching the horrific video footage following the devastating storms that trampled many communities in Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia yesterday. Many of us have been busy contacting friends and family members to check on their safety. Others of us have already learned of friends who lost homes, businesses, and loved ones.

At our house, in addition to thinking about our many friends who were affected in Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, and Cullman, Amanda and I are grieving over the destruction inflicted on the Williams Community, our former place of service, where at least two lives were taken and multiple homes were destroyed when one storm followed a similar path to the Palm Sunday tornado of 1994.

Our First Baptist Family is no stranger to storms. As veteran survivors of successive storms in recent years, we can identify with the grief, the loss, and the monumental challenges facing our neighboring states in the days ahead. Today I am calling on our First Baptist Family to respond in the following ways:

PRAY! Pray for those who are hurting and grieving. Homes can be rebuilt, but loved ones cannot be replaced. We serve a God who is "our refuge and strength, a very present help in our time of trouble." Pray for those whose lives were turned upside down to discover renewed hope in the aftermath of the storm, and pray for relief and recovery workers to labor with cooperation and perseverance.

GIVE! Consider giving a generous financial gift to assist with rebuilding following this disaster. Make your check to FBC Pensacola and designate it Disaster Relief. All gifts given through FBCP will be channeled through our existing mission partners in Alabama.

GO! In the days ahead, we will be assembling teams to assist with the relief work in Alabama. Today we are working with leaders in Alabama to assess the needs. We know that this will be a lengthy clean-up and rebuilding effort, much like the aftermath of Katrina. Our hope is to target a specific area for partnership. Stay tuned for opportunities to participate on a Disaster Relief Team in the weeks ahead.

I am honored to serve a loving, praying, and caring church family.

With continuing prayers for our neighbors,

Barry

A Meditation on Friendship

2011-04-26T09:32:00.000-07:00

by Barry Howard

A man that has friends must first show himself friendly; and there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24

The wisdom writer pre-supposes that for most of life, human beings are going to be engaged in dynamic human relationships. In a highly competitive world where individuals are dominated by self-interest, how do you keep relationships healthy and growing? Sustainable friendship is a gift from God.

What is a friend? One writer answered this way: Friends are people with whom you dare to be yourself. Your soul can be naked with them. They ask you to put on nothing, only to be what you are. They do not want you to be better or worse. When you are with them, you feel as a prisoner feels who has been declared innocent. You do not have to be on your guard. You can say what you think, as long as it is genuinely you. Friends understand those contradictions in your nature that lead others to misjudge you. With them you breathe freely. You can avow your little vanities and envies and hates and vicious sparks, your meannesses and absurdities, and in opening them up to friends, they are lost, dissolved on the white ocean of their loyalty. They understand. You do not have to be careful. You can abuse them, neglect them, tolerate them. Best of all, you can keep still with them. It makes no matter. They like you. They are like fire that purges to the bone. They understand. You can weep with them, sing with them, laugh with them, pray with them. Through it all--and underneath--they see, know, and love you. A friend? What is a friend? Just one, I repeat, with whom you dare to be yourself.

Churches are built on both faith and friendship. Members of a congregation are actually diverse friends from a variety of backgrounds who stick together in tough times, who bring out the best in each other, and who collaborate in missional effort, despite their differences, out of obedience to a common faith conviction.

Maybe, the Quakers have it right in referring to their faith community as “The Society of Friends.”

During these days of learning to bring out the best in others, treasure the friendships you have, and look forward to making new friends in the days ahead. Robert Louis Stevenson once wrote, “So long as we are loved by others, I would almost say that we are indispensable; and no man is useless while he has a friend.”

Maintaining a good friendship requires grace, mercy, patience, and perseverance. E.C. McKenzie observed that “some people make enemies instead of friends because it is less trouble.” I contend that true friendship is worth the labor.

(Barry Howard serves as senior minister of the First Baptist Church of Pensacola.)

Holy Week: Feel the Passion!

2011-04-12T08:42:00.000-07:00

By Barry Howard

Next week is called Holy Week, not because we are to “act” holy, but because it is a most appropriate week for us to re-visit the passion of Christ. Around the globe, Christ-followers and other inquirers will be reflecting on the events leading up to the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. What is the significance of Holy Week and how can I probe its deeper meaning?

Our tradition of observing Holy Week seems to have originated in the East, emerging out of the practice of pilgrimages to Jerusalem. Each day of Holy Week is significant. For those of us whose faith was shaped in a Baptist tradition, at least four days call for guided reflection. Palm Sunday is a day to revisit the royal welcome extended to Jesus by the curious crowd as he entered Jerusalem. On Maundy Thursday believers recall the occasion when Jesus washed the feet of the disciples as he gave them a new mandate to love and serve. On Maundy Thursday evening, many faith communities re-enact “the last supper” when Jesus broke bread and shared the cup with his disciples by receiving the elements of communion. Good Friday is an occasion to feel the passion of Christ and to think on the enormity of his suffering. And Resurrection Sunday, or Easter, is a festive day to celebrate and proclaim that “Christ is risen; Christ is risen indeed!”

Because of the sequential significance of these events, Holy Week is best approached slowly, with an attitude of reverent exploration, a spiritual mood of sacred awe. In Weldon Gaddy’s book, The Gift of Worship, he describes our opportunity to engage in a more meaningful experience of the passion of Christ: “Holy Week services bring into focus dimensions of discipleship that are missed completely by a simple leap from Palm Sunday to Easter. Worship services which take seriously the truths of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday please God because they challenge a greater commitment and a more effective ministry among the people of God.”

This year as you begin your spiritual journey through Holy Week, open your senses and your imagination to both the tragedy and the triumph of this pivotal week in history. Take time to listen to the voices of the crowd as Jesus enters the city. Hear again the teachings of Jesus and contemplate his days in Jerusalem. Feel the water touch your feet, taste the morsel of bread on your tongue and the sip of wine rolling over your lips. Sense the disgust of his betrayal by a friend. Smell the stench of the scourge and hear the mocking sarcasm of the trial. Grieve over the cruel injustice of his execution and experience the passion of his incomprehensible suffering. And ultimately…consider the mysterious power of the resurrection and the hope generated by the notion that life invested in Christ cannot be extinguished, even by the reality of death.

The events of Holy Week invite and motivate us to follow Jesus, not out of religious obligation or fear of eternal damnation, but because we identify with his teaching and his vision, and we discover a sense of belonging in his cause and his kingdom. A slow and deliberate journey through Holy Week may re-energize your faith and inspire you to live and serve with passion.

The word “holy” means “belonging to a divine power” or “dedicated to God.” On second thought, maybe Holy Week is a week for us to “act” in a way that is holy.

(Barry Howard serves as senior pastor of the First Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida.)

Do You Remember Your Baptism?

2011-03-29T08:43:00.000-07:00

“I was saved on June 26, 1975 at 1:30 a.m. at the Colonial Apartments on Laguna Beach near Panama City, Florida… I was baptized on July 6, 1975 with Mark Smith, Brandon Smith and Mike Tiller by Rev. Tommy Reaves at the creek behind Donald Lloyd’s house.” These are the words I wrote as a fifteen year old in the front of my KJV Scofield Reference Bible, Red Letter Edition.

After making my commitment to Christ and being baptized, my grandmother encouraged me to write the date of those significant events in the front of my Bible so I would never forget them.

Baptism in that cold country creek was a significant moment recorded in my Bible and my soul with permanent ink. Popular preacher and author Max Lucado says that “Baptism separates the tire kickers from the car buyers.” In other words, when you are baptized, you are no longer content to hide in the crowd of spectators applauding Jesus. Rather, you “buy in” to what it means to be a full-fledged follower of Jesus.

Brian McLaren proposes that “Baptism is rich in meaning. It suggests cleansing. When you are a disciple, you understand that you are cleansed by Christ. You understand that Christ died in your place on the cross, paying for your sins, fully forgiving you for all your wrongs. You are cleansed from guilt, and you are becoming a cleaner, healthier, more whole person.”

I don’t believe that everyone has to remember the time, date, and location of their conversion and baptism to be considered a genuine Christian, but for me, remembering my baptism has helped me to confirm and reaffirm my faith during some pretty tough times. There’s an old gospel song that says, “I can tell you the time, I can show you the place, where the Lord saved me by his wonderful grace.”

Do you remember your baptism? As followers of Jesus who learn and live out Christ’s teaching in a Baptist community of faith, being baptized is pretty important…not so much to “seal the deal” but to confirm and launch us into a life of grace and growth. Baptism becomes a vital part of our life’s story…a part of the story to be remembered, treasured, and lived forward.

(Barry Howard serves as senior minister at the First Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida.)

Before You Cross the Finish Line

2011-02-12T15:11:00.000-08:00

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." II Timothy 4:7 NIV

The first time I heard this oft-told story, it was rendered by Wayne Grubbs, pastor at Lakeview Baptist Church in Oxford, Alabama. The story goes something like this: Near the end of the sermon about heaven, the pastor said to the congregation, “How many of you want to go heaven?” Everyone in the church raised their hand except for one little boy on the front row. The pastor turned toward the boy and asked, “Son, don’t you want to go to heaven?” And the little boy replied, “Yes sir! When I die. But I thought you were getting’ up a trip right now.”

Maybe some of us feel like we are getting ready for this trip in the near future, but most of us are probably under the illusion that the end is a long ways away. No matter our age, we need to be ready to cross the finish line by keeping the faith.

What are the things you want to accomplish before crossing the finish line? I recently celebrated my 51st birthday. Coincidentally, on my birthday, I shared a eulogy for one of our beloved senior saints who went home to be with the Lord. To my knowledge, this is the first time I have conducted a funeral on my birthday. The strange juxtaposition of these two events, birthday and funeral, inspired me to think a little more seriously about my own “kingdom bucket list.” What are the things God wants to do through my life between now and the time I cross the finish line?

Thomas Jefferson wisely said, “Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.” How would life be different if you transformed your good intentions into actions? I think we all have a few things we need to accomplish before we cross the finish line. What kinds of things do you need to do?

• Go where you need to go: Go on that mission trip. Take that vacation. Visit that long-time friend.

• Do what needs to be done: Get acquainted with your neighbor. Volunteer for that service project. Share your faith with a colleague or classmate.

• Say what needs to be said: Tell your family members that you love them. Share that memorable story with your children or your grandchildren. Forgive the one who has offended you.

• Give what needs to be given: Honor the Lord with all of your resources and give a first portion to the work of your local church. Pass along that family heirloom to the next generation. Invest in the future by leaving a legacy gift to an important ministry project or a cause that will keep on giving long after you are gone.

• Plan what needs to be planned: Develop your exit strategy. Have your paperwork (advanced directive, will, life insurance, power of attorney, etc) in good order. Leave behind your memorial wishes with your family.

James reminds us that life is “a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away” (4:14 NKJV). Since life is unpredictable and life on this earth will end for every one of us one day, I am convinced that the best way to prepare for death is to live life to the maximum. For me, that means, in addition to trusting Christ as my Savior, I am privileged to follow Christ every step of the journey…. serving, growing, and doing what needs to be done, until I cross the finish line.

I hope to celebrate a lot more birthdays. But someday someone will share a eulogy for me. Since I don’t know when that day will come, I want to make everyday count, because I have a lot of living to do before I cross the finish line.

(Barry Howard serves as senior minister of the First Baptist Church of Pensacola.)

Words Really Do Matter

2011-01-29T07:29:00.000-08:00

Since childhood I have observed that folks who attend church regularly tend to use a "normal" vocabulary throughout the week, but when we step foot on our church campus or attend a church function, we often resort to a specialized repertoire of words that are not easily understood by those outside the community of faith. Because it seems abnormal to me for a person to utilize one vocabulary at work and leisure, and revert to another when in the presence of your church friends or minister, I have quietly loathed all varieties of hyper-spiritual dialects. Across time I confess that I have cynically identified and labeled a few of those more frequently heard church dialects as "King James jargon," "lingo of Zion," "ecclesial English," and "pious pontification."

Recently I came across an old clipping that identifies one of these more frequently employed dialects as Christianese:

Christianese is a language used in the Christian subculture and understood easily only by other practicing Christians. As Christian communicators it's important to avoid words in our writing that could be misunderstood or fail to communicate — terms that have meaning only in the Christian subculture.

As a public service, here are some common phrases used in the church, along with their English-language equivalents:

Christianese: "If it be God's will."
Translation: "I really don't think God is going to answer this one.

Christianese: "Let's have a word of prayer."
Translation: "I am going to pray for a long, long, long time."

Christianese: "That's not my spiritual gift."
Translation: "Find someone else."

Christianese: "Fellowship"
Translation: "Organized gluttony."

Christianese: "The Lord works in mysterious ways."
Translation: "I'm totally clueless."

Christianese: "Lord willing . . ."
Translation: "You may think I'll be there, but I won't."

Christianese: "I don't feel led."
Translation: "Can't make me."

Christianese: "God led me to do something else."
Translation: I slept in instead of going to church.

Christianese: "God really helped me with this test."
Translation: "I didn't study but I guessed good, so I'm giving God credit in the hope that He helps me again."

Christianese: "She has such a sweet spirit!"
Translation: "What an airhead!"

Christianese: "I have a 'check' in my spirit about him."
Translation: "I can't stand that jerk!"

Christianese: "I'll be praying for you."
Translation: "There's an outside chance I'll remember this conversation later today."

Christianese: "Prayer concerns"
Translation: "Gossip"

Christianese: "In conclusion . . . "
Translation: "I'll be done in another hour or so."

Christianese: "Let us pray"
Translation: "I'm going to pretend to talk to God now, but I'm really preaching at you."

Christianese: "You just have to put it in God's hands."
Translation: "Don't expect me to help you."

Christianese: "God wants to prosper you!"
Translation: "Give me all your money." (Author Unknown)

My point is that words really do matter. The New Testament was originally written in Koine Greek, the everyday language of ordinary people, which says to me that the greatest news in the world can be communicated without a specialized religious vocabulary.

The wisdom writer reminds us that, "A person finds joy in giving an apt reply— and how good is a timely word!" (Proverbs 15:23 NIV). This year, a part of my quest to be a better Christian and a more effective pastor, is to learn to be a better steward of my words and to be authentic in conversation. And, of course, to avoid reverting to Christianese. "Carest thou to joineth me?"

Where Dr. King Stood

2011-01-14T06:51:00.000-08:00

by Barry Howard

I grew up in Alabama in the heat of the Civil Rights Movement. I was familiar with the name of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., but only as a name in a news headline or a textbook. I knew little about the man himself. That is, until 1982.

During my senior year at Jacksonville State University, I participated in a field trip to Atlanta with the Sociology Club. We visited several sites of social and cultural significance including the Atlanta Federal Corrections Facility, the Grady Hospital, the Ebenezer Baptist Church and the King Center.

While touring the sanctuary of the Ebenezer Baptist Church, another student and I ventured into the pulpit and stood briefly where Dr. King had stood to preach. The hostess immediately reprimanded us, informing us that in their church tradition, only ministers of the gospel were allowed to “stand behind the sacred desk.”

I relieved her sense of alarm by informing her that I was a “licensed” Baptist minister and that my friend was preparing to be an Episcopal priest, a claim which our faculty sponsor confirmed for the hostess.

Upon learning of our ministerial affiliation, the hostess asked the two of us a few specific questions about our knowledge of Dr. King and then invited us to follow her to the King Center adjacent to the historic church. She led us through the Archives Area, and then through a door that was labeled “Authorized Personnel Only.”

Once inside, we discovered we were in an expansive storage facility with row after row of shelves containing hundreds of boxes. She took a couple of boxes from the shelves, opened them, and allowed us to view the contents. We quickly realized that the hostess was giving us the privilege of examining some of Dr. King’s personal sermon notes, speeches, and correspondence. This information was being stored in the warehouse prior to being processed for the archives.

We observed notes that were mostly handwritten on hotel stationary, restaurant napkins, used mailing envelopes, and on the backside of “incoming” personal letters. While many respected orators labor intensively over manuscripts, revising multiple drafts in order to arrive at just the right script, it was obvious that Dr. King had a rhetorical gift for rendering a speech extemporaneously from a few scribbled thoughts.

After a half an hour or so, our time was up and we rejoined the others in our group. Only years later have I come to realize the distinct privilege given to me that day in Atlanta. Since that time, I have read most of Dr. King’s published writings as well as many commentaries and editorials about Dr. King’s life.

Dr. King should be remembered as a passionate Baptist minister. Following seminary, he served as pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. Later, he succeeded his father, Dr. Martin Luther King, Sr., as pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.

Dr. King should be remembered as an accomplished scholar. After graduating from Morehouse College in 1948, he went on to study theology at the Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania. He completed a doctorate in systematic theology at Boston University in 1955.

Dr. King should be remembered as a courageous civil rights advocate. His dream was equality for all people and he employed and encouraged non-violent protests to dramatically make his point.

In March of 1964, Dr. King was named Time Magazine’s “Man of the Year.” In December of 1964, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Dr. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee. The voice and vision of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. helped shape a movement that is still transforming our nation.

(Dr. Barry Howard serves as senior minister of First Baptist Church of Pensacola, Florida.)

A Life-Changing Resolution: Read the Bible Daily in 2011

2011-01-03T09:50:00.000-08:00

Often I am asked, “What can I do to grow as a Christian?” There are several things that may help you grow in your faith but one of the most important things is to read the Bible everyday.

Sounds simple doesn’t it? But developing a daily discipline of reading the Bible can be challenging because it requires changing our daily habits. However, you are never too young or too old to start.

In the New Year’s season when folks traditionally make resolutions and establish goals for the coming year, why not resolve to read the Bible everyday? Consider some of the advantages of reading the Bible daily. Daily Bible reading increases our knowledge of God’s word. It gives us a more intimate and personal acquaintance with the biblical text. It helps us to discern God’s plan for us. It encourages us to integrate the teachings of the Bible into our daily lifestyle. It confronts our personal sin and affirms God’s forgiveness. It inspires us toward faithfulness and consistency in all of our tasks. Reading the Bible daily helps us to understand the contextual meaning of passages whereas those who read the Bible only occasionally or who read only a selected verse or two are more likely to superimpose their own presuppositions to the text. And finally, daily Bible reading helps keep your life and faith in focus.

Years ago, Lord Tennyson wrote, “Bible reading is an education in itself.” Here are some helpful strategies to develop a daily Bible reading plan:
• Begin by using a companion devotional guide. Our Daily Bread, Open Windows, and the Upper Room are just a few examples of devotional booklets that include both a daily Bible reading selection and a few inspirational comments and stories. There are also a growing number of online devotional sites, such as www.d365.org, that provide relevant daily devotionals, and other sites that you can subscribe to that will send daily devotional readings directly to your inbox.
• Try reading the Bible book by book. Some suggest alternating your reading between New Testament and Old Testament books.
• Read a chapter a day from the New Testament and the Old Testament plus a Psalm and one chapter of Proverbs. This approach provides a balanced diet of biblical perspectives. And because Proverbs is divided into thirty-one chapters, it makes for good systematic reading because of its compatibility with our monthly calendar.
• Read the Bible in one year. Many Christian publishing companies offer printed schedules for reading the Bible through in one year. The assignments for daily reading may prove challenging to slower readers but the rewards of knowledge and inspiration are definitely worth the challenge.

If you want to grow in your faith there are many practices that will enhance your spiritual maturity: daily prayer, regular worship participation, ethical decision-making, and ministry involvement. But one of the best places to begin your journey of spiritual growth if you are a new Christian, or to deepen your faith if you are a maturing Christian, is to develop the discipline of reading the Bible daily. If you really want to live by the book, resolve to spend quality time reading the book daily in 2011.

(Barry Howard serves as senior minister of First Baptist Church of Pensacola.)

Getting Relief from Depression

2011-01-03T06:52:00.000-08:00

There are many reasons why winter is often considered an emotional downer. Some counselors attribute this wintry melancholy to post-holiday stress, while others believe it has more to do with isolation caused by blustery weather.

There are many reasons why winter is often considered an emotional downer. Some counselors attribute this wintry melancholy to post-holiday stress, while others believe it has more to do with isolation caused by blustery weather.

Some studies associate seasonal depression with less sunlight and more darkness. Other factors contributing to depression include lack of exercise, changes in diet, prolonged grief (especially during the holidays) and straying from spiritual values.

One noted psychologist and popular clinician offers these suggestions for overcoming depression:

1. Visit your physician. Depression might be a symptom of a physical problem such as hypothyroidism, hypoglycemia or endocrine imbalance.

2. Eat healthy. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, and avoid caffeine, sugar, junk food and especially alcohol.

3. Get enough sleep. Exhaustion adds to depression. Sleep refreshes the body and uplifts the spirit.

4. Be active. Physical activity can lift you out of depression. Avoid too much television and too many passive activities.

5. Be social. Surrounding yourself with people, especially positive people, can keep your mind off your problems and distract you from feeling sorry for yourself. Social interactions help pull you from your depression.

6. Do fun activities. When you are depressed, nothing sounds enjoyable. But getting out and doing what you used to enjoy will improve your attitude and after a while you will have fun.

7. Write out your feelings. Emotions trapped inside you increase depression. Getting them on paper can release the internal pressure. Write about your anger, grief, confusion or anything else that is bothering you.

8. Surround yourself with positives. Fill your life with positive people, positive music, positive books and positive situations. Stay away from the negatives.

9. Check out your negative self-talk. Listen to what you are saying to yourself. If you are saying negative things to yourself, it will make you feel worse. Put a positive spin on your life.

10. Make plans and dreams for the future. Make a list of all the things you wish to do in the future and then plan how to make them a reality.

11. Develop your faith. Faith in God provides hope. It lifts a person above the frustrations of life. Faith pulls a person above depression and provides perspective to difficulties.

12. Get help if the depression persists. Meet with a pastor if there are spiritual issues, a counselor if there are emotional problems or your physician for appropriate medication. It is a sign of wisdom and courage to seek help if needed.

If you sense that depressing thoughts or feelings are dominating your life, be proactive and take appropriate steps to help overcome your depression.

Simeon Says....

2011-01-01T07:38:00.000-08:00

A few days after the birth of Jesus, Mary and Joseph took the baby to the temple, as was the custom, to have him consecrated to the Lord. After offering their sacrifice, they encountered Simeon, a man who was “righteous and devout” and who was “waiting for the consolation of Israel.”

As Simeon was moved by the Spirit, he took the child in his arms and praised God, saying: “ For your eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”

After the blessing, Joseph and Mary marveled. But Simeon continued, “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many will be revealed. And a sword that will pierce your own soul too.”

Although the birth of Jesus is celebrated with peace, joy, hope, and love, this matter of following Jesus is risky business. It requires loyal commitment, frequent forgiveness, and stubborn faithfulness.

You have followed the star of Christmas to find Jesus in the manger. Now that a New Year has begun, will you follow him further?

(Barry Howard serves as senior minister of First Baptist Church of Pensacola.)

Do They Celebrate Christmas in Heaven?

2010-12-24T08:09:00.000-08:00

As a pastor, I get asked a lot of questions that I cannot directly answer. Some questions have no known answer. I suppose other questions have answers that are beyond our comprehension.

Across the years I have been asked a few questions repetitively, such as “where did God come from?”, “where do our pets go when they die?”, and “when will the ‘end of time’ occur?” I have learned to quickly but kindly respond that there are no dogmatic answers to these inquiries.

However, this year, on at least three occasions I have been asked, “Do they celebrate Christmas in heaven?” This is a new question for me. While this question fits in the same category of “does not have a dogmatic answer,” I have reflected on this question within the framework of my imagination, and realize that my proposed response may be more pastoral than theological.

Whatever heaven is like, I tend to think that the residents do celebrate Christmas. Now, I am aware that there are theological problems with such suppositions. For example, inhabitants of the earth operate on linear time, and are subjected to aging and deterioration. Residents of heaven seem to live in the realm of eternal time, which has no beginning, no end, and no lapse.

The fact that December 25 is our designated day to celebrate, and not the actual date of Jesus’ birth, is also problematic for those who are not willing to make the imaginative leap toward envisioning a Yuletide celebration in heaven. Nonetheless, my hunch is that they likely celebrate Christmas in heaven. Here’s why:

First, I think there is a perpetual atmosphere of celebration in heaven. So why not celebrate Christmas? The gospels tell us that the angels in heaven rejoice when a single “lost sheep is found” (Luke 15:6). Therefore, the inhabitants of heaven must receive a least a few news flashes from earth. And if Christ followers on earth are celebrating Christmas, it seems that to some degree a corresponding celebration would occur in heaven.

Second, heaven is a place of ultimate worship. The Bible indicates that believers from across the ages are singing, “Worthy, worthy is the Lamb!” (Revelation 5:12). When believers around the world gather locally to worship, I envision that we are not alone but are surrounded by a “great cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1). Especially during Advent and Christmas, when we worship, I can imagine that the great host of witnesses joins us when we sing, “O come let us adore Him, Christ, the King.”

Third, (and I know this sounds a little hokie to some) Christmas would be a great time for a reunion of the original cast of the nativity. Can you imagine Mary, Jesus, wise men, shepherds, angels, other visitors who were not specifically named in the gospel accounts, gathering to recount that historic night? They might even note how different the actual event was from the sanitized “manger scenes” of contemporary lore.

There’s a fourth reason I think they celebrate Christmas in heaven. Although the Son is said to have been present with the Father before the foundation of the world, Jesus was physically born into the world on the first Christmas. I grew up singing, “The Birthday of the King.” So in my prospectus, I can envision Christmas in heaven being the ideal time to gather around a huge cake and celebrate Jesus’ birthday.

And finally, Christmas would be a great time for a reception for new residents in heaven. Maybe that perspective is influenced by my Baptist upbringing…you know, we Baptists will host a fellowship for almost any occasion. But, think about this: A local mortuary in our town, like many around the country, had a candlelight service earlier this week for the families of those who lost loved ones this past year. I would like to think that on the other side of the bridge leading to eternity, the Hospitality Committee in heaven is hosting a party for those who have recently arrived.

Yes, I know it is theologically speculative to suppose that they celebrate Christmas in heaven. However, the Bible does affirm that heaven is a place where all things are made new. “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:4.

There are other biblical clues that indicate heaven is a place of social interaction, familiar acquaintance, and festive rejoicing. But most importantly, if heaven is indeed a place where there is no more sadness, then our loved ones who have preceded us in death are not looking over the banister of heaven, overwhelmed by the grief of their departure from earth. Of course, it is not that they don’t miss us. It is more like they now have a new perspective on the eternal reality that “is,” while we live more with the longing for “what shall be.”

So this year, when you see that empty chair at the table, or miss that familiar voice around the Christmas tree, it’s okay to grieve and think fondly of the one who is missing. Just don’t stop there. Imagine the chair they now occupy and the landscape where their voice is now heard. Go ahead and dream of what it must be like to celebrate your first Christmas in heaven.

And to better prepare for that occasion, practice, by celebrating Christmas right where you are.

(Barry Howard serves as senior minister at the First Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida.)

Don't Let Darkness Eclipse Your Christmas Joy

2010-12-23T19:46:00.000-08:00

On Monday evening December 20 as I was watching the twinkling lights on our Christmas tree, I heard the tv news anchor say something like, “tomorrow could be the darkest day in 372 years.” He sure had my attention.

As the story unfolded, the camera shifted to the meteorologist who began describing the pending Lunar Eclipse and how such an eclipse would not occur on the day of Winter Solstice again until 2094.

The shortest day of every year occurs on December 21 and is called the Winter Solstice. Since it is the shortest day, it is also the day with the longest period of darkness. The Earth’s axial tilt is at its furtherest point from the sun, allowing the least amount of daylight to reach the earth.

This year the darkest day of the year was even a little darker because the earth was positioned at just the right location between the moon and the sun for the earth to cast a shadow over the moon, meaning that even the moonlight reaching the earth was minimalized due to a lunar eclipse.

While it may be merely coincidental that the darkest day arrives just prior to our customary celebration of Christmas, from my experience as a pastor, I am aware that holidays can be very dark days emotionally for some folks. Where there are a variety of events, experiences, and emotions that cast shadows dark enough to eclipse the joy of Christmas, the number one culprit is grief.

Grief comes in many shapes and sizes. In the human experience, we grieve over the death of friends and loved ones. We grieve over disintegration of a marriage. We grieve over friction within the family. We grieve over the loss of a job. And at times we even grieve over the loss of a dream.

Let me be quick to affirm that grieving is healthy as long as you are moving through the grief process as opposed to stalling in the grief process. The Bible never tells us not to grieve, but the scriptures do advise us not to grieve “as those who have no hope.” (I Thessalonians 4:13)

Unexpressed grief can lead to anger, depression, or physical illness. During the holidays, rather than being overwhelmed by the darkness of grief, look your grief in the eye and call it by name. Think of grief as one of the many visitors you will entertain. Visit with your grief, but only briefly, and then move on to visit with other guests. Don’t deny it or ignore it. And for certain, don’t let grief dictate the mood or conversation of your holiday celebration.

After hearing the news on Monday night, I stayed up and watched the Lunar Eclipse on Tuesday morning. The shadow gradually covered the face of the moon and then gradually moved away allowing the nightlight to return.

Perhaps grief is the same. It’s okay to walk through the darkness; just don’t take up residence in the shadows.

Don’t let the darkness eclipse your Christmas celebration. Be aware of the shadows. They are real. But keep watching for the light.

Generous Discernment: Making Wise Decisions about Charitable Holiday Giving

2010-12-14T12:45:00.000-08:00

by Barry Howard

As Christmas approaches, our mailbox seems to be stuffed each day with Christmas cards and requests for money. We enjoy personal Christmas cards and letters. After reading them, my wife displays them around the living room with other decorations to remind us of the friendships we share around the country and around the world.

The request letters are a different story. With each one we have a choice to make. We can discard those letters as junk mail, or we can consider the request, and decide whether that particular organization is going to make the cut in this year’s holiday giving.

Most non-profit organizations struggle for funding, even in good years. In this season when we are gradually emerging from a recession, all kinds of non-profits are in a heated competition for charitable dollars. Therefore, this year you might expect more appeals vying for your holiday or end-of-year giving.

Many businesses and foundations have pre-determined guidelines for selecting the charitable causes to which they will make contributions. At our house, we are also developing a list of criteria which helps us to filter through the requests and determine which charities, missions, and ministries will go on our Christmas list.

Here are a few factors that help us make decisions about holiday giving:

1. Our first and largest gift goes to the mission offerings of our church. Throughout the year, our “firstfruit” gifts go to the ministries of our church. Primarily, this is an act of obedience to what we believe the Bible teaches, but we also believe that the cumulative projects of a local church make the most significant impact on individual lives. At Christmas we give an additional gift that supports missionaries around the globe.

2. We tend to give to organizations that are faith-based, organizations that share many of our concerns and passions.

3. We try to give to organizations that focus on the “least of these,” providing a boost to individuals who are disconnected, disadvantaged, or disenfranchised.

4. We select organizations that have low overhead and administrative costs. We don’t want to support an organization that exists to sustain itself. Rather, we want to give to organizations that provide a monumental service to people in need or that serve as conduits to get funds and resources to people in need.

5. We give to organizations that have demonstrated accountability, those who have a reputable board of advisers and a reporting mechanism to let us know where previous gifts have been used.

6. We determine to avoid “guilt giving” and “arm-twisting requests.”

7. We do not give directly to persons on the street, at intersections, or interstate ramps. Our experience is that people are most effectively helped through missional organizations and relationships. (However, we do offer to help get persons on the street to our mission center for assistance, or we offer to buy them a meal, but we do not give money, simply because of the high rate of manipulation and addiction among full-time panhandlers.)

8. We recognize that some good organizations will be left out of our giving plan and that we cannot give to everyone.

9. We set a total dollar amount and then appropriate specific amounts to our chosen causes.

10. Each year we re-evaluate our recipients and do not automatically give to the same groups as the previous year.

Thousands of organizations, ministries, and causes are trustworthy, accountable, and effective, but we cannot support all of them. There are hundreds we would like to support, but our resources are limited. So we choose around 10 or 12 beneficiaries that fit our criteria and we give to them cheerfully.

As we grow and learn better stewardship practices, we realize that we are not liable for supporting every worthy cause. However, we are accountable to God for the resources placed within our care. We have the privilege, especially during the holidays, of generously discerning from among many worthwhile causes those projects and organizations we will support. Then we hope and pray that other organizations receive contributions from discerning benefactors as well.

Years ago Elbert Hubbard wrote, “To know when to be generous, and when to be firm --this is wisdom.” As you designate your holiday giving, don’t select just the causes that make the most emotional plea, and don’t be overwhelmed with guilt for not supporting every single cause. Be generous, but be discerning. Give to those causes that have a proven track record of ministering effectively to spiritual, physical, and emotional needs.

(Barry Howard serves as senior minister of the First Baptist Church of Pensacola.)

I’m Dreaming of an Allie Yniestra Christmas

2010-12-09T07:17:00.000-08:00

The pastor’s Advent reflections….

I remember as a child sitting in the living room at my grandparent’s house watching The Bing Crosby Christmas Special on their black and white Philco television. One of the highlights of the show was when Bing Crosby began crooning “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas.” For those of us who grew up in the south, most years, we could only dream of a white Christmas.

This year at First Baptist we are dreaming of an Allie Yniestra Christmas. During the past couple of years as we have focused on ministry and outreach opportunities in our local community, our partnership with Allie Yniestra has been a meaningful and engaging missional project for all ages within our church family.

Allie Yniestra Elementary School serves children and families in an area heavily effected by poverty. In fact, the Allie Yniestra bus route stops at Loaves and Fishes to pick up children who are temporarily living at the shelter.

The administration and faculty at Allie Yniestra are well-acquainted with the social and economic challenges of their locale. Principal Sheree Cagle considers herself a missionary to Allie Yniestra and Hallmark, the two schools that are merging to become one effective downtown elementary school.

Our First Baptist Partnership with Allie Yniestra is making a difference in the school, and as a result, we are making a positive impact on families in the downtown community.

To kick off our partnership, FBC members refurbished the teacher’s lounge, creating a positive and pleasant atmosphere for teachers to re-energize. Throughout the year, FBC members pray for the faculty and students, and FBC volunteers operate The Success Store, a venture to promote academic achievement, life skills, and fiscal responsibility.

Now, we have a goal of providing a Christmas gift for each of the 252 students in the school. We are inviting FBC members to adopt one or more children from Allie Yniestra by taking paws from one of The Allie Yniestra Trees, located in the Atrium and Children’s Ministry Department. You are asked to purchase a hoodie (hooded sweatshirt) and gloves for each child you adopt, to wrap the gift and bring it to the Children’s Ministries Department by Sunday December 12. Then on Wednesday evening, December 15, join us in Chipley Hall as we host the Allie Yniestra Choir and their families, and present their gifts to them.

With your help, the dream of an Allie Yniestra Christmas will come true.

Advent: Setting the Stage for Christmas

2010-12-01T13:12:00.000-08:00

by Barry Howard

In the close-knit rural church of my upbringing, we didn’t observe Advent. Not by that name, anyway. We naively made a huge leap from Thanksgiving to Christmas. The important liturgical dates on our church calendar other than Christmas and Easter were Church Conference after worship service on the first Sunday, Gospel Singing on the fourth Sunday night, Revival during the second full week in August, and Homecoming the last Sunday in July. Advent, Epiphany, Lent, Passover, and Pentecost were not specifically listed.

Our biggest holiday event was the annual Christmas play. Each year, right after Thanksgiving, we started setting the stage for the Christmas program. Tryouts were held for the annual play, the stage was set, and decorations, featuring a fresh cut cedar tree wrapped in strands of garland and big colored bulbs, were all put in place as our little sanctuary went through a bit of a seasonal transformation.

Prior to the renovation of 1972, the sanctuary of our country church featured knotty pine paneling, hardwood floors, a pine pulpit, and slat-back pews. The same pews were aligned on the platform to the right and left of the “sacred stand” in rows of three, facing toward the center much like an antiphonal choir, except that the choir sat on the right side and the deacons formed an “amen corner” on the left side. On both the east and west wall, precisely even with the front edge of the platform, there were sturdy eyehooks strategically mounted about 12 feet above the floor. Near the back of the platform, the same style of eyehooks hung on the east and west walls at the same height. The first step in setting the stage was to hang wire cables across the front and rear of the platform, cables similar to those used as guide wires to secure large utility poles.

The second step was to retrieve and install the velvet purple curtains that hung on the wire cables. The rear curtains formed a backdrop, hiding props and concealing characters until their time to enter the stage. The front curtains served as traditional theatrical stage curtains, opening to indicate the beginning of the play and closing between scenes and at the end of the program.

On most years, the Christmas play was a mini-drama based on the episodes in the biblical nativity narrative. Beginning with the appearance of a prophet foretelling the birth of the messiah or perhaps an angel visiting Mary, the play would progress scene by scene until finally, Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, the wise men, and a menagerie of animals surrounded the manger. For a couple of years, the script involved a more contemporary setting with a plot built around a 20th century family’s saga in re-discovering the meaning of Christmas, but even then, the play always ended with a living nativity.

Gradually and methodically the stage was set, and finally, after weeks of planning, practice, and preparation, the play would be presented on a Sunday evening to a packed house.

Although at the time, I didn’t know the meaning of Advent, looking back, I think we were sort of observing Advent all along and just didn’t know it. Advent is really a time of setting the stage for Christmas, a season of preparation, culminating in that grand night when we celebrate the birth of Christ.

Today, I am convinced more than ever that as mission-driven Christians who live in a fast-paced, market-driven culture, we need the reflective soulwork of Advent to subvert stealth forces like materialism, busyness, and greed, those illusive Grinches who would love to steal away the real message and gifts of the season and replace them with superficial slogans and glamorous counterfeits.

This year in our church, we will set the stage for Christmas by re-visiting the prophets, singing the carols, re-reading the gospels, and lighting the candles that call us to focus on peace, hope, love, and joy. Then we will be better equipped to empathize with the anxiety of Mary and Joseph, to feel the labor pains of God, to celebrate the birth of the world’s most pivotal newborn, and to hear both the singing of angels and the sobs of Rachel weeping.

If we take the time to set the stage, recounting the biblical stories from Advent to Christmas, we may find that we are more than ready to celebrate the birth of the messiah, and to follow Christ from the cradle to the cross and beyond.

(Barry Howard serves as senior minister at the First Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida.)

Discovering the Hidden Power of Gratitude

2010-11-23T04:38:00.001-08:00

Thursday is Thanksgiving. Most of us will be privileged to gather with family and friends to enjoy a hearty feast and memorable visits around the table. And either in our morning quiet time, or the prayer before the meal, we will give thanks for our many blessings.
As one of our treasured holidays, Thanksgiving is a day set aside, not only to give thanks, but to remind us of the ongoing importance of gratitude. In I Thessalonians 5: 16-18, Paul encourages believers to “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

As we grow in our walk with the Lord, we discover more about the hidden power of gratitude. Experiencing and expressing gratitude throughout the ever-changing seasons of life has a way of re-shaping our perspective and re-formatting our attitude.
In my journey of faith, I am discovering that gratitude has encouraging power. When I am frustrated and tend to see the glass half empty rather than half full, I find that the practice of “counting my blessings” infuses me with encouragement.

The daily discipline of expressing gratitude also tends to build staying power within me. Years ago, in a discipleship course called Masterlife, I was challenged to pray using the acronym, ACTS, a way of framing my prayers to include adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. While each of those facets of prayer are important, thanksgiving is the one dimension that seems to fortify my sense of determination and perseverance.
And I am convinced that gratitude unleashes healing power. That does not mean that gratitude brings instantaneous healing, nor does it make me immune from viruses or exempt from accidents. But I do believe that a heart of gratitude promotes spiritual, emotional, and physical healing in at least a couple of ways. First, gratitude trumps toxic negativity and complaint, cleansing our perspective and renewing our focus. And second, gratitude seems to put us in a positive frame of mind which allows our body to better produce and release antibodies and restorative enzymes that work to promote health and wholeness.

A detailed report on a study of the psychology of gratitude is found in Robert Emmons’ book, Thanks!: How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier. Dr. Emmons and his colleagues at the University of California-Berkeley found that those who practice grateful thinking "reap emotional, physical and interpersonal benefits." The study revealed that individuals who regularly keep a gratitude journal report fewer illness symptoms, generally feel better about their lives as a whole, and are more optimistic about the future. This led Dr. Emmons to conclude that gratitude is both a personal choice and healthy response to our life experiences.

Ultimately, gratitude strengthens our serving power. Gratitude is not about counting my blessings just to make me a happier consumer. Genuine gratitude motivates me to share my blessings. For me, the quality of life is best measured, not by how much I have, but how effectively I use resources I have been given to serve.

With good reason, the scripture encourages us to “give thanks in all circumstances.” For the believer, thanksgiving is not just a day of feasting and festivity. Thanksgiving, the genuine expression of gratitude, is a daily spiritual discipline, a personal practice that steadily transforms us from the inside out.

Would Jesus Vote Democrat or Republican?

2010-11-01T12:11:00.000-07:00

by Barry Howard

November 2 is Election Day around the country. In the state of Florida where I live citizens will be electing a new governor and a new senator in hotly contested races, and several other important local offices in a variety of cities. In my city, Pensacola, residents will be choosing our city’s first strong mayor, consolidating the positions of mayor and city manager.

During this past month at our church, we have been asking a variety of questions focused around the central question, What Would Jesus REALLY Do? These inquiries have included mostly lifestyle questions investigating what it means to be a follower of Jesus in 2010. These questions have encouraged us to take a deeper look at stewardship practices, social issues, ethical dilemmas, e-communications management, and community responsibility.

Last week we asked, if Jesus were going to the polls on Tuesday would he vote Democrat, Republican, or Independent? While we cannot know exactly who Jesus would vote for, I think it is possible to look at the life of Christ, his emphasis on citizenship, and his ethical teachings, and ascertain a few things that would influence Jesus’ voting habits.

Based on Jesus’ emphasis on civic responsibility, I think we can say for certain that Jesus would vote. Although Jesus did not live in a democratic society, his respect for political authority implies that he would participate in the electoral process and he would encourage his followers to do the same.

And based on what we know about Jesus’ values, I have a hunch that Jesus would vote based on the character of the candidate and not their party affiliation. I can’t imagine Jesus voting according to any party line. Admittedly the Pharisees and Sadducees were more religious sects than political parties. However, in his interaction with them, Jesus seems to have had a thorough knowledge of their practices, and yet he demonstrated an independent spirit in dealing with their agendas. If Jesus were voting in this year’s election, I think he would vote according to his convictions for individual candidates, regardless of the parties they represent.

I am intrigued at the variety of factors that influence how an individual casts his or her vote. Here are a few of the factors that influence voting habits:

Voting a straight ticket according to a preferred political party.
Voting for the candidate whose name sounds most familiar.
Voting against the incumbent.
Voting for the one who sent the least political advertisements, or the one who made the least calls to my home.
Voting for the candidate who had hymns, scripture, or a picture of a Bible in their ad.
Voting for the candidate who talks about family values.
Voting according to a voter’s guide.
Voting for the candidate who is going to best represent my business or protect my job.
Voting based on the gender, age, or race of the candidate.
Voting for the candidate who promises change.

This upcoming election is a crucial one, for our country, and especially for Florida and for Pensacola. As this election approaches, l encourage you to join me in exercising the responsibilities of our citizenship in the following ways:

PRAY for the candidates and for the election.
VOTE your personal conviction.
SUPPORT those who are elected.
WORK to make our nation, your state and your community a better place to live, work, and raise a family.

While the process of sorting through political motives and deciding who to vote for can be challenging and frustrating, voting is a privilege and a responsibility, and should never be taken for granted. Be as informed as possible and cast your ballot according to your conscientious convictions. I think that’s what Jesus would do.

(Barry Howard serves as Senior Minister of the First Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida.)

Would Jesus Use a Credit Card?

2010-10-16T13:52:00.000-07:00

If Jesus were walking the earth today, how would he make most of his purchases? Would he use cash, a debit card, or a credit card?

While the Bible is clear that Jesus treasured life experiences and was not preoccupied with accumulating stuff, the Bible also indicates that Jesus frequently spoke about the importance of managing resources carefully and intentionally.

In the 21st century, the way that we manage our resources may be the most reliable indicator of where we are in our relationship with God. The pressure to buy more than we can afford and to accumulate more than we need comes from a variety sources including social expectations, media exposure, and personal greed.

Earlier this week as Amanda and I were going for a walk, we passed two preschoolers playing in a nearby driveway. While I was not eavesdropping, I was amused and astonished to hear one child say to the other, “But I don’t need 50% off on car insurance.” In response the other child quacked like a duck and at the top of his duck-like voice said, “Aflac!”

While I am aware that the kids had merged phrases from two different insurance commercials, as I thought about what I had heard, I realized that these kids had picked up these slogans from viewing repetitive advertisements on TV. If we are not careful and intentional, we will underestimate the power of media advertising to formulate our values, to shape our dreams, and to influence our purchasing. Children aren't the only ones subject to be influenced by appealing advertisements. Consumers of all ages can be persuaded to make unwise decisions regarding buying and borrowing.

Developing and maintaining good management practices is perhaps more challenging than ever. One thing is for sure: If the cultural norm becomes our default value system, we will inevitably find ourselves in big trouble...steeped in debt, overridden by anxiety, and feeling hopeless about the future.

The Bible has more to say about how we manage our possessions than almost any other subject. In fact, one of the best ways for us to honor God is to learn to manage our resources well. The proposition Jesus gave years ago is still true, especially in the 21st century: "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Matthew 6:21 NIV).

A Day That Haunts, A Faith That Hopes

2010-09-11T06:03:00.000-07:00

A Pastoral Prayer for September 11, 2010

Today as we remember a day that we wish we could forget,
we need your transformative and emerging grace
as we see pictures that cause us to feel hostility all over again.
We are all too mindful that this date that still haunts us.

As we attempt to apply your words to life,
And to live by faith as we embrace your promise of a new future
We confess that our anger and grief from that fretful day is not nearly resolved.

And yet we acknowledge that our emptiness doesn’t compare to the hollowness
of those who were touched more directly
through the unexpected and unfair loss
of family members, friends, and co-workers.

We shutter at the memory of horrific images of death and destruction,
We ache over the ongoing armed conflict that seems to be unending,
We grieve over the deaths of the sons and daughters of our nation,
As well as the casualties among our adversaries and our allies.
And we long for a stabilizing and civilizing resolution
So that our sons and daughters may return home safely
And that those who have longed for liberation
Might govern and be governed with dignity and integrity.

Rather than being consumed by our grief,
And constrained by our fears
And constricted by our anxieties,
Let us set our minds to addressing the injustices that precipitate hostility,
Let us direct our souls to living out our moral conviction,
Let us turn our hearts to loving the poor,
and the disadvantaged,
and the disenfranchised.
And let us determine to fight terror,
Not with our own terroristic threats,
But with a responsible and courageous exercise of freedom,
And with a proactive and authentic faith.

And though it challenges our deepest passions,
You continue to teach us to love our enemies,
so that we do not become like them.

Today, especially today, we pray for the leaders of our nation and our world
For the leaders of our state and our community
For the leaders of our churches and our synagogues
To act and react with a wisdom and discernment
That will defuse conflict and advance the cause of peace.
And may we as your children act and react with transformative grace and eternal hope.

In the name of the One who came to bring peace on earth and goodwill to all humankind. Amen

Remembering an Unwelcome Trio of Storms

2010-08-31T18:08:00.000-07:00

PENSACOLA, Fla. (ABP) -- The summer of 2005 will be permanently etched in the minds of Gulf Coast residents. And for me that summer of multiple hurricanes provided a most unusual welcome to a new community.

In May of 2005 I accepted a call to become the pastor at the First Baptist Church of Pensacola, Fla. At that time, the church was recovering and rebuilding from Hurricane Ivan, which the previous year had left $7 billion worth of destruction and inflicted more than $3.1 million in damages to the church campus alone. Little did we know that Ivan was a precursor to the multiple storms that would assault the Gulf Coast the following summer.

My wife and I rolled into Pensacola on the afternoon of Monday, July 4. That evening, as we were unpacking, I turned on the local news and learned that a storm was brewing in the Gulf. Tropical Storm Cindy was not expected to reach hurricane status, but was expected to bring high winds, flash floods, power outages, and possible tornadoes as it made landfall on Wednesday morning. Cindy did minimal damage – but she did surprise forecasters when she reached the status of a Category 1 hurricane.

After Cindy came Dennis. Following a similar path to Ivan, he was forecast to hit the Gulf Coast near Pensacola on Sunday morning July 10. Ironically, that was to be the day of my first sermon.

We made the painful decision to cancel services and encourage our members to evacuate. Some of the staff gathered in the church building to ride out the storm and attempt to minimize any further damage, since repairs from Ivan’s damage were still incomplete.

Early on Sunday morning we gathered in our chapel for an extemporaneous worship service. We were a motley-looking crew -- especially the new pastor, who stood before the remnant unbathed and unshaven to declare that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in our time of trouble” (Ps. 46:1).

Around 2:35 on Sunday afternoon Dennis, which had weakened some and was moving much more quickly than Ivan, made landfall. Thankfully, property damage to our campus and to our community was minimal.

On the Sundays following Cindy and Dennis, we enjoyed getting acquainted with our new congregation, assisting with repairs in the community, and developing ministry initiatives for the coming year. However, near the end of August, storm phobia reached an all-time high as a large blip on the weather radar was christened Katrina and the forecast path put her on a direct course for Pensacola.

Katrina was forecast to make landfall on Monday, August 29. Throughout the week prior we were monitoring the storm’s development and making preparations for another evacuation. But near week’s end, the storm joggled a bit, moving its projected path westward toward the coast of Louisiana and Mississippi.

Then, of course, Katrina made its disastrous landfall, ravaging the coast from Alabama to Louisiana, laying waste to New Orleans and becoming one of America’s most historic natural and human disasters.

After Ivan, our church had served as a distribution point for water, food and supplies. A variety of disaster-relief groups had lodged in our activities center. In Katrina’s aftermath and with Ivan still fresh on our minds, our church joined hundreds of others around the country in sending teams of volunteers to Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana to assist in relief work. In the days following the storm, I joined a team of ministers in surveying damage and visiting with pastors and directors of missions, to ascertain the greatest areas of need. We contributed volunteers and support to efforts in distribution of supplies, medical care, debris clean-up and home rebuilding.

In consultation with our Baptist mission partners and the Volunteers of America, we determined to adopt at least one church and community where we would invest time, energy, and resources for one year or longer. First Baptist Church of Gautier, Miss., became our primary partner. During the ensuing year, we channeled relief funds and over 300 volunteers from the Pensacola area to Gautier to repair homes and to support the ministries of their church during this season of rebuilding.

Last week, I contacted Gautier pastor David Aultman to ask how they are doing five years later. This was his response: “It is hard to believe five years have passed since Hurricane Katrina. We are doing well. We are finally getting back to pre-Katrina numbers in attendance. We have had a good year and we are looking excitedly toward the future. We are close to finally starting a remodeling program that will greatly enhance our facilities to better serve the Lord in this community.

“I still marvel at the way the Lord used you guys, as well as our other partners in the recovery process. We could not have done it without our partners. We, as a church, made a commitment to give back by being involved in disaster-relief ministries. Since then we have been to central Florida; Enterprise, Ala., San Leon, Texas; Wapello, Iowa; Atlanta; Nashville, Tenn.; and Yazoo City, Miss., with disaster relief. We do not want to forget what the Lord did for us through our brothers and sisters in Christ.”

It’s hard for me to believe it has been five years since that summer of multiple storms. During that span of time the Gulf Coast has weathered hurricanes, a major recession, and an oil spill. For many, life will never be the same. But thanks to many ministry partnerships, several homes and lives have been rebuilt. And in more ways than one, for many of us, the re-building continues.

(Barry Howard serves as the senior minister of the First Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida.)

Getting Your Life in Gear

2010-08-19T06:40:00.000-07:00

by Barry Howard

I learned how to drive in my grandfather’s 1966 Volkswagen Fastback….a straight shift. Learning to change gears while simultaneously pressing the clutch proved to be quite a challenge. However, once I mastered the art of driving a manual transmission, moving to an automatic was a piece of cake. Rather than shifting from first, to second, and then third, and grinding around looking for reverse, the options on the column of our 1976 Falcon were PNRDL: P for Park. N for Neutral. R for Reverse. D for Drive. And L for Low, a gear usually used for towing.

As we come to the end of the summer and as I am preparing to challenge our congregation to “gear up” for the upcoming season of missional opportunities, I am reminded of how easy it for our lives to get stuck in the wrong gear. In our commitments to Christ, to our church, and to our daily responsibilities we can become lethargic, passive, inactive, and at times, even backslide into old habits, living as if we have not given our hearts and lives to Jesus.

If you are sitting still, seemingly not going anywhere, your life may be stuck in Park. If you are committed to preserving the status quo, content to let others carry the bulk of responsibility, and have no interest in growing, your life is probably in Park. If you have grown comfortable sitting behind the steering wheel but you never leave the driveway, perhaps you need to find a way to get your life out of Park and into a forward gear.

A life that is stuck in Park is not going anywhere, but a life stuck in Neutral can be even more detrimental. When you put a car in neutral and let off the brake, it is likely to roll one way or the other. Perhaps it will roll whichever way the wind is blowing. Or maybe it will move one direction or the other based on the tug of gravity, which is usually downhill. The danger of putting your life in neutral is that you live without conviction, you go the way of the crowd, or you choose the path of least resistance. And those options are seldom the right way.

If you are continually going backward, or preoccupied with the past, your life might be stuck in Reverse. But it’s hard to go forward, while looking backward. Back in the 1990’s, the church I served in Alabama had a faithful custodian named Ralph. Ralph was a retired chemist who came to work at the church as a retirement project. Ralph was a loyal soul….good-hearted and highly punctual. Ralph and I both typically arrived at the church early, often driving into the parking lot simultaneously. One morning, as I pulled into my parking space, I heard a few horns honking at the nearby intersection. I looked up to investigate the commotion and was stunned to see Ralph’s 1972 Dodge Ram approaching the church….backward. Ralph was driving toward the church in a line of traffic tailgate first. He was advancing forward in reverse. As he pulled up beside me, he quickly explained that his transmission had locked up and reverse was the only gear that worked. He didn’t want to miss work so he drove all the way from home…looking backward over his shoulder.

To this day, Ralph is the only guy I know who has ever advanced forward by going backward. But as a minister serving in Baptist churches for over 30 years, I’ve seen a lot of others try to move forward by looking backward, and it just doesn’t work.

To get your life in gear and move forward, you have to move out of Park, resist the temptation to settle for Neutral, and avoid Reverse, in order to put life into Drive.

Maybe that is why Paul wrote to the Philippians, Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus (3:13-14 NIV).

God intends for us to grow forward in our walk with Christ, our fellowship with one another, and our participation in the work of the kingdom. One analyst put it this way: “There comes a moment when you have to stop revving up the car and shove it into gear.” Now is the time.

(Barry Howard serves as senior minister at the First Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida.)

Blessing for a Clown's House

2010-08-14T16:47:00.000-07:00

A prayer of dedication and celebration for the Ronald McDonald House of Northwest Florida, August 14, 2010:

Gracious God, today we gather representing a proud and grateful community. We are here to give thanks for a dream that became a vision and a vision that has become a reality in our new Ronald McDonald House. We are grateful for the support of community leaders and the guidance of our board members. We are grateful for the work of every contract laborer and every volunteer. And we are especially grateful for the generosity of every individual donor and every corporate partner who made this project possible. Now as we dedicate this house we ask for your ongoing blessing upon all who reside here. Our dream and vision is that this house will serve as a strategic home away from home for children and their families. We pray that it will be an oasis providing rest and refreshing, and serve as a hostel for hope, healing, and hospitality. May this house become a home where life-sustaining friendships are formed and a sacred place where life-saving faith is re-enforced. And may everyone who finds shelter in this home know of the love and strength you give in all of the seasons of life. We offer our prayers and our gratitude in the spirit of the One who teaches us to always welcome the little children. Amen.

Traveling the Paths of St. Francis

2010-08-06T18:16:00.000-07:00

As the Eurostar train from Rome approached the Santa Maria degli Angeli station I could see the old town of Assisi sitting on the slope of an Umbrian butte with prominent castles and cathedrals visible from miles away. We headed to our hotel immediately after disembarking, and along the way we saw friars and nuns walking so routinely that few seemed to notice their presence. There was definitely a spiritual aura here, affirmed by a sense of serenity and safety not present in the larger cities we visited.

St. Francis was certainly the most well-known among the saints honored here. When I was in college, I took a couple of semesters of voice lessons, even though I was not a music major. My instructor chose the music I was to learn and since he knew that I was serving as a minister at a local church, he chose “Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Thy Peace,” the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, as one of the pieces I was to memorize.

This selection was one of the pieces our church choir sang on their recent International Music Tour in Germany and Italy. I still remember the words and sing them quietly when no one else is around.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon:
where there is doubt, faith ;
where there is despair, hope
where there is darkness, light
where there is sadness, joy
O divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.

This experience in college marked my introduction to the prayer and my first acquaintance with St. Francis. Since that time I have read much about the life and ministry of St. Francis and I have quoted him in sermons and columns. Little did I know that this day would come when I would have the privilege of visiting his hometown.

Many from around the world were making a summer pilgrimage to this historic place. For some Catholics, making the journey to Assisi is as important, if not more so, than traveling to Rome. Assisi is also a popular destination for seekers and mystics. In other words, some travel to Assisi to re-inforce their spiritual beliefs while others travel to Assisi to discover a higher purpose or a more spiritual meaning to existence.

While in Assisi, my wife and I walked almost every street, visited every church, and stopped at more than one pizzeria. We joined the crowds visiting the Cathedral of San Rufino where St. Frances was baptized, the Patriarchal Basilica in Santa Maria delgi Agneli where St. Francis died, and the Basilica of St. Francis where St. Francis was buried. Now I can better see how the life and message St. Francis still inspires spiritual pilgrims today.

Volumes have been written about the life of St. Francis, but three emphases from his ministry stand out as particularly relevant to the challenge facing the Christian church, especially Baptists, in the 21st century.

St. Francis emphasized simplicity of lifestyle. In 1206, the young Giovanni Francesco di Bernardone, who would later be known as St. Francis, had a vision of Jesus Christ that transformed his life. A couple of years later he heard a sermon on Matthew 10:9-10, in which Christ tells his followers they should go forth and proclaim the kingdom of heaven, and “do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts. Take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals, or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep.” Francis took this literally and it inspired him to devote himself to a life of poverty and to begin preaching a message of repentance and hope. The message of Francis captured the hearts of young men from all over Italy who in turn wandered about preaching the Gospel to rich and poor alike. His message of non-materialism emphasized a love for God, a love of nature, and equality of humankind.

Desiring to share the good news with everyone, St. Francis ventured outside the walls of the church and took his message to the streets, preaching in the common language of the people, not in the traditional Latin of the church, so that all could understand. While some protested this new practice of St. Francis and the methods he employed, eventually the pope gave his blessing in 1223, and the Franciscan Order was included in the larger Catholic community.

In addition to the young men who sensed a calling to joyfully proclaim the gospel, there was also the young Clare who at age 18 was captivated by the message of St. Francis. On the evening of Palm Sunday in 1212, she departed her father’s mansion without his permission, and headed to the valley below. Once there, friars escorted her to St. Francis who cut her hair, gave her a simple brown tunic, and commissioned her to a life of poverty. She spent the next forty years in the convent of San Damiano and was gradually joined by other women who heard the call to serve God. They became known as the Order of the Poor Clares.

One legendary story is told of Clare attempting to visit St. Francis when he was on his death bed. Since women were usually not permitted, when told by a friar that Clare had arrived to visit, St. Francis is said to have responded, “Then welcome Brother Clare.”

Much about St. Francis’ approach to ministry seems extraordinarily relevant for our time. To counter the materialistic impulses of our day, perhaps we need to re-emphasize the value of service, the beauty in nature, and the worth of each human being. Instead of waiting on people to “come to church,” perhaps we should also take the message to the streets, preaching through lifestyles and language a message of hope that the common people can understand. And perhaps we must find ways to affirm both the men and women that God calls to serve, recognizing that the spiritual passion and giftedness God places within a man or a woman supersedes the rules or traditions of the church or the culture.

In some ways, following the path of St. Frances in our time could be considered as radical as it was almost 800 years ago. But it may be a path worth following to revitalize the church and advance the Good News.

(Barry Howard serves as senior minister at the First Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida.)

Who Really Holds the Keys?

2010-07-29T00:19:00.000-07:00

Recently I had an opportunity to visit Rome, Italy, where I rendezvoused with our Sanctuary Choir and Orchestra on their International Choir Tour, an event that is planned every four years. This year our choir visited Munich, Venice, Florence, and Rome, singing in Mass at a variety of cathedrals, and sharing concerts in local churches and piazzas.

Other than one Anglican church and two Baptist churches, our choir primarily sang in Catholic settings. I was privileged to join our group as they sang during Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica and then later shared a full concert in The Artist’s Church, a local cathedral that customarily hosts a variety of musical guests.

One of our ladies commented on how much she enjoyed Mass and yet missed the kind of worship services we enjoy at home. “I know they are more formal, but I believe they are definitely worshipping God. What are the major differences between us and them?”

“It really comes down to who you believe holds the keys,” I responded. Although we share a common story about Christ, there really are a lot of differences between Baptists and Catholics, and perhaps at my age, I am more appreciative of our distinctness and theirs.

As a child growing up on the rural south, I didn’t know a Catholic until junior high school. In my rural Baptist heritage, folks were generally suspect of the Methodists, because they didn’t have church on Sunday night and they used an insufficient amount of water for baptism. But on more than one occasion I heard that Catholics were not really Christian since they had not “accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.”

Through the years I have come to appreciate the faith perspectives of Catholic friends and colleagues, though we do not always fully agree. In each of the communities where I have served, I have developed friendships with the local priests who taught me a few of the basics about Catholic theology, even as they exemplified the presence of Christ.

When I became pastor at the First Baptist Church in Corbin, Kentucky, in the heart of Appalachia, in the mid-1990’s, the congregation hosted a reception on Sunday afternoon after my first worship service. I was moved to discover that, in addition to the beautiful altar flowers which had been provided by my previous church at First Baptist Church of Williams near Jacksonville, Alabama, a huge peace lily had been sent by Corbin’s Sacred Heart Catholic Church to welcome me to the area. Also, near the front of the receiving line at the reception I met Father Roger Arnsparger, priest at Sacred Heart, accompanied by two of the nuns from the St. Camillus Academy, the local Catholic School.

During our ensuing friendship and ecumenical service to the community, Father Arnsparger gave me a whole new appreciation for catechism, confirmation, genuflection, and iconography. However, as a Catholic priest and a Baptist minister, we each held a different perspective about the keys to the kingdom.

In Matthew 16:18, just after Simon Peter confesses, “You are the Christ, the son of the living God,” Jesus says to Peter rather emphatically, 18And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be] loosed in heaven."

The way I responded to the question about our differences is a bit over simplistic. Catholics emphasize a process of confirmation and Baptists emphasize the need for conversion. Catholics say their prayers through intercessors while Baptists pray directly to God. But perhaps the most distinctive difference regards the stewardship of the keys to the kingdom. Catholic tradition contends that, according to Matthew 16:19, Jesus was conveying to Simon Peter specific and unique authority to “hold the keys to the kingdom” and to establish and oversee the church. Simon Peter became the first bishop of Rome and was later believed to have been the first pope, shepherding and governing the church, until being put to death by Nero.

Our Baptist ancestors have understood that Jesus gave to Simon Peter and all of his disciples a priestly commission, indicating that their ministries were the very keys to the kingdom that would open the door to invite others in. One of our foundational Baptist distinctives is that we contend for the priesthood of every believer, believing that we as individual believers have both priestly access and priestly responsibilities. Priestly access reminds us that we approach God directly to confess our sins and say our prayers. Priestly responsibility calls us to be priests to one another by encouraging each other, praying for one another, and participating in acts of service for the good of the community.

I love my priest friends and I enjoy the order and liturgy of Mass on occasion, but I am Baptist in heart and in conviction. Baptist is more than a denominational label you write on a church sign. It is a way of holding the keys to the kingdom. And the kingdom is not just a reference to the “sweet by and by” but in invitation to live life God’s way in the “real here and now.”

While I am enjoying a few days of visiting some of the largest and most beautiful basilicas and cathedrals in the world, I am reminded of the significance of Simon Peter’s bold faith and courageous ministry.

And yes, I believe that Jesus did give to Simon Peter the keys to the kingdom. But he also gave them to James and John. And Jesus also gave the keys to you and to me.

(Barry Howard serves as senior minister of the First Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida.)

Exploring the Vatican Museums

2010-07-29T00:15:00.000-07:00

July 22, 2010

On Thursday morning, our group met at the entrance to the Musei Vaticani, the Vatican Museums, at 8:20 to begin an 8:30 tour. Imagine the irony of a group of Baptists from the southeastern United States meandering naively through the displays and exhibits chronicling the history of Catholicism. Contrary to that stereotype, I was pleasantly surprised at how eager, inquisitive, and knowledgeable our group turned out to be.

The galleries were filled with art, sculptures, and shrines from a variety of periods beginning with the time of Christ and continuing through the contemporary era. We spent a good three hours surveying the treasures, some of us following a printed guide and others listening via headsets to an audio tour guide.

Similar to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. the Musei Vatacani is a collection of museums where an avid student of history could spend days observing and investigating. Of the variety of exhibits, three areas were more significant to me than the others. First, the Gregorian Etruscan Museum contains relics from a period in Italy’s history that lasted roughly from 800 B.C. until just after 500 B.C. Etruci was in the general area where Tuscany is today, but the culture influenced all of Italy and especially the emergence of Rome. The Etruscan style of government seems to have begun as a theocracy, shifted to a monarchy, and by the 6th century transitioned to an oligarchal democracy, eventually giving rise to the Roman Republic.

Etruscans also were appreciative of art and music, and utilized several musical instruments, including a variety of pipes, percussion instruments, and stringed instruments including the lyre and kithara. It is also worth noting that the Etruscans were a monogamous in marriage and, unusual for their time, Etruscan wives were invited to socialize publicly alongside their husbands.

Second, the Pinacoteca is the gallery where many of the larger pieces of historical art are displayed. Two paintings captured my imagination. One is The Transfiguration by Renaissance artist Raphael. It is commonly believed that the painting was left unfinished by Raphael but was completed by his student, Guilio Romano in 1520 shortly after Raphael’s death. In the darkened room, the image of the transfigured Christ seemed to glow with spiritual energy as onlookers past and present stood with awe and astonishment.

After tearing myself away from this powerful presentation, I made my way to one of the final viewing rooms to see Adam and Eve in the Garden by Austrian painter Wenzel Peter. Centered around Adam and Eve enjoying the pleasures of the garden prior to the fall, over 200 animals from all over the world roam about freely, seemingly without predatory instincts, across a paradisiacal landscape.

The third monumental stop for me on the tour, and the most popular at the Museo Vaticani, was the Sistine Chapel. Known for its multiple frescoed paintings, I discovered the sequential artwork of the chapel to be an inspiring collage of notable scenes from the Bible. Michelangelo painted 12,000 square feet of the ceiling panels. The ceiling panels in the dome include depictions of Adam and Eve, the Garden of Eden, the Great Flood, and The Last Judgment. In addition to Michelangelo’s work, the Chapel also includes paintings by Bemini, Raphael, and Botticeli.

At the conclusion of our tour, several in our group commented that we had sensory overload. More than one said, “I wish I had paid more attention in my World History class.”

A local member of the parish who was volunteering as a guide was overheard in English to say, “The museum is not about history. The Vatican tells a story with many parts and that story is still alive today.” Even those of us who practice our Christian faith with Baptist convictions came away appreciating the story and heritage we share with the Catholic side of our spiritual family.

Baptists Fill St. Peter's Basilica with Song

2010-07-27T12:52:00.000-07:00

July 22, 2010

The group gathering in St. Peter’s Square dressed in formal attire on this hot Thursday afternoon in July was attracting a lot of attention from locals and from tourists. The men in the group were decked out in black tuxedoes and the women were wearing black skirts, black tops, and gray jackets as they were assembling in a typical Baptist choir formation, four rows deep, for a photo in front of the papale basilica in which they were about to sing.

The Sanctuary Choir and Orchestra from the First Baptist Church of Pensacola was preparing to enter St. Peter’s Basilica, known in this part of the world as the Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano, to sing during 5:00 o’clock Mass. After singing in Munich, Venice, Florence, and Rome during a two week International Music Tour, on this final night of concerts, the choir was privileged to sing at the most famous church in the world. Our high school choir has sung at St. Peter’s a couple of times and this was the second opportunity for our adult choir, having sung here previously in 2002. As their pastor, I was honored to be present for this occasion.

There were ninety six persons in our group posing for the photo, including 66 singers, 16 orchestra members, and 14 missioners. We quickly learned that one reason we were getting such attention was because of the size of our group. While St. Peter’s frequently host guest groups, most of the visiting choirs are much smaller.

After the photo, our group lined to pass through a security checkpoint, similar to those commonly used at airports. Once inside, the group was escorted to a small chancel area surrounding a massive pipe organ on the left side of the north end of the basilica where mass was to be held. The chancel was small, providing seats for just over half of the choir members. Others stood to the left and right of the chancel behind the organist seated in the center.

Although there has been a church on this site since the 4th century, construction of the present basilica lasted 120 years and was completed on November 18, 1626. The basilica has a maximum capacity of about 60,000, but on this day as the basilica remained open to tourists, a couple of thousand seats were petitioned off beyond the Papal Alter and Baldacchino (Bemini’s masterpiece canopy) which cover the burial place of St. Peter, and toward the Cathedra Petri, or Altar of the Chair, for evening Mass.

Mass started promptly at five o’clock. After the first song, the lead priest welcomed the worshippers in Italian, and then introduced our choir in English and expressed appreciation for the choir “helping us to pray in song.” With the exception of one portion of the homily, which was rendered in Italian, then English, and finally Spanish, the remainder of the Mass was celebrated in Italian and Latin.

The Mass at St. Peter’s included more singing than I’ve experienced while attending Mass at other cathedrals. In addition to the four selections presented by our choir, Cantate Domino (O Sing Ye to the Lord), Alleluia, Come Unto Me, and O Filii et Filiae (Ye Sons and Daughters), the lead priest and the attending priests sang portions of the liturgy, with responses sung by four cantors who were standing near a microphone in front of our choir. The lead cantor, who also served as the music coordinator for the basilica, turned during one of the early response times and prompted our choir, without prior notice, to join in singing the antiphonal responses in Latin. Despite the astonished looks on a few faces, the choir caught on quickly, singing phonetically and with worshipful expression, even though I am sure they had limited understanding of the words.

I am quite sure that our English-speaking group understood only a few of the words spoken during the entire Mass, though names like Christos, Mary Magdalena, and John the Baptist rang with familiarity. Basically, we participated in the passing of the peace and stood at the appropriate times during the liturgy. However, our group resonated with the spirit of worship, we seemed to intuitively know when scripture was being read, and we were aware that we were among brothers and sisters in Christ who spoke a different language.

We realized that though we articulate our faith and celebrate worship much differently than our Catholic friends, we share a history and a story about the Christ who was crucified, buried, and raised to life to provide forgiveness for our sins and to show the way to salvation. Our theology has many divergent points, but on this day we shared in common worship of God.

Our choir was honored to sing for evening Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica. And the hunch of this proud and biased pastor is that this Baptist choir lifted their voices in a way that rang the rafters of this historic church in a powerful way.

There's No Place Like Rome

2010-07-26T10:39:00.000-07:00

(During the next few days, I will post a few notes about our travels in Italy. Frequency of posts will depend upon availability of internet access.)

July 20-21, 2010

I love the Pensacola airport. From the time my friend dropped me off, it took a total of six minutes to check in, show my passport, pass through security and arrive at my departure gate.

This is my first trip to Italy. My first stop was Rome where I was to meet Amanda and the choir from our church for the last 4 days of their International Choir Tour. Then she and I will be striking out on a few days of vacation as an early celebration of our 25th wedding anniversary.

The connecting flight to Atlanta took an hour and twenty minutes total. Then the flight to Rome took eight hours and fifty minutes. We actually arrived at the Rome airport at 6:40 a.m. (IST) on Wednesday morning, 30 minutes ahead of schedule.

After riding the train to the Rome Termini, I caught the Metro (subway) to the Repubblica exit and emerged on the street about two blocks from the Eurostar Hotel. Amanda was waiting in the lobby. She eagerly updated me on the highlights of the first half of her week and the itinerary for the day.

I dropped my bags in the hotel room and took a quick shower. Then Amanda and I took off to catch up with our group who had already embarked on a guided walking tour.

We took the Metro to the Colossae exit and stepped off right in front of the Colosseum, which looked like the ruins of a modern day college football stadium. We turned right and headed toward the Capital district. We passed Palentine Hill and the Roman Forum to our left, all sites we plan to visit on Friday.

Amanda made a quick stop to fill our water bottle at a public fountain. I learned that because of the abundant springs in Italy, most cities have numerous public fountains providing spring water, for drinking, for washing, or for cooling off.

As we proceeded, I learned the huge building ahead, called the wedding cake by tourists, was the Arts and Exhibition Center. Bearing left again we caught up with our group en route to the Pantheon. After a few greetings, meeting our guide, and getting a headset, our group proceeded into the Pantheon which was an incredible dome-shaped structure, with an opening at the top of the dome, forming a kind of sundial on the inside. I knew that a variety of deities are represented by the shrines inside the Pantheon, but I was surprised to find out that Mass and other services are still held inside.

Upon leaving the Pantheon, we traveled a few backstreets viewing architectural styles of the ancient city and the newer additions. We walked by the Senate building and actually saw a few well-dressed government officials entering and exiting. After a brief historical summary, our tour concluded near the Piazza della Rotunda.

Immediately following the tour, Amanda and I went searching for a place to have lunch. There are ristorantes, cafes, and Gelaterias on almost every block. After walking down a couple of narrow market-lined streets, we found an appealing home-owned pizzeria where we shared a pizza margherita (tomato sauce and cheese) and salad. I quickly learned that Italian pizza is not exactly like American versions. In Rome the pizza had crust as thin as a tortilla, the tomatoes were fresh, and the cheese was bountiful. The salad consisted of a bowl of mixed greens, sliced cherry tomatoes, and fresh locally grown olives.

After lunch we returned to our room to begin getting ready for the evening concert at Rome Baptist Church. Groups from First Baptist Church of Pensacola have been hosted by RBC on numerous occasions. Dave Hodgdon has served as pastor for almost nine years and has become a good friend to our Minister of Music, Bob Morrison.

We departed for the church at 5:30 on foot. It was a short walk. After setting up our orchestral instruments, the choir began warming up, which has a dual meaning in the unairconditioned venues in Italy. Prior to the concert, two significant events happened. First, Bob Gowing, the chair of our Missions Committee at FBCP, present Pastor Dave with a financial gift from our church family to assist their church family in hiring a music intern who enrich their ministry. Pastor Dave was overwhelmed.

Secondly, after the presentation our church exited the church building onto the piazza to sing a few selections. As the choir began to sing, spectators began to gather, and patrons of local restaurants stopped eating and turned their chairs to watch and listen to the music of the choir. As the choir returned to the church, a few dozen onlookers followed them inside and many stayed for the entire concert.

The choir sounded awesome. I admire the devotion and commitment of each choir member to pay their own way, memorize 17 pieces of music (including 4 in Latin), and then pace themselves to endure 14 days of international travel.

After the concert we returned to the hotel room where I was more than ready for good night’s sleep. In just a few hours, I had already seen some of the most significant sites in Western Civilization. Next up on Thursday is a tour of the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica. I drifted off to sleep thinking, “There’s no place like Rome.”

A View from the Gulf: The Perspective of a Local Seaman

2010-07-10T16:27:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago when the Deepwater Horizon explosion triggered an oil spill crisis in the Gulf of Mexico, those who live on along the coast and around the country began praying for containment and clean-up of the oil. Many, like me, also began getting better educated about the oil industry and the specific ways this industry functions in the Gulf.

In the past two months, as I have read or listened to a variety of perspectives and scenarios from politicians, media commentators, BP executives, and “expert” analysts, I have been curious to hear the perspectives and opinions of those who work jobs related to the oil industry in the Gulf.

I learned in Sociology 101 that all of us have a bias in our perspective. Biases are not a bad thing. We simply must be aware of a person’s bias in order to better understand and interpret where that person is coming from. For example, politicians are biased toward the interests of their constituency. Media personalities have a vested interest presenting news in a way that captures public attention and elevates the ratings of their network. BP Executives are charged with framing and re-shaping the public relations image of their company and restoring profitability once this crisis is over. Expert analysts are interested in making a persuasive argument that could perhaps lead to other invitations to share their insight. And those who work in the oil industry would likely be biased toward preserving their jobs.

With awareness of those biases, I wanted to hear from someone who works in the Gulf, someone who depends on the oil industry for their livelihood, and someone whom I could trust to give honest straightforward answers to my questions without being concerned about constituency or public image.

I contacted Adam, one of the young men in our church, who is a devoted father and husband, and who has a perspective that is based on firsthand experience. Adam is an experienced seaman who is away from his family and our church for weeks at a time to do his job. I asked Adam several questions and he gave straight answers. Here are my questions and his responses:

Barry: What are your primary job responsibilities and how do they relate to the Oil Industry?
Adam: I work on a 285 foot supply boat. My job title is Able Body Seaman (AB). My job responsibilities are to keep the outside area of the boat in ship-shape, which entails painting, rust removal, handling of boat’s mooring lines (tying and untying the boat), and numerous other jobs. When at the rigs, I have to do the rigging of deck cargo. I work with the crane operator in getting the cargo from the boat to the rig’s floor. Sometimes it can be an easy job; at other times when the seas are rough it can be scary and sometimes dangerous. Our boat carries everything that a rig needs to drill for oil and natural gas. We provide all supplies, from the food for the platform crew to the liquid mud used to hold the oil down when they strike it.

Barry: How much time do you spend in the Gulf and what is your typical work schedule?
Adam: It seems like sometimes this is my home. Normally I work 28 days on the boat and 14 off. Here recently the company has put us on a 2 week on / 2 week off schedule. It didn’t have anything to do with the spill in the Gulf. This was done before the spill. My company recently sent a lot of their boats down to work in Brazil. They are waiting on the arrival of three new boats being built before putting us back to our regular schedule. But I don’t know yet how the oil spill in the Gulf may affect us. We normally work 12 hour shifts and our boat sleeps about 35 people.

Barry: What kind of marine life do you typically see?
Adam: While at sea, we do see various types of marine life such as dolphins, sea turtles, sharks, assorted fish, and birds. We’ve even seen a whale shark that came right up to the boat. A couple of months ago a sea hawk flew up on our back deck and stayed awhile. The rig we are currently working is about 9 hours (90 miles) from the dock which is in Fusion, Louisiana. We haven’t seen a lot of the oil spill because we are about 30 miles south of where the Deepwater Horizon was. Most of the oil seems to be going north.

Barry: How has your work changed since the Deepwater Horizon accident?
Adam: Since the accident things for us haven’t changed much. It’s not to say that changes are not on the way. If things continue to go as they seem to be going, change will be here before we know it and I don’t think it will be good.

Barry: What is the atmosphere and mood among your co-workers?
Adam: Everyone around here is a little scared about the possibility of their jobs going away….even if they wouldn’t admit it. We are all trying to keep our heads up and praying that this huge mess we are in the middle of goes away.

Barry: What are your fears and concerns about public perceptions of the oil industry?
Adam: I know everyone is upset about the crisis in the Gulf. I believe the last thing they should want is for the oil companies to leave the Gulf and go overseas. I don’t think the public would really want this in the long run. We need to keep drilling in our waters and keep our dependence on other countries down.

Barry: Do you think the efforts to achieve containment and cleanup of the current spill are being managed well? Do you have ideas about how containment and clean-up efforts could be managed more effectively?
Adam: I don’t think it was handled right from the start – from the putting out of the fire to what we have going on today. From the start we had too much red tape and Homeland Security involvement. We should have gotten what we needed when we needed it. For example, the big filter boats should have been brought in at the beginning. At least we could have been sucking up the oil from the start. It was crazy to refuse help from abroad. I believe that the people overseeing these affairs should have acted quicker.

Barry: Do you believe that drilling in the Gulf can continue in a way that is safe for the environment? Why?
Adam: Of course I believe drilling in the Gulf waters is not as safe as it can be. We can definitely do more, even as individuals, to keep our Gulf waters clean. I have seen dumping of soluble materials from the rigs. I’m pretty sure that somehow it has to have a negative effect on the Gulf, but what that effect is, I don’t know for sure. If they are putting this stuff in the Gulf, someone has told them it is okay to do so. What I do know is the company I work for is doing our part to help keep it clean. For example, we have a zero pollution policy which means zero discharge. We don’t put or discharge anything from the boat into the water. Everything is brought back to the dock for proper disposal.

Barry: What are some of the safety standards in place in your work environment?
Adam: On my boat we conduct weekly safety meetings and “drills.” We have drills on everything from fire safety to fuel spills. We try to cover all that is needed to keep us and the environment safe.

Barry: You are a resident of the Gulf Coast. How do you think we can balance utilizing and preserving the vast resources of the Gulf?
Adam: This is a question I will have to give more thought to. It is a difficult balance to achieve, but necessary for the quality of life as we know it.

Barry: Are there other things you want the public to know about your work, the oil industry, or oil drilling in the Gulf?
Adam: To do this job you have to be Coast Guard Certified and hold a license for each position you hold on the boat. You must go through a rigorous government and law enforcement background check. During my career in this industry I have experienced many things including two trips by boat to Africa where piracy remains a serious threat. I do sacrifice time from my family, but my job provides a living for my family and a product for the public that is a consumer driven need.

Among the many opinions about managing the oil spill crisis, the risks of the drilling in the Gulf, and the long-impact on the coastal economy, there are many good seamen like Adam who do their work with integrity, and whose lives and careers are uniquely impacted by this crisis. This conversation is too important for their voice not to be heard.

(Barry Howard serves as senior minister at First Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida. Adam Gafford is an Able Body Seaman who is employed by a family-based company out of Des Allemands, Louisiana.)

A Prayer for Independence Day 2010

2010-07-03T17:25:00.000-07:00

Freedom-loving and grace-giving God, you have given us the privilege and the responsibility of living in the most resourceful land in the world. From sea to shining sea most of us enjoy unprecedented freedom, comfortable homes, regular meals, preferred vocations, and unique religious liberty.

As we give thanks for the numerous blessings associated with living in this great country, we are aware that we live in a season of heightened anxiety. Our military men and women are engaged in multiple international conflicts. Our economy is slow to emerge from the recent recession. Many are unemployed. We are facing an oil spill crisis in the Gulf. And we are lacking consensus on major issues.

These concerns remind us of our need to confess our sins, individually and collectively, and to follow your plan for living with purpose and integrity.

We confess that we have too often taken our freedom for granted and we have too frequently neglected the responsibilities of our citizenship.

We confess that we are often too quick to criticize and too slow to intercede.

We confess that our selfish interests have too often taken priority over our interests in the common good of our nation and for our world.

We confess that we have been negligent in our stewardship of health and wealth, often expending and consuming carelessly when we should be managing carefully, investing wisely, and sharing generously.

We confess that we have too often trusted in our own initiatives and ingenuity more than we have trusted in you.

We pray with the psalmist, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.” (Psalm 51:1-3)

Therefore, as we prepare to celebrate this Independence Day, we ask you to, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10)

On this day, we pray for our President and for all of the leaders of our nation, our state, and our community that they will lead with moral courage, bipartisan cooperation, and astute wisdom.

We pray for the men and women who serve in our nation’s military that they will perform their humanitarian mission with effectiveness and precision, complete their assignments, and return home safely and soon.

We pray for our enemies that their swords, and ours, will be “turned into plowshares.”

We pray for the churches, cathedrals, and temples of our nation and our community that we will be dispensaries of grace and mercy, living our convictions with consistency, engaging in our discourse with civility, and fulfilling our ministries with hospitality.

Because you are the freedom-loving and grace-giving God, lead us to exercise our freedom responsibly and to pursue “liberty and justice for all” your children around the globe, especially the “least of these.”

We present our prayer in the strong name of Jesus, the one who personifies the truth that makes us free indeed. Amen.

Celebrate July 4th: Exercise Your Freedom to Worship

2010-07-01T20:59:00.000-07:00

July 4th falls on Sunday this year. Where will you be this Sunday morning?

Independence Day falls on Sunday only every few years. The last time this occurred was 2004. The next time July 4th falls on our designated day of worship will be in 2021.

While many of us have appropriate plans in place to celebrate our nation’s independence with picnics, barbeques, ice cream, and fireworks, one of the most fitting ways to celebrate Independence Day this year is to exercise our freedom to worship.

Our Baptists ancestors were among the many who contended for religious liberty for all faiths. The first amendment to the Constitution of the United States confirms that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

As citizens of these United States, we enjoy greater freedoms than any people group on earth. In light of our religious liberty, let us pray fervently for those who live in regions subject to harsh religious persecution. As we freely choose where to spend July 4th, let us remember our brothers and sisters who will gather anxiously but faithfully in underground churches, taking risks unfamiliar to me in order to worship God and gather with their fellow believers.

From my perspective, joining regularly with other believers to worship nurtures spiritual growth, fosters moral character, and encourages humanitarian service. Hebrews 10:25 reminds us, “Some people have gotten out of the habit of meeting for worship, but we must not do that. We should keep on encouraging each other, especially since you know that the day of the Lord's coming is getting closer." (CEV)

Of all Sundays to neglect gathering with other believers, failing to prioritize worship on Sunday July 4th is to trivialize the tremendous price paid for our freedom to assemble and worship God without fear of reprisal or repercussion. Perhaps the worst expression of historical amnesia is the tendency to take freedom for granted.

I think we best celebrate and preserve our freedom by exercising our freedom. This Sunday is Independence Day. Whether you are at home or traveling, I hope you are making plans for a fun day of celebration with family and friends. I hope you will take time to give thanks for our great heritage and to pray for our nation’s leaders and country’s future. Most importantly, I hope you will celebrate July 4th by exercising your freedom to worship.

Live from Pensacola

2010-06-26T13:36:00.000-07:00

Today is Saturday June 26, 2010. The sun is shining, the waves are rolling, the sand is white, and the water is mostly clear at Pensacola Beach. If it were not for the large number of dump trucks, tractors, media vans, haz-mat tents, and occasional tar balls, a visitor would not know that earlier this week the beach was closed due to a massive wash-up of messy brown sludge from the oil spill in the Gulf.

Although I’m sure the crowds are down, I was glad to seeing that parking lots were mostly full, lines were forming outside of local restaurants, and traffic coming toward the beach was heavy.

Friends who have reservations along the Gulf Coast have been calling to ask whether they should cancel their reservation or come on down. While I don’t want anyone to come to the coast to be miserable, my best advice is to “come on down.”

There are at least five good reasons I think those having reservations on the Gulf should consider keeping their plans in place:

1. Most hotels, property owners, and real estate companies are offering unprecedented guarantees. If there is a major influx of oil prior to or during your stay, you should receive a full or partial refund.
2. The seafood is still some of the best in the world. Today we ate at Peg Leg Pete’s, one of our many favorite local establishments. A large part of the Gulf is still open for fishing, so the shrimp, the oysters, and the grouper were all harvested from Gulf waters. I am convinced that the Gulf seafood is safe, but for those with doubts, many local markets are also carrying farm-raised fresh water shrimp, as well as Atlantic and Pacific seafood.
3. Resort swimming pools offer a safe, oil-free alternative. Our friends who were vacationing in Gulf Shores two weeks ago enjoyed the beauty of the Gulf for the first two days of their trip. On day three, the brown sludge came ashore. As the Gulfront was being cleaned, a few miles of the beach was closed to swimming for a couple of days. During the brief closure, their family simply spent more time with children and grandchildren around the pool, time that became a highlight of their vacation.
4. There are many sites and attractions in addition to the beach. All along the coast there are waterparks, arcades, shopping malls, golf courses, tennis courts, and movie theatres. The Naval Air Museum in Pensacola is a must-see. The Wharf in Gulf Shores offers a variety of concerts. In Gulf Shores, Alabama or Gulf Breeze, Florida your family can spend a day at the zoo learning about animals from around the world. Rafting and kayaking trips are available in area state parks. In other words, you can have a fun week on the Gulf Coast, even if the beach is temporarily inaccessible.
5. The price is right. Many hotels, condo owners, and property management companies are offering properties at significantly discounted prices. As we continue to emerge from the recession of recent years, you can negotiate a quality beach vacation for an unusually affordable rate. Additionally, many local restaurants are offering specials similar to the “snowbird specials” that we typically see during the winter months.

Being a resident of the Gulf Coast, I am a little biased, but I think the beaches along the panhandle are among the most beautiful in the world. However, the Gulf Coast has so much more to offer than a walk on the beach. In the months ahead, I expect that we will continue to see brown blotches periodically on our white sands. But for now, that makes for a mild inconvenience.

The full impact of the oil spill on the Gulf is not yet known, and certainly there will be serious environmental consequences. However, one of the ways we counter the negative impact of the oil spill, is to focus on the venues that we as coastal residents enjoy all year long. Don’t let the spill spoil your summer vacation. Come on down and discover how many fun things you can do on the Gulf Coast.

Are Future Ministers Up to the Challenge?

2010-06-25T07:35:00.000-07:00

by Barry Howard

This week I’ve had the privilege of sitting around the table with a distinguished group of future ministers and veteran ministers in a retreat setting as we collaborated about our sense of calling, the challenges and opportunities of the local church, and scenarios for the future. As the first session began, I found myself wondering whether these young ministers are actually up to the monumental challenges facing the church in the coming years. However, as I listened and interacted, I became convinced that many of these young ministers seated around me are better prepared for ministry than previous generations of ministers, primarily because of their participation in the Ministerial Residency Program funded by a Lily grant and administered by the Center for Ministerial Excellence.

Two years ago, the church that I serve entered a partnership with the Center for Ministerial Excellence to become a Teaching Congregation. That means for the past two years we have been host to a Ministry Resident, a recent seminary graduate who is preparing for a first call to ministry. Most of the churches I have served have provided short-term opportunities for university students to serve as interns. While internship programs are valuable in helping students explore their sense of calling, a ministerial residency actually provides opportunities for young ministers who have confirmed their calling and who have completed their theological training to serve on a church staff full-time for two years in a mentoring relationship with a veteran pastor. In the residency the young minister encounters a variety of real life ministry situations prior to moving into a first call in a local congregation.

In recent years, statistics have shown that young ministers who have a frustrating experience during their first call frequently transition from local church ministry to para-church organizations. Or, they are so overwhelmed with the challenges of church life, they leave ministry all together. I believe that a young minister who completes a residency will be better prepared to serve on a church staff with maturity and longevity.

The Ministerial Residency Program makes sense for young ministers and for congregations. My wife is a veteran school teacher. As a part of her education and preparation for becoming a teacher, early in her program she was required to spend a certain number of hours in a classroom observing interactions between the teacher and students. Then as a final step before being fully certified, she was required to complete a practicum, spending a semester working alongside a teacher in the classroom, preparing lesson plans, and doing “practice teaching.”

I have numerous friends who are respected physicians. Between the completion of their medical school training and their entry into a medical practice, physicians are required to complete a residency that typically includes a rotation in multiple areas of patient care…emergency medicine, pediatrics, oncology, geriatrics, etc. The variety of medical dilemmas addressed by the medical resident during residency prepares the young physician to enter a medical practice with sharper skills and greater confidence.

In Baptist life in particular, while ministers are not required to complete a residency prior to ordination or a first call, a residency program can provide pragmatic preparatory experiences which prepare a minister to serve effectively in the crucible of a local congregation.

In addition to our congregation becoming a Teaching Congregation who provided a place of service for a Ministry Resident, it has been my privilege to serve as a Supervising Pastor to the resident. In this mentoring relationship, our resident has experienced almost every kind of ministerial responsibility and challenge that I face as a pastor. Our resident has prepared and preached sermons, planned worship services, written columns, implemented ministry initiatives, worked with challenging people, prayed with patients who were entering surgery, counseled couples preparing for marriage, walked alongside individuals who were facing death, performed baptisms, administered the Lord’s Supper, conducted weddings, and spoken at funerals.

While I hope that I have provided a few bits of wisdom for our resident, our Ministry Resident has provided refreshing perspectives and insights to me. As a veteran pastor, it is easy to grow stale or mechanical or to become entrapped in the vacuum of meaningless traditions. Our resident has helped me, colleagues on our staff, and members of our congregation to think more creatively and to serve more passionately. And now it’s time for our resident to graduate from the ministerial residency program, and hopefully, in the near future to be called to a new assignment offering that fresh insight and energy to another congregation.

So here I sit, around the table with the Supervising Pastors and Ministry Residents, listening to their stories, feeling their anxiety, and sharing their dreams for the future. They are a diverse group. Some are young men and some are young women. Some are clergy couples. And I hear and sense their passion for ministry, their deep faith in God, their impatience with institutionalism, and their love for the local church.

I am convinced that the young ministers who have completed the Ministerial Residency Program this year are extraordinarily bright and gifted ministers who are now ready to fill the vacant ministerial positions in our churches. They are well-prepared for the challenge. The bigger question is, are our churches ready to be challenged and led by these young ministers? A church search committee would be wise to consider these young ministers as a pool of candidates with advanced standing. They are the cream of the crop and they are ready to serve.

(Barry Howard serves as senior minister in First Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida.)

Crude Lessons: What I Am Learning from the Oil Spill Crisis in the Gulf

2010-06-24T06:14:00.000-07:00

Some of the most valuable lessons in life are learned during seasons of hardship, suffering, or adversity. Wisdom is often forged from mistakes, mishaps, and miscalculations. John Maxwell reminds us that “A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them.”

As our coastal community deals with the anxiety and the challenges brought on by the Deep Water Horizon Oil Spill in the Gulf, what are the lessons we can learn that will help us be better custodians of our planet? I sense that many of us are working our way through some of the stages of grief…denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.

Rather than just accepting the reality of this calamity, I believe that we can be more proactive and progressive going forward. This month as our church family is focused on “Wising Up!” we are being challenged to learn from the mistakes of the past so that we can build a better future. When it comes to the realities of the oil spill, I recognize that I have a lot to learn. Although I cannot speak for everyone, here are five lessons I am in the process of learning:

1. Do not take for granted the treasure at your doorstep. I was raised in Northeast Alabama not far from Cheaha State Park, the home of Mt. Cheaha, the highest point in Alabama. When friends would come to visit from other parts of the state, I was surprised that they were awestruck with the scenic vistas from the Bald Rock, Chimney Peaks, and other landmarks, sights that I took for granted because they were in my backdoor. Now I live on the Gulf Coast where I routinely walk on the world’s most beautiful beaches, enjoy fresh seafood, observe marine life and drive along scenic coastal roadways. This catastrophe reminds me that the Gulf is a natural treasure and as a coastal resident I have the privilege of enjoying it and protecting it.

2. Be a better steward of creation in the future than you’ve been in the past. In the creation story after God breathed life into human souls, God gave to humankind a stewardship responsibility over all of creation. For me, this means adopting a lifestyle that is creation-friendly. I am habitually inconsistent in my responsibility of caring for creation. There are times I would give myself an A- in creation care and others times I would rate a C+. There are many ways I can be a better, more proactive custodian of creation: Using eco-friendly products, recycling, conserving energy, and supporting and protecting green spaces like national parks, state parks, and wildlife refuges.

3. Be better informed about the energy industry. My lifestyle is energy dependent. Energy consumption is not a bad thing, but wasting energy or being dependent on unsafe and monopolistic energy systems can be damaging to our ecosystem. I am pretty well up-to-date on information technology and the most recent telecommunication devices, but I am behind the curve on my knowledge of the energy industry. I am determined to become better informed about how my lifestyle drives the system of energy production and energy consumption.

4. Be more supportive of the research and development of alternative energy sources. Please do not misunderstand. I am not anti-oil and neither am I opposed to safer methods of off-shore drilling. But I agree with oil investor T. Boone Pickens who proposes converting more oil and diesel-based systems to natural gas and other cleaner fuels. In addition to non-fossil fuels, other possible sources include solar energy, wind turbines, wave power, and geothermal energy.

5. Make decisions about energy usage based on the ultimate cost and not just the current price. I am a shopper. I love a bargain. When I am about to purchase a product…whether a new computer, a new cell phone, or a new car…I not only look for the best price, but I read product reviews, and consider quality, service, and longevity. However, when I am filling my tank with gasoline, I usually pull into the station with the lowest price without consideration of fuel quality or cleanliness. When I work toward lowering my utility bill at home, I tend to be more concerned about my monthly costs than I am about the long-term cost to the environment. I need to change my way of thinking, understanding that there may be occasions where I may need to pay more in the short term to minimize costs in the long term.

Before this saga is over, I am sure there will be many more lessons to be learned. The impact of the oil spill in the Gulf will likely linger for several years. But hopefully, the major cleanup of coastal land and waters will be completed much sooner. I hope and pray that the lessons we learn from this crisis will equip and motivate us to be more effective caretakers of the Gulf and the planet because “the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it” (Psalm 24:1a NIV).

Crude Prospects: A Rising Tide of Anxiety Along the Gulf Coast

2010-06-18T10:16:00.000-07:00

by Barry Howard

Out of town friends are calling daily and asking questions like “How are you guys doing with the oil situation?”, “How do the beaches look?”, and “What do you expect to happen in the coming weeks?” Here are my most recent responses: “We’re doing okay right now but folks are worried about the overall impact.” “The beaches look great this week but last week there were more tar balls.” “We’re not sure what to expect at this point because so much of the early information has been unreliable and the forecast scenarios are constantly changing.”

Today there is a rather large and nasty sheen of oil just offshore near Pensacola Beach and it is anyone’s guess when it will wash ashore. Last weekend there were lots of tar balls. Yesterday you had to look carefully to find even one. The waves crashing the beach are clear and the sand is bright white. But what will it look like next week? Next month? Next year?

Predications about the environmental and economic impact of the oil spill on the Gulf seem to change several times a day. These shifting forecasts have been a way of life for Gulf coast residents since the Deep Water Horizon explosion on April 20 triggered what is potentially becoming the most catastrophic environmental disaster in history.

Coastal communities here seem to have experienced more than their fair share of hurdles in recent years. At least four hurricanes inflicted damage on the coastlines of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana from September of 2004 to August of 2005, with the winds of Ivan and the flooding associated with Katrina wreaking the most havoc. During the rebuilding season following these successive storms, coastal communities were among the first to experience the effects of a growing recession, an economic phenomenon which severely impaired the vitality of businesses already reeling from the storm damage.

When news of the Deep Water Horizon explosion flashed on screen, our hearts went out to the families of those who lost loved ones, because many of our coastal churches and communities have friends and relatives who work on similar rigs and who live much of the year on “floating cities” in the Gulf. Even when we heard that the explosion has caused a gushing leak about a mile below the surface, we supposed that the leak would be contained within a matter of days and the cleanup of spilled oil would soon follow. But in the subsequent hours and days, news agencies clarified the seriousness of the leak, reported on the failure of successive containment attempts, and began projecting economic and environmental damages.

In early May, I was having breakfast with a group of businessmen when one of them asked me sincerely, “Do you think the Gulf could be the next Dead Sea?” I think it was at that moment I realized the historic, ongoing, long-term impact this oil spill is likely to have on the Gulf Coast.

Now, two months after the explosion the leak is still gushing at approximately 2.5 million gallons of oil per day, much more than the original estimates. Although other containment efforts are underway, the most hopeful containment strategy…the drilling of a relief well…is not expected to be complete until August.

There are multiple scenarios of how life will change along the Gulf, scenarios that leave coastal residents wondering what to expect in the future. What will be the impact on the local economy? What will be the ultimate toll on marine life? How will the spill affect tourism? How long will we see oil in the Gulf? Will there be a residential odor? What are the health risks of being in the water or even living along the coastline? How will a hurricane in the Gulf complicate the risk factors?

After the onslaught of consecutive hurricanes five years ago, even the most weathered storm veterans began to experience “storm phobia.” The dread of another hurricane even motivated a small percentage of residents to sell out and relocate inland.

What is the mood along the coast as we deal with the impact of the oil spill? There are varying degrees of anger, grief, fear, and mistrust. But most of all, there is uncertainty.

In contrast to the “hurricane alertness” that accompanies the beginning of storm season, the mood along the coast these days is dominated by “horizon anxiety,” a psycho-emotive tension caused by the uncertainly of the short-term and long-term impact of the oil spill.

How will our communities respond? Although there are more than enough hopeless pessimists who have been interviewed by the local and national media, I concur with one restaurateur whose business is being severely diminished by the spill. On national television he emphatically declared, “We are a resilient people. We will make a comeback.”

The anxious mood along the coast is understandable. This is not just about beaches, seafood, and dolphins. The implications are global. We continue to hope and pray for complete containment of the damaged well and a thorough cleanup of our coastline and our waters. But we are not naïve. We know that rising up to meet the challenges presented by this crisis could require more perseverance, more faith, and more determination than any prior storm. And hopefully the lessons learned will make us better stewards of creation in the future than we have been in the past.

(Barry Howard serves as senior minister of the First Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida.)

A Bird’s Eye View of Church

2010-06-16T10:29:00.000-07:00

By Barry Howard

My friend and fellow FBC Pensacola member, Bill Harden, went home to be with the Lord last week. A diabetic since the age of six, as Bill encountered mounting health complications in recent years he inspired his family and many of us with his cheerful humor, his durable smile, his positive attitude, and his artistic craftsmanship.

One of his favorite wood-working projects was building birdhouses. Although Bill invested most of his career in the travel planning business, as a retirement hobby Bill carefully constructed aviary residences in a variety of shapes and sizes. In addition to the dozens of birdhouses Bill gave to others as gifts, an assorted collection of birdhouses sit atop the mantle and around the hearth in the Harden home.

About a year ago, Dr. James Pleitz, our pastor emeritus, and I were each blessed to receive a unique birdhouse as a gift from Bill. Built especially for the pastor and pastor emeritus, these church-shaped birdhouses were built from the wood removed from the floor of our former education building, affectionately known as the old library building, which was severely damaged during Hurricane Ivan and eventually demolished a year later.

My birdhouse is strategically located in front of the chair where I have my quiet time early in the morning. As I have looked at it during my prayer time over the past several months, this birdhouse has become a wooden parable of how I understand church in the 21^st century….not the bricks and mortar of our campus…but our ministry…our mission…our spiritual family.

While most of the wood on this birdhouse came from the old church, Bill also incorporated new lumber into the birdhouse, creating sort of a two-toned effect, a phenomenon that reminds me that our church is a composite of the old and the new, a merger of our heritage and our dreams.

For the perch, Bill installed an oversized doorknob front and center, which reminds me of the importance of opening wide the doors of the church to welcome both new friends and old neighbors with Christian hospitality, else we will become cliquish and stagnant.

Above the door is a cross. Intentionally placed over the entrance in a location similar to the street number or family name on your home, this cross explicitly identifies the occupants as followers of Jesus above all else.

And finally, Bill went online and ordered a miniature spire which now sits atop the steeple pointing upwards, beckoning us to look heavenward to God for our hope and our strength.

My friend, Bill, is now at home with the Lord, but he left behind an ongoing testimony, a well-crafted story, a wooden parable which gives to me, and to us, a bird’s eye view of church.

(Barry Howard serves as senior minister of the First Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida.)

Remember and Never Ever Forget

2010-05-30T05:21:00.001-07:00

The last Monday in May is designated for a unique and specific purpose. Memorial Day usually does not generate as much holiday enthusiasm as Christmas, Easter, or Independence Day, perhaps because Memorial Day is more an observance than a celebration. This important holiday is not just another “day off” but a day to remember those who have lost their lives in the military service of our country.

In a culture that is increasingly attention-deficient, remembering is a painful but necessary discipline. Remembering historical facts should help us to remain consciously aware of the harsh realities of global conflict. Revisiting stories from the battlefield may enable us to learn from both the successes and the failures of our national ancestry. When we remember the fallen we keep alive the individual and corporate legacies of valor and courage that inspire and challenge us to be responsible citizens of the free world.

To fail to remember is to develop a convenient amnesia that eventually robs succeeding generations of their national heritage. To fail to remember creates a contagious apathy that leads to a neglect of both freedom and citizenship. To fail to remember can produce a false sense of protection and a perceived exemption from future warfare. A loss of memory eventually leads to a loss of national identity. Remembering is a painful but necessary discipline, a discipline that forges vision from memory, and a discipline that extracts wisdom from knowledge.

What are some things we can do to help remember and commemorate the contributions of those who lost their lives in battle?

· Read biographies of world leaders, military generals, POW’s, and holocaust survivors.
· Read historical accounts of crucial battles.
· View a documentary or movie that realistically portrays the stories of war.
· Visit historic sites such as battlefields, monuments, and military cemeteries.
· Talk with a veteran and listen firsthand to stories from the heat of battle.
· Give thanks for those who have fought for freedom and justice.
· Pray for those who are serving in military service today.
· Work for freedom, justice, and world peace.
· Practice and preserve religious liberty.
· Exercise your rights and fulfill your responsibilities as a citizen.

The discipline of remembering enhances our discernment and our decision-making. An anonymous proverb contends that, “Remembering the past gives power to the present.” In The Roadmender Margaret Fairless Barber suggests that “To look backward for a while is to refresh the eye, to restore it, and to render it the more fit for its prime function of looking forward.”

Today is Memorial Day…A day to remember the past with gratitude and to look to the future with faith and informed patriotism.

Living Your Faith….Authentically

2010-05-18T06:21:00.001-07:00

How can others who cannot peek inside your heart, glance inside your mind, or scan your soul, know for sure that you are a follower of Jesus? What is the primary evidence of your credibility and authenticity? According to John 13:35 your Christian identity is best revealed in the way you love others: This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other (MSG).

Last week I was reading the story of Elijah McCoy, a master mechanic and engineer who was born in 1843 to former slaves who had escaped from Kentucky to Ontario via the Underground Railroad. His parents sent him to study in Scotland, where he earned a degree in engineering. Later in his career, working in partnership with the Michigan Central Railroad, McCoy invented a lubricating cup that automatically dripped oil. He received a United States patent in 1872, and installation of his invention on locomotives began shortly thereafter. His design greatly increased engine efficiency, and soon every company wanted one of the "McCoy Cups." So many inferior copies were made that train engineers began to demand "the real McCoy," and not a “knock off” or an imitation.

Authentic Christian living tends to be a more powerful and persuasive influence to pre-Christians than sermons, songs, or religious programs. Pre-believers are more interested in the genuineness of your personal faith than they are your doctrinal purity or your denominational loyalty.

For the growing Christian, faith is not a game wherein we pretend to be something we are not. Growing Christians do not try to act hyper-holy or super-religious because deep down we know that we are merely sinners saved by grace.

This week rather than striving to be religious, strive to be real. Believe it or not, those who surround you already know you are not perfect. The real question is “do others see the evidence of God’s grace at work in my life in spite of my imperfections?” The core of your character and the genuineness of your faith are revealed in the crucible of daily living. Let others see who you are under pressure. Let them witness the way you wrestle with moral and ethical decisions. Let them see the ways that you are learning to apply and practice the teachings of Jesus in your unique circumstances. And especially let them see the way that the love of Christ shapes your attitude, reaction, and disposition toward others, for according to John 13:35, this may be the real litmus test of authentic faith.

Speaking of the power of authentic Christian witness, Scottish minister William Barclay writes, "More people have been brought into the church by the kindness of real Christian love than by all of the theological arguments in the world, and more people have been driven from church by the hardness and ugliness of so-called Christianity than by all of the doubts in the world."

No matter where you are on the spectrum of Christian growth, be authentic…be genuine…be real!

Exercising the Mind, Enriching the Soul

2010-05-08T07:44:00.000-07:00

For me, reading had become a crucial life discipline that exercises the mind and enriches the soul. Every year I try to choose a selection of fictional and non-fictional works to supplement my reading of the Bible, theology, and other devotional literature.

Because we live in the age of information technology, we can easily let ourselves settle into watching some type of audiovisual media, whether big screen or little screen. Merely “watching” doesn’t stretch and challenge that great mental muscle called our mind.

Luke 10:27 challenges us to love God with our minds. To effectively love God with our minds, our minds must be as sharp, alert, and active as possible.

During this past year, as the unpredictable nature of my pastoral responsibilities has interrupted my regular reading routine more than usual, I have noticed that my mind has been “hungry” due to being undernourished. When I am deficient in appropriating my study time and my reading time, my mind gets lazy, my memory short-circuits, and my creativity is stifled. When I protect my study time and reading time I find that my mind is sharp, my memory is remarkable, and I am a better pastor and a better preacher.

I have not always had a faithful discipline of reading. In high school, since I worked an “after school” job , I often read summaries of the books on the required reading lists. But about halfway through my university experience, my English instructors inspired me to read. One instructor, in particular, encouraged me to start three or four books, reading alternately from each as though I were engaging three to four partners in a conversation. All of these years later, I find myself starting several books and reading in them alternately until I have completed them.

Now, I am concerned when I see students and adult spending more time watching television, staring at computer screens, and preoccupied with IPhones than the time invested in reading. Reading just causes me to think and reflect and imagine on a deeper level than audio-visual observation.

For Christians, I think reading should be listed as one of our spiritual disciplines. Hand-in-hand with prayer, Bible study, meditation, worship, and stewardship, reading enriches my soul. Regular reading from a variety of genres tends to keep me informed and engaged. Novels, biography, history, poetry, and documentary all expand my knowledge of God’s world and the interesting inhabitants of it.

There are several things that are important to my physical, spiritual, and emotional health: My prayer and devotional time, a balanced diet, my exercise routine, and time spent with friends. One of the most crucial is my ongoing discipline of reading.

A Prayer for Conscientious Wisdom: Invocation for Law Week 2010

2010-05-08T07:36:00.000-07:00

Good and gracious God, you have given us the privilege and the stewardship responsibility of living in one of the most beautiful and resourceful communities in the world.

Even as we count the many wonderful blessings we share by living in this great land, we also sense that we live in a time of heightened concern and anxiety. Our nation is engaged in a multi-national military conflict. Our economy is slowly emerging out of a recession. And this week our eyes are turned toward cleanup of the Gulf.

These concerns remind us of our need to confess our sins, and to embrace your plan for living life with purpose and integrity.

On this National Day of Prayer, we pray for our nation. We pray for the men and women who serve in our nation’s military that they will perform their humanitarian mission with effectiveness and precision, and return home safely and soon. And we pray for our local, state, and national leaders that they will rise to a new level of bipartisan cooperation and moral courage commensurate to the challenges of our day.

Specifically on this day during Law Week, I pray for every member of our legal community. I pray for our elected officials as they work together for the common good and the bright future of our community. I pray for legal staff members as they provide strategic support for a variety of leaders. I pray for our attorneys to provide careful counsel and appropriate advocacy to all clientele. And I pray for our judiciary as they administer decisions with both legal discernment and conscientious wisdom.

Our aim is to live according to the words your ancient prophet conveyed which instruct usf us…”to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God.”

We offer our prayer in the name of the one who exemplifies the truth that makes us free indeed. Amen.

(I offered this prayer as the invocation at the Law Week Luncheon sponsored by the Escambia-Santa Rosa Bar Association on May 6, 2010.)

Experiencing the Passion of Holy Week

2010-03-27T14:46:00.000-07:00

This week is Holy Week…a time to experience the passion of Christ. Around the globe, Christians and other inquirers will be reflecting on the events leading up to the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. What is the purpose of Holy Week and how can I explore its deeper meaning?

The tradition of observing Holy Week seems to have originated in the East, emerging out of the practice of pilgrimages to Jerusalem. Each day of Holy Week is significant, however, for those of us whose faith was primarily shaped in non-liturgical communities, at least four days call for guided reflection. Palm Sunday is a day to revisit the royal welcome extended to Jesus by the curious crowd as he entered Jerusalem. On Maundy Thursday believers recall the occasion when Jesus washed the feet of the disciples as he gave them a new mandate to love and serve. On Maundy Thursday evening, many faith communities re-enact “the last supper” when Jesus broke bread and shared the cup with his disciples by receiving the elements of communion. Good Friday is an occasion to feel the passion of Christ and to think on the enormity of his suffering. And Resurrection Sunday, or Easter, is a festive day to celebrate and proclaim that “Christ is risen; He is risen indeed.”

Because of the sequential significance of these events, Holy Week is best approached slowly, with a disposition of holy exploration, an attitude of sacred awe. In his book, The Gift of Worship, Weldon Gaddy underscores the opportunity we have to experience a profoundly meaningful experience of Jesus’ resurrection: “Holy Week services bring into focus dimensions of discipleship that are missed completely by a simple leap from Palm Sunday to Easter. Worship services which take seriously the truths of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday please God because they challenge a greater commitment and a more comprehensive ministry of compassion among the people of God.”

This year as you embark on a spiritual journey through Holy Week, rather than merely reading the historical account, open your senses and your imagination to both the tragedy and the triumph of this pivotal week in history. Take time to listen to the voices of the crowd as Jesus enters the city. Hear again the teachings of Jesus and contemplate his days in Jerusalem. Feel the water touch your feet, taste the morsel of bread on your tongue and the sip of wine rolling over your lips. Sense the disgust of his betrayal by a friend. Smell the stench of the scourge and hear the mocking sarcasm of the trial. Grieve over the cruel injustice of his execution and experience the passion of his incomprehensible suffering. And ultimately…consider the mysterious power of the resurrection and the hope generated by the notion that life invested in Christ cannot be extinguished, even by the reality of death.

The events of Holy Week invite and inspire us to follow Jesus, not out of religious obligation or fear of eternal damnation, but because we resonate with his teaching, we identify with his vision, and we belong….we just belong to his cause and to his kingdom. A slow and deliberate journey through Holy Week may re-energize your faith and motivate you to live and serve with passion.

(Barry Howard serves as senior minister of First Baptist Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida.)

2010-02-15T07:59:00.000-08:00

The Pastor's Wife

(I read this poem on February 13, 2010 at the memorial service for Margaret Ann Pleitz, a beloved Pastor’s wife)

She's a Godly woman, she has such grace
Always a warm greeting, a smile on her face.
She's always encouraging, she knows her place.
She is - The Pastor's Wife.

She has to always look just right
Always on time, though the schedule's tight.
From early morning, 'til late at night
Always - The Pastor's Wife

She's such a Lady, everyone's friend
She serves with love from deep within.
All the rifts she tries to mend
Oh she's - The Pastor's Wife

She carries your burdens, she prays for you
Sometimes she cries the whole night through.
But you won't know when she's feeling blue,
'Cause she's - The Pastor's Wife

At church as she starts to walk up the aisle,
So many need to stop and talk for awhile.
Though she is tired, she has her own trials
She's patient, she's - The Pastor's Wife

Her life, her time, is not her own
There's always a need, they go on and on
With a knock at the door, or a ringing phone.
That's the life of - The Pastor's Wife

Her husband she shares with a whole congregation
She humbly accepts his intense dedication.
In loneliness she kneels to see consolation
God Bless - The Pastor's Wife

She will someday reach the end of this race
As she meets her Master face to face
Surely our God has a Special Place
In Heaven for - The Pastor's Wife!

By Judy Dycus, March 10, 1992

The Eyes of Jesus Are Upon Me

2009-12-12T14:52:00.000-08:00

When I got up this morning, I had this sensation that I was being watched. As I went to the kitchen to make the coffee...Hazelnut to be exact...I looked over my shoulder to see if anyone else was in the room.

As the coffee brewed I moved to the desktop computer to check news headlines. As my eyes were focused on the screen, I could sense other eyes watching my every move.

Then I went to the living room to begin this morning's quiet time with the Advent devotional guide compiled by our Children's Ministry at FBCP. When I closed my eyes to pray, somehow I perceived that other eyes were opened.

After a few more moments of praying for guidance, offering gratitude, and remembering the poor, the homeless, and those who are grieving during the holidays, I began to investigate the room more thoroughly. Everywhere I turned; there was Mary, Joseph, and a baby Jesus looking my way.

My wife, Amanda, loves to decorate for Christmas. We have four themed Christmas trees: a Santa tree, a music tree, a white ornament tree, and a favorite-ornaments-tree adorned mostly with ornaments given to us by friends, students, and parishioners. We also have an aging talking tree strategically located in the guest bathroom. Battalions of angels are also on display, including a chorus of wooden angels, tree-top angels, porcelain angels, crocheted angels, and a lighted angel atop the kitchen buffet who flaps her wings as if she is ready to launch.

Two fluffy stockings, one red and the other green, hang from the mantle below wooden block letters spelling J-O-Y and N-O-E-L. The other wooden blocks in the entertainment cabinet spell M-E-R-R-Y C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S! Assorted Dickens Village scenes are located on the shelves of the Entertainment Center and on the library table...all lighted and wintry scenes depicting a typical English holiday.

The Christmas cards that we receive are hung from doorframes and over the kitchen bar, some containing family photos, others portraying holiday scenes and inscribed with personal greetings. Our pink Christmas cactus is in full bloom on the computer desk and a few over-nourished Santas are scattered around like centurions guarding the Christmas goodies. One jolly ole Santa flips his lid because he is really a cookie jar, which, ironically, is empty.

The central attraction in our Christmas display is the nativity. As I surveyed our house in the quiet of the morning to see who was watching, I counted 13 manger scenes, each depicting a unique perspective on the real meaning of Christmas. Among the notable ones is a clear glass miniature grouping near the kitchen table. Another is a wooden set given to us by a Jewish craftsman in Birmingham. And the largest is a ceramic menagerie designed and painted by Amanda's mother, now neatly arranged on top of an antique sideboard under a spotlight in our foyer.

They're everywhere...thirteen editions of the babe-in-a-manger. It occurred to me that everywhere I go in our home, I see Jesus. But the more important epiphany is that everywhere I go, Jesus sees me. If my eyes are on Jesus, and the eyes of Jesus are upon me, I have no excuse for missing the real joy of Christmas this year.

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Advent

2009-12-02T12:29:00.000-08:00

by Barry Howard

In early October when I made a quick stop in a local discount store to pick up a few general items, I couldn’t help but notice the strange combination of items in the promotional section near the front of the store. Half of the aisle was fully stocked with Halloween items…bright plastic jack-o-lanterns, various costumes and assorted Trick-or-Treat candies. The other half of the aisle was being stocked with Christmas items including miniature trees, boxes of lights, gift-wrapping paper, and colorful candy canes. To see the decorations of two separate holidays together on the same aisle seemed a little out of place.

Now, a month later, the turkeys have been gobbled up and the dressing has been devoured and we are in the week following Thanksgiving. Christmas music is playing on the radio, Christmas sale ads are blaring from flat panel screens, and bucket trucks are hanging aging ornaments on the light poles on main street.

In our home and on our church campus, multiple trees are decorated, lights are twinkling, and the aroma of scented candles fills the air. Just before our vespers service last Sunday evening, someone who was admiring the beauty of the décor said to me, “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.” “Not too fast,” I said. “It’s really beginning to look a lot like Advent.” We need the season of Advent to spiritually prepare for Christmas.

At my home church, a rural congregation who helped to shape and form my adolescent faith, we didn’t observe Advent. We proceeded directly from Thanksgiving to Christmas. In that tight-knit congregation, the sacred dates on our church calendar other than Christmas and Easter were Church Conference after worship service on the first Sunday, gospel singing on the fourth Sunday night, revival during the second full week in August, and homecoming the last Sunday in July. Advent, Epiphany, Lent, Passover, and Pentecost were not in my ecclesial vocabulary.

Later, as a young pastor, I was introduced to the colors and candles of Advent and my journey toward Christmas was upgraded and enriched. Today, I am convicted and convinced that as mission-driven Christians who live in a market-driven culture, we need the reflective disciplines of Advent to keep us alert to stealth forces like materialism, busyness, greed, and indifference…those deceptive grinches who would love to steal the real message and gifts of the season and replace them with superficial slogans and glamorous counterfeits.

I love a festive and joyful celebration of Christmas. However, to begin celebrating Christmas in October, November, or even early December, is like a parent trying to skip labor and delivery to go straight to the nursery. For a Christian, Advent is our progressive, devotional journey that culminates in grateful celebration when the Christ candle is lighted and the Christmas Star shines over the manger in Bethlehem.

During Advent in our church, we will prepare for Christmas by re-visiting the prophets, singing the carols, re-reading the gospels, and lighting the candles that re-energize our peace, hope, love, and joy. Then we will be better equipped to empathize with the anxiety of Mary and Joseph, to feel the labor pains of God, to celebrate the birth of the world’s most pivotal newborn, and to recognize both the singing of angels and the sobs of Rachel weeping.

If we take the time to revisit the biblical stories, to reclaim the joyful promises, and rekindle the fires of our faith, we may find that we are more than ready to follow Christ from the cradle to the cross and beyond.

The decorations are in place. The music has started. The Bible is open…and so are my mind, my heart, and my soul. This week it’s beginning to look a lot like Advent.

(Barry Howard serves as senior minister of the First Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida.)

Why Teddy Roosevelt Went to Church

2009-11-11T14:05:00.000-08:00

by Barry Howard

Some people go to church regularly, some go occasionally, and others seldom go at all. How important is church participation? Are there good reasons that I should go to church?

Actually, the Bible calls on believers to be the church, and not just go to church. But to effectively be the church, believers need to faithfully gather with the other members of the body of Christ for equipping and encouragement.

Theodore Roosevelt, the twenty-sixth President of the United States, believed in attending and participating in church. In 1917, in an interview with Ladies Home Journal, President Roosevelt offered at least ten reasons for going to church:

1. In the actual world a churchless community, a community where men have abandoned and scoffed at or ignored their religious needs, is a community on the rapid downgrade.

2. Church work and church attendance mean the cultivation of the habit of feeling some responsibility for others and the sense of braced moral strength which prevents a relaxation of one’s own moral fiber.

3. There are enough holidays for most of us which can quite properly be devoted to pure holiday making... Sundays differ from other holidays--among other ways--in the fact that there are fifty-two of them every year... On Sunday, go to church.

4. Yes, I know all the excuses. I know that one can worship the Creator and dedicate oneself to good living in a grove of trees, or by a running brook, or in one’s own house, just as well as in church. But I also know as a matter of cold fact the average man does not thus worship or thus dedicate himself. If he strays away from church he does not spend his time in good works or lofty meditation. He looks over the colored supplement of the newspaper.

5. He may not hear a good sermon at church. But unless he is very unfortunate he will hear a sermon by a good man who, with his good wife, is engaged all the week long in a series of wearing, humdrum and important tasks for making hard lives a little easier.

6. He will listen to and take part in reading some beautiful passages from the Bible. And if he is not familiar with the Bible, he has suffered a loss.

7. He will probably take part in singing some good hymns.

8. He will meet and nod to, or speak to, good quiet, neighbors... He will come away feeling a little more charitably toward all the world, even toward those excessively foolish young men who regard churchgoing as rather a soft performance.

9. I advocate a man’s joining in church works for the sake of showing his faith by his works.

10. The man who does not in some way, active or not, connect himself with some active, working church misses many opportunities for helping his neighbors, and therefore, incidentally, for helping himself.

Eighty four years have passed since that historic interview with President Roosevelt. And church attendance and participation is still vitally important to faith development and Christian service. The scriptures advise us “not to give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another, even more as you see the day of the Lord approaching.” (Hebrews 10:25)

Why not go to church next Sunday and learn to be the church in your community everyday?

(Barry Howard serves as senior minister of the First Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida.)

Living the D-R-E-A-M

2009-10-22T12:43:00.000-07:00

by Barry Howard

While perusing a vacation and tourism magazine as I waited at the doctor’s office for my name to be called, I couldn’t help but notice the large number of ads for resort and retirement communities inviting prospective residents to “come and live the dream.”

What comes to mind when you think about the dream life? Winning the lottery? Living in extravagant luxury? An easier job? Marital bliss? Early retirement? Perfect health?

Whatever your perspective, most of us think of a dream life as an upgrade in our circumstances, a life with fewer challenges, and a greater degree of comfort and convenience.

Is this really God’s dream for you? What if the challenges you and I face are actually the opportunities we have to participate in making God’s dream a reality?

In describing the “latter times,” the Old Testament prophet envisioned a faith community that is motivated by God-inspired dreams and visions of multiple generations:

²⁸ "And afterward,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions. Joel 2:28 NIV

Are you living out God’s dream and vision for your life? Are you assisting your church family in living out God’s dream and vision for your congregation?

The word “dream” has frequently been used as an acronym. When I “googled” DREAM as an acronym, I discovered that in education, DREAM can stand for “Discover the Reality of Education for All Minds.” In communication, DREAM means “Dynamically Reconfigurable Energy Aware Media.” In computing, DREAM can represent “Distributed Routing Effect Algorithm for Mobility.” In local government, DREAM can refer to “Downtown Restoration, Enhancement and Management.” In Orlando, DREAM stands for “Disney Resort Experiences are Magic.”

What does DREAM mean for the church? As we rise to new levels of commitment to confront the opportunities and challenges of our day, I suggest that DREAM means “Doing Risky, Encouraging, and Authentic Ministry.”

Let’s break down the DREAM:

Doing- Be doers of the word and not hearers only. James 1:22 KJV
Risky- So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul— men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Acts 15:25-26 NIV
Encouraging-Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. I Thessalonians 5:11 NIV
Authentic-Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Philippians 4:8a MSG
Ministry- But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. II Timothy 4: 5 NIV

Though we are conditioned by our culture to think of the dream life in terms of prosperity, we are commissioned in the Bible to aspire to a DREAM life in terms of purpose and mission. In other words, the dreams and visions that are generated by the Spirit of God give your life and mine genuine significance. Comfort and convenience can lead to complacency. Dreams and visions lead to proactive, mission-driven living.

As a follower of Jesus, you really haven’t lived until you have lived the DREAM.

(Barry Howard serves as Senior Minister of the First Baptist Church of Pensacola, Florida.)

‘Tis the Season

2009-09-17T08:54:00.000-07:00

by Barry Howard

How would you describe the season you are currently experiencing? I understand Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 to be a contemplative poem about the seasons of life. Rather than letting the seasons pass meaninglessly and letting life become “vanity,” the biblical writer encourages worshipers to interpret the seasons and maximize the opportunities within each one of them.

In my own time of reflection, I think about the seasons many of us are experiencing right now. Like in ancient times, it is still true that, There's an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth: Ecclesiastes 3:1 MSG.

Actually life in the 21^st century may have more numerous seasons than in previous eras, and the changing of the seasons may occur more abruptly, even concurrently. Perhaps if the poem were being written today, some of the seasons included would remarkably resemble the season you are in right now:

A time to celebrate and a time to lament,

A time to be single and a time to be married,

A time to keep your job and a time to transition to another vocation,

A time to pray for healing and a time for comfort care,

A time of feasting and a time of famine,

A time to be gentle and a time to be firm,

A time of grief and a time of joy,

A time to be independent and a time to seek assistance.

A time to spend and a time to save.

A time to think things through on your own and a time to seek the counsel of others,

A time to plan and a time to implement,

A time to worship and a time to serve,

A time to be patient and a time to be aggressive,

A time to wait and a time to wait no longer,

A time to think and a time to feel,

A time to consider options and a time to make a decision.

A time to lead and a time to be led.

-A personal reflection on Ecclesiastes 3

I can hardly read Ecclesiastes 3 without thinking about Romans 8:28 which reminds us that, In all things God works for the good of those who love him, whohave been called according to his purpose (MSG).

Remember that no one season lasts forever, including seasons of discouragement, grief, and lamentation. Live life fully and faithfully in the season you are experiencing now, refusing to let the emotions of a change in seasons thwart your spiritual vitality.

Knowing that God is with us through all the seasons of life helps us to confront our challenges and seize our opportunities with courage and confidence.

(Barry Howard serves as senior minister at First Baptist Church of Pensacola.)

Starting with a Fury

2009-07-07T14:30:00.000-07:00

by Barry Howard

Four years ago today, I made my first appearance on campus as pastor of First Baptist Church, a few days earlier than originally planned.

Amanda and I returned from a 24-day visit to China in late June of 2005. We made a few final visits with friends and family in Alabama and hit the road to Pensacola where I had been invited to serve as pastor at First Baptist Church. Our plan was to unpack and arrange our things in the missionary house on Lemmington Road during the week prior to my first Sunday. The church had planned for me to preach my first sermon on Sunday, July 10 and to spend my first day in the office on Monday, July 11.

The fireworks of Monday July 4 quickly gave way to the stormy winds of July 5. After the first day of unpacking, we awoke on July 6 to the howling of Hurricane Cindy, originally forecast to remain a tropical storm. To the amazement of local meteorologists, Cindy arrived as a category one hurricane.

As we were picking up limbs and sweeping the sidewalk awaiting the return of electrical power that was temporarily suspended by Cindy, all eyes turned to the rapidly forming storm cluster in the gulf that was bee-lining for the coast. On Thursday morning July 7, Governor Bush declared a mandatory evacuation of our new hometown. Hurricane Dennis was forecast to hit downtown Pensacola head on some time during Sunday morning.

After hearing the news on Thursday afternoon, I went to my new, yet unfurnished office and study at First Baptist Church and met with staff for the first time as pastor. After conferring with staff ministers and deacon leadership, my first official act, regrettably, was to cancel Sunday services, which to my knowledge was a first in the history of FBCP.

Because the repairs from Hurricane Ivan were not yet completed, there was a lot of work to be done to prepare the church campus for the approaching storm. The sanctuary and part of the music suite was still under a temporary roof and numerous leaks had yet to be addressed. We assembled an ad hoc work crew composed of staff and volunteers and began covering musical instruments, re-enforcing windows and doors, and assembling buckets, mops, and towels.

On Friday, the roadways were bumper to bumper as residents were leaving town. As our work force continued to fortify the campus, I met with officers from the Pensacola Police Department and learned of our church's tradition of housing officers and their families at the Christian Activities Center during storms. Because of its concrete structural integrity and its "higher ground" location, the CAC was utilized as a safe haven and temporary residence, allowing the officers to rest and refresh just a couple of blocks from the police department.

On Saturday, Pensacola was like a ghost town. Stores, businesses, and homes were boarded up but the sky was blue. Strong gusts and a high surf were the only signs that a significant storm was on the way.

After Amanda and I locked down the mission house, we took our air mattress, our sleeping bags, our flash lights, a stash of food, our short-wave radio, and a couple of changes of clothes, and we set up camp in the floor of the unfurnished pastor’s study on the church campus. Throughout the day and into the evening we were joined by 46 volunteers and staff members who were going to ride out the storm with us while trying to minimize further damage to the building.

I awoke around three o’clock on Sunday morning and went to room 220, a large adult classroom where we had set up a television and a few snack items. At that time I discovered that Dennis had intensified and could possibly hit downtown around noon on Sunday as a category four storm, much stronger than the category three previously forecast.

My imagination began to run wild. Having grown up in a tornado prone region of Alabama, I do not suffer from storm phobia. But as I listened to the forecast I was imagining the devastation a category four could inflict on the beautiful beaches of the Emerald Coast. I found myself wondering if the mission house, which was to be our temporary home, would still be standing and if any of our belongings would be found. I thought about the thousands of families who had evacuated the Panhandle and I wondered how many would return to be homeless. And then I thought about the stubborn and the foolish who were riding out the storm in wood frame waterfront homes, structures that would certainly not withstand a category four blast.

I don’t remember ever fearing for the safety of those riding out the storm on our campus. We are well above the flood zone. And the steel and concrete construction of our office space and lower education levels provides bunker-like security. However, I do specifically remember wondering whether the beautiful sanctuary, located atop the highest elevation in town, would survive the impact.

Around eight o’clock on Sunday morning, as our “storm troopers” were finishing breakfast, we began to spread the word that we would have a “come as you are” worship service in the chapel at nine. Six more local residents joined us on Sunday morning bringing our total attendance on campus to 56.

We sang a few hymns and I shared a message on “Listening for the Music in the Storm” from Isaiah 46. We closed with a prayer time for all of the persons affected by the storms.

As we departed the chapel, we were greeted with the face of Jim Cantori of The Weather Channel, standing underneath the “beachball” on Pensacola Beach, giving an updated forecast now projecting Dennis to hit as a category three storm, still aiming for downtown. Because we did not lose power until the eye was almost over us, we watched the approaching storm on radar, and noted the last minute joggle, which eventually re-directed the path of the storm over Escambia Bay. When the storm reached the more shallow waters near the coast, it actually made landfall as a category two. The news was getting better minute by minute.

Though damage to our community and our campus was minimal, watching the storm firsthand was an incredible experience. The first wave produced a fury of winds that shook the building. Utility poles were swaying like tall southern pine trees. Windows were rattling and sprouting new leaks due to the powerful wind gusts and the horizontal bullets of rain. Debris, including tree limbs, construction cones, roof shingles, displaced signage, and assorted garbage, was flying through the air in a multitude of directions. A portable restroom that had been located on the northwest corner of our campus for construction workers went air born like a missile, zooming toward our glass atrium doors before suddenly shifting direction, and landing harmlessly on its side in the east parking lot.

In contrast to Hurricane Ivan, which sat spinning over the Panhandle for hours, Dennis passed in less than an hour, and amazingly, left blue skies and sunshine in its wake. Our storm troopers left campus immediately following the storm to investigate the damage to their own homes, with most incurring minor afflictions. Because of the minimal damage, one news reporter dubbed the storm, Dennis the Menace.

Utility companies had most of the power restored to homes and businesses by Monday or Tuesday of the following week. Cleanup of the church campus began on Monday. By Wednesday we were ready for our Midweek Service. Evacuees returned home from adjoining states throughout the week.

On Sunday, July 17, as a much larger crowd gathered than on July 10, I became the first pastor in the history of the church to have a second first Sunday. And in retrospect, I can confirm that both first Sundays were memorable and significant in getting personally acquainted with the strengths of my new church family.

A Prayer for Independence Day 2009

2009-07-01T10:45:00.000-07:00

Good and gracious God, you have given us the privilege and the responsibility of living in the most resourceful land in the world. From sea to shining sea most of us enjoy unparalleled freedom, comfortable homes, nutritious meals, preferred vocations, and unique religious liberty.

Even as we count the many wonderful blessings we share by living in this great land, we also sense that we live in times of heightened concern and anxiety. Our nation is engaged in a multi-national military conflict. Our economy is slowed by a recession. And in the past year we have elected a new president who needs divine guidance to lead our country.

These concerns remind us of our need to confess our sins, personally and collectively, and to embrace your plan for living life with purpose and integrity.

We confess that we have too often taken our freedom for granted and we have too frequently been negligent in fulfilling the responsibilities of our citizenship.

We confess that at times we are too quick to criticize and we are too slow to intercede prayerfully.

We confess that our self-interests have too often taken priority over your best intentions for our nation and for our world.

We confess that we have been negligent in our stewardship of health and wealth, often consuming compulsively when we should be managing carefully, investing wisely, and sharing generously.

We confess that we have too often trusted in our own initiatives and ingenuity more than we have trusted in you.

We pray with the psalmist, “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.” (Psalm 51:1-3)

Therefore, as we prepare to celebrate this Independence Day, we ask you to, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10)

On this day, we pray for the leaders of our nation, our state, and our community that they will lead with moral courage, bipartisan cooperation, and wise discernment.

We pray for the men and women who serve in our nation’s military that they will perform their humanitarian mission with effectiveness and precision, and return home safely and soon.

We pray for our enemies that their swords, as well as ours, will be “turned into plowshares.”

We pray for the churches, cathedrals, and temples of our nation and our community that we will be lighthouses of grace and mercy, living our convictions with consistency, engaging our discourse with hospitality and civility.

Because you are the freedom-loving and grace-giving God, lead us to exercise our freedom responsibly and to pursue “liberty and justice for all” your children around the globe, especially the “least of these.”

We present our petition in the strong name of Jesus, the one who exemplifies the truth that makes us free indeed. Amen.

Did SBC Action Go Far Enough?

2009-06-26T09:12:00.000-07:00

By Barry Howard

As much as I was saddened by the Southern Baptist Convention’s continuing efforts to become more “exclusive” and less “inclusive” as they make headlines for disfellowshipping another church, if I perceive their intention correctly, I tend to think their actions did not nearly go far enough.

If the intention of the SBC is to eventually purge the convention (*I conscientiously object to referring to SBC as a denomination, although the SBC began behaving like a denomination rather than a convention somewhere around 1979… but that’s another story for another day) of churches that accept sinners into membership and leadership who practice open sin, their recent decision to disenfranchise a Texas church did not even scratch the surface.

To fulfill this ambitious task of eradicating churches that are inclusive of public sinners will require a few years, but perhaps the SBC should consider breaking ties with a few more churches that unquestionably and regularly include sinners in their membership and on their staff team. During my tenure as a pastor, I have noted numerous churches, and not just the ones I have served, who have included such sinners in active participation. Though the list of actual sins committed by the guilty person is extensive, for illustrative purposes I will name a few, just to establish a framework:

Consumption of alcoholic beverages.
Gossip, backbiting, and rumor-mongering.
Divorce
Omitting the practice of the Great Commission.
Failure to tithe.
Usury
Pre-marital and extra-marital relationships.
Greed, jealousy, envy
Gluttony
Proselytizing members from other churches

If the SBC will extend their probing into the daily lives of the membership of their autonomous congregations, they will be astonished at how many sins have not yet been extinguished from the lives of so-called Christ followers. And if the SBC will take their actions to the next level, and just disfellowship the churches who have members who regularly commit any of the sins from my “short list,” all of the problems that have plagued the SBC for years will go away, immediately. Gosh! The SBC would finally be thoroughly and completely purged.

Of course the alternative would be to include a variety of autonomous churches whose membership includes diverse kinds of sinners, fully recognizing that the human tendency toward sin is not eradicated at the moment of conversion, and that progressive, at times gradual, transformation of individual lives occurs within local faith communities that are saturated with grace, not at the convention level. Now that alternative could lead to a genuine Great Commission Revolution.

(Barry Howard serves as Senior Minister of the First Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida.)

The Parable of the Lost Checkbook

2009-06-05T09:50:00.000-07:00

At some point last week, I lost my checkbook...literally…and the whole saga has become a real life parable. I’m not exactly sure when I lost it. I only know for sure the moment when I became aware that it was lost.

If you are like me, you may not write as many checks as you did a few years ago. I opened my first checking account when I was in junior high school. Immediately following graduation from high school, I moved into a garage apartment and began writing checks for rent, utilities, car payments, groceries, and tuition.

During the past few years, however, check writing has slowed down. At our house we use "the plastic card" for monthly bills and routine purchases, and we pay the balance monthly so as not to accrue interest. Therefore, we write very few checks. The majority of our checks are written to "the plastic card" company and to First Baptist Church.

Although we could make our church contribution online or in the form of an automatic electronic draft, I still enjoy writing a check for our tithes and offerings, stuffing it in the little pink envelope, and placing it in the offering plate on Sunday morning as an act of worship. I could write a monthly check but I choose to write a tithe check each week because giving is a vital part of my commitment to God. Once a month, I write a check in addition to my tithe that goes toward paying off the ROC (the Paul Royal Recreation and Outreach Center).

Because Sunday is such an important day for me, my Saturday evening ritual is pretty rigid. I usually eat an early dinner, review the sermon for the umpteenth time, get my clothes ready, write my tithe check, read a chapter or two in a novel, and then go to bed early. However, last Saturday evening, I reached for my checkbook, which is usually on my nightstand or in my nightstand drawer, and it was nowhere to be found. The missing checkbook seemed to throw my life off balance. I went to bed without writing my check or knowing the whereabouts of my checkbook. I knew that I was in for a rather restless night.

On Sunday morning, I cleaned off the desk in my study, which was no small task, thinking the lost treasure might be underneath a book or periodical or funeral outline. Still, no checkbook. I went home on Sunday afternoon and searched through drawers, between cushions, and underneath the bed with no success.

Early Monday morning, still compulsively anxious over the missing checkbook, I searched every square inch of my car…under the seats, in the glove compartment, in the trunk, inside the console, and in the door pockets. I found two dirty quarters, an ink pen, an expired discount coupon for an oil change, and four shades of moldy M&M’s (on the passenger side, of course), but no checkbook.

I gave up the search temporarily and arrived at my study on Monday at my usual time. Before beginning my preparation for next Sunday, I gave thanks for the great day we had Sunday with six baptisms, four new members, and a dozen or so visitors. Then I received the stewardship report from Sunday’s offering and suddenly came face to face with a harsh reality: "I must not be the only one who lost my checkbook."

If your checkbook is also missing, my inclination is to offer to help you find it and to ask you to help me look for mine, but I realize that checkbooks are extremely personal items…sort of like diaries of our life priorities…so it might be better if we each look for our own.

At our house, our checkbook is an important tool for making purchases, plotting investments, and keeping records. Revelation 20:12 indicates that in the final judgment "the books will be opened." One book opened on Judgment Day will be the Book of Life, a volume perhaps listing the names of all of God’s children. But when I stand in the final judgment I have a notion that one of the other books that will be opened is my checkbook, and that I will be asked to demonstrate how I lived out my faith through financial management.

When I can’t find my checkbook, and can’t write my check to the church, my anxiety increases tremendously. I worry that a missionary might go underfunded, that a student might miss camp, that there may not be enough supplies for Vacation Bible School, that the air conditioning might be cut off in the middle of summer, that Samaritan’s Hands might turn away someone who desperately needs help, that we might lose a valued staff member, that some important ministry project might have to shut down, or that we inexcusably miss an opportunity for ministry that we would have seized had I found my checkbook a little sooner.

I am determined to find my checkbook this week…before Sunday. I want my life…and yours… to be back in balance again. Search diligently…and let’s make it a good summer!

The Value of Remembering

2009-05-25T05:56:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day is observed on the last Monday in May. This important holiday is not just another “day off” but a day to remember those who have lost their lives in the military service of our country.

Remembering is a painful but necessary discipline. Remembering the historical facts should help us to remain consciously aware of the harsh realities of national and international conflict. Remembering the stories of battle may enable us to learn from both the successes and the failures of our national heritage. Remembering the fallen keeps alive the individual and corporate legacies of valor and courage that inspire and challenge us to be responsible citizens of the free world.

To fail to remember is to develop a toxic amnesia that robs succeeding generations of acquaintance with their national ancestry. To fail to remember creates a contagious apathy that leads to a neglect of both freedom and citizenship. To fail to remember may result in a false sense of protection and exemption from future warfare. A loss of memory eventually leads to a loss of national identity. Remembering is a painful but necessary discipline.

What are some things we can do to help remember and commemorate the contributions of those who lost their lives in battle?

· Read biographies of world leaders, military generals, POW’s, and holocaust survivors.
· Read historical accounts of crucial battles.
· View a documentary or movie that realistically portrays the stories of war.
· Visit historic sites such as battlefields, monuments, and military cemeteries.
· Visit with a veteran and listen firsthand to stories from the heat of battle.
· Give thanks for those who have fought for freedom and justice.
· Pray for those who are serving in the military service today.
· Pray and work for freedom, justice, and world peace.
· Practice and preserve religious liberty.
· Exercise your rights and fulfill your responsibilities as a citizen.

In The Roadmender Margaret Fairless Barber proposed that “To look backward for a while is to refresh the eye, to restore it, and to render it the more fit for its prime function of looking forward.”

Today is Memorial Day…A day to look backward with gratitude and to look forward with determination.

(Barry Howard serves as senior minister at First Baptist Church of Pensacola, Florida.)

Catching on to the Emerging Renaissance

2009-05-06T09:48:00.000-07:00

By Barry Howard

Last week our church family was honored to host author, minister, motivational speaker, and leadership coach, Reggie McNeal. Reggie led a Missional Renaissance workshop on Tuesday for the Pensacola Bay Baptist Association at the ROC and then joined us for our Midweek Gathering in Chipley Hall on Wednesday evening.

During our Midweek Gathering, in an interview format, I had the opportunity to engage Reggie in a conversation about his most recent book, Missional Renaissance: Changing the Scorecard for the Church. As much as anyone I know, Reggie is in touch with what it means to be a missional (or mission-driven) church in the 21^st century. He highlights evidence of how the Spirit is orchestrating a renaissance, an energizing movement calling the people of God to get outside the walls of the church and serve others in Jesus’ name.

As Reggie articulated with wit and unmistakable clarity perspectives that I have been trying to shape into words for the past few years, I took numerous notes on Tuesday and Wednesday. As I continue to reflect and digest what I heard, I have extracted some one-liners that I want to remember, relevant and applicable observations that I will call Reggie-isms:

Ø The church doesn’t have a mission; the mission has a church.

Ø The Spirit is running wild in the streets again.

Ø The fastest growing spiritual group in America is “unaffiliated.”

Ø Anyone who wants to move into the future by going back to something in the past, I would consider suspect.

Ø The Spirit doesn’t wait for everybody to get on board to move forward.

Ø Only church people think a service is service.

Ø The Spirit is running wild in the streets again and having a different conversation with many people than the conversation that pre-occupies you at church.

Ø The church is not a what but a who.

Ø Most of you grew up seeing the kingdom of God through church lenses. The missional renaissance sees the church through kingdom lenses.

Ø Redemption means that everything sin has broken, God is fixing.

Ø Let the Spirit have the joy stick to your brain and show you God’s plan.

Ø Learn to minister to those who aren’t church-broken.

Ø The enemy of your soul whispers fear to you all the time and if you listen to that roar you cannot hear the Spirit speak.

Ø Much like an airport, the church is not the destination but a connector to help people get to where they need to be.

Ø We are not called to simply go to church. We are called to be the church.

Reggie contends that “disinterest in institutional cultural Christianity will accelerate.” That makes the old scorecard which seemed to rank churches based on budgets, buildings, and baptisms, completely invalid.

What should be on the new scorecard? That may differ as each church customizes its scorecard and its ministry, giving greater attention to people development, life coaching, and a more “external” ministry agenda. As a result, missional communities will emerge from inside and outside the institutional church, “communities that order their lives around communion, caring, and celebration.”

Some of us have some catching up to do. I’m convinced that the Spirit doesn’t want the church to be left behind.

(Barry Howard serves as senior minister at the First Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida.)

Faithful Financial Management Leads To Stability

2009-04-23T06:16:00.000-07:00

The market is up one day and down the next. Some analysts believe that the recession is nearing an end and others caution that the recession could linger for another year or two. How do you find personal and emotional stability in an unstable economy? The only way I know is by practicing the principles of Christian stewardship, and there are no shortcuts.

Christian stewardship is a pragmatic spiritual discipline…a management responsibility which applies to every facet of life. As believers and worshippers, we are accountable to God for how we exercise that managerial responsibility over all of our resources, especially our time, our spiritual gifts, our opportunities, and our finances.

Although Florida’s economy began to spiral downward in the aftermath of the sequential hurricanes in 2004-2005, the negative trends in Florida have been compounded by national growth in unemployment, a depressed housing market, a depreciating market, and global economic anxiety. Although we do not know how long these recession conditions will last, we do know that God’s economic guidelines bring stability during all of the seasons of life.

God’s plan for economics begins by calling us to a positive and proactive attitude toward managing. A primary step toward managing all of your God-given resources is to present the firstfruits, or the first tenth of your increase, as a tithe unto the Lord. The prophet Malachi probably has the most emphatic words to say about giving: Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. Malachi 3:8-10 NIV

In his book, Full Disclosure: Everything the Bible Says about Financial Giving, Dave Bell writes, Stewardship is not just an opportunity to enter into God's service but an opportunity for God to enter into you. I believe that for those who dare to practice biblical stewardship, giving becomes a fun part of our management responsibility. Paul gives us a vivid description of a believer’s attitude toward God’s economic plan when he writes, Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver ( II Corinthians 9:7 NIV).

Herb Mather, author of Don’t Shoot the Horse (Until You Know How to Drive the Tractor), proposes that "The vertical relationship to God and the horizontal relationship to neighbor come together in the act of giving.” In other words, that cheerful spirit of managing and appropriating our resources for kingdom purposes cultivates within us a passion for mission and ministry.

How do you begin, or continue, the practice of Christian stewardship?

Understand that all resources are a trust from God.
Prioritize your tithes and offerings.
Provide for your family through careful management.
Adopt a lifestyle of enjoying simple gifts.
Be ethical and honest in all transactions.
Limit credit liability and strive to eliminate debt.
Invest in the future through a savings plan.

During these tough economic times God’s principles of stewardship can bring stability to our homes and our businesses, as well as the ministries of our church.

It Takes a Thief

2009-04-02T09:45:00.000-07:00

By Barry Howard

If you are on our church campus this week, you will likely notice the reverberating sounds of construction, you will hear the echo of orchestral instruments and a large chorus of vocalists rehearsing, and you will notice men of all ages curiously unshaven, some with a mature beard and others with adolescent fuzz. This year, for the first time since Hurricane Ivan, First Baptist Church is presenting the Pensacola Easter Pageant.

For many years this annual musical re-enactment of selected scenes from the passion of Christ has been a culminating highlight of Holy Week for our community. The pageant itself requires a lot of work. Volunteers spend countless hours building and assembling props. Members of the music staff are relentless in recruiting the cast and costuming the major characters. The choir and soloists begin right after Christmas memorizing and rehearsing the music. The closer we get to the pageant date, the more intense and numerous the preparations become.

Our church is blessed with a significant number of retired and semi-retired members who are skilled with both hammer and saw, so we have a dedicated crew to build the set. We are gifted with an extraordinary choir and orchestra, determined that the music will be presented with excellence. And typically we conscript an adequate and willing troupe to portray the cast of the biblical passion narrative.

Some of the dramatic roles are easy to fill. As I compared this year’s cast to the video clips from pageants past, I have noted that Jesus is a carryover from the last pageant. Although he has married since the last pageant, he is about the same size and though youthful, the guy can grow a beard overnight.

The disciples and the guards are a mix of new volunteers and repeat performers, some of whom are a little grayer and a little more portly than last time. Mary, the mother of Jesus is a brunette, and Mary Magdalene is a blond. Nicodemus has lost about 30 pounds, Joseph of Arimathea is a seminary graduate, and Judas is portrayed by an exceptionally honest naval pilot.

Other than the role of Judas, the most challenging part to fill is the role of a thief. Few who have played the part of the thief volunteer a second time. The role of the thief is strenuous and laborsome, being strapped to a cross for a significant portion of the program…condemned, semi-clothed, exposed….just hanging there helplessly for all the world to see.

Our cast includes two thieves, one on each side of Jesus, a “good” thief and a “bad” thief. There is just something about being the thief on the cross that many find a little distasteful or uninviting. But you can’t have a real Easter pageant or grasp the full meaning of the Easter story without a thief.

In actuality, the thief should be one of the easier roles to fill, primarily because everyone, other than the original Jesus, has at least a little bit of real life experience playing the part. What usually happens when you are confronted with the gospel story is that you become aware of the thief within. To internalize the real Easter story each of us must identify ourselves as the thief before we are able to identify ourselves as a disciple.

Had you rather play the good thief or the bad thief? The good thief was the repentant one.

Easter is almost here. And it takes a thief to make the story come to life.

(Barry Howard serves as senior minister of the First Baptist Church of Pensacola, Florida.)