Are You A Fan or A Follower?

Matthew 16:21-26 this week

This Sunday morning will be the second message in this new series about whether we are fans or followers of Jesus Christ. Kyle Idelman has written about this subject in a new book that comes out at the end of May 2011 (can't wait for my copy to arrive).  I was so intrigued by the title that I built a series of messages around the idea of what it means to be a devoted follower (disciple) of Jesus. You can check out Kyle's web site notafan.com to order his book or to read testimonies of people that are "crossing the line" to become followers of Jesus. The decision to trust Christ is only the first step to following Him. There's so much more He wants to do in us and through us. Join us at 9 a.m. or 10:30 a.m. at Lewis Memorial Baptist Church or watch one of the services live online at lmbc.tv.

You can order the first message in this series from the Daily Walk Ministry table in the lobby of the Worship Center or online at dailywalk.tv. The title was, "Leaving So Soon"- May 15, 2011 - AM service.

Is it possible to know when Jesus is coming back?

Is it possible to know when Jesus is coming back?

Harold Camping

So many have been talking about Harold Camping and his prediction that the rapture of living Christians will occur today, May 20, 2011, that I decided to post something for people to check out for guidance. In spite of the fact that the scripture says no one can know the day or hour that Jesus is to return there are people like Camping that believe these texts apply to everyone but themselves. And, this is not the first false prophecy of the end of the world for Camping. He did this in 1994, as well. Rather than write about this ludicrous prediction you can click on the blue link above and read the article at the "GotQuestions.org" web site. As a matter of fact, I'd recommend that you bookmark this web site and return to it often. It has some great answers to common questions people ask about scripture and many other matters of religious life.

Dr. And Mrs. Jeremy Shaffer

I'm not sure how to adequately express the pride we feel about our son-in-law, Jeremy Shaffer, earning his Doctor of Ministry degree from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary today. Anyone that has ever done doctoral work knows that there is a tremendous amount of research, writing, classwork, study, memorization, etc., etc., that goes into this educational accomplishment (Oh, and did I mention the Doctoral dissertation and then having to defend it?) From the first time we met him more then ten years ago we knew that he was something special and he has proven himself to be a man after God's own heart. We believe that this is a major milestone in his life that further positions him to be even more effective for the cause of Christ's Kingdom. They don't just give these things away...you have to EARN them!! (Ignorance may be "bliss" to some people, but it is deadly for a minister of the Gospel and the people he leads.) As far as we are concerned he has already earned his "doctorate" in Christian character and now he has earned his educational D.Min. Congratulations, Jeremy! We are proud of you and we're so glad God placed you in our family. Keep your eyes on Jesus and believe God for even greater things in your life. Your best ministry days are all ahead of you.


- Posted from my mobile device

Location:Lynchburg Hwy E,,United States

Our Son Needs Your Prayers...

I'd like to ask you to remember our son in your prayers this evening and for the next several days. He leaves from Dallas, TX, in the morning (5/14) and travels to Athens, Greece, where he will be working with "The Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts" (http://www.csntm.org) for the next two weeks. This is the third year for him to travel with them for the purpose of photographing these ancient biblical treasures and it is something he dearly loves to do. Nothing could be more important than making sure that these ancient documents remain available for future generations, as well as for scholarly study. God has preserved His Word for us in thousands of manuscripts and fragments of manuscripts, as well as in ancient translations and quotes from the early church fathers. These documents are not available to anyone in a single location (which CSNTM is working to change), but are in many different libraries, seminaries, monasteries, etc., of the world, often requiring delicate negotiations just to see the manuscripts. We would ask that you would remember to pray for his safety in his travels and that they will have great success in this year's endeavor. He is working with a world renown Greek scholar (Dr. Daniel Wallace) along with several other men who will be on this trip. Will you also remember to keep his wife Katie in your prayers as she remains behind to continue her teaching job in a mission school in south Dallas? This is a work she dearly loves and to which she has become increasingly more committed. Thank you for your consideration in remembering them daily by calling their names to our Lord.

P.S. The picture is of him holding an eighth/ninth century manuscript. This is not the oldest manuscript he has seen, but, as you can imagine, he considers it a great privilege to have seen some of these ancient documents God has given us.


- Posted from my mobile device

Happy 400th Birthday KJV

This year (2011) marks the 400th birthday of the King James Version of the Bible. Most of us grew up reading and memorizing many poetic passages/verses from this marvelous translation of scripture. And, while I do not believe the KJV is the only Bible in the English language worthy of use by Christians, it has a storied history that deserves to be studied by all serious students of the Bible. I have included a short video by a professor in England that gives some of this history concerning the KJV. I hope you will enjoy this resource and that it will prompt you to want to learn more about the history of the English Bible. (I have an earlier blog post from 2010 that includes the names of two books on this subject that I read during that time period - http://wvrevdave.blogspot.com/2010/09/one-bible-only_16.html)

By the way, I personally like the English Standard Version, New American Standard Version, and the New King James Version as my preferred English translations, though I still often find myself quoting the old KJV.





- Posted from my iPad

It Might Be Colder Than We Thought...

We drove through torrential rain and hail to be met by two of our dearest friends. I hope they weren't too damaged by the warm weather and sun exposure, but I do appreciate them waiting until we finally got home from our trip. They were a bit hollow and mostly speechless, but if you'd been waiting out in this weather you wouldn't have been too talkative either. And you thought Frosty melted at the end of each Christmas season...




- Posted from my iPad

Home At Last...

Well, after nearly 2400 miles, almost 40 hours of driving through nine states (YES…I said 9 states), detours around the flooding Mississippi, a cracked windshield, an upper respiratory infection, laryngitis, pink eye, a visit to a medical clinic in Dallas, 4 prescriptions (and their aftereffects), a hail storm we drove through, pre-graduation festivities and GRADUATION (YAY!!) of our son from Dallas Theological Seminary with his Master of Theology Degree...we are finally home!

Here's the thing, if we had to do it all over again...we'd do it in a heartbeat. Sure, we'd like a little less drama than we experienced on this past trip, but there is nothing like seeing your children seeking the Lord and preparing themselves for even greater usefulness in His Kingdom.

Thank you to everyone who prayed for us while we were gone. Without a question we felt His presence in spite of the reversals we experienced. We're not of the opinion that following God guarantees you'll never have adversity. Actually, being devoted to Him may well increase the challenges you face as He matures you through the tests you experience. 

Most importantly, please continue to pray for JD and Katie as they finish their work there in Dallas and then begin looking for their next opportunity of service. I wish it could be here with us at LMBC, but that's not God's will at the present time. Maybe in the future he'll be called to return to his home church and help us do an even greater work for God in this place. Right now our desire is for he and Katie to be clearly directed to the right church or ministry opportunity that will allow them to further develop as servants of God, while impacting people for Christ's Kingdom.

Andrew Peterson - The Silence Of God

That's My King Dr. S.M. Lockridge

What/Who are your idols?

 ““You shall have no other gods before Me. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. ” (Exodus 20:3–6, NKJV) 

David Powlison's list of questions in Seeing With New Eyes are good for diagnostic testing to help us identify any idols/idolatry in our lives. 


1. What do I worry about most?
2. What, if I failed or lost it, would cause me to feel that I did not even want to live?
3. What do I use to comfort myself when things go bad or get difficult?
4. What do I do to cope? What are my release valves? What do I do to feel better?
5. What preoccupies me? What do I daydream about?
6. What makes me feel the most self-worth? Of what am I the proudest? For what do I want to be known?
7. What do I lead with in conversations?
8. Early on what do I want to make sure that people know about me?
9. What prayer, unanswered, would make me seriously think about turning away from God?
10. What do I really want and expect out of life? What would really make me happy?
11. What is my hope for the future?