Sunday in Retrospect

We had a great day of worship at the Mt. Salem Church!

This was not the typical first Sunday, in that we postponed communion to a later time this month.  Sunday School today also went well.  Unfortunately, for me, I felt I struggled with the sermon for the morning.  At somewhat the last minute, I made the decision to continue our quest in Matthew 5 and, as a consequence, moved to an entire universe of preparation and diligence. 

Here is my outline:

Title: Out of the Saltshaker

Scripture: Matthew 5:13

Theme: Kingdom Citizens are people of influence and flavor.

I. The Meaning of Salt

a. Salt Repels Decay

b. Salt Rouses Thirst

c. Salt Renders Flavor

II. The Ministry of Salt

III. The Method of Salt

a. Useful Salt must Make Contact

b. Wasted Salt is Useless

c. Consecrated Salt makes the Environment Taste Better

In other news, I got some "complicated" news today.  A potentially great opportunity I’ve been praying about has come to me.  However, the pursuit of that opportunity would cause me to abandon my pastoral responsibilities at Mt. Salem.  What a bummer! If any pastor reads this, lets be very clear....from my perspective, God honors a man or woman who has integrity, and treats their assignment with the same resolve and respect as they would any assignment.  I remember having a wonderful teaching opportunity at a college in the area.  However, it required me to sign a 6-month contract to teach on Wednesdays on trial, and then they would look into hiring me as tenured teaching staff.  I turned it down.  What a great opportunity it was, but with ministerial integrity, God will always honor and reward, in His own time!  That being said, this does not mean that a believer or even a pastor should abandon the dynamic of faith.  There comes a time when we must step out on faith and get out of the boat.  But wisdom and the Word have taught me that the pursuit of one's faith (or any opportunity to enhance one's ministry) will never come at the behest or assassination of ministerial ethic and pastoral integrity.  

Here’s to hoping the Cowboys have a great season!

The RNC met last week in Tampa, Florida.  Clint Eastwood...  

The DNC meets this coming week in Charlotte, North Carolina. Let's see if they have a Clint Eastwood moment.

Excited about continuing the Beatitude teaching this Wednesday at Mt. Salem.  I plan to continue in Matthew 5:14 this coming Lord's day.