Don't Waste Your Life Video - Lecrae

Don't Wanna Waste My Life
[Verse 1: LeCrae]
I know a lot of people out there scared they gone die
couple of em thinking they'll be livin in the sky
but while Im here livin man I gotta ask why
what am here fo I gotta figure out
waste my life/ no I gotta make it count
if Christ is real then what am I gone do about
all of the things in Luke 12:15 down to 21 you really oughta go and check it out
Paul said if Christ aint resurrect then we wasted our lives
well that implies that our life's built around Jesus being alive
everyday I'm living tryin show the world why
Christ is more than everything you'll ever try
better than pretty women and sinning and living
to get a minute of any women and men that you admire aint no lie
We created for Him outta the dust he made us for Him
Elects us and he saves us for Him Jesus comes and raises for Him
Magnify the Father why bother with something lesser
he made us so we could bless Him and to the world we confess him
resurrects him so I know I got life matter fact better man I know I got Christ
if you don't' see His ways in my days and nights
you can hit my brakes you can stop my lights
man I lost my rights I lost my life
forget the money cars and toss that ice
the cost is Christ
and they could never offer me anything on the planet that'll cost that price

[Verse 2: Dwayne Tryumph]
Armed and dangerous
So the devil jus can't handle us
Christian youth them a stand wid us
Livin' n driven/ given a vision/ fullfillin the commission he handed us
London to Los Angeles
Da rap evangelist
Ma daddy wouldn't abandon us
"I gotta back pack fulla tracts plus I keep a Johnny Mac"
So are you ready to jam with us
So lets go, gimme the word an lets go
Persecution lets go
Tribulation lets go
Across the nation lets go
Procrastination bes go
Hung on the cross in the cold
Died for da young and the old
Can't say you never know
Heaven knows
How many souls are going to hell or to heaven so we gotta go in and get em
Whaaaaat!

[Verse 3: LeCrae]
Suffer Yeah do it for Christ if you trying to figure what to do with your life
if you making money hope you doing it right
because the money is Gods you better steward it right
stay focused if you aint got no ride
your life aint wrapped up in what you drive
the clothes you wear the job you work
the color your skin naw we Christian first
people living life for a job make a lil money start living for a car
get em a house a wife kids and a dog when they retire they living high on the hog
but guess what they didn't ever really live at all to live is Christ yeah that's Paul I recall
to die is gain so for Christ we give it all he's the treasure you'll find in the mall
Your money your singleness marriage talent and time
they were loaned to you to show the world that Christ is Divine
that's why it's Christ in my rhymes That's why it's Christ all the time
my whole world is built around him He's the life in my lines
I refused to waste my life he's too true ta chase that ice
heres my gifts and time cause I'm constantly trying to be used to praise the Christ
If he's truly raised to life then this news should change your life
and by his grace you can put your faith in place that rules your days and nights

What Does God Look Like?

Most have asked, "What does God look like?" Read these verses below and watch the video...

If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him." {8} Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." {9} Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? (John 14:7-9 NIV)

He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. (Col 1:15 NIV)

The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being... (Hebrews 1:3 NIV)

Prayer Request

In March, I received the following invitation from Al Jackson, pastor of Lakeview Baptist Church, Auburn, Alabama. This request for my participation was submitted and affirmed by our deacons earlier this month.

March 24, 2009

Dear John,
I’m writing to invite you to join a Lakeview Baptist Church mission team to London May 12-22, 2009. We will be engaged in direct evangelism on the streets of London. As you may know, only about 5% of citizens of Great Britain are in church on Sunday morning. London is one of the great un-evangelized cities in our world.

Our evangelistic thrust will have two dimensions. First, we will be working with British evangelist Martin Durham sharing the gospel of salvation with unsaved Englishmen. Secondly, we will be working with Southern Baptist International Mission Board representatives who are targeting the multitude of ethnic groups who have come to London from the countries of the British Commonwealth.

The all inclusive cost for this mission trip is $1650. The reason the cost is so inexpensive is we are being hosted in homes of the members of South Hanwell Baptist Church.

I pray that in God’s providence you can accept this invitation of Great Commission outreach.
Sincerely,
Al Jackson

The Need & Opportunity
London has a population of 8.5 million people with an estimated 14 million in the greater metro area. The Guardian newspaper reporter, Leo Benedictus said of London “Never have so many different kinds of people tried living together in the same place before… Altogether, more than 300 languages are spoken by the people of London, and the city has at least 50 non-indigenous communities with populations of 10,000 or more. Virtually every race, nation, culture and religion in the world can claim at least a handful of Londoners.”

My Participation
You can read about people and churches we will be “teaming up” with on the internet:

Martin Durham: http://www.k180.org/; www.billygraham.org/DMag_Article.asp?ArticleID=632
South Hanwell Baptist Church — http://www.shbchurch.org.uk/
Al Souls Church — http://www.allsouls.org/

The mission team will be comprised of 10 people. The success of this endeavor is built on prayer. Let me suggest praying in-light of Colossians 4:2-6. The following are the names of the team members for Mission London 2009. The are:

• Al Jackson, Pastor
• Kem Jackson, Pastor’s wife
• Hal Cooper, Associate Pastor of Evangelism & Prayer
• Karen Land, Nurse Practitioner
• Otto Land
• Millie Nichols, Retired Educator
• Andrew Slay, Auburn University student, freshman called to missions
• Bo Smith, Auburn University student, 18 months old in the faith
• Rusty Letson, Pastor Happy Valley Baptist Church, Lanett, AL
• John Bracken, Pastor First Baptist Church, Lakeland, GA

The Time
We depart at 10:10 PM Tuesday, May 12th and will arrive back Friday, May 22nd at 5:50 PM. Departures and Arrivals are all from Hartsfield Atlanta Airport.

I will post the itinerary on my blog at www.iij-jesus.blogspot.com and updates as much as possible as to any changes in our schedule, needed prayer request and praise reports.

For God’s glory and the worlds’ eternal joy in Christ,
John

The Room

from: http://www.joshharris.com/the_room.php

What is "The Room"? Well, there's a good chance it's been emailed to you at one time or another in one of those forwarded emails that clog your inbox. It was originally published in New Attitude magazine in 1995, and then reprinted in my book I Kissed Dating Goodbye in 1997. At some point, it began making it's way around the internet as well.

"The Room" is a dream I had while visiting Puerto Rico for a Bily Graham crusade when I was 19. People often ask if I really had the dream, and the answer is yes. I woke up deeply shaken, grabbed my computer, and began to type.

The dream became an article, and the premise was this: What if there were a room of files that cataloged your every thought and action? Could you bear to review them? "The Room" touches on the universal themes of guilt and redemption. How does a man find forgiveness for the wrongs he's committed or for the good he's left undone? Is our past something we can leave behind or forget? How can any of us know true forgiveness from a God who is holy and just?

"The Room" points to our need for a Savior who can rescue us from the punishment our sins deserve. Jesus Christ is that Savior. And "The Room" is a story that helps explain what he accomplished when he died on the cross for the sins of the world. I hope that reading it will point you to the Savior who died for you.
Read "The Room"
Authorship Controversy

from: http://www.joshharris.com/the_room.php

Great Encouragement From A Humble Servant Of The Lord: J.I. Packer

JI Packer Speaks To New Christians from Mike Anderson on Vimeo.

99 Balloons: Celebrating the Life of Eliot Mooney

If this doesn't move you, you need... Well let's just say you need to pray for your heart.

Lord help me, help us to have a heart that sees the miracles that you do every day. In Jesus' name. Amen. The article elow is copied from Randy Alcorn's blog.

This is a story that I heard, but wanted more details on, so I asked Stephanie to find them. I think you will be as touched by it as I was.

I first learned of Eliot Mooney maybe a year ago, but when someone else forwarded the video again recently, I thought it was time to feature it on this blog. What follows is the story of the Mooney family. Then you will want to watch the wonderful video put together by Eliot's father, Matt.

Proud parents Matt and Ginny couldn't have been excited about the arrival of their first child, Eliot, on July 20, 2006. Just 12 days after Eliot's birth, Matt wrote, "We celebrate Eliot's life and the miracle God has given us in him each day at 4:59 pm with a birthday party. Today he will be 12 days old!! Each day is amazing and we are loving being parents and seeing the many answered prayers."

Before Eliot was born, Matt and Ginny knew their precious baby had Trisomy 18. They knew that every day with Eliot was a gift.

Trisomy 18 syndrome, the second most common Trisomy after Down Syndrome, is due to the presence of an extra #18 chromosome, meaning that the child has three chromosomes in the eighteenth position instead of the normal two. It occurs in about 1:5000 to 1:8000 births.

Unlike Down syndrome, Trisomy 18 is usually fatal, with most of the babies dying before birth and those who do make it to birth typically living only a few days. However, a small number of babies (<10%) live at least one year.

A few days after Eliot's homegoing, his dad Matt read the following at a gathering that celebrated Eliot's life.

An underdeveloped lung. A heart with a hole in it. And DNA that placed faulty information into each and every cell of Eliot’s body - could not stop the living God from screaming of Himself through a child who never uttered a word. To an outsider it may seem nothing short of foolish to credit all this teaching to Eliot, but I Corinthians says that…”the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

It goes on to say that God’s wisdom is unlike ours and his tools are not what we would imagine. His tools are not the ones we would craft.

Not a pulpit. Not a slick presentation. Not a bestselling book. But a 6 lb. boy with Trisomy 18. God found great pleasure to take a lowly thing in the eyes of the world and show Truth.

...We encourage you today to not forget Eliot. To not forget whatever his sweet life taught you. Please go and do that which has been stirred in you through his life. And we look forward to hearing of the ripples he has made in eternity.

Thank you, and God bless you, Matt and Ginny. I can't wait to meet Eliot. If I get there before you do, I'll tell him of your ongoing love for him...but I'm certain he already knows.


This article originally appeared on Randy Alcorn’s personal blog, August 7, 2008. Visit the blog at http://www.randyalcorn.blogspot.com/ to read Randy’s latest thoughts on the Christian life, discipleship, books, family, and more.

Permissions: Feel free to reproduce and distribute any articles written by Randy Alcorn, in part or in whole, in any format, provided that you do not alter the wording in any way or charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. It is our desire to spread this information, not protect or restrict it.

Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: by Randy Alcorn, Eternal Perspective Ministries, 39085 Pioneer Blvd., Suite 206, Sandy, OR 97055, 503-668-5200, www.epm.org, www.randyalcorn.blogspot.com

Links of interest...

• meChurch - Humor with a point.

• Joyful 'toons - Joyful 'toons are Bible based cartoons. Alisha Sirmans passed this web site on to me.

• Patrick of Ireland: An Evangelical Hero - Lessons learned from the real St. Patrick.

• The Authority of Scripture - Mark Dever (free MP3 download) - Highly recommended... If you have contact with someone who is skeptical about the reliability of Scripture and its' trustworthiness as authoritative for our lives, you need to here this audio. You may have to start listening and finish it some time later, but it is well worth listening to.

Mark Dever serves as the senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC. A Duke graduate, Dr. Dever holds a M.Div. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, a Th.M. from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. in Ecclesiastical History from Cambridge University. He is the president of 9Marks Ministries and has taught at a number of seminaries. Dr. Dever has authored several books and articles, most recently, What is a Healthy Church? and The Gospel and Personal Evangelism (Crossway 2007). Earlier books include Nine Marks of a Healthy Church (Crossway 2000, 2004), The Deliberate Church (Crossway 2005), Promises Kept: The Message of the New Testament (Crossway 2005), and Promises Made: The Message of the Old Testament (Crossway 2006). He and his wife Connie live and minister with their son, Nathan, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

How now should Christians live in today's current economy?

Helpful Financial Guidance: Dave Ramsey

If you are interested in Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University please contact First Baptist Church, Lakeland, GA at 229-482-3401.

Tightening the Ties That Bind: Christian Marriage Conference Draws Hundreds

The following is an article from the Washington Post on Weekend To Remember. For more information go to www.familylife.com/groups/bracken.

By Michelle Boorstein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, February 15, 2009; C07

The assignment: write each other a love letter. The setting: a Christian marriage-strengthening conference at an Arlington County hotel.

Not the most romantic of backdrops, but there they were yesterday, on Valentine's Day, 530 people spread all over the first floor of the Crystal Gateway Marriott with the late-morning assignment. Body language hinted at intimacies. A couple squeezed close together on a big chair, reading to each another. Another sitting shoulder-to-shoulder beside a lobby fountain, talking but looking straight ahead.

Then there were Brad and Dana Riley, who stayed in the cavernous conference room after most people scattered, scribbling away amid the empty chairs. About their nine-month-old marriage, already tested when Dana's daughter and grandson moved in last summer. About how they dated briefly a quarter-century ago, when Brad was not a believing Christian. About their random reconnection at church two years ago.

"When we re-met, something told me you and I would be together," wrote Brad, a 44-year-old tradesman from Stephens City, Va. "In some ways I not only admired your commitment to God but envied that part of you. . . . My past has been a hard part of my life. Do you know how long it's been that I could actually place my trust in someone?"

Every pair walking around with orange workbooks and name tags had a tale at the "Weekend to Remember" conference, run by the megaministry Family Life, headquartered in Little Rock. This was the first of 130 such conferences across the country this year.

A pair of lieutenant colonels married 23 years said divorce looked "very attractive" to them until they came to one of these events a few years ago. A chic-looking couple in their late 40s said they do spiritual retreats every year with a list of life and marriage goals; they gave off a happy, we're-at-camp vibe.

Two Alexandria newlyweds said they want to focus less on their differences. "When you first meet, you think you're so alike, and then it's like, 'He's from Mars!' " said Deborah Davis, 32, a computer programmer who has been married "one year, four months and two weeks."

"But we really are from the same place, the same creator. We need to appreciate that the other is a gift from that creator and why," she said.

Family Life began in the 1970s, an outgrowth of Campus Crusade for Christ, a largely Protestant ministry that includes tens of thousands of people on campuses worldwide. Its marriage conference program has grown every year, and experts say it is now the largest faith-based marriage conference program. Family Life's biggest event ever is this weekend in Dallas, with 4,000 attendees.

Even in a recession and at $260 per couple, enrollment hasn't gone down, said Bob Lepine, chief content officer for the conferences. "People are waiting later to make the decision to come, but they are coming," he said.

Much of the Arlington conference was composed of snappy multimedia presentations with speakers using clips from such movies as "When Harry Met Sally" and "Father of the Bride" interwoven with biblical references. The audience was told that keys to a happy marriage involve establishing independence from your parents (the workbook cites Genesis), embracing the man's role as family leader (Corinthians, 1 Peter, among others) and understanding that Satan -- not your spouse -- is your enemy.

A belief in gender differences was a theme, with one speaker discussing the economy and saying that a woman's profession is not her identity, as it is a man's. Another speaker and the workbook said communication can be boosted by understanding that a man's highest priority is respect and that a woman's is love.

The Rileys said they came to the conference for time alone -- he had planned the trip as a secret Valentine's Day gift -- and to talk through their newly shaped household. He wants them to be prepared for future challenges, or for what he called "the next attack."

Deborah and Clifton Davis, a 30-year-old cable installer, wrote their love letters in a hotel bar that hadn't opened yet. She wrote about the months before they met in person, when they had communicated online and on the phone. He talked about his faith and encouraged her to keep hers together.

"Every time you talked to me about the word of God, you ministered to my spirit, called me back into God's love," she wrote. "That was the quality that first drew me to you."

The workbook asked couples to write not only about qualities that drew them together, but also those they have come to appreciate since being married.

"Our differences are teaching me how to give love," Clifton wrote. "And to communicate in a way that's not normal for me. To express myself and to give love."

© 2009 The Washington Post Company

Chick-fil-A

Hilarious!

Behind the Cell Curve: Why Is the President Ignoring a Scientific Gift?

By Kathleen Parker
Wednesday, March 11, 2009; A15

As he lifted the ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research Monday, President Obama proclaimed that scientific decisions now will be made "on facts, not ideology."

This sounds good, but what if there were other non-ideological facts that Obama seems to be ignoring? One fact is that since Obama began running for president, researchers have made some rather amazing strides in alternative stem cell research. Science and ethics finally fell in love, in other words, and Obama seems to have fallen asleep during the kiss. Either that, or he decided that keeping an old political promise was more important than acknowledging new developments. In the process, he missed an opportunity to prove that he is pro-science but also sensitive to the concerns of taxpayers who don't want to pay for research that requires embryo destruction.

Unfortunately, the stem cell debate has been characterized as a conflict between science (as though science is always right) and religious "kooks" (as though religious folk are never right). In choosing sides, it is, indeed, easier to imagine lunch with a researcher who wants to resurrect Christopher Reeve (whom Obama couldn't resist mentioning) and make him walk again, than with the corner protester holding a fetus in a jar.

Moreover, as Obama said, the majority of Americans have reached a consensus that we should pursue this research. Polling confirms as much, but most Americans, including most journalists and politicians, aren't fluent in stem cell research. It's complicated. If people "know" anything, it is that embryonic stem cells can cure diseases and that all stem cells come from fertility clinic embryos that will be discarded anyway. Neither belief is entirely true.

In fact, every single one of the successes in treating patients with stem cells thus far -- for spinal cord injuries and multiple sclerosis, for example -- have involved adult or umbilical cord blood stem cells, not embryonic stem cells. And though federal dollars still won't directly fund embryo destruction, federally funded researchers can obtain embryos privately created only for experimentation. Thus, taxpayers now are incentivizing a market for embryo creation and destruction.

The insistence on using embryonic stem cells always rested on the argument that they were pluripotent, capable of becoming any kind of cell. That superior claim no longer can be made with the spectacular discovery in 2007 of "induced pluripotent stem cells" (iPSs), which was the laboratory equivalent of the airplane. Very simply, iPS cells can be produced from skin cells by injecting genes that force the cells to revert to their primitive "blank slate" form with all the same pluripotent capabilities of embryonic stem cells.

But "induced pluripotent stem cells" doesn't trip easily off the tongue, nor have any celebrities stepped forward to expound their virtues. (If only Angelina Jolie would purse those pouty lips and say "pluripotent.") Even without such drama, Time magazine named iPS innovation No. 1 on its "Top 10 Scientific Discoveries" of 2007, and the journal Science rated it the No. 1 breakthrough of 2008.

The iPS discovery even prompted Ian Wilmut, who led the team that cloned Dolly the sheep, to abandon his license to attempt human cloning, saying that the researchers "may have achieved what no politician could: an end to the embryonic stem cell debate." And, just several days ago, Dr. Bernadine Healy, director of the National Institutes of Health under the first President Bush, wrote in U.S. News & World Report that these recent developments "reinforced the notion that embryonic stem cells . . . are obsolete."

Many scientists, of course, want to conduct embryonic stem cell research, as they have and always could with private funding. One may agree or disagree with their purposes, but one may also question why taxpayers should have to fund something so ethically charged when alternative methods are available.

Next comes a move to lift the unfortunately named Dickey-Wicker amendment in Congress, which prohibits using tax dollars to create human embryos for research purposes. If the amendment is rescinded, human embryos can be created and destroyed with federal tax dollars.
Good people can disagree on these things, but those who insist that this is "only about abortion" miss the point. The objectification of human life is never a trivial matter. And determining what role government plays in that objectification may be the ethical dilemma of the century.

In this case, science handed Obama a gift -- and he sent it back.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/10/AR2009031002842.html

First Baptist Church is proud of Billy R Setliff. Congragulations Billy!!!

TSgt Billy R. Setliff
OUTSTANDING SF FLIGHT LEVEL NCO
822 SFS, Moody AFB
HOMETOWN: Reidsville, NC

TSgt Setliff is assigned to the 822 SFS as a Squad Leader. He recently returned from a deployment to Iraq where he led a 15 person team and accumulated over 1,300 hours outside the wire. He completed over 5,500 miles in area security operations, counterinsurgency campaigns, route clearance, and convoy escort security. While on patrol, he located and confirmed an improvised explosive device aimed to kill or seriously injure dismounted Airmen and coalition forces. During his last two deployments, TSgt Setliff and his squad have been credited with finding two improvised explosive devices and encountered an IED detonation. He has been awarded two Army Commendation Medals, two Air Force Achievement Medals and two Army Achievement Medals. TSgt Setliff is married to Lisa Setliff from Hackettstown, New Jersey.

A Country Boy's Stimulus Package

The following story is from NBC Nightly News and is about my brother in-law Danny Cottrell's efforts to help his employees and the people in his community. The video was aired Wednesday, March 11th. This just happens to be one of the good stories about Danny. There are thousands that have never been captured on a news report. Those who were helped by Danny know what he has done and the Lord knows who will richly reward those who labor for Him.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

A Personal $16,000 Stimulus

The following is about my brother in-law Danny Cottrell and his efforts to help people that work for him and the community of Brewton, AL. The story below is from a NBC news report. This is not the exact story that ran Wednesday, March 11 on NBC Evening News. It may have run on MS NBC. The Country Boy's Stimulus Plan has been spotlighted in numerous newspapers, Fox & Friends, CNN Headline News, and now NBC.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Marriage Memo: Drive-Thru Marriages

Is the Church preparing people for marriage? If we took a survey of our congregation, would we know what God's purposes for marriage are? Would our youth, who are beginning the courtship process know what they should be looking for in themselves and a potential mate as it relates to the purposes of God in marriage?

We desperately need to know God's perspective on life and marriage if we are going to be the Church God has called us to be. I pray that the Lord will grant me the opportunity to teach on this often neglected subject in the coming months. The following article on Drive-Thru Marriages helps us to see the need for doing a better job of preparing people for marriages.

By Scott Williams

I’ve always been curious about wedding chapels in Las Vegas. There are over 100 wedding chapels there, including three where you don't even have to get out of your car. Yes, you can actually get a drive-thru wedding in Las Vegas.

Recently I had the opportunity to satisfy my curiosity when I was in Las Vegas for the national BlogWorld convention. Driving up Las Vegas Boulevard (The Strip) from the airport, within 15 seconds of passing the iconic "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign I saw my first chapel: the Little Church of the West, which opened in 1942 and has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1992. Famous marriage ceremonies conducted there include one of Zsa Zsa Gabor's nine, one of Mickey Rooney's eight, one of Gregg Allman's six, one of Judy Garland's five … Well, you get the point.

That’s what comes to mind when I think about marriage chapels in Vegas—big on ceremony, small on commitment. But then I interviewed a couple who had just gotten married at the Little Church of the West, and I saw a slightly different picture.

Michael and Lindsey had known each other for more than four years. Rather than sink a ton of money and planning into a big wedding like their friends back in Dallas tend to do, they decided to go simple on the ceremony and save their money for the honeymoon right there in Las Vegas. While I think their decision to not have friends and family there to witness the blessed event wasn’t the best idea, I sure couldn't argue with avoiding debt for a three-hour wedding and reception. Turns out the average cost for a wedding in their suburb of Mansfield, Tex., is between $27,000 and $45,000, not counting the engagement ring or honeymoon.

Back in the car, I continued driving The Strip. It seemed I never had to go more than a few blocks before finding another wedding chapel. On just one side of the road I photographed 10 of them, and I wasn't looking very hard.

These chapels run the gamut from the ridiculous to the sublime. Each one seems to fit a niche market:

You've got your cowboy weddings, Star Trek weddings, military weddings, and of course your Elvis weddings, officiated by an authentic impersonator. Then there’s the more traditional fare like garden weddings, weddings by candlelight, and scenic outdoor weddings.

These weddings are going on non-stop in Vegas. In my short afternoon drive up The Strip, I witnessed no fewer than seven couples either in the middle of a ceremony, or just walking out of a chapel after getting married. Since Nevada law requires no blood test, waiting period or residency requirement, all it takes is $55 cash and proof of residency (anywhere) to obtain a license. Oh, and the Clark County Courthouse is open until midnight every night, including holidays. The cost of the ceremony is up to you.

As I made my pilgrimage northward, I came to a fork in the road where a palm-tree lined boulevard headed left toward downtown. It was so picturesque that I almost missed what was on the right. Emblazoned across the side of the white art deco building, it jumped out at me: "Say I Do" Wedding Drive-Thru.

How could I pass this one up?

As it turns out, yes, people can get hitched without leaving the comfort of their car (or motorcycle, or RV, or 18-wheeler). As long as they have a county wedding license, it works the same as any "traditional" Vegas chapel wedding.

The director there, Pastor Charles, was kind enough to sit down with me and answer my endless questions. As it turned out, what I learned about this particular place busted some of the myths I held about the whole Vegas chapel culture.

First, the director was a bona fide pastor. And there were also other clergy on staff. Second, he counsels couples before he marries them. Third, Pastor Charles had never married anyone who had been together less than two months, nor had he married anyone who was drunk. The vast majority of couples were from somewhere besides Las Vegas, including a huge number from other countries. In fact, when I first walked in, he was talking with a couple from China he had just married.

But what surprised me most was learning that the “Say I Do” Wedding Drive-Thru follows up with every couple. Within a few weeks the newlyweds receive a call thanking them for choosing the chapel and asking how they're doing. The staff tries to keep up with couples for a year or two.

Another thing that made this chapel different? Pastor Charles doesn’t buy into local conventional wisdom that couples today don't really want a religious ceremony. "They really do want it,” he says. “They may want it quicker than they could get at a church, but they still want it. And we realize that this is what's going to keep their marriage together."

At the end of our conversation I told him I worked with FamilyLife, and that we hold Weekend to Remember® marriage conferences across the nation every year. Any U.S. couple he marries is within driving distance of one, I said. At that point, he asked for as many conference brochures as I wanted to send him; he wanted to make them available to couples who came in to be married.

As I have reflected on our conversation, I wonder if there is really much difference between the weddings at Las Vegas chapels and those that occur every week in many churches across America.

It’s as if a drive-thru mentality for weddings and marriages pervades our culture.

Most couples invest huge amounts of time and money on the ceremony and reception, but little on the actual marriage. According to the 2005 National Survey on Marriage, only one-third of all couples receive premarital counseling, even though about three-fourths of first marriages are performed in a church. It's not that these couples don't want to prepare better. In that same 2005 study, 88 percent of respondents said couples should get premarital counseling, and nearly half said it should be required.

And Christian couples certainly need the help in their marriages. In possibly the largest survey of its kind—the Family Needs Survey—FamilyLife polled 90,000 individuals in churches. Surprisingly, only 57 percent of respondents reported having happy, healthy, satisfying marital relationships.

This sets up a tremendous challenge for the local church.

Style over substance may be fine for a Las Vegas chapel. For followers of Christ, it’s not. We need to move beyond the drive-thru mentality.

God tells us in His Word that the marriage relationship is to reflect Christ and His relationship to His church. In a culture that is obviously wearying of so many cheap imitations that call themselves marriages, Christians individually and churches collectively need to display a picture of what marriage is really meant to be.

Whether a couple is married in a church or a drive-thru chapel, after the "I Do," one is just as married as the other. At that point, it's all about the relationship and moving together toward oneness. Marriage requires a huge investment of time and patience in each other to grow toward oneness, which keeps a marriage strong.

We have the opportunity to teach couples how to make that work … and avoid the drive-thru marriage.

This article originally appeared in FamilyLife Culture Watch, a blog about marriage and family in today’s world.

One of the best opportunities for engaged couples to learn what they need to know before marriage is through our Weekend to Remember marriage conference. Click here to learn about conferences coming up near you.

Copyright © 2008 FamilyLife. All Rights Reserved.
Used By Permission. http://www.familylife.com/

Integrity by Vic Dove

For those of you that have not read the Thursday, March 5th edition of the Lanier County News, I have placed Vic Doves' article below.

“He who walks with integrity walks securely. But he who perverts his ways will become known.” Proverbs 10:9

"As religion and faith are being driven out of the public square, the Judeo-Christian ethical foundations that have sustained our country since its beginning, are being lost and are being replaced with a humanistic amorality, a self-centered, pragmatic indifference that will ensure that our moral compasses will fail to point us in the right direction in the future."
— Archie B. Carroll Professor of Management, Terry College of Business, UGA.

I was recently saddened when I was informed that Brother Daniel McFather, Head Football Coach of the Lanier County Bulldogs will not be returning next year. It was also brought to my attention that Brother David Parker the Defensive Coordinator of the Lanier County Bulldogs will not be returning next year, as well. I mention these two men for a reason, not to be political, or to use this article for a personal commentary, but to mention these two men of God in the same sentence with the word integrity.

The word integrity is defined by Webster as an adherence to a code of values; incorrupt; soundness; completeness.

These two men will not be returning to coach at Lanier County next year probably because someone or some committee gauges the success of a football team by wins and losses. And to a certain point I agree that wins and losses should be used to make these kinds of decisions, but the caveat is at what expense?

Do you give up moral fiber, Men of God, Warriors of the Word, who first teach young men about Jesus, who teach young men how to be responsible husbands, true and faithful mates to their spouses, how to not just be a father to a child, but how to be a dad? Men who have a passion and a deep desire for the young men they coach to develop a strong character so they will grow to be good citizens.

Please believe me when I say I like winning as much as the next guy. As a matter of fact I hate to lose at anything. But, I am not willing to compromise my witness for the Lord, nor am I willing to compromise the lives of young people in order to put more wins in the W column.

Brother Daniel McFather and Brother David Parker and their families will be greatly missed on the sidelines in the fall of 2009 and beyond. But, the real void will be felt in our community and in our local body of believers.

I began this article with a quote by Professor Archie B. Carroll of the University of Georgia. Professor Carroll mentions our moral compasses. I want thank these men and their families for helping keep this small community’s moral compass pointed in the right direction.

May God Bless You and Your family,
Bro Vic

Couples: You Need A Weekend To Remember!

Hey Guys & Gals!

I have talked to many of you about attending a Weekend to Remember Conference.

What is Weekend To Remember?

Weekend to Remember is a weekend marriage conference that teaches God's design for marriage and family. The environment is fun, non-threatening, and sometimes hilarious. And it's a wonderful time for couples to refresh good marriages or heal troubled ones. There are over 150 conferences in cities all across the U.S. each year. Registration is open to individuals, couples, or groups. Whether you're engaged, newlywed, or remarried, enrich your marriage and begin a godly legacy for your family by attending a conference in a city near you. Or plan a memorable getaway to a destination of your choosing.

The link below gives you the opportunity to actually start doing something about it. Go ahead and register. Choose any weekend you'd like. Using my "Group Rate Code" will entitle you to have an $80 discount on registration. The code is: bracken

Click the link below to get the process started. A video about Weekend To Remember is on the right side of this web page.

http://www.familylife.com/groups/bracken

Brother John
(229-300-3205)

It is amazing what you can find when you get low enough…

It was a crisis. Not for me but for one of my children. The child had spent the weekend doing what was right, at a Christian Conference, hearing godly people teach about living for God.

Did we leave it in the hotel? I seemed to have remembered removing it from my car and bringing it into the house. Had I lost it? Prior to bed Monday night we diligently looked for it and we got up the next morning doing the same.

The child had met God in a real and powerful way at the conference and now one of his “important” things was gone, missing and we could not find it. How would this child react? When I realized that this thing was likely gone and lost, I remembered thinking that this might be a test or a teachable moment for my child. But as soon as that thought occurred the thought also came, “This may be as much for me as it is for the child”.

I arrived at Church intent on seeing if we had left it on the bus. I searched the bus, looked in the Church building, searched my office but could not find the lost item. The thought kept coming to me “Go back and look on the bus again”.

I went to Penny and asked her for the bus keys again. I told her that I was going to search the bus one more time and this time I was going to get down on my knees. Guess what? What was once lost is now found! It is amazing what you can find when you get low enough.

I asked, “Lord what lessons are there for me in this?”

1. Some things you will not find until you get down on your knees. I will never see and experience the will of God apart from humbling myself in dependence on God. This highlights the importance of getting down on my knees before God in prayer.

2. Some things you will not find until you are willing to loose some thing. I had to be willing to “ruin” my pants by getting them dirty. I had to be willing to get uncomfortable in bending down. Had I not done that I would have not found the lost item. Likewise, I’ve got to be willing to loose some things in my life, time, leisure, money and comfort to see and experience the will of God.

3. Some things you will not find until you get low enough. I soon realized that getting down on my knees was not enough in order to see things as I needed to. It was when I lowered myself nearly flat on my face that I discovered what I was looking for. Likewise, many times when we are finally at our lowest, it is then that we can see and experience the will of God.

Many of us can testify that the best things in life came to us only when we finally got low enough. That is exactly how many of us came to know the Lord; we were flat on our backs and we finally looked up and saw the Lord. The Bible says:

(James 4:10 NIV) Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

(1 Pet 5:5-6 NIV) "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." {6} Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

Humility is the means to God’s greatest blessing - a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is only when we humble ourselves and admit that we are a sinner in need of salvation will be able to receive the grace of salvation. Only the humble receive God’s supernatural grace. Humility is therefore a good thing for all of us and a necessary thing to experience God’s very best.

For His glory and our eternal joy in Christ,
Brother John

A Man Fell in a Hole

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Rom 5:6-8 NIV)

Ryan Ferguson recites Psalm 25

Thanking God for Sports (from Don't Waste Your Sports)