Pastor John

Car Cruising

I headed off to the local car show down in Speers today which is a part of Charleroi. There were about 80 cars. Chuck Vinditti and I drove down together. It is neat to see peoples reaction to these two red cars, Chuck’s Ferrari Red 57 Chevy Bel Air and my Porsche Red 68 Camaro. We had a good time but the wind blew hard all day and there were plenty of clouds but no rain. We stayed till the end and then headed back just in time for Saturday evening church.

 

I had about twenty minutes to get out of my jeans, find my notes and Bible and get up to church. My brain was a little scattered so I spent some time thinking over the message.  Things were a little light tonight because Mother’s day is tomorrow and the Penguins are playing tonight going through the play offs. We have such a faithful group on Saturday evening.

Tonight I had the privelege to speak in this conference at Lakeside Church in MCMurray. It was a good time to hear  two other pastors talk about the important subject of prayer. I was blessed and thank Mike Howard for organizing this event. 

Stephen, Tam, Jenna and little Caden John came in for this weekend to help us celebrate Mother’s day. JoAnn and I are always excited to have our kids come home.

 Traveling is always a challenge. When I checked in at the Tampa airport on Thursday  to travel home I noticed that one of the guys who was working checking my baggage was trying to work others as well. Well, you guessed it. When I got to Pittsburgh my bag did not appear. I’m convinced that everyone prays at baggage pickup. I know I was. I was going through everything in the suite bag but I had this feeling deep down in, that the guy who seemed to be multi- tasking did something wrong so I looked at my luggage stub. I recognized the wrong name and something about Philadelphia. Then I filled out a report.  

In the morning I called the airport and gave the number I had on the claim stub. Later in the day I got a call and they said that my bag was in Amsterdam and they would try to have at my house tomorrow in the afternoon. The next time you get a baggage claim stub make sure it has your own name on it…I didn’t.

    75 of our ladies are away on their annual retreat this weekend and they will be coming back Sunday afternoon with stories to tell.   Hats off to the guys who are keeping the kids during this time!

   My luggage has finally returned to Finleyville –all the way from Amsterdam! US AIR was working hard to locate it and keep me up to date about where it was. The other evening I got a phone call and they said they would deliver the bag in the middle of the night. My instructions were to leave the porch light on; write a note that said something like, “OK to leave bag on porch;”  sign it & leave the note on the porch. They would take the note as proof that the bag was delivered. In the morning there it was…. right by the door….. and the note was gone.

    Our AWANA Awards Night was tremendous. As I drove up to church on Wednesday evening,  I was surprised at how many cars were on the lot in the middle of the rain. At the end of the program Terri Sanders said she prayed for rain.  (When it rains, the sports events in the area are cancelled and parents bring their kids to AWANA.)  I have always been very unsuccessful praying about the weather. Now we know who to go to when we have a weather request!

The church was nearly filled with kids and parents and there was so much excitement!  I thought to myself about how important this work really is. Studies indicate that half of the Americans who accept Jesus as their Savior do so before the age of 13 and 2 out of 3 do so before the age of 18! We have a great group of AWANA workers who have devoted themselves to the kids for this year’s season. Special thanks for the hard work of Ed and Teri Sanders, our leaders.

 

   Many thanks to all who spoke to me about the death of my brother-in-law Larry Loney’s pass-ing. My sister Judy is doing well. She has lots of support  from her friends & her three daughters. She is going to spend some time with her oldest daughter, Wendy, who lives in Bryan, Texas, and then come back and relocate to Columbus from

Portsmouth. Her daughters, Valerie and Heather, live there.  What a comfort to know that we have the promise of eternity in heaven and a reunion with our loved ones.

 

   Our youth ministry had such a wonderful week-end retreat last week. They were blessed as they met together for lots of fun and fellowship thinking about the things of the Lord. Our hats are off to our youth counselors who work so faithfully week in and week out with JAMS (Jesus And Me Sessions) and

Straight Street

. 

 

   After our study in Ephesians, we have been looking at some of the characters that made a major impact on people’s lives in Biblical times. We talked about Paul, David, Abraham, and last week we opened the Word to the book of Ruth & talked about her memorable decision. I knew once I opened the book of Ruth it would be hard not to move on in the story. We will do that this week. This is one of the most beautiful stories in the Bible.

 

   When Benjamin Franklin was the Ambassador to

France, he occasionally attended the Infidels Club — a group that spent most of its time searching for and reading literary masterpieces. On one occasion

Franklin read the book of Ruth to the club, but changed the names in it so it would not be recognized as a book of the Bible. When he finished, the listeners were unanimous in their praise. They said it was one of the most beautiful short stories that they had ever heard, and demanded that he tell them where he had run across such a remarkable work of art. He loved telling them that it came from the Bible!

 It is exciting to me to think about Spring coming. I just talked to my sister, Judy, and her oldest daughter, Wendy, in

College Station, Texas. They are enjoying the sun and great weather there right now. Their plan is to come back up to

Columbus next week and find a condominium for Judy. (Her house is up for sale in

Ports-mouth, Ohio and there is some interest.)  She is doing so well!  I want to thank all who have spoken so affectionately to our family as we are going through this next chapter of our lives.

 

    It’s Wednesday afternoon as I write these thoughts and I’m just rejoicing in all that God has done for us through this winter in the church. You, our congregation, have been faithful as you always are to grow in the knowledge of the Lord and to make our church the welcoming family that it is. Seldom does a week go by that someone doesn’t tell us that they have never been to a church that has welcomed them like we have. This is always our goal. To receive those who stop in as Christ has received us.

 

   Today is time-change Sunday and we will look forward to some more light during the day as the days get longer. Now that the weather is breaking let me encourage you to put the Wednesday service in your schedule. It is a great time of fellowship and we are all in agreement that it is just the lift we need in the middle of the week. I will never forget when one of our ladies showed up at the mid-week service and said, “I was just so tired tonight when I got home from work that I had to come to church.” Wednesday church energizes you AND the church. I call it the “engine” of our church. What we are doing in the ministry is so important that we cannot afford to attempt to accomplish the goal without God’s mighty Presence guiding us.   

 

     It seems like yesterday in some ways that JoAnn and I drove up to the little red brick church in Library to begin our ministry journey. It was October 1968.  We had our Red VW bug and two little boys, John and Dan. Steven came to join us ten years later. We were so young, full of energy and enthusiasm. (We still have the enthusiasm.) We always believed that this little congregation could take on a new vision and we were right!   I can never remember a time I was not excited about what God was doing in our church. Actually our church has grown to be what I had always hoped and prayed… a healthy spiritual congregation.    

  

      There are too many people to thank who have sacrificed a lot to build and maintain the church through the years.  But it is to God that we give the highest praise. He has carried us to this place. When we were out of strength He carried us.

 

      Our congregation is to be profusely praised. They have been faithful to serve God when the sun was shining and when it did not. They have invested in our family and treated us royally. If more churches treated their Pastor as we have been treated there would be more forty year pastors.

 

      JoAnn has been a source of strength for me second only to God. I could have never done what I have done without her love and support. She has been involved in every facet of the ministry.  For ten years she worked outside the home so we could make it financially. She has sacrificed the most. Living in a glass house was not something we were told about when we undertook the ministry.      I thank also my boys. I was way too tough on them but still they love me. I am so proud of my family.

 

     My mother started it all. I told her that just this week and she said, “Well someone had to start it.”

 

 The instructions I have been given for next Sunday( October 19th) are to relax and enjoy the day. I don’t know if I can relax but I’m sure I’ll enjoy it. 

      I’m ready to re-enlist for another 40 but I’ll need a few things like a  42- inch computer screen, an escalator from the front pew up to the pulpit, and a cot in my office for a mid- afternoon nap!  

TROPHIES THAT WEAR OUT Seeing Success Through Older Eyes 

 

Fresh out of

Bible College in October, 1968, our family, JoAnn, John, Dan and I arrived in Library, PA. Our third son, Stephen, joined us ten years later.  Back then, how perfectly I fit the description that ministers have passed down through the years, “A young preacher is like a wasp; he is bigger when he is born than at any other time.” I thought awards meant success, but now my eyes are older and I see things differently.

 I’ve always been a car person.  When JoAnn and I started dating I had a 1940 Ford coupe. After marriage we purchased a 1956 Chevy and later a 1958 Chevy with three carburetors. Then reality struck and cars had to become practical.  Once you have hot rods in your blood, it is only suppressed by the lack of money, and we had plenty of years like that. 

Three years ago we started going to the local car cruises. I was doing the “I’m-only-looking” routine. JoAnn accompanied me but her heart wasn’t in it. We would make the rounds and after about three times, she would say, “How many more rounds do we have to make?” I wanted to get one of these cars so after discussing it, I enlisted my sons to reinforce the idea. They convinced JoAnn that a classic car would not be an expense – but an investment.  To my utter surprise, it worked! We started to look in earnest for a car, found a 1968 Camaro, and made the deal. 

The day we picked up the car, the seller gave us a number of trophies the car had won through the years. I gave one each to Gandsons Blake and

Colton and put the rest in the garage. About eight months later Blake and

Colton gave me theirs back! And I don’t even notice the ones in the garage any more. They seem invisible. Trophies wear out. 

John, a car guy I met, has a beautiful red 1970 Chevelle which has won many trophies through the years. He told me he was being treated for colon cancer and had six to eight months to live. I told him I would pray for him.  A few weeks later John received Jesus as his Savior. One day we talked about trophies and he said, “I told my wife to throw all mine away.” Trophies wear out. 

An older couple moved here from

Kentucky. She was a committed believer but he was not. She told me her previous pastor was Warren Wiersbe. How intimidating is that? After a period of time in our church, her husband received Jesus as his Savior and began to grow. He invited me to their home one evening and showed me a wall of awards and certificates he had won through the years in his sales profession.  He said, “If I had only known the Lord…”  I felt sorry for him because he seemed to be saying, “This is what I did with my life,” — not very significant in light of a lifetime. Trophies wear out. 

When JoAnn’s mother died, my three sons were among the pallbearers. They are all principled, God-sensitive, kind husbands and fathers.  I thought, “They are my trophies, my lifetime investment. These are the real trophies that will last for the rest of our lives and beyond.” 

How can we make trophies?  We have the raw materials – they just need to be molded: 

A personal relationship with the Creator.  Matt 6:33 – “Seek first the

kingdom of

God. . .” When we receive Jesus, everything becomes possible. 

Making our family a TIME priority. I was talking to our missionary to

Mozambique, Dave Dedrick, about working so much in the beginning of our ministry. He said thoughtfully “You can never get those years back.” 

Praying for them mightily.  At the end of the day those who come to pay their respects to your family won’t talk about the trophies that you have won.  They will talk about your trophies in the form of flesh and blood that you have left behind to live out some of the vision you have planted in their lives. 

Brooks Adams’ father was Abraham Lincoln’s Ambassador to

Great Britain. Brooks recalled, “The best day of my life when I was growing up was that day when my dad took me fishing.  I remember that we talked and spent time together.”  Time and time again, Brooks recalled that wonderful day when he and his father went fishing. 

Years later, a historian was going through Ambassador Adams’ papers and found the diary in which that day was mentioned.  Brooks’ father had written, “Went fishing today with my son.  The day was wasted.” 

As our family celebrates forty years in ministry, I’m thanking God for older eyesight. 

Next time someone gives you a trophy or an award, let it be a reminder of the real ones God has entrusted to you. Put it among your collection and pray that this will pale in light of your flesh and blood trophies, the ones that will never wear out.   

In the autumn of 1992, Michael Plant, a popular American yachtsman,
commenced a solo crossing of the North Atlantic Ocean from the United
States to France.  But two weeks into the voyage something went amiss,
and Plant and his sailboat were lost at sea.

  When Plant had prepared to sail, his friends and family had collected
at the dock for an enthusiastic farewell.  None had reason for anxiety.
  They were waving good-bye to an expert, one who had circumnavigated
the globe alone more than once.  The sailing community universally
acknowledged Michael Plant as a yachtsman whose seafaring skills were
without equal.

  His mid-sized sailboat, the Coyote, was, as they say, state of the
art.  The design of its hull, the materials used in its fabrication,
the creature comforts: those and every other aspect of his equipment
were the epitome of modern sailing lore.

  Additionally, Plant had purchased a brand-new 406-megahertz emergency
position-indicating radio beacon (Epirb), which was capable of
transmitting a message to a satellite in the event of difficulties.
    But something did go wrong.  Eleven days into the voyage, radio
contact with Michael Plant was lost. A search was launched.  Airline
pilots crossing the ocean were asked to listen for emergency signals;
ships in the general area of Plant’s course were told to be on the
outlook; rescue aircraft from several nations began combing parts of
the Atlantic.  Days passed with no signals or sightings.
And then the news that no one had ever expected.

The Coyote was found, floating upside down, by the crew of a freighter
450 miles northwest of the Azores Islands.  But no sign of Plant.

  Officials later learned that Plant had installed his new Epirb radio
but had not registered its signal with the Coast Guard so that a
distress code could have been recognized by computers.
  Everyone in the sailing world must have been surprised that, when the
Coyote was found, it was upside down in the water.  Sailboats, it is
said, do not capsize . . .normally.  They are built to take the most
vigorous pounding a sea can offer.  Sailors allege that a sailboat is
the most natural of all sailing vessels, and it will always right
itself even if a wind or wave were to momentarily push it over on its
side or even upside down.  So why would Michael Plant’s sailboat be
discovered floating in the Atlantic Ocean upside down?

  In order for a sailboat to maintain a steady course, and in order for
it not to capsize but to harness the tremendous power of the wind,
there must be more weight below the waterline than there is above it.

  And that is exactly what happened!  And here is a further mystery.  No
one knows why or how, but the eight-thousand-pound weight beneath the
waterline broke away from the
keel.

  The four-ton weight was simply missing, and when that occurred, the
boat’s stability was compromised. No weight below the waterline was a
prescription for disaster.

We spend years building up the rigging, sails, and mast, People cheer
us on. We have the most current equipment and training but the real 
question is, “Is this boat sea worthy? Can it ride out the storm?”

I have known a number of people throughout the years who have weathered
the storm well, one of which was Pastor Dean Nale of North Gate Bible
Baptist Church on the north side of Pittsburgh, PA. I used to call him
the Bishop of Pittsburgh. For thirty-two years he faithfully shepherded
his flock with integrity and consistency and fruitfulness.

  We were speaking together one time at the East Coast Bible Forum in
Chambersburg, PA on the subject of longevity in the ministry. A pastor
asked him, “How were you able to have a productive ministry in one
place for so long? Dean pondered the question and responded, “The power
of positive plodding.” I knew I wanted to remember that line. That is
what people saw on the surface - positive plodding.

What people didn’t see was his weight below the water line. He had
continued his theological training throughout his ministry earning a
Doctors degree in Theology. I asked him one time how many years he
studied Greek and he responded, “Five.” Then I asked, “Do you know very
much about it?” He said, “No.” I knew better.

What is it that produces weight below the water line, the resources
that we draw on when the seas of life roar and all the trappings that
people think will keep the boat upright are overboard and lost at sea?

The transformation of our real self.  Only God knows our real self.

We spend years developing a persona; that’s what people think we are,
our knowable profile, the stuff we put in resumes.  We do quite well
transforming our persona, but God wants to transform our person; that’s
the person He knows us to be.

The word, metamorphoo, throws light on the weight we need beneath the
waterline.  It is used four times in the New Testament, twice in
reference to Jesus, Matt. 17:2 and Mark 9:2 in the context of the
Transfiguration, and twice of believers, Rm.12:2 and II Cor.3:18. It
describes for us a radical change that is part of our spiritual destiny.

*  A change of mind. Romans 12:2 “And be not conformed to this world:
but be ye transformed (metamorphoo) by the renewing of your mind, that
ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of
God.” This verse has a dual command: (1) Stop being conformed to this
world. Stop being squeezed into its mold; (2) Transform your mind.
Align your mind with His mind. Start seeing things from God’s point of
view. Acquiring God’s perspective is paramount.

*  A change of countenance. Matthew 17:2 “And was transfigured (metamorphoo) before them: and His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as snow.”  Luke 9:29 “And as he prayed, the fashion
of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and
glistering.” The appearance of His face changed as He prayed.
Transformation takes place when we stand before the throne of grace in
surrendered prayer.

  Mark 9:2, “And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James,
and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by
themselves: and he was transfigured ( metamorphoo) before them.”

Our expression often is the mirror of the soul.

  Moses also had a countenance changing experience in Exodus 34:29-30,
“When he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of
his face shone while he talked with him. [30] And when Aaron and all
the children of Israel saw Moses, behold the skin of his face shone.” In
the presence of God our countenance is changed.

* A change of character.  2 Cor. 3:18, “But we all, with open face
beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed
(metamorphoo) into the same image (profile) from glory to glory, even
as by the Spirit of the Lord.”  Taking on the characteristics of Christ
is God’s ultimate goal for our life. As we are in His presence, we
are transformed. Our Lord’s profile becomes ours.

  The transformation of character, countenance, and mind produces
spiritual weight and enables us to be an effective instrument in the hand of God.

As I reflected on the life and ministry of Pastor Dean Nale, I saw a
person who was always in transition in mind, in character, and in
countenance. This was the weight beneath the “Power of His Positive
Plodding.”

In the final analysis it is not how classy the boat looks or how
technologically current the instruments of navigation are. The answer
to the overarching question needs to answered, “Is the weight below the
surface enough to keep the boat upright in the fiercest storms?”

There is nothing “secret” about the storm that rages and comes against
the church and her faithful ministers. The power of positive plodding
doesn’t just happen. It is brought to pass as we spend time in the
presence of the Master, keeping our Divine Appointment, that
non-negotiable time in which we are being transformed.

Let’s put the emphasis where it should be and start crafting our vessel
where no one can see, but God.

John

 TROPHIES THAT WEAR OUT  

I’ve always been a car person.  When JoAnn and I started dating, I had a 1940 Ford coupe. After we married we purchased a ‘56 Chevy and than a ‘58, big engine with three twos. Then reality struck and cars had to start being practical for us.  Once you have hot rod cars in your blood, it is only suppressed by the lack of money and we had  plenty of years like that. 

Going To Car Cruises.. About six years ago we started going around to the local car cruises. I was doing the I’m-only-looking routine. JoAnn went with me but her heart wasn’t in it. The cruise that was close to our house was on Friday evening and we would make the rounds. After about three times through, she would say, “How many more rounds do we have to make?

I wanted to get one of these cars so we started to talk about it and I got our sons John, Dan, & Steve to help. They convinced JoAnn that a classic car would not be an expense – but an investment.  To my utter surprise – it worked! We started to look in earnest for a car. Dan and I went the

Butler Parts-A-Rama and saw this ‘68 Camaro with a for sale sign in the window. We took it for a drive and made the deal. 

When we went to pick up the car, the seller gave us a lot of trophies the car had won through the years. I gave one each to our Grandsons, Blake and

Colton, to put in their room. I put the rest in the garage. About eight months later Blake and

Colton gave me theirs back and I don’t even see them when I go to the garage any more; they seem to be invisible. Trophies wear out. 

 

 A guy named John from a nearby community has a beautiful red 1970 Chevelle .This car has won many trophies through the years. He told me recently he is being treated for colon cancer and I told him I would pray for him. We started talking about trophies and he said, “I just told my wife to throw all mine away.” Trophies wear out. 

An  older couple moved here from

Kentucky. She was a committed believer, but he was not. She told me her previous pastor was Warren Weirsbe, How intimidating is that? After a period of time in our church her husband received Jesus as his Savior and began to grow. He invited us to their house one evening and as he was giving me the tour, he showed me a wall of awards and certificates, prizes he had won through the years in his sales profession.  He said, “If I would have only known the Lord back then.”  I felt sorry for him.  What he was saying was, “This is what I did with my life” – not very significant in light of a lifetime. Trophies wear out. 

When JoAnn’s mother died in

Sherman, Texas

My three sons were among the grandson pallbearers .They are all principled, God sensitive, kind husbands and fathers.  I thought, “They are my trophies.  This is what I have invested my life in.” 

These are the real trophies that will last for the rest of our lives and beyond. 

How can we make trophies?  We have the raw materials – they just need to be molded. 

Proper priorities: 

A personal relationship with the Creator.  Matt 6:33 – “Seek first the kingdom of God. . .”  When we accept Jesus, everything becomes possible, even what we think is impossible. 

Making your family a TIME priority.

Oh, I’ve made plenty of mistakes, one of which was working too much.  Work is a good thing, but it can consume our lives.

I was talking to our missionary to Mozambique, Dave Dedrick, about working so much in the beginning of our ministry. He said thoughtfully “You can never get those years back.”

Have you ever heard of Brooks Adams?  His father was the Ambassador to

Great Britain under Abraham Lincoln.  Brooks recalled, “The best day of my life when I was growing up was that day when my dad took me fishing.  I remember that we talked and spent time together.”  Time and time again, Brooks recalled that wonderful day when he and his father went fishing.

 

Years later, a historian was going through Ambassador Adams’ papers and found the diary in which that day was mentioned.  Brooks’ father had written, “Went fishing today with my son.  The day was wasted.” 

Praying for them mightily.  At the end of the day, those who come to pay their respects to your family won’t talk about the trophies that you have won.  They will talk about your trophies in the form of flesh and blood that you have left behind to live out some of the vision you have planted in their lives. Your circle of influence starts right where you live.

 

Next time someone gives you a trophy or an award, let it be a reminder of the real ones God has entrusted to you. Put it among your collection and pray that this collection will pale in light of your flesh and blood trophies, the ones that will never wear out. 

Only God can do these things.

I look forward to the sun. I know you do too. This gives me a chance to take my mom (we call her Grandma Ruthie or Miss

America) out for a stroll. Our version of a stroll is me pushing her in the wheel chair. She loves to get outside. After a time around the premises. We usually go on the front porch and sit to talk. One of my goals is to help her exercise as much as possible. I take the leg supports off her wheel chair and try to get her to move her legs. This week I said, “It is my job to keep you kicking.” She was sitting especially close and she kicked me and then we burst out laughing. She has such a great sense of humor. Also about a week ago I was telling her how important her help in the ministry was and she was saying she couldn’t do very much and she said, “If I were as young as you I’d jump right in.”  She makes all of us feel young. On September 12 she will be 98 years old. If you visit her don’t sit too close– she may kick you.