Hope

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 17:02:28 -0600

There are few words that inspire us more than hope. One of our current presidential candidates is drawing large crowds and building momentum using the theme of hope. Hope is a powerful force. With hope we can thrive and accomplish great things. Without hope we are given in to defeat and despair. While political hope may ignite a campaign, it usually is fleeting. The Bible presents a message of hope that lasts. So heres hope!

Hope is grounded in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus stands alone in giving hope that lasts. Jesus was not the first to come and speak about God and heaven and hell. Many before and since have spoken about God and life after death. But all before and after Jesus share a common fate.......death.

Jesus is the only one who spoke words of hope and provided evidence that his words had authority. Jesus died on a roman cross but this was not his end. A few days after being placed in a sealed tomb, that was guarded by roman guards, Jesus arose from the dead. Jesus stands alone as the only one to live and die and live again to never die.

Christians call this the resurrection! The resurrection means that everything Jesus spoke was true and could be counted upon to be fulfilled. Jesus gives us a living hope! While we are in the season of promises remember there is only one who can be counted upon to fulfill all his promises and he belongs to neither political party. His name is Jesus.

All of us face various trials in life and realize that we have limited knowledge and wisdom. We want to know that there is more to life than what we are facing and that there will be light at the end of our day. Jesus gives us this hope. Jesus said, “come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.” Jesus said, “seek first the kingdom of God and all its righteousness and all these things will be given to you.” Jesus said, “if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am you may be also.” Jesus said, “that I will never leave you or forsake you.”

I don’t want to minimalize anyones problems. Life can be very difficult and some of the circumstance people can face can be very challenging even overwhelming at times. Yet, we we can never lose hope. If we lose hope, we do become overwhelmed. As you look for hope I encourage to look to Jesus and trust him by faith and the hope that is alive and will last forever will fill your heart. Meditate upon this verse, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
................. I Peter 1:3

The Gift of God

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 15:09:55 -0600

Gifts! Gifts! Gifts! What would Christmas be without gifts? Though we had only the basic necessities growing up, we still had gifts at Christmas. Now, it might have been only one, but we were happy to get this gift. I remember, as a child, that my Dad would purchase a box of oranges and a box of apples every year. Since we rarely ate fruit any other time of the year (except what you could find growing wild) we were excited. I remember eating 2 apples (or 2 oranges) at a time and thinking how wonderful it was to experience such.

As the Slims cigarette commercial of long ago said, “We’ve come a long way baby;” we have indeed! Affluence has increased to the point that it’s nothing to receive so many gifts that we lose count. I have the problem of even remembering who gave me what unless I write it down.

However, there is one gift that I received when I was 22 years old that I have never forgotten. It was the greatest gift of all . . . Jesus. The year was 1970. The place was a lakeside cabin retreat where 13 guys went for a time of prayer. It was an experience that impacted my life to the degree that nothing remained the same. The grass was greener. The air was fresher. The sky was more blue. The birds singing was more beautiful. The whole of creation became a wonder. I felt there was a purpose for my existence. Thus, life took on a new meaning. May I share with you how you too can experience this gift?

First of all, this gift is none other that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. The apostle Paul stated that “it is by grace you have been saved, through faith . . . and this is not from ourselves, it is the gift of God.” The word “grace” in this context means “favor.” How wonderful to know and think that I am favored by God. In that long ago shepherd setting in a far away field the angel said, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”

This first Christmas was such a monumental event that an angel was enlisted to make the announcement. Notice this announcement was made directly to the shepherds, but was promised “for all the people.” This includes you! A Savior has been born for you! Let those words soak in for a moment. It doesn’t matter what you have done or where you have been. Jesus is the Savior for all. No one is excluded. All are included. Such “favor” of God is not deserved but it is available nonetheless. Call on Him. Tell Him you’re sorry for your self-directed life (however messy or tidy it may be) and turn away from it and by “faith” turn to Jesus as your Savior. Receive the “free gift” as your very own and may this Christmas mark the beginning of a new life that can only be experienced through knowing Jesus personally. O’ the wonder and glory of it all.

Merry Christmas,
Pastor Joe Lesley

Returning the Favor

Wed, 3 Oct 2007 10:01:07 -0500

Our bus pulled up to the check point just outside the Romanian border as we entered the Republic of Moldova. It was the turn of a new century but I felt as though I just entered a time warp and had entered an era that was long gone by. Our bus of 16 eager short term missionaries were tired and weary from a 32 hour journey. We were anxious and excited about our work in Moldova. As we left the bus we were greeted by a man in a uniform and several armored military personnel. They were in control and they wanted us to know it. They controlled our entrance into the country and whether or not we would enter with our supplies, most of which was medical. The head officer looked over our documents for hours and we thought we had traveled this long journey for nought.

Then our knight in shining armor came to our rescue. Pastor Alexandru Malancea went in and had rather intense discussions. We are amazed because Alex was facing an authoritative government representative and several armed soldiers. We learned that Alex believes God plus one is sufficient for any situation. After several minutes Alex said lets go everything is going to be great. We asked to no questions and went to the Capitol City, Chishinau and began our first of many trips working with Holy Trinity Baptist Church led by Alex.This was 2001 and as of today we have sent nine teams in sizes ranging from one to sixteen. We have ministered to thousands of people and became connected with a new family.

Our friends in Moldova have become a family to us. We have been blessed by their love for God and heart for reaching their country with the message of God. We have
worked side by side and heart to heart in medical clinics, sports fields, drama stages, children’s events, orphanages, concerts and construction sites. We have witnessed their
church grow from a congregation of forty adults meeting in a 1,000 sq. foot basement in a run down apartment to a thriving congregation of over 400 adults meeting in 100,000 sq. foot complex centrally located in the heart of the city. They also have nine church starts currently functioning.

Our partnership with Holy Trinity has been reciprocal. We have received many blessings from this cooperative effort. Pastor Alex has been to our church on many occasions. On one Sunday this summer we had eleven Local Moldovan’s in our worship service. Our church has grown since entering the partnership. We have had over 30 people from our church on the field in Moldova. These people have come back energized to be on mission at home. God has blessed us with spiritual, numerical and financial growth in our ministries. When it came time for us to relocate and start construction on our first facility our friends from Moldova where eager to help.

In May of 2007 Pavel and Vitalie Malancea came to Robertsdale on a mission trip to America. They came to help us build our facility. We had been helping them since 2001 now the could return the favor. They stayed five months helping us construct our facility. The worked on framing, sheet rock, stucco and stone in our 31,000 sq. ft. facility. They helped us immensely and saved our church many, many, many thousands of dollars. Their wives joined them for the last month of their stay. It was their first time in America. While here they learned how we do church with a special focus on children’s ministry. They are just like family to us. It is hard to express thanks to such wonderful people. Our faith family known as First Baptist Church of Robertsdale is grateful for our friends in Moldova and their commitment to helping us share the Gospel in Robertsdale and to the ends of the earth. I would have never thought that when I crossed the border in 2001 that on the other side would be some of my dearest friends in the world.

Spiritual Giants

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 15:51:47 -0500

I sat in the small office eating breath mints before entering the building trying to think of what I would say. I had spoken at many of these occasions before. Why were the words coming so hard this time? I had been doing this for seventeen years, you would think I would have ample material for such a time like this.

I began to think back to a different time and a much different place. On a cold winter night in a distant land one man laid buried in a hole that had become his life line. The cover of the hole, foxhole, protected him from the barrage of mortar shells flying overhead. The shrapnel rained down like the thunderstorms he remembered on the hot summer evenings in south Alabama. Only these drops would bring death if they hit their target. As he lay in the depths of the ground fearing it would become his grave, he made a confession.

He cried out to God and promised that if he made out of the situation he would go back to his hometown and serve God with his life. This was certainly not the only such prayer offered in a fox hole. We have all heard the joke there are no atheists in foxholes. Yet this prayer lifted from the cold ground of a German battlefield reverberated across the world. His prayer was answered and he made out of the foxhole and the war and journeyed back to Andalusia, Alabama.

It was the summer of 2007 another breath taking summer day and I mean that in the literal sense. I received a page from our administrator that I had a call that was urgent. On the other line a voice I new all to well told me I needed to get to the hospital quickly. I felt the sense of urgency and made the two hour trip to Andalusia. As I entered the room there lay my friend and mentor in ministry. Even at the age of 92 you could see the strength in his soul. Still a mountain of a man at well over six foot and over 200 lbs. shoulders that would have to turn to get into most doors and hands that would give a Grizzly Bear a run for his money.

The previous day he had been unresponsive. God gave me the blessing of few hours of quality time with him as he opened his eyes and told me he loved me and how glad he was to see me. He told me all he could do was to look back and that I still had much to look forward to. My response was that he had more to look back upon than most any person I knew.

He had pastored for over 60 years in the county. He had been a very fruitful Pastor as well as operating a successful business. During this time he took care of an ailing wife and raised two boys plus hundreds of other children in the community. It was not unusual for him to spend hours with a family from the church in the hospital, go home late in the evening care for his wife and then be at the retail store early in the morning. He would take breaks from work to administer weddings and funerals. With help of his first wife, he called her his note writer, he preached passionately the Word of God.

Every church he pastored grew to their largest growth in their history. He baptized, married and buried more people collectively that any ten ministers put together. After retiring he continued to do interim work and was sought after constantly to lead churches full time.

When I met him at the age of 82 he was assisting the church that had called me, a 26 year old Pastor. For the next three years he encouraged and trained me all the while building me up as the leader of the congregation. He became my mentor and friend. My wife and I had more fun with he and his second wife, Howellene, than most of our friends our age. He knew how to live life to the fullest. While not formally educated he knew more about life than most any person I had met.

To the very end of his life he kept his promise that he had made many years back in the foxhole. He had stool at the funeral home he would sit on late in his life to preach a funeral all the while in severe pain. He gave his all to the Lord and the Lord’s church.

Back to the small office and the breath mints. Time was closing in and it was time for to do for Woodrow Plant what he had done for at least a thousand others. I was to give the funeral message for my friend and mentor and the words were hard to come by because I was speaking on behalf of a Spiritual Giant.

You will not see books on the best seller list with his name on them or his face on TV or voice on the radio. His name wasn’t in print in his denominations paper or any other magazine. You can be sure that in heaven his name was know well! For upon his entrance he was met by a throngs of people thanking Jesus for Woodrow Plant. For his life touched countless lives and I am one of those who is better today because of Brother Woodrow. This is dedicated to the memory of a true Spiritual Giant Woodrow Plant!

My European Vacation

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 11:55:21 -0500

I have often been accused of biting off more than I can chew. This is both literally and figuratively true in my case. I think life is more fun this way! This philosophy was challenged on a recent trip to the Republic of Moldova. If wondering about the Moldova thing, check slide show on the Welcome page. Back to the subject. I planned a a short lay over in London and Normandy France on my recent mission trip to Moldova.

I was to fly into London on Monday at noon and leave Wednesday morning. During this stay I planned a hop on hop off bus tour of London, then take the ferry across the channel and have a day tour of D-Day sites in Normandy France, then back across the channel and fly home on Wednesday. Sounded good to me, fast and furious, what an adventure.

Everything was on schedule as I arrived in London. The only problem was I had to leave my Mastercard in Moldova to take care of some unforeseen problems. I still felt good because I had a solid cash supply and my American Express. Don’t leave home without it! I new London was expensive yet I was shocked at how expensive. I exchanged $100 and received 44 pounds in return. If your mathematically challenged that means for every 100 pounds it cost you $220.00.(ouch) After leaving the exchange office I rushed to the first WC (bathroom) and found that I had to pay to get in. I sang God Bless America, to myself, as I dried my hands using a badly malfunctioned hand dryer.

The tour of London was great. I headed to the train station to go to the south of the country for a ferry across the channel. When I arrived on the train I had no idea it would be a two hour ride.(this should have been a clue of what was to come, think a popular tv song) I got a little concerned because this is the same train I had to ride back to the airport to catch my flight on Wednesday. I made it to the ferry two minutes before the final call.

Once on the ferry I went to my room and laid on the bed and took a little nap. Six hours later I awoke to music playing on the speaker in my room and the Captain telling us the ship is a few minutes from France. I was still in me tennis shoes and jeans! My nap turned into a deep sleep. A 32 hour trip over to Eastern Europe plus losing two days of sleep in Moldova and walking at least six miles in London will make a body tired.

Welcome to France!

I was due to arrive in Bayuex, France at 8:30 am to meet a tour bus for a full day of D-Day sites. This was a sacred day for me as I would visit the place where thousands of Americans, Britons and Canadians gave their lives to liberate France and the world from Nazi Germany. Upon my arrival I found out that France was celebrating a Bank holiday. This meant everything except the train station was closed. The ferry terminal provided a bus to get us to the train station. Since the city busses were closed this delayed us getting to the train station and thus me to my tour. I missed the first half of the tour. I did the first part of the tour the old fashion way, on foot. I connected with the tour after lunch and visited the sites of D-Day! (The awe of these sites in a later blog) The tour ended at 6:30 p.m. and I had to get back to the dock for the ferry by 10:30 p.m.. Not a problem!

When I got to the train station I found out the ferry was not sending the bus to take us back to the ferry terminal. There were no city busses running, only taxis and many of them were observing the holiday. I got a quote from a taxi to take me to the station for 100 Euros, the equivalent of $140. A few problems: one I have this thing against being ripped off and two I only have 40 Euros!

So I start negotiations with a few French taxi drivers on the streets of Caen. I am not a good negotiator in my own language. They would speak and I would gesture, what a sight. It looked as though the only way back to the dock was by foot. I would have taken the 15 mile journey to the dock, if I knew the way. I was inches a way from hitchhiking.

One last attempt. I used the final appeal. I took all the money I had on my person except change and pulled it from my well worn passport holder and waved in front of the taxi drivers. They were sitting with no customers and the sight of money sealed the deal. I was off to catch the ferry in VW station wagon; One big problem, all cash reserves gone only a few coins and my American Express.(Don’t leave home without it)

I arrive at the dock at 8:00 p.m. and have several hours to burn before leaving back across the channel. My thoughts are focused on getting home! I have no money and have to get a taxi once arriving in London. I must get access to some cash if I want to catch my flight tomorrow. I have several hours and my AMEX this should be no problem.

There was an ATM at the dock that took AMEX. I took my precious coins out and called AMEX to get a PIN to get cash. I tell them I’m in a hurry and they keeping asking security questions like, How old were your when you had your wisdom teeth pulled? or What color was your mother’s mother’s first dog? I made it through and I am patiently waiting to for my PIN. I see the timer on phone reads 30 seconds, I reach in my pocket and pull out my last Euro coin and get another 30 seconds. As the AMEX operator is about to give the PIN my time runs out and the call is terminated. I am not penniless because I do have a few pennies though of no value in Europe so I guess you could say I was penniless. My only hope left was to board the ferry and hopeful they had a phone that took AMEX or a bank.

I get on the ferry and go to sleep. I will have to deal with tomorrow when it comes. I awakened before the radio this time quickly showered and headed out trying to get my problem solved. The boat had no phone that AMEX but did have a bank and they took AMEX, YES! They swiped my card and opened the drawer prepared to give me the long awaited cash. Then she swiped again! Not a good sign, second swipes are never good. Her reply you can’t get cash from this card! My heart sank. My last gasp would be at the terminal in England.
Upon arrival the terminal I spotted a phone that took AMEX and made the call and got my PIN! (I just got the bill for the call and it was $45! ) There was an ATM inside I rushed to the ATM to enter my card and it did not take AMEX.

I had to get a taxi to get to the train station or I would miss my flight. I rushed outside and to the taxi stand and began the process of begging for money. In France I negotiated with Taxi drivers in England I begged. I had no money to show this time and I had even thrown my pennies away in angst. I can’t sing and I can’t dance so there’s no chance of donations! So I started telling my story and asking for help. A very nice French lady gave me 5 pounds just enough to get to the train station. The call and begging has taken an hour away and me making my flight is looking bleak.

I arrive at the train station and they take AMEX so I can get my tickets. But AMEX has shut down my card because of all the suspicious activity. A very nice lady at the desk took the time to call them and work out the issue. We get the tickets, I take the two hour ride finally find an ATM to get cash out and get my luggage.

I’m finally on my way to the airport. Yet by now I have lost over two hours and have missed my flight. I missed both flights out and had to lay over for another day in London. So I found the least expensive place 100 pounds remember the conversion rate.(ouch) Rested and flew home the next day! I think I finally took on to much and the adventure turned into more than I bargained for.

Yet, after reflecting, I believe this trip is a lot like life. We make plans and rush through life thinking we can handle it. Then things get turned upside down and we end up looking for help. Then God sends wonderful people to assist us on our journey. Though the journey is never easy, if keep the faith, we will make it home! Along the way we will have learned, laughed, cried and most of all matured.

So the only thing we can do is enjoy the ride! 