Meade Station Blog

RETIREMENT

noreply@blogger.com (Meade Station Blog) — Thu, 13 May 2010 13:12:00 +0000

I have had a lot of fun with my wife these past few months teasing her about my upcoming retirement. I officially began my pastoral ministry at the First Church of God in Franklin Furnace, Ohio on July 20, 1980. I have pastored continuously since that time to this present day. Since leaving Franklin Furnace in 1984 I have pastored First/Branchview First Church of God in Concord, N.C. (April 1984-December 1993), First Church of God in Alliance, Ohio (January 1994-June 2003) and now at the Meade Station Church of God in Ashland, KY (June 2003-Present). I keep telling her that people who work for Marathon Oil, AK Steel, KDMC, etc. get to retire when they celebrate 30 years of service. Therefore I should be "entitled" to retire on July 20 of this year!!! I further tell her that her "second job" (which she will need to find!!) had better pay her a lot more than her first job or we are going to be in real trouble real fast!!!!! I see great humor in this. She sees no humor whatsoever in my teasing.

In all seriousness I have labored with this question, "Can a called servant of God ever really retire?". One of my mentors and good friend, Gary Ausbun, retired from pastoral ministry nine years ago but the Lord has used Gary and his wife Frankie in a wonderful interim ministry across the country. Brother Gary and I stay in contact with one another and I know this "second" ministry God has called him to has been both rewarding and fulfilling to him. I can only hope and pray that I might be so blessed. What I mean by that is if the Lord would allow me to live long enough to "retire" from pastoral ministry that He will also give me some good years of health that I might be a continued blessing to to Him and His Church in some capacity of ministry. Having written that I feel we can never really retire from God's service. Our role of service may certainly change but we all should die while still serving the Lord.

I recall two people in my years of ministry who typify my thinking on this. The first is J.O. Fletcher from the Concord Church. When I arrived at Concord J.O. had just relinquished to job of song leader. He was entering his late 70's and his singing voice was beginning to fail him. He and I had a conversation one evening on the front porch of the old church on Corban Avenue about his future role in the congregation. He was feeling a little sorry for himself so I told him he may not be able to lead in singing but God still had something for him to do. And God did have something for him to do. From that day on he became my greatest prayer warrior and closest friend and advisor. J.O. would always tell me the truth about any problem I encountered and every pastor knows the value of someone who will speak the truth into your life. The second person that wrestled with this idea of not being able to serve the Lord as in times past was a lady from the Alliance Church. Her name was Kathleen Hayes. Kathleen had been active in that congregation for many years but she had come to a place to where her health had failed her so much that she eventually had to quit attending services. In lamenting her plight to me one day I asked her to make it her job each week to check on all the people from our congregation who appeared on our prayer list and let me know if there were any specific needs I needed to be aware of. She took that assignment seriously and proved to be a tremendous asset to me and the congregation over the next couple of years until her health failed her completely and she eventually passed away.

In closing let me say I do hope to retire some day. I love the preaching that goes along with pastoring. I love to visit people in the hospital and in their homes. I grow weary however of all the meetings and the relationship issues that you find yourself dealing with as a pastor. If the Lord will give me health and strength I plan to pastor into my mid sixties or about 8-10 more years. But I don't plan to ever "retire" from his service. How about you? What is your commitment to the Lord?

Just something to think about.

Pastor Jordan

TIME FOR REFLECTION

noreply@blogger.com (Meade Station Blog) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 18:07:00 +0000

The big news the past few weeks has been the weather. Winter has come in a big way here in N.E. Kentucky the past few weeks. It seems that every weather forecast we listen to has that ugly four letter word "snow" in it somewhere. Having survived ten winters in N.E. Ohio I have seen enough snow to last me a lifetime. Every time I am in the barn and see my little aluminum fishing boat I get such a "hankering" for Spring I can hardly contain myself!

All of this bad weather does offer a person one benefit, it gives us time to reflect on things we don't normally have time for. For instance when I step back into my warm house after being out of doors for some reason I wonder how my ancestors survived these harsh winters. I lived in a house the first five full winters of my life where we heated with a grated fireplace and a Warm Morning stove. We burned coal. I can remember mornings when my Mom would tell my sister and me to stay in our beds until she could get the fire going again and then for it to burn long enough to take the harsh chill out of the air. I was to little to bust the coal or to carry it into the house. My Dad did all of that without me ever giving a thought as to how that all got taken care of. Of course that was true of all the other things I enjoyed as well. When it was time to eat I went to a table that was always filled with delicious food. When it was time to bathe I had a tub of good warm water in which to bathe. I never thought about where my clothes and shoes came from. They were just always there. Daddy worked at ARMCO Steel and everything I needed was provided to me.I am sure most everyone who might read this blog grew up pretty much the same as I did. We all have been guilty of taking a lot of good things for granted.

With time to reflect on such things recently I have been made aware that I have been guilty of taking a lot of things in my spiritual life for granted as well. For instance there has never been a time in my life when God didn't love me. There has never been a time in my life when someone wasn't praying for me. There has never been a time in my life when God didn't have a higher purpose for my life than I dreamed of for myself.

God has always been there for me. His Church has always been there for me too. I don't know about you but I never want to take God, nor His Church, for granted. He is to important for me to take for granted. I need Him every minute of every day. I don't just need Him on Sundays but I need Him every single day and all day long. I need God's people eveyday. I shudder to think where I might be if I did not have people praying for me everyday. I still have people from the very first congregation I pastored who tell me they pray for me everyday. That is a special treasure in my life that can never be replaced.

So in closing let me encourage you to do something for yourself: on these cold snowy days when you can't get out and do the things you normally do take a few minuites to reflect upon God and how good He has been to you. We have all received better than we deserve

Just something to think about.

Pastor Jordan

GOD STILL LOVES US EVEN ON OUR BAD DAYS

noreply@blogger.com (Meade Station Blog) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 19:36:00 +0000

All of us have bad days. It is a part of life. None of us are immune. Nor do I know anyone who has ever gotten out of bed and said, "I hope I have a bad day today!" Yet bad days happen from time to time to all of us.

Yesterday was one of those days for me. It began with my Sunday School class. I teach a young adult class. I love the class and its students. I look forward to our time together each week. Most of them are twenty five years my junior. I look back and see myself and my wife and I appreciate the struggles they go through. I am eager to share what I have learned in life with them. I also look forward to sharing with them what God has shown me to be true in His Word.

Yesterday's Sunday School text was a tough one. It was taken from Matthew 1: 18-25. The text is a great text but we had already discussed some of its merits last week as we studied Mary's visit from the angel preparing her for the birth of Jesus. To be blunt I stumbled and bumbled my way through the whole lesson. I am sure there are hours worth of points to discuss from the text but for some reason it did not click with me and I felt I failed my class miserably!

Upon leaving class I thought the morning sermon has to be better than the class lesson. Once our service started I was pleasantly surprised at our attendance. We normally would have about 190 in attendance for the Sunday morning service before Christmas but our area had been pummeled by a bad snow storm on Friday night and Saturday morning. My wife asked me on Saturday night what I thought our attendance would be and I told her I expected somewhere between eighty and one hundred people to be in attendance. Much to my surprise we had one hundred thirty people for morning worship. The music was great. Our choir did a super job on two songs. Reba Manning's special was outstanding. There was a great spirit in the service but, you guessed it, I bombed on my sermon.

The thought I shared was one our State Chairman had shared with us in a meeting I was in a couple of weeks ago. It was a great thought yet a simple thought. I felt it was very timely for the Sunday before Christmas. I had typed myself a few notes to keep me on track. The problem was I never felt I got on track. My stumbling and bumbling from the Sunday School hour carried over into the morning service. No one was more happy to see the close of the service than I was!!!!

I left dejected and ashamed. I have been preaching since August, 1978. I have been pastoring since July 1980. I have preached somewhere in the neighborhood of four thousand five hundred sermons in the past thirty one years. I know when I have preached a decent sermon , and occasionally a good sermon, and when I have preached a bad sermon. Yesterday was as bad a sermon, from a delivery stand point, as I have preached in some years.

I reflected on the sermon all the way home. I continued to mull it over and over in my mind once I got home. I determined that the Sunday night sermon was not going to bomb. I looked over my notes and I prayed and asked God to help me do better. Sunday night's sermon was good. I communicated my thought in a clear and understandable way with a good degree of enthusiasm.

My wife and I stopped for a sandwich after church and then made our way home. I could not get the two failures of Sunday morning out of my head. And then the truth of God's love came to me. I began to realize that I might have been an utter failure Sunday morning but God still loved me. That is a lesson we all need to learn and accept. There was a time I would have beat myself up for days over my failure. I thought the better I did the more God would love me. I have learned in the last several years that is not true at all. There is absolutely nothing we can do to make God love us any less. Nor is there anything we can do to make God love us more. His love is at the maximum level at all times. It never wavers one degree, up or down. I made up my mind right then and there that I was going to get a good night's sleep and Monday was going to be a good day! And I did get a good night's sleep and today has been a good day. And God loves me just as much today as He has every other day of my life including yesterday.

So the next time you mess up or have a bad day always remember this; God still loves you. Learn from your mistakes. Put them behind you. Put a smile back on your face and get on with life. And be sure of this; God is right there with you!!!

Just something to think about.

Pastor Jordan

TIME OR WANT TO?

noreply@blogger.com (Meade Station Blog) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:04:00 +0000

This past weekend I logged onto our church's website and looked at my blog space. I couldn't believe it had been four months since I had posted something. It is not that I don't enjoy writing, I do. As I matter of fact I have always dreamed of writing a novel and hopefully more than one. Some people who know my dream ask why I haven't done so. The answer is simple: TIME . I know everyone has the same number of minutes in a day to work with so I have concluded I am lousy at time management.

It seems I used to have more time especially for personal things. For instance a passion of mine for many years was to bow hunt for deer. I would spend several hours before season came in scouting different areas and hanging tree stands. I would then hunt at least one day a week and often times more, hunting my day off and then trying to get in one or two evenings as well. This was always great mental and emotional respite for me. It gave me time to think with no phone ringing in my ear or being interrupted by an unexpected visitor. I have bow hunted less than twenty times in the past seven seasons. The problem: TIME.

As I become older I am more and more time conscious. For instance I am keenly aware that what I hope to accomplish for God in the remaining years of my life and ministry is being cramped more and more by time. The things my wife and I have talked about doing together such as revisiting the Adirondack mountains in western New York or taking a long trip to Alaska are getting squeezed more and more by time.

For all my life time has been a more precious commodity to me than money. As long as I have enough money to pay my bills I am content. But time is another matter altogether. If I only had time I could be with those I love more, I could read more, fish and hunt more and yes, even write more.

I will soon be 56 years old. My father died at the age of 72. Four of his siblings never reached 70. Two died after passing 70 and two are still living well past that age. Statistically speaking one would conclude I won't live to be 80. I do not fear that nor do I dread that. I am ready to go. But there are things I hope to do before I leave this world. People I hope to impact for Christ. Life long lessons I hope to impress upon my children and grandchildren. But all of that requires time.

Erzie Lavender used to say, "Brother Rob, people are going to do what they want to do when they want to do it." With that thought in mind maybe time is not my problem after all. Maybe it is my "want to". Maybe time is only a convenient excuse for me and my actions.If Erzie is correct I don't need more minutes in the day. What I need is more "want to" in my heart and spirit!!!

Perhaps that is why you are not accomplishing the things in life you want to do. It may not have anything to do with time, money or opportunity. Rather your "want to" might not be in the right place. Before time does run out search yourself and ask the hard question, "What is my real "want to" in life and then get on with making that "want to" a reality.

Just something to think about.

Pastor Jordan

FIRST LOVE

noreply@blogger.com (Meade Station Blog) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 13:19:00 +0000

For the past four weeks we have been studying the seven churches Jesus addressed in Revelation chapters two and three. The first letter was addressed to the church at Ephesus. If you are familiar with this text you know Jesus commends them on several points but he has one major thing against them, they have left their first love. That is, Christ no longer holds the first place in their hearts. If you continue to read all seven letters you can also conclude that the churches at Sardis and Laodicea suffered from the same spiritual problem, that somehow Christ had been replaced by other things and was no longer first in their hearts and lives.

Any true student of scripture knows God's word is timeless. It is relevant to every age. As I have given myself to study these letters once again I realize that congregations are still wrestling with many of these same problems today. The churches of Asia Minor were faced with the task of living faithful lives unto the Lord in the midst of a pagan society. Is this not our challenge today?

The greatest ache of my heart as a pastor is to see so many people continue to reject the good news of the Gospel and continue living in sin. The second greatest ache of my heart is to see so many people profess Christianity yet live lives that obviously do not love Christ first and foremost above anything else. I witness this loss of first love on a daily basis.

This is not a new problem. We know from scripture it has existed for at least two thousand years. I have witnessed it personally in my walk with Christ for the past twenty nine plus years that I have pastored. People profess their love for God but they find every excuse imaginable why they can't render service unto the Lord. They say they love Him but they would rather play or sleep than worship Him.

As a pastor I have no recourse. I can express my concern. I can even go so far as to admonish someone for their lack of faithfulness but my experience is that people don't generally accept such criticism very well. I cannot spank someone or put them in time out. I can't fine them. I can only remind them of God's love and pray that the power of His love will draw them back. But it is very obvious from the letters sent to the seven churches Jesus knows all things and He is keeping score. I do not pen these words to sound harsh. I pen these words not so much as a warning but a reminder in love, some day we will give an account of our decisions and deeds. It is within our power and ability to love Christ first, before all other things in our lives.

I too am a human being. I know how easy it is to let "things" and "stuff" take a priority in our lives. I battle this temptation everyday. I have had my failures. But I have also learned that Jesus must be first in all things. He must be considered and consulted in every decision and action of life. Some view this as restrictive and suffocating. I have come to learn the opposite is true. I have found that putting Christ first in all things is the safest and most liberating choice we can make. Think of all the trouble you might be in today. Who got you into that trouble, you or God? I think of Jonah. Jonah did not get into trouble by doing what God asked him to do. He got in trouble when he DID NOT DO WHAT GOD TOLD HIM TO DO!!!!! Has your life been any different than Jonah's? Mine has not!! My experience has been the same as Jonah's.

So who, or what, is your first love? You don't need me to tell you what the signs are if you are not where you should be in your relationship with Jesus. The still small voice of the Holy Spirit lets you know if you are where you need to be. That is His job and He does it far better than I ever could. So again I ask, who is your first love.

Just something to think about.

Pastor Jordan

I QUIT!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Meade Station Blog) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 12:24:00 +0000

I would imagine all of us think the the words, "I QUIT", from time to time. We may even utter them under our breath. Or perhaps we go so far as to confide in a spouse or close friend and inform them of our frustration by saying those two words to them. In some cases we may even follow through and do just that, quit.

There are certainly some things in life we should quit. Things that are sinful. Things that are destructive to our selves or others. Things that bring question or suspicion upon our christian witness.

But there are times quiting is a way to escape responsibility. Or even worse, it is an attempt to turn our back on God's call upon our lives.

My father taught me a lot of good life lessons. For instance he always told me not to borrow something from someone unless I absolutely had to and when I did borrow something to return it as soon as possible in as good or better shape than I found it. Another important life lesson was this: quiting is the easiest thing to do. Quiting means we no longer have to fulfill an obligation. Quiting means we can walk away from our responsibility. Quiting means I don't have to fulfill someone else's expectations of me even if that someone is God. Quiting means I can dump my load on someone else. Quiting means my time is more important than the person who has to take up the burden I have walked away from.

Of course there are times when change in leadership or personnel is needed and called for. There are also times when we are called to another task and we must lay down one responsibility for another. Life changes also necessitate a different path in our lives from time to time. There will come a time when we will have to quit many things we have been accustomed to doing.

The quiting I am talking about is the quiting that allows us to walk away from a commitment or calling for our own convenience sake. For instance, I see this type of quiting in a lot of divorces. Marriage is sometimes hard work. It calls for genuine effort and perseverance. Commitment to the Church is another area that I see people walk away from for convenience sake never giving a thought to those they disappoint, or even hurt, often times out of selfish motives. Sad to say but I have seen many of my colleagues in ministry walk away from God's call on their lives believing that some how life will be better outside of God's will for their life.

We live in a day and age where everything is about "ME". Self gratification is what life is all about for most folks these days. In reality everything is not about "ME". In reality everything is about "HIM", about God and His will. Many Christians have forgotten the fact that we are no longer our own when we come to Christ. We have been purchased by Christ through His blood shed on Calvary. We forget, sometimes for convenience sake, the fact we are to die to self daily so that we might more conform to the person of Christ. We ignore the doctrine of the Lordship of Christ. We love the idea of Him being our Savior but there is no way we are going to relinquish the reigns of leadership for our own lives and let Him truly be Lord of our lives! If we truly allowed Him to be Lord then the "I QUIT" option would not be an option at all. Rather we would go deeper and deeper into prayer and fasting and ask, "Lord, what are you trying to show me through my difficulties and how should I proceed from this point on that your will might be accomplished in this matter and in my life?".

I will confess to you there have been many times when I have wanted to quit pastoring. Dealing with one's self can be frustrating enough but dealing with the attitudes and opinions of 200 other people can seem impossible at times. But where do you quit on God's call upon your life? Where do you quit loving God's people?

Life is not easy. Every decision has consequences that must be dealt with at some time in the future. Walking away from responsibility may sound like a respite today but that decision many times becomes tomorrow's nightmare.

Let me give you an alternative to quiting. Let me suggest to you that you pray and fast every day for 30 days before ever making a decision on an important matter in which you are tempted to say, "I QUIT". Fast at least one meal each day for 30 days and spend the time you would normally spend in eating that meal in praying over this specific matter. It may be the Lord is leading you to quit whatever you are doing. If that is the case then you had best quit. But it could be that in that period of time God will allow you to see , or at least glimpse, the bigger picture of what you are dealing with and you may come to realize that quitting is no longer an option.

The next time you are tempted to quit something out of mere frustration remember what my daddy used to say, "Quitting is the easiest thing to do." In all reality quiting may not be the easiest thing to do once we are faced with the consequences of our decision.

Just something to think about.

Pastor Jordan

MEMORIAL DAY

noreply@blogger.com (Meade Station Blog) — Mon, 25 May 2009 20:09:00 +0000

Today is Memorial Day 2009. What a wonderful day for reflecting on times past. As a small child I can remember my mother's family gathering at the little Baptist Church at Danelyton in Greenup County, Kentucky to decorate Grandpa Burchwell's grave and the grave of my Mom's oldest brother, Charles. Grandpa Burchwell was killed in a timber accident in December, 1937 and was buried on Christmas day. Charles died in the 1940's from cancer. As the family would gather Mom's older siblings all had a story to share about "Poppy" or Charles. Other people from the community would also be there decorating the graves of their loved ones. Some of them had known my grandfather and uncle. One older man in particular used to speak of my grandfather with great fondness. He said it was always something special when the preacher would call upon my grandfather to pray in church. He said he had never heard anyone that could pray like my grandfather. Well naturally this always made me quite proud of a man who had died sixteen years and twenty three days before I was born!

As I grew older our family began to experience more deaths, especially on my Father's side of the family. One by one my Dad began to lose his aunts and uncles. Most of these people were very special to me. My Dad was real close to most of them and we had visited their homes many times when I was a child. Five of these uncles lived very near to where I live today, all of them within a ten minute drive of my house. Some of their old houses are gone. Three of the houses are still standing and only one of them is habitable although it stands vacant.

Three of these uncles are buried in the Jordan Family Cemetery that I maintain with the financial support of several of the family members. Every time I enter that cemetery I do so with a great amount of respect and reverence. Not only are three of my great-uncles buried there but two of them have their wives buried alongside them. My great Grand Parents on the Jordan side are buried there as well. To me this is a special place. Some of my fondest childhood memories involve my Uncle Con and Aunt Hattie. Once I turned about ten years of age my parents would let me stay with them for four to five days at a time in the Summer and on Christmas break from school. Uncle Con loved to hunt, fish and trap. He also was a great hand at gardening and worked his ground up with horse drawn equipment. This was all very exciting to me. Aunt Hattie wasn't to be outdone. She was the best baker I have ever known, bar none! She made biscuits that would put Bob Evans to shame and no body could bake a cake as good as she could.

Of course as I have gotten older I have lost my other grandparents, my father and six of his siblings. My Mom has lost two more brothers. The old saying is true, time stands still for no one.

I am now fifty five years old and I realize at best I have but a few years of life left. I just hope and pray I can leave behind some good memories for my children and grandchildren. Hopefully one of my grandchildren will stand beside my grave some day and hear some old saint of God brag on me as the old man used to do in regards to Grandpa Burchwell.

All of us have but a few years in this life to live. Live them for the Lord my friend and live them well. Our day is coming you know.

Just something to think about.

Pastor Jordan

Why Do You Worship the Lord?

noreply@blogger.com (Meade Station Blog) — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 05:23:00 +0000

Click Here to Listen

GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL

noreply@blogger.com (Meade Station Blog) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 16:18:00 +0000

On January 27 & 28, 2009 most of the State of Kentucky experienced a terrible ice storm. Governor Beshear declared it the worse natural disaster to ever hit our State. Many people in Eastern Kentucky went without electricity for some period of time ranging from a few hours to several days. Farther west the effects of the storm were far worse. Tens of thousands of people may not get there power back on for several more days. The storm has been responsible for several deaths and only time will tell the financial toll it will extract from our citizens.

My family and I are blessed in so many ways. Yes, we went without power and water for a period of time but our services have all been restored. We also have vehicles that allow us to get about in such weather. In addition we have an alternate source of heat for our house. Many are not as fortunate and my heart goes out to them.

In many ways this storm has brought us to our knees as a State. Coming into Ashland one of those snowy mornings I thought about the way this storm brought much of our daily routine to a standstill. But then the thought came to me, God is still in control. Weather may have an adverse effect upon us but the weather never effects God. It never gets to hot or to cold, to wet or to dry to hinder God.

The same is true for the other storms we face in our lives. I don't know about you but this storm pales in comparison to some of the storms I have faced in my life in the area of my spiritual walk, my emotional being and in my physical health. In all of these storms I have found that God is greater than the storm itself and He has always blessed me while at the same time bringing glory unto Himself. In other words I have always found that God has been, and always is, in control. That is true in personal storms as well as natural disasters.

There are three keys to keep in mind when facing a storm: prayer, faith and patience. Prayer allows us to voice our fears and concerns to God. Faith keeps us looking in the right direction. And patience affords God the time He requires to work without us jumping ahead of Him and making a situation that is already bad much worse.

Be encouraged my friend. Regardless of the storm you might be facing if you are a Child of God you can rest assure God is in control and in His perfect time He will bring peace. He is not frightened nor hindered by circumstances. He has the ability to rise above all that hampers us and to work in ways that still amazes those that acknowledge Him.

Just something to think about.

Pastor Jordan

He Is Still Lord in the Storm

noreply@blogger.com (Meade Station Blog) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 21:54:00 +0000

Click Here To Listen

According To Your Faith

noreply@blogger.com (Meade Station Blog) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 15:33:00 +0000

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Blind and Don't Know It

noreply@blogger.com (Meade Station Blog) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 14:17:00 +0000

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Mary and Joseph Model Parents

noreply@blogger.com (Meade Station Blog) — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 14:19:00 +0000

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WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR THE CHURCH?

noreply@blogger.com (Meade Station Blog) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:41:00 +0000

Back on June 30, 2008 I posted a blog entitled "Will We Allow The Church Of God In America To Die?". At that time I expressed my concern for the Church's health and well being based upon the reports I had heard at our North American Convention earlier in the month. Nothing has happened in these past five months to alleviate my concern.

I had the privilege of attending a unity service hosted by the First Church of God in Mount Sterling on Sunday, November 23. Our Director of National Ministries was the featured speaker. I had a chance to talk to Dr. Duncan for a considerable time before the service. He shared how desperate things are on a national level from the financial side of things. Eleven employment vacancies have not been filled and eight people were just given notice they will no longer have a job. This reduces the work force by nearly 25%. Unless things turn around quickly ministry itself will begin to be curtailed. Once that starts you begin to shrink your base for support.

The theme of Dr. Duncan's message Sunday night was on leadership and how things will only turn around through good, sound, Biblical leadership. In order for that type of leadership to be in place we must once again examine our roots and its message. At the forefront of our message a hundred years ago was the themes of holiness and unity. Holiness is not just a word. It is how we live and act and treat one another. Unity is not something we practice one time a year in a special service but it is an attitude that looks for opportunities to get together and do ministry together.

These qualities are sorely lacking in the Church today. I have made it a point for the past twenty plus years of trying to bring God's people together, especially our pastors and ministers. Shortly after moving to North Carolina in 1984 I found myself being thrust into positions of leadership within the larger Body of Christ. I do not think this was mere circumstance. I realize my personality lends itself to encourage people and I have tried to use this gift to encourage every pastor I can. It seems to be increasingly more difficult to get pastors to understand how much we need each other.

Our State Pastor, Randy Montgomery, has asked me to be a participant in the S.H.A.P.E. Program here in Kentucky as a coach. I look forward to this opportunity because this speaks to the very heart of something I am very passionate about. As Dr. Duncan stated in his message Sunday night, if we are to ever get the Church back on course in every area of ministry it must begin with leadership. Every pastor has a responsibility to God Almighty to encourage, uplift and hold accountable every person we can starting with our fellow pastors!

I must confess, I was sorely disappointed in the number of pastors who showed up for the service at Mount Sterling. Every pastor has someone who can fill their pulpit for them. I know our people expect us to be there for every service but some things are important enough to require our presences. In my opinion this was one of those services. At some point we are going to have to do more than talk about unity. I don't think many of us realize what is at stake. We think we can stand alone. We can't, not for very long. And what happens to the Church when we die?

Brothers and Sisters hear my heart. I love the Lord, His church and all of you. We are in trouble on every level. Many believe the Lord is very near to returning. We can not let there be a falling away from God at this time in the life of the Church. We need to be excited, energized, striving to reach as many people for Christ as we can in these last days!

Will you join me in praying for one another. I have several ministers I call by name before the Lord everyday. Will you join me in praying for those around you. Let's lift one another up. Let's look for ways to encourage our brother and sister. Let's stand our ground and fight the good fight of faith. All of those who went before us are counting on us. All those who are coming after us are depending upon us.

Just something to think about.

Pastor Jordan

THANKSGIVING

noreply@blogger.com (Meade Station Blog) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:05:00 +0000

On November 27 , 2008 we will celebrate one of the days I always look forward to, Thanksgiving. Like many people, I have a lot of fond memories of Thanksgiving. As a boy growing up in rural Boyd County, Kentucky I, along with most of the boys in my area, would meet at the Stanley Kitchen Farm for a morning of rabbit hunting before our afternoon meal. We would have as many as ten boys to gather very early on those frosty mornings and begin our push on the local rabbit population. I never remember us killing very many rabbits but we always had a great time.

A little latter in my life, once I started dating my wife, and then for the first few years of our marriage, I would always have dinner with her family. They would have a crowd every year. My mother-in-law thought she had to feed everyone she knew. We ate in shifts and we men always ate the first shift. As soon as we were finished we headed for the TV and started watching the football games. Of course about half way through the second game we took another pass through the kitchen.

Upon moving to North Carolina we only made it home one time for Thanksgiving, the first year we were there. After that we celebrated Thanksgiving in North Carolina. We started a tradition of sorts. George and Peggy Foley who attended our church were also from Kentucky and our families had Thanksgiving together. A little later, Bret and Cindy Wood moved to our area from West Virginia and began attending our church. They too joined us at Thanksgiving. We always had a great time and as a result we built some very special relationships with those folks.

Through these experinces I came to learn that Thanksgiving is not about food, that is just an excuse to get together. Thanksgiving is about people, family, friends, brothers and sisters in Christ. That is the real joy of Thanksgiving, celebrating life with people we love.

As I have written in previous blogs, God has blessed my life with some wonderful people, far to many to name. Everywhere I look in my memeory I see special people and I am reminded once again how blessed I have been all of my life.

My Father is dead, my Mom has a rare brain disease and is unable to eat, my oldest son lives in NE Ohio and my sisiter lives in North Carolina and both of them are unable to come home sooooo I am back at mother-in-law's. My father-in-law has been gone many years but we do have Tyler with us and yes, my mother-in-law still thinks she has to feed everyone she knows so we will have a house full again. I hope I still rate for the first shift at the table because I don't want to miss anymore of the game than is necessary!!!

Have a great Thanksgiving and God bless!!!!!

Just something to think about.

Pastor Jordan

PRAYER AND FASTING STILL WORKS!

noreply@blogger.com (Meade Station Blog) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 00:54:00 +0000

On Sunday, September 21, 2008 I asked my congregation to join me in prayer and fasting for forty days. My reason for this appeal was simple, I needed God's help in my life and ministry.

Allow me to give you some background. First of all I have not felt well physically. I had a triple heart bypass in April 2007 and for some reason I can't get back on "top of my game". (I have now been told I may have another heart blockage. This news comes from a stress test I took on October 13. I see my cardiologist on October 31.) Secondly I have been in limbo in regards to my vision for our congregation. When I first arrived at Meade Station we were able to purchase 43 acres of property across the street from our worship facilities. At the time many in our congregation felt the Lord had given us this property so we could relocate to more modern and friendly facilities. It seems however that all of our efforts have been blocked. My first thought was the devil was fighting us. But the more I prayed about it I began to see that it was not the devil standing in our way. Rather I came to the conclusion God was telling me now was not the right time to build. The recent downturn in our economy only reinforces my conclusion. I firmly believe the day will come when we can relocate into new facilities but now is not the time. Since this is where so much of my focus has been the past five years I had to wonder "what now Lord?"

It was at this point I knew I needed the help of my congregation. Thus on September 21 I asked the congregation to join me in forty days of prayer and fasting. My request was three fold. First I asked them to pray for my physical health. In conjunction with that I also asked them for help in shouldering the load of ministry our congregation demands. Finally I asked them to pray that God would give our congregation a united vision and sense of ministry.

So far the results have been tremendous. Thirteen people have come forward to help me with hospital visitation. Another eight people have felt a call to visit newcomers and prospective visitors. Three people have stepped up to help with children's church. Two additional people have agreed to help with our youth and one person has agreed to fill one of the biggest needs in our church. On top of all this we have had some outstanding services these past few weeks. People are visiting our altars and the Holy Spirit is moving in our services. Our fast will end on the last day of October. I am anxious to see what God has in store for us!

I have been very impressed by the number of people who accepted my challenge to fast and pray. The instructions were simple. I asked each person who could and would to fast one meal each day and to spend the time they normally would spend eating in prayer for the aforementioned concerns. The results so far have been wonderful and I believe the best is yet to come.

I am convinced God answers prayer and we are seeing Him do it again. Do you have a need in your life? I urge you to follow this same format and see if God will not move on your behalf.

Just something to think about.

Pastor Jordan

No Way Out? Open My Eyes, Lord!

noreply@blogger.com (Meade Station Blog) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 16:54:00 +0000

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A LARGE PLACE

noreply@blogger.com (Meade Station Blog) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:00:00 +0000

I have gone to church most of my life. I have been a christian for nearly 34 years. I have been a pastor for 28 years. Needless to say I have read the Bible a lot. I am not an authority on the Bible in spite of my years of reading and study but I am a student of the Bible. After all these years I am still amazed at how we can dig treasures out of the Word of God that we have never seen before.

Psalm 118 verse 5 proved to be such a verse to me. My Sunday night sermons this year have come from the Psalms. I am not preaching from the Psalms verse by verse or even Psalm by Psalm but I have worked my way through the Psalms beginning with Psalm 1 and preaching on passages that I feel would be helpful to our congregation.

A few weeks ago I found myself at Psalm 118. As I began to study the Psalm I was intrigued by verse 5. It reads as follows: "I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large place." David is believed to be the author of this Psalm. He wrote this Psalm after experiencing a time in his life when he had been hotly pursued by his enemies and forsaken by his friends. Where could he go for help? Who could he turn to? It was in the midst of this dilemma that he remembered the mercy of God. Therefore he cried unto the Lord, the Lord heard him and the Lord answered him by setting him in a "large place". (You can listen to this message on this blog. It is entitled "The Mercy of God")

I have read this Psalm many, many times but I had never stopped to research what this "large place" meant. What I discovered has proved to be a blessing to me and to many other people these past few weeks. This "large place" is a spiritual place that only God can place us into. It is a place of three qualities. First it is a place of comfort. That is, it is a place where the weary soul can finally relax, be comforted, have his wounded heart, soul and mind tended to. A place where he can truly be refreshed and renewed. Secondly it is a safe place. Once a person enters this place with God the enemy can not break in and harm you any more. I illustrated it this way. When my son Tyler finally finished his enlistment in the Marine Corps he came home physically and emotionally battered by his two tours of duty in Iraq. Tyler saw a tremendous amount of combat and is the recipient of two Purple Hearts for combat wounds suffered. He was a bundle of nerves. He found it difficult to relax and it was almost impossible for him to sleep. I began to talk to him daily about the fact he was home. He was in daddy's house. No one could get to him. No one could harm him. He was safe! That is the kind of place represented by this large place. A place where the enemy can not get at us. Thirdly this large place is a place where we can truly be free. Do you remember how it was when you were a small child. You never questioned where your food came from or who paid the electric bill or if you would have clean clothes to wear the next day. You were able to live your life without fear or worry. You were free. That is the best way I know to describe this "large place". We just know that God is going to take care of us and all of our needs and we never question how He is going to do this.

The beauty of this "large place" is the fact that it is available to all of God's children. It is a place any of us can enter into with Him when we feel the world is caving in around us. I have been amazed since I preached this message as to how many people have been blessed by this thought.

Is your life in a state of turmoil right now? Do you wish you could run away from your problems but you know that is not possible? Then let me suggest that you begin to pray and ask God to take you into His "large place". Make time each day for prayer, study and meditation. Make the time to pour your heart out to God and give Him the time necessary to minister to your heart and soul and see if God won't give you the peace, hope and sense of purpose you now lack. See if He won't take you into His "large place" and minister to you and your needs as only He can.

Just something to think about.

Pastor Jordan

A Sanctified Church

noreply@blogger.com (Meade Station Blog) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 19:50:00 +0000

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Faithful Stewards

noreply@blogger.com (Meade Station Blog) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:06:00 +0000

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WHO WILL SPEAK FOR US?

noreply@blogger.com (Meade Station Blog) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:47:00 +0000

On Friday July 25, 2008 a great servant of God and His Church passed from our midst, Dr. John W. Conley. Dr. Conley was was a great preacher and a great friend of preachers. He will be sorely missed by many people.

John Conley is the most recent great statesman the Church of God has lost in the last five years. A number of our great preachers and leaders have gone onto Heaven and they have left behind them a huge void that somehow needs to be filled. To say the Church of God suffers from a leadership crisis would be a gross understatement. It appears to me we are sorely lacking the type of individuals who have the name recognition among the Church as a whole and who has the overwhelming respect of the majority of our pastors to stand before us in times of upheaval or crisis and say, "This is the way we should go" and have an overwhelming majority of people agree with them and follow them and that person be right!

I vividly recall my first North Carolina General Assembly meeting. The people in attendance were wrangling over an issue that had been bothersome to them for quite some time. Being brand new in the State I had know idea what all the fuss was about but it was very obvious to me that several people were very passionate about the issue being discussed and no more than two of them could agree on any single point. I couldn't help but wonder what I had walked into. I had no idea who any of these people were and why this was such a big issue. After some time a gentleman in the back of the sanctuary asked to be recognized and was so recognized by the chairman. The gentleman stood to his feet and began to speak in a very even, sure voice. He was not upset. He was not emotional. He had simply been listening and assessing all the points of view that were being voiced on the matter at hand. In essence he stated he had been listening to all the different points of view and in his opinion he laid out very simply what he thought the Assembly should do. Everyone listened. More importantly everyone calmed down. What this man said made more sense than anything else that was being proposed. Someone made a motion to do what this good brother suggested and the motion passed overwhelmingly! The brother who stood and spoke was Forrest Plants, Senior Pastor of Hickory First Church of God. He had been in the state for many years and he had a proven track record with the Assembly members.

Such a person is what we are so sorely lacking on the national level at this current time. This is a common topic among pastors when we get together. People are very concerned for the future of the Church and we are floundering without the solid leadership we enjoyed in years past. I have been told by older ministers who are among those that have passed away that there was a time in Anderson when a contentious subject would arise in our national assembly and someone like Dr. Dale Oldham or Dr. Boyce Blackwelder could stand and speak and enjoy the respect and sentiment of those in attendance.

Who will replace the John Conleys, the O.L. Johnsons and the others we have lost in recent years? How can someone rise to their prominence in the Church today? Pastor Danny Goins and I discussed this very subject just yesterday during a chance meeting at the local hospital. Brother Goins has an interesting and valid opinion on this matter. He feels one of the reasons we no longer have people who enjoy the majority's respect as in days past is because we have no way of introducing our best and brightest to the Church as a whole. Years ago this was accomplished through our camp meetings and local church revivals. I think he is exactly right! Many of the people that come to my mind were great camp meeting and revival preachers. They went from place to place declaring the great message of the Church of God and people got behind them and their message. The vast majority of our congregations no longer host revival meetings. Furthermore our pastors no longer encourage attendance to camp meeting services and as a result camp meetings all across the country are dying.

These two trends are not so much the fault of the laity as it is of the pastors. If a pastor doesn't promote camp meeting people won't go. On the other hand if a pastor promotes camp meeting and people do go they almost always enjoy themselves immensely! They not only enjoy the services but they enjoy being with God's people. The same is true of revival meetings. When I was a child local congregations supported one another. We attended and participated in one anothers revival services. No more. Why? Are we afraid if we promote someone elses meeting we may lose some of our people to that host church? Are we so insecure that we think our people will hear better preaching than what they are accustomed to hearing at the home church? To me such thinking is carnal and childish. I came to the conclusion a long time ago that whatever church I pastor will never be "everyones cup of tea." Some will like what is served and stay and others will not like what is served and move on. That is life. Grow up and get over it!! There are much more important things at stake than our egos.

So I come back to my original question, who will speak for us, us being the majority of the church, those who have "seen the Church" and want to see the Church go forward in holiness and power? Church we need to pray for our leaders, both present and future. We need to plead with the Lord to raise up individuals who we can get behind and support. Men and women who will have the mind of Christ and a heart for God. Who will they be?

Just something to think about.

Pastor Jordan

The Mercy of God

noreply@blogger.com (Meade Station Blog) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:11:00 +0000

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TRULY GOD TAKES CARE OF US.

noreply@blogger.com (Meade Station Blog) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 18:17:00 +0000

I was reminded yesterday how true it is that God watches over His children. When I arrived home from my office yesterday afternoon I went into my house, changed clothes, and went to a piece of property next door to mine that belongs to my mother-in-law with the intention of mowing the grass. Once I got on the riding mower, which is a 27 horse power lawn tractor, I realized the left front tire was nearly flat. Now I have a portable air compressor but a neighbor, that was much nearer, also has one. He and I often help each other out so I rode the mower across the road to his place and sought his assistance. Upon hearing my problem he plugged his compressor in, aired it up, which in turn made it possible for me to pump up my tire. Upon completing my task I said my goodbyes and started to leave. Now my neighbor lives on the side of a hill and I went down over the hill in high gear which I soon discovered was way to fast . I quickly lost control of the mower when it slid sideways on the embankment. Miraculously the mower did not turn over. It should have, but it didn't. I was thrown off the seat with my right leg on the mowing deck and my left leg wedged between the dash and the gear shift. I am scratched, bruised and sore but I could have been seriously injured.

I have a saying that I have used for years, "God takes care of those who don't have enough sense to take care of themselves." I know this is true because I have proven it to myself many times over the years. When I had my heart attack last year at Kentucky Lake I checked myself out of the hospital at Paducah and drove 400 miles the next day in order to get back home. When I had my heart catherization done a few days later they wouldn't let me up to walk for fear I would have a heart attack I was so plugged up!!! God takes care of those who don't have enough sense to take care of themselves!!! I could tell you many more stories but I won't bore you with much of my life.

My point is simple, God does take care of us and I praise Him for it. God has been so good to me down through the years. He has not only watched over me but He has met my every need. As a matter of fact when I now have a need in my life I do all I can in my power to meet that need but if my efforts are not enough I don't panic like I used to because I know God will come through for me. He always has and I believe He always will as long as I maintain my integrity before Him. This is not a privilege I exploit or take for granted but it is a privilege I know is real for God has proven Himself to me in this way many, many times.

Not only does God take care of me but I also know He always has my best interest at heart. I am convinced He wants me to enjoy life but He is constantly looking out for my well being. It is like He has given me a great big lawn to play in but He is always keeping His eye on me so I don't stray out of yard and into trouble. To me that is awesome!!!!

God does this for all of His children. He loves us all equally. He watches over us to bless us and to protect us. How about you my friend? Has God come to your rescue lately? If so be sure to share your story with someone else so they will know how great the God is that you serve and don't forget to praise Him for all he has done.

Just something to think about.

Pastor Jordan

A PERSON OF FAITH REMAINING FAITHFUL

noreply@blogger.com (Meade Station Blog) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:54:00 +0000

This past week my thoughts kept going back to two popular Bible characters from the Old Testament, Joshua and Caleb. I have always been encouraged by the faith they displayed upon returning from spying out the land of Canaan with the other ten spies Moses sent into the land as recorded in Numbers 13. They stood in opposition to the recommendation made by the ten not to cross over Jordan and take the land the Lord had promised to them. Joshua and Caleb believed with all their hearts that God would give them victory over the inhabitants of the land and restore to them the land God had promised Abraham over four centuries before their time.

I am sure most of you know the outcome of this story. The people listened to the ten in spite of Joshua and Caleb's pleading to the contrary and as a result the Israelites were banished to the wilderness for forty years.

The thing that is most striking about Joshua and Caleb for me is the faithfulness they displayed over the rest of their lifetimes. In their heart of hearts they knew they were right concerning their report yet they endured the punishment of the wilderness along with the rest of the nation believing by faith that someday they would receive the inheritance promised them in Canaan. No one would have blamed them if they had thrown up their hands in disgust and left the camp. They could have taken what belonged to them and their families and struck out on their own and found somewhere else to settle far away from these weak, whining countrymen of theirs. But they did not. To the contrary they stayed the course and suffered through the next forty years as faithful servants of God. They did not complain. They did not cause problems. They did not instigate a petition against the leadership of their people. They simply trusted and served God faithfully for the next forty years.

In a time of God's own choosing, they as a nation, once again came to the banks of the Jordan River and God told them the time had come to cross over. The lesson for disobedience had been learned. Joshua the faithful servant was now at the helm of the people. He and Caleb were the only two men of fighting age from the original number of men who had fled Egypt that survived. They were now going to reap their reward for their faithfulness. Their perseverance is one of the greatest stories in the Bible. In my mind their faithfulness is more remarkable than their initial display of faith.

I have known many people who were both people of faith and people who were faithful. It seems that in each of the four congregations I have pastored over the past twenty eight years there have been people who have displayed this type of Godly character. They have faced great obstacles in their faith, they have weathered some great storms in their lives but they have remained faithful and God has blessed them in some wonderful ways. Church members who feasted on the memories of the past who trusted God through some tough days believing that even greater days were ahead. Wives who endured a lot of heartache at the hands of unbelieving husbands holding on to the faith that some day those same husbands would worship the Lord alongside them. Parents that refused to give up on an adult child that had been reared in the church but believed they knew better than Mom and Dad.

Many of us have exercised faith in times past. But that is not enough. We must also be faithful if we are to reap the reward God has in store for us. It is my desire to be faithful until the end. I do not want to be known for some solitary act of faith in my life when I die. No, I want to be known as a faithful servant of the Lord for the whole of my life. I want to leave behind an example my children and grandchildren can follow. I am not concerned with the accolades of men, I am concerned for the eternal well being of my loved ones. My greatest treasure in Heaven will be my wife, my children, my grandchildren and everyone else that God has given me the privilege to impact along this highway we call life. I am convinced the best way to accomplish that is to simply remain faithful to the Lord day by day by day until that final day on this earth comes for me.

How about you my friend? Are you faithful to the Lord each and every day? Are you pleased with the witness you display to those nearest to you? More importantly is God pleased with your witness and your faithfulness to Him?

Just something to think about.

Pastor Jordan

Will We Allow The Church of God In America To Die?

noreply@blogger.com (Meade Station Blog) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 14:44:00 +0000

During the week of June 22, 2008 I had the privilege of attending the North American Convention (NAC) of the Church of God. I arrived on Monday evening in time to attend the evening worship service and had the delightful experience of sharing the service with one of the pastors that I used to serve alongside of in Northeast Ohio.

The North American General Assembly of the Church of God (GA) convened at 8:15 am on Tuesday morning. As the first session began I was taken aback by how few people were in attendance compared to just a few years ago. I was unable to attend in 2006 due to my schedule and I missed last year due to my triple by-pass heart surgery. I am sure the drop off in attendance has been a gradual thing but having missed the past two years made the lack of attendance more noticeable to me. Back in the 1980's when I first started attending the GA it was not unusual to have 1200-1300 people in attendance. This was before provisions were made for congregational lay representatives to be allowed to vote. That change in our by-laws did not come about until the mid 1990's. I suppose we could potentially have 6000-7000 people eligible to vote in a GA today if everyone was in attendance.

As I sat in Reardon Auditorium that morning I couldn't help but notice all of the empty seats. I can remember one year when I and many other eligible voters had to sit in the balcony because there were not enough seats on the main floor. When a vote was taken during that session we had to come down to the main floor in order to be recognized.

The vote on our Annual Budget was taken on Wednesday morning as our by-laws call for. This is one of the most important items on our agenda each GA. This year there was less than 500 people present to vote. That for me was SHOCKING! It was hard to believe. Less than 500 people voted on a budget that impacts over 2200 congregations!

This lack of attendance begs the question, "Where have all the people gone?" As I stated earlier this decline in attendance has been taking place over a period of 15 years. It is the result of several factors. One: there has been a lot of dissatisfaction with the leadership of the Church over the past several years. My experience only goes back to 1985 so I am not aware of what might have happened prior to that time but I know that in the late 1980's a lot of controversy was swirling about Warner Press. As a result of the decisions that were made we lost Warner Press in the 1990's and when we did we lost a real treasure that had been a part of the Church of God Reformation Movement from its inception. This loss caused a lot of pain. A second decision of leadership that caused a lot of controversy was a study that was conducted by Leith Anderson. This study suggested that we completely restructure ourselves on a national level. The proposal of the study was adopted but it was not without grave reservations on a lot of people's part and it would appear our national leaders still struggle with this structure today. Then of course there was the infamous "homosexual" vote that was taken in the 1990's. A small group of people petitioned the business committee as allowed by the by-laws to have a vote on allowing homosexual ministers in the Church. This was voted down by an astronomical amount but the damage was done. It had gotten to the floor, something some of us never thought would happen. I mean how could it happen? We are the Church of God! Right? And then of course there was the failure of the Board of Church Extension. Millions of dollars were lost on speculative investments. Trusting congregations and individuals alike were duped by "church" leaders! How did this happen? How could it happen?

These things have taken a toll on the Church and consequently on the GA. But these are not the only things responsible for the lack of attendance. It is my observation that a number of our pastors have bought into the philosophy of other groups and other church leaders such as Bill Hybels and Rick Warren to name just two. Out of this mind set has come a disassociation with the Church of God. It would appear to me these pastors often lose a sense of allegiance to the Church of God. They still want to be recognized by our Movement but they want to "do" church like these other groups. The sad thing is it appears they often develop an "independent" spirit about themselves that insulates them from their fellow pastors and sister congregations.

This brings me to the third group in my observation and that is those pastors who are staunch traditionalist and who are close minded to doing anything differently than it was done say forty years ago. My biggest problem with this group is they sometimes seem to manifest a "holier than thou" attitude. They would want us to believe they are super spiritual. This attitude is just as divisive and destructive as the the aforementioned group. They too want to be recognized by the Church while they manifest themselves in ways that are totally contrary to the basic tenants of our teaching in regards to love and unity.

And finally we have a group of young ministers coming on who have never been exposed to the bigger picture of the Church. Their lack of participation is not entirely their fault. We older pastors who should have been mentoring these young ministers have failed them in not encouraging them to become a part of this aspect of the Church. We desperately need to begin to show a greater interest in our young ministers and take them under our wings so they can better understand and appreciate the larger church.

In addition to these things there is the big change in the camp meeting itself. With the demolition of Warner Auditorium we have been forced into the Wellness Center. I must confess it is nice to have air conditioning but the atmosphere is not conducive to camp meeting. We used to have 8000 people per night in attendance most every night some years ago and an overflow crowd on Wednesday night of 12,000-14,000, the night we commissioned our missionaries. Now we have less than 3000 people a service, far less than the combined total attendance of our two largest congregations in Anderson. Someone in the GA said NAC stood for "not a camp meeting". It sure feels as if they are correct! Something must be done to change this perception and if we would put our heads and resources together something could be done, of this I am certain. I am also certain the "loss" of Anderson Camp Meeting has had a huge impact on the GA attendance.

I came away from the NAC and the GA with the deep concern and belief that if we don't do something soon the Church of God as I have known it will die in just a few more years. If that happens what will be left? We will have a group of loosely associated congregations left to their own devices and their own vision for ministry. Without some accountability to one another we too will die in time. We can not and must not allow this great Movement to die. The only way to make sure that doesn't happen is to re-involve ourselves in the life of the Church. We need to be present to voice our approval on the things we agree with and to voice our disapproval on the things we don't agree with and be willing to offer alternative suggestions. Sticking our heads in the sand is not an option. Going our own way is to turn our backs on those who went before us and paid such a great price for us to enjoy what we do today.

I am urging every person who reads this blog to join with me in praying for the Church of God Reformation Movement. In order to be effective in our prayers we must also pray for our national leaders and out state and local leaders. We also must be willing to come alongside these brothers and sisters to help and encourage them in the work God has given them to do.

Will the Church of God in America die? It will if we don't take a genuine, biblical interest in her. Some people believe this can never happen. Open your eyes. It is happening and it is happening because we have allowed Satan to distract us with our pet grievances and/or independent spirit. Please my brothers and sisters I plead with you today, do not let the Church of God die or even diminish another iota on our watch. Lets do what must be done to make her strong once again!!!!

Just something to think about.

Pastor Jordan