The Trestle

When I squirrel hunted as a kid, my grandfather and I would walk up a set of railroad tracks to hunt in the Big Black Swamp. Our walk "up the tracks" was normally around a mile or so with several "trestles" along the way. In case you didn't know, a "trestle" is nothing more than a bridge over a low lying area that could include a marsh, river, or creek.

Many trestle's are high off the ground, and if you get caught on one when a train comes, you either have to jump off the trestle or else get run over by the train! And a jump from 30-40 feet in the air could prove to be "uncomfortable!"

My grandfather would never walk across a trestle. We always walked underneath the trestle across a dried up creek or waded thru a shallow stream.  Even though I never saw a train on those RR tracks headed to our favorite squirrel hunting spot, my grandfather said that the chance was too great that we would meet a train while on the trestle and therefore have to jump...a chance he didn't want to take with his young grandson.

Many christians are taking chances today by walking across "trestles" and hoping that a train doesn't come. For example:

-Married folks who spend too much time with the opposite sex and "hoping" that they can remain pure and devoted to their spouse.

-Hanging with the wrong crowd and "hoping" that they don't get sucked into a secular lifestyle, instead of drawing some boundaries and becoming the "influencer" instead of the "influenced."

-Taking some "time off" from worship and fellowship with other believers and "hoping" that your spiritual journey is not effected.

My grandfather knew that the small amount of time that we would save by "walking the trestle" was not worth the chance of getting run over by a train!

Are we walking "spiritual trestles" and taking chances with our discipleship?

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What if there's a bigger picture?

On March 10, 2011 in Columbia, Mississippi - I got my opportunity to shake hands with someone who from the very first time I heard his music, I was hooked - he is christian singer Matthew West. My wife Courtney & I attended his concert at Woodlawn Church in Columbia, Mississippi and we both left inspired to continue doing what we can to make a difference in our world at large as Christians.

The concept of Matthew West's new album "The Story of Your Life" was to take as many stories as people would send him about what was going on in their life and to turn those stories into powerful songs that would allow you to walk in the shoes of someone else and to most importantly understand how God fits into everyone's story and everyone's life. I personally feel that people's lives are changed when people hear about how other people's lives are changed. You gather insight on yourself when you are looking outward and you are completely open to any and everything. Matthew talked about how important Philippians 4:13 is to him and his daily walk with god. Philippians 4:13 says "I can do all this through him who gives me strength." We all need uplifted and we all need the strength to make it through the trials and tribulations life WILL have for us - but, if we put Jesus Christ first, he will provide us the strength to take us through it all.

The biggest message that I take away every time I listen to Matthew West is that we as Christians need to be reaching out to everyone - all the time. The sick, homeless, those with disabilities, our friends, family, strangers, church members, etc. the list can go on and on......

Each one of us needs to be the hands, feet, arms, and the heart of Jesus daily. In the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible, the word "Love" is used over 500 times. I think the message is quite clear on how we need to apply that word to our daily life. Check out Matt's song "My Own Little World" - inside the song is the daily message we all need to sing everyday.

What if there's a bigger picture?
What if I'm missing out?
What if there's a greater purpose?
I could be living right now
Outside my own little world
Start breaking my heart for what breaks yours
Give me open hands and open doors
Put your light in my eyes and let me see
that my own little world is not about me

Below is the video of this song

Mission Opportunity

Bro. Jerry has been talking a lot lately about applying what you learn in the Bible and not just going to church, but being the hands and feet of Jesus. I know it can be hard to get out of our comfort zone, especially when our focus has been on helping the homeless lately - that is not a mission with a pretty face. HOWEVER, We Will Go (one of the ministries Bro. Jerry has been talking about wanting our class to get involved in) is a great place to start getting out there. They are having a big "need help getting this 2 1/2 page to-do list done" work day on Saturday, 01/15/2011, from 9-1. I am not sure what is on their to-do list for this weekend, but it can be anything from painting a house to plumbing to organizing their clothing "store".

If anyone is interested in coming and helping out, please give me a call at 601-201-6745. We can meet up in the parking lot behind First Baptist Jackson (the one where their gym is) and carpool/caravan to We Will Go. We would need to leave First Baptist by 8:45.

Thanks - Courtney