Even in the midst of great uncertainty there is a sense of excitement about an opportunity to make a difference for the Lord. The circumstances in which we find ourselves offer that type of opportunity. Yesterday we talked about how a believer should respond to this economic crisis. It is important for us to pray and you can go to our website and find information about our thirty days of prayer. That will be available on the website tomorrow afternoon. Secondly, we need to trust the Lord. The situation in our country demands that we put our complete trust in Him. It must be more than verbiage. It is trust with a capital T. Thirdly, this is a great time to invest in the lives of people. Most people are not going to approach this time of economic uncertainty from a Christian perspective. This is a chance for us to speak a powerful word into the lives of those around us. Fourthly, we need to unapologetically share the gospel. We do not need to talk in generalities, but we need to share that Jesus is the answer and that there is nothing more important than knowing Him as Savior and Lord . In the coming days, I am going to share with you some other things that we can do as Christians and citizens. In the meantime, my prayer is that people will see in your life and in mine our clear dependence upon the Lord.

Politicians are constantly talking about change.  The events of the past few days confirm that we are going  through a time of change whether we like it or not.  As a nation we have become so caught up in our materialism that we have a hard time thinking about anything else.

I believe that we are about to learn a lot about ourselves and about our country.  This will cause us to examine afresh our priorities and our values.  We desperately need change but it is not the kind that our politicians are including in their talking points.  We need a revival.  Our nation needs to return to a dependence on the Lord.

While these are challenging days, I believe this is an exciting time of opportunity for the followers of Jesus Christ.  It is a time when people of integrity, commitment, courage and faith will stand and be the light that shines in the darkness.  I am very optimistic about the opportunities that we will have as believers to provide the only answer to the problems that we face.  It begins and ends with a personal relationship with the Lord.

Now is not the time to follow the crowd or just state the standard line.  We talk a lot about God but now we have the chance to show those around us how we flesh out that relationship.  Most of us do not fully understand all of the ramifications of what is happening in the global economy but I have no doubt who holds the future.  Now is the time for us to share that with others.

We can be an effective agent of change when we share the change that Jesus has made in our lives.

Today is my Dad’s 83rd birthday. I went to Atlanta to spend some time with him today and will be back this evening. I have been blessed with great parents who love the Lord and have been tremendously supportive of my sister and myself.  It is always good to be able to spend some time with them.

When I got there this morning, my Dad had not returned from his hospital visitation.  Every Wednesday he gets the list and covers the hospitals for those in his church. My folks have always been extremely humble and have had a great commitment of service for the Lord. My folks have been a great role model for me and every time I return from a visit I come back ashamed because I believe I am not doing all I should be for the kingdom. I also come back challenged.  I am very aware of so many areas where I can be a better leader and a better pastor.  I am fortunate to have them as role models. They love our church and are constantly interested in what’s going on in the life of our fellowship.

It is just another reminder to me of the tremendous opportunity that God has given to us.  On the way home I have listened to the radio. The news is all about the challenging day in which we live.  I thought to myself that my folks know what it means to live for Christ under any circumstance. We should follow this pattern and be looking for opportunities to say clearly to the world that our only victory is in Christ.