LIGHTHOUSE BAPTIST CHURCH
Pastor's Page
Pastor and Mrs. Robinson
have been married for thirteen years.
Rev. Brian Robinson is the founding pastor of
Lighthouse Baptist Church in Chester, West Virginia. He was born and raised in Hancock County and is a 1990 graduate of Weir Senior High School. He is a graduate of WVNCC, Trinity Baptist College (Jacksonville, Fl), and Southern California Seminary (online). He has been ordained to the ministry since 1998 and has been the pastor of
Lighthouse Baptist Church since September 2000.
Pastor Brian C. Robinson Favorite Book: The Bible
Favorite Food: Shrimp
Favorite Restaurant: Red Lobster
Favorite Drink: Diet Pepsi
Favorite Sport's Team: Pittsburgh Steelers
Favorite Junk Food: Peanut M&M's
Would Like To Live: Near the Beach
Would Like To Visit: Israel
Enjoys: Walking in the woods during Autumn
Frequently Used Saying: "How's My
Favorite Church Member Doing Today?"
Age: 37
Pastor Robinson's Blog Not My Favorite Thing To Do But What I Must Do July 12, 2010 – It certainly isn’t something I intend to cause division but sometimes division comes with the territory of defending doctrine. As pastor of Whether we like it or not, doctrinal differences result in division. This is why there exist so many different denominations. The I’m a Baptist minister because I believe the Baptist doctrine is correct. If I didn’t, then I should be the pastor of a church in a denomination that believes what I believe. I do believe that Heaven will consist of believers from all denominations and in Heaven doctrine will no longer divide Christians. But right now, I am not in Heaven. I am still upon this earth with an obligation to keep unity within the assembly that God has called me to pastor. Scripture is very clear that God desires doctrinal unity within His churches (Acts 2:42; Rom. 16:17; 1 Cor. 14:26; Eph. 4:14; 1 Tim. 1:3; 4:13; 2 Tim. 4:2). Can we unite for just causes when our doctrines disagree? We certainly can. We can unite in the fight against abortion. We can take a stand against homosexuality. We can unite in the fight against world hunger. We can unite together at a Billy Graham Crusade for the preaching of the Gospel. But because He is not the author of confusion (1 Cor. 14:33), God asks of us to do all things decently and in order (1 Cor. 14:40) within our churches. So when it comes to assembling together as a body of believers, I believe we are called to be united in doctrine. This is why I ask those wanting to join Lighthouse to verbally inform me that he or she is in agreement with the church’s doctrine. This is why I also ask of non-members to refrain from voicing any doctrinal differences in a church setting and to attend elsewhere if that isn’t something he or she feels comfortable doing. Regardless of the denomination, I believe the Lord is honored when a body of believers is united in doctrine. Therefore, with no intentions to hurt anyone’s feelings, it is my utmost desire to keep Thanks: The Blood of Jesus An All-Around Good Year
June 7, 2010 - I have enjoyed sharing my many memories with you over the past months as we approach the church’s 10th Anniversary. As I’ve pondered all of these memories along with the ones you have been sharing in our church services, I can’t help but praise the Lord for all He has done! In this post, I want to take some time to thank my wife, Amy, for her faithfulness to me, to our family, and to our church. She has been willing to sacrifice her time and her talent in order to help the church succeed. Throughout the years, she has kept me encouraged to continue pastoring Lighthouse Baptist Church at times when I’d rather do anything but pastor. Without complaint, she graciously allowed me to work many, many, many hours on the church building renovation and many more on my master’s degree. In spite of her health conditions, Amy keeps a positive attitude about the Lord and about life which in turn, makes serving the Lord and life itself so much more enjoyable. So to my wife, Amy I send out a big THANK YOU and I LOVE YOU. I’m so glad the Lord brought you into my life!
We Interrupt This Program:
It has been a great joy sharing memories from the past 10 years and I plan to continue to do so in the weeks and months ahead. But life has been interrupted recently with Amy's health and our housing situation. Recently Amy was sent to a doctor at Cleveland Clinic for her heart. She is currently on a heart event monitor and will be returning to Cleveland Clinic in May at which time the doctor will decide which path of treatment is best for Amy. And while all of this is going on, we are in the process of moving into the church parsonage where we will live until we find a new house to buy. So life is busy, busy, busy and I'm depending on the Lord to get us through all of this. I keep trying to concentrate on one thing at a time and I keep repeating Matthew 11:28-30 to myself. So far, so good. But most importantly - God is good!
Memories Continued:
April 2010 - Over the years we've done some different things to make ourselves known to the community. One year we decided to sell items at the flea market held at Clark's Field in Newell. I can't remember how much money we made but we ended up with more items than we started with. Another person at the Flea Market had decided to give us their stuff at the end of the day. What makes this so memorable is that one of the items given to us was a rubber girdle. Hahahahahahahahaha! I got such a good laugh over that rubber girdle. I didn't even know they made such a thing! I can't imagine it to be comfortable to wear. I thought about wrapping it up and giving it to someone as a Christmas present. The look on the person's face would have been priceless.
Memories:
March 2010 - In September, Lighthouse Baptist Church will celebrate its Tenth Anniversary. Over the next six months I am going to use my blog to share some of my favorite memories of the past 10 years. Some will be funny and others will be serious but all of these memories exist because of the wonderful grace of our Lord Jesus Christ Who has made the past 10 years possible. Thank you Jesus! Please note, that during the first four years of LBC's existence, we rented the Masonic Temple on First Street in Chester. We created many memories at this location.
* One Sunday morning, without any warning, our oldest daughter (who was about 2 years old) started
her bout with the stomach flu in the presence of all those who were standing around following the
morning service. I never seen a group of Baptists move so fast in all my life! (lol).
* Our fist baptisms were given in a blow-up kiddie pool.
* We once had no heat in the dead of winter for about 3 weeks.
* I once was cussed out by one of the Masonic Lodge members. He claimed I had messed up the
building. I was grateful to learn later that this member was suffering from Alzeimer's and I was
instructed to disregard his ill behavior. Shwew!
* Of course, there is the infamous phone call from the police who had received a call from the
neighbors claiming they were hearing "strange noises" coming from the Masonic Temple. Upon
arriving at the Masonic Temple, I was met by two police officers who made me enter the building
first. What's up with that? Anyways, it turned out that we had left our cordless microphone
receiver on and it was picking up karaoke from the local bar. This would explain why the neighbors
reported hearing someone singing, "You've lost that lovin' feelin'."
__________________
* For a short period of time an elderly lady attended our church who would show up in some
interesting outfits. Once she showed up in a pair of very tight chaps. But the most
memorable time was the day she showed up in a dress that was very "see through" and was also
unbuttoned in the back clear down to her buttox. Thankfully one of our ladies helped her get that
buttoned up.
* A classic memory took place when we held a candlelight service around Christmas time. We sang
our hymns with candles lit and then blew them out prior to shaking hands. My sermon was going
to be preached following the handshaking but a few people thought the service was over, put on
their coats and walked out the door. That was the first time anyone left before I preached...lol.
* One year we did a summer activity for the entire church with a Christmas theme. We called
it "Christmas in July." We had games for the kids and adults along with a dinner. We sang
Christmas carols and had several prizes given away. With about 10 minutes left in the activity, a
few people showed up thinking we were having a "Christmas in July" yard sale. They were
disappointed that we had nothing for sale but I decided to count them in our attendance total.
* We once had someone in the church show up for the morning service with their dog. In case
you are wondering....I didn't count the dog as part of our attendance. :-)
___________________
* Renovating our church building has brought some interesting stories...Sam Muskgrove and Ryan
Meyer were helping me in the basement one day when they came across a tiny bat. I HATE
BATS!! So they decided to grab a hold of it and chase me around the building. They greatly enjoyed
hearing me scream like a girl.
* Being that the church building was once heated with a coal furnace, the attic of the church building
was filled with coal dust. It was impossible to renovate the building without getting covered in the
coal dust. One day I came home from working in the church building covered from head to toe
with coal dust. As I approached the front door of our house, my wife had a very strange look on her
face. Turned out, she didn't recognize me and thought me to be a very dark skinned man coming into
the house. She was ready to call 911.
____________________
* This past Sunday, my father-in-law enjoyed sharing his memory of the time he removed the batteries from
the television remote control when we were showing a movie at church. When I went to shut off the tv...of
course, it wouldn't work and I couldn't figure out why. He got the biggest laugh out of that. As he was
telling his memory, I couldn't help but to remember one about him. He has a habit of falling asleep anytime
he sits down somewhere - including church. During one Sunday evening service he fell asleep. Determined
to let him sleep and get some "beauty" rest, we decided to leave him there. So, after everyone left, I turned
off all the lights but one, locked the doors, and headed home. I can't remember how long it was before he
woke up but I often wish I could have seen the look on his face when he woke up and realized church was
over and all the people were gone. I hope God has instant replay of such events in Heaven :-)
Because I Love Him
March 1, 2010 - At the end of the Gospel of John, Jesus asks Peter to prove his love for Him by spiritually feeding His sheep. Likewise, we who minister are called to do the same - prove our love for Jesus by ministering to His people. At times, it is my love for Jesus that is the only reason I stay in ministry. In ministry, I have discovered that you will always have someone who is happy with you and someone who is upset with you. Pastoring a church can be a great and rewarding experience and a discouraging and frustrating experience at the same time! "Good grief! Why bother?" I sometimes think. After pondering this question for a little while, the Holy Spirit always brings me back to those verses in John (21:16) where Jesus instructs Peter to do ministry because he loves Jesus. When I want to quit ministry, the Holy Spirit uses those verses to ask me, "Do you love Jesus?" "Well, yes I love Jesus." "Then continue doing the ministry I've called you to do." And so I do...simply because I love Jesus! Will you continue ministry out of your love for Jesus?
Serving Together
February 8, 2010 - The first part of 1 Corinthians 3:9 states, “For we are labourers together with God.” The Apostle Paul wanted the Christians in
January 11, 2010 - In my office at the Magistrate’s Court, I am surrounded by thousands of files that contain important information about every person who has committed a crime in
Doing It From Your Heart
December 21, 2009 - Every once in a while I’m asked if I love being a pastor. Certainly there are several aspects of the job that I do love but I don’t think I can honestly say that I completely love being a pastor. You see, pastoring, like some other occupations, requires your heart to be involved in what you do. Now, you and I both know that anytime our hearts have to be involved in what we are doing - whether it is in an occupation, in a relationship, or in a hobby - we make ourselves vulnerable to disappointment, discouragement, or even depression. Pastoring can be a rewarding occupation but it can also be a very disappointing and discouraging occupation. It is exciting when you get to influence someone to become a believer in and a follower of Jesus Christ but it is also quite discouraging when your influence has no impact on someone who is making a complete wreck of his or her life. It is exciting to build relationships with your congregants but it is very disappointing when they decide to sparingly attend church, or without warning decide to walk out of your church and out of your life. It is exciting to have every pew filled but it is disappointing when only half the congregation attends an important church event that you’ve spent many hours planning. It is exciting when God’s people rally together to help out someone in need but quite frustrating when the person helped fails to be thankful and appreciative for God’s people. It is exciting to have my wife help me in my ministry and it is very saddening when my wife gets mistreated by those we minister to. So what am I to do? Should I quit allowing my heart to get involved in ministry? Is that even really possible? Perhaps for some it is possible but for me it is not. So I shall continue pastoring from my heart because I want to genuinely and sincerely serve my Lord and minister to the people He has given me. Are you serving God from your heart?
December 10, 2009 - O.k. so another year is just about over. In retrospect, this year has been a great year for me! The Pittsburgh Steelers won the Super Bowl in February and the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup in June. Now I know that doesn't fall into the spiritual realm, but I have to admit that it is always a good year when your favorite sports teams win a national title! Spiritually speaking, it has been a great year as well. I've grown a lot in my spiritual journey this year (thanks in part to the books of John Eldredge) and I feel that I know God better than I ever have. I am greatly amazed at who God is and I never get over how much He loves me! The church has also had a great year with several salvations and baptisms, the addition of new families, great attendances, and generous financial contributions. God has been good to my family and I this year as well! I can't thank Him enough for His provision, protection, and help that He has given us all year long. Being the pessimist I tend to be...I'm a little worried that the goodness experienced in 2009 may be the calm before the storm of 2010. I pray it ain't so and I am going to choose to believe someone's response to my statement....the goodness of 2009 may be the beginning of the great things to come in 2010. Now that is a better attitude....an attitude I should embrace. Regardless of what 2010 will bring....we Christians can each count on one thing....Jesus will be with us (Heb. 13:5)!
What Was That All About?
November 1, 2009 - Determining God's will is at times one of the most difficult tasks to accomplish in our Christian lives. Recently, I shared with my congregation what to do when trying to determine God's will for your life. First, you should enlist others to pray with you about the decision. Epaphras (Col. 4:12) was described as one who was praying for the complete will of God to be accomplished in the lives of the Christians in Colossae. Likewise, we need dependable Christians praying for God to show us His will. Second, you should wait until you come to the point when you can say without any hesitation that you believe what you are about to do is God's will. The Apostle Paul had no doubts about God's will for his life (Rom. 11:13; Eph. 1:1; Col. 1:1; 2 Tim. 1:1). God's will for Paul was for him to be an apostle to the Gentiles. And third, ask God to shut any doors of opportunity He doesn't want you to go through. Paul desired to preach the Gospel throughout the world yet it was not God's will for Paul to go to Bithynia (Acts 16:7). Sometimes we may discover that even though we and those praying with us have peace about us doing what we believe God would have us to do, God doesn't want us to go through the open door. If that is the case, then we must let Him shut it. And be willing to accept it as God's will rather than a missed opportunity. After all, doesn't He know what's best for us?
Wow!!! How Time Flies!!!
September 19, 2009 - So I was looking at my blog to see when the last time was that I posted a post and couldn't believe I haven't posted one since July 30th. Time sure flies. August was busy (what else is new, right?) as usual. We had our annual End of Summer Extravaganza on August 22nd and had a great attendance! This year we had our usual games but added a giant blow-up jump tent. I was even allowed to jump in it!! We also gave away free school supplies to every child and had free drinks and hot dogs for everyone. Everyone also received a Gospel tract as well as information about the church. I am now praying that God will return some of those who attended to worship with us in church. A special thanks goes out to everyone who made this event go so well!!! Thanks LBC!
Summer Half Way Over Already?
July 30, 2009 - Summer always seems to fly by quick and this year is no exception. I've enjoyed getting to do some great things this summer. It started off with a reunion I hosted at my mother's house for the neighborhood kids I grew up with. It was great to catch up and to reminisce about the "good ol' days." We took the kids to the Pittsburgh Wave Pool and to Wheeling Park for some aquatic fun. Our annual Men's BBQ at the church was a great time as usual and I'm looking forward to our upcoming End of Summer Extravaganza. Most importantly, I've enjoyed seeing God at work. The church has had several visitors during the summer and new families join. Church camp is just about to finish up tomorrow and I look forward to hearing what God did in the lives of our junior campers. And I personally have enjoyed some spiritual growth in my own life. God is good! Summer may be half-way over but I sure am glad my relationship with God is eternal and will never end, thanks to Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection.
Remember: Satan Wants To Destroy You!
June 15, 2009 - I've recently been reading some great books by John Eldredge - "Wild At Heart"; "The Sacred Romance"; and "Waking the Dead." I've been spiritually challenged and awakened through his writings. In "Waking the Dead," John Eldredge states the following: The story of your life is the story of the long and brutal assault on your heart by the one who knows what you could be and fears it. His statement is a great reminder that Satan wants to destroy followers of Jesus Christ. Satan wants to keep us from being all that God wants us to be. Admittedly, I allow Satan to defeat me. What about you? Are you letting Satan defeat you? Paul asked of Timothy to endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ (2 Timothy 2:3). Which means, we are in a spiritual battle. Are you ready and willing to fight Satan? Or will you live your Christian life with your white flag of surrender raised? Don't let Satan win....fight the good fight of faith!!!!!!
What's New?
May 12, 2009 - So summer is quickly approaching. Thus far, 2009 has been a great year for the church! Finances are doing well. Attendances have been good. Several people have been baptized and others have joined the church. I haven't taken time to plan everything out for the rest of the year but Amy and I are hoping to plan some spiritually refreshing events in 2009. Stay in touch to discover what we're planning!
More Work:
April 7, 2009 - I'm not real sure how March flew by so quick, but it seems to have gone by so fast that I didn't get time to add to my blog. So April is here and so is Spring. Well, at least it is supposed to be here. I woke up to snow on the ground this morning so apparently winter wants to hang around a little bit longer. My goal for the upcoming months is to complete some more projects around the church property and in the church building. We've already added the remaining concrete to a section of our church basement floor that was about 4 inches lower than the rest. Doing so gives us a little bit more room for another table and chairs. I am also hoping to get the downstairs of our Annex Building recarpeted and replace the linoleum in the kitchen of our Annex Building. Outside, I am wanting to install a few more flowerbeds and add some more gravel to the parking lots. Slowly but surely we are getting closer and closer to a complete renovation of our church property in order to create a place that God can use for His honor and glory. It has been a lot of work and I am so appreciative of the men and women who have helped along the way. Thank you everybody!
Getting Older:
February 24, 2009 - I'm not really sure if anyone even reads my blog but hopefully someone out in cyberland does. Anyways, I try to enter one entry a month and since February is almost over I thought I better get it on here. Turning 36 last October has caused me to realize that I am probably at the mid-point of my life. When I was younger, I thought mid-life crises were funny but now that I am at the stage in life, it is not so funny anymore. Mid-life is the point at which we (and perhaps I only speak as a man) evaluate everything we have done in life thus far and determine whether or not we have really accomplished anything. Then we begin to look to the next half of our life and try to decide what we want to do before we die. It can be, and often is, a depressing time for many men. In fact, statistics show that men are 3 times more likely to commit suicide at mid-life than at any other time in their life. That is a pretty scary statistic! And, I must admit, I am certainly dealing with my fair share of mid-life crisis thoughts. I have come to the conclusion that (1) regardless of what I have or have not accomplished thus far, I cannot change the past; (2) I may not be at my mid-point in life....I may only live to be 50 or I may live to be 100 so I should make the best of everyday and live in the joy of the Lord. Life, James said, is like a vapor...here today and gone tomorrow. So enjoy it! Not in a sinful way but in a God-honoring way. Enjoy the joy of the Lord!
Another Holiday Season Ends:
January 4, 2009 - Shwew! Christmas and New Year's have come and gone once again. As with every year, I'm sure I've gained about 10 more pounds. Which means I'll be working out extra hard at the YMCA in the upcoming weeks. It's hard to believe that it is 2009. Seems like yesterday everybody was scared to go from 1999 to 2000 - planes were going to crash, computers were going to crash, the electric was supposed to quit, etc. etc. I'm just glad I won't be around when it turns 3000. Hopefully the Lord will have returned by then but who knows, the Lord never seems to be in too much of a hurry. He always operates on His time, not our time. So, I guess we might as well just be patient and keep serving Him until He comes. I pray 2009 will be a great year for you and your family.
Joy, Joy, Joy:
December 7, 2008 - What a great day! Today I had the privilege of baptizing my youngest daughter, Grace. What a great opportunity. One of the perks of being a senior pastor is getting the privilege of baptizing your own family members. Now, I am praying that Grace will grow up loving and serving the Lord. Amy and I will do our best to instruct her in the ways of the Lord, but we know that ultimately living the Christian life will be up to Grace. I am looking forward to the many years ahead that God will give me to be a positive Christian influence in her life. I know I am bound to fail at being a perfect father to Grace, but I will do my best to teach her about the One Who never fails.
Nearing the End:
November 11, 2008 - Is it really drawing close to the Holiday season again? It seems like I just took the Christmas tree down a couple of weeks ago. But, believe it or not, Thanksgiving is just a couple of weeks away and Christmas is around the corner. And then before you know it, we'll be celebrating the New Year. Things sure can change in a year's time. Last year at this time we were working diligently to finish up our church building renovation and I was still working on my Master's degree. I am definitely glad to have both of those done. Who knows what will be going on one year from today? I sure don't know. But I do know that God is already there. My future rests in His hands and so does yours. So together, lets do ourselves a favor - give our futures to God. He's taken care of us in the past and He'll take care of us in the future.
Election Year:
October 8, 2008 - So it's that time again - time to elect a new President. I'm certainly not going to use this blog to express my support for either candidate. I only want to encourage everyone who is eligible to get out and vote for the candidate you truly believe God would have you to elect as the next President of the United States. Many people don't vote because they don't think their vote matters. But I think everyone should vote as if his or her vote is the only vote that matters. Back in 2000, the Magistrate I worked for only won his election by 3 votes. Thankfully for him, no one ran against him in the 2004 election and nonone is running against him in the upcoming 2008 election. But the 2000 election was decided for him by 3 votes, which means that yes, every vote did matter. Had 4 of his supporters stayed home instead of going to the polls, he would have lost and I would have been looking for another job. So get out and vote. God has blessed us with the opportunity to live in such a great nation and we should not take any of our Constitutional rights for granted. My prayer is that God will place the right man in the Oval Office in 2009 to lead our nation. I hope you'll pray the same.
Providence?
September 8, 2008 - One of my prayers each day is, "God allow me to be a blessing to someone today." This past Friday, I intended to go up to the church after lunch to cut the grass. After lunch, I laid down for what I intended to be a 15 minute nap but turned into a 3 hour nap. So I headed up to the church following dinner to cut the grass. Upon arriving at the church, I discovered that I forgot my keys for the church building so I made another trip home to get the right keys. After arriving back at the church, I got the lawn mower filled with gas and pulled the string to start it. Upon doing so, the string broke. I thought to myself, "Lord, all I want to do is cut the grass. Why is this not working out?" It took me and Jerry Ogden about 20 - 30 minutes to fix the lawn mower and I was finally able to get the grass cut. Shortly before finishing up, I had a conversation with a lady who was walking down Church Alley from Sparkle to her home. To make a long story short, this lady was in need of prayer and I was able to take a few moments to pray for her and her situation. Was this coincidence or did the Lord's providence cause me to be in the right place at the right time so that I could have prayer with this lady and encourage her faith? I choose the latter of the two and believe God's plan was for me to meet, pray with, and encourage this lady. So the next time, your day isn't going as planned; it might be because God needs you in the right place at the right time so that He can use you to be a blessing to someone else. So don't get frustrated. A blessing may be just around the corner.
Change:
July 31, 2008 - So we often hear the statement "Nobody likes change." But I think that depends upon the kind of change. For me, life has changed over the past month. As most of you know, I am now working 20 hours a week at the Hancock County Magistrate Court as the court's Deputy Clerk. Having worked for the Magistrate Court from 2000-2005, it has really been quite easy learning the job. This new employment has also brought change to my position as Pastor of LBC. I don't have the same amount of time for sermon and lesson preparation as I did before so I am learning to rely more on the Holy Spirit to remind me of those things He has taught me over the past years. I have also had to make the transition in my mind that I am once again considered a bi-vocational pastor rather than a full-time pastor. This is really a blessing for me and the church as the extra income takes the financial strain off of both of us, which certainly makes ministry quite more enjoyable for me without having to worry about the finances. So, although change isn't something we always welcome, we should always remember that God is always with us each step of the way and eventually life gets back to a sense of normal. If you're dealing with change right now, then make sure you rely upon God to help you through it.
What a Surprise!
July 14, 2008 - Usually my wife isn't able to pull off surprising me but this time she did a great job. I was quite surprised on Sunday July 13th when I realized that the dinner our church was having (which I thought was for my friend Richard and his family) was in honor of my accomplishments in the year 2008. This year has marked the 15th anniversary of my salvation, the 10th anniversary of my ordination, the completion of our church building, and the completion of my Master's of Religious Studies degree from Southern California Seminary. The Sunday morning service was phenomenal! My daughter Hope opened the service on the piano with "This Is My Father's World." Adam provided a beautiful offertory and my wife and Penny blessed us all with a heart-touching song. My friend Richard who traveled all the way from St. Louis, Missouri preached a fantastic sermon on being "A Faithful Soldier for Jesus Christ." The most precious part of the day was hearing testimonies from some of the people present thanking me for being their pastor and receiving the scrap book that contained letters from church members, family, friends, and even a fellow seminary student congratulating me on my accomplishments. The words were very touching and I am so grateful to know that the Lord has and continues to use me to help people live the Christian life. Oh, and the money I received came (as usual) at the right time. I want to thank each of you (especially my wife) for making this occasion so special. I love each of you and I am so glad to be not only your pastor but also your friend. I hope we have many more years together.
Back to Work
June 10, 2008 - So several weeks ago the cam shaft in the engine of our 1998 Chevy Venture Minivan broke in half. In a nut shell, it wasn't worth fixing so we sent it off to Minivan Heaven (aka: The Junkyard). This was the only vehicle we owned which meant that one of three things needed to happen: (1) someone needed to give us a vehicle; (2) the church would need to raise my salary so I could afford a car payment; or (3) I would need to get a part-time job. The first option didn't happen and the second option wasn't possible. So guess what? I am getting a part-time job. What is interesting is how the Lord has worked this out. The week following the heart attack of our minivan, a church member offered us the use of her car until we were able to get a new one which, needless to say, has been a tremendous blessing! In the same week, my old boss from the Magistrate Court contacted me to inform me of the opening of a, (can you guess?), part-time job. Hmmmm. Coincidence or God? I'll take the latter of the two. Thanks to God, I'll be starting my new part-time job on July 1st working Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. What's great is that for the first time in 2 1/2 years, Amy and I will be able to have health insurance. Our faith has certainly been strengthened over the past 2 1/2 years as we have seen God provide for us time and time again but with Amy's health, I am glad that we will be back on regular health insurance. I want her to receive the best medical care she can possibly get. I don't necessarily want to go back to working a secular job in addition to pastoring Lighthouse but I believe this is God's answer to our financial situation. And I plan to do the best job I can do. For those of you who prayed with me as my family and I have gone through this experience - THANKS! I greatly appreciate your prayers and I'm so glad to be a part of a church family that truly cares for me and my family. God bless each of you!
BAG Lunch Sunday
May 18, 2008 - What a great day! For the past six weeks I have been encouraging our people to invite someone to our May 18th service. I entitled the name for this special day "BAG Lunch Sunday". BAG was designed to be initials for the words Bring A Guest. Although the people Amy and I invited to the service were not able to make it, we still had about a dozen guests with us today and there was only a little bit of room available in the sanctuary for seating. We had a great meal following the service! One thing's for certain - the ladie's of Lighthouse know how to cook! Here's hoping we have many great attendances like this in the near future. It is such a joy to have a full house and I'm sure it brings a smile to God's face to see so many people in His house.
Moving Forward
April 4, 2008 - I don't know about you but I'm looking forward to the Spring weather. Winter wasn't too bad this year but I'm ready for more sunshine and daylight. As the year 2008 continues I am excited about the more time I have to put into my ministry at Lighthouse. Now that I have completed my Master's Degree in Religious Studies from Southern California Seminary and the majority of our church building renovation is completed, I am amazed at how much extra time I have on my hands. The problem with this is that I don't like to be idle. I always need something to do. So I'll be thinking of different things we can do at Lighthouse to cultivate a better relationship with the Lord and with each other as well as thinking of different ways to bring new people into our congregation.
This year will mark the 15th anniversary of my salvation (May 29, 1993) and the 10th anniversary of my ordained ministry (November 1998). Amy and I will celebrate eleven years of marriage in May and Lighthouse will celebrate its eighth year of existence. How time's fun when you're having flies :-) I guess this means I'm getting older and hopefully wiser. As I look back over my 35 years of living, especially the last 15, I am amazed at what God has done in me and in my life. I don't know if I'll get to serve God on this earth another 35 years but if so, I hope I remain faithful to Him, my wife, and my children until my very last breath.
It's been such a thrill to have services in our newly remoded sanctuary now for almost 3 months. I still am amazed at how beautiful it turned out. It's been a blessing to have Curt Gooch begin leading the music on Sunday mornings and to have Penny Chevront leading it on Sunday evenings. This has allowed me to focus entirely on my message and its delivery. Thanks Curt and Penny. I greatly appreciate it. And as always, a special thanks to Adam for being faithful to playing the piano.
I really want 2008 to be a year where more people get involved in the ministries of Lighthouse. We all need to serve the Lord in some capacity. So if you're not serving in some area of ministry, please be sure to pray about where God can use you in Lighthouse.
My Thoughts About the Last Eight Years of My Ministry
January 16, 2008 - For the past 8 years of my life, my ministry has involved the founding and establishing of Lighthouse Baptist Church in Chester, WV. This journey has required an incredible sacrificial committment by me, my wife, and my family which, at times, has been very discouraging, disheartening, disappointing, and frustrating. However, most of the time, it has been a very encouraging, satisfying, rewarding, and enjoyable experience during which I have enjoyed the opportunity of ministering to some of the greatest Christian people I have ever known.
For the first five years of the church's existence, I worked a full-time job in addition to pastoring (I highly recommend that you only do this if your doctor diagnoses you as insane). The last year of those five years, I began to oversee and personally participate in the renovation of the 1917 church building that our congregation purchased in the summer of 2004 (I highly recommend that you only do this if your doctor diagnoses you as brain dead). Thus, for the past 3 1/2 years, I, along with a handful of church members (as well as some contractors and men from other ministries), have participated in the complete renovation of our 1917 church building.
I can actually say regarding a church building renovation, "Been there, done that, got the t-shirt" (O.k. so I don't actually have the t-shirt yet but maybe I'll get that in March for the Building Dedication). But along with being able to say that, I would like to thank those men and ministries who helped me with this renovation (financially, prayerfully, and physically); to thank all the ladies (especially Cindy) who fed us on our numerous work days - thanks for filling our bellies with some great food (Mrs. "C" - your pies are the best); and to thank the entire congregation of Lighthouse who has been patient with me and supportive of my leadership during this renovation process (thanks everyone - I love being your pastor).
During the past 8 years (especially the last 3 1/2), there have certainly been times when I wanted to quit and to be honest, I almost did quit. Pastoring, like many other occupations, can be a career filled with many challenges and many disappointments that lead to discouragement, which in turn, can influence one to quit. But this morning as I sat in our newly remodeled sanctuary enjoying the view and enjoying the quaintness and serenity of the atmosphere, I was glad that I didn't quit. I'm glad that God, my wife (thanks Amy, I love you), and many others kept me encouraged during this renovation experience.
With my ministry, I haven't had the results that some church-planters have had. My church isn't averaging 500 people after 7 1/2 years of existence. In fact, my church isn't even averaging 50 on Sunday mornings. But during this journey, I have seen people invite Jesus Christ into their lives to be their personal Lord and Savior; I have seen people follow the Lord in baptism; I have seen people join our church; and I have seen people's lives changed through the power of God's Holy Word and the Holy Spirit. And I have seen all of this simply because I chose to obey God's leading in my life to begin Lighthouse and I'm glad I did. And now that our building is almost completely done (there are still some odds and ends to finish up), I am excited about just being a pastor for the first time in my ministry. Now, I just pray and hope that God doesn't move me anytime soon to another ministry - especially one that needs to renovate its building. Of course, God does seem to have a sense of humor, doesn't He?
