Posted by Gregg Potts

The iphone comes out today.
For weeks now there has been advertising about apples new iphone. It's projected to be the newest "gotta have" gadget. Some of the reviews I have read say that the iphone is indeed worth the hype it's received. One of the things about the iphone that supposedly makes it worthy of the hype is that it's much easier to view web pages on it than it is with many portable devices.
I love gadgets and I have noticed the advertising for the iphone. It seems like a pretty cool piece of equipment. However, I hadn't given much thought to the anticipated release of the iphone until I saw a picture in the paper of a man who has camped out in front a store for a day or two to be first in line to get an iphone. That guy obviously wanted an iphone badly.
The iphone will probably fall into the category of things that many will think "you just gotta have." It will be the newest "cool" gadget. I can see people gathered around someone that has purchased one looking at all it will do and being amazed and saying "I gotta get one of these."
Gadgets are neat and new cars are nice and clothes make us feel "new" but.... we need to remember what Jesus said about "stuff"; "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal" (Matt. 6:19).
There is nothing wrong with purchasing things we like if we can afford them and if we like them as long as we realize they are not the most important things in life.
We need to remember what Jesus went on to say in that same chapter; "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:20-21).

 

Posted by Gregg Potts

I guess I would be described as a "people person." I normally don't meet many strangers. At least, they aren't a stranger for long. And, when I meet someone, Holli tells me I warm up quick. I become "instant buds" with people who ten minutes prior were strangers. I don't know if that's good or not but it's pretty close to accurate. lol
And, I have a tendency to be a "back slapper." Maybe I was supposed to be a politican. It is natural for me in shaking someone's hand to touch/slap them on the back. Some say I have given people back problems with may hard slaps on the back (I don't think they are but I've been told they are). I have noticed that when I shake the hands of some people who know me well they draw up in the area of their shoulders anticipating my back slap. lol Holli especially cautions me to be careful with the elderly.
I have always enjoyed meeting new people and getting to know them.
Recently, I met a guy in the gym who once played football for North Carolina State. We talked about some of their former coaches and players. I enjoy talking sports with anyone.
And, I met a guy at the gas pump who is an LSU fan. He had more LSU gear on than I have ever had. We talked and I discovered that he has a daugther in the band.
During summer baseball I have enjoyed getting to know some new people. In fact, thus far this year, that's probably been one of the highlights of the summer for me. I have met some new people and made some new friends.
There are 6 billion people on this earth. And, Jesus died for each one of them. God's plan is for those of us who have asked Jesus to forgive us of our sins to share the love of God with others. In order to do that, we have to meet new people. We don't need to stay in our same circle.
I encourage you today to meet someone new. Force yourself to meet someone new. Try to build a relationship with them and eventually, try to share the love of Christ with them. In doing so, you will have the privilege of leading some to Christ and making some new friends as well.

 

Posted by Gregg Potts

Today, instead of writing something inspirational or motivational... I am going to open up my soul to let you see a little of what God is doing in my life.
God has been speaking to me.
For some time now my heart has been heavy about a couple of issues. I'll not share those but God knows what they are and I ask you to lift me up in prayer whenever my name comes to your mind. A couple of weeks ago, in an attempt to seek answers to these issues I sensed a need to open up my heart and just allow the Lord to speak. As I have done that, God has been speaking to me.
Now, it hasn't been a bolt of lightning or anything... some of it is issues that I've known I needed to deal with but just kept pushing them aside.
I have asked the Lord to speak to me and lead me to make changes where changes are necessary. I've asked the Lord to not make me hurt but I'm not sure that part of my prayer is right. You may have to hurt at times to get things right with the Lord.
Pray for me as I continue on this journey.

 

Posted by Gregg Potts

This past Sunday, my oldest son, Robert, turned 20.
Twenty..
He’s an adult now.
It may take a while for that to sink in.
As my dad would say “he’s a grown man.”
Yep, he’s not little “Robert James” any more.
But, in my mind he is…
I can see his mom pulling him to church in his red wagon that Paw Paw and Maw Maw Potts had given him for Christmas. The church was just up the road from our house so she didn’t have to go far. Ha!
I laugh when I think of his fascination with his Houston Astros cap that his “Huncle Hemmitt” (his name is “Emmette” but Robert put that “h” in front of it.) brought him back from Houston. He wore that cap 24/7.
And, I chuckle when I think of taking him to his first day of kindergarten in Brookhaven. As I put him out I thought “well, he’s gone.. he’ll never be home during the day again.” He was only 5! It wasn’t like he was going off to college. But in my mind, he may as well have been.
Robert has brought his mom and me lots and lots of happiness.
He became a Christian during a revival meeting when Dr. Darrell Robinson was preaching. When I got home from church that night, his mom had let him stay up to tell me that when Dr. Robinson “prayed that prayer” he had “prayed with him.” In doing so, my son had asked Jesus into his heart.
He grew up in Vancleave. He was blessed to have been able to go through elementary, middle and high school in one school system. When we moved to Dallas, he wanted to remain behind and finish school there. It stretched us some but we did it and don’t regret it.
In the past two years Robert has been growing up. He spent a year at LSU as manager of the fast pitch softball team then, came to Dallas to be with us. He is working and going to college. In the past year, he has worked at Dick’s Sporting Goods at Kennessaw. He recently received a promotion to “front end lead supervisor.”
Robert is a very compassionate young man. He cares for people. He doesn’t want to let anyone down. If he is told to do something, he tries to do it. He has a good work ethic. He has gone in to cover for people who have called him at the last minute. And, at times, I’ve felt like his “good heartedness” has probably been taken advantage of but, he goes anyway.
As a dad, I’m proud of the man he is becoming.
Happy birthday, buddy. I know you’re 20 but you will always be my little “ball game watching buddy to me.”

 

Posted by Gregg Potts

Even when we are mis-matched, God still loves us.
I discovered that truth today.
Let me explain.
Have you ever thought you had it "all together" only to discover you really didn't?
Did I hear someone say, "Yeah, that happens to me all the time?" lol
I understand.
This morning, it happened to me...again.
When I'm dressing, I occasionally have a difficult time deciding if I have chosen black or blue socks. To solve the problem, I periodically put them up against somegthing that is black or blue to determine if I have the right color.
This is especially a problem for me on Sunday mornings.
We have an 8:30 service so, I'm dressing early. I'm trying to be quiet because Holli is still sleeping. I go to the sock drawer and hold up the sock to get enough light on it to see if it's black or blue. I face this problem during the week but it's not as important to get the right color socks during the week. But on Sunday morning.... well, you gotta have the right color socks. I mean, just in case folks are looking at your socks instead of listening to the sermon. It's really important to have the right color socks. They teach you that in seminary. It's right there in the book "Dress for Success as a Preacher"; "Thou shalt have matching socks." I'm kidding, of course.
Well, this morning, I went to the sock drawer looking for navy socks. I found a pair and finished dressing. It was only after I sat down in my office that I realized... I had a blue and black sock on. I guess today, I'm dressed versatile!
When I saw the two different color socks, I laughed. I thought I was doing so well and all along, I had two different color socks.
I had driven to work confident my socks matched.
I had greeted people confident, my socks matched.
I felt good about the day confident I had on matching socks.
Now, they don't match. Life's a bummer.
So, even when you think you have it all together, we often don't.
But I think the real question is, "what do you do when you realize you dont' have it all together?"
I think we realize that God loves us even if our socks don't match! Even if we are mis-matched, God still loves us.
So, right now, check your socks. If you made the mistake of putting two different color socks on, take a deep breath and say "Thank you, Lord, for loving me even when my socks don't match!"

 

Posted by Gregg Potts

The title of this blog is "if not for grace." When I created the blog about a year ago, I selected the title because I wanted to stress that God loves us, forgives us and enables us to start over in life. But, although I believe in the grace of God, I didn't even realize how often we see God's grace at work.
In my study of God's word I am continually confronted with examples of grace.
Last night, at our Wednesday night prayer meeting service we studied the ninth chapter of Acts. That's the story of Saul's conversion. Saul was a murderer before being converted yet today, he stands out as one of the most significant men in the history of the church.
Then, there is King David. The scripture describes him as a "man after God's heart" yet, David committed adultery. God's grace is seen in his life.
Then, there is John Mark. He deserted Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey. Yet, God uses him to write what many Bible scholars believe was the first gospel written, the gospel according to Mark.
Then, there is Simon Peter. On the night of the betrayal of our Lord, he had denied the Lord. Then, on the day of Pentecost, it's Simon Peter who preaches the first Christian sermon in history.
I could continue but, you get the point.
Are you struggling today to believe that God could use you in his service? Are you focusing on a mistake you made and think that disqualifies you from service? God's word is filled with examples of people who, "if were not for grace" may have never been heard from again. Accept God's grace today.
"Grace, grace, God's grace.
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within.
Grace, grace, God's grace.
Grace that is greater than all our sin."

 

Posted by Gregg Potts

Recently I read a book entitled The Fred Factor. I
t's a small book but it has a great story and message. The book is about a mailman. And, the mailman's name is Fred. But Fred isn't an ordinary mail man. Fred is a mail man who gets to know every person on his route and tries to help each one.
The book was written by a guy named Mark Sanborn. As Mr. Sanborn tells the story he says that he first met Fred after purchasing a home that he intended to renovate. Just days after moving in he heard a knock at the door and upon opening it, he saw a mailman standing on his porch. "Good morning, Mr. Sanborn, My name is Fred and I'm your postal carrier. I just stopped by to introduce myself and to welcome you to the neighborhood and find out a little bit about you..." How is that for a greeting!Mr. Sanborn was startled. He had been receiving mail for years but he had never been greeted quite like Fred had just greeted him. Well, that greeting made such an impression on Mr. Sanborn that he began telling the story of his mailman, Fred, in speeches that he gave to various companies and, upon finishing the speech, people would want to know more about Fred.So, he decided to write a book entitled "The Fred Factor." It's how anyone can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary.
Today, be a Fred. Be exceptional at what you do. Make a difference in someone's life.

 

Posted by Gregg Potts

Recently I read a book entitled The Fred Factor. It's a small book but it has a great story and message.
The book is about a mailman. And, the mailman's name is Fred. But Fred isn't an ordinary mail man. Fred is a mail man who gets to know every person on his route and tries to help each one.
The book was written by a guy named Mark Sanborn. As Mr. Sanborn tells the story he says that he first met Fred after purchasing a home that he intended to renovate. Just days after moving in he heard a knock at the door and upon opening it, he saw a mailman standing on his porch.
"Good morning, Mr. Sanborn, My name is Fred and I'm your postal carrier. I just stopped by to introduce myself and to welcome you to the neighborhood and find out a little bit about you..."
How is that for a greeting!
Mr. Sanborn was startled. He had been receiving mail for years but he had never been greeted quite like Fred had just greeted him.
Well, that greeting made such an impression on Mr. Sanborn that he began telling the story of his mailman, Fred, in speeches that he gave to various companies and, upon finishing the speech, people would want to know more about Fred.
So, he decided to write a book entitled "The Fred Factor." It's how anyone can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary.
Today, be a Fred. Be exceptional at what you do. Make a difference in someone's life.

 

Posted by Gregg Potts

This past Sunday was Father's Day and I had a good one.
Saturday, I was asked to assist our new high school baseball coach in a tournament our team was in. My son went 7 for 7! Yeah, I was proud. Pumped. Ecstatic. Pick a word.. they all fit.
Then, on Sunday, all of the kids were together. That's becoming rare in our home. It was good having everyone together. Holli cooked on the grill so, I got to sit in my favorite chair, read the Sunday paper and eat in the comfort of our home. I love eating out but yesterday, eating at home was nice.
I love my family. I enjoy time spent with them. Thank you, Lord, for blessing me with three great kids and a loving wife. Thank you, for the priviledge of being a dad. Thank you for the joy I have experienced from being a father.

 

Posted by Gregg Potts

Pat Williams is one of my favorite authors. I just started reading his book The Warrior Within. It's a book based on Asher, one of the sons of Jacob in the book of Genesis. Asher is known as a great warrior.
In the first chapter of the book the author has a quote from Dr. David Jeremiah, senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Churchnear San Diego, California. Dr. Jeremiah is a very busy man. The church of which he is pastor is large and consequently, there are multiple demands on his time. In light of those demands, he makes an interesting statment. Dr. Jeremiah says, "There are others who can counsel, others who can make personnel decisions, others who can orchestrate the organization, but there is only one man in the whole world who can be a father to my children - and that's me. I had better be that father while I have the opportunity."
Wow! Strong statement!
That reminds me that I had better use my time wisely. It also reminds me that the meeting that I think I must attend isn't nearly as important as sitting in the stands during a ballgame for my child or a dance recital or an awards ceremony.
This Sunday is Father's Day. Dad, make time for your children. You won't regret it.

 

Posted by Gregg Potts

My television watching largely consists of ESPN, CNN, The History channel and trying to find a good movie periodically. I'm not much of a sitcom or reality tv guy. Each night, I will typically sit down and scan the channels to see what's on that, in my opinion, is worth watching. A good western normally normally stirs my interest!
Last night, Braveheart was on. I noticed that it hadn't been on but about 25 minutes so, I figured I hadn't missed too much so I started watching it. Like I said earlier, I'm not a big tv guy but, a good movie helps to transport me from my world into another world and sometimes, I need that. Sometimes, I need to stop thinking about things that's bothering me and a good movie helps me do that. I was a little down last night until I saw that Braveheart was on.
I love good quotes or lines from movies. (I'm always looking for sermon material...lol). There are several good lines from Braveheart.
On one occasion, Robert Bruce, the king of Scotland's son and the heir to the throne, was struggling with a decision. As the king observed this he said "Leadership is hard." Amen to that! It is challenging.
On another, William Wallace is encouraging Robert Bruce to lead. He says "leadership takes courage." I can agree with that one too. It's not always popular to make the tough decisions.
But the quote that I think I remember most from Braveheart is when William Wallace is in prison awaiting his death. He is visited by the wife of the heir to the throne of England. She pleads with him to beg for mercy and live and not die. William Wallace responds, "All men must die but not everyone lives." He was willing to die for the possibility of freedom for Scotland.
"All men must die but not everyone lives." That's a strong statement. Are you living? Or, perhaps the better way of asking that question is, "what are you living for?" What matters to you? All of us have things we are passionate about. We need to make sure we are passionate about things that matter.

 

Posted by Gregg Potts

What are you willing to do for things to be better in your life?
That's a key question we often confront.
Let's say you want to lose some weight. Ok. There are weight loss programs that work but each requires changing our eating habits. Are we willing to do that?
Or, let's say we want to get a second degree. There are plenty of opportunities for getting the degree but each one requires time on our part. Are we willing to invest that time?
Again, what are we willing to do to make things better in our lives?
There is a story in the Bible of a man named Naaman. He was an important man - he was the king of Aram's army. The Bible says that Naaman was a great warrior. He was probably a well respeced man. In today's vernacular, Naaman was "the man."
But he had one problem and it was pretty significant; Naaman had leprosy.
On one ocassion, the Aramean army had gone out on a raid and had taken captive a girl from Israel. She was then made a slave for Naaman's wife.
She told "Mrs. Naaman" that there was a prophet in Israel (Elisha) who could heal Naaman of his leprosy. "Mrs. Naaman" passed that along to her husband who in turn told the king of Aram.
The king wanted to take care of Naaman because he was such a great warrior. So the king gave Naaman permission to go to Israel to be healed.
Upon arriving in Israel and meeting Elisha, Naaman was told to dip seven times in the water of the river Jordan and he would be healed. Upon hearing this, Naaman was furious. He was so furious, he turned to walk away from Elisha.
Why was he so angry? It was becuase he felt if simply dipping in water seven times would heal you, why couldn't he have done that in his homeland as opposed to coming to Israel. But I think there may have been another reason.
Naaman may have wanted to make a big deal out of his being healed. Dipping in the waters of the river Jordan wasn't as glamorous as what Naaman had in mind.
But one of his servants spoke to him and calmed him down and reasoned with him. Finally, Naaman realized his pride was about to get the best of him and he followed Elisha's counsel and dipped himself seven times in the waters of the Jordan. Upon doing so, Naaman was healed.
What do we learn from this story?
We learn that pride almost prevented Naaman from being healed.
If we are not careful, pride can prevent us from doing some things that we need to do.
Proverbs 16:18 says "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. "
Today, be careful and don't let pride prevent you from asking forgiveness, or granting forgiveness or asking for instructions on something. Be willing to humble yourself to receive the blessings of God.

 

Posted by Gregg Potts

I'm reading a book entitled "Down, but not out." It's written by a guy named Barry Minkow. I've never heard of the author but the title was intriquing.
In the Introduction to the book the author explains why he wrote the book. He says "My resume is filled with failures." He goes on to add that if you have failed miserably in life, the book is for you.
We have all made mistakes. I certainly would do some things differently given the opportunity. And when we make mistakes we can think that life is over for us. But it's not. Now, we may have to live with the consequences of our mistakes but, our God is "the God of the second chance."
In the book, Minkow talks about one's "failure baggage." What he means by that is that whenever a person fails, they carry baggage with them that basically represents the scars of their failure. That "failure baggage" has he refers to it,can actually help us become better people. We can become more sensitive to others who have failed.
I have learned from experience that the people who have failed or often more forgiving and more willing to help. The reason? I think it's because they know how it feels. They aren't so filled with pride to think "everyone should have their act together." They remember how it feels to hurt.
So, did you make a mistake yesterday? What about the day before? What about last month? Last year? Well, join the club. We've all made them. But, by God's grace you can move on and use your "failure baggage" to help others.

 

Posted by Gregg Potts

Personal note: I have a list of people that I email when I publish a new post on my blog. If you read this blog regularly and would like to be added to my email list of blog recipients, send me an email at gepotts1@aol.com and I will be glad to add you to the list. Thanks. Gregg Potts

 

Posted by Gregg Potts

Last week was an exceptionally busy week for me.
It started with preparation to host two days of a high school baseball tournament held in our area. We spent quite a bit of time trying to get the field ready for the tournament.
Then, there were the actual games for the tournament.
Then, I had two weddings on Saturday.
And on top of that, our oldest church member passed away this past week and we had that funeral on Friday.
So, it was a super busy week.
But I learned a lot during this.
First, I learned that you can get a lot done when you have lots of folks involved. There were several people who stepped up to help out with the baseball tournament who really did a great job.
Second, I learned that at times, you need to say "know." I have a difficult time doing that. I always have. I want everyone to be happy. I didn't realize I had two weddings planned for the same day until about two months ago. By then, I couldn't really do anything about them. I found myself thinking, "I won't do this again."
Third, I learned that sometimes, you are just going to be extremely busy. During this extremely busy stretch of time I found myself thinking, "I'm not doing this again." But then, I thought, "I can't say that. It could happen again." Sometimes you are just going to be very busy.
Finally, the Lord gives you strength. When I left our baseball field on Saturday night, I was whipped. Then, I needed to go home and go over my sermon. But I was too tired.l Sunday morning, I asked the Lord to give me strength to preach two messages. As always, the Lord provided.
So, the Lord taught me some things during this time. I don't want to be that busy again for a few weeks or possibly even months but, the Lord used this one time to teach me a lot.

 

Posted by Gregg Potts

"One day at a time."
Ever heard that expression?
Most of us have. But I'm going to confess; I don't do that well. Whenever I am facing lots of projects, I have a tendency to worry about them. I tell myself to break them down, take them one step at a time and that normally works but, I really struggle in my mind to keep them all separate. Instead of taking one at a time, I think about how busy the day is going to be.
For instance, this week has been exceptionally busy and today and tomorrow (Friday and Saturday) are REALLY going to be busy. I tell myself, "one thing at a time" but then the overwhelming thoughts come back.
But, I've been here before and it's all worked out. I remind myself of that.
Jesus said, "Take no thought for tomorrow..."
Paul said "In everything by prayer and supplication let your requests be known unto God and the peace of God that surpasses all comprehension will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."
I know the verses... now... I need to work on the "doing" of the verses. Probably most of us do.
I will pray for you and you pray for me to take it one step at a time.

 

Posted by Gregg Potts

My wife and I have been watching the Women's College World Series the past couple of days. It ended last night with Arizona winning.
The series featured some very good pitching. Up until Tuesday night, the Tennessee pitcher who was named the "player of the year", had held Arizona scoreless. Then, with the bases loaded, a ball was hit to the shortstop and there was a play at the plate.
It was very close. Very close. The Arizona girl had to slide around the tag in order to score.
That was the only run scored all night.
So, up until that game, the Tennessee pitcher had limited Arizona to one run and that run came on a very, very close play. It reminded me of how important little things are. Back in August, when girls softball teams report to school and begin workouts, few of them are thinking about how important the little things are. Yet, an entire season of women's softball had come down to one close play at the plate.
It was a reminder to me to take care of the little things.
Little things like a smile.
Little things like writing a note.
Little things like saying a word of encouragement.
Today, remember that the little things are important.

 

Posted by Gregg Potts

Decisions.
We make them every day but sometimes, they are tough.
Billy Donovan's recent decision/indecision about coaching the Orlando Magic is a great example.
Donovan is the head coach of the University of Florida Gators. Coach Donovan has led Florida to back-to-back national championships in college basketball. As a result, he has been a hot commodity in the coaching ranks this off-season.
Last Thursday, he agreed to be named the head coach of the Orlando Magic. But shortly after being named, he began to experience regrets. It was then he realized he really didn't want to leave Florida. So, he contacted the Magic to express his regrets and to let them know he had experienced a change of heart. Simple enough, right?
Not quite.
For a couple of days now Coach Donovan and the Magic have been "negotiating" to allow him to get out of his contract. Last night, there was a news report that a deal had finally been reached. My guess is that when this is all over, Coach Donovan will make a decision to be very, very careful the next time he has to make a major decision.
But, he's not the only person who has made a decision and then, had a change of heart. It's just a reminder of the difficulty involved in making decisions.
The scripture says "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct Thy paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Today, in making decisions, lean on the Lord.

 

Posted by Gregg Potts

Saturday, May 26th, I turned 46.
I wanted to go to McDonald’s and have a party but Holli wouldn’t agree to it!
I wanted to get birthday hats and play in the balls in the play area. I even had those little blow things but I she didn’t think that was a good idea. I even had to take the pony back that I had rented! Just kidding, of course.
There was a time when birthdays were a big, big deal. I wanted to have people over, boil crayfish, barbeque or something. But that’s changed some. I still enjoy getting together with friends but my attitude toward birthdays has changed.
The last couple of year’s birthdays have made me do some reflecting. It’s probably because of the age I’ve reached and I realize I’ve probably lived half of my life if not maybe a little more than half of my life. As I reflected a little on “46” several things came to mind.
First, a key issue I am facing in my life is “I want to live a life that matters.” That translates into, “I don’t want to waste time. I want to make sure that what I’m doing is going to make a difference.”
Second, my family is more important to me than ever before. I love my wife and my three kids. I love it when we can them all together and have a meal and laugh.
Third, I love my wife. Holli is my strength where I am weak. She knows me, at times, better than I know myself. Outside of the Lord, she is my best friend.
Fourth, as I evaluate what I think are my strengths, the passion for preaching and teaching is prominent. I enjoy encouraging people and motivating. I enjoy meeting people.
Fifth, I enjoy reading and learning. I love sitting in my favorite chair with a good book and learning something new.
Sixth, I love the Lord. It still amazes me that God called me, a farm boy, to preach His gospel.
Seventh, I love living in north Georgia. I’m already looking forward to the fall and seeing the beautiful fall foliage.
Eighth, I can’t believe I have a boy who will be a senior next year. And, I have a daughter who will be a freshman in high school. Because of that, I want to spend as much as possible with my kids and family.
Ninth, I want to be myself. Deep within me, I have a desire to be a “people pleaser.” But doing that has for years, created some conflict in my heart. Several years ago, God began helping me to see the need to be myself and think for myself. I have learned the hard way that you are never going to make everyone happy. If you have to behave in a certain manner or think in a certain manner to be someone’s friend then, they are not really a friend. So, you try to do what’s right, work hard and be honest and trust the Lord with the results. That’s what I’ve begun doing in my life and as a pastor.