Yesterday, at FBCD, the message was on "God's Call To Abraham" based on Genesis 12. This was the 2nd message in my series of messages on the biblical scenes depicted in stained glass windows in our sanctuary. These are the highlights of the message.

Although there are many things major religious groups in the world disagree on, Abraham is one person there is agreement on. Bruce Feiller wrote a book several years ago entitled "Abraham: A Journey Into The Heart Of Three Faiths" that dealt with this subject. We definitely have major doctrinal differences with these groups however, we do share a common belief in the importance of Abraham.
Christians look to Abraham as a man of faith because we believe the Bible and the Bible records Abraham as the first of the patriarchs.
Jews look to Abraham, along with the other patriarchs in the scriptures were considered the founder of the Jewish faith.
Followers of Islam look to Abraham was the father of Ishmael whom was considered the father of the Arab people.
By studying the call of Abraham in Genesis 12 we learn the following:

I. The Call Of Abraham.
The scripture says "Now the Lord said to Abram, Go forth from your country." God is calling Abraham to leave behind his family and the familiar. He says "Go forth from your country."
If God is calling you, you are going to have leave something behind. Jesus said, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests but the Son of Man has no where to lay his head.”
It has been said "Whomever God calls, God equips; Whereever God leads, God provides."
II. The Course Of Abraham
God says "Go forth from your country... to the land that I will show you." Abraham doesn't have a road map. There isn't anyone he can talk with who has taken this trip. There is no GPS. There is simply the voice of God. Abraham has no idea where he's going but he knows God is calling. God says "I will show you the land."
It was a faith experiment for Abraham. The Christian walk is a faith exercise. We believe in Jesus through faith. We ask Jesus to save us through faith. We walk in faith. Faith means trusting the Lord.
Legendary Pastor R.G. Lee once said, “Anything believable and conceivable is achievable if you have faith in God.”
III. The Conditions For Abraham
God has called Abraham and has told him that he is taking him to the "...land which I will show you." Then God says, "I will make you a great nation... And I will bless you, and make your name great."
Someone has said, “Faith is belief with legs on it.”
Now, some of us may be like the disciples. They said to the Lord, “We do believe, help our unbelief.”
Now, someone may say “How can my faith grow?
Be saturated with the scriptures. The Bible says “Faith comes from hearing the Word of God.”
Be dedicated to the Savior. Remember that faith is no better than its object. It’s not so much a great faith in God as it is faith in a great God.
Be separated from sin. Unconfessed sin is a faith killer.
Be activated by the Spirit. Remember the old song “Trust and Obey?” We are to be obedient.
An unkown poet expressed his faith this way;
“I believe in the Sun even when it is not shining.
I believe in Love when I feel it not
I believe in God when when He is silent.”

This week, ask the Lord to help you grow in faith.

We had a great day of worship at FBCD today.
Our attendance was VERY good. There were over 400 in the two services this morning and we had about 270 in Sunday School. There was a lot of energy in the service. I pray that we are very close to having at least 400 in worship on a regular basis.
My message this morning was on "5 Resolutions Every Christian Should Make in 09." Our text was Daniel 1:8. The Bible says "Daniel made up his mind..." There are some things every Christian should "make up their mind" to do this year. They are:

1) Love God Supremely.
Jesus said, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God..." (Matthew 6:33).
Jesus said the greatest commandment is to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind" (Matthew 22:36-40)
If we put the Lord first, everything else falls into place.
If we put the Lord first, we will make a commitment to regular worship with the people of God.


2) Know God better.
We know better in two ways:
a) By reading God's word
b) Through prayer

3) Give God's Money Malachi 3:10 says, "Bring ye all the tithe into the storehouse."

4) Love God's People Jesus said "By this shall all men know that you are my disciples.. if you love one another" (John 13:34-35).

5) Share God's Love We can do this in two ways
a) Through witnessing
b) Through ministry

5 simple resolutions. Every Christian can and should keep these in 09. I encourage you, this week, to work toward keeping these in your Christian life.

I've just finished my Bible readings for Reading the Bible through this year. I've found a blog that goes along with the Bible readings that is really good. The link to it is www.oneyearbibleblog.com. The guy who does it, puts a lot of time into it.
This morning, the readings in Genesis dealt with the fall of man, God's grace to man in covering man and the first sin (Cain murdering Abel). If you haven't started reading the Bible through I encourage you to do so. It would be 15 or 20 or 25 of the best minutes each day you will invest this year.
I've also been working on my sermon for Sunday. I was off last Sunday. But, Sunday's coming again... pretty quick.
I was going to start a series this Sunday on the Biblical stories depicted in the stained glass in our santuary. However, I'm going to push that back one week. This Sunday the message is entitled "Five Resolutions Every Christian Should Make."
I hope you have a good Friday. Some of you may have taken off today. If so, I hope you enjoy the day.
The weather report is calling for rain in north Georgia this weekend. Sounds like good weather to stay inside and stay by the fire. But, I do encourage you to get your umbrella out, put your rain coat on and go to church on Sunday. Start the new year off in church.

Gregg

Happy New Year!
We have a brand new year in front of us.
The apostle Paul challenged us, "...forgetting what lies behind, we press on." I hope you will join me today and press on to the new year that God has for us.
As we begin the new year, I encourage you to take time today, if you haven't done so already, and commit this year to the Lord. Ask God to use you and grow you this year. One of the best ways to do that is to commit to spend time in God's word and in prayer.
Many from FBCD have committed to reading the Bible through this year. This morning, as I began reading the Bible through, I read about God's work of creation in Genesis 1 & 2.
If you have not committed to reading the Bible through in 09, there is still time. Why not make that commitment today?
As we move into a new year, a couple of verses come to mind that we would do well to commit to memory.
Colossians 3:23 is one. It reads, "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men."
Proverbs 3:5-6 are also good verses to memorize. They read, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart,And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him,And He will make your paths straight."
And, another is Matthew 6:33 which reads, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you."
Commit 2009 to the Lord!
Happy New Year!

In the past couple of days, I have invited our church family, First Baptist Church, Dallas, to join me in reading the Bible through in 09. Several have responded indicating they are going to do so. I would also like to invite anyone else who may drop by my blog while browsing in cyberspace to join me and others in reading through the Bible in 09. He are the rules we are going to follow:

1) If you get behind, don't sweat it. All of us will, periodically, miss a day or two or maybe even three or four. It will happen. Don't sweat that. If you miss a day or, a couple of days, you can take a few extra moments and catch up or, just read what you can.
2) If you have questions about something you've read, email me. If I can help explain it, I will. But, please understand, there will be likely be lots of times when I say, "I don't know either, we will have to wait until we get to heaven to know the answer."
3) As we read through the Bible, I want us to learn and have fun doing it. Ok, so, there are the rules... Now, here are the readings through Saturday, January 3.

Jan. 1Genesis 1:1-2:25Matthew 1:1 - 2:12Psalm 1:1-6Proverbs 1:1-1:6
Jan. 2Genesis 3:1-4:26Matthew 2:13-3:6Psalm 2:1-2:12Proverbs 1:7-1:9
Jan. 3Genesis 3:1-4:26Matthew 3:7-4:11Psalm 3:1-8Proverbs 1:10-19

I'm looking forward to this. It's going to be fun. If you decide to join me and others on this trip, either leave a comment on my blog or send me an email at gepotts1@yahoo.com. Look forward to hearing from you and, have a great new year!

For those who are interested in joining me in reading the Bible through... follow this link and you will find a list of readings.

http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/january.asp?version=51&startmmdd=0101

Email me or text me and let me know how your journey through the Bible is going.

2008 is almost over.
Wow... time flies.
In less than two days we will tear off the calendar sheet that reads "December 2008" and replace it with "January 2009".
A new year.
A new start.
Around this time of year I normally reflect on the past year and look forward to the new one. I will set some goals of things I want to accomplish in the new year. I encourage you to set some goals as well.
One thing I encourage you to do is to plan to read through the Bible. This is a great spiritual discipline and will help you grow as a Christians.
However, you may be thinking, "I can't devote enough time to reading through the Bible."
While I certainly don't know your schedule, I would think that you can. It might mean spending less time say... watching tv but, most of us could get this done. It shouldn't take you more than 30 minutes a day. And, more than likely, you could do it in about 15 minutes.
You could also be thinking, "What if I get behind?" or, "What if I miss a day?"
No sweat, just catch up the next day. And, you may not get the entire Bible read next year but, you can get some of it read and some it is better than none!
So, today and tomorrow (Dec. 30 & 31) seriously consider joining me in reading through the Bible. If you decide to do this, send me an email to let me know.

Gregg Potts

Did the title get your attention? That's my feeble attempt at marketing...lol Now, that I have your attention, let me invite you to take a trip with me in 09. No, I'm not planning a trip to the Holy Land. Sorry if I disappointed you. Instead, I want to encourage you to take a trip with me through the 66 books of the Bible.

This idea is just forming in my mind so... there will be more to come in the next few days but for now, would you consider joining me, beginning Jan. 1, 09 and let's read through the Bible? If so, it will help you grow spiritually.

I will find some type of guide that we can all go by and I will publish it in my blog and on our website. That way, all of us are going at the same pace. And, as we read, I will blog about how God is speaking to me as we read and you can share your experi ences as well. I think this could be a very neat thing.

I mean, I could see people in their Sunday School classes talking about what they had read and discussing what the Lord said to them about those particular texts. Again... it could be lots of fun and it could help us grow in the Lord.

So, for now... would you consider joining me and let's take a trip through the Bible in 09? If so, please email me to let me know "you're in"... If you get behind a few days in your reading, no sweat... we will help out one another.

Looking forward to hearing from you. Let's take a trip through God's word together in 09.

It's almost here... Christmas day, that is.
For weeks now we have shopped and sent cards and had gatherings. We have had parades and watched Christmas specials on tv. Tomorrow is the apex of the Christmas season.
We will celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, Savior of the world.
Even though we have good intentions, it can be really challenging to remain focused on the real meaning of the season. Christmas is so commercial. There is nothing wrong with giving gifts but it can be wrong if it becomes the primary focus of the season. I battle it just like you do.
When our kids were young I would worry thinking "Do we have enough?"
"Enough?"
What is "enough?"
The fact is, I was succumbing to the temptation of commercialism.
I remember watching the Walton television special growing up. PaPa Walton came home and brought all the Waltons one gift each. John Boy, the aspiring writer, got a writing tablet. That was it. One tablet.
So, compared to the Waltons Christmas, we had MORE than enough.
I guess I'm writing this as much to me as to those of you who will read this. We have a tendency to want Christmas to be this magical moment. We want it to be perfect. You know... the Norman Rockwell scene.. everyone sitting around the table with the turkey in the center, Dad with the cardigan sweater etc...
Of course, TV reinforces this.
So, today, on the eve of the day on which we will celebrate Jesus birth, let's all try to allow the Holy Spirit to give us the peace on earth Jesus came to give everyone who wants it.
There is a story about a lady who tried to teach her children that Christmas is Jesus birthday. To reinforce this, she had an empty chair at the table for lunch reminding her kids that the day is about Jesus.
Christmas afternoon, the family had a guest. A lady entered the house and asked a little girl "Well, did you get everything you wanted for Christmas?"
The little girl responded, "No, but it's not my birthday."
I like that.
Join me this afternoon at 5 for our Christmas Eve candlelight Lord's Supper as we worship our Lord. If you are unable to make the Christmas Eve service, I hope you have a wonderful spirit-filled Christmas.
Merry CHRISTmas.

This morning I made a stop at a convenience store for come coffee. While checking out I noticed a guy with a cap that represented one of the teams playing for the Southeastern Conference Championship. I commented on his cap and we chatted a minute.
As we walked outside he volunteered the information that he had four tickets for the game and, that he had paid $750 per ticket. I was stunned!
$750 per ticket.
Let's see... some quick math reveals that.. hey, buddy.. you have $3,000 wrapped up in this game and you haven't eaten or paid for parking.
$3,000.00 wow... that's a lot of money..
As he got in this vehicle he said "It's a once in a lifetime experience."
Now, I know that at times we pay extra for things because it is a memory making experience. I understand that.
And, 3K may be the going rate for four tickets for a game of this magnitude. I have only been to one game like this so my experience is limited. Several years ago, I was given tickets to the Sugar Bowl when LSU played Illinois. But, I don't think they cost $750 each.
But as I thought about this, I thought how difficult it is to get people to give to missions but this guy is shelling out 3k for a football game.
Actually, I also thought that this guy could be one who would complain if he came to church and the preacher preached on money! ha! Yes, I know, I'm judging a little there. Maybe he wouldn't complain at all.
But what this whole experience taught me is... we spend money on things that are important to us. If we believe in something, we are more likely to shell out.
This guy is shelling out big bucks for tickets.
What will he have to show for it? Well, he will likely spend a day with his family. That's good stuff.
He told me he had three boys so it will be a "father son" day... That's good stuff as well.
They will have lots of memories.. That's good stuff.
They will have pictures... that's good as well.
All of those things are good and.. to this guy, at least, they are worth 3k. But what's important to you? Hopefully reaching people for Jesus is important.
Let's invest in eternity.

Yesterday, Tommy Tuberville resigned as head coach of Auburn University.
If you do not follow college football, you may be asking "Tommy who?"
But, my guess is that many of you are at least familiar with the name. You may not be strong followers of college football but, since football is so big in the South, you have probably at least heard the name.
Now, before I go any farther, let me make it clear to any Auburn alumni who will read this blog; this blog post is not a slap at Auburn. Please don't read it that way. Instead, it's a slap at college football in general. Auburn just happens to be the example used.
So, what am I referring to?
Well, first of all, even though I love athletics as much as anyone, sports has gotten absolutely, way out of hand in America. And that sentence is typed by a "sports nut." Yep, I said it. Sports is out of hand.
We are obsessed with it. Well, maybe "we" is too strong. "Many" are obsessed with it.
Recently, I attended a high school playoff game. It was cold. I'm talking cold... Hard cold. I had layers of clothes on to try to keep warm. Everyone else did, too. As I looked around at the crowd that night, I couldn't help but ask the question; "Would you be able to get people out in weather like this for a church service?"
I think you know the answer.
That is an example of how obsessed we are with sports.
The situation with Tommy Tuberville is another example. Tuberville was Auburn's head coach for 10 years. I don't know his exact record but, it was pretty good. He's a good coach. Several years ago his team went undefeated and then got robbed when they didn't get a shot at playing for the national championship.
But this year, Auburn struggled. They went 5-7 and Auburn fans weren't happy.
I'm an LSU fan and I wouldn't have been happy with that record either. I'm not happy and LSU went 7-5.
UGA fans aren’t totally happy and they went 8-3, I think.
So, here's the point; college football coaches are being fired when they don't win 8 or even 9 games. Why? Because we expect so much in our culture.
Now, to be fair, these guys are paid LOTS of money. Tuberville will walk away from Auburn with 5 million. I think I could live off of that. lol
So, it's not like these guys are destitute. But, they are being held to a very, very high standard. Very high.
And that is the point of this blog post. Throughout the Southeastern Conference, more money is being thrown at coaches, and with more money, comes higher expectations. Every school expects to win. So, every week, coaches being paid lots of money are running on the field to play other teams coached by men being paid lots of money. And, both coaches have great players. But, someone has to lose. They don't let games end in a tie.
So, we have a system that throws mega bucks at coaches and builds multi-million dollar facilities and with all of that, the expectations are outrageous. And then, when coaches don't win at least 8 games, they are fired.
Maybe we need to back away from the table here and put this in perspective. It's kind of interesting to me how quickly schools can come up with money to buy coaches out when they want them gone, but churches have difficulty getting people to give to win someone to Jesus. Go figure. I think we have our priorities out of line.

As we come to the close of the fall and move into Thanksgiving, Christmas and the holiday season, it's led me to reflect on the fall months. The fall of 08 has been absolutely great at FBCD. God has blessed His church.

First, our Sunday School attendance has increased. Several of our classes have grown this fall. I love to see good attendance in Sunday School and, I look forward to reaching the point where we average 300 in Sunday School. We aren't that far away now.

Second, God is blessing and blessing and blessing us with additions. I love to see additions to the church. God has poured out additions to FBCD during these fall months.

Third, I am very excited about our Wednesday nights. Harold Stokes has taken on the coordination of Wednesday night meals and our Sunday School classes have provided the meals. This has been a great asset on Wednesday nights. It's helped the fellowship and it has helped increase our attendance. Also, Word of Life has gone well with our children. Children's attendance on Wednesday nights has just about quadrupled. Praise the Lord!

And, there is a new spirit in the church. Our worship has been good and people are excited about new ministries that are being started.

"God is good, All the time, God is good." That definitely applies to FBCD. God has been good to us.

I'm excited about Christmas and about the future of the church. If we are willing to work, pray, share the love of Jesus and adopt a "whatever it takes" attitude, we will continue to reach people.

I am thankful, for what the Lord is doing in His church. Join me this Thanksgiving, in giving thanks for the Lord's blessings.

We are about to conclude the fall months. For the past couple of weeks, the foliage in this area has been absolutely beautiful. I have especially admired the foliage on the trees that line Hardy street just before it merges with Merchants Drive. That bank of trees has been a beautiful gold for a couple of weeks.

But yesterday, as I drove past that line of trees... the beautiful gold had turned to rust and many limbs were bare. The leaves are gone for the year. Fall is basically over. Oh, there are still a couple of football games left to be played but winter weather is almost here.

I love the fall but I also enjoy the cold of the winter. I enjoy reading a book and listening to a fire crackle and pop in the fire place. I enjoy drinking hot chocolate.

With the winter comes the Christmas season. With the Christmas season comes egg nog. I love egg nog. Especially a egg nog latte at Starbucks. My wife is not a coffee drinker but... she loves egg nog lattes. I think they should sell those year round but, if they did, I guess it wouldn't be special when they have them. I like the Christmas music. I like the Christmas lights. Those are good things about the winter.

I enjoy going to a basketball game and that season comes in the winter.

I enjoy eating good, hot soup.

And, if we are fortunate enough to get some snow.. I like that about winter.

So, fall is over. The beautiful color is gone for the year. So, do we just hibernate until next fall? No, we enjoy the next season. Winter is here. There are good things about winter. It will be followed by spring when God's creation comes to life and then summer.

The scripture says "There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven..." (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

The scripture also says, "This is the day the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalms 118:24).

Enjoy today. Enjoy this season. Thank God for today.

Last night our entire family was at home.
Now that may not sound like a big deal but it was last night. We all gathered around the dining room table and had roast, green beans, corn, rolls and Sarah even made me some stuffed celery!
It seemed like Sunday lunch! I could remember many Sundays sitting round the table at home and having roast, potato salad, stuffed celery and other yummie dishes.
We ate and visited and laughed. It was great.
Now, you might ask, "why was that so great?" It was because, we don't get to do it that often any more. As our kids have gotten older, everyone is running and gunning and it's a challenge to get everyone together. Some of you know exactly what I'm talking about. So, getting everyone together was a good thing.
There was a time when families ate together more often. Meal time was a time to catch up on what was going on in everyone's lives. And, at times, life lessons were taught at the table. Stories were passed down and other memories were made.
In today's world, to some degree, we do that by text messaging or with a telephone call or an email. And while all of those means of communication will work and are effective, there is nothing like sitting down with everyone present and having a good talk.
I love my family. I enjoy spending time with them. Several years ago, as we were getting close to Christmas I asked my parents what they wanted for Christmas. They said "getting all of ya'll together is Christmas enough for us." I didn't understand it then. But I do now.
Getting everyone together is a challenge but it's worth the challenge.
Sit down around the family table as often you can and share some good times with your family.

Was reading this morning in my devotional about Elijah and Elisha. Elisha was a protege of Elijah. Elisha was told that Elijah was about to leave him. Elisha asked Elijah for a "double portion of your spirit."

I have several things on my mind today.
First, we are wrapping up VBS. VBS is ALWAYS a great week to reach kids and families for the Lord Jesus. And yes, it's always a very busy week but, the busy is worth it. Now, I have to turn my attention to sermon prep. for Sunday.
Then, there is sermon prep. I am preaching this Sunday on "Characteristics Of A Man Who Has Fellowship With God." It's based on Psalm 15.
The Psalm was probably written when David was moving the ark back to Jerusalem. Uzzah reached out to stabilize the ark and God struck him down. It was probably out of that experience that David asked, "Who can abide on thy Holy hill?" (Psalm 15:1).
I hope you will plan to express love and appreciation to your Dad on Father's Day. One of the best things you could do is find a local church and worship. I hope you will do so.
Next, I have a son who is out of town this weekend. Will, our middle son, is playing summer baseball with the FCA Mavericks. They are playing in Rock Hill, S.C. Holli and I didn't make the trip. This is a first for us. I'm staying in touch w/text messaging and phone calls. You think I could call him in the dugout? lol... Probably not...
And... finally... the LSU Tiger baseball team is playing in the College World Series in Omaha. It has been fun keeping up with the Tigers over the last two months. Up until last week, they had won 23 straight games. They may not win it this year (they've done well to get this far) but, it's been a good year.
Hope you have a great weekend.

This is VBS week at First Baptist. So, my weekly routine has been thrown out of sorts. I normally study in the mornings but I haven't gotten much done thus far this week. I pray the Lord gives me a few hours to study a little and pull a message together before Sunday.
Our VBS has gone great. We have had good attendance and, as far as I know, minimal problems which is always a good thing. I even did the "limbo" (sp?) this morning. Well, I kind of did a "half limbo." lol As a part of the VBS worship service kids have been bringing food to give to a local charity. And, they have to "mambo" to drop the food in the big buckets in the front.
In addition to VBS, we are trying to get our middle son, Will, off for a baseball tournament this weekend. Holli and I are not going. This is a first for us. Normally, when the kids do anything, one of us tries to be present. But, we are treating this weekend like a trial run for college. And, I don't really like it. I like to know how he's doing in the game. But, the Lord will get us through it. I know this is minor stuff but for me, right now, it's a little bigger. For some reason, I'm not wanting to turn loose."
So, it's been a busy week. VBS and preparing to get a kid off on a trip. And, trying to find a little time to study.
I'm reminded of Proverbs 3:5-6; "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."

I hope you had a good Memorial Day.
I did or, should I say "we did."
Our family had a good day.
We didn't cook out, although we ate out last night. Nothing against cooking out by any means but we just didn't do it yesterday. We did nothing accept watch tv, read and rest.
We told Will he could sleep late and he took advantage of it. He had two short nights of sleep the two preceding nights so, he was worn out.
Holli and I were just... well, we were lazy. Now that kind of cuts against the grain of my life. I was raised on a farm and on a farm there is normally something to be done. I can remember if you slept a little later than normal you were kidded by someone saying "you lazy thing." In other words, you're not supposed to be lazy. So, I grew up thinking if you slept late you might be lazy. If you sat around the house doing nothing you might be considered lazy.
But, "lazy" is good at times. In our day we "run and gun" all the time. Because of that, we can feel run down. And, we need rest.
But the summer is here and that will give us some opportunities for rest.
I hope you have a good, restful summer.
Jesus said, "Come to Me, all of you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:28-29).