#TurnInTheACP

 

Greetings!

I'm Clark Palmer, 64, SBC pastor from Pineville, LA. I'm asking for your help in creating a widespread emphasis on returning the Annual Church Profile. 

When I became Moderator of our local association, I considered setting some goals for increased attendance and/or baptisms. I searched for data to create a baseline and discovered our numbers were off. There were no discernible trends. One year we were up, the next down.  Numbers from a decade ago showed the same issue. I realized part of the problem was the number of churches not reporting. In fact, one of the largest churches in our area had not turned in an ACP recently.  

Clearly this is a problem for determining such things as  representation on our state Executive Committee and messengers to annual meetings and tracking progress or the lack of it.  Then I began to wonder if this could also account for at least some of the reported overall declines for the SBC in terms of attendance and baptisms.  

So I'm on a campaign to ask our leaders at all levels to make some noise about the ACP this August.  I have created the hashtag, #TurnInTheACP. I've started a twitter account devoted to this @acp_2021.  My request to you folks is to give some visibility to the effort.  This is non-partisan. I just think we need good numbers.

Also there is value in church leaders seeing their numbers and making adjustments accordingly. I know I've had years where the numbers revealed a lack of attention to certain areas of our ministry. 

The person with Lifeway connected to the ACP is Scott Mconnell. He's aware of my interest but I'm strictly a one-man team. He would be a good resource for information.  

Thanks for reading and considering, 

Clark Palmer

Simple Ways To Show Love At A Funeral

1. Take the time to attend. Your presence will mean the world to them. (Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Romans 12:15) 

2.  A funeral is a time to give attention to things being said and done. Your engagement matters. Probably it would be best to turn off the cell phone and put it away. 

3. Prior to the service visit quietly and respectfully. Now’s not the time for hootin’, hollerin’, and carrying on, as much fun as those things are. 

4. During the sermon, eliminate the chit-chat. You may not realize it but your side conversations can be heard everywhere in a funeral setting. 

5. Do your best to not be a distraction in anyway, that means take care of any personal needs before or after the service. The restroom will be there. You can probably wait.

6. If there is a time during the service to share a memory or a comment, don’t hesitate to stand up. Your kind word might be what the family needs to hear. Also, keep it brief.

7. In your conversation with the family make it about them, not you. Show your love because love helps heal hurting hearts. You don’t have to have anything clever or insightful to say. “I’m sorry. I love you. I’m here for you.” That’s about enough. 

8. Have a conversation with your teenagers about this list. Don't let them walk into the first funeral they attend unprepared to love well with their behavior. 

9. As much as we love small children and as hard as it can be to find someone to care for them, a quiet and sometimes emotionally difficult funeral service might not be the place for them. 

Ten Practices For Jesus Followers (1-3)

What are the basic practices that ought to be part of the life of those who have committed to following Jesus? Once the Holy Spirit has drawn someone to trust in the atoning death of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, now what? How does someone continue on as a believer? What would their life look like now?

Over the last few years, I've been asking these questions.  I wanted to be able to give a concise, clear answer to the question, "What now?"  If I'm all in on following Jesus, what do I do?  I've developed this list of ten practices.  These are not "THE" ten practices.  There may be more.  But I'm convinced that these ten ought to be in all of our lives on a regular basis. These can be done in different ways and take different forms but the essence of them is indispensable.  

They are not legalistic requirements for gaining or keeping God’s love. These ten are helpful exercises that shape our attitudes and character. These disciplines help us flourish spiritually and be emotionally healthy. All of them are part of creating a transformed character in you so that you can bring joy and benefit to the world around you.

The first three practices are:

   1. Surrender daily to the rule of God.

   2. Live in the Word and by the Word.

   3. Choose love in every situation.  

Here are messages on each of the first three.  Check back later as others are added!

Practice 1: Surrender Daily To The Rule Of God

Practice 2: Live In The Word and By The Word

Practice 3: Choose Love In Every Situation

  

Fighting Back Against Depression

Depression is a battle we'll all face at some point. I recently shared some thoughts with the good folks at Faith Baptist Church -Tioga to help us think about the issue. In these two talks, I share some of the basics of how we get depressed and how we can turn our thoughts toward God and hope and move forward.  The notes below are in addition to the central, Scripture-based, insights that I share in the talks.    

Depression- Part 1 The Downward Path

Depression-Part 2 The Way Forward

12 more practical steps you can take.

Remember: You are responsible for your mental, spiritual, and emotional health.  You can do it.  I believe in you. 

1. Rest - Your mind needs a rested body to function well.  Sleep might be the best performance-enhancing thing you can do.

2. Exercise- A simple 30-minute walk can have a tremendous, positive, mood-altering impact. Repeat daily.

3. Use ways of getting your mind off your troubles that do not make your problems worse.

 * A change of scenery.   

 *An uplifting book or movie.

 * Have your Quiet Time at a coffee shop.

4. Get help.  See a counselor. There are several in our local area of Alexandria/Pineville.  I know and trust Dr. Gilliland, Counselor .

5. Take medication if a health professional recommends it. 

    Medication can interrupt the negative cycle of thoughts. There is no miracle drug and there is no overnight cure but what they do is give you rest and some help. Then you can get on with the business of learning better how to face and think about your problems.

   It's a bit like being in water over your head - a life preserver can let you rest/relax and figure out a better strategy. You’ll still be in the deep water....but now you can swim on in a helpful direction.

4. If you are depressed don’t make the mistake of assuming it’s because you are a bad or inferior person. It happens to everyone. Don’t think it can’t happen to you. It can descend on you so powerfully that it has you in its grip before you know what’s going on and you may need help to get over it.

 

5. Put your thoughts and feelings into words. Journal. Share about your blah’s with a friend. See number 12 below as well.

6. Remind yourself that you are in a tunnel, not a cave. Be patient, it may take time to get back. 

7. Deal with the source of the depression if possible. Take Direct Action

    * Change your job situation.     

    * Take steps to improve your financial situation.

    * Change the relationship situation when appropriate and in appropriate ways.

    * Break the pattern or habit of sin.     

8. Strive-For-Straight-Thinking. 

 You might be the victim of distorted thinking.  Why is that important?  Because our thoughts, our self-talk/self-coaching control our emotions.

 Avoid these four thinking mistakes:

 A. Selective Memories.  We remember every bad thing that has happened to us and we forget every good thing.     So a single negative event can make us feel that we are trapped in defeat.  We dwell on the negatives.

B. All or Nothing Thinking.  If our performance falls short of perfection we see ourselves as failures.

C. Magnification. We exaggerate the importance of negative things and minimize the value of what's good.

D.  Jumping to Conclusions.  From one event we conclude,  "I never do anything right.."  "Things never go my way."   He/she doesn’t call when you expect them to so you conclude “they don’t like me at all.

     These aren't rational.  They are not accurate.  They are not the truth. Don’t believe every thought that comes into your head.  Sometimes they are lies.

9. Surround yourself with emotionally healthy people.

     Isolation makes depression worse. The problem is you might not feel like leaving your house.  Rise to the occasion and push yourself out of the door.

10. Turn outward, find ways to serve and help. 

11. Do what will help.  Not what you feel like doing.

12. Begin or begin again a regular time with God. Read, ponder, journal thoughts on Scripture. Live in the Word.  Read the Psalms. Make a prayer list and bring all of your thoughts, fears, needs to God. Make a list of the things for which you are thankful, name those things before God. 

I'm Glad You Said That: The importance of the rightly spoken word.

Remember trying to solve a mystery or a riddle?  We look around desperately for a clue.  Some hint that will help things become clear. You shake the wrapped present, listening to get an idea of what’s inside. Someone whispers a clue and the light dawns and we’re grateful. We’re glad for what they said.

You were faced with a problem and then someone said something that unlocked your mind to see a way forward.  We say with profound gratitude, “I’m so glad you said that.”

Or we see a lingering injustice, a situation that’s out of kilter and finally someone stands up and says something so that correction can happen.  We say “I’m so glad you said that.”

We’re unaware that our headlight is out or that our inspection sticker has expired or that our tire is low on air and someone says something and problems are prevented and we say, “I’m so glad you said that.”

Proverbs 25:11-12 expresses the feeling of joy and appreciation of hearing the helpful hint, the valuable clue, the appropriate warning.
:11 Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances.
:12 Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold is a wise reprover to a listening ear.  

We often need someone to say something helpful. Life can be a mysterious riddle, we need all the clues and hints we can find.

For centuries, Jesus followers have found valuable clues and hints in the Scriptures. The Word opens the door of our understanding to the grace of God, the value of love, the evil of my sin, and so much more.

Read the Word. Listen to it taught. Go on a Sunday to a place where it is the center of attention. Position yourself to receive beautiful, helpful, true words.

You'll find hints and clues to help you think better and understand more deeply.

You’ll find yourself thinking, “I’m so glad someone said that.”

Simple Thoughts On Prayer - Part 1

There are those who believe in God but are unsure about how what to say in prayer.  These few thoughts in this blog and the next are for you. This is simply a description of how I pray in the hope that sharing my practice will help you get started.

These are things I ask for every day, knowing I need God’s help with them every day.

I am sharply aware of my limitations, imperfections, and inadequacies so there is a sense of urgency to all of them.

You’ll see that in much of this I’m doing the alliteration thing. I didn’t set out to do that it.  It just developed that way.  I like it because it helps me remember what I need/want to ask for.

First - God, I’m Yours.

It seems right to start the day with a prayer affirming my complete availability and submission to God as well as asking for His power for kindness, love, and strength for service. It helps me be in the right place as I recognize the rightful place of God.  If you want an "e" to keep the theme going, you might declare that you want to "Empty" yourself of you.

Second - Engineer The Day. 

I ask God to engineer my day. He is the Master Designer of all things  I trust He knows what is ahead. I trust He is wiser than me on the use of each minute. I trust that He can arrange the events, provide the guidance, and steer me through each task. As a teenager, I encountered Proverbs 3:5-6, this prayer for God to divinely engineer my day comes from these words, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight.”

Third - Empower Me

 I pray daily for God to empower me. The New Testament (John 15:5, Galatians 5:22) makes it clear that for there to be any of the character of Jesus in me, it will require a work of God’s Spirit. And, it’s not automatic. So I ask, “Holy Spirit empower me,” acknowledging what I know to be true, that there’s nothing in me that can produce the fruit of virtues such as love, kindness, and so on. My worldview starts with a belief that there is a God, who really does interact with people, and who can supernaturally work in them.

I would caution you against thinking that asking for God-empowered character eliminates the need to make efforts in that direction. That would be, in my view, unbiblical. I ask for a kind heart AND I strive to be kind. God works in me AND I engage in every effort in the same direction.

(To Be Continued.)

I'm Certainly Not Taking The Blame!

I blame Christmas. Or maybe it was the candy makers who shall remain unnamed. They made the sweet, chocolatey delights. They put the peanut clusters right there! Right in front of me where I had to walk by them.  And those things with the peanut butter in the middle and the chocolate on the outside. WHAT WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO?? They basically forced me to consume them. And then what happened? I saw a number on the scale that I didn't like. It's their fault. No question. Wait....maybe the scale's broken? I hadn't thought of that.   

One thing's for certain:  I'm not taking the blame. The number I saw and what I may or not see in the reflection (I admit nothing) is their fault.  

Them. They. Him. Her. Isn't that how it goes? It's always someone else's fault. 

This is what we do, isn't it? We look for someone to blame.

Looking for someone to blame is a bad, unproductive, no-good  habit of the mind. And it's all too common.  

Two things about this blaming business:

First, it guarantees we won't fix the real problem. We won't look for how we contributed to the outcome. We won't evaluate our role, and we'll never see where we can make some changes.

Second, it often pushes someone away and raises the tension in the room.  Telling someone “it’s all your fault” only puts them on the defensive or triggers their sense of shame. No one wants or needs that. Here's what never happens:  You blame someone for what happened and have them respond with a genuine "Thanks for pointing that out. I take full responsibility, and I'm better for knowing that I did it." 

There is a thinking shift needed. Break the habit of instantly looking for someone to blame. Recognize the truth: When things go a bit sideways, we all contributed. Be honest about your part of making the mess.  Sharing your contribution first, will help get a conversation off to a good start. Then you can attack the problem, not the other person/people involved.  

Remember the words of I John 1:8 - "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." You build credibility when, with authenticity, you own your part of the problem. The path to progress always passes through honesty with your self about what really happened.

I need to wrap this up now. There's still Christmas candy in the kitchen that someone has to tend to.