Love

This is Church

Sunday morning when I asked, “Who is going to need a new roof?” virtually every hand in the room went up. I think we all can say, “I’ve never seen anything like this.” In the midst of adversity, there is always opportunity. I have been so inspired seeing the church love one another and love our neighbors during these times. Boarding windows, sweeping glass, opening doors, preparing food, giving dollars, lifting prayers, and sharing hugs: “this is church.”

How ca12512643_10209302675829480_5666941601308330611_nn you help? Well, there are several things you can do:

Love your neighbor—Spend some time walking down your street checking on and extending help to the people who live near you. You’ll be amazed at the friendships that can begin during difficult times.

#rebuildwylie—I spent the morning ministering in east Wylie today. The damage to people’s homes and cars will break your heart. I am very thankful for FBC Wylie and the love they are demonstrating in rebuilding Wylie. The rebuild will take some time. When you see or hear of a need, do what you can to meet it. Loving others is something you can do.

Pray—Every day take time to pray for those who have had their lives disrupted. Teach your children to pray for others, and pray for God’s power to sweep over our communities. God often uses difficult moments to reveal His power. There will be many questions, and there will be many who turn to God. Take delight in seeing God at work.

Worship—This Sunday I looked out and saw people worshiping God and resting in His goodness. In some cases, their cars were demolished and their homes were full of holes, but their faith remained. I was humbled to see such a display of genuine Christianity.

Be Thankful—We can replace roofs, windows, carpet, and cars, but we cannot replace the ones we love. Yes, we need a new roof, but thank God we have a roof under which to live. I give thanks to God that, though things have been damaged, we are okay.

Give—Our church maintains a benevolence fund to help with needs. We will use monies given to help those in our community. You may also be able to give meals, tools, time, and expertise to the cause.

Talk—As you go, talk to people. Ask them how they did during the storms. Everyone around you has a story. As you engage the people around you, I promise you will be blessed with opportunities to pray, serve, and lead people to the saving love of Christ.

I’m proud to be a part of this community and church. During the coming weeks, I will be preaching a series entitled the Opportunity of Adversity. I look forward to our times of worship. I look forward to hearing the stories of God. I look forward to seeing the church be the church.

Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer Romans 12:12
Pastor Lash

The Collision of the Cross

Tonight our church gathers for Good Friday. We will remember what Jesus did for us through His atoning death on the cross and celebrate the new life that is found through His resurrection. I’ll be preaching on Philippians 2:8, “He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even to death on a cross,” As I meditated on Christ’s humility, I was reminded of the collision that is the cross:

The ringing of Calvary’s hammer is a collision of pride and love. The cross is necessary because of my pride, but it also necessary because of God’s love. The cross is a clumsy display of my hideous pride and a graceful display of God’s forgiving grace. On the cross, love is pierced by pride and grace is crowned by evil. On the cross pride drains the veins of love: drop by drop pride’s antidote puddles below. When His head bowed in death, pride raised his head in victory. But when the earth stood still and the tomb stood opened, it was pride that had died and love that was alive.

The antidote to pride is the cross. When I look upon the humility and love of the cross, I see the magnificence of His love for me and I have nothing left in which to boast. From the cross the purity of His righteousness shines into the corners of my heart exposing the darkness of my sin and contempt is poured on my pride. From the cross the glories of money, power, and fame lose their allure and my richest gain I count but lost. At the cross, my broken dreams, my manipulated relationships, my cold soul collide with love. When my pride surveys His love, I bow beneath the cross, my faith is transferred from me to Him, and the drops of grace cleanse me and make me fully whole. At the cross, pride dies and love comes alive.

Inspired by my favorite hymn “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross,” by Sir Isaac Watts

Join us for Easter worship at 8:30, 9:45, or 11:00.  Details and directions at murphychurch.com 

Life from the Margins: Abnormally Normal

Among the battle-grounds in the same-sex marriage debate was an elusive, sought after quality called “normal.” For centuries, those with same-sex attraction were labeled as abnormal, so much so that society cut them off from what Justice Kennedy described as the “foundational” rights to love and marry. But that has now changed. In a 5-4 vote of the Supreme Court, the label of abnormal was officially removed. The White House, Coca-Cola, Cinderella’s castle were among the millions proclaiming their joy and support with rainbow gleam. Our culture celebrates when that which was abnormal is embraced as normal.

Among many Christians, there is a deep seething. You likely won’t see it marching down streets, hash-tagged, or acknowledged in the news. But, as a pastor, I have never seen such despair in the hearts of church-goers, especially those who remember America before the sexual revolution. They are depressed and frustrated; they feel betrayed, lost, and abnormal in their own country. Many of them feel they are being cut off from the “foundational” rights to exercise free-speech and faith. It is a painful irony that many in our culture also celebrate when the normal becomes the abnormal.

As a graduate of approximately 6,500 Christian worship services and 10,000 sermons, I have an observation: American Christians have been obsessed with being normal! We desire Jesus, love, grace, and the blessings of the cross, but we have often run from the scorn that accompanies His message. Have we forgotten that Jesus’ own culture wanted to kill him? The message of Jesus has always been abnormal. In our quest to be relevant, we have often abandoned our heritage and embraced the superficial. We have tweeted self-help with a twist of Jesus and unfriended the substantive preaching of sacred Scripture. We have envisioned church as an amusement park where we ride the Jesus-coaster to our preferred destination instead of a community of believers who profess that Jesus is the destination.

Where has our obsession with normal gotten us? Well, fewer people are now going to church, fewer people are being baptized, our cultural voice is on mute, churches are closing at an alarming pace, and we have a shortage of godly pastors. Meanwhile, our congregants struggle to understand page-one truths of Christianity like: life is a gift from God, gender as divine design, marriage and family as foundational to society and well-being, sexuality as an expression of biblical marriage, and new-life as both the destination of redemption and the action of God’s love. (https://lashbanks.com/2014/10/25/5-gifts-of-covenant-marriage/)

Now Christians are being forced to the margins of the discussion, perhaps we should take a deep breath, familiarize ourselves with our new surroundings, and realize that the margins are our earthly home. Genuine believers in Christ are not normal; we are abnormal. Remember the words of Jesus:
“If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you. Remember the word I spoke to you: ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will also keep yours. But they will do all these things to you on account of My name, because they don’t know the One who sent Me (John 15:18-21,HCSB).

As Christians, we have a unique place within the social order. Our faith is anchored in sacred truth. For centuries, millions have lived their lives, loved their families, and cared for the world guided by the truths of Scripture. We understand that the 100 year window of earthy life is not the tense of past, present, and future. Our lives here are but a vapor and our future is with Christ in eternity. The cross is the place where the normal become abnormal; heaven is the place where the abnormal become normal.

A Mother’s Day Prayer: What Matters (by Rachel Pakebusch)

As I count the years I have left to make an impact on my child’s life, I am sobered by the brevity of time. For what is my life but a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away (James 4:14). In light of this thought, feelings of shame rush in for all of the teachable moments stolen away with work and other worries.

Father, please guide this mother to remember what is important and lasting in this world. Your greatest command is to love you with all my heart, with all my soul, and with all my mind. (Matt. 19:19) Your word says to seek first your kingdom, and all these other things will be added to me. Lord, give me the strength and counsel to live this out for your glory in the eyes of my child. This is the legacy I desire to leave impressed in his/her heart,
Within moments of this prayer, I know that I will fall short of this legacy. So, I call on your mercy that triumphs over judgment and is new every morning. Protect my child from my own wandering heart. Guard him/her from the sins than entangle me. Father, I call on the riches of your grace that abound freely. Divinely use my mistakes as moments for my child to grow in the understanding of the kindness of your character and the vastness of your immeasurable compassion.

As strongly as I feel that my child is mine, my heart also knows that You are the Giver of this great blessing and have favorably trusted me with this precious gift. Father, I humbly recognize that it is only through your mercy and grace that I am even able to stand as a mother. I rest in the intimate familiarity of the sweetness of your forgiveness and your redeeming love. May this mother be found faithful in Your eyes of what you have entrusted to me.

Amen

Rachel Pakebusch is a mother of four, a teacher of many, and wife of Murphy Church’s Discipleship Minister Paul.  

Adopted! Lessons Learned in the Heart of a Mother (by Darla Garrett)

My husband and I were content and acceptant that we were not having children. However, we were open to a family and had explored several options. None of the options felt right for us until a special little boy walked into our lives. We suddenly became parents to a one-year-old boy who was living with his Grandmother. Her health was not enabling her to remain his caregiver. The birthparents chose to pick the home where their little one was to be placed instead of having him placed in a foster home.
Three weeks after offering him our home, he came through our front door with signed adoption paper work. Wow! What a life changer for all of us. For three days, this little guy was disappointed, his new mommy answered his morning cries to get out of bed instead of his Granny. I just held him and told him what was happening and that everything was going to be all right. Quickly, God gave him a strong love bond to his new family.
Though this experience, I have learned several things and I will share a few. First, I learned that God provides the love bond. I deeply love the stranger who, I now call, “my son.” One of the first things that went through my mind as a mother was a question. Could my love for this little guy be strong? I prayed and prayed that our love-bond would grow strong. Six months later, I found that we were bonded by love for a lifetime. One night he had a seizure from a high fever. I carried him around the house and my husband called the ambulance. When he quit seizing, he wasn’t breathing. As I tried to arouse him and waited to determine if he needed CPR, great fear overwhelmed me. Prayers shot to heaven, “Please Lord, don’t let me lose him, I just got him.” I realized that he had become part of my heart. Fortunately, he did arouse and began to breathe without CPR. Through a horrible trip to the emergency room, I realized God had answered my prayer to love this little guy and bond.
Secondly, I learned not to fear the future but to trust in the power of prayer. Prayers for my son flow easy. As I hold him to drink his morning milk, prayers for wisdom pour out of my soul. I had fears for his future as a result of his broken birth family and the instability that went into his first year. I have learned to pray for him during the quiet times that we have together. For example, he likes to watch the garage door come down when we come home, so as he watches, I pray. My prayer has evolved to this: Lord please help me to be the mommy this little boy needs. Help his daddy to be the man he needs. Please protect him from evil and harm. Finally, help him to make wise decisions. For I have realized that my husband and I will do our best for him but ultimately he has to choose his life path and a relationship with God.
Next, the love of God should flow from me to him. It is ok not to know it all or have the right answers. I will not be perfect; I just have to be trying and there will be multiple chances to get it right. A love and trust bond should always connect from my heart to his. He should feel my love even when he is disciplined. For example, I let him know why he cannot do something with short explanations. Here is a sample of what I sometimes say, “no, no it will hurt you and mommy loves you and I don’t want to see you hurt.”
Someone told me that parents say “no” to their children more than yes. My desire is for my son to have the feeling that he can achieve. One day he’ll learn the verses about being more than conquers and doing all things through Christ who gives us strength. So, to help him with this biblical principle, I say, “you can” more than “no, no.” It seems a little strange at first but, when put into practice, it eventually flows. For example, “you can walk without holding my hand down this hall.” “You can put the bubble bath in the water.” “You can have some more milk.” “You can help me with the laundry.” My goal is to love him in a way that will give him the tools to be all God wants him to be.
Finally, it is our responsibility to tell him about God along with the church. His dad leads him in prayer routinely and encourages him to pray. He leads us to church and encourages our involvement. Nightly reading time is a routine at our house. The concepts of the Bible are what I like to stress as I read Bible stories and even Dr. Seuss books. Here are some examples of the concepts. First, the concept “God made him special” comes from “I Wish that I had Duck Feet” by Dr. Seuss. Secondly, I stress that “God has great things in store for his future” through his adoption. We read the Alice in Bibleland series story of Moses. He was adopted and called to do great things. Thirdly, we talk about “God loving us very much” when we read about Gideon in the Vegetales series.
Our adoption experience was truly the hand of God orchestrating our family’s composition. Emotions swell up inside of me when I think about being chosen to guide a little boy through his life. God is the giver of all children and they are a blessing. Thank you Lord for the opportunity to love a little life and for the lessons that I’ve learned.

Darla Banks-Garrett lives with her family in Fort Worth, Texas. She works as a Nursing Administrator. Before becoming a mother herself, she served children for many years in children’s ministry.  She also had the misfortune of having to grow up as Lash’s big sister.  

 

6 Feet Forever: A Good Friday Devotional

Just as the townspeople were finishing breakfast, word began to spread that Jesus had been arrested. Eternity’s trial was in session on the steps of Fort Antonia. Just outside the walls, two little boys, short of breath, ran back to their father, “Papa, it sounds like a riot is breaking out, the crowd is yelling, and the governor is trying to calm them!” “Stay close to me boys; we are going to stop here outside the walls until we know things have calmed down,” said Simon.

It was about 8:30, when the execution parade made its way past Simon and his boys. Their Passover journey had taken an unexpected turn. Instead of simply celebrating the Passover, Simon was now face to face with the Passover lamb. Simon Peter had boasted earlier that he was willing to die for Jesus. But now, as Jesus fell beneath the weight of the beam, another Simon wrapped his dark hands around the cursed wood on which God’s son would absorb the wrath for humanity’s sin and bring forgiveness and grace to all who believe.

The death march featured three victims: the Son of God and two men simply known as thieves. These two men were born into a world of Roman savagery. As children, their parents had hopes and dreams for their lives. Maybe they would be so lucky as to meet the Messiah. The run-ins with Rome were fun: anything to make a soldier’s life more miserable. But then one day, they were found and bound. Deemed unfit to serve a master, power a ship, or dig the roads; the only good these men had to offer was to serve as a warning to all to never mess with the legions of Rome.

Crucifixion was no stranger to any of the three men. They knew its shriek, its gore, its meaning, its end. The wonderment would soon be over: will they use nails or ropes? how long will I hang? will anyone care that I’m dying? It was about 9:00 when the hammers began to ring. The gospel writers describe it best with three words, “They crucified him.”

The scene was dripping with anger. Hardened soldiers gambled for possessions. Religious leaders piously taunted the very God they claimed to worship. How dark is a heart that delights in the cross?

“In the same way, the criminals kept taunting him.” Soon the black drops of anger had saturated the sky. Through the darkness came a voice of grace, “Father forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing.”

Hanging six feet from God, the clinched soul, broken dreams, and dark abandonment of one man’s life, began to pour out. The thief began to blaspheme Jesus spewing vileness so reprehensible his tortured body became the reflection of his heart. This man was minutes from death; his life deemed worthless. Soon, all evidence of his days would vanish, but instead of embracing grace, he chose to take his anger to the grave. He died six feet from God, suffocated in his sin. He and God would remain apart forever.

Hanging six feet from God was another angry man. Minutes from death, he had lived a life that no one would remember. His life had been officially proclaimed as worthless. He had nothing to give God, nothing with which to negotiate. All he could do is open his clinched fist of anger and request to be remembered. Wrapped in death’s cold embrace, he met grace through the suffering love of his substitute. He is mere man’s greatest witness to Calvary’s collision of horror and love. He died six feet from God, but remains with God forever. How full is the heart that finds life in the cross?

 

Lash Banks is Lead Pastor at Murphy Road Baptist Church (murphychurch.com). Lash’s weekly podcast/sermon can be heard at http://www.buzzsprout.com/17504

Dad Life: Lessons from a Fence Post

For the past two years, my daughters and I have been at war with a wobbly fence post. Made from the lowest quality pine the home-builder could find, this fence post has been tasked with a most important job: to provide security to my children and keep the neighborhood from enduring the antics of Labradors on the loose. But alas, it has failed miserably. Come wind, come snow, come rain, you can be assured that this God-forsaken, piece of junk of a fence post will continue to wobble and in the process drive me crazy.

When toddlers call you “Dad,” you’re supposed to be able to fix these sort of problems. So, I began seeking solutions. My first thought was that drought was the culprit, so I watered the ground around the post hoping the well-watered ground would huddle around the post; nope. For my next solution, my girls and I ventured to Home Depot and bought 60 pounds of concrete. The collective intelligence of my girls and my vast construction experience was certain that we had solved the issue; nope. Finally, I summoned my inner Si Robertson and decided to solve the problem “redneck style.” I wrapped bungee cords around the post and anchored it to my wheel barrow. To my delight the post no longer wobbled; we were happy, happy, happy. But the HOA of “yuppie-vile” for some reason did not share in our glee.

Finally, it was time to solve this once and for all. After watching all five Rocky movies for inspiration, we put some “Eye of the Tiger” in the ear buds and William Wallace eye-black beneath our eyes determined to end this fence post’s tyranny of wobble. The scene was truly inspirational to my adoring wife. As she watched my suburban physique attack this fence post’s fortress of concrete and dirt, her head nodding in disbelief, I knew she was thinking, “I am one lucky girl.”

After much weeping and gnashing of teeth, we reached the source of our trials: deep beneath the ground, the post was rotted and fractured. My only solution was to remove the decay, put a new post in the ground, and then seal it with a 100 pounds of concrete (yes, I realize I went overboard on the concrete). I am pleased to report that through the valiant efforts of my girls and me the threat has been once and for all removed. Today, a six-foot post of cedar stands boldly in its place; a testimony of American ingenuity signifying to all who pass by just what fathers and daughters can accomplish together when we put down our remote controls and chicken nuggets and come together in hope and change.

The experience reminded me of something that deep down we all sense: something is broken. “Girls the world we live in is full of injustice, suffering, evil-acts, and selfish hearts. Sometimes it feels like we are trying to hold life together with bungee cords and a wheelbarrow. But God intervened into our scene so that we may be redeemed. God dug deep—He put a post in the ground, removed the decay of sin, and sealed the redemption of all who believe, through the blood of His son.”

Looking down I caught a glimpse of my six year old’s emerald eyes gazing at me. “Do you understand sweetheart?” I said. To which she replied, “huh?!” “Exactly, none of us understand it all completely, but God doesn’t call us to understand it all; God calls us to believe.”

by Lash Banks

5 Things This Dad Wants His Kids to Learn BEFORE Kindergarten (or at least by age 40).

It may be the most amazing moment life has to offer: that moment when you hold your son or daughter in your arms for the first time. At that moment, love drenches your heart. Your arms are filled with hopes and dreams. It’s a celebration which quickly turns into a staggering responsibility. During those first five years, a foundation is built which must be strong enough to sustain a century of living. It’s enough to make you swallow hard and pray for wisdom. Lord, what are the most important things for me to teach?

I am blessed with 3 little ones ages 6 and under. I’m just a dad like any other dad trying to navigate the foreign world of diapers, cartoons, and organic cheese-sticks, with my gorgeous wife who now holds the additional title of mom.  Recently, our church asked the question, “What is it that you really want your children to learn before kindergarten?” Here is my attempt to answer that humbling question.

God’s Grace—I want my kids to understand Christianity through the lens of grace. It’s easy when kids are young to teach a “do this and don’t do that” view of Christianity. In our efforts to teach children obedience, we have to be careful not to teach them that God’s love for them is based on their loveliness. When my children reach that moment of salvation, I want them to believe in a God that loves them so much that He sent His son so that whoever believes has eternal life, not a God who’s “making a list and checking it twice, gonna find out who’s naughty and nice.” It’s the difference between gospel grace and performance moralism.

Dad’s Grace—The most frightening reality of fatherhood for me is that my children are forming their images of God the Father from watching their own father. How can I teach them that God is graceful if I am not? My kids have to know that their Dad loves them unconditionally whether they are being good or bad. “Daddy loves you kid, now go to timeout.” I want my children to understand there are consequences, but beyond the consequences I want them to know that grace abounds and love endures.

To Listen from Their Heart—Among the greatest accomplishments of parenthood is the ability to speak to the heart of your child. When my kids are young I can control their behavior, because I’m bigger than they are, and I control their source of Goldfish, milk, and bunk beds. As children grow older an amazing deafness to wisdom occurs when they have never learned to listen from the heart. If, as father, I don’t learn to speak to their heart in toddlerhood, then I fear they will grow deaf to the Heavenly Father’s voice in adolescence.

Reality—Repeat after me “It’s okay for my children to be disappointed and sad, to know the word ‘no,’ and to have boundaries. It’s okay for my child to cry, to lose, and to struggle in their work. It’s even okay for my child to understand that life is precious and loved ones die.” Like you, I never like to see my kids hurt or struggle; daddy wants to make it better, but making it easier is not always making it better. The harsh moments are life’s greatest classroom. When life grows hard, faith, hope, and love must be my curriculum.

To Love Others—My first child rocked my world. That little one took my time, my money, my energy, even my sleep! That first year of fatherhood caused me to take a grueling look within and face my selfishness, but my love for my daughter motivated me to give her my all. The scriptures reveal the soul’s default of selfishness. If I don’t teach and model for my children what it means to love others, who will? Every night as they go to bed I pray a simple prayer over them: “Lord, help us to love you, love one another, and love others.

Parenting is hard work and there are no guarantees. We can’t be the Holy Spirit in the lives of our children. Children are gifts from God, and God is the author of their life’s story. But God has also called Moms and Dads to the amazing journey of guiding the heart of a child that He dearly loves. When you hold that little hand, you are holding a heart. Of all the people on planet earth, God has chosen you and equipped you to drench that little heart with love. You can do this!

 Lash Banks is Lead Pastor at Murphy Road Baptist Church (murphychurch.com). Lash’s weekly podcast/sermon can be heard at http://www.buzzsprout.com/17504 

10 Mind Blowing Realities About God’s Love For You
  • God sent His son because He loves you—John 3:16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.
  • God loves you even though you sin—Romans 5:8 But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!
  • God saves you through grace—Ephesians 2:8-9 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift not from works, so that no one can boast
  • God is faithful to forgive—I John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
  • God gives you a new life—Galatians 2:19b-20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
  • God’s love for you lasts forever—Psalm 136:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love is eternal.
  • God’s love brings quiet to your soul—Zephaniah 3:17 Yahweh your God is among you, a warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will bring you quietness with His love. He will delight in you with shouts of joy.”
  • God’s love matures you—Ephesians 3:17b-18 I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love,
  • God’s love exalts you to new heights—I Peter 5:6-7 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your care on Him, because He cares about you.
  • God’s love brings you victory—Romans 8:37-39 No, in all these things we are more than victorious through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that not even death or life, angels or rulers, things present or things to come, hostile powers, height or depth, or any other created thing will have the power to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!
Lash Banks is Lead Pastor at Murphy Road Baptist Church (murphychurch.com).  Lash’s weekly podcast/sermon can be heard at http://www.buzzsprout.com/17504   
 
All Scripture citations are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible.  Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.