Little Flatrock Christian Church

The above title is a profound part of the 2019 faith-based movie, Overcomer, as Thomas Hill, lying in his hospital bed, asks the lead character, John Harrison, this exact question. When John begins to answer, “I am a coach, a teacher, a husband, and a father,” Thomas has made his point quite clear. That is, as a Christian, his initial response should be a follower of Jesus.

What a great movie about redemption and God’s unconditional love!  But the more I thought about the film’s “question and answer session,” the more I wondered what might have been my response to the same query.  Even more thought-provoking, what would be my family and friend’s first thoughts regarding my life?  Would they think about my love for the Lord or my devotion for the sports teams that I so passionately support?

Our strong and unwavering faith does not necessarily have to be overbearing or confrontational.  However, it does need to be evident to those who see its results in the very fiber of our worldly existence.  An example of this is what we have been referring to as “Smiling at the Storm.”  If those around us witness our serenity during times of presumed trouble, then hopefully they will be drawn to the source of this comfort:  Jesus!

Another popular film has a unique background that is also rooted in our previous subject, “Who Are You?”  Lew Wallace was born in Brookville, Indiana, in 1827 and had an illustrious career as a lawyer, Civil War Union General, Governor of the New Mexico Territory, and a diplomat.  However, his claim to fame was as an author.  Wallace is best known for his story, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, a bestselling novel that has been called “the most influential Christian book of the 19th century.”

Interestingly enough, Lew’s initial intent was to write a book refuting the reality of Christ. During this process, he came to believe that Jesus was indeed the Son of God.

“He spent several years working on the project and had written nearly four

chapters when it became clear to him that Jesus was just as real a personality

as Socrates…or Caesar. The conviction became a certainty, and Wallace said,

‘I knew that Jesus Christ had lived because of the facts connected with the

period in which he lived.’”

Now, the rest of the story:  the moment of “who are you?” shines brightly from a quiet, but persistent and loving, disciple of the Lord.  In other words, in Wallace’s life the “who are you?” was his wife of more than 50 years, Susan Elston Wallace. This prayer warrior had been interceding on her husband’s behalf for a very long time, when finally the literal moment of truth arrived for him.

“At that point (his new understanding of Jesus), Wallace fell on his knees

to pray for the first time in his life. He asked God to reveal himself to him, to

forgive his sins, and help him become a follower of Christ. Wallace says,

‘Towards morning the light broke into my soul. I went into my bedroom, woke

my wife and told her that I had received Jesus as my Lord and Savior.’

 

‘O Lew,’ she said, ‘I have prayed for this ever since you told me of your

purpose to write this book, that you would find him while you wrote it!’”

That is exactly what happened, as Wallace changed the work he was originally writing, and used all of his research to write another book. Later, the publication became a movie starring Charlton Heston as Judah Ben-Hur. Those who have seen the film will never forget the scene where he races four magnificent white horses in a thrilling chariot race.  It is actually the story of a Jewish nobleman who, like Lew Wallace, had come to believe that Jesus is indeed the Son of God.

So, the answer to our title, “Who Are You?” depends on where your priorities are found.  If you are a Christian, then others should recognize this fact by the way you live this life and how you continue to Smile at the Storm!

This past week a long-awaited event took place in the Smith household as the NFL draft brought some current athletics back into our sports-starved home.  It was as if an old friend had stopped by to chat for a few days. This reminded me of a funny article entitled, “How Going To Church Is Like a Football Game.”  I hope you enjoy this as much as I did:

Quarterback Sneak – Church members quietly leaving during the invitation.

Draw Play – What many children do with the bulletin during worship.

Halftime – The time between Sunday School & Worship when many choose to leave.

Benchwarmer – Those who do not sing, pray, work, or apparently do anything but sit.

Backfield-in-Motion – Making a trip to the back (restroom…etc…) during the service.

Staying in the Pocket – What happens to the money that should be given to the Lord’s work.

2-minute Warning – When you realize the sermon is almost over and you prepare to leave.

Instant Replay – The preacher loses his notes and falls back on last week’s illustrations.

Sudden Death – What happens to the attention span if the preacher goes “overtime.”

Trap Play (my favorite) – You’re called on for closing prayer and are STILL asleep.

End Run – Getting out quickly, without speaking to any guest or fellow member.

Flex Defense – The ability to allow nothing said during the sermon to affect your life.

Halfback Option – The decision of 50% of the people not to return for the prayer meeting.

Blitz – The rush for the restaurants and activities following the closing prayer.

Long before the Colts arrived in Indiana, my favorite player was Johnny Unitas of the Baltimore Colts. About 20 years ago my new favorite Colt became a member of the Indianapolis Colts. I am withholding his name because he is part of our trivia contest for this week. (Hint: He was the Super Bowl winning Head Coach.) 

Another of my most-liked players never played for the Colts franchise, but he was an incredible individual, both on and off the field. His very name struck fear in the hearts of opposing teams.  Reggie White retired as the all-time sack leader in professional football. However, it was not his abilities on the field that interested me, as much as his labors off of the field.  His non-gridiron interests led to his nickname found in our article title. The Minister of Defense had his priorities in order, as he shared this statement in a dialogue called, Faith that Never Fumbled:

“I always believed, since I was a kid, that God was going to allow me to play professional football to use it as a platform to proclaim and to live out the name of Jesus, and that is the most exciting part about my life…”

In the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19), this platform is referred to as literally “as you are going.”  In other words, bloom where you are planted!  This is what Reggie White did before, during, and after he retired from football.  This is what he was doing on the morning of December 26, 2004, when his platform was elevated to a new Home in Glory, as God called Reggie to join Him in Heaven.

“The sun was shining bright the day they laid Reggie White to rest. It should have been… Reggie White was a beacon of light, a man of hope and duty, going off to meet the God he lived to serve.”

To wrap things up … Football is fun; friends are great; and families are a blessing… But our FAITH is FOREVER!  So, keep your platform as a priority, and never let what you do in fulfilling the mission become the mission.

Now, let’s conclude with our football-themed trivia questions for this week:

1.  Who was the Indianapolis Colts Super Bowl-winning head coach?

2.  Last week, the Colts had two second-round picks…Who was their first pick of the second round (#34 overall)?

    3.  Google the answer to #2, adding “Athletes for God” to his name in order to fill in the following blank… ‘I am a starting receiver at USC. I am also a   ________________.’

Sincerely Utilizing God’s platform for me,

Pastor Pat

**Be the 4th one to text Pat (317-474-5623) the correct answers (all 3) to the above questions to win.  One text per person!

One of the great paradoxical statements in the New Testament is spoken by James and found in the book that bears his name. After his introductory comments in his opening statement, the brother of Jesus makes this profound statement in verse 2:

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds…”

This writing, by one of the initial leaders in the Jerusalem Church, was intended for those “followers of the faith” that were “scattered among the nations” (1:1). He tells us that, if we have real faith, we will show God’s love through our actions. This sounds great, except when applying the “trials of many kinds” statement mentioned above.

The reason why we wrestle with James’ words is because we have a false idea of what God desires regarding our faith. The following exemplifies this misunderstanding.

“Clarence Jordan was a man of unusual abilities. He had two PhDs, one in agriculture and one in Greek and Hebrew. So gifted was he, he could have chosen to do anything he wanted. He chose to serve the poor. In the 1940s, he founded a farm in Georgia, and called it Koinonia Farm. It was a community for poor whites and blacks.

As you might guess, such an idea did not go well in the Deep South of the 1940s. Ironically, much of the resistance came from good church people who followed the laws of segregation as much as the other folk in town. The town people tried everything to stop him.

For 14 years, they tried to stop him. Finally, in 1954, the Ku Klux Klan had enough of him, so they decided to get rid of him once and for all. They came one night with guns and torches and set fire to every building on Koinonia Farm but Clarence’s home, which they riddled with bullets.

Clarence recognized the voices of many of the KKK, and, as you might guess, some of them were church people. Another was the local newspaper’s reporter. The next day, the reporter came to see what remained of the farm.  The rubble still smoldered and the land was scorched, but he found Clarence in the field, hoeing and planting.

‘I heard the awful news,’ he said to Clarence, ‘And I came out to do a story on the tragedy of your farm closing.’  Clarence just kept on hoeing and planting.

The reporter kept prodding, trying to get a rise from this quietly determined man who seemed to be planting instead of packing his bags. So, finally, the reporter said in a haughty voice, ‘Well, Dr. Jordan, you got two of them PhDs and you’ve put 14 years into this farm, and there’s nothing left of it. Just how successful do you think you’ve been?’ Clarence stopped hoeing, turned to the reporter saying, quietly but firmly…

‘About as successful as the cross… Sir, I don’t think you understand us. What we are about is not success…but FAITHFULNESS.’”

The main point?  We, as faithful followers, should never base our successes on the world’s scale of achievements.  If we do, then we will always be disappointed. And, we will not achieve the results of this testing:

“…because you know that the TESTING of your FAITH develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”  (James 1:3-4)

During these difficult times remember to keep smiling at the storm as our job is not to always be successful, but to always be FAITHFUL!

Sincerely and FAITHFULLY facing Trials of many Kinds, 

Pastor Pat 

*Congratulations to all who texted the correct answer (Umpire & Catcher) in last week’s trivia question. Hope you enjoyed your ice cream!  Another chance to win next week.

There is nothing like opening day if you are a big fan of Major League Baseball.  (This writer has been rooting for the Cincinnati Reds since the early days of the Big Red Machine.) The month of April signals the beginning of America’s Pastime, and with it, our renewed hopes for the team that has secured our attention and allegiance.

Questions will abound. and ultimately be answered, as the puzzle of each team’s season begins to unfold.  Speaking of questions…See if you can answer the following riddle I recently discovered in my devotional reading.

“A man left home running one night.  He turns left and is still running.  He then takes another left, and finally, after a few more strides he takes one final left turn. When he arrives back home, he is met by two masked men.  (Again) The QUESTION? Who are those masked men?

If you were following our earlier discussion about baseball and swinging for the fence, that should provide you with a clue to the above riddle.  Another hint can be found in Hebrews 11:1.

“Now FAITH is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

Sometimes it is difficult when we begin a new adventure for our Lord.  Our recent COVID-19 situation would certainly qualify as a new adventure.  Those who lead us realize that the only way we will “Grow in the Lord” is to place our FAITH within His Might!

This is, by the way, the area of intent being expressed in this article set before you. That is, God is calling His Church, including the congregation of Little Flatrock, to go beyond the obvious and continuously swing for the fence!  The key to this understanding is found in Acts 1:10-11.

“They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.’”

 Although this is not intended to be a riddle…Who were THESE two men? Basically, as Jesus was leaving His disciples, this duo appeared to let them know the following:

“The appearance of the two angels broke the spell and recalled them to the ENORMOUS TASK at hand with the assurance that the return of Jesus to judge the world would be in this same manner.” (Studies in the Life of Christ – R.C. Foster)

This task is what we need to be reminded of on a daily basis as the world around us needs to find Christ in those of us who our Christians.  As puzzling as that may sound, it is exemplified in the following word picture that Paul utilizes in the sixth book of the New Testament… ‘Clothe yourself with Christ’ (Romans 13:14).  It is not what it literally appears to be, but it is how the early disciples were commanded to serve.

This puzzling instruction should be the answer to our desire to go beyond the obvious!  However, as these two men stated, we must not just STAND HERE, but continuously SHOW CHRIST to those that do not know Him!

Keep Swinging for the Fence…for Him,

Pastor Pat

If we have never sought, we seek Thee now;
Thine eyes burn through the dark, our only stars;
We must have sight of thorn-pricks on Thy brow,
We must have Thee, O Jesus of the Scars.
The heavens frighten us; they are too calm;
In all the universe we have no place.
Our wounds are hurting us; where is the balm?
Lord Jesus, by Thy Scars, we claim Thy grace.
If, when the doors are shut, Thou drawest near,
Only reveal those hands, that side of Thine;
We know to-day what wounds are, have no fear,
Show us Thy Scars, we know the countersign.
The other gods were strong; but Thou wast weak;
They rode, but Thou didst stumble to a throne;
But to our wounds only God’s wounds can speak,
And not a god has wounds, but Thou alone.

— Edward Shillito (written during WWI)

Dear LFCC Friends and Family,

After much discussion, we believe it is in the best interest of our community and congregation if we cancel all of our services and meetings until further notice due to concerns surrounding COVID-19.  We want to help protect the vulnerable, and we believe the best way to do so is to take our part in social distancing and following the CDC guidelines.  Please take this time to pray for wisdom for our leaders, the protection of our healthcare workers, and those who already have weakened immune systems.  We have many of those in our congregation, but we also extend our love and prayers to all around the world.

In the Spirit of Christian Fellowship,

The Elders of Little Flatrock Christian Church

Lent, the church-year season that begins on Ash Wednesday, is a time of penitence and spiritual renewal. Some people give up a luxury or vice during Lent as a form of self-denial; others undertake a project that benefits others.

The point isn’t to denigrate ourselves or to see how much we can do without. Instead, Lent helps us reflect on Jesus’ death. As Timothy Keller writes in The Reason for God: “The Christian Gospel is that I am so flawed that Jesus had to die for me, yet I am so loved and valued that Jesus was glad to die for me. This leads to deep humility and deep confidence at the same time. It undermines both swaggering and sniveling. I cannot feel superior to anyone, and yet I have nothing to prove to anyone. I do not think more of myself nor less of myself. Instead, I think of myself less.”

If you will humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, in His good time He will lift you up. 1 Peter 5:6

And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.  —  2 Corinthians 1:7

A friend mailed me some of her homemade pottery. Upon opening the box, I discovered the precious items had been damaged during their journey. One of the cups had shattered into a few large pieces, a jumble of shards, and clumps of clay dust. After my husband glued the broken mess back together, I displayed the beautifully blemished cup on a shelf.

Like that pieced-together pottery, I have scars that prove I can still stand strong after the difficult times God’s brought me through. That cup of comfort reminds me that sharing how the Lord has worked in and through my life can help others during their times of suffering.

The apostle Paul praises God because He is the “Father of compassion and the God of all comfort” (2 Cor. 1:3). The Lord uses our trials and sufferings to make us more like Him. His comfort in our troubles equips us to encourage others as we share what He did for us during our time of need (v. 4).

As we reflect on Christ’s suffering, we can be inspired to persevere in the midst of our own pain, trusting that God uses our experiences to strengthen us and others toward patient endurance (vv. 5–7). Like Paul, we can be comforted in knowing that the Lord redeems our trials for His glory. We can share His cups of comfort and bring reassuring hope to the hurting.

By: Xochitl Dixon in Our Daily Bread