tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21341437797632403562024-03-05T06:57:13.668-05:00Next Generation Evangelistic NetworkEncouraging small churches to network together to share the Gospel in creative ways with people of all ages, but especially with the next generation.Dr. Terry Dorsetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05964444127928103488noreply@blogger.comBlogger1092125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2134143779763240356.post-77910152719815314012021-02-12T20:34:00.000-05:002021-02-12T20:34:07.183-05:00Lessons Learned from Ravi's Sin<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">Like many Christians around the world, I thought highly of Ravi Zacharias. His teachings, writings, and ministry impacted many people and helped bring clarity of thought to so many challenging aspects of Christian life and witness. Therefore, it was with great sadness that I read the report released today by his ministry that revealed that the late minister sexually and spiritually abused women around the world.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">His actions hurt untold numbers of people, both the survivors of his abuse, and those who followed his ministry, supported his ministry financially, and promoted his materials to others. It hurts the cause of Christ and hinders gospel ministry proclamation.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">It also creates a foothold for Satan to whisper even more doubt into the hearts of those who already question if Christianity is real, if the Bible can be trusted, and if pastors care about those under their spiritual care. It gives generous Christians pause if they want to support other evangelists and ministries, even if those ministries are above reproach. It truly is a painful moment for the Church.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">There are many lessons we might learn from Ravi's sin. I will highlight two of them.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b>1. Our sin WILL be found out</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">Christian leaders, especially those serving in situations where accountability is loose, are not above temptation. They may give in to sexual sin. They may give in to spiritual abuse. They may embezzle money. They may lie, cheat, manipulate, extort, threaten, and use any manner of devious means to achieve power and prestige. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">And they OFTEN get away with it......at least for a time. But eventually sin WILL be found out! There is no way to escape the spiritual truth of Numbers 32:23 "....be sure your sin will find you out." As time goes by, we may think we have successfully gotten away with sin, but eventually the truth emerges, as we are reminded in Luke 12:3 "Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops." </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">Christian leader, we are NOT getting away with sin. It will be revealed. Better to repent NOW and seek forgiveness NOW and then put safeguards in place to keep from falling into those destructive patterns in the future. This is better for those who are enduring spiritual abuse, and this is better for the abuser.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b>2. We must hold leaders accountable</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">As I read the various reports of the investigation that followed the first accusation of Ravi's sinful actions, it is clear that there were warning signs along the way. They were subtle. And Ravi covered them well. But there were those that saw things that they felt were not right, but no one wanted to accuse such a great man of misconduct. So, everyone looked the other way. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">How many lives were wrecked as a result? How many more people will suffer as the revelations work their way out into general society? Clearly, someone should have said something. Someone should have had the courage to speak. Someone should have stopped this man from abusing his spiritual position. Leaders need to be held accountable.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">Obviously, we do not want someone's life destroyed by false accusations, and it is almost always better to handle these things privately, at least in the beginning. But at some point, leaders who use their position of power to bully, abuse, harass, intimidate, control, and destroy the lives of those under their care need to be held accountable. It may be painful in the short term, but it is better in the long term.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">Will we learn the lessons from Ravi's sin? Or will we pretend they do not apply to us and eventually suffer from the revelations that will undo our entire ministry?</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">---------------</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMxzqGGuDwJKbuzX8s4Xb8I0KOK7s7FrmeK16OoX_O9HCc_Y0IixTb1QssggwzHvfWTGP343eKskCe5NSGTyi80hbssCnuHJWllRrdyaU_Rxt1LrL0IuVEqdiQ0fzJqbDH8Vnir6NaTRM/s1618/213D39B9-01AE-4D62-BEDA-11D62C8C78E9_1_201_a.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1127" data-original-width="1618" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMxzqGGuDwJKbuzX8s4Xb8I0KOK7s7FrmeK16OoX_O9HCc_Y0IixTb1QssggwzHvfWTGP343eKskCe5NSGTyi80hbssCnuHJWllRrdyaU_Rxt1LrL0IuVEqdiQ0fzJqbDH8Vnir6NaTRM/w200-h139/213D39B9-01AE-4D62-BEDA-11D62C8C78E9_1_201_a.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Dr. Terry W. Dorsett has been a leader in the evangelical movement in New England since 1993. He has written numerous books and speaks regularly in churches around New England. Since 2015 he has served as the Executive Director of the Baptist Convention of New England, a network of 374 churches that worship in 20 languages each week. He is happily married, has three adult children, as well as grandchildren, that bring him great joy.</i></div><p></p>Terry W. Dorsetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00853614918122167720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2134143779763240356.post-30370341377258326672019-10-17T07:00:00.000-04:002019-10-17T07:00:01.359-04:00Are We in Customer Service?<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
At one point in my ministry, I ate almost every day at McDonalds for lunch. It was close to the office and it was cheap! Because I ate there so often, I knew many of the people who worked there and would often greet them by name. I also knew a lot of the other regular customers, so conversations were easy to start and enjoyable to engage in. Being a naturally friendly person, </div>
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and always on the lookout for opportunities to share my faith, I each day I would speak to many of the people I encounter at McDonalds, both those I knew and those I didn’t.<o:p></o:p></div>
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One day I noticed a new cashier behind the counter. I guessed she was probably just out of high school and honestly, she looked like she needed a friendly face. I greeted her warmly when it was my turn to order. Since she was new, she was struggling to operate the digital register, but I was patient while she got it all sorted out. After taking my order, she asked if I was in “customer service.” I have been asked many things in my life, but until that day, I have never been asked that before. She went on to say that she noticed me greeting people when I came in and that I seemed happy. She assumed that I must be in some line of work related to customer service since I was so friendly. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I explained to her that I came in nearly every day and knew most everyone there. I also was pleased to inform her that I was a pastor and it was my faith that made me so happy. Though I only got to share with her for a minute about my faith, I hope it was enough to make her think about spiritual matters. Sadly, she did not work there long and once she moved on to another job, I lost touch with her.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But it did occur to me later, that in some ways, pastors, and perhaps all Christians, are indeed in “customer service.” We serve our communities in a variety of ways so that we can introduce people to our Boss, Jesus Christ. As we serve, we make genuine friendships and learn to sincerely care about what is going on in our friends’ lives. We do not have a “product” to sell, just an eternity to give away for free. For Christians, this is one of the most important things we do. I hope that I can be even more successful in my “customer service” efforts in the future! <o:p></o:p></div>
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Dr. Terry W. Dorsett has served in New England since 1993 as a pastor, author, and denominational leader. He currently serves as the Executive Director of both the Baptist Convention of New England and the Baptist Foundation of New England.</div>
Terry W. Dorsetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00853614918122167720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2134143779763240356.post-58260352892000304762019-09-23T07:30:00.000-04:002019-09-23T07:30:15.900-04:00Learning to Be Content<br />
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<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">Philippians 4:11-13</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"> (CSB)<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in
whatever circumstances I find myself. I know both how to make do with
little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances
I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether
in abundance or in need. I am able to do all things through him who
strengthens me.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The car suddenly stopped moving. It literally stopped in the
middle of the road. Not knowing what to do, I called a tow truck to take it to
our local mechanic. He informed me the transmission was gone and I needed a new
one. It was going to cost a lot of money. Money I did not have. But it was
still cheaper than buying a new car, something I also could not afford.
Thankfully, God’s people rallied to the cause and helped meet the need. Though
I’ve now passed that car on to a church planter, it is still being used for
mission work in New England.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Years later, while having dinner with a faithful financial partner
to our ministry, my wife and I were stunned when the partner said, “I want to
give you the money to buy a brand new car.” A couple of weeks later we drove
off the lot with a car that only had 2 miles on it. The only new car we’ve ever
had and the one we still drive today. Amazing how God provides.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Old cars. New cars. Old cars with new transmissions. We’ve had
them all. In our 26 years of mission work in New England my wife and I have
learned, like the Apostle Paul, “how to make do with little, and how to make do
with a lot.” God has provided for us time and time again because He is faithful
and able to meet all of our needs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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ministers across New England understand this too, having experienced God’s
provision time and time again. God has a way of meeting our needs in any and
all circumstances. Both the challenge, and the key, is learning to be content
in all circumstances. When we drive car where the new transmission is worth
almost as much as the car itself, we rejoice. When we drive a new car off a
parking lot that is beyond what we ever dreamed of, we rejoice. In good times
and bad, we rejoice because God is working out things in our lives for His
glory.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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in at this moment, must be placed at the feet of the Master. And we must be
content that He knows what He is doing in our lives at any given moment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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You are trustworthy. Amen.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Dr. Terry W. Dorsett has been a pastor, author and denominational leader in New England since 1993. He currently serves as the Executive Director of both the Baptist Convention of New England and the Baptist Foundation of New England.<br />
<br />Terry W. Dorsetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00853614918122167720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2134143779763240356.post-53891691125383344632019-08-16T08:00:00.000-04:002019-08-16T08:00:02.893-04:00Can You Hear Them Cheering?<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
I have never been a very athletic person. I was on the soccer team in high school, but in all the time I was on the team we never won a game! Of course, that wasn’t ALL my fault. Let’s just say I was not the only one on the team that did not excel in sports. But I can say I lettered in a high school sport……sort of……</div>
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But I was not a total loser in high school. I excelled in academics instead and that has served me well through the years. I’ve earned a doctorate and have written several books. I think I turned out okay.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Imagine my surprise some years ago when my two sons decided to join the football team. Neither of them had ever played football before so they had a steep learning curve those first few weeks. I admit, I was a bit concerned if they could do it, given my own lack of athletic ability. But both of them developed quite a knack for football and both eventually served as captains of the team.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Though I didn’t understand most of the game, I went to watch them play each week. Even for a non-football fan like myself, when one of my sons would catch that ball and take off like a lightning bolt down the field, it was a thrilling moment. I’m not much of a shouter, but when one of my boys was running the ball down the field, suddenly I was on my feet cheering with hundreds of other parents. Can you image what it was like for my sons to hear all those people, most of whom were strangers, cheering their names and shouting encouragement to them?<o:p></o:p></div>
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The entire experience reminds me of Hebrews 12:1 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (HCS).” Once one of my sons caught that ball nothing was going to stop him from crossing the goal line. Everyone was cheering him on and sharing in his excitement. The Christian life is much like that. All the saints cheer us on and encourage us not to quit until we cross the goal line. Can you hear them cheering? Can you see the goal in sight? Don’t drop the ball, run it right into the end zone for Jesus.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Dr. Terry W. Dorsett has lived in New England since 1993. He has been a pastor, author and denominational leader. He currently serves as the Executive Director of both the Baptist Convention of New England and the Baptist Foundation of New England.<o:p></o:p></div>
Terry W. Dorsetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00853614918122167720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2134143779763240356.post-6413369460576910412019-06-14T08:00:00.000-04:002019-06-14T08:00:04.070-04:00Good Deeds or Gospel Deeds<div class="page" title="Page 1">
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“We serve our community because we love our community,” proclaimed the flyer from the new church in town. And in a matter of months they definitely gained a reputation for serving the community well. They painted a school, collected shoes for the homeless, picked up trash after community events, and cut up trees that blew over in a storm. It was impressive. And three years later, their church disbanded. That was a bit less than impressive.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As the person who recruited the church planter and helped find the initial funding to get the work started, I’ve long pondered how a church that did so many good deeds could fail. There came a moment when I realized that they had never turned their good deeds into gospel deeds. <o:p></o:p></div>
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What I mean by gospel deeds, is moments when we actually shared the life changing message of Jesus Christ with those we were serving. It retrospect, it becomes obvious that in the situation described above, the core group of the church plant spent so much time doing good deeds, that no one had the time to actually talk to the people they were serving about the Savior who had called them to serve in the first place. It was a colossal miscalculation on why we were doing the good deeds. The good deeds became an end unto themselves. But lots of activity, and being busy, does not automatically equal souls saved or lives changed.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Having been in New England a long time, and taken part in many such good deed efforts myself, I know that it is not always possible to verbally share a gospel presentation in every situation with every person. Sometimes there are rules in place that prevent it. Sometimes the person being served just isn’t interested in talking about spiritual things. Sometimes there are just too many distractions from the event itself that no one could hear or understand even if the gospel were shared. But surely, in three years of good deeds for the community, that church plant could have found a way to engage in some gospel deeds. The Lord surely provided the opportunities, they simply missed them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I think this happens more than we’d like to admit. Not just in church plants, but in our personal lives as well. I think Christians should do good deeds. But we must always be intentional about finding ways to transform those good deeds into gospel deeds. Though we can say we love others through our actions, if we fail to verbalize the gospel, which can save their soul from hell, have we really loved them? In my opinion, if we fail to turn good deeds into gospel deeds, we cannot say we really loved our neighbor. So let us go forth and do good deeds, but let us also be intentional about turning those good deeds into gospel deeds.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Dr. Terry W. Dorsett has served in New England since 1993 as a pastor, author, and denominational leader. He currently serves as the Executive Director of both the Baptist Convention of New England and the Baptist Foundation of New England. He lives outside of Boston in Northborough, MA.</div>
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Terry W. Dorsetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00853614918122167720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2134143779763240356.post-61990752006494478972019-02-04T07:00:00.000-05:002019-02-04T07:00:01.657-05:00Why We Need God in Painful Moments<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I got a text message from a friend recently. She shared that a mutual friend, who is only a little older than myself, has suddenly passed away. Though I had not talked to him in a few years, when I lived in Vermont he was a great colleague in ministry. Less than 24 hours later one of my pastor friends sent me a text to say one of their youth workers, a really fine young man with a promising future, had also unexpectantly passed away that morning. So much loss. So much pain. Such a short time to process it. Many of my circle of friends were struggling with why God lets these things happen. One mused that perhaps there was no point in following Christ if we still have to endure such pain.</div>
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In such difficult moments of life, we must remember that there will always be pain and hurt in the world. Those who have no faith must endure the same pain as everyone else, but without the help of God. Therefore, removing God from the picture only makes the situation worse. As a nation, and as individuals, we must stop trying to eliminate pain by eliminating God. </div>
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That does not keep us from asking ourselves why God doesn't just stop all the pain? Clearly He has the power to. We understand theologically that He is sovereign in all things. But in His sovereignty, God has chosen to us give free will to make our own choices. Sometimes we use that free will to make choices that cause us, or those around us, pain. Other times other people make bad choices and cause us pain. Sometimes pain just happens for reasons we do not understand because we lived in a messed up unfair fallen world that is stained by sin. </div>
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It is tempting to ask God let us keep our free will while also asking Him to limit the free will of others, so they can’t hurt us. But deep inside we know that is not really the way it works. We can't have it both ways.</div>
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<span id="yiv1175082247yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1546645458231_14603">The answer to our pain problem is a deep and personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He helps us overcome the pain of our own mistakes and gives us strength to overcome the pain of the mistakes of others. Removing Him from our lives is the exact opposite of the answer we are looking for. Delve deep into Him today and let Him help you overcome the pain this world throws at us!</span> </div>
Terry W. Dorsetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00853614918122167720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2134143779763240356.post-22373685367090830642019-02-01T07:00:00.000-05:002019-02-01T07:00:03.465-05:00What Happens When Our Plan Is Wrong?<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Athelas; font-size: 13pt;">The middle aged minister expressed deep frustration as he poured out his heart to me. He had started his ministry full of energy and excitement a decade ago. Though the numbers were small when he started, he was sure that his faithful preaching of the Word and his clear strategic plan would turn the situation around. That was a decade ago. Now the numbers were even smaller, his excitement was long gone, and the financial situation, which had never been good, was now perilous. He was not sure how long he could continue in his present ministry, but he was not a quitter, so he didn’t really want to leave either. He was in a quandary.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Athelas; font-size: 13pt;">I encounter some version of this scenario numerous times each year from pastors, church planters, Directors of Missions and other ministry leaders across New England. In these situations, I ask a lot of questions. I try to listen, not only to what is being said, but to what is being left out. Though the person I am meeting with is often hoping I have a quick and easy solution, so far that has never been the case. It took that leader awhile to get to that level of discouragement, and it will take a while to get out of it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Athelas; font-size: 13pt;">In these situations, typically either I, or someone on my team, will also speak to other leaders in that ministry to see how their perception is similar, or perhaps different, than the primary leader’s. It is interesting to hear what they have to say. Most often, they agree that he is a faithful preacher of the Word. Only on very rare occasions does theology seem to be the problem. What is often expressed is that he is a “dry” speaker or his sermons lack “practical application.” I am actually relieved to hear answers like that, because they are the easiest to address. While there are many people who will never be stellar speakers, everyone can improve in their presentation style. For willing leaders, there are numerous workshops and techniques to address this. When someone tells you your sermons or Bible teaching is dry, REJOICE, because that is something you can and should fix!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Athelas; font-size: 13pt;">What is much more challenging is when the primary leader’s ideas are just wrong. Not theologically, but methodologically. One leader told me the “real way to grow a church is door to door visitation.” His once rural church now sits in the middle of half a dozen gated communities that had sprawled out to his area. He couldn’t even get inside those communities to go door to door if he wanted to. Yet he was insistent that was the only way his church could grow. Since he no longer had access to this system of growth, his church was in decline. Another leader was convinced that the “public reading of scripture” was the most important part of the worship service. And so he would read a chapter, sometimes two, each week at the beginning of the service. Those scriptures had nothing to do with his sermon, or the season of the year, or have any other connection to the service. They were just randomly selected scriptures that he read at the beginning of the service each week. He couldn’t understand why many in his congregation would show up 15 minutes late every week and that his members rarely brought friends to church. His system just did not work. Another leader was convinced that “outsiders” should not be in leadership because “they did not understand the context of the local culture” even though the leader saying that was also an outsider. His insistence on only local people could lead caused many highly qualified Christians who were moving to his area from other parts of the nation to move on to other ministries instead of serving in his. As a result, his own ministry eventually died out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Athelas; font-size: 13pt;">I could give dozens of other examples. Sadly, these types of wrong ideas prevail in many churches and ministries. Let’s all be honest and just admit that sometimes we are wrong. Sometimes our plans do not work and instead of being stubborn, we need to change the plan in order to move forward. We must not let pride or ego hold us back from change when change is needed. We must be willing to move forward and embrace change when it is needed. Fortunately, we have the Holy Spirit to guide us in that. Let us heed the words of James 1:5 “</span><b><sup><span style="font-family: Athelas; font-size: 13pt;"> </span></sup></b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Athelas; font-size: 13pt;">Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him.” The Lord is happy to give us the wisdom to things differently so that our strategies can actually work for the Kingdom instead of against them.</span><span style="font-family: Athelas; font-size: 13pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Athelas; font-size: 13pt;"><b><i>Lord, reveal to us wrong motives or ideas so that we can repent of them and get back to serving You faithfully. Amen.</i></b></span></div>
Terry W. Dorsetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00853614918122167720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2134143779763240356.post-45520201251839393982019-01-08T08:00:00.000-05:002019-01-08T08:00:07.582-05:00The Deceitful Thrill of Living Dangerously<div class="sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html" data-block-type="2" id="block-c583f42b21d55ab53a92" style="box-shadow: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0) 0px 0px 0px 1px inset; caret-color: rgba(8, 0, 26, 0.701961); clear: none; font-size: 16px; height: auto; letter-spacing: 0.30000001192092896px; outline: none; padding: 0px 17px 17px; position: relative; transition: box-shadow 0.2s ease-in-out;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: white;">Not long ago my wife and I took our grandchildren to an amusement park in New Hampshire. We had a great time. Without question, our granddaughter’s favorite ride was the log ride. She had this love/hate feeling going on about the steep drop into the water where she got all wet. She said “I loved it, expect the part I didn’t like very much.” Whether you are 4 or 40, such rides can be a lot of fun. Perhaps they are so much fun because they scare us, even though deep inside we know we are safe. It is almost like seeing just how far we can go into danger, without actually getting hurt. </span><span style="color: white;">For most of us, that is actually a caricature of our lives. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We like to live on the edge, seeing just how far we can go before getting in trouble. That desire to embrace danger while denying the potential for hurt is actually part of our fallen sinful nature. No, I’m not saying amusement parks are sinful. I’m saying that tendency to see how close we can get to trouble - without actually paying the price for it - comes from our sinful nature.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While rides at an amusement park might be safe, even if they scare us, when we toy with sin and live dangerously close to sinful life choices, there is no way to keep hurt and pain from finally impacting us. </span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The ugly truth is that sin destroys us. While our sinful nature wants to live on the edge, hoping the thrill will outweigh the cost, it never works out that way. Sin always takes us farther than we wanted to go, keeps us longer than we wanted to stay and costs us far more than we thought we would have to pay. We must determine to live holy lives and not get caught up in sin.</span></div>
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<strong style="word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lord, help us keep our hearts turned to You so that the wiles of the world do not lure us into harm’s way. Amen.</span></strong></div>
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<em style="word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="color: white;">Dr. Terry W. Dorsett serves at the executive director of the Baptist Convention of New England. </span></em></div>
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Terry W. Dorsetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00853614918122167720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2134143779763240356.post-39782405277560557402019-01-05T13:38:00.001-05:002019-01-05T13:38:51.692-05:00The Mannequin By the Pond<div class="sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html" data-block-type="2" id="block-f2adc0d9566644825ed4" style="box-shadow: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0) 0px 0px 0px 1px inset; caret-color: rgba(8, 0, 26, 0.701961); clear: none; font-family: freight-sans-pro; font-size: 16px; height: auto; letter-spacing: 0.30000001192092896px; outline: none; padding: 0px 17px 17px; position: relative; transition: box-shadow 0.2s ease-in-out;">
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<em style="word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="color: white;">“When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,” Colossians 2:13</span></em></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Last Sunday my wife and I were out for an afternoon drive. We were enjoying the fall foliage when we happened upon a lovely scene near a campground. At the entrance to the campground there was a river that emptied into a pond, a lovely covered bridge, and several historical items on display. But what caught our eye the most was the lovely mannequin of an old man fishing. It was meticulously set up beside the covered bridge and looked like it had been there many years. We pulled into the small parking lot and took in the whole scene. It was amazing.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">And then we got a shock that took our breath away. The mannequin moved! Suddenly we realized it was not a mannequin after all, but a real, live elderly gentleman who was actually fishing beside the bridge. He had been standing so still, and looked so poised in the scene, that we didn’t even realize he was alive!</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">I wonder how many churches are viewed by their community just like we viewed that old man? Churches often are in central locations in town, with meticulous buildings and stately lawns. But perhaps it has been so many years since the community has seen any real movement, any meaningful activity, that if the church actually did something, it would be a shock to anyone watching.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">We may appear to our community to be dead as a church. If that is the case, then we need the Lord to make us alive again through His Spirit. The community should not be shocked when our church actually does something good.</span></div>
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<strong style="word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="color: white;">Lord, help us to find life in You and be active in serving You. May the life within us be evident to all who are watching us. Amen.</span></strong></div>
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<em style="word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="color: white;">Dr. Terry W. Dorsett serves at the executive director of the Baptist Convention of New England. </span></em></div>
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Terry W. Dorsetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00853614918122167720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2134143779763240356.post-69605330709072951412018-11-20T06:30:00.000-05:002018-11-20T06:30:00.218-05:00Happy Spiritual Birthday Fanny Crosby<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On November 20, 1850, a blind Fanny Crosby underwent a dramatic spiritual conversion at age 30. After attending a series of revival meetings she responded to an invitation to pray at the altar. While kneeling at the altar the congregation began to sing "Alas and did my Savior bleed." The words struck deep into Crosby's soul. The Holy Spirit captured her heart and she was never the same again.<br />
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Fifteen years later, she began writing her first hymns. Eventually she wrote the words to over 8,000 hymns. She often used fake names to publish her hymns, for fear of becoming prideful. Many of her hymns remain popular today, including "Rescue the Perishing," "Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross," "All the Way My Savior Leads Me" and "Tell Me the Story of Jesus."<br />
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She was saved at 30, started writing hymns at 45, and ended up authoring over 8,000 hymns that continue to impact millions of people around the world. What a testimony!<br />
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So, if you didn't grow up in a Christian home and got saved later in life, or you were a Christian when you were young but did not get called to ministry until later in life, or you are facing some type of physical disability but fervently love Jesus, don't despair, God can use you to do great things. Give yourself fully to Him and watch what He can do.<br />
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<i>Dr. Terry W. Dorsett has been a pastor, church planter, denominational leader and author in New England for more than 20 years. He is a happy husband, a proud father and adoring grandfather. He is a cancer survivor and believes that God works powerfully through times of suffering. He writes extensively and you can find all of his books at:</i></div>
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Terry W. Dorsetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00853614918122167720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2134143779763240356.post-61287846836273540602018-09-11T07:00:00.000-04:002018-09-11T07:00:07.112-04:00The Harvest of Righteousness <div style="font-family: ".sf ui display"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay"; font-size: large;"><span style="color: white;">He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. - 2 Corinthians 9:10</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: ".sfuidisplay"; font-size: large;">Multiplication. It is a powerful word. It speaks of significant growth, not just incremental growth. In a spiritual sense, multiplication comes from God. The Holy Spirit can do more in a moment than human effort can achieve in a lifetime. Only the Holy Spirit can bring a harvest of righteousness.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: ".sfuidisplay"; font-size: large;">When applied to our material possessions, multiplication has only one purpose, that we might give more of our wealth so that we can join God in increasing the harvest of righteousness, seeing more people come into the Kingdom. I think this is why so many Christians struggle financially. They view their possessions as their own. Even Christians who tithe often think of the 90% they keep as their own. But that is not why God gives us material wealth. </span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: ".sfuidisplay"; font-size: large;">God gives us wealth so that we might use it to grow His Kingdom. If we could rethink our attitude and viewpoints regarding our wealth, we may discover that God gives us more to give away for His glory. How do you view what God has given you?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjszfnlnK7PugClfZQy6F2TDhkgj8l6ycOLuBSOs9CPkf35p7E4uSc6QAd5-CCFg2Z8jWG-in80Ppt_db7aWZyR_69GLP_Ln0QMckORoP9znj_qXbs3gdZO9EXAJjJyGS9I0RGluCRImi8/s1600/terry+dorsett+spring+2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="160" data-original-width="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjszfnlnK7PugClfZQy6F2TDhkgj8l6ycOLuBSOs9CPkf35p7E4uSc6QAd5-CCFg2Z8jWG-in80Ppt_db7aWZyR_69GLP_Ln0QMckORoP9znj_qXbs3gdZO9EXAJjJyGS9I0RGluCRImi8/s1600/terry+dorsett+spring+2017.jpg" /></span></a><i><span style="color: white;">Dr. Terry W. Dorsett serves at the Executive Director of the <a href="http://bcne.net/" target="_blank">Baptist Convention of New England</a>. He has been a pastor, church planter, denominational leader and author in New England for more than 20 years. He is a happy husband, a proud father and adoring grandfather. He is a cancer survivor and believes that God works powerfully through times of suffering. He writes extensively and you can find all of his books at:</span></i></div>
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Terry W. Dorsetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00853614918122167720noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2134143779763240356.post-73637580678305964162018-09-04T07:00:00.001-04:002018-09-04T07:00:02.582-04:00Creating Authentic Mission Statements<div style="font-family: helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
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<span style="color: white;">In my ministry role I often assist pastors and churches trying to revision what the future might be for their ministry. Often they find themselves in a challenging moment and they know they cannot continue with the status quo. They know they need a fresh vision to take them to a new level of ministry. They often have an idea of what that vision should be but need help articulating it in a way that people can rally around.</span><br />
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<span style="color: white;">I also get to work with a lot of new churches. These new churches are in a unique position where they get to craft a brand new vision instead of trying to rediscover or revitalize an old one.</span><br />
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<span style="color: white;">Both scenarios are very exciting to me and it is fulfilling to watch a vision emerge from a group of people united in faith and service to Christ. Many churches, whether new or old, choose to express that vision with some catchy mission or vision statement that encapsulates all they are trying to express in some succinct way.</span><br />
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<span style="color: white;">Normally these statements are catchy and creative, worthy of being on a bumper sticker or a twitter post. But I must confess, there are times when I find mission statements less helpful than they should be. For mission statements to be helpful, they have to actually express the real mission of the church. They can’t just be lofty theological statements that sound good to theologians but mean nothing to the community. It has to be a statement the typical person in the community who has not been to seminary and might not be particularly religious will understand. </span><br />
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<span style="color: white;">For example, recently I saw one that said "to the glory of God and for the advancement of his kingdom we will take the gospel to every corner of the earth." To a seminary student that actually sounds like a wonderful mission statement. But to the average person on the street who is not quite sure what the glory of God is or what the advancement of His kingdom means, it is just a bunch of nonsense words. Even to a long term Christian who understands what the words mean, there is a real question about whether this church can really take the gospel to the farthest corners of the world. If they are like most churches, they are probably thinking more about how they can solve hunger right in their own community or address homelessness in their own community, rather than around the world. I’m not saying that a church should not have a huge world wide vision. I’m just saying that an effective mission/vision statement has to be something the people in the community can grab hold of. Unless your community is an international community that thinks about the whole world, a world wide vision might communicate far less effectively than you think.</span><br />
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<span style="color: white;">If you are going to craft an authentic mission statements, start with an examination of stuff your church has actually done frequently in the last six months. Then look at how your church spends it money. Those two things will reveal your REAL mission. If you real mission is not what it should be, a catchy phrase of what you wish it would be won't change much. You will have to go deeper and change your real values before you can create an authentic mission statement. That may take longer than you want it to, but it will be a better statement in the end, one you will actually work toward achieving.</span></div>
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<i>Dr. Terry W. Dorsett serves at the Executive Director of the Baptist Convention of New England. He has been a pastor, church planter, denominational leader and author in New England for more than 20 years. He is a happy husband, a proud father and adoring grandfather. He is a cancer survivor and believes that God works powerfully through times of suffering. He writes extensively and you can find all of his books at:</i></span></div>
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Terry W. Dorsetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00853614918122167720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2134143779763240356.post-25129385860308078992018-08-26T07:00:00.000-04:002018-08-26T07:00:03.697-04:00Faith or Stubbornness <div style="font-family: ".sf ui display"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: white; font-family: ".sfuidisplay"; font-size: large;">There is the fine line between faith and stubbornness. faith is believing that God is going to do something even though there is no current evidence to prove that. Stubbornness is a determination to keep doing what I want to do even though all evidence tells me I should do something different. The two things are completely different and yet often they can be confused for each other.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: ".sfuidisplay"; font-size: large;">I’ve met many people who were stubborn but thought they were exercising faith. I have met people who were exercising faith but others thought they were just being stubborn. There is a fine line between the two that I think is absolutely critical to understand.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: ".sfuidisplay"; font-size: large;">Faith looks forward to the future of what God is going to do. Stubbornness looks to the past with a determination to keep doing what I want to do. Faith has a vision but stubbornness has nostalgia. Faith bears fruit that produces righteousness. Stubbornness produces fruit that looks more like the flesh. </span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: ".sfuidisplay"; font-size: large;">But it is easy to deceive ourselves when we want our way.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: ".sfuidisplay"; font-size: large;">Stubbornness and faith might look alike in the beginning but in the end they produce very different results. </span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: ".sfuidisplay"; font-size: large;">Here is a challenging question: Are we exercising faith or are we just being stubborn?</span><br />
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<i>Dr. Terry W. Dorsett serves at the Executive Director of the <a href="http://bcne.net/" style="color: #dd7700; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Baptist Convention of New England</a>. He has been a pastor, church planter, denominational leader and author in New England for more than 20 years. He is a happy husband, a proud father and adoring grandfather. He is a cancer survivor and believes that God works powerfully through times of suffering. He writes extensively and you can find all of his books at:</i></div>
<span style="color: white; font-family: ".sfuidisplay"; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY" style="background-color: #1c1c1c; color: #dd7700; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;"><i>http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY</i></a></span></div>
Terry W. Dorsetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00853614918122167720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2134143779763240356.post-71878776332899692442018-07-24T07:00:00.000-04:002018-07-24T08:21:28.216-04:00Be a Blessing!<div style="font-family: ".sf ui display"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay";"><b><i><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. <br /> - 2 Corinthians 9:11</span></i></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: white; font-family: ".sfuidisplay"; font-size: large;">"God gives us more so we can give more.” That was the statement the businesswoman made as we had lunch together with friends. She and her family have been incredibly generous to our ministry for many years. She went on to share several stories of how God gave them supernatural discernment at crucial times in their business that allowed them to make a significantly larger profit than similar companies. She credited God for their success and believed that God gave them that success so they could give even more to His work. I do not recall ever hearing a businessperson share that perspective prior to my conversation with her. But since that conversation so many years ago, I've met many people like that lady. And they all agreed that if more business people took her approach, they would have more successful businesses.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay";"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">But it is not just business people who need to rethink this issue. How do we, ordinary men and women trying to make a living, view our possessions? Do we see our possessions as a vehicle through which God can work? Or are possessions merely a means to make our own lives more comfortable?</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay";">In my experience, when Christians view their wealth as a means to bless others in the name of Christ, God gives them even more, which allows them to increase their giving in even greater ways. When Christians tend to focus on their own needs, they never quite have enough to accomplish all they want. But when they focus on giving to others, it frees up a spiritual pathway for God to use them to bless the work of God and those who work for God.</span><span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay";"></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay";"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">This is not only true for individuals, but it is also true for churches. When churches see their assets as tools to expand the Kingdom of God, the Lord gives them even more assets so they can increase their impact. When churches become tight-fisted, thinking only of how they can improve their facilities or enhance their internal programming, their financial situation often gets worse instead of better. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay";">God sees how we use our possessions, both as individuals, and as churches, and gives us resources to match that stewardship. </span><span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay";">Whether individually or corporately, God rarely gives us more if we have not displayed an attitude of generosity with what He has already given us. He has enriched us so that we can be generous. This is a key truth we must remember as we consider our personal budgets and our church budgets. What does YOUR budget say?</span></span></div>
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<i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi-ErvR6UOfWjOZ-__Wsdysob0VImqlglW5u5nwmguwoBz8k7fMz9ORdZqCn7bjOgFSQK1EXxAZoJUErpl0072UOeLCEe2rim-TpRjQXoyQLRzGxoHf0zm_dTzHTa-NrOk6IgVBS-P_lg/s1600/DSC_0006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1072" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi-ErvR6UOfWjOZ-__Wsdysob0VImqlglW5u5nwmguwoBz8k7fMz9ORdZqCn7bjOgFSQK1EXxAZoJUErpl0072UOeLCEe2rim-TpRjQXoyQLRzGxoHf0zm_dTzHTa-NrOk6IgVBS-P_lg/s200/DSC_0006.jpg" width="133" /></a><i><br /></i></i></div>
<i>Dr. Terry W. Dorsett serves at the Executive Director of the <a href="http://bcne.net/" target="_blank">Baptist Convention of New England</a>. He has been a pastor, church planter, denominational leader and author in New England for more than 20 years. He is a happy husband, a proud father and adoring grandfather. He is a cancer survivor and believes that God works powerfully through times of suffering. He writes extensively and you can find all of his books at:</i></div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY"><span style="text-decoration-line: none;"><i>http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY</i></span></a></div>
Terry W. Dorsetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00853614918122167720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2134143779763240356.post-33682750636521420942018-07-17T07:00:00.000-04:002018-07-17T08:32:24.469-04:00The Grace of Giving<div style="font-family: ".sf ui display"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
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<span style="color: white; font-family: ".sfuidisplay";"><b>Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.<br /> 2 Corinthians 9:7</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay";">It was an awkward email to read. A pastor I have known for over a decade wrote and asked to be removed from our mailing list. He was offended that a recent email had included a link recipients could use to make an online gift. He liked receiving our email newsletter so he could stay informed of what was going on in our area, but he did not want to be asked to give. I responded with appreciation for his past partnership and assured him I would remove him from the list.</span><span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay";"> The following day a letter arrived from a couple I had met a few years ago at a meeting. I had not seen them in several years but we corresponded several times a year via letter. Their letter included an incredibly generous gift and a note thanking me for providing an opportunity for them to give. They also requested that I let them know about specific needs they might be able to help with in the future. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay";">The contrast between the two notes reminds me of how the grace of giving works. For some people, giving is reluctant, done out of duty, and often results in the smallest gift that still feels respectable. For others, giving is a cheerful experience. It brings joy and happiness because the givers know their gift is making a difference for the Gospel. They rejoice in knowing they were able to join God in His mission. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: white; font-family: ".sfuidisplay";">In the two examples I gave, for one, giving was merely a duty, and perhaps not a duty that was enjoyable or fulfilling. For the other, it was an honor and privilege to give, and they excelled in the grace of giving. </span><br />
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay";">What I find amazing about people who excel at the grace of giving, is that they are often not the ones who have the most to give. They may not have a lot of excess to give, but what they have, they give freely and with great joy. Their level of giving often exceeds what is normal for people in their income bracket. Those with a heart to give find deep fulfillment and purpose in giving. Praise God for them!</span><span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay"; font-size: 32.49pt;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay";"><span style="color: white;">As the person responsible for overseeing a small army of missionaries seeking to reach a spiritually barren region of the nation, I pray often for God to raise up cheerful givers that He can use to fund the army of missionaries I lead. Could you be one of those givers? If so, send me an email at tdorsett@bcne.net and I can share ways you can excel in the grace of giving. God is doing a great work in our region of the nation. I am never embarrassed to invite others to join in His mission through prayer, volunteering and through the grace of giving.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi-ErvR6UOfWjOZ-__Wsdysob0VImqlglW5u5nwmguwoBz8k7fMz9ORdZqCn7bjOgFSQK1EXxAZoJUErpl0072UOeLCEe2rim-TpRjQXoyQLRzGxoHf0zm_dTzHTa-NrOk6IgVBS-P_lg/s1600/DSC_0006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1072" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi-ErvR6UOfWjOZ-__Wsdysob0VImqlglW5u5nwmguwoBz8k7fMz9ORdZqCn7bjOgFSQK1EXxAZoJUErpl0072UOeLCEe2rim-TpRjQXoyQLRzGxoHf0zm_dTzHTa-NrOk6IgVBS-P_lg/s200/DSC_0006.jpg" width="133" /></a><i>Dr. Terry W. Dorsett serves at the Executive Director of the <a href="http://bcne.net/" target="_blank">Baptist Convention of New England</a>. He has been a pastor, church planter, denominational leader and author in New England for more than 20 years. He is a happy husband, a proud father and adoring grandfather. He is a cancer survivor and believes that God works powerfully through times of suffering. He writes extensively and you can find all of his books at:</i></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY"><span style="text-decoration-line: none;"><i>http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY</i></span></a><br />
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Terry W. Dorsetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00853614918122167720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2134143779763240356.post-52796970899573561102018-07-10T07:00:00.000-04:002018-07-10T07:00:06.105-04:00Matthew 18 Forgiveness - Guest Post by Daniel Demars<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt;">Most people who have been following the Lord for a reasonable amount of time recognize the importance practicing forgiveness and mercy. They grasp the concept that in light of both the holiness and mercy of God, holding onto grudges or desiring vengeance is neither Christ-like or healthy. They understand that harboring bitterness towards anyone is not evidence of spiritual regeneration. We know all of this. Yet I’ve spoken with people who confided that although they believe they’d forgiven, still find themselves upset about a situation to the point that it affects their lives. It’s entirely possible to make an intellectual decision to forgive, and to no longer wish for “karma” to fall on someone we are angry with, yet fail to cast the hurt brought on by the offense.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt;">Forgiveness is not always a one and done, quick release formula. The Lord gives us an image of a continuous approach. (Mat 18:21-22) The God who created us calls us to love people in response to His kindness, with reconciliation and humility. I can attest that at times I truly believed I had forgiven someone, only to find that the bitterness from a particular past situation was still on my heart. I found this hurt manifesting itself in other areas of my life. This greatly impeded my walk, emotional and spiritual well-being, and attitude towards life. When the Lord opened my eyes through His word it brought a new sense of liberation that changed the way I approach EVERYTHING. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt;">We must remember that forgiveness is NOT pretending it never happened. It is acknowledging real hurt before Holy God, and finding comfort His goodness. Knowing that He hates whatever wrong has been done to us, and that it has been paid for, along with every sin we have committed, based solely on the blood of Christ. Our immediate concern shouldn’t be gaining peace, but being obedient to God and bringing Him glory. We will come out the other side of the experience with Godly peace, but the process may be a refining process requiring sacrifice and submission. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt;">We might need to repent for assuming we are entitled to convenience in life, and instead embrace longsuffering and denial. We should reach out and make peace with whomever we feel has wronged us. (Mark 11:25) This may involve some uncomfortable conversations, which the Holy Spirit can adequately handle. We should lift the other party up in prayer and recognize that the Lord went to the cross for them with the same passion He has for us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt;">When we are actively involved in praying for someone, it is tremendously difficult to harbor anger towards them. We also identify areas in our own lives where we have fallen short in living a life of sacrifice. If we feel insulted, we need to remember God sees us as redeemed. If we feel we’ve been robbed, we need to remember God provides all our needs and ask for a generous spirit. If we feel betrayed, we should proclaim that God will never leave us, and ask for a spirit of commitment to others. This is yet another process of being conformed to the image of Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt;">And in it all, we must give glory to God. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i>Daniel Demars lives in central Massachusetts. He is in the food distribution business and in his spare time enjoys driving for Uber where he says he is “cruising for cash and making friends along the way.”</i><o:p></o:p></div>
Terry W. Dorsetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00853614918122167720noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2134143779763240356.post-44135755743307480912018-07-03T09:00:00.000-04:002018-07-03T09:00:06.328-04:00Freedom Isn't Free - Guest Post by Jim Fontaine<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: HE;">“You, my brothers, were called
to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather,
serve one another in love. (Galatians 5: 13)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On Independence Day, we always celebrate
the freedom that came hundreds of years ago to this country. Freedom was bought
through the blood and sacrifices of many…and we owe those brave men and women a
great debt of thanks. It is a reminder that freedom is not free, either for the
one who buys it or the one who receives it.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The same is true of the freedom
Jesus bought for us 2000 years ago on Mount Calvary. The freedom Christians
enjoy came at a very great cost since Jesus gave His life to make us free from
sin. Through accepting the Name of Jesus in faith and receiving what He did on
the Cross for our salvation, we have eternal life, full and free. Our behavior,
therefore, should always reflect who we are, not who we were. Our behavior
should reflect how grateful we are to God for His precious and undeserved gift.
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, there are many who abuse
their freedom as Christians, claiming that the freedom they have in Christ now
allows them to live any way they want, even if that means living in sin, living
the same way as they did before they were saved. They say things like, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I believe in Jesus! And since I do, I can
live however I want because He’ll forgive me of all my sins</i>!” The problem
with that kind of thinking is that Jesus calls us to be more like Him (Romans
8: 29); to become holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1: 16); to put on the new self, which
has been created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:
24). <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How can we say we are
Christ-like when we are living in sin? Is that the kind of freedom Jesus has
called us to? </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Can Christians
sin as much as they want now that their sins are all covered by the blood of
Jesus? The answer is an emphatic NO! Yes, we are called to be free! But, we are
also called to be more Christ-like every day. We are not to live in sin
anymore. Freedom in Christ is NOT the freedom to do what we want when we want;
it is the freedom to do what God wants and to please Him because we love Him.</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the evacuation of troops from
Richmond, Virginia on April 4, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln walked the
streets of the city with his son Tad. Former slaves gathered to meet the
President, thanking the man who had set them free. President Lincoln stopped at
one point to address former slaves. In his book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Life of Abraham Lincoln</i>, author Clifton Nichols wrote down the
President’s challenge:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">My poor friends, you are free – as free as
air. You can cast off the name of slave and trample upon it; it will come to
you no more. Liberty is your birthright. God gave it to you as he gave it to
others, and it is a sin that you have been deprived of it for so many years. But
you must try to deserve this priceless boon. Let the world see that you merit
it, and are able to maintain it by your good works. Don’t let your joy carry
you into excesses; learn the laws, and obey them. Obey God’s commandments, and
thank him for giving you liberty, for to him you owe all things</i>.” </span></b><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/jwideman.BCNE.000/Downloads/6-21-18%20Freedom.docx#_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title="">[1]</a></span></span><a href="file:///C:/Users/jwideman.BCNE.000/Downloads/6-21-18%20Freedom.docx#_ftn1" title=""><!--[endif]--></a></span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Much of what
Lincoln said to former slaves, Paul said to the Galatians and to us. If you
have professed faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation, you ARE free! God has
given it to you as a precious, undeserved gift of His grace. Freedom is your
Christian birthright!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But do not use or abuse your freedom in
Christ by continuing to live in sin. Do not dishonor the Savior who died for
your sins by thinking that it is OK to sin. Freedom in Christ is NOT freedom to
sin. Instead, show that you are free in Christ by living the way God wants us
to live, in obedience to His commands; by loving and serving one another in the
body of Christ; by loving and serving our neighbors as an outflow of the love
of God that is in our hearts. Contrary to what the world would tell us, freedom
is not the ability to do what you want, when you want to do it. Freedom in
Christ is a gift from God…and there are boundaries to that freedom. Let us always
glorify the Savior who freed us by living lives that truly honor the sacrifice
He made on our behalf.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/jwideman.BCNE.000/Downloads/6-21-18%20Freedom.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">[1]</span></b></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Clifton Melvin Nichols, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Life of Abraham Lincoln</i> (Springfield, OH: Mast, Crowell &
Kirkpatrick, 1896), page 232.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNh1KvRxNvMgHg5-nAOCw0PaIyQBQIjcsPGilFgU3iESQNd9VYB-4jHR1zJK8DcjSAoH5dnHhVs3FGjhL2BgHKo0zRqCgmAelmbwP3SowZNDBN24BTBYaNQ4Sk9btVaXpY7ic7z0hrW_s/s1600/20988286_1675849029099963_642768307881330937_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNh1KvRxNvMgHg5-nAOCw0PaIyQBQIjcsPGilFgU3iESQNd9VYB-4jHR1zJK8DcjSAoH5dnHhVs3FGjhL2BgHKo0zRqCgmAelmbwP3SowZNDBN24BTBYaNQ4Sk9btVaXpY7ic7z0hrW_s/s200/20988286_1675849029099963_642768307881330937_o.jpg" width="112" /></a><br />
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<i style="background-color: #1c1c1c; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">Jim Fontaine became the pastor of Friendship Baptist Church in Brimfield, MA in July 2016 after completing a 13-year pastorate at Burncoat Baptist Church in Worcester, MA. Jim has been married to his wife, Paula, for 24 years and has four children.</span></span></i><br />
<br />Terry W. Dorsetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00853614918122167720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2134143779763240356.post-50864298799941746632018-06-26T07:00:00.000-04:002018-06-26T07:00:14.135-04:00Soap, Poison and Popular Food, All in One Fruit!<div style="font-family: ".sf ui display"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMVgEQlLAxuWs9jvFSrBSXMitkNcySAJkLY_qsac2gHrN7_WbIAqy395K9zGn-DF2fBTHGl2f4MvWrfu2mBVJbKHY7fYtPbtDuiSnfoKFfRqY6m2-kLWUTtCQ9xQ5jHd-gVPpFvXC2E00/s1600/ackee_fruit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMVgEQlLAxuWs9jvFSrBSXMitkNcySAJkLY_qsac2gHrN7_WbIAqy395K9zGn-DF2fBTHGl2f4MvWrfu2mBVJbKHY7fYtPbtDuiSnfoKFfRqY6m2-kLWUTtCQ9xQ5jHd-gVPpFvXC2E00/s1600/ackee_fruit.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="color: white; font-family: ".sfuidisplay";">My family and I were in Jamaica a few months ago. We wanted to see the “real Jamaica,” not the glitzy tourist part. So we hired a taxi driver to show us around the island. We saw typical neighborhoods where the residents actually live and the beaches where Jamaicans relax away from the tourists. Our driver showed us an Ackee tree, which bears the Ackee fruit. This fruit is the national fruit of Jamaica. Though the fruit is not actually native to the island, it has been on the island so long that many people think it is. </span><br />
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<span style="color: white; font-family: ".sfuidisplay";">What I found fascinating about this fruit is that at a certain time during the year it can only be used to make soap. At another time during the year it is edible, but only if you cook it, as it is poisonous when raw. What a bizarre fruit that can be poison, soap and a popular food, all depending on the season of the year and how the fruit is prepared.</span><br />
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<span style="color: white; font-family: ".sfuidisplay";">People are a lot like the Ackee fruit. I can think of some people who have been a real blessing in my life. Like a popular national dish, I enjoy being around them. Sometimes those same people have had to call me out on mistakes I've made, serving as the "soap" that helps me clean up my act. Regretfully, there have even been times when those very same people have been like poison, impacting my relationships with others in negative ways. Like the Ackee fruit, I've seen the same person be all three things at different points in my relationship with them.</span><br />
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<span style="color: white; font-family: ".sfuidisplay";">But the difference between people and fruit is that people get to decide what role they will play. Whereas fruit is stuck with whatever role someone else has chosen, people can choose to be a blessing, or a poison, or a cleansing agent in someones life. People can choose to be high maintenance or low maintenance friends. They can choose to impact our lives in positive or negative ways. Let us remember the truth of Proverbs 27:9, "A sweet friendship refreshes the soul." We should determine to be the friend that refreshes others instead of poisoning them. When we choose to be a blessing, our own lives are more fulfilling. So better to be a blessing, or at least soap, than to be poison!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi-ErvR6UOfWjOZ-__Wsdysob0VImqlglW5u5nwmguwoBz8k7fMz9ORdZqCn7bjOgFSQK1EXxAZoJUErpl0072UOeLCEe2rim-TpRjQXoyQLRzGxoHf0zm_dTzHTa-NrOk6IgVBS-P_lg/s1600/DSC_0006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1072" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi-ErvR6UOfWjOZ-__Wsdysob0VImqlglW5u5nwmguwoBz8k7fMz9ORdZqCn7bjOgFSQK1EXxAZoJUErpl0072UOeLCEe2rim-TpRjQXoyQLRzGxoHf0zm_dTzHTa-NrOk6IgVBS-P_lg/s200/DSC_0006.jpg" width="133" /></span></a><i><span style="color: white;">Dr. Terry W. Dorsett serves at the Executive Director of the <a href="http://bcne.net/" target="_blank">Baptist Convention of New England</a>. He has been a pastor, church planter, denominational leader and author in New England for more than 20 years. He is a happy husband, a proud father and adoring grandfather. He is a cancer survivor and believes that God works powerfully through times of suffering. He writes extensively and you can find all of his books at:</span></i></div>
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Terry W. Dorsetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00853614918122167720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2134143779763240356.post-59420058378223406382018-06-19T07:00:00.000-04:002018-06-19T17:18:56.035-04:00Are We Sowing Enough to Reap Abundantly?<div style="font-family: ".sf ui display"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDk1Ysp2VhJFq0CReAG1SVvzBcflum_DtvgrUGpiKQZYTy9LaecwjOVH7ClrUz20Cu1pEntFBEkkZsAYOfbbAHn8zyTiidzwMjEjffhM7ApwfCwe0jG5i9s8PWpMAS7B8Cn15DqyZj0xI/s1600/sowing-and-reaping.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; color: #454545; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDk1Ysp2VhJFq0CReAG1SVvzBcflum_DtvgrUGpiKQZYTy9LaecwjOVH7ClrUz20Cu1pEntFBEkkZsAYOfbbAHn8zyTiidzwMjEjffhM7ApwfCwe0jG5i9s8PWpMAS7B8Cn15DqyZj0xI/s320/sowing-and-reaping.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: white;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Calibri;"><i>2 Corinthians 9:6 – “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.”</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: white;"><br />I was fascinated by the older gentleman’s story as he shared it with me. He had grown up incredibly poor. After high school he got a low level job working for the county. Over the years he worked his way up the ladder and got several promotions. But because his life situation never afforded him the opportunity to get an education, he could only advance so far. He eventually hit a ceiling without any further opportunity to advance. He was content with his situation and made enough to provide for his family, it was just enough. He was rarely able to give his family any “extras.” They learned to be content.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><br />The older man went on to explain that one thing he learned as a young man was to tithe. Even though at times it was a real a sacrifice, he and his wife always tithed. Sometimes, they would give beyond his tithe if they heard a family in the church was in need or if a missionary spoke at the church and had some urgent ministry need. He and his wife excelled in the grace of giving even though their income was never more than middle class.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><br />Through an unusual set of circumstances, he was offered the chance to retire early and take all of his retirement from the county in a lump sum. He found a financial planner who took the lump sum and invested it on his behalf. To his pleasant surprise, those investments performed amazingly. In fact, over the next ten years he made more money off of those investments during his retirement than had had made in all of his years of working. Suddenly he found himself with more money than he needed. As a result, he and his wife significantly increased their giving to missionaries and to the needy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">That is where I came into his story. For three years in a row he and his wife were the largest contributors to the mission work my wife and I were involved in. Their giving made a real difference at a crucial time in our ministry. Though many assumed our largest giver was some rich business tycoon, in reality, he was just a hard-working man who had been faithful with little and God had rewarded him with much.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><br />I once asked him why he thought God had blessed his investments so much. Without hesitation he responded, “God promised that if I sowed generously, He would bless me generously and God kept His promise.” Though my friend has now passed on to glory, I have never forgotten his clear understanding of the sowing/reaping concept. I wish more Christians understood this simple truth as much as he did.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Far too many of us are waiting on some amazing windfall thinking that when it happens, THEN we will give. But this man understood that such windfalls only come AFTER we give, not before. God honors those who demonstrate their faithfulness in giving. Consider this, if God decided that next year He would give you exactly ten times the amount of money that you gave to His work last year, would you have more money or less than you had this year? If we want to reap a harvest in the future, now is the time to start sowing.</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: white;">Lord, help us learn the power of sowing, knowing that in Your own time and way, You will bless us with the harvest of righteousness. Amen.</span></i></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi-ErvR6UOfWjOZ-__Wsdysob0VImqlglW5u5nwmguwoBz8k7fMz9ORdZqCn7bjOgFSQK1EXxAZoJUErpl0072UOeLCEe2rim-TpRjQXoyQLRzGxoHf0zm_dTzHTa-NrOk6IgVBS-P_lg/s1600/DSC_0006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1072" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi-ErvR6UOfWjOZ-__Wsdysob0VImqlglW5u5nwmguwoBz8k7fMz9ORdZqCn7bjOgFSQK1EXxAZoJUErpl0072UOeLCEe2rim-TpRjQXoyQLRzGxoHf0zm_dTzHTa-NrOk6IgVBS-P_lg/s200/DSC_0006.jpg" width="133" /></span></a><i><span style="color: white;">Dr. Terry W. Dorsett serves at the Executive Director of the <a href="http://bcne.net/" target="_blank">Baptist Convention of New England</a>. He has been a pastor, church planter, denominational leader and author in New England for more than 20 years. He is a happy husband, a proud father and adoring grandfather. He is a cancer survivor and believes that God works powerfully through times of suffering. He writes extensively and you can find all of his books at:</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY"><span style="color: white; text-decoration: none;"><i>http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY</i></span></a></div>
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Terry W. Dorsetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00853614918122167720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2134143779763240356.post-43139930387285078382018-06-12T07:00:00.000-04:002018-06-12T07:00:04.744-04:00Why Should We Join A Church?<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinhO4Xoq_yRyj9SeVSnVuJYYWD7_oShw_qlV7KYbazNfmLDu4fnxDGLPLGH-BHBqWlKwYz8YVWw4TP6QL7v3bncqrlSp1XyDk3oYm2AnwPt85Tu-Ggiivh4fWgNnIfVdHHIKnP3cfHlxU/s1600/churchmembership.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="158" data-original-width="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinhO4Xoq_yRyj9SeVSnVuJYYWD7_oShw_qlV7KYbazNfmLDu4fnxDGLPLGH-BHBqWlKwYz8YVWw4TP6QL7v3bncqrlSp1XyDk3oYm2AnwPt85Tu-Ggiivh4fWgNnIfVdHHIKnP3cfHlxU/s1600/churchmembership.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"><b><i style="background-color: black;">Hebrews 10:25 - "<span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."</span></i></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">A few weeks I wrote a post asking if church membership really matters. <a href="http://thoughtsfromdrt.blogspot.com/2018/03/does-church-membership-matter.html" target="_blank">You can read that post here.</a> I was surprised how many people shared it and commented on it through social media. The post talked about churches that have a lot of names on their membership rolls of people who no longer attend and the reluctance to remove those names because it makes the church sound "bigger" than it really is.</span><br />
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<span style="color: white;">In this post I want to touch on the same subject, but from a different perspective. In my previous post I focused on the perspective of the church who had all those extra names. Now I want to focus on the individuals who have their names on the rolls of churches they no longer attend. Here is a challenging question, why did we join a particular church to begin with? Was it to please our parents or grandparents? Was it because other young people our age were going through the confirmation/membership process and we just followed the crowd? Were we looking for new friends? Were we looking for business connections that a faith community might offer? Were we looking for a place to have a wedding, funeral or other family experience? None of those reasons are necessarily wrong. But they are probably not the purest motivations for joining a church. When we join churches for these reasons, we are seldom as loyal, committed, and involved as we should be. Joining a church for the wrong motivation often results in an attitude of what can we get from the church instead of what we can contribute to it. W</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: white;">e might find ourselves gone for weeks, or months, at a time until a need comes up in our lives that the church might meet.</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: white;"> This is not healthy for us, nor is it healthy for the church.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">So why should we join a church? The main reason to join a church is because we agree with their mission and purpose and we want to help move that mission and purpose forward. That does not mean we have to agree with everything in the church, but it does mean that we support the overall direction the church is moving in. It also means we need to do our part to help the church fulfill that mission and purpose. A church filled with people who have this type of motivation will be a healthy church and one that is making a real difference in the community.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Sadly, too many of us want all the benefits of having a church be there for us when we need it, but too few of us are willing to do the work to keep the church healthy between our times of need. That is not realistic. Though churches may be able to eek out some way to survive under those conditions, those churches will not be healthy or making the impact in their community they could be making. </span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: helvetica;">If we are going to join a church, we must be willing to rearrange </span><span style="color: white; font-family: helvetica;">our schedule so we are present more than we are absent. We must be willing to rearrange our budget so our financial contributions are enough to actually make a difference. We must be willing to rearrange our leisure time so we can volunteer. This is what it takes to make a church healthy. Yes, it is a big commitment. It is that very commitment that keeps many people from joining a church. But the <span style="caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">challenging</span> question we must ask ourselves is, why should we expect other people to do all the work to keep the church there for us so we can just pop in from time to time, enjoy the service, and then disappear for another 3 months? We need to be givers, not takers. We need to be contributors, not users. </span><br />
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<span style="color: white;">If we have found a church whose mission and purpose we agree with, then we should go through whatever process is required to become members. Then instead of just being a name on a roll, let's be the best members we can be. If we have not yet found such a church, then keep looking because when we find a healthy church and join it, it is a powerful experience worth all the adjustments in time, giving and volunteering.</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: white;">Lord, help us find a great church and make a genuine commitment to it. Amen.</span></i></b></div>
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<i><span style="color: white;">Dr. Terry W. Dorsett serves at the Executive Director of the Baptist Convention of New England. He has been a pastor, church planter, denominational leader and author in New England for more than 20 years. He is a happy husband, a proud father and adoring grandfather. He is a cancer survivor and believes that God works powerfully through times of suffering. He writes extensively and you can find all of his books at:</span></i></div>
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Terry W. Dorsetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00853614918122167720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2134143779763240356.post-13089062570833054692018-06-05T07:00:00.000-04:002018-06-08T07:53:28.021-04:00Is our Church Vibrant with Life?<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNj89VFNzfF9AzmfYsO5F5r5UqrkuTbmfNMIrcb1bRZAVCLrYo9_zXZHPaf1ImJf3gruKptz3cSeNYJl06nEaO7-xg9Xumu9zCc0abyHRDsGPKuii4fgUMAQeU5nG-sC4P00_nFDHGJN4/s1600/grey_ocean_waves_by_britstock-d5tuv8k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNj89VFNzfF9AzmfYsO5F5r5UqrkuTbmfNMIrcb1bRZAVCLrYo9_zXZHPaf1ImJf3gruKptz3cSeNYJl06nEaO7-xg9Xumu9zCc0abyHRDsGPKuii4fgUMAQeU5nG-sC4P00_nFDHGJN4/s320/grey_ocean_waves_by_britstock-d5tuv8k.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"><b><i style="background-color: black;">Matthew 6:18 - And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A few months ago I had to fly to Texas for a business trip. Because the city where my meeting was being held also had a</span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> cruise port, my wife decided to go with me and we took a cruise a few days before my meeting started. It was a rare opportunity for us to get away together.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">As we were leaving the port, we noticed the water in the port was grey and not very pretty. When we arrived at our destination in the Caribbean Sea, the water was strikingly colorful with bands of blue and green. Out of curiosity, I googled why the water was different in color between the two places. Though there are a variety of theories, the bottom line was that the water is so colorful and amazing in the Caribbean because the water is healthy and full of life. Microscopic organisms make the water rich with color and provide a healthy foundation on which the rest of the ecosystem is built. On the contrary, the grey water in the port had very little life left in it, and therefore the ecosystem there was much less healthy, making it less colorful and less beautiful.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">There is a powerful spiritual truth to be learned in the contrast between these two types of water. Just like one body of water had more life and beauty than the other, some churches have more life and beauty than others. Some churches have endured so much spiritual pollution over the years there is little life left in them. They go through the motions but it lacks the vitality it once had. The entire spiritual ecosystem has been compromised. Though it is possible for it to be brought back to health, that cannot happen without radical alteration of fundamental actions and even then it will take a long period of time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Other churches have a healthy spiritual foundation, and therefore a healthy spiritual environment where Christians in various stages of life can grow and thrive. Those churches have colorful ministries and powerful life giving programs. They are stunning to observe, and rightly so.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">The contrast between the two is clear to anyone with eyes to see. Though it can be painful we must ask ourselves what is our church like? Is it filled with spiritual pollution or is it healthy? If we realize our church is unhealthy, what can we do to help rejuvenate it so new life can emerge? We know the Lord wants our church to be healthy. If we are willing to do our part to bring that about, we know the Lord will bless those efforts. But as long as we live in denial, or are unwilling to do what needs to be done, our church will remain unhealthy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><b><i>Lord, help our churches to be full of life and vitality. Help us to do our part to make it so. Amen.</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: white;">Dr. Terry W. Dorsett serves at the Executive Director of the <a href="http://bcne.net/" target="_blank">Baptist Convention of New England</a>. He has been a pastor, church planter, denominational leader and author in New England for more than 20 years. He is a happy husband, a proud father and adoring grandfather. He is a cancer survivor and believes that God works powerfully through times of suffering. He writes extensively and you can find all of his books at:</span></i></div>
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Terry W. Dorsetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00853614918122167720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2134143779763240356.post-72591192518906673892018-05-29T07:00:00.000-04:002018-05-29T07:00:19.162-04:00Do Rules Apply to Us?<div style="font-family: ".sf ui display"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
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<b><i><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">James 4:17 - So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Recently I went to an amazing ice skating show. It was part musical theatre and part Olympic style ice skating feats. It was a very good show. Numerous times before the performance they announced both verbally and on video slides in multiple languages that spectators were not allowed to video the show due to licensing agreements with the performers. They also emphasized repeatedly how dangerous it was for people to use flash photography because it momentarily blinded the performers. Lastly, they warned the audience not to sit or stand on the stairs or in the aisles because at different points in the show the performers would use those spaces as part of their act.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: large;">The announcements were made so often and in so many different ways that they were impossible to misunderstand. Yet, almost as soon as the show began, people were using their cell phones to video the performance. Twice I saw flashes go off during especially amazing feats, which also means they were the most dangerous moments for the performers. I saw several people sitting on the steps blocking the aisle. The audience’s clear ignoring of the rules was so blatant it was impossible to miss.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Fortunately, the show went well, and no one injured. But I was amazed by this flagrant disregard for the clearly stated rules. These people knew they were breaking the rules, but somehow they thought the rules did not apply to them. This attitude is becoming more prevalent in our society, not just at ice shows, but throughout our culture. It is a dangerous shift in our culture. A culture in which no one thinks the rules apply to them is a culture doomed to eventually descend into chaos.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Perhaps this is why God gave us ten commandments. Ten rules that, if everyone followed them, would make life better.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: large;">While rules are sometimes inconvenient for us, they keep people safe, they protect the rights of others, and they make life work. Even when we don’t like them, rules help everyone have a better life. We need to follow them ourselves and teach our children to follow them. It is about more than the rules themselves, it is about having order in our lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><b><i>Lord, help us remember that the rules do apply to us and that we should not ignore them. Amen.</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Dr. Terry W. Dorsett serves at the Executive Director of the <a href="http://bcne.net/" target="_blank">Baptist Convention of New England</a>. He has been a pastor, church planter, denominational leader and author in New England for more than 20 years. He is a happy husband, a proud father and adoring grandfather. He is a cancer survivor and believes that God works powerfully through times of suffering. He writes extensively and you can find all of his books at:</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY</span></span></i></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Terry W. Dorsetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00853614918122167720noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2134143779763240356.post-4804358949825442232018-05-22T07:00:00.000-04:002018-06-07T19:17:45.242-04:00Prodigal Kids - Guest Post by Jim Fontaine<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="color: white;"> </span><span style="color: white;">Prodigal
sons and daughters cause great heartbreak to their parents when they rebel.
It’s not just the rebellion against the parents that causes them pain, though.
It’s also painful for parents to watch their children willfully turn from God. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But does a descent into sin mean there is
no coming back? Does it mean there is no hope for the person who turned away?
Absolutely NOT! God excels in the resurrection and restoration business. We all
love comeback stories, stories where people screw up royally but then turn
their lives completely around. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, if there is a love of such stories,
why do we sometimes act as if people who turn away are beyond the reach of
God’s grace and have committed the unpardonable sin? We can’t look at anyone as
a hopeless case. We have to look at even the worst of sinners as a redemption
project and someone worthy of God’s grace. Remember, Paul could not have been
further down the wrong path. He was against Jesus and was a terrorist to
Christians.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Paul explained God’s unconditional
love, grace and patience shown to him when he wrote in 1 Timothy 1: 13 – 16,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;">Even though I was
once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because
I acted in ignorance and unbelief. </span></i><a href="http://classic.studylight.org/desk/?query=1ti+1:14&sr=1&t=niv"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><sup><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;">14</span></sup></i></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><sup><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;"> </span></sup></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;">The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly,
along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. </span></i><a href="http://classic.studylight.org/desk/?query=1ti+1:15&sr=1&t=niv"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><sup><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;">15</span></sup></i></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><sup><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;"> </span></sup></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;">Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance:
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst. </span></i><a href="http://classic.studylight.org/desk/?query=1ti+1:16&sr=1&t=niv"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><sup><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;">16</span></sup></i></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><sup><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;"> </span></sup></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;">But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me,
the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an
example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life</span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;">. </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">Paul wrote of
God’s amazing grace and unlimited patience. God wants to show grace. God wants
to show love. God wants prodigals to come home and He draws them to Himself with
His love and grace.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It must be the same with us. If we want
the prodigals in our lives to come home, we can’t browbeat them. We can’t
berate them. We can’t shut them completely out of our lives. Yes, we may have
to let them go their own way, even if we know they are going the wrong way. Yes,
we may have to speak God’s truth in love. We may even warn them in love before
they go, telling them that they are headed down a dangerous path away from God.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But prodigals need to know that the door
has not been shut. Now, of course, we don’t affirm or condone the prodigal’s
sin. Sin is sin, no matter who commits it. Prodigals need to know, however,
that we still love them despite their sin and that, when they choose to come
home, they won’t see us with our arms angrily folded or pointing a judgmental
finger that says, “<i>I told you so</i>.” They need to know that they are
coming home to nothing short of unconditional love and grace. Guilt trips never
work. It is grace and unconditional love that will draw a prodigal back home.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s like the story a prodigal daughter who left home soon after her
father died. Night after night, the mother prayed and waited…but her daughter
never came home. At her pastor’s suggestion, the mother printed off pictures of
herself and wrote, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Come home</i>” on the
picture. She hung the pictures all over surrounding towns in tough places where
she thought her rebellious daughter might go. One night, the daughter saw a
picture of her mother with the simple message, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Come home</i>”…and her heart started to be drawn home.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span>She arrived early in the morning, surprised to find the door to the
small apartment open…where she found her mother awake, praying, and crying. The
mother threw her arms around her long-lost daughter, so glad she was home. The
daughter, overwhelmed by her mother’s love, asked, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mom, why did you leave the door open</i>?” The mother responded, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Oh, Louise, the door has never been closed
since the day you left. I left it open all the time expecting your return. I
didn’t want you to find it shut when you came back</i>.” That’s the way it is
with God. Oh, you may think you’ve done something so bad that you can’t be
forgiven. But you are <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">NEVER</i> beyond
the reach of God’s grace! Forgiveness is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">always</i>
available because, when it comes to God and Jesus, the door is never closed.
All we have to do is come home and ask.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do the prodigals in your life and mine
know the same? Do people who have hurt us, disappointed us, angered us know
that we still love them and have never stopped? Despite their descent into a
sin-filled life that is not honoring God, do that know that amazing grace and
forgiveness are still waiting at home for them? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As with the Prodigal Father, the door of
our hearts must always be ready to welcome them back home. We must be patient, as
God was with us, praying and waiting for prodigals to come home. Like God was
with us, we must maintain unconditional love for prodigals while they are away.
And like God was with us, we must show amazing and undeserved grace when they
come home. The prodigals in our lives need to know that home is a place where
the grace and love of God is always waiting for them. So, whoever the prodigals
are in your life, whether family members, friends, or church members who are
missing, open your arms and your hearts</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">…and always be ready to welcome them
when they come home.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">Jim Fontaine became the pastor of Friendship
Baptist Church in Brimfield, MA in July 2016 after completing a 13-year
pastorate at Burncoat Baptist Church in Worcester, MA. Jim has been married to
his wife, Paula, for 24 years and has four children.</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Terry W. Dorsetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00853614918122167720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2134143779763240356.post-78637825762885194302018-05-15T07:00:00.001-04:002018-05-15T07:00:04.982-04:00Christian Baby Talk<div style="font-family: ".sf ui display"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
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<span style="color: white;"><b><i>Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+6%3A4&version=ESV"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Ephesians 6:4</span></a> ESV</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: ".sfuidisplay";">When my grandson was 18 months old he was in that stage where he imitated everything he saw or heard. If you put your hand in the air, so did he. If you laughed, so did he. If you gave a thumbs up, so did he. If you said hello, he tried to imitate it too. Though it didn’t come out quite right, you knew what he was trying to say. I’m not always sure he knew what all the actions or words meant, but in time he figured it out. It was sweet to watch him learn and grow in his abilities and vocabulary.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay";">I take being a grandparent seriously. I sense a keen responsibility to invest time and attention in my grandchildren so they can become the happy, successful, Christlike adults I want them to become.</span></span></span><br />
<span 38.8px="" display="" font-family:="" font-stretch:="" line-height:="" min-height:="" normal="" quot="" sf="" style="color: white; font-family: ".sfuidisplay";" ui=""><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay";"><br /></span></span></span>
<span 38.8px="" display="" font-family:="" font-stretch:="" line-height:="" min-height:="" normal="" quot="" sf="" style="color: white; font-family: ".sfuidisplay";" ui=""><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay";">The same is true in how I view the new believers around me. Those of us who have been Christians for a long time bear a great responsibility to guide and mentor new believers as they stumble through those first awkward stages of faith. They may not always say it right, or do things right, but if we have patience and a little faith, we can help them become the mature believers they need to be.
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<span 38.8px="" display="" font-family:="" font-stretch:="" line-height:="" min-height:="" normal="" quot="" sf="" style="color: white; font-family: ".sfuidisplay";" ui=""><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay";"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: ".sfuidisplay";"><b><i>Lord, give me patience with the new believers You have put around me. Help me encourage them in their faith journey by setting a godly example for them to follow. Amen.</i></b></span></span><br />
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<span 38.8px="" display="" font-family:="" font-stretch:="" line-height:="" min-height:="" normal="" quot="" sf="" style="color: white; font-family: ".sfuidisplay";" ui=""><span style="color: white;"><span 38.8px="" display="" font-family:="" font-stretch:="" line-height:="" min-height:="" normal="" quot="" sf="" style="color: white; font-family: ".sfuidisplay";" ui=""><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi-ErvR6UOfWjOZ-__Wsdysob0VImqlglW5u5nwmguwoBz8k7fMz9ORdZqCn7bjOgFSQK1EXxAZoJUErpl0072UOeLCEe2rim-TpRjQXoyQLRzGxoHf0zm_dTzHTa-NrOk6IgVBS-P_lg/s1600/DSC_0006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1072" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi-ErvR6UOfWjOZ-__Wsdysob0VImqlglW5u5nwmguwoBz8k7fMz9ORdZqCn7bjOgFSQK1EXxAZoJUErpl0072UOeLCEe2rim-TpRjQXoyQLRzGxoHf0zm_dTzHTa-NrOk6IgVBS-P_lg/s200/DSC_0006.jpg" width="133" /></span></a><i><span style="color: white;">Dr. Terry W. Dorsett serves at the Executive Director of the <a href="http://bcne.net/" target="_blank">Baptist Convention of New England</a>. He has been a pastor, church planter, denominational leader and author in New England for more than 20 years. He is a happy husband, a proud father and adoring grandfather. He is a cancer survivor and believes that God works powerfully through times of suffering. He writes extensively and you can find all of his books at:</span></i></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY"><span style="color: white; text-decoration: none;"><i>http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY</i></span></a></div>
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Terry W. Dorsetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00853614918122167720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2134143779763240356.post-35619759628194974502018-05-08T07:30:00.000-04:002018-05-08T07:30:07.051-04:00Moving Past Church Conflict<div style="font-family: helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
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<span style="color: white;"><b><i>Commit your way to the Lord, trust in him, and he will act. Psalm 37:5</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: white;">It was one of those meetings that I did not really want to attend. But I did not have a choice. It was part of my job as a denominational leader. The meeting was to help a church overcome a very significant conflict that had resulted in the pastor being dismissed. As a result, a significant portion of the congregation had left the church. The remaining members were in a lot of pain. They were discouraged. They were frustrated. Unfortunately, this was not the first time that this church had something like this happen. Several years before a similar event had happened and it had taken years to overcome the fall out.</span><br />
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<span style="color: white;">When a church goes through such a situation, one of the greatest challenges is the lack of trust. Hurt people don’t trust each other. Sometimes they don’t trust themselves because they feel like they may have said or done something that made the situation worse. Though they often don’t want to admit it, there is even a certain lack of trust in God.</span><br />
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<span style="color: white;">I think this lack of trust is one of the greatest things to overcome in a church that has been hurt. Though each situation is different, it is appropriate to create healthy accountability systems in an attempt to keep such situations from happening again, but there is no way to create a system that guarantees the problem will not reemerge. People make mistakes. By-laws, church constitutions, policy manuals can help set boundaries, but in the end, they lack the power to make people do the right thing. At some point, we simply have to trust each other. And we must accept the reality that from time to time our trust might be violated. We must be determined not to let the occasional violation of our trust in someone at church become the context of our entire faith experience.</span><br />
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<span style="color: white;">That is easy to say. It is hard to do.</span><br />
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<span style="color: white;">The only way I know to do that is to keep our eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only one who will never let us down. We must realize that the church is HIS church. He will build the church. He will make it what He wants it to be. If we focus on Jesus, it will help us move past the hurt and pain that sometimes comes with being a leader in the church.</span><br />
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<b><i><span style="color: white;">Lord, help me focus on serving You and learn to release the pain that church conflicts have brought into my life. Help me be able to trust others again. Amen.</span></i></b></div>
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<i><span style="color: white;">Dr. Terry W. Dorsett serves at the Executive Director of the Baptist Convention of New England. He has been a pastor, church planter, denominational leader and author in New England for more than 20 years. He is a happy husband, a proud father and adoring grandfather. He is a cancer survivor and believes that God works powerfully through times of suffering. He writes extensively and you can find all of his books at:</span></i></div>
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Terry W. Dorsetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00853614918122167720noreply@blogger.com0