Church Consulting

I’m embarking on something new, as the Lord has led me over the last several months. I just completed an extensive course through Church Consultation University. I am now a Certified Church Consultant (CCC).

I’m grateful to have this designation and I’ve worked hard to attain it. I’m thankful for the Lord’s direction in my life to offer help and assistance to struggling churches, pastors, church leaders. I don’t have all the answers, but I bring a background of almost 15 years in the business world and 15 years as a pastor to the table.

Therefore, I offer opportunities for pastors, churches and church leaders to utilize my experience in growing a church from 275 people to over 700 in 10 years. We paid off a $3 million building debt in the process. I offer consultation packages that include everything from complete, on-site comprehensive consultations to simply communicating via phone or internet (face) calls. You can contact me directly at: pastordkevinbrown@gmail.com.

Now for the story that led me to consulting: The church I’ve been pastoring was founded in 1875. That’s only ten years removed from the Civil War. I have been pastoring for 15+ years. When I took over we were averaging 275 people and today we have three services and close to 700 people attending on Sunday mornings. We are in a rural setting in western, NC. When I took over the church was $3 million in debt on a building program (having a new building), and the Sunday I was elected, the Church Treasurer told me (after the vote) that we had $12 in the General Checking Account and that he had raided the General fund to make the Building payment.

Can you say, “Swallow hard…what have I done!!!” I looked at my brother in Christ, our worship pastor, and I said, “We’ve got one choice in this deal…grow or die.” He agreed. But how? Bottom line…we had to become relevant. We were worshiping the same way we had for 30 years and he said, “I want to move to more contemporary music.” I said, “Do it.” I said, “I’m going to start being me and stop trying to be like the old pastor of the church, who just left.” But, here’s why I’m writing this thread… We didn’t not bulldoze the older people. We did not shove this down their throat.

So, we decided to have a luncheon and cater it with BBQ and the fixings and invite all those over 65 years of age. We had about 60-70 people show up. Long story, short. After the meal and dessert (strawberry shortcake, which was a smashing hit!), we shared. (Side note: As I shared earlier…$12 in the bank…we had to put the meal on the church credit card…because we were in essence, broke.) As we shared…you could hear a pin drop. The looks on the faces weren’t great. When you talk about change…well…it usually goes over like a lead balloon. But, when you talk about changing the music…well…it could mean DEATH!

We asked if there were any questions (after sharing for about 30 minutes…sharing our vision and the need to reach new people, families, etc), no one asked anything. Finally, one of the elder gentlemen in the church said, “Brother Pastor, may I say a word?” Oh man…you know how that goes? I thought, “Okay…here goes…we’re toast!” I said, “Go ahead Brother…let the Lord speak through you…” Well, he shared for maybe thirty seconds and the gist of what he said was, “Folks, we’ve had our day…our music, our style…our time…now it’s time to trust these boys and let the Lord use them…as for me…I won’t stand in the way…I believe the Lord is going to use them to take us places we’ve never seen.” He sat down. I had NO IDEA he was going to say that! Oh, thank you Jesus!! That’s all I could say!

The total attitude and atmosphere changed…not only that day but in the days ahead. It was a blessing indeed. Now, this isn’t to say that everyone was on board with our vision…some weren’t. One lady told our worship pastor a few Sundays later: “I’d love to smash that guitar on the stage! I miss the organ music!” Well, that lady, today, is one or our biggest advocates and has bought into the vision. What I’m hoping to get across is to take the time to try to not alienate when you are making change in the church, particularly the older folks. They are the folks who got us to where we were. It was on their backs… They paid the bills…taught the classes…made the sacrifices…and now (in their old age) they are being asked to sacrifice again…and they did. And today we are the better for it.

Can an older church change? Yes! It’s possible and I’d like to encourage you in the process. Contact me and let’s begin the conversation. pastordkevinbrown@gmail.com.

This Is It!

This is it! I’ve been blogging for 10 years, and it’s been a blast! But, it’s time. It’s time to celebrate the platform this has been for the past decade and to look to the next platform. Remember, I’m a business man from years gone by. I’m constantly looking at ROI. Return on Investment. The investment is my time and effort for the value of the return. Again, I’ve loved blogging, but it was for an outlet or platform to disciple.

I’ve written 717 posts. My blog has been viewed 175,000+ times on all 7 continents. My first blog was on 10.6.09. It was titled: “Adult-Centered Youth Ministry.” Here’s the link: https://dkevinbrown.wordpress.com/2009/10/06/why-adult-centered-youth-ministry/. And here’s the first picture I ever posted:

Clara and Andrew were 4 years old. Aren’t they the cutest little things! 🙂 I asked: Why Blog? This was my response: “It’s a great question. I’ve debated whether I should do this for some time. I’m busy! That’s been my excuse for months. Yet, I have found myself answering the same questions over and over about issues that are near and dear to my heart. What kind of issues?  Family, daily living, raising our children and combating the culture with the Word of God. So, I’m convinced it’s time to blog to get answers out there to the masses.”

And I’ve been excited to seek to do just that for a decade. But, communicating to the masses has changed. And thus, I’m excited to announce to you that beginning on Tuesday, September 24th this is coming:

It’s going to literally be my blog…but, be via a Podcast. Matthew McNeil is going to be our host. The format will be informal…and be around 25 minutes. We’re going to record it live and it will be able to be viewed or listened to (Podcast style). It’s going to be so wonderful to go deeper than I can with my blog and with the weekly Two-Minute Tuesday.

In essence I’m combining to conquer. I’m adding by subtracting. I’ve been doing a blog and a Two-Minute Tuesday simultaneously for 4 years and the Podcast will help me to work smarter. With the Podcast we’re going to dig into subject matter that needs the light of God’s Word to shine on those issues so as to give light, direction, and truth. We’re going to discuss topics that include: family, marriage, money, dealing with kids and the difficulties of raising children in our culture, dad issues… There will be funny stuff, serious stuff, and surprise guests. I really believe this Podcast will have the potential to be encouraging and provide people a way of growing in their faith and it can be viewed or listened to driving to work, school, doing dishes, exercising, mowing, etc. I believe it will be something people will look forward to each week. Just like not wanting to miss your favorite weekly show. I’m excited… I really am! We’ll have seasons, just like any podcast you’d listen to today. So, be looking for more details coming soon!

You say, “I like seeing what’s going on with your family… How will I see that?” Well, that’s where I’m going to multiply my time by loading the pictures and events to the other platforms like Facebook (which I use a lot now), Instagram, and Twitter. Again, it’s just going to be a better use of time.

Will I miss blogging? Yes and no. Yes, I’m nostalgic, and I’m at the age that I’m not a huge fan of change. But, I’m not naive enough to believe that I don’t have to change with the times. I’ve got to be willing to use the platforms that people use today. Otherwise, I’m going to become irrelevant. Honestly, the rigor of my schedule is forcing me to this. With the doubling of the church in size over the last decade, it’s just impossible to keep up with all the demands if I don’t divide and conquer…again…add by subtracting.

The blog will remain online and I will continue to direct people to it from time to time on subject matter that folks might want in writing… But, it’s time to change…

The same is true of our church! This Sunday we begin our:

It’s going to be the LIVE STREAM of our third service! Yes, you’ll be able to watch the service live! It’s going to be amazing! So, you won’t have to miss us if you are traveling or not able to be at the church. We also hope to reach the 64% of Wilkes Countians who do not attend church on a weekly basis. We hope by way of this introduction to the church, (which will be accessible from Facebook and live on our webpage), that it might encourage them to want to come to the church. That’s the goal! Will you pray for us?!

Last Sunday we burned the note! $3.1 million dollars paid off after 13 years for our auditorium (Reach Center). Praise the Lord! It’s been an accumulation of a lot of wonderful people over the years. From a family who gave $500,000, and a man who gave $100,000 to finish off the final payment. But, I am convinced there were other families who (in aggregate) gave many, many thousands of dollars as well. The point is…the Lord did it through His people, and there is much more work to be done to reach souls for the kingdom! To God be the glory in that in the last 13 years of the 144 year existence of our church (founded in 1875), we’ve seen more souls saved, baptisms, additional new members, and increase in the budget (almost tripled), than at any other period of time in the history of the church. Again, to God be the glory for great things He has done!

Here’s this week’s TMT… “Do Extraterrestrial Life Forms Exist?” https://www.mpbc.church/media/?sapurl=Lys3ZWViL2xiL21pLys1MzM0bmRwP2JyYW5kaW5nPXRydWUmZW1iZWQ9dHJ1ZQ==

I love you all! Looking forward to Tuesday, September 24th.

Kevin

The Joy of Going

I’m delinquent in getting the blog out this week. I was working on it Thursday when I came down with the stomach bug. I thought I had a summer cold. I had a sore throat earlier in the week that ended up going to my larynx and making me hoarse, (which I was big-time, after speaking on Wednesday night). However, I thought it was nothing more than that. Well…hold your horses…Thursday morning, BANG…let’s just say for the next 6 hours, I was in and out of the bathroom. I was hit with vomiting and diarrhea. UGH!

Let me tell you…I’m so appreciative of my health. Our health in our wealth. You know that don’t you? You can have all the money and time and in the world, but if you don’t have your health, you have nothing. Being well is a blessing. I’m thankful I’m not sick that often, but when I am, it really makes me SO thankful to be well! For those who deal with chronic illness and sickness, you are my heroes! It takes a special gift of grace from the Lord to endure long seasons of sickness.

Thankfully, I was blessed to be feeling much better by Saturday about 11 am. Honestly, it was like someone flipped a light switch. I went from terrible nausea and a splitting headache to feeling much, much better. I was weak as water…but, at least I was no longer to nauseated. Again, what a relief!

I preached three times today and as I preached I got stronger. Isn’t that crazy? Only the Lord can do that. I didn’t broadcast to the world that I had been sick. That’s annoying when a speaker gets up and tells how sick they’ve been. Just get up and speak. And certainly, as a preacher…I knew I would need to lean into Jesus…and that’s what I did. In our weakness, He is strong and strength comes from Him. I say that and as I do…I realize that what I did today is nothing compared to what some people do every day just trying to get out of bed. They are the strong ones. Nonetheless, I’m thankful I was able to preach and that I’m finally back in the world of feeling better.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: “There’s nothing like going on a mission trip!” Oh yes, it’s hard, but it’s oh so good! It’s exhausting, yes…but it’s also so exhilarating! What a joy! We had a team doing work in Mexico/TX and another team in China. Here’s our China team:

You’ll see mom’s and daughters…

That’s no a coincidence. As a church we have always done mission work as a family. We don’t have age-segregated mission trips.

This was a Facebook post on our church Facebook page from the trip:

“The MPBC China Mission team is having a great time! We finally got to meet our translators and children! Some of us were matched with younger children, while some of us were matched with older teenagers, all with different types of needs.

We know that the matching process was no coincidence, and we are trusting that the Lord put these specific people into each of our hands. We so wish we could share photos of these precious children, but we would never do anything to harm the work that is being done here. We can, however, share photos of our translators. Please be in prayer for not only the children, but these young Chinese adults serving along side us. They all possess such sweet spirits, and are desperate to know the Truth.”

One of the teens on the trip said this after returning: Y’all !!!! First off I know I can say this from behalf of the entire team, from the bottom of our hearts THANK YOU for all of the prayers this trip!! God has completely changed my life this trip, and he has shown nothing but grace and mercy over us. Our little boy was the absolute sweetest, and the fact that he called me big sister made him even sweeter. I’m so thankful for all the amazing people I’ve met this week! China will forever have a special place in my heart, and I can’t wait to come back soon.

Praise the Lord for their dedication and desire to go and be the hands and feet of Jesus! We are truly blessed to have a church that’s willing to send out two teams to the “uttermost parts” during the same week!

Here’s our Mexico/TX team. My family and I were on this team…

You’ll see more families. Dads, moms, daughters, sons… I’ll tell you…there is nothing greater you can do for your kids than to take them on a mission trip! If you are reading this and have children around the age of 12 and older…consider it. The cost of the trip is around $400 per person. That’s cheap for a mission trip out of the country that can show your children how blessed we are and be the hands and feet of Jesus. Make that part of your “to do” list going forward. Ask me or Pastor Dale about it if you have questions. If you are part of another church, we’ve got open dates on the calendar for your church to go down. Contact Jason Church to schedule a week for your church at forhisglorychurch.jc@gmail.com.

We had a great week in Weslaco, Texas working with Jason and Katie Church at New Life Baptist Church in their VBS. It started out with a great concert with Iron Bell Music on Sunday Night…

I love the kids…

The kids loved the face painting!

Aren’t they precious!

The men worked on building a home for one of the Elders in the church in Mexico. Remember, the church was renamed from: El Laurel Baptist, to Mt. Pleasant Baptist last year.

See the name in the background! Andrew and I went down for that celebration, “renaming” service in January of 2018. We got to spend time with Jason and Katie and their special, wonderful family in Weslaco while we were there.

Folks, it’s so special to know that we’ve helped plant a church in Weslaco, TX and Progreso, MX. Truly, I believe this is what Jesus meant when He gave us the Great Commission.

I took a picture of some of the past teams that have gone down. We’ve been doing the work since 2009. That’s hard to believe…

On this trip, we worked hard on building a church for an Elder in the church. He and his wife and their four children lived in a home that had been destroyed by termites. So, we built them a block house.

The cool thing about this work is that our children could help in the work. Not to be a broken record, but I can’t say enough to you what it means to take your children on a mission trip to another country and see how blessed we really are and to push them outside of their comfort zone.

The work is hard. It’s hot. We’re up early and we go full throttle for 16-18 hours a day. But, ask a family after they get back if it’s worth it. They’ll say, “You better believe it!” I guarantee it!

The ladies did a great job with the VBS in Mexico…

Those dear ladies fixed us lunch each day! It was scrumptious! What a blessed time for the Mount Pleasant of North Carolina to be with our brothers and sisters of Mount Pleasant of Progreso, MX.

Oh yeah…it was hot down there! We’re headed back after VBS and work in Mexico…

Pastor Oscar took a selfie as we were packed with 24 people in a 15-passenger van! Thankfully we just had to ride about 10 minutes like this to the border from the church. Otherwise, this old boy would have been riding on the roof! Tight places make we go a little off my rocker! Those dear souls in the back of the van…oh man…they were the real troopers…there was like ZERO air back there!

We “stick-built” a roof system for Manuel and his family. Randy Brooks is getting it done up there!

This picture is hilarious! This is the “Pastors’ Wall.” Pastor Oscar built that left side…Andrew, Benji Anderson and I built the right side. If you sighted the wall from the corner, you’d see that Pastor Oscar’s wall was leaning out and my wall was leaning in. Ha! Everyone said, “You guys need to stick to preaching!” My answer, “Amen!”

I’m grateful that the header we poured tied everything together and it works! I’m also glad there aren’t any building inspectors checking our work! Yikes!!!

See this picture below.

Manuel and his wife Paula are in the middle. He has on the blue shirt and hat and Paula has on the lime-green shirt. One of their daughters is in the blue jean jacket and their son, Daniel is seated below them. He has trouble walking and we’ve helped him through the years with special prosthetics. We took up money as a team to get him new braces. Manuel’s and Paula’s other two children are in the front row. All six of them will be living in the house behind them. One small living room, one small bathroom (they have had an outhouse all their lives), one bedroom for Manuel and Paula and a room for all four children. I’d estimate about 600 square feet (at the most).

There are many things I could say about the issues going on at the border. I could say to those who pontificate and make photo ops…do more! Go and work! Go and spend your money to make the lives of others better. Don’t use their lives for your political gain. Might I also say that those who are camping out and lined up to take asylum are mostly folks who are dressed nicely, have smart phones and are adults. What is being purported by the mainstream media is so bogus in so many ways!

Something else you might find interesting…those in Weslaco, TX are NOT for open borders. They told me over and over again, “We worked to come here the right way and it’s not fair to just let people walk across and get what we got when we abided by the law.” Those aren’t my words. I was told by a man running a Mexican restaurant in Weslaco, “The politicians only want votes…so, they’ll load this country up with people to put on the government programs that I’ll have to pay more taxes to cover, just so those politicians can stay in office and make a career out of it.” Again, not my words.

My encouragement…don’t believe what you hear in the media. Ask somebody who’s been there. Talk to the people who live on the border. Talk to the border patrol agents yourself. And yes, while we were there, a group of 50 chose to try to break through a crossing 15 minutes from where we cross. They chose to do so at 4 am in the morning, but were rebuffed and stopped. See article here: http://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/us-world-news/border-agents-use-tear-gas-to-stop-nearly-50-undocumented-migrants-who-stormed-rio-grande-bridge (You will not hear about this story in the mainstream media, because it doesn’t fit their progressive liberal narrative.)

On Wednesday, when we came across the border…we were the last group to get across before the Border Control closed the border and emptied the bridge across the Rio Grande.

I asked a Border Patrol Agent… “What’s going on? Do you mind me asking?” He said, “It’s just a drill, Sir.” It was that evening at 4 am that the 50 (mentioned above) tried to burst across at the bridge just to the north of that location. I believe the Border Patrol had “Intel” on what was going on and were preparing. Folks, for me…this is the bottom line… I’m all for helping people. I just spent a week of my life…time, money, and sweat doing so… but, at the end of the day, this is a country of laws, and if those laws aren’t enforced, then this country will turn into a place of anarchy and that will be just like the very countries these folks are fleeing from.

Do you think Andrew was tired on the van heading to the airport coming home?

I’ve I told you lately that I love this lady!!!

Do you think Charlotte is excited about her latest coloring project?

I’ll say!

And the latest photo of Milly! Pardon the yawn! 🙂

My son-in-law had a birthday this week! The big 24! Happy Birthday Clark! I’m so proud of you and love you and I’m so thankful the Lord brought you into Kandace’s life.

Kevin

 

Powerful Display

I told you last time it was going to be a Big Week and it was! I’m still recovering! I am grateful for all the Lord continues to allow me and my family and our church family to experience. I’m unworthy of His goodness, but I’m grateful for His kindness. We finished the VBS week with record numbers…170 kids…the Independence Celebration was a hit! We ended up having over 1200 people at the field and 200-300 more at the neighboring school.

We had a watermelon eating contest…

Many said, “That’s the best fireworks show I’ve ever seen!” Well, praise the Lord! At the end of the day, we loved the fact that we could bring so many people under the sound of the Gospel. I shared the truth of Jesus that He is the ultimate freedom (John 8:32). I really believe the Lord used it, and our community knows we love them!

Then Sunday came…and let me tell you…I was one tired puppy! The past week had been a weekend of two weddings…then a full week of VBS…at church till 9:30 each night and then Independence Celebration on Saturday and then a fantastic day on Sunday. We had 8 baptisms! We had folks from young and old. There were so many different stories of how Jesus saved these precious souls…

A father baptized his son…

The gentleman below was christened as a child, but knows that Biblically speaking, he needed to follow Christ in immersion. It was a blessing!

Folks, I will never take any of that for granted! Those are miracles right before our eyes! We also had three families join Sunday! Unreal!

Can I be honest? I was so tired when I got home, that I literally ate a sandwich and collapsed. I slept for 2 hours. I was worn out…but, it was a great tired. Do you know what I mean? You are worn out, but you are rejoicing! Yes, I know you understand that!

These guys are such hard workers and I’m grateful to work with them! 

In the Lord’s strength, and a lot of great volunteers, we pulled off a lot of work for the Kingdom in the last couple of weeks! What a privilege!

Last Sunday, Clara headed out for music camp to Liberty University. She had a blast! That’s her, top left.

She played her violin! This was on the Liberty Instagram page:

It was a music camp, yes…but, Clara said, “Dad it was so spiritual.” She couldn’t say enough how much she felt like she grew in the Lord this past week! Thank you Liberty Music Faculty and students.

She learned music pieces to go with praise and worship songs that she played with a band of her peers. It was really amazing! They named their group, “Stack.” See how they have “stacked” their hands…

Now here’s the thing…we are going to do all we can as parents (Pam and I) to keep this fire stoked in her life. It’s a joy to see! Thank you Lord for what you are doing in my daughter’s life!

And while Clara’s been doing that…Andrew has been building a 3-D printer and completed the project recently!

Check out one of his latest creations…

A whistle!! Can you believe a 3-D printer can make that? Andrew is a pretty talented dude!

Here’s the latest pics of my grand babies…

Milly is getting so big!

Charlotte and Evie love sidewalk chalk!

I got in a bit of trouble with mommy (my daughter, Katy), after I sent Charlotte home covered in chalk!

Here’s this week’s TMT: “True Christianity is Growing in America!” I believe you’ll find this interesting! Take a look!

http://link.mpbc.church/TMT7-9

Kevin

Big Week

It’s been a big week already! I announced Sunday during all three services that the Building Debt has been paid off! Praise the Lord! What an amazing feeling! I had a man call me about three weeks ago and ask me to come by his home. I did and he said, “I feel the Lord is telling me to pay it off.” What a blessing! And that happened last week! We’ll have a “note burning” on Sunday, August 11th.

Honestly, after 13 years and being $3 million dollars in debt…whew!! What a relief to have that over. Are we planning on building anything else and try to get back to one service? Nope! Too expensive! We’re going to maximize what we have. We have room for another 150 each service and that would take us to over 1200 folks (currently we’re averaging around 660 people in total each Sunday). So are we done doing anything? No way!

There is so much to be done. There are so many needs that we’ve put off for years. So, the Leave A Legacy (building fund) will stay open…but, it won’t be paying off debt. Instead, we’ll look to pay for things as we go. We’ve got kitchen equipment that needs replacing, walls that need painting, a new playground (the current one is 30 years old), HVAC units that need purchasing, etc. There is much to be done… So, I hope folks will continue to give. I know my family will be. It’s like in your home…after 13 years…things have to be done, repaired, replaced, etc. The same is true of a church. The way I see it…we’re making eternal investments each week here at MPBC. Truly, eternal deposits are being made weekly in Wilkesboro, NC by way of what we’re doing to equip and strengthen the believers to do the works of ministry…the Great Commission.

It’s amazing, really…12 years ago (after we had been in the building for just over a year), our Treasurer told us that we had to raid the General Fund to pay the Building payment. We had $12 left in the General checking account. Oh my! We were down to about 275 people and things were looking scary to say the least. Yet, the Lord showed favor on us and we were able to see His hand and last Sunday we worshipped in a building…DEBT FREE! I can’t tell you what a relief and a joy this is!

I officiated two marriages this past weekend. Dylan and Noel Henderson were the first couple. I love weddings!

Isn’t that wonderful! You got to love those smiles!

I love my family!

Can you tell Evie likes to eat!

She’s shoveling in that cake!

Then it was another wedding on Saturday. This time it was Keith and Barbara Huffman.

I’m grateful to perform these ceremonies… Everyone knows I don’t do them unless we sit down and counsel…(and that keeps some from asking me)…but, at the end of the day…I’ve got to be accountable to the Lord for marrying folks.

As I speak, we’re having Vacation Bible School this week. We’ve had the most kids ever! They are having a blast learning about Jesus!

We’re praying the Lord will touch these wonderful children’s lives and that we can sow seeds of faith in Jesus. I’m so grateful for our church and the tons of volunteers it takes to pull this off. And WE’RE NOT DONE! We’ve hosting a Community Independence Celebration this Saturday night. We’re expecting 1,000+ people. (Honestly there’s no way to know for sure how many we’ll have, because this is the first one we’ve ever done.) But, this is a legitimate fireworks display like you’d see at a minor league baseball game or Carowinds. It’s going to be amazing! We’re staring at 4 pm and end at 9:30 pm after the fireworks. This will take place on our sports field and we’ll have multiple food vendors, games, inflatables, and live music! I’ll be sharing the Gospel around 8:30 pm…so, pray for me, please!

Yes, it’s been a Big Week and there’s more to come. We’ll be baptizing 7 people on Sunday! And guess what…I’m going to be worn out! But, it will be a good tired and I’m hoping to take my foot off the gas just a little next week. We’ll not be having mid-week services on July 3rd to let our people rest. They will have earned it after this Big Week!

Here’s this week’s Two-Minute Tuesday. It’s about the power of the government and future Supreme Court rulings! I ask and seek to answer the question: “Can the Government Tell Us What to Believe?” Take a look here:

https://www.mpbc.church/media/?sapurl=Lys3ZWViL2xiL21pLytxa2h0ZnF0P2JyYW5kaW5nPXRydWUmZW1iZWQ9dHJ1ZQ==

Little did I know that on Tuesday this would be coming out of California…as reported by World at http://www.world.wng.org.

The California State Assembly passed a resolution on Monday calling on religious leaders and others with “moral influence” to affirm homosexuality and transgenderism. The resolution asks counselors, pastors, churches, educators, schools, legislators, and others to avoid supporting traditional and Biblical views of sexuality, which the measure claims can cause suicide and depression. The text of the resolution includes philosophical statements about the nature of human sexuality and a broad condemnation of so-called “conversion therapy,” which it says “has been rejected as ineffective, unethical, and harmful.”

More than two dozen doctors, counselors, activists, and other Christian leaders signed a letter condemning the resolution, which they said violates religious freedom. “Religious leaders have the constitutionally protected right to teach religious doctrine in accordance with their faith, and politicians have no right to tell clergy what is moral, dictate the content of their sermons, or instruct them in religious counseling,” they wrote.

Democratic Assemblyman Evan Low introduced the resolution earlier this month after pulling his controversial bill last year that would have banned any attempt to change sexual orientation—even when a person has unwanted same-sex attraction. As a resolution, ACR 99 does not have the force of law. It will now go to the state Senate for a vote.

I’m not even sure what to say to that. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, but I am. I read this line in that first paragraph twice:

The resolution asks counselors, pastors, churches, educators, schools, legislators, and others to avoid supporting traditional and Biblical views of sexuality…

Wow! I’m still shaking my head. I could never do that. Ever.

“And ever man did that which was right in his own eyes.” Judges 17:6

The Bible is our guide and it is God’s Word, period! To reject it is to reject truth. Those who do so will suffer the consequences of ruined lives. Lord have mercy on us all.

Kevin

The Important Things

What are the important things in your life? I’m sure many things come to mind: salvation, family, church, your job, your home, etc. I’m thankful for so many things. Truly, this past weekend I was reminded of how grateful I am for my family. This past Friday I was able to go with my family to Tweetsie! I love that place!

Thomas the Tank Engine was there!

Can you tell I love my wife!!! I’m so grateful for her! She puts up a lot with me! I work a lot of hours and she is an amazing lady!

She out these two cuties!

It was Milly’s first trip…but, she slept through most of it! 🙂

Of course you have to get some Dippin’ Dots…

Clara loves Dippin’ Dots!!!

Andrew and Evie!

I had to laugh…

Clara’s legs are so long that she really didn’t need the steps. She was giving me the evil eye because I was laughing so hard!

Charlotte and I rode the chairlift together…

The kids love the petting zoo…

Evie is a hoot! She feeds the goats one kernel at a time…

I’m too old to ride those spinning rides any longer…because my head would be spinning for hours afterwards! 🙂

It was a great day! Truly it’s one of the best days I’ve had in a long time! It’s nice to get away for a few hours and just be Daddy and Papa! I’m reminded of the need of rest from the work from time to time.

The weekend continued with Father’s Day! I’m grateful for my sister, Kim who snapped this shot…

We had a Father’s Day meal at my Mom and Dad’s Saturday night. See that man in the middle…David Brown. I love that man with all my heart! He’s the best dad in the world. I mean that! He’s the most kind, generous, giving man I’ve ever known. I’ll never be half the man he is…but, I’m grateful to seek to follow in his footsteps. I love you Pop!

We played basketball and had a great time! And just enjoyed chatting!

Kim enjoyed holding Milly! (Can you tell that Milly is a loved, little girl!)

Can you tell I love my newest granddaughter…

She was absolutely knocked out when I was holding her. They wanted me to wake her up…but, I couldn’t do it! 🙂

Sunday was wonderful at church… In that it was Father’s Day…we ended up with prayer at the altar! Dads were praying over their family!

 

That was such a sweet time! I said this on Facebook!

“Dads, yesterday was Father’s Day, and we gathered at the altar to recommit ourselves to be like Noah, who: “built an ark to save his household…” Hebrews 11:7. So, how will this week look different from last week in being intentional to see that we are leading our families to our ark, Jesus Christ? This will take time, effort, and commitment. If we put in much concerted effort into leading our children to discover the power and presence of Jesus in their lives. If we do…then, we can proclaim: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” 3 John 4. And that’s better than anything they might ever do monetarily, athletically or academically. So, let’s pull out that Bible tonight and do this!”

If you know me…you know how much I love reaching out to the men! Sunday was just that! As you look at those two pictures from our services on Sunday, you’ll see youth and children. I had a lady send this to me and the other pastors (Pastor Brad and Pastor Dale) this past weekend, and it blessed my heart.

Hello All!
You may have seen this, but it’s worth a reread. I feel like it mimics the sentiments of our church for all families, but particularly those with younger kids.

Take your kids to church.
Make the effort. Wake them up early. Fool with the belts and the buckles and the fancy hair bows. Endure the sleepy, grumpy faces and the misplaced shoes. Run around like mad people gathering everybody’s everything and trying to get out the door on time. Hop to the car with a shoe in one hand and keys in the other. Give those babies a pop-tart and some milk and let ‘em eat it in the car. If its raining, get wet. If its cold, get a jacket. If you’re tired, go tired. But take those babies to church. You know why?

Because JESUS is there.

He’s there. And He’ll meet them there. And you too, parents.
He’ll be there in the sweet smile of their Sunday School teacher as she greets them into their room. He’ll be there in the goldfish and the apple juice and the filling of their little bellies and hearts. He’ll be there in the hug from a sweet friend and the encouraging smile that assures you that they “just barely made it” too. He’ll be there in the sacred words read from the Bible speaking truth to their little impressionable hearts. He’ll be there in the worship and the raised hands and the watery eyes and whispers of praise.

So take them. Carry all of their Bibles and drawings and toilet paper tube creations. Sit by them in worship. Open your Bible and open theirs. Show them how to find the scripture the pastor is preaching from. Show them how to worship. Explain to them why He’s worthy of worship. Let them see you laugh and cry and praise and study. Forgive their wiggles and paper rustles and know that they’re listening even when it seems like they aren’t. Ask them questions and answer the ones they ask you. Introduce them to Jesus. Tell them of His greatness – his power – his faithfulness. Tell them with your words and show them with your life. Tell them what he’s done for you and how you’ve been changed by His grace and forgiveness and goodness and love. Tell them how they can be too. Point them to Jesus. Over and over and over again.

Take your kids to church. They’ll love it there. It’s the only place where they can go and just be themselves. They don’t have to “be” good enough or smart enough or athletic enough. They don’t have to perform for approval or achievement. They just get to go and hear how much God loves them. Just because they’re them. Just because He created them, they’re valued. Wanted. Their worth isn’t based on the grades they make or their ability to throw a curveball. Its not dependent on their performance or skill level. And they need a little more of that, don’t you think? A little more grace and a little less pressure. A little more love and a few less demands.

Take them to church. Before you take them to the ballfield or the dance studio or the gym. Before you take them on vacation or to grandma’s or to the backyard to play. Take them to church. Let them know its a priority. Show them it has eternal value. Let them see you set aside schedules and extra curricular activities and work and busy-ness to be present with the Lord in His house. I promise you won’t regret it. I promise you it won’t return back void.
Take them to church.

I promise it’s worth it.

“But Jesus said, ‘Let the children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 19:14A

All I can say is: “Amen and amen!”

Kandace and Clark had has down to their house for dessert Monday night. It’s hard to believe that she’s married and she and Clark have their own house!

My loves holding Milly! Doesn’t Katy look great! She’s an awesome mom, wife and Christian example of a lady! Pop is the patriarch and rock of the family!

Kandace decorated so nicely…and Charlotte and Evie…

It was a fantastic weekend! I’m grateful!

This week’s Two Minute Tuesday asks: “Do You Love Your Spouse?” Take a look and see what you think…

http://link.mpbc.church/TMT6-18

Kevin

Lots of Rain-Is it Climate Change?

Man have we had the rain lately! 9.1″ at my house over a period of just 2 1/2 days. Amazing! I had to empty my rain gauge just to catch all the rain…

As I was going to church Sunday morning, here was the scene at the Boiling Spring Rd bridge with the Lewis Fork Creek (or might I say: “River”) crashing by! This was about 7:45am.

Note the garden below the road. Okay…now take a look at the picture I took at about 12:50 pm on my way back home after church…

That garden was swamped. (I might tell you that it has mostly recovered… As the water has receded, the garden is mostly intact. It’s amazing how hearty plants are.) I’ve never seen the water that high. Amazing indeed!

You know it’s interesting to consider… Many say that we’re experiencing unprecedented weather conditions with increased rain, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, etc. Honestly, that’s not true. We’re just more aware of these things in our day of media saturation. Truth is…if you listen to the mainstream media (MSM), you would believe that the end of the world is coming. I think there is a lady in Congress who said recently that we just had 12 years left. But, take it from a guy who loves the weather and actually follows the “history” of weather… this is simply a cyclical pattern.

Most people only go back about 30 years when looking at the weather. They look at the weather during the “satellite age.” Might I remind us…there were not satellites prior to the 1960’s beaming the weather conditions back to earth. There were very few weather reporting stations in our oceans either. In fact, many hurricanes were only reported and noted in the early 1900’s because ships reported them once they docked at harbor. My point is this: most folks have a “short-view” of the weather and the climate.

A couple of weeks ago we had temps in the 90’s for over a week. 8 days in a row at my house to be exact. That all occurred in late-May and early June. People were reporting this was because of “Climate Change.” (Note that phrase used to be “Global Warming,” but was changed because folks were having a hard time explaining why we were having record snows and ice in the winters of 2014-15. Now it’s Climate Change, because the agenda-drivers know they are disingenuous to say that “Global Warming” explains these phenomena.) Interestingly, if you go back to record-keeping in the early 1900’s, you’d find that we had similar weather in 1908 and 1914. Was that Climate Change?

There has been much talk by people like Al Gore, (who makes millions on the “speaking circuit”), who said the Arctic icecap would be gone by 2014. (He made those comments in 2005-06.) Well, it’s still there. Now please understand this: Yes, there has been a warming of the globe. There is no disputing that. Without question there are glaciers melting in the arctic and in Greenland. But, it HAS HAPPENED BEFORE.

If you study the weather and listen to people who actually study weather history, like Joe Bastardi of Weatherbell.com, you’ll find that the weather and the climate react in cyclical patterns. Do you know what they are finding under the glaciers that are melting in the Arctic and Greenland? Forests. Forests (some of them) that are 1,000 years old. What does that mean? It means that 1,000 years ago the climate was warm enough in those regions to support forests, folks! That’s what it means. It means: this HAS HAPPENED BEFORE. Yet, if you have a “short-term” view of the climate and you have an agenda to push…which is to make the government the purveyors of the climate…and you have to give them your money to protect yourself from well, yourself…since, after all, “humankind” is killing “Mother Earth,” then you must believe the earth is headed for certain destruction in the next few years.

Dear friend, please understand there is an agenda to be pushed, and the same folks pushing it are the same people who are pushing all of the other progressive, liberal causes. There is a pattern here. Don’t drink the Kool-Aid. Am I a climate-change denier? Absolutely not! Of course the climate is changing. Yes, the global temperature has risen (slightly) over the last 50 years, but it’s not because of CO2 (the greenhouse effect). It’s because the ocean temperatures have risen and there is more water vapor being emitted and that’s creating more storms, rain, hurricanes, etc.

Think about this. What happened after Noah’s flood? The Ice Age. After the upheaval of the earth’s crust…the waters from the depths of the ocean erupting forth…massive volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, etc., there is tremendous water vapor in the air and that created massive amounts of precipitation (a lot of it snow) for decades. Here’s the Scripture reference for that event:

Genesis 7:11-12

¹¹ In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. ¹² And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights.

Massive amounts of water vapor led to clouds…precipitation, ice, snow and thus the polar caps that we have now. Throughout time…there has been the ebb and flow of these icecaps and the point is: THIS HAS HAPPENED BEFORE!

Here’s the problem…most of us just didn’t know that, and we don’t know about it because the MSM will never report (even if they know it…and most don’t because they aren’t really interested in reporting facts…but, rather…pushing and pulling the “agenda carts” of the progressive liberals). Therefore, may I give us Christians a bit of “worldview” direction from Scripture? You remember when Noah built a boat and God sent a flood? Sure you do. It’s in Genesis, chapters: 6-9. Do you know what the Lord said after the flood?

Genesis 8:22

While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease. 

Will you let that verse sink in. See it again… While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.

Those last three words say it all: SHALL NOT CEASE. God is in control, NOT Mother Earth. She doesn’t exist. Surely we know that. God said that there would be the change of seasons throughout all time. It would get hot and it would get cold. It would be summer and it would be winter. There will be day and there will be night. There will be farmers who plant and farmers who harvest and this SHALL NOT CEASE. So, I’m not worried about the pontifications of Al Gore or freshmen Congress women known by just her initials. I’ll take the Lord at His word.

Now, does this mean that we should be flippant with the earth and how we steward our time here? Absolutely not! The Lord put us on this earth to have dominion. He placed us on earth so that we could experience what it’s like to be “little kings” and have dominion. Otherwise, he would have created Adam and Eve in heaven and kept them there. But, no! God created the earth so that humankind might flourish and understand what it is like to have dominion and authority. Remember, God brought all the animals to Adam and he named them. God let Adam do that. God wants us to feel responsible for this earth. So, I’m careful about how I live. I don’t want to trash up the earth or be a bad steward. But, I do understand that God created us to have dominion over the earth, not the other way around. I really believe there are those who would love to see humankind jettisoned off the earth so that “she” can be saved. Sounds crazy…but, I believe it’s true in some folks’ minds.

So, you pick who you are going to listen to… Yes, I just witnessed the most amount of water I’ve ever seen in my 51 years running under Boiling Springs bridge this past weekend. But, I’ll tell you this…I bet IT’S HAPPENED BEFORE.

Here’s the latest picture of little Milly. She’s two weeks old today…

 

Do you think Clara loves going to Katy and Josh’s and helping out? You better believe it!

Speaking of worldviews…here’s this week’s Two-Minute Tuesday. Maybe the title will draw you in to watch it: “Do You Like Money?”

http://link.mpbc.church/tmt6-11

Kevin

Filters

Filters…

Not a very glamorous title for this week’s Blog post… But, I’ve had filters on my mind. I changed out my A/C filter last week and it got me thinking… We all need filters. That was this week’s Two-Minute Tuesday: http://link.mpbc.church/TMT6-4

That filter (above) is nasty isn’t it? It definitely needs to be changed. We all like breathing clean air, right? Of course! How about what goes in and out of our brains? We need a filter for our brains. Believe me…we are bombarded with information today. You know that and I know that… How do we filter what we’re hearing and seeing? Certainly as parents, we need to constantly be thinking about that. Our kids don’t have filters until we give them one.

Yes, we must teach our children how to filter what they hear and see. What should that filter be? The Bible. (Yep, you knew I was going to say that. But, it’s true.) We need to give our children the ability to sift information through the filter of the Bible. The Bible (like an A/C filter) can collect the garbage and give us the ability to take it captive and not allow it to harm us. But here’s the thing. We’ve got to teach the Bible to our kids. They’ve got to be taught how to develop an appetite of the Bible. Just like we teach them to eat their vegetables. But, it’s not easy! Because we have to be intentional. We have to pull out the Bible and sit ’em down and teach them to listen. But, don’t expect them to sit like a knot on a log. If they are under the age of 7, you better make it short and you better give them something to color or something to hold in their hand (particularly boys). Give ’em a Lego and then read Scripture. Let the Word of God wash over them. Just let them get used to hearing you read and as they get older, let them read.

Remember, “Faith comes by HEARING and hearing by the Word of God” Romans 10:17. I know I talk about this a lot…but, it’s so vital that we equip ourselves and our children with filters. If not, the world and Satan’s system, will take us down. We’ll start believing the lies and little by little we’ll accept as right that which is wrong.

Milly is doing well… She’s almost one week old. That’s hard to believe!

Ain’t she purdy! So precious!

Pam and I have enjoyed helping out with Charlotte and Evie as Josh and Katy get adjusted. Clara and Andrew are big helpers too!

It’s a joy being a Dad and a Papa at the same time. That’s what it’s like we you basically have two sets of kids. Two older (married) and two younger…Clara and Andrew (14 years old). I wouldn’t trade it for the world! Oh…and since you have a 14-year-old young man…you can have fun at the carwash!

Andrew and I love seeing if we can get the vehicles hosed down and brushed and then hosed down again in 3 minutes, before the $1.75 runs out of the carwash timer. It’s a “still” photo above…but, believe me…Andrew is hopping! I mean moving at the speed of light! And yes, we made it with 10 seconds to spare on my Grand Marquis (the tank that she is). 🙂 He’s the “spray” man and I’m the “brush” man. I get tickled at the silliness of this…but, it’s got to be a “guy-thing” to see if we can beat the timer! I love it! And I love my family and my life and I’m grateful to Jesus for all He’s done for me!

Kevin

6:40 pm

That’s a new time that will be etched in my mind forever. That’s the time that this young lady came into the world.

That’s Amelia Robin Issacs. She weighed in at 7 pounds and 9 ounces and 18 1/2 inches long. She weighed exactly what Charlotte, her older sister (and the first Isaacs’ child). Obviously with the time of 6:40 pm for her birth, I had to make the decision to miss our Wednesday night church service. Yet, I know folks understand that the birth of a granddaughter doesn’t happen every day. 🙂

I am reminded yet again, about the miracle of birth. Thank you Lord for your goodness to us! Here’s a picture of big sisters and daddy with Milly (that’s what we’re calling her).

I think Charlotte is smitten, don’t you?

What a joy and blessing! I’m humbled at the Lord’s kindness and goodness to our family! I never cease to be amazed at His mercy and faithfulness to us! Thank you Lord! Praise God from whom all blessings flow! To say we are tickled pink would be an understatement.

Here’s this week’s Two-Minute Tuesday on Forgiveness. This is an important one! Forgiveness must be the norm for the Christian, or we’ll become bitter and unproductive for the Kingdom. Take a look:

http://link.mpbc.church/TMT5-28

Kevin

 

Because of Music

Monday night our family was sitting in Winston-Salem at the Steven’s Center (NC School of the Arts) listening to the Winston-Salem Youth Symphony.

Clara played beautifully!

Clara has grown up on me!

She’s a foot taller than everyone… Well…everyone, but me… Ha! 🙂

Truly, these students are amazing!!

Here’s the ending to their finale…

Now tell me that doesn’t stir your soul! And even give you a goose bump or two! 🙂

Music. It’s a powerful thing! Music has the power to touch the human soul like nothing else on this earth can. Have you experienced that lately? Have you been listening to music and felt your soul stirred? Have you been moved to tears or to laugh out loud? I bet you have. We all have. Music does that. It reaches into the fiber of our being and motivates, stirs, heals. Heals? Yes…I’ll go so far as to say that. I believe music heals.

My daughter Kandace works for HomeInstead Senior Care. Here’s Kandace with Clara from Monday night…

Here’s a HomeInstead Caregiver with a client…

Now Kandace isn’t a caregiver…but, she goes into homes to do “introductions” with new clients and their new caregivers. Interestingly, Kandace has been in situations where she has started to sing a song and some of the clients, some of whom are in deep stages of dementia, begin to sing with her. She has described this to me with tears in her eyes. “Dad, I’ll begin to sing ‘Amazing Grace’ or some old tune from their childhood days, and their head will raise, and they begin to sing. It’s amazing!” And indeed it is. That’s what music can do! Thank you Lord for music!

I mentioned back in the winter that Kandace was now on Spotify.

I listen to her all the time. And the song, “Being Little.” Well, yes…it stirs my soul…deeply!

I’m grateful for music, aren’t you? Do you listen to music every day? I bet you do. You do in your car and you do if you watch TV, because music backs almost every commercial. How about church? Music is certainly an integral part of worship, right?

Here’s our church, as I’m preaching…

What a blessing to pastor MPBC… But, here’s the thing… Right before I step into that pulpit, we’ve been singing and that sets the table for the Word of God to be heard and received. I believe that with all my heart. Here’s Kandace leading a song with Seth Rhoades here at church…

Let me tell you… We’ve got an amazing Choir and Praise Team… Actually there are “teams,” since we have so many gifted and talented musicians and singers. Pastor Brad (below) does a phenomenal job in coordinating and leading our Worship/Music Ministry…

Man I’m grateful for music! Thank you Lord for creating us with the desire to sing and make music. Thank you that one day we’ll sing in heaven the “Song of the Redeemed” that only the saved know. Thank you Lord that our souls can be stirred, even when are minds are weak, because of music! Blessed be the name of the Lord!

Psalm 89:1-2

¹ I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever;
    with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known
    through all generations.
² I will declare that your love stands firm forever,
    that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.

Speaking of worship and music and being together… Are you in church? I hope you are. If not, take a look at this week’s Two-Minute Tuesday, “Are You Neglecting This?”

http://link.mpbc.church/TMT

Kevin