"I love it when a plan comes together!"

The famous words of the Colonel from the A Team. I loved that show when I was growing up. BA, Murdock, Face, and the Colonel. They shot so many rounds a show the army couldn't keep them in ammo, and yet no one ever got killed. The Colonel always had a plan and somehow, some way, it always worked out.

I had a plan and issued a challenge to HGBC at the beginning of 2008. That plan was to read through the bible in one year. I had done it several times before, and had always been blessed by the time with the Lord. I finished today, on schedule, and was blessed as I thought back over this past year at how God has used the time each day in His Word to strengthen, encourage and equip me for His work.

I pray that those of you who accepted the challenge finished what you started. If you did I know you where greatly blessed by the Lord. If you have never read through the bible or never done it in a year, I encourage you to do it in 2009.

I also challenge those who accepted the challenge for 2008 to accept a new challenge for 2009. The challenge is this: read a chapter a day in Proverbs for the year. There are 31 chapters in Proverbs. Read them in conjunction with the day of the month: chapter 1 on the first, etc... If there are not 31 days in the month, read chapters 30 and 31 on the 30th of the month. You get the idea. Let me know if you accept the challenge and let's hold each other accountable throughout 2009.

Happy New Year,
Pastor Mike

Christmas 08

We had a great Christmas; it was definitely a "Merry Christmas." Melissa's family has been here, and we have had a great time together. (My Mom and Dad were here last weekend, and we had a great time with them.) The guys got permission to play golf today, so we did. The ladies stayed behind and Cindy and Michelle helped Melissa get a lot of things ready for the arrival of "little" Madaris. Thank you so much.

As we close out this year, 2008, remember that every day is Christmas for the Christian because, every day, we have Jesus living within us. We are, our bodies are, His temple.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Pastor Mike

Christmas: ready or not

The laundry is done, the house is clean, and food is on the stove. Family and friends are on their way. We will laugh, eat, exchange gifts, and celebrate the birth of Savior, Jesus Christ, God the Son.

May you have a very Merry Christmas. Be safe and keep Christ first in your CHRISTmas. We love you.

Mike, Melissa, Morgan and baby Madaris

Tell Me the Story of Jesus

Fanny Crosby wrote that song many years ago. She died in 1915. She was born blind, but man could she see, she crystal clear spiritual vision. As I was trying to work through what God wanted me to preach this morning, being that it is the Sunday before Christmas; He reminded me of that song.

I called my secretary Denise, and asked her to make a copy of the words and put them on my desk (I've had to be out of the office most of the last two weeks making hospital visits). When I got back to the church I began to read through, very carefully, the words to "Tell Me the Story of Jesus.

God began to lay out in my mind a special message for HGBC. I have been sick since Tuesday, but I was anxious for this morning to get here so I could preach. God was faithful, giving me the strength I needed to do what He called me to do. I wish I could redo it for you now, but I can't. We did record it so you can get a copy if you want one, just call the church office. God bless you and have a Merry Christmas.

Serving Him,
Pastor Mike

A Tragedy

Please be praying for a friend of mine, Bart Barber. He and his family were involved in a tragic accident in Texas this past week, where a young man, Nicholas Scroggs, ran in front of his car and was killed. Nicholas was only 14 years old. The funeral services are tomorrow. Please pray for the Barber and Scroggs families. Thank you.

The Nativity Story

You have got to watch this movie before Christmas. I think it will give you a fresh view for this time of year. I showed it to my church last night, and when the movie was over they all began clapping their hands. The moment was awesome and so is the movie.

Time Flies

It's hard to believe that its been almost two weeks since my last post. I don't know where the time has gone. We are gearing up for Christmas, and Morgan is so excited.

It's snowing in places that it normally doesn't snow, and it's snowing alot in a place I love going: SnowShoe Ski Resort. They have already had over 85" of snow this year; they didn't have much more than that all last year. But I doubt I will get to go skiing this year, what? I haven't told you...Melissa is pregnant. Mya/Meagan (we can't make up our minds) will be here sometime around the end of January. I can't wait. I love being Daddy.

I've had a very busy week: there are 6 members of the church in the hospital right now, well at least 5, 1 was suppose to come home Tuesday. I drove alot of miles this week. Morgan got to go on her first visitation with Daddy yesterday. I took her to see some people who are sick, they loved it and so did she. I'll have to do that more often with her, it was nice having her with me like that.

I know that they would appreciate the prayers and I would ask you to pray for Dean Webb. He is my friend Jason Webb's dad. He has been battling leukemia for a while now, but it has gotten extremely worse. He and Mrs. Webb are in Houston for 6 months for special treatment. Pray for them.

God is good! God is faithful.

Sunday

This past Sunday was a great day. We had the privilege of participating in both ordinances of the church: baptism and communion.

We partake of the Lord's Supper on every fifth Sunday, so four times a year we specifically focus on nothing but the cross of Christ and the sacrifice he made as our substitute. I usually take one aspect of the table or one part of the history and teach/preach for a few minutes, them we spend some time examining ourselves (I Cor. 11), and them we take the bread and juice. But I was captivated this past week with the words of Christ: "remember Me." Think about that for a moment, Jesus wants us to do this, and in so doing, remember Him. He wants us to live our lives "remembering Him" in everything we do.

We also got to start our service by baptizing two young people who had recently accepted Christ as their personal Savior. I love starting a service with a baptismal service. One of the two was a young man who was saved as a result of our youth ministry. The other was a young lady who works at Hickory Grove Early Learning Center. One of our church members works there and began a relationship with her, and as a result of that relationship, she began coming to church. She came up to me a few weeks after and told me she wanted to talk with me about accepting Christ. We talked that morning and then that evening in my office (Melissa was with us) she prayed to receive Christ. What a glorious time! I can't wait to see these two begin to grow and serve.

Quick Update

Thanksgiving has come and gone...is that quick enough? Probably not, but it is true. I can't believe that it is December 1, 2008. It can't be, can it? Wasn't it just January a month ago? Seems like it anyway.

It's been an exciting, action packed couple of weeks for us at the Madaris house. The Monday and Tuesday before Thanksgiving I went hunting in Georgia with Ben Crowdis. Thanks Ben for the trip, and thanks to your parents for putting up with me. I was able to take a doe on Monday morning. I hadn't been in the stand 20 minutes when 5 deer came out: 4 slick-heads and a spike. I watched them for about 25 minutes, and shot the doe at 7:25. Dropped her in her tracks. We hunted that evening and Tuesday morning and didn't see anything else.

Ben and I got home about 3:30 Tuesday afternoon. I got ready and headed to the church to get ready for Thanksgiving service. Let me just say, "It was awesome!" We sang some songs and shared many testimonies of God's faithfulness. My favorite part was several people sharing Scripture passages that had been especially meaningful to them during this year. I also really enjoyed the testimony of Steve Ard. Thanks Steve for being ready and flexible.

Melissa, Morgan and I took my grandparents out to eat Wednesday night for Granny's 91st birthday and for Christmas. We won't be able to travel home for Christmas because Melissa will be to far along in her pregnancy by them. We really enjoyed that as well. I love spending time with Granny and Granddaddy.

Thursday was a rather busy day as you can well imagine. We ate lunch with Brenda Harvey's family again this year, and it was awesome. Good food, good fellowship, what more can you ask for. Morgan was the entertainment for the day, and she performed most excellently. We left there and went to hang out with my family for a few hours. Then we went to Donnie and Karen's for an hour or so. Then back to Aunt Patsy's til about 11pm.

Friday Morgan and I hung out so Melissa could "shop til she dropped," and she almost did. Saturday was awesome as I watched my Florida GATORS lay the smack down on the FSU Creminoles (oops I mean Seminoles). Did my final sermon prep and got ready to preach.

Great memories.

Thanksgiving is Coming

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is just a week away. It's hard to believe that time is going by so quickly. 2008 is almost gone, and before you know it 2009 will be too.

I'm looking forward to this weekend and next week. I'll be continuing my series through the Book of Acts on Sunday morning. We will be focusing on Peter's message after the healing of the lame man in the Temple. On Sunday night we will begin looking at the material to be gone through in our New Member Orientation class that will begin in 2009. I'll be taking about four Sunday nights to go through the material. Please pray for me as I continue trying to narrow it down. This class is something that every person wanting to become a member of our church will go through before actually becoming a member. At the end of the class they will be asked to sign a covenant with the church agreeing to what has been covered.

After the PM service Ben C and I will be taking a little trip to Georgia to do some deer hunting. We'll be back Tuesday afternoon before our Thanksgiving service at 6:30. Please come and share with us how God has worked and blessed your life this year; it will be an encouragement to all present. We will sing, praise and share. Looking forward to seeing you there.

Saturday & Sunday

It has been a busy but good couple of weeks. Today my dad, Rick R., Steve A. and I went to Gainesville to see the UF/USC game. Needless to say, the "chicken" was good in Gainesville. We had a blast. Thanks to Dale W. for the tickets; I'm glad your home and better.

Tomorrw we have an exciting day at HGBC. Mercy's Well will be doing a concert. Can't wait to see and hear them. They came highly recommended (Sherry Holloway).

The Louisiana Horse Whisperer

We had a great time last night out at the Clay County Fair Grounds. We, HGBC & Black Creek Baptist Association, hosted Wild Horse Ministries. Paul Daily is the Louisiana Horse Whisperer. He takes an unrideable horse and in the matter of about 2 hours is riding that horse; he did it last night and I have the video to prove it (I'm gonna try to upload it to my facebook page).

But as he is working the horse he relates it to how God works in and on you and I. It was amazing to see God working in the hearts and lives of those people sitting in the stands last night. I was told over 40 people responded in some way to Christ after they "saw" what God has in store for us.

As I type this I'm watching the video. I had a blast riding last night. The rodeo queen couldn't be there so Paul asked me to present the flag, so I jumped on his horse and had some fun. Thanks Paul for the ride. Thanks to the volunteers who helped make last night a success. Thanks to the churches for getting involved and providing the volunteers. Most of all, thanks to Denise Towe, my secretary, who worked so tirelessly going beyond the call of duty to make last night a success (enjoy the day tomorrow, you earned it).

And last but not least, "Thank you Lord Jesus for graciously working and drawing people to yourself just like you promised you would."

The Election Results

The following was written by Dr. Al Mohler this morning concerning the election of America's first African-American president, Barack Hussein Obama. I believe we must follow the advice of Dr. Mohler and begin immediately to pray earnestly for our president-elect.

America Has Chosen a President
Posted: Wednesday, November 05, 2008 at 5:04 am ET

The election of Sen. Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States came as a bang, not a whimper. The tremors had been perceptible for days, maybe even weeks. On Tuesday, America experienced nothing less than a political and cultural earthquake.
The margin of victory for the Democratic ticket was clear. Americans voted in record numbers and with tangible enthusiasm. By the end of the day, it was clear that Barack Obama would be elected with a majority of the popular vote and a near landslide in the Electoral College. When President-Elect Obama greeted the throngs of his supporters in Chicago's Grant Park, he basked in the glory of electoral energy.
For many of us, the end of the night brought disappointment. In this case, the disappointment is compounded by the sense that the issues that did not allow us to support Sen. Obama are matters of life and death -- not just political issues of heated debate. Furthermore, the margin of victory and sense of a shift in the political landscape point to greater disappointments ahead. We all knew that so much was at stake.
For others, the night was magical and momentous. Young and old cried tears of amazement and victory as America elected its first African-American President -- and elected him overwhelmingly. Just forty years after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, an African-American stood to claim victory as President-Elect of the nation. As Sen. Obama assured the crowd in Chicago and the watching nation, "We will get there. We will get there." No one hearing those words could fail to hear the refrain of plaintive words spoken in Memphis four decades ago. President-Elect Obama would stand upon the mountaintop that Dr. King had foreseen.
That victory is a hallmark moment in history for all Americans -- not just for those who voted for Sen. Obama. As a nation, we will never think of ourselves the same way again. Americans rich and poor, black and white, old and young, will look to an African-American man and know him as President of the United States. The President. The only President. The elected President. Our President.
Every American should be moved by the sight of young African-Americans who -- for the first time -- now believe that they have a purchase in American democracy. Old men and old women, grandsons and granddaughters of slaves and slaveholders, will look to an African-American as President.
Regardless of politics, could anyone remain unmoved by the sight of Jesse Jackson crying alone amidst the crowd in Chicago? This dimension of Election Day transcends politics and touches the heart of the American people.
Yet, the issues and the politics remain. Given the scale of the Democratic victory, the political landscape will be completely reshaped. The fight for the dignity and sanctity of unborn human beings has been set back by a great loss, and by the election of a President who has announced his intention to sign the Freedom of Choice Act into law. The struggle to protect marriage against its destruction by redefinition is now complicated by the election of a President who has declared his aim to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. On issue after issue, we face a longer, harder, and more protracted struggle than ever before.
Still, we must press on as advocates for the unborn, for the elderly, for the infirm, and for the vulnerable. We must redouble our efforts to defend marriage and the integrity of the family. We must be vigilant to protect religious liberty and the freedom of the pulpit. We face awesome battles ahead.
At the same time, we must be honest and recognize that the political maps are being redrawn before our eyes. Will the Republican Party decide that conservative Christians are just too troublesome for the party and see the pro-life movement as a liability? There is the real danger that the Republicans, stung by this defeat, will adopt a libertarian approach to divisive moral issues and show conservative Christians the door.
Others will declare these struggles over, arguing that the election of Sen. Obama means that Americans in general -- and many younger Evangelicals in particular -- are ready to "move on" to other issues. This is no time for surrender or the abandonment of our core principles. We face a much harder struggle ahead, but we have no right to abandon the struggle.
We should look for opportunities to work with the new President and his administration where we can. We must hope that he will lead and govern as the bridge-builder he claimed to be in his campaign. We must confront and oppose the Obama administration where conscience demands, but work together where conscience allows.
Evangelical Christians face another challenge with the election of Sen. Obama, and a failure to rise to this challenge will bring disrepute upon the Gospel, as well as upon ourselves. There must be absolutely no denial of the legitimacy of President-Elect Obama's election and no failure to accord this new President the respect and honor due to anyone elected to that high office. Failure in this responsibility is disobedience to a clear biblical command.
Beyond this, we must commit ourselves to pray for this new President, for his wife and family, for his administration, and for the nation. We are commanded to pray for rulers, and this new President faces challenges that are not only daunting but potentially disastrous. May God grant him wisdom. He and his family will face new challenges and the pressures of this office. May God protect them, give them joy in their family life, and hold them close together.
We must pray that God will protect this nation even as the new President settles into his role as Commander in Chief, and that God will grant peace as he leads the nation through times of trial and international conflict and tension.
We must pray that God would change President-Elect Obama's mind and heart on issues of our crucial concern. May God change his heart and open his eyes to see abortion as the murder of the innocent unborn, to see marriage as an institution to be defended, and to see a host of issues in a new light. We must pray this from this day until the day he leaves office. God is sovereign, after all.
Without doubt, we face hard days ahead. Realistically, we must expect to be frustrated and disappointed. We may find ourselves to be defeated and discouraged. We must keep ever in mind that it is God who raises up nations and pulls them down, and who judges both nations and rulers. We must not act or think as unbelievers, or as those who do not trust God.
America has chosen a President. President-Elect Barack Obama is that choice, and he faces a breathtaking array of challenges and choices in days ahead. This is the time for Christians to begin praying in earnest for our new President. There is no time to lose.

A Borrowed Idea!

I was listening to Johnny Hunt preach on my way to SC to preach a revival meeting at Siloam Baptist Church with Jason Webb. He was preaching on evangelism. In the message he shared an interesting statistic: 97% of all professions of faith in SBC churches are a result of relational evangelism with an intentional invitation to attend church, 97%. I was blown away by that information.

What does that mean? It means that 97 out of 100 people who accept Christ as personal Lord and Savior do so after being asked to attend church by someone they know. That means that of the 10,000 or so SBC churches who recorded NO baptisms this year or any other year didn't really have any members inviting friends (I know this is a little bit of a stretch, but maybe not).

Bro. Johnny went on to talk about FRAN evangelism. FRAN evangelism is relationally inviting Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors to church. It is getting to know those around you, finding out about their spiritual condition, and inviting them to church. At HGBC, I have declared January to be FRAN evangelism month. I issued a challenge yesterday at church during my message from Acts 2:41-47 that each member begin praying for 3 people they know who are lost, with a intentional plan of inviting them to church where I will preach the gospel. I told them I am praying that in the month of January that we will see 25 souls saved, baptized and joining our church. I believe that is a "lofty" goal for us (we baptized 25 this last church year; up from 18 the previous two years).

I want to encourage you to begin a lifestyle of evangelism and discipleship with FRAN evangelism and see what God will do.

Don't Forget!

Don't forget to set your clocks back one hour tonight. See you in Sunday School in the morning.

Go GATORS!!!

Wednesday Night and the Trip Home

Well, we finished up the series of revival services at Siloam Baptist Church last night. On Tuesday night I began preaching a message that I have used with my DC on Tuesday nights, "What's New For A Christian?". I preached the first two points on Tuesday night: A New Position and A New Possession. God truly blessed.

Last night I preached the final two points of the message: A New Product and A New Purpose. I spent a large portion of the message talking about the "fruit unto God" (Rom. 7:4) that is to be the new product of the Christian life. God has invested His very best in us as He deposited the Holy Spirit into us at the moment of redemption, and God expects a "return" on His investment. The "return" God is looking for according to John 15:8 is "much fruit." Bearing fruit brings honor and glory to God. Guess you should have been there.

Our new purpose is found in John 15:4. There is a command there that leads to the natural, effortless production of fruit. It is the command to "abide in Christ." I encourage you to check it out and give it a try.

Morgan and I made the long treck home today. We left about 10am and arrived safely about 4:30pm. God kept us safe as we traveled and I thank Him for it.

Hopefully we'll see you tomorrow at Trunk or Treat at HGBC from 6-8pm.

Monday & Tuesday Services

I have enjoyed preaching at Siloam Baptist Church so much this week, in a way I hate to see it come to an end tomorrow. "Time flies when you're having fun." The last two nights have been especially sweet as the Holy Spirit has blessed us in a special way with His presence. He has spoken in ways that only heaven knows the eternal outcome. But I know He is at work.

The people have been such attentive listeners, many taking notes as I preach. I know God will honor their efforts and mine. I have thoroughly enjoyed the hospitality of Jason, Alison and Jacob as well as that of the entire church. They have cooked for us each night, and they have done an excellent job of it too. Thanks to you for your graciousness.

I especially enjoyed my study/preaching time this week. The Lord has led me to preach some messages that I haven't looked at in quite a while, I began preaching one tonight that I have never preached before; I will finish the last two point Wednesday night. Thanks Bro. Herb for the material (What's New for a Christian? John 15:1-11). I have to thank Melissa also; she told me before I left that I should preach it. I didn't think I would, but thanks, honey, for reminding me of it.

When I finish tomorrow night I will load the car and drive to Mom and Dad's for the night, then Morgan and I will head for Florida as fast as the law allows on Thursday. Melissa says "we better be back before she gets home from work." And I promise we will. I love you honey and have missed you terribly. I can't wait to see you in a few days.

the Weekend

I have a had a great few days. I left Wednesday and picked up Morgan in Florence, SC before heading to Pageland to see my family. We did what we usually do when we're together: ate together, played golf together, etc... It was fun and relaxing. I was able to spend the afternoon with Granddaddy and Grannie; hopefully I'll get to see them this coming Thursday before heading back home.

I left Friday night and drove to Ninety Six, SC to the home of one of my best friends Jason Webb and his wife Alison and their little boy Jacob. We got up Saturday morning and went to our reunion at NGU. It was great seeing some old friends and catching up on life. Then we headed down to the Homecoming festivities for a few minutes before taking a trip to Sky Top Apple Orchard. Sky Top is about 30 minutes from NGU, and it is absolutely beautiful up there. The leaves are beginning to turn those amazing yellows, reds, and orange colors. (We serve an awesome God!) We picked some apples, enjoyed the view, and then started back to Jason's house.

When we got back I was able to watch the Florida Kentucky game on TiVO. Go GATORS! Let's just say it wasn't pretty if you're a Kentucky fan; I, on the other hand, thought it was great
(63-5).

Sunday morning began the revival services at Siloam Baptist Church with Jason. He has a great church. The people were so kind and welcoming to me. From the very beginning of the service the Spirit of God was all over the place. Sound Doctrine, a local singing group was there and did an excellent job preparing the way for the message. The music minister Marc did an awesome job with the congregational music as well. I had such liberty in preaching. I pray that God was honored in my attitude and spirit as I proclaimed the TRUTH: the Lord Jesus Christ and his word.

My mom and dad came over and brought Morgan to hear me preach. It was good seeing them in the service.

Last night was a little different, with me that is. As I got up to preach a fly started dive bombing my forehead and nose. I couldn't kill him, and he agitated me the entire message. I felt like I was distracted, but the people were attentive and receptive as I struggled my way through. After church we went to hang out with the youth at Subway (eat fresh).

The Early Bird Gets the Worm

And do I mean early! I got up at 5:15 this morning to ride with my dad in his sand/rock truck. We left at 5:30 AM with a load of sand (that Morgan helped pick up last night; she loves to ride in Granddaddy's big truck), then we delivered 8 loads of rock. We got back home about 3pm. I'm exhausted; I haven't had to get up that early in a long time. I'll be heading to Ninety-Six, SC in a few hours to get ready to preach a revival meeting at Siloam Baptist Church Sunday through Wednesday.

Tick him off!

I love it when we, the church, tick him (the enemy) off. I know that he is pretty ticked right now. Melissa and I led a young lady to Christ last night in my office. "And the angels rejoice..."