I saw a white out bottle in the ground in a walkway this week. Notice, I didn’t say “on the ground” but “in the ground.” It was laying on its side, pressed down into the ground so that the top of the side that was facing up was level with the ground. “Amazing,” I thought when I saw it. So many people have walked on this bottle that it is now pressed down into the ground level with the ground.

 As people continue to walk on that bottle it will be pressed deeper and deeper into the ground. One day it will probably eventually be covered by the dirt around it. The bottle has been forgotten and overlooked. Someone must have dropped it out there accidentally. For the bottle to be pressed into the ground that way, many people must have walked over it, not noticing it or noticing but not caring.

 As I saw it, forgotten and walked over so many times, I asked God to make me different. I asked Him to not let me be one of those people that walk blindly around missing opportunities to serve and walking by without noticing people who can serve or need serving. I pray this week that God change our hearts so that our eyes are open to seeing opportunities. May God remind us to look for one another and not overlook one another, and may He renew our hearts and minds such that it becomes second nature for us to want to serve each other.

We recently took the youth to see the movie Selma about the Civil Rights March across the Edmund Pettus bridge in Alabama. We saw a church bombed, resulting in the deaths of innocent     children who were inside. We saw people march and protest courageously, risking being beaten or killed.

 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, an amazing visionary and motivator was an integral part of the story. But what amazed me most were the stories of the brave,   purpose-driven people who marched and protested alongside Dr. King, who laid the groundwork for Dr. King to come in and lead, who faced rejection trying to register to vote and who endured death and suffering for a cause they knew was bigger than them.

We still have so much to fight for – equal opportunity, good education,   accountable representation. We still have some ungodly behavior and decisions affecting us that should prompt us to take a stand and do   something about it. Our youth saw people in the movie taking a stand 50 years ago, and we teach them about the courageous acts of the people in the Bible who took a stand for God. What have our youth learned from us about being a courageous servant of God? As we ready ourselves for service, let us redirect our energy to demonstrating courage and passion about advancing God’s kingdom on this earth, a cause that is bigger than any one of us and a cause that requires us to stand up and fight.

My wife and I like to find new shows to watch. Recently we have started watching a show called Chopped on the Food Network. The show features various kinds of chefs – from fathers to firemen to professional chefs. Four chefs are given a basket of mystery ingredients. The chefs have thirty minutes to open the mystery basket, decide how to use each ingredient and prepare a dish using all of the mystery ingredients.

 Some people open the basket and discover they have to prepare a creative and tasty meal with something they have never cooked with before. I feel a little anxiety for those people initially, but as the chef proceeds, uncertain about the result but relying on what he or she knows, exceptional dishes are produced.

 If you are like me, you have had moments like those chefs who opened their baskets and didn’t know what to do. Sometimes God places you in a situation in which you felt like you were supposed to help, but you didn’t know what to do or say. I have had those moments, but I have fewer and fewer as time passes because of all the practice I have had encouraging and giving and serving in different situations. This year we want our entire church to have fewer of those anxious moments of encountering situations where you have no idea how to serve in the situation you’ve been given. Be sure to “stay tuned” and join us faithfully in Sunday worship service and Bible Fellowship on Wednesdays as we are working on programming to get you ready for service.

Last week I preached about being part of a revolution. One definition of “revolution” is: a sudden, extreme, or complete change in the way people live, work, etc. As I was working up my sermon to teach why we should be revolution-focused instead of resolution-focused, God was working up my life journey to lead me to a revolutionary place.

God has used my day job, the church, and several of my personal relationships over the last week to get me really excited about making some extreme and complete changes in the way I live. I am eager to use my time building man and advancing the kingdom in the ways I know God has called me to do that this year. I am excited about rearranging boundaries to make sure I can keep my focus. It will be hard to say “no” sometimes, but it will be necessary to prioritize the use of my time and energy and even my money if I want to use my life most effectively for God this year. And I am beyond-words excited about using my life to its maximum potential for God in 2015.

What about you? Have you identified any areas where God needs you to be revolution-focused and make an extreme change? Whether it’s to be more organized, to be more loving, or to identify your purpose and be purpose-driven, God is calling us all to turn away from some way of life in order to turn toward Him. You find one of your areas awaiting revolution, and let’s turn and walk together toward Him.

My wife and I recently visited the museum about President John F Kennedy’s life and death in the building from which he was shot and killed in Dallas. Kennedy’s courage and willingness to embrace his responsibility to serve his country was impressive. Kennedy served in the navy and heroically rescued his ten-person crew when the vessel he was commanding was destroyed.

He served in various public positions before being elected President of the United States in 1960. His inaugural address included the famous quote “ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” In that speech the president welcomed the people to ask of their government the same strength and sacrifice he was asking of them.

He called our great wealthy country to change our way of thinking and living and give back to those in our country and elsewhere. Kennedy called on our military to risk their lives to ensure that James Meredith could exercise his right to enroll at the University of Mississippi. Kennedy also started the Peace Corps, offering talented men and women the opportunity to use their skills to aid in bringing progress and peace to developing nations.

This year I feel God leading us to get ready for his service, to equip ourselves to care for each other and those in our communities. All year I’ll be asking the question: are you ready for service? Hopefully, throughout the year, each time I ask, we’ll all move closer and closer toward answering “yes.” Let’s get ready, United!

Christmas has come and gone as it does each year. It seems like it comes faster and faster each year. It’s here one day and gone the next. As we pack up the Christmas tree and ornaments and put away all the presents, let’s not pack up the true reason for the holiday season.  Because Jesus is the real reason we celebrate, we have a reason to celebrate everyday. We have a reason to give everyday. I’m not referring to a reason to give toys and merchandise to family and friends everyday, but an opportunity to give of ourselves as Christ gave himself to us. The greatest gift we can give to one another is love because that’s what Jesus gave to us. As believers in Christ everyday should be celebrated with the joy and happiness of Christmas. As we pack up all the remnants of the holiday, let’s remember to celebrate the love of Christ everyday by sharing his love.

Merry Christmas, United! We had fun last week at the Readiness Retreat, discussing what it means to build man and advance the kingdom and talking about tools and strategies for our work as a team at United. We are becoming more and more ready to serve God in 2015.

 I can imagine how over 2,000 years ago Joseph and Mary were preparing to serve God in the role of Jesus’ parents. It was tough for Joseph to accept the assignment to be a father to Jesus – to love, nurture, protect and provide for a child who was not his own flesh and blood. And it was difficult for Mary to embrace being chosen to be a miraculous virgin mother and to face the risk of being shunned by her husband and most of society for her pregnancy outside of marriage.

The good news is that even Mary and Joseph, two very important characters in our Christian story, had to be prepared by God for service. That means it’s ok for us to enter 2015 not having every answer or foreseeing exactly how God will work in us and through us. It’s acceptable for us to do as Mary and Joseph did – listen to a word of preparation from God’s messenger and then walk forward doing what God asks of us, trusting Him to guide and provide along the journey. Be sure this Christmas to get some rest and listen to God’s message for you as we prepare for the 2015 leg of our journey together!

What an amazing week we have had, United! There is so much sad and discouraging news in our culture right now. Controversial killings of young men in the African-American community could make us feel uncertain about the sovereignty and the love of God. We might be caught up in the negativity some people are spreading, but we have seen and heard enough to revive our spirits this week.

 I have seen my father go from critical condition to looking alive and well this week. Mother Taylor has another healing testimony to add to her list, as she recovers this week from a recent serious health condition. We at United enjoyed the return of our beloved Sister Adams last Sunday after months of not being able to fellowship with us. For all the things we could mourn – lost health, lost lives of young boys who become victims of our culture and our justice system, lost church members, and everything else we’ve lost, we have seen too much of the goodness of God firsthand this week and heard too much about the faithfulness of God during revival to get bogged down in losses.

We know from our last night of revival and from the testimonies of my father, Mother Taylor, and Sister Adams that God is faithful and deserving of our praise and thanksgiving. I’m excited about how I see God at work in our lives and in our hearts, United, and I am eager to see the fruits of God restoring our lives and our church.

While my wife and I were under the weather a couple weeks ago, we had to really prioritize how we spent our precious energy. We couldn’t accomplish nearly what we wanted to because we were physically limited. But it’s not only when we’re sick that we have to use our energy wisely. The truth is: every day we have a balancing act to perform in our lives.

We always have more people and things clamoring for our attention and energy than we can acknowledge. And during this time of year, it seems like our culture, which already presents us with many distractions, becomes filled with distractions. So, this time of year, it’s so important for all of us to have our priorities in order.

Whatever your priority is this holiday season, remember the reason we are able to celebrate during all seasons – God’s love and mercy expressed through Jesus. And as tempting as it is to stay busy during this time, even as you spend time with family and do acts of service, remember to make taking care of yourself, loving yourself, a priority. That’s not selfish. It’s necessary. Taking care of you is the only way you can continue to build man and advance the kingdom. God loves you. I love you. You be sure to love you, too!

My wife and I recently watched a reporter do a segment on escaping from a boat or plane that has crashed in the water. Some professionals were teaching that reporter, and the key, they told him, was to be ready. In the event of a crash, he was to: 1) find a reference point so he would know where he was; 2) identify an exit; 3) release his seatbelt and 4) exit the boat or plane.

Upon learning this lesson he escaped easily during a simulated plane crash. Then the reporter went through a second simulation, a boat crash. This time the reporter had difficulty and began to run out of air. He had to signal for the trainers to come get him out of the water. Fortunately, the trainers had practiced to the point that they had mastered crash rescues and they quickly and easily rescued the reporter.

You can see why God requires us to train to be ready to respond to whatever mission He calls us to. If the men training the reporter had not been trained and ready, the reporter would have died. In order to build man and advance the kingdom, we must be ready when opportunities arise to build people. We must be prepared and ready to respond to opportunities to advance our reach and influence so God’s reach and influence in the world can be increased through us. We have so much to talk about at our Readiness Retreat. I hope to see you there, soldiers!