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by In Light Of The Cross

Vickie, Colleen and Neil’s Baptism Pictures

Please let me share some pictures of our very special day (8-27-11) at Tampa First.

Vickie, fourth from the left, moved into the apartments next door to our church. She immediately started visiting our church, and joined my Sabbath morning SS Growth group as well as my Wednesday morning Community Bible Study. This is a  picture of her at my Wednesday Community Bible study. She told me after just a couple of weeks, that she grew up mostly without a family and for me to share with everyone that when she came to this church, it was the first time in her life she felt like she was part of a family! And she is an active part of our church family too. She is already helping out with church office work and other things.

Neil, on my right, was re-baptized today, after coming back to the Lord earlier this year. While homeless, he turned his life over to Jesus, came back to church and finished his associate medical degree! Neil has been an inspiration to me, and I am so glad we have become friends.

Colleen, being baptized by Pastor Brad, completed her baptism workbook with her mother’s help. I also studied with her in my baptism class earlier this year. Colleen is very active in our Adventures club. Colleen writes: “I want to be baptized because I love Jesus and I want to give my life to Him.”

Neil writes: ”

    • Being rebaptized,means a lot,God is willing to forgive me of my sins,to be able to start all over again,is a blessing,my Heart is burning for the love he has granted us,to know what it means to humble yourself and the most strongest Word to me,Faith,not just hearing it,but seeing His amazing love at work,He has blessed me with the chance to see my sisters and brothers in Christ,and to be able to let others not just know,but see,that we are his children,and the purpose he has for us.AMEN!!

      Vickie writes: “Baptism is the beginning of my new life. I go under with the old but come up strong and new!”

      Jim, my assistant leader of the Wednesday Community Bible Study group welcomes Vickie to the family!

      Scott, one of our local elders is congratulating Neil after his baptism.

      My SS Growth Group had a luncheon for Neil and Vickie after their baptisms. Colleen celebrated with her family. Here, Neil is with David and Aimee, and his family, who came all the way from Chicago for this special event.

      Donna and I had our picture taken with Vickie.

      Don’t let the sun go down on you before you make your decision for Jesus Christ! He loves you so much He gave all of His life for you. Will you give all of your life for Him? I would love to visit with you about being baptized. You can call me at 813-933-7505 or write to me at LayPastor@TampaAdventist.net

by In Light Of The Cross

My Top Ten Secrets Revealed!

I am writing today from the beautiful Tampa Bay area.

My Top Ten Secrets Revealed!

10. I am “Voice”. In 1985, while attending Southern College of SDA (Now Southern Adventist University) I was doing my laundry at my sister’s house one night. Talk Net was on the radio with Bruce Williams, a business counselor. I decided I wanted to call in just for fun. I called into the national program and told Bruce I wanted to be a sports play by play announcer which I did. He told me to start working doing sports programs with my college radio station. I told him all they do is play classical music. Bruce then told me the radio station was not doing its job then in helping college students. Someone from the college was listening because the next week, in the college paper was my complete conversation! Since they did not know who I was I was simply called “voice”. The college paper blasted “voice” for not standing up for the school and radio station. Hey, I was just calling in just for fun! For weeks later letters poured into the college paper about the school radio station and “voice”.

9. It hurts very much to have my motives misread. About twenty years ago I was a literature evangelist traveling all over Oklahoma. Pagers we becoming popular at this time. This was before cell phones were popular. My grandfather died of a sudden heart attack and I always worried about my dad as well. I bought a pager so that if anything happened to my dad or mother while I was away I could find out and come back and be there for them. Since I was on a strapped budget someone accused me of wasting my money and just wanting to have the latest technology. That really hurt.

8. Back in the 80s when I had my own apartment in Tulsa, my mother was out of town. I called my dad to see what was up. He did not answer. I started getting worried. What if he had a heart attack and was laying alone on the floor with no one to help?  Being a guy I knew I could not act too concerned, so even though I had just done my laundry, I grabbed what little dirty clothes I had and headed over to my dad’s house “to do my laundry.” I was really just checking up on him. About the time I drove up to the house, my dad came in on his motorcycle, from an  evening ride. I just smiled, said hi and that I came to do my laundry. He just looked quizzically at my small bag of laundry.

7. I have openly claimed to be a Miami Dolphins, Dallas Cowboys, and now Tampa bay Bucs fan, but for several years now, I have found myself loving it whenever the Detroit Lions win. I have never expressed it, but for several years now I think I have been a Lions fan. No joke. I am serious.

6. I miss working for UPS. It was a hard challenging job with good pay and benefits. I loved rising to the challenge. I also loved becoming a UPS supervisor and helping other people rise to the challenge as well. I felt good about myself while working there. It was very hard to quit. I am very happy to be in Florida now, but I wish there was a way I could have continued part time with UPS. There wasn’t.

5.  When I was in the 5th grade a friend of mine and I prank called a girl in our class. She asked who we were and we hung up. I am not going to disclose what we said, but I felt so bad after my friend left, that I called her back and apologized. She asked again who I was. I just said, “hey I’m sorry” and hung up! What a geek! I’m the only prank caller in history to call back and apologize!

4. I know without a doubt that I am no way close to being the best preacher, Bible worker, golfer, or photographer in the world. I do however, believe I make the best enchiladas in the world.

3. Sometimes I counsel myself in second person. I get outside my head and tell myself objectively how things are, and how other people feel and how I should respond. I talk to myself as if I was counseling somebody else.

2. I golf alone as well as with friends. My greatest fear is that my hole-in-one will come when I am golfing alone.

1. In my career as a Bible worker and lay pastor, my heroes are not preachers or teachers. I idolize the old man standing at the bedside of his ill wife 24/7. I am amazed at the grade school girl who campaigned at her school to get Christmas gifts for poor children, while her birthday was in December and with a father out of work, she got no birthday gift, and never made an effort to benefit from her campaign.  I respect the pathfinder leader who, instead of taking home her personal awards, puts them in the trophy case at church for the team. I admire the family man who stops by the church while no one is around and paints and fixes things without anyone ever knowing he came by. There are so many people in my life, who see themselves as ordinary everyday people, but I love, admire and respect them more than they will ever know! And they have taught me more about Jesus than I have ever taught them.

by In Light Of The Cross

Aaliyah and Trei’s Baptism Pictures

Sabbath, July 16 was another special Sabbath for the Tampa First Seventh-day Adventist church as two young people gave their lives to Jesus in baptism. They wanted to give all of themselves to Jesus because He had given all of Himself for them.

In 2008 ASI came to Tampa and held some evangelistic meetings. Wes, an ASI Bible worker met and studied with Larry and Janice, who became baptized. It did not stop there though.  For the next three years Larry and Janice have been sharing Jesus with all of their friends and family. Several of their family members have been visiting my New Believers Sabbath School Growth Group. Larry in now a deacon, and Janice distributes literature in her neighborhood and everywhere she goes.

Larry and Janice’s granddaughter, Aaliyah also goes with Janice, distributing literature and inviting people to church. She had been wanting to be baptized for a while. She did a very good job on her baptism workbook, and when I came over to study with her and her grandmother, she always had all of her lessons filled out, along with some insightful notes she had made at the end.

Trei and his parents faitfully attended my baptism class at church on Sabbath mornings. Trei completed his work and was always happy to pray and answer questions in my class. Trei’s mother Leila is also helping me with a Growth Group on Wednesday nights. Trei and his family like to encourage others to know Jesus and to share Bible truths with them.

Pastor Brad went over the baptismal vows with Aaliyah and Trei before the baptism.

“I want to be baptized because I love God and want Him in my life. I want to be closer to Him. I know He is more important than anything else. I’m ready to give up my life for Him and my heart inside is saying I need to be baptized.” -Trei

“Getting baptized for Jesus means becoming a better person and follwing Jesus and the commandments. I want to be baptized so I can have my sins washed away not go behind God’s back and sin all the time. I want to live a new and better life for Jesus.” – Aaliyah

Russel Norton was one of the first to welcome Trei and Aaliyah to the Tampa First family right after church service today.

 

by In Light Of The Cross

What Romance Means to Me

I am writing tonight from the beautiful Tampa Bay area.

You may not think that a man who has been single all his life would know about love and romance, but I do. After growing up in the church and over 20 years of ministry I have seen a lot. What I have seen causes me to take love, romantic love more seriously. The media today shows you a shallow love, consisting of  plastic faces, plastic breasts and plastic hearts. I have seen way more than that.

I have stood in the hospital hallway with an 87 year old man, who was crying like a little boy because his wife of 67 years lay sick in the room nearby, close to death. She was his life. They never went anywhere without each other. They washed the dishes together every night because whatever the other was doing, the other wanted to be there. Neither of them ever ran to the post office alone. They went together because they loved being together. I ask myself, am I ready for that kind of love? By the way, the wife did not die. She is still alive, but her husband died a few months ago. She still talks about him all the time.

Marriage is for life. If I fall in love like that, will I one day have to mourn the death of my spouse? Or will she mourn my death? I remember a story about an old man standing at the fresh grave of his wife of many decades. As he stood there, he was overheard saying, “It ended  exactly how I wanted it to. She died first.” Let that sink in. It may not mean what you think. If I fall in love and get married I will not want to lose my wife and hopefully she would not want to lose me. Selfishness would make me want to die first so that I can get out of grieving her death when she goes. A lot of selfless love was behind the old man’s words when he said he was glad she died first so that she would not have to grieve. He grieved instead. That’s love. I believe that’s what Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 13.

I have seen a wife taking care of her sick husband day after day year after year. Because of his sickness it has been years since he was capable of doing anything for her. Even when he was well he was not the most faithful. Still she cares for him night and day year after year. Why? Because she made a vow 35 years ago. In her eyes, his lack of integrity on his vow did not loosen her from her vow. She still makes good on that vow every day. Wow! That’s love. That’s romance.

Being single is such a convenient way to be selfish. I am single so I can say that. I am not saying I am selfish, or all single people are selfish. I have heard it said that God gave us the Sabbath and tithing plan to help us systematically overcome selfishness. The Sabbath helps us overcome selfishness with our time, and tithe, the same with our money. Well I believe you can add marriage as another way to systematically overcome selfishness with both time and money.

I see married men and women spending their time and money unselfishly and making sacrifices every day. I may have never married yet, but I know what real love is. I have seen it, not on the silver screen, but in the daily lives of ordinary people.  Well, ordinary people to Hollywood maybe, but they are heroes to me. Heroes not because of a one-time heroic effort, but life long day after day heroes.

I am sorry if this post appears morbid or depressing. I just want people to know how I think. In my ministry I see things others may or may not see. When I think about romance, and believe it or not I do think about it, I don’t think about William and Kate in a fancy carriage. I think about the man who spends his last dime to keep his wife alive from some rare disease. I don’t think about the rich doctor who shows up at ritzy parties with his cute little perfectly proportioned nurse. I think about the man who works two jobs and comes home every night to care for his wife who is recovering from a mastectomy. That’s the world that I live in and see every day. That’s what love and romance means to me.

by In Light Of The Cross

Justin’s Baptism

A little over a year ago Justin told me he wanted to be baptized. I gave him a children’s baptismal workbook which he completed right away. He then attended my baptism class at church. Justin was always glad to answer questions and always glad to pray when called upon. During this entire time period, Justin showed that his desire to be baptized was earnest and sincere. He told me he wanted to be baptized so that he could live a new life in Jesus, and be closer to God. He also told me to him, baptism also meant following all of the Bible, including the worshiping on the Bible Sabbath.  Below is Justin receiving his baptism certificate.

It was a privilege to baptize Justin; especially since he is the same age I was when I was baptized. Justin does not want to live for himself now and then give what is left of his life to Jesus later on. Justin wants to give all of his life to Jesus!

That is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace—a new life in a new land! Romans 6:3 The Message

Justin was all smiles when he came up out of the water!

After church everyone welcomed him to the Tampa First SDA Church family.

This was a very special day for the whole family, as Justin’s sister Leah, also dedicated her baby to Jesus!

by In Light Of The Cross

Dwayne and Xaviers Baptisms

Today at the Tampa First Seventh-day Adventist Church we witnessed two beautiful  baptisms, as Dwayne and his son Xavier gave all of their lives to Jesus since He gave all of His life for them. I was privileged to study with both of them every Monday evening in the winter and Spring.  Xavier had never been baptized, while his father had wandered away and was coming back to God. We studied the In Light of The Cross Bible study guides, (Click here for Spanish version) and had some very stimulating discussions. Xavier, though young, took his studies very seriously and often asked well thought out questions. I am going to miss our studies!

Pastor Brad, our new Lead Pastor at Tampa First, went over the baptismal vows.

Before each baptism I had a prayer, asking for God’s grace to be with Dwayne and Xavier every day. Before the baptism though we played a special song for them called “I am New” by Jason Gray.

After the baptism Dwayne asked Xavier how he felt and he said “brand new!” Made me remember the day of my baptism when I felt brand new. It is a wonderful feeling!

After the baptism Pastor Brad presented Dwayne and Xavier with their baptism certificates, and then Dwayne’s mother Enid gave a heartfelt testimony encouraging other parents to not give up praying for their children to come to Jesus. Sister Enid and Brother Fitzgerald (Dwayne’s father) said that they “live on their knees” praying for their children.

 If you have not given your heart to Jesus and been baptized, then I encourage you not to wait for the sun to set on you before you give your life to Him. I would love to talk to you about this decision if you would like to write to me at LayPastor@TampaAdventist.net or call (813) 933-7505. We are already planning another baptism soon. If you do not live in the Tampa Bay area, feel free to contact me so I can assist you in finding a pastor in your area who can help you with this important step.

by In Light Of The Cross

InLightOfTheCross.Com Charity Golf Classic

When I heard that a family in our church was battling breast cancer and loss of job, it was suggested that we do a charity golf tournament, to raise money to help them fight this terrible disease. I had never organized a golf tournament before, but found myself volunteering, without even really thinking about it. I was so eager to help this well desserving family, that I did not consider how qualified I was to organize this event. There was a lot of work to it. Recruiting players, finding a course, getting sponsors. I donated $100.00 myself to name the event “In Light Of The Cross.” There were also hole sponsors, and closest to the pin, and longest drive contest sponsors. Of course people would want food. While working 50 plus hours a week as a Bible Worker-Lay Pastor on top of this, I was overwhelmed. Thankfully Dera Nolan, a good friend from church, messaged me on Facebook and asked if I needed help. Did I??!! I welcomed her on board and she was a huge help. She helped find sponsors and also recruited a few players. She helped me get Eddie Kearse and the his Tampa First Seventh-day Adventist Church Pathfinders club involved with serving food, making the sponsor signs, and serving as caddies, for a tip towards the charity. Several others helped out big time, including Karen Alayon, and it was a huge success, taking in over $1,000 to go towards the family and their medical expenses.

I did a lot to save money, so that the event would be fun but also low budgeted so most the money would go to the family. Instead of trophies I bought blue ribbons. We found a nice reasonable executive golf course in Temple Terrace, called Terrace Hills Golf Center. They provided us with good rates. It is a nine hole course, which I thought would be good so that people could come and support the event without it taking too much time away from weekend chores, like an 18 hole course would.

It was a best ball, team tournament. Instead of every man for himself, we had teams of three or four and each team got to play the best ball of their players. Being the competitor that I am, I wanted to play every man for himself, but Dera explained to me that people would be more willing to play on a team, than individually for confidence reasons. If they make a bad shot, a better player on their team can make up for it with a great shot. It worked!

Today was the tournament, and everything went great. I played too, which was kind of stressful as I was also making sure everything else was going well for everyone, but with my cell phone and everybody else’ help all went well. Many of the players had already played in best ball charity tournaments so there was not too much for me to have to explain to them. I can’t wait to do this again for another family next year! Enjoy the pics! http://inlightofthecross.mysite.com/Golf.html

by In Light Of The Cross

Bloggers I Have Known

A few of my friends have started blogging here lately. I wanted to pass along some of their blogs so you can be blessed by them.

My friend, Wayne in Fort Worth, Texas, has a blog sharing the love of Jesus and preparing us to be ready for His soon return. He shares Bible passages, as well as personal stories and sports stories to win people to Jesus. http://gospelbondservant.wordpress.com/

My friend Norma, in Minnesota, writes about everything from Minnesota, to food and everyday life, with a Christ centered approach. Very enjoyable reading. http://norma-life-as-it-is.blogspot.com/

My friend Adam, here in Tampa, blogs about his personal spiritual journey and inspiring passages that have helped him in his journey. http://www.youandmeforchrist.com/

My friend, Alexys blogs about her family, friends, and life with Jesus. http://alexyslife.wordpress.com/

My friend Rodlie, a local pastor here in Tampa, has a blog about sharing the gospel in the modern world. http://www.modernekklesia.com/

My uncle, Tim in Georgia writes about his realtionship with God. http://life-with-papa.blogspot.com/

Enjoy!

by In Light Of The Cross

Is Facebook A Waste of Time Or Does it Save Time?

I am writing today from the beautiful Tampa Bay area.

It’s amusing when I hear people say things like, “I never have time to read my e-mail.” Fact is, e-mail saves time. You can reach 100 people with one mass e-mail instead of taking the time to call them one by one, or even mail 100 letters. Several times, these people will ask why they did not know something was going on, and I will tell them I sent them an e-mail. They defiantly respond, “I don’t read my e-mail.” Is it my fault they don’t read their e-mail and don’t know what is going on?

Now, with the popularity of Facebook, I still find people who think it is trivial and a waste of time, when in reality it is very useful. Just this week, I got a call that a Bible student of mine, had been rushed to the hospital and was not expected to live. Immediately I got on Facebook and several people saw my post and started praying. Later in the same day, I was conducting one of my weekly group Bible studies. Someone commented that they don’t get on Facebook because they don’t have time to read everyone’s trivial posts. I did not say anything, but I thought, asking someone to pray for a dying friend is not a trivial post. This is just one example of how Facebook can be used to quickly share valid information with hundreds of people.

I get amused when people tell me they don’t have time for Facebook, because I am on all the time, and I am also, frankly, one of the most busiest people I know. I log on in the morning, right after my prayer and devotionals, and as I read the statuses of my friends, in seconds, I see who is feeling down and in need of prayer and even a call or visit. I see who is struggling with their relationship with God, family and friends. I see praise reports. People share thoughts on Scripture that I can use later in my personal and group Bible studies and even apply to myself. That to me, is not a waste of time, or something I should be too busy for.  

Facebook does not even need to take extra time from my day. It allows me to use my down time more wisely. I do not text and drive, but with my android phone, I do check out Facebook while sitting at red lights and in traffic jams. I was going to be sitting at the red light anyway so I might as well be doing something useful, like Facebook. Same goes for when I duck into a Taco Bell for lunch, or am sitting in the doctors waiting room, or waiting for my next appointment to show up. I don’t see how people can say they are too busy for Facebook, or it is a waste of time, when I don’t use any extra time or effort to do it.

As Christians we need, to be good stewards of our time as well as money. Facebook is something I have implemented into my daily routine, to help me be more productive with my time. Time is more precious than money. Time is the substance of life. Life is a gift from God and I want to make the most of it. Facebook helps me do just that.

by In Light Of The Cross

My New Outlook For The New Year

I am writing today from the beautiful Tampa Bay area.

“Humans are very seldom either totally sincere or totally hypocritical. Their moods change, their motives are mixed, and they often themselves are quite mistaken as to what their motives are.” – C.S. Lewis

In  order to be more personal I have made a video blog on my new outlook for the New Year. A quote by C.S. Lewis has given me a better way of looking at things in 2011. Please let my share my message with you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOw2ZXqwMJM