Delight in the Lord

Pray your New Year is off to a great start. You only have 11 months left…so you better get going! I want to share something from my heart that God truly spoke to me through an experience I had the other night. It’s amazing how God speaks through our everyday lives. Patsy and I attended our oldest grandson’s high school wrestling match at Sparkman. We sat on those bleachers for four hours watching as Chase participated in his three matches. Chase’s performance was outstanding as he pinned all three of his opponents! During the course of the experience that night, I began to watch Chase as he interacted with the other guys.  

I noticed his emotions (Chase is a lot like his Papa–pretty emotional) and his demeanor. He was happy and relaxed,  just enjoying the evening. He was just hanging out with the guys. He would occasionally come over and sit with his dad and grandparents.

Patsy and I really enjoyed spending that quality time hanging out with Chase. I realized later on that night, that it really wasn’t about Chase’s performance of his matches that excited me the most, but it was just spending time and hanging out with my precious grandson!  

 The next morning in my devotional time I happen to read Psalms 37:23 which states, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way,” (NKJV) I was so moved by how God spoke to me through that verse and the experience with Chase, that I shared this with my staff during our Wednesday morning devotion time. God really spoke to me that He delights in my everyday life! Not just when I’m performing for Him when I’m preaching, praying, reading His word, singing praises, etc. but God delights in my life while just hanging out and spending quality time with me! God desires to “walk with me and talk with me and tell me I am His own!” I realized I don’t have to perform for God….He delights in me when we’re just hanging out together! This concept truly validated something I’ve learn years ago. That my relationship with God is not about me being religious but developing an intimate relationship with my heavenly Father! God delights in me and loves me just as much when I’m sleeping, golfing, fishing, shopping, etc. as He does when I’m preaching or teaching. Likewise, I delight in and love my grandchildren the same way. They know they don’t have to perform to gain my applause or acceptance, I delight in them in their everyday life!

I Pray this ministers to you as much as it did to me. Here’s another key passage of scripture that speaks of God’s delight and love for His children:

“O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do.
 You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand! – Psalm 139:1-6 (NLT)

 Always remember that God truly delights in your way!  –Pastor Dusty

How Do You Respond to Christmas?

Can you believe it? Another Christmas season is almost here! We’re all getting very excited…right? Well, at least the kids are! Why is that? Why aren’t we all enthusiastic about Christmas? Could it be that we’ve developed the wrong response to Christmas? I’ve found and actually learned that my response to Christmas is directly connected to my belief about what Christmas really is. When I truly accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior, I began to understand the true meaning of the Christmas season.

I found that John 3:16 was God’s gift to the world! That Christmas was really about a Savior and not a store! Christmas is about THE GIFT on a tree rather than under the tree! Christmas is Emmanuel…. “God with us”. One reason so many do not response to the Christ of Christmas is that we’re so preoccupied with our business. After all, we must buy everyone we know a gift for Christmas! There are so many choices but so little time. Therefore, we become pressured to just get something! Anything….doesn’t matter as long as it’s wrapped and checked off my list!! Bah humbug! We have to be here and over there…..eat this and eat that….again and again! (Can someone say treadmill?)

 Think about the innkeeper and his response to Joseph and Mary. He wasn’t hostile or negative to them but he was so preoccupied with the crowds and his business that he missed Christmas right before his eyes! There’s actually no room in “our hearts” for Christmas because our overcrowded interests are already preoccupied! Another group’s response may be hostility toward the sacred side of Christmas. After all, a baby lying in a manager can be frightfully offensive! But like King Herod, many feel Jesus the Messiah is a threat to them. Their response to the Christ of Christmas is that it’s okay if you keep Jesus in your stained-glass windows or upon the ole rugged cross. But, don’t you religious fanatics ever let Him  come down and trouble our lives! We’re an intelligent and progressive society. Herod’s order to destroy the Christ of Christmas eventually led to Pilates command to crucify the reason for Christmas!

 So, how should we respond to Christmas you ask? Do you remember the old priest in the temple named Simeon? He had waited for the Messiah for many years. When baby Jesus was brought to the temple to be dedicated Simeon took the child in his arms and said to God, “Now You are letting your servant depart in peace…..for my eyes have seen Your salvation” (Lk. 2:29-30). This man had embraced God’s plan and gift to the world. God’s gift of salvation through the death and resurrection of His sacrificial Son, Jesus! That my friend is the proper response to Christmas!

 How will you responding to Christmas? Are you so preoccupied with your busy life that you’ll just side-track Christmas? Are you hostile or rude to those who truly celebrate in joyful response to the real meaning of Christmas? Or have you embraced and received the Christ of Christmas? Maybe you were like me and didn’t know the true meaning of Christmas until I personally met the “Christ” of Christmas.

I was kind of like the “Grinch” until God revealed Himself to me through His Son. Remember how the Grinch responded: “Maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store….maybe; just maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more.” Good response! What’s your response to the greatest “gift” ever given to the entire world?  Merry Christmas! – Pastor Dusty McLemore

It’s Time to Shout!

Well, get ready all you  Bama and Tiger football fans cause here it comes! The bragging or booing begins!I can hardly wait! Wow, Saturdays in the fall! Nothing like it! Isn’t it amazing how passionate we are aboutour favorite football team? Do you ever wonder if your spouse gets jealous of the Crimson Tide or the War Eagle? I’ve often wonder if God ever looks down and says, “Man, I wish they were that passionate and committed to Me! And all this time I thought they were just reserved or shy!” When we stop and think about what a great play or long touchdown either Bama or Auburn makes, compared to what Jesus did for us at Calvary, it just doesn’t add up does it? You’d think we’d get excited and passionate about having Someone who gives us eternal life!  Amen.

I know, it’s just not the same you say. But, dog-gone-it I think the church needs to become a little more enthused when we think about our Savior, Jesus Christ going all the way to Calvary…..with a heavy cross on his back, about to be nailed to it, and all this after being beaten beyond recognition. And why? Sacrificing His life for me! Oh yes, the football players might have a few bumps and bruises and even shed a little blood on the field. But nothing like our Savior endured and shed  His life blood for the very ones who killed Him. Wow! What a Savior! What a hero! That’s the difference between what will happen at Bryant Denny or Jordan Hare and what happened at Calvary’s Hill! Maybe something to even shout about!! And get this….yes, we win!! 

Love you all – Pastor Dusty

Refocusing on Ministry

Wow! It’s in the 80’s today….a cold front I guess! Seriously, it’s a very pleasant day and a relief from the “dog-days” ofAugust! I’m excited to say that our people are gathering back to the Lord’s house! After a very hot summer of vacations and activities, families are getting back into the flow of church. I pray you’ll find your place of service here at Lindsay Lane. I also pray these two messages on the “Misconceptions About Ministry” will speak to our church family causing each of us to answer the question of “why did God call me into the Ministry?” Remember, if you’ve been saved you’re in ministry and missions! Amen.

Think about it….God saves us to serve and glorify Him. When we do we are not only blessed but we receive the opportunity to make a difference in someone else’s life. What better turn on investment could we have than to be involved in the process of changing a person’s life? I’m also excited for the opportunity to preach on Wednesday nights on one of the greatest chapters in the Bible….First Corinthians chapter 15! The resurrection of Jesus Christ! This passage of scripture is the heart and soul of our salvation! For if Christ be not risen then our faith is in vain and we are still in our sin! Wednesday nights are really great! It’s a relaxed time of studying God’s word through a verse by verse format. Wee & Kids Praise are available for the kids along with tremendous praise and preaching for our Student Ministry. So, we’re gearing up for yet another Fall of Fun, Fellowship, and yes Football. BUT, especially another Fantastic opportunity of worshipping, growing and serving our great God!

Love you all…..Pastor Dusty

Catch a Fire for God at Lindsay Lane!

This past Sunday we experienced two very “hot” services! The Spirit of the Lord was cooking…and so was the heat! I guess you realized we had some cooling unit problems. But, the “cool” thing was our attendance was back up. We had 1326 in our worship services and our two Sunday Schools had 1011. Praise you the Lord! We completed our 10 week series on the “Life & Times of David”. I truly enjoyed preparing and studying the life of David. I could definitely relate to his heart felt words in Psalms 51 & 32. It’s an awesome thing to experience forgiveness and restoration! I’ll be preaching on Commitment the next two Sundays.

I hope and pray each of you will make Sunday and Wednesday nights part of your worship relationship. That’s part of our purpose statement: “Making Disciples who worship, grow & serve.” Are you truly growing and serving?

 A special thanks to all of you who have serve on one of our many missions trips either directly or indirectly. We still have a few to go but many have already participated this year. Our Student Ministry is growing also. Andy John & Alan are really cool dudes who love Jesus! I pray all our parents will get their young people involved in our Children & Student Ministry. Our LLCA kicked off this year with doubled enrollment! Way to go Lori and staff. We added a Seventh grade with nine students as well. God is blessing.

 I’m greatly looking forward to this fall. Not just for cooler temps but also our Revival! Please, please don’t forget to mark your calendars for our Revival on October 3-6 with Vance Pitman and Teddy Johnson coming to lead. Okay, that’s all for now. I had to catch up since I haven’t written in awhile. I’ll try and update each week from now on.  I hope to see you Wed. night and Sunday!

Bring a friend and come experience Jesus! I dearly love you all. – Pastor Dusty

Busy Summer Update

We had another excellent year of VBS! The kids were absolutely charming as they piled in for the four days of Saddle Ridge Ranch!It takes great leadership to orchestrate such an event and at LLBC we have just that. Kristi Long did another exceptional job of organizing and compiling leaders/workers. We had a total of 179 workers/leaders! We ended up with 439 total kids who attended VBS. Now get this…the children gave almost $2,000 to the Big Oak Girls & Boys Ranch! Way to go buckaroos!! To top all this off we had 26 kids to make a profession of faith in our Lord Jesus!! Yea!! 

June was also a month for many of our Mission trips. We had several servant teams doing Back Yard Bible Clubs in New Orleans,Score International team in Dominican Republic, Carpenters for Christ team in Mississippi, Kids Camp in Fall Creek Falls, TN. and a Medical Mission’s team in Mexico! That’s quite a June! We have more teams going out in the months to come. God blesses a Church that honors His Great Commission. We must continue to go and reach the nations with the love of Jesus Christ.

Please be in prayer for our July 4th celebration of “God & Country”. We will have one Sunday School at 8:45 and only one Service at 10:30 a.m. We want to pray for our leaders and honor God for His glory and blessings. Come celebrate our God given freedoms and bring a friend. I pray you’re learning from God’s word in our series on David.

Your pastor truly loves you all. It’s a great honor to serve our great God and bring Him glory!—Pastor Dusty

Busy Summer Ahead for God’s People

Hello Everyone! Hope you’re finding a way to keep cool this summer. It’s been hot! Funny how some of us are already wishing for Fall to get here! There’s a lot going on at LLBC this summer. We have several of our people headed on Mission’s trips. Isn’t it wonderful to see God’s people willing to fulfill the great commission? Please pray for those who are going out. Thank youto those who have helped sponsor or invest in them as well. Our two new Children/Student Pastors will be here this Sunday! We’re very fortunate to have Andy John King –his wife, Brittney & son Davis, as our Student Pastor to High School & College. Our Children’s and Middle School Pastor will be Alan Ostrzychi along with his fiancée, Becky Warren. God has truly blessed us in fulfilling our vision of ministering to our next generations of “Champions for Christ.”  Amen. Please try and be here on Sunday, July the Fourth as we celebrate “God & Country.” It will be a very moving & enjoyable patriotic service! A special thanks to David Beach for teaching our summer ETS (Equipping the Saints) class on “Resolving Conflict Biblically.”  This is a subject we all need to learn more about. The class is located in the Choir Suite at 6pm on Sunday nights. Please continue to pray for me as I continue to share these messages on the “Life & Times of David.” I’m learning a lot from David’s life. I’ll be headed to Orlando for the SBC this week, so please pray for us and the Convention. If I haven’t said it lately, I truly want each of you to know that your Pastor LOVES YOU!!

Spring Showers of Blessings

The weather is getting hot and so are things around Lindsay Lane! We continue to have spirit-filled services! We’ve had several families join in the past few weeks. We’re experiencing baptisms every Sunday! God is blessing His church. The Students had an awesome “Disciple-Now” Week!  I heard some of the testimonies Sunday night. Thanks to all the leaders for their dedication and hard work. Also, a special shout out to John Frasier and Katie White for their willingness to lead our Students on an “interim” basis. They are doing a tremendous job. Our student ministry hasn’t missed a beat since Nathan’s departure! Thanks also, to our Students for their commitment and support. I look forward to our annual Senior Adult day on May 2. Speaking of Seniors, I heard we have about 30 high school seniors graduating this year! Thank you all for your love and support. LLBC is an awesome church because we have an awesome God and wonderful people!!

Love you all, Pastor Dusty

“Why God Why?”

I wanted to convey to everyone that I’m now sending out a group email almost weekly, to the church. So, I won’t be updating this blog site very often. But, I know we have people who visit our webpage frequently, so I do desire to update the Diary from time to time.

We have a gentleman in our church that was recently diagnosed with very serious carcinoma cancer which originated in the kidneys and has spread to his brain. He’s still young and has a beautiful family. It’s been a very difficult thing for his family to accept and hard for their church family as well. How are we to understand and react when bad things happen to good people? Doesn’t the Bible teach that God will not place more on us than we can bear? Actually, it doesn’t say that. We’ve often misquoted 1 Corinthians 10:13 which states: “…God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able….” But, the question still remains as to “why” God would allow such a tragic disease to infect a godly husband and father and not some thug who deserts and abuses his family. I recently read an article by Dr. James Dobson entitled “Why God Why?” Dr. Dobson spoke on the sovereignty of God. We can never grasp all of infinite God with our earthly finite minds. The Bible gives us insight into God’s sovereignty. For example, 1 Corinthians 2:11 states, “No one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.” Also, in Deuteronomy 29:29 we read that “the secret things belong to the Lord our God.” Even the wisdom of Solomon speaks of God’s infinite being in Ecclesiastes 11:5 “As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.” And probably the most recognizable text on God’s sovereignty is found in Isaiah 55:8-9 which teaches, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways says the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

Truly, the scriptures remind us of our lack of capacity to fully grasp God’s omnipotence or His ways of doing things. The scripture declares to us that God’s judgments are “unsearchable” and His ways are “past finding out” Romans 11:33. Often times we desire to question God as to why trials happen to us. I think this is the natural response for most people faced with sudden tribulation. Paul gives some scriptural insight in his Epistle to the Corinthian church: “Who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” 1 Corinthians 2:16. Unless God chooses to explain Himself to us, then His purpose and plan are far beyond the reach of mortal man. Finally, the Apostle Paul expresses the reasoning of faith when we face an insurmountable trial without answers. In 1 Corinthians 13:12 we read: “Now we see but a poor reflection; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” In other-words, we don’t have the total picture of all that happens. But, we exercise our faith in the One who not only sees the “big picture” but created it! I’m reminded of a song I once heard that kind of sums things up for me personally. This song is an expression of our faith: “When answers aren’t enough, there is Jesus; He is more than just an answer to our prayers!” And as the old favorite song, ‘Beulah Land’ promises, one day “our faith will become sight.”

 Pastor Dusty

Excitement and Opportunity in 2010

2010 is here and we’re off to a fast start! Kids have already miss school due to the great snow storm! Once they shoveled out of the quarter-inch snow drifts they made their way back on Monday! We experienced a wonderful worship day this past Sunday with great attendance! Now that we have everyone pointed back to church after all this sickness, snow and sleeping late! I want to encourage everyone to make 2010 a year of commitment and faithfulness to our God and His church. Please be praying for your Pastor during these series of messages on the “Principles of Marriage.” Our church and country desperately needs this word.

 I’m looking forward to our Unity Service on January 20. We moved our annual New Year’s Eve unity service to this date in order to accommodate more people and churches. This is a great time of sharing and uniting in our Savior’s name! Also, I’m very excited about our Men’s Conference on January 22 at Clements. Pastor Tim Anderson and I have been praying & planning for this type conference for several years. Please make every attempt to come. You’ll be glad you did! I pray you’ll each have a wonderful and blessed New Year in 2010. Stay focused on Jesus! Stay in His word! Be obedient to His will. I love you all and consider it a blessed privilege to be your pastor & friend!

Pastor Dusty