New Blog

I am no longer the Student Pastor of EBC... I am now Lead Pastor of Sweetwater Baptist in Waycross, GA.

Please visit: http://sweetwaterbaptist.blogspot.com/

-Philip

The day that wasn't there.

Have you ever had a day that wasn’t there? Not that the day didn’t exist, but more like you didn’t exist for a day. Not many months ago I disappeared for a day because I needed to think, pray, and honestly just breathe. The situation aside, I found myself in desperate need of peace as I was emotionally drained and physically spent. At the end of a very tumultuous time I had run out of thoughts, run out of feelings, and had actually run out of words to say, even to God. I left the house early that Friday without a plan. I did not know where I was going, but knew that I had to bring my Bible with me. After an hour or so I found myself sitting on the end of a pier clutching my Bible staring off into the sea. I am not sure how much time passed, it seemed to be ages, but was probably a couple of hours. Randomly a friendly gentleman knelt down beside me and asked if I was okay. Suddenly the thought popped into my mind, “he thinks I’m about to jump.” For the first time in what felt like ages I laughed and with a grin replied that I was okay and appreciated his concern. It was as if that spark of joy was a gust of wind filling the sails of my soul. I looked down into my hands and realized I was holding the answer. Immediately I opened to Psalms and just began reading. Finally I came to it – Psalm 42:5-6a “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.” And there after much reading, crying, praying and waiting my God spoke to me through His Word, through His Spirit. If you are in Him and He in you, seek Him, get alone with Him, wait on Him…He will answer and you will praise Him again.

Prayer and Fasting for World Evangelization

clipped from www.imb.org 2010 Day of Prayer and Fasting for World Evangelization - May 23 Almost twenty years ago Christians around the globe began setting aside an annual day of prayer and fasting for some of the most unreached people groups of our world. Have their prayers made an impact? Yes, and in many exciting ways!

Asking the right question (not questions)

Over the past few months I have had multiple conversations with different individuals regarding life, pressure, disappointment, and difficulties in general.  As I have listened there have been two words that keep reappearing over and over, but are rarely used in the same conversation by the same person. The two words, that are really questions in and of themselves, are "Why" and "What".

See if you can hear the difference:

THE WHY QUESTION(S): Why did this happen? Why did he/she do that? Why didn't they ask me? Why did/didn't God...

THE WHAT QUESTION(S): What did I do wrong? What should I do differently? What is God trying to show me?

Wow, there is such a HUGE difference in the person who begins their questioning with "what" instead of "why"! One is focused on what they deserve, while the other understands life isn't all about them. Take a moment to think about the last question you asked yourself inside your head or those same set of questions that you normally are thinking about. Do you find yourself stating WHY or WHAT more often? Which one do you use most often when speaking to God?

WHAT do you need to do about WHY you ask the questions you do?