Well, it has taken a lot of prayer, listening, reading, talking and thinking about today and my first blog. The questions that had to be considered were long and at times testing. You see, having done radio for several years both prerecorded and live, the idea of a podcast is really appealing to me. I will be doing some podcasts as well but for a post that is more frequent and hopefully compelling I am going to blog.
I entitled this "Here We Go" because well, as I said already, it is my first blog. Secondly, because I wanted to let you know who I am and what I am going to be doing through these blog post and even the podcasts that will come later.
This blog is about what is going on in the church today. Not any particular church but the church in the big picture of things. The church as we will see are those who are saved through Jesus Christ. That is the simple and easy way to see the church. Christ died for the church. Ephesians 5:25 says "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,". OK, men, I will get to you one day about your responsibility as a husband but as they say that is for another day.
So the church is saved people but they don't all get together at the same place and at the same time. Local churches do. That is what we think of and relate to when we think of church. Churches are people and that is where the issue begins. Let's go ahead and pull the bandage off the wound by saying they are not all at the same spiritual place. Some have been saved a long time like me and some are new to the faith. Some have learned a lot and others not so much.
Now, for clarity, I am an evangelical Christian. I pastor a Southern Baptist church. I am like Farmers Insurance "I know a few things because I have seen a few things". I was raised in the church, saved as a child, and have raised my own family in the church. I have been a businessman before I was a vocational minister. I have been a staff pastor and a senior pastor for the past 27 years. I have held that position @ Myrtle Lake going now into my 18th year. So again, "I know a few things because I have seen a few things".
That is probably more than you may have wanted in this first blog, but I hope it set the stage for you. I hope you will watch for more blogs and come back. I hope you will share this blog with others. I hope you will provide me with some feedback. I hope to get better and be a resource that you can use in your life.
Until next time.
In God's Grace,
Elbert Nasworthy