Deep Thought: If I ever do a book on the Amazon, I hope I am able to bring a certain lightheartedness to the subject, in a way that tells the reader we are going to have fun with this thing.
That is the way our new youth guy, Joe would do it. He has done a great job leading our high school student ministry, Epic. He brings the truth in a way that is lighthearted yet life changing. We have seen some great transformation in our students in the few short weeks that he has been running the Life Group.We have some students who never gave church a thought before, who are now coming to Shoreline as well as Epic. Then the community he has brought to the students who were already attending Shoreline has been very exciting too.
I have included some pictures of last weeks dinner at Pepitos. If you have a high school student or you are one, this may be just what the doctor ordered. Epic meets on Wednesday nights @ 6 pm for dinner and then 7 for the Life Group which includes some worship by Hunter Dawson and Michaela Partin. They meet at my home @ 101 Durango road in Destin.
Maybe we can take a trip to the Amazon with them for some lighthearted fun.
Deep Thought: The old pool shooter had won many a game in his life. But now it ws time to hang up the cue. When he did, all the other cues came crashing to the floor.
“Sorry,” he said with a smile.
I never want to hang up pastoring. I love what I do and I love where I do it. The other night at my prayer Life Group, Ignite, after we finished praying which was very refreshing I might add, we just hung out on the deck and enjoyed the night. Some of us had some dinner and then just talked until 10:30 pm.
That is why Life Groups are so valuable. People doing life together. And it is even better when it is people you like. Here is a picture of some of the people who come to Ignite.
Left to right: Darlene, Christen, Melissa, Susie and Jay
We will never have to be like the old pool shooter and hang up what we love to do. That’s what I love about friends, I get to hang out with them, altough there are a few that I would like to hang.
Deep Thought: If you’re in a boxing match, try not to let the other guy’s glove touch your lips, because you don’t know where that glove has been.
That’s why it is important to wash you hands. Yesterday, in the service, we looked at a scripture in Luke 11:37 – 38 where Jesus is eating at a Pharisee’s house and the Pharisee gets upset because Jesus doesn’t wash his hands before he eats.
“When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. But the Pharisee, noticing that Jesus did not first wash before the meal…”
That word, wash, comes from the Greek word, Baptizo, where we get the word baptize. The word was a common, everyday word in the Greek language meaning to wash, submerge, dunk, drown, etc. So, the Pharisee wasn’t upset that Jesus didn’t baptize himself but that he didn’t wash his hands.
We saw, yesterday that baptism was basically a washing, symbolic of washing away of your old life and dedicating your life in a new direction. We said it this way, “Baptism is a public declaration of a new association.” With Christianity, that new association was specifically with Jesus Christ. That’s why you cannot find infant baptism in the New Testament, because an infant cannot make a public declaration to follow Jesus.
So, some people have asked how did infant baptism come about? Well, with my limited knowledge of church history, I will attempt to explain it.
A Catholic historian, you can read it, named Brenner said this, “For the first 1300 years of church history, baptism was generally and regularly immersion of the person under water and in only extraordinary cases a sprinkling or pouring of water. The latter were disputed modes of baptism and often forbidden.” There you go, for the first 1300 years, that is the way people were baptized.
That’s also the way we baptize. Because of the diverse backgrounds of our church, I get this question, “Well, Eric, how did sprinkling come into vogue? How did that become hip?” Basically, it was a convenience thing. But if you really want to get a little bit deep, there was an offshoot of Christianity that distorted some things in the Bible. And I want to share these things with you because they are not Biblical.
The first is original guilt. This group said that when a child is born, not only are they sinners, but God holds them guilty and accountable for their sins. Thus, this group says, if a child dies, the child will spend eternity separate from the Lord.
So, with this original guilt thing going on, people started going, “Whoa, we better start baptizing babies.” So they began to immerse infants and many infants died because of it. There was a shortage of water around, so people started sprinkling because it was convenient. Then another distortion took place called Baptismal Regeneration. This group said, “When we baptize these babies, they are saved. That’s it. They are Christians.” These are distortions. You won’t find them in the Bible. Baptism doesn’t save us. What you find in the bible is that we are saved by grace.
Well, that is my little attempt to explain in a limited amount of time, where infant baptism comes from. It really is too bad that whole churches can be torn apart by something as simple as baptism, when they can be torn apart by a pack of wild dogs.
Deep Thought: When I heard that trees grow a new “ring” for each year they live, I thought, we humans are kind of like that: we grow a new layer of skin each year; and after many years we are thick and unwieldy from all our skin layers.
I am pretty sure that is what happened to me.
I received an e-mail this week from a pastor in Indiana about a someone he knows in the Destin area. This girl needs some help and as the church it is an opportunity to step up and be “Jesus with skin on.” So, I am including the a-mail in this blog. If after you read it, there is some way in which you would like t help, then contact the church office @ info@shorelinechurch.net.
Dear Eric,
My name is Don Billey and I pastor the Main Street Church of God in Anderson, Indiana. I received a phone call on Tuesday from a young lady who is loosely connected to our church - her grandmother went here and died this past Spring - I met the young lady during the course of visitation and services. Her name is _________________ ______________, and she is in transition from Florida to a new home in Nevada. She is currently in Destin, and is on probation so she cannot leave the county.
She has lost her home, business, and some relationships due to the crime she committed (a non-violent crime) and has reached a point of desperation. She is looking for someone not to give a handout, but to come alongside and walk with her from day to day as she makes her way through the legal system, and completes her probation.
As a pastor I searched for churches in Destin, and came across your website. Could you please have the appropriate minister cocntact her to see how you can come alongside her, and help her find agencies or ministries locally that will provide for her needs? She also has a young daughter (early elementary) that is with her. Her cell phone number is ______ ______ -________.
Thanks for your help. God’s blessings to you as you serve.
Because of Him,
Well, as you can see, she is not looking for a handout but maybe more of a counselor or mentor. This is ministry right here folks.
After all, you don’t want to build up all this excess skin. Wouldn’t you rather just put Jesus’ skin on.
Deep Thought: Darlene got offended that I used the word “puke” at the membership dinner. But to me, that’s what her dinner tasted like.
We did have a good time though welcoming our new members. Our new members include Tim and Malinda Douglas, Lisa Mills and Joe Lucero our youth intern.
When you see them, make them feel welcome.
Next time, we will have dinner brought in from Hog’s Breath.
Deep Thought: If you saw two guys named Hambone and Flippy, which one would you think liked dolphins the most? I’d say Flippy, wouldn’t you? You’d be wrong though. It’s Hambone.
Another thing you’d be wrong about is the pluralness of these words. Like why do people always call Joyce Meyer, Joyce Meyers? It is Joyce Meyer! And why do they say the book of Revelations? it is Revelation! And when you are speaking of one Psalm it is only Psalm; as in Psalm 114; not Psalms 114! Psalms is for when you are talking about the whole book… you know plural. You don’t say, “look at that pretty palms tree.”
Now I could understand it if you went to Shoreline Church how you might have some trouble with some people’s names. Like when you refer to Leah Cherry, you just say Cherry. But when you refer to Shannon and Leah as a couple, do you call them the Cherries? The same goes for Matt and Sandi Metcalf. Together is their family the Metcalves?
And how about Sam and Monica Blowes. They are still the Blowes, whether singular of plural.
Boy all this makes the Hambone and Flippy dilemma seem much easier.
Deep Thought: I remember that fateful day when Coach took me aside. I knew what was coming. “You don’t have to tell me,” I said, “I’m off the team, aren’t I?”
“Well,” said Coach, “you never were really on the team. You made that uniform you’re wearing out of rags and towels, and your helmet is a toy space helmet. You show up at practice and then either steal the ball and make us chase you to get it back, or you try to tackle people at inappropriate times.”
It was all true what he was saying. And yet, I thought, something is brewing inside the head of this Coach. He sees something in me, some kind of raw talent that he can mold. But that’s when I felt the handcuffs go on.
Yes, I may have been a lot like this guy.
I think he has seen Fast Times too many times. All he needs are some tasty waves and cool buzz and he’s doing fine. Tubular,
Deep Thought: Too bad you can’t just grab a tree by the very tip-top and bend it clear over the ground and then let her fly, because I’d bet you’d be amazed at all the stuff that comes flying out.
If you could do that with Shoreline, I bet amazed at the people who would come flying out. That is what I think about as I sit here getting ready for tomorrow. We start a new series tomorrow called “Season Tickets” and the message tomorrow, “Any Given Sunday” will talk about why we do what we do on Sunday. In sitting here thinking about why we do what we do on Sunday, it made me think about all of the people who make Sunday mornings happen and what it would look like of they came flying out of trees. It makes me think of those who work a 70 hour week job and still get to the theater at 7 am to set all this up.
You have stepped out of the prevelant “It’s all about me!” mentality that seems to permeate our society and have decided that it is about other people. People that may not even have attended Shoreline yet, you have decided are important enough to get up really early on what may be for some of you, your only day off. It totally humbles me that God has brought people to this ministry to follow a vision that he gave me and Darlene. It’s one thing to sacrifice for your own vision but to serve the way you have and to run with the vision the way you have just blows me away.
You are the reason that lives are being changed. Who would have thought that serving a doughnut, running sound, or serving in Tidepool Kids could impact people in such a profound way.
Take a look at some of the letters we have received…
Dear Shoreline Church,
You have added so much meaning to my life through prayer and through the couple of church services I have attended. The praise and worship you offer to the community are truly amazing! Thank you for the inspiration…. God bless all of you.
Sincerely,
Name Withheld
Here is another one…
Pastor Eric,Good to meet you today. I’m the guy that used to work with ********. Guess I’m going through a bit of a faith crises right now. Well, just short of that. I know what I believe, but I am definitely disillusioned with church. I’ll call it a “church crises”. I’m excited to see how Shoreline approaches things. I’m stoked about the “realness” that I’ve seen in everyone.
I’m definitely in a needy place right now, mentally and spiritually, but I have a lot to offer and hope to get involved eventually.
Thanks for taking the time to say hi. Let me know if you need anything.
And another one…
Hi Pastor Eric,I would like to thank you for your service on Sunday it truly helped me in so many ways you can’t imagine… My children and I have really enjoyed Shoreline Church!
These are just a few of the letters we receive on a regular basis. Those letters answer the question of why we do what we do. Hopefully, when you read them, you too realize it is worth all the work.
Remember to keep your eye on the prize and then when the tree is pulled over, you won’t come flying out. I know that makes no sense but I could not think of anything to tie into the Deep Thought.
Deep Thought: A good way to threaten somebody is to light a stick of dynamite. Then you call the guy and hold the burning fuse up to the phone. “Hear that?” you say. “That’s dynamite, baby.”
That’s what I will do with Pastor Sam if he tries to take over the church. He spoke today and if he thinks just because he hit it out of the park today he can stage a coup, well…. he can’t.
I have been on vacation and so Sam finished up the series, “Letters From the Inside.”
We caught killer surf thanks to Hurricane Dean and then left for Jacksonville / St. Augustine. We were taking John to University of North Florida.
We ate at my favorite restaurant - A1A Ale Works where I had my favorite dish - Shrimp and Grits.
We stayed at a wonderful resort - Laterra at The World Golf Resort. Thanks to Melissa and Jay Wacsmuth who let us use their condo. Boy did I need that! I just rested and relaxed. I got a facial and a pedicure. I need to try to do this about once every 3 months.
We had dinner with Aaron and Suzette Maners - they are an ARC church plant in Jacksonville and I am on his board. He used to be a youth pastor in the same county with me. It is so cool to be Lead Pastors now of growing churches.
Drove down to Brevard and hung out with my pastor, Dan Stallbaum of East Coast Christian Center. We attended 2 services there today including their new video venue. I enjoyed it a lot.
Tomorrow we leave to head back to Destin but we have to leave Harbor here. He starts his internship tomorrow at Relevant Magazine in Orlando.
I am really excited to get back to work. I am looking forward to spending time with our new youth intern, Joe. I heard he did a great job with his monologue today.
I am soooo looking forward to the series starting this weekend - Season Tickets - If you have any football gear, you might want to think about wearing it this weekend. This Sunday would be a good day to invite those people that you have been thinking about inviting. Why? Because this will one of those messages that talks about why we do what we do; Like the ladder or table messages.
If the people you invite don’t come, just call them up, light a stick of dynamite and hold it up to the phone and say, “Hear that…”
