It was great to be back at church this past weekend!  I was so encouraged to see many faces walk through our church doors to experience the fellowship, encouragement, and worship that only comes through the gathering of God’s people.  I think our recent winter storm taught us that it’s easy to take some things for granted such as power, water, and access to safe roads.  But it also reminded us that it’s easy to take church for granted as well.  The local body of Christ is so pivotal to our spiritual and mental health, and when the doors are closed, we simply aren’t the same.  So I was thrilled that we could reopen our church last Sunday and resume the ministry that Christ has called us to in this city.

I know we are all so grateful that the winter storm is behind us, and we can now move forward.  However, I realized this week that we have now been weathering a much more powerful storm for nearly a year.  This Sunday will be the 1-year anniversary of America’s last “normal” Sunday.  This is of course because COVID-19 became a household term that following week, and the virus left its impact on every entity across the globe.  Sunday March 8^th, 2020 was a day that will be marked in church history, as whispers of a new “coronavirus” were making their way through our country that morning.  However, people still gathered in their respective churches to fellowship and worship as usual.  Then as we all know, reports began to get grim that following week, and virtually every church in America shut its doors the following Sunday.  And tragically, many in our country have not been back to church in-person ever since.

In my life, I remember that March 8^th date very well.  I was in the pulpit at Second Baptist Church in Houston, Tx preaching on David and his sin with Bathsheba.  I was not fully aware at the time, but ABC also had members of its pastoral search committee in that worship center with me as I was presenting God’s Word.  It’s pretty amazing to look back at it from my perspective because a transition was happening right in front of me even though I did not fully see it.  God was about to literally shut the doors to my current church, but also open a door to my future church.

I share all of this because I think it’s important for us to understand a key truth: God is always at work even when we can’t see it.  We are all caught off guard by the problems of this world every day.  Yet Jesus knows everything, sees everything, and thankfully, He has a plan for how He’s going to use everything for His glory and our good.  Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”  It’s easy to focus and fixate on the problems of these past 12 months, but I encourage you to not miss the work that God has done amidst it all.  People have come to saving faith this past year, and countless believers have been refined in their faith through the fire.  God has extended the reach of His Gospel this past year through expanded media platforms and ministry innovations.  And everyday people like myself and so many of you have been matured and empowered to advance the true Kingdom, even as our earthly kingdom experiences ongoing unrest.

I encourage each of you to ask yourselves a simple question this week, “How has God worked in my life this past year?”  If you’re in Christ, I can assure that that God has been at work in you.  He always desires to work in you, and then through you, to impact a world that needs Him.  So ask yourself where have you seen Him work in your life this past year?  How has he matured you and what has He been speaking into your life?  And perhaps even more importantly, what has he been calling you to do?  Paul is going to explain this weekend that God is indeed at work and desires to use each of us even in the storms.  But He can only work through us effectively if our minds learn how to “forget,” and our hearts learn how to “press on.”  I look forward to unpacking these ideas with you in Philippians chapter 3 this Sunday.  Love well and serve well this week, and I look forward to seeing you at worship.

I think we would all agree that it’s been a wild couple of weeks.  Who would have thought that Austin, Tx could experience snow twice in one winter?  And not just snow, but 6 inches of snow and single digit temperatures!  My mind is still in a little bit of shock that we were in the middle of an unprecedented winter storm last week, yet today I’m planning to go for a walk this evening in beautiful 75 degree weather.  Living in Texas certainly keeps us all on our toes. 

That being said, I know this past week has been incredibly difficult for many of you.  Having no power, water, or access to resources can be a terrifying experience.  Further, having to deal with bursting pipes and unexpected expenses is both frustrating and stressful for any homeowner.  I’m praying for each of you who were impacted by the storm, and please know that our church does stand by you today.  We realize that this storm is not over for everyone, and we want to do everything we can to come alongside you in the coming days.  Please do not hesitate to contact our church office if there is any way we can serve you. 

Many in our city are now wondering, “where do we go from here?”  I believe the wisest answer is that we need to go worship.  In a moment of crisis, each of us as believers have a decision to make.  Will we run from God because of our problems, or will we run to Him with our problems?  Unfortunately, many in this world choose the former.  They become so fixated on their present afflictions, that they forget they do not have to carry them alone (1 Peter 5:7).  Jesus Christ, our sympathetic high priest, is ready to serve as our strength and our anchor in every storm (Hebrews 4:16, 6:19).  But my question for you is where are you running today?

In the Old Testament, King David understood heartache and suffering.  As you may remember, the prophet Samuel privately anointed young David as King of Israel, yet it took many years for David to actually sit on a throne.  Instead of ruling the kingdom, he spent many nights sleeping in caves and hiding for his life.  And even after he finally received the crown, you may remember David once again returned to his refugee days after his own son Absalom led a revolt against him.  Yet amidst all of the turmoil in his life, we still remember David as a “man after God’s own heart.”  This is because he worshipped God in every storm and consistently turned to Him in moments of crisis.

Psalm 63 is one of those moments.  David is on the run and hiding in the wilderness, yet his faith remained steadfast.  He said, “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. ² So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.³ Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. ⁴ So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands (Psalm 63:1-4).   As was usually the case, David is seen seeking God amidst his suffering, and we can hear the longing in his heart to return to the sanctuary.

I don’t know about you, but I can personally resonate with David’s words.  In our own way, we too have been living in a dry land with no water.  Likewise we have been displaced from the sanctuary for far too long.  It’s been a long couple of weeks, and truthfully it has been a long year.  We’ve had to close our doors now on two different occasions in 2021 due to trying circumstances.  However, I’m excited that this weekend we are finally going to “do church.”  Yes, we the people are the church, but there is also power and purpose in the church assembling together (Hebrews 10:24-25).  And i believe we all need to experience the renewing power of worship once again. This Sunday we’re going to worship Him and praise His name with our lips.  We’re going to observe the Lord’s Supper and remember that Christ has given us everything we truly need. 

If you’re ready to gather physically in-person, I’d encourage you to join us this Sunday at ABC.  It will be a special day as we re-open the doors and gather to honor Him.  If you are not ready yet, we of course will meet you in your home through our regular online platforms.  However you choose to worship this Sunday, I encourage you to earnestly seek Him through it.  If you do, I believe that God will renew your mind and restore the hope in your heart that we have in Jesus Christ our Lord (1 Peter 1:3).  Where will you go in this time of turmoil? I hope you’ll go with me to the sanctuary this Sunday.

I hope you didn’t store away your winter coats too early!  Isn’t Austin such an amazing place to live?  One week it can be in the 80’s, and then another week we can be under a winter weather advisory.  It’s crazy to think that our temperature could drop to the “teens” in the coming days, and we could potentially experience ice and snow in back-to-back months.  While all of this is certainly surprising, I think in a strange way it also seems to make a lot of sense.  We’ve been experiencing a major storm for nearly a year now, so it almost seems fitting that we’d also have a change in the weather.  But regardless of what this winter storm does bring, I think we can all rest assured with some good news: this too shall pass.  Eventually, the sun will come out and the ice on the roads will melt away.  We won’t have to worry forever about travel hazards, nor will we have to bundle up when we go outside.  The sun will simply melt away those problems, and we will get to joyfully press on.

Wouldn’t it be nice if all of our problems could melt away that easily?  Unfortunately, we all know life is much more complicated than ice in Texas.  The truth is our problems seem to stick around much, much longer.  Every day can feel like a battle, as we constantly face conflict in relationships, stress in our finances, obstacles at work, ailments in our health, and rising political unrest.  Because of that, the body of Christ groans together (Romans 8:22) and longs for those problems to melt away.  And I cannot promise you that they will melt away any time soon, but I can promise you that the Son will indeed shine over them.

Jesus tells us that He is the Light of the world (John 8:12), and as the Light, He consistently shines His goodness, mercy, and grace into dark situations.  One day the Light will physically return to this world, and all of our problems will fully melt away at that time (Revelation 21:1-4).  But until then, Jesus commands us to shine His light now.  Jesus tells us, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14).  Because Christ is in us, we actually have the power to shine and bring real change into this world.  While the problems of this world may not fully melt away yet, we do still have the power to make real progress for the kingdom of God right now.

Each and every one of us are called to be difference makers.  As we talked about last weekend, God’s Word instructs us to set aside our own interests and take on the interests of others.  So my question for you this week, is “where are you shining?”  Is there an area in our church, and even in our city, where you are actively shining the grace of God into dark spaces?  This past week I was proud of ABC for shining light into the Austin Police Department.  We partnered with their chaplain to provide some much-needed mental health resources for their officers.  Many of our teenagers are shining their light in our children’s ministry by now leading our youngest in worship every weekend at Elevate.  Our student ministry is about to shine its light through a brand-new event, the ABC Student Conference.  This one-day event will be filled with worship, relevant Biblical teaching, and fellowship for students so they can find a place to belong.  Matt Gillum and I are in the process of releasing a new podcast channel, where we hope to shine the light of Christ into our city by engaging our culture with God’s Word and applying it to real life issues.

Those are just a few ways ABC is shining, and I’m proud of the many volunteers and faithful witnesses in our church who are truly shining in areas all around us.  But the question to ponder today is, “are you shining your light?”  It’s easy to hunker down during a storm, but we’re called to rise up and brave our way through it.  Have you found a place to use your gifts and expand the Kingdom of God today?  The Son wants to shine His light through you this week, so I encourage you to take Paul’s words to heart: “Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:9-10).

Shine on,

Jonathan Spencer

It’s hard to believe that January is already behind us, and we are now moving full steam ahead into February.  Super Bowl Sunday is coming up this weekend, and millions of eyes will be watching what should be an entertaining quarterback battle between Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes.  As we all know, every year Americans look forward to this special game, and this week I’ve been asking myself, “why?”  Because the truth is millions of people will find themselves watching a game they don’t particularly care about.  Most Super Bowl spectators are not football enthusiasts, nor do they usually have an emotional connection to either team playing on the field. Nonetheless, they still find themselves on a couch somewhere watching it year after year.  I believe this isn’t an accident, but instead it’s due to the excitement and the fellowship that surrounds the big game. 

Leading up to the Super Bowl, friends, co-workers, and classmates continuously talk about the game, thus creating a great desire for football outsiders to become insiders as well.  Further, Super Bowl Sunday is always packaged as a fellowship event.  Admittedly, this year will be different due to COVID complications, but normally people do not watch this game alone.  The tradition has always been to throw Super Bowl parties and invite your neighbors and friends.  Because of that, many football outsiders suddenly find themselves giving football a chance, simply because a friend invited them to be a part of their community.

I believe there are several lessons we could all learn from this big game.  The first lesson being that we should view every Sunday at ABC as a Super Bowl Sunday.  Every weekend is a big weekend, as God gives us another opportunity to worship and meet with Him in a community of faith.  So just like the Super Bowl, we should all have great anticipation leading up to Sunday. My prayer is for that genuine excitement to build up in our hearts and rub off on those who are around us.  I believe there are many outsiders of the church that would attend our “Super Bowl,” if they simply had an invitation from a friend.  It’s interesting, there have been lots of studies on church growth over the years, and even though strategies do indeed change, the most effective catalyst for growth remains the same: the personal invitation.  Outsiders become insiders when one insider makes room for them.  And just like this weekend’s big game, I believe many would come to our big event if they were simply asked.

God has given our church an amazing fellowship as the body of Christ, and the good news is there is still room for others to experience it with us.  Because of that, Paul gives us quite the charge when he writes, “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20).  As Christians, we all have the privilege to serve as mouthpieces for our Lord Jesus Christ, and one of the most simple things we can communicate is that invitation. Last weekend, we learned that we’re all preaching sermons every day and that our words truly do matter.  My prayer this week is that our words will be powerful tools to expand the Kingdom of God here in our city.

Consider who you can invite to worship this Sunday, either online or in-person.  I’d even encourage you to do the same this Wednesday night.  We had an amazing kick off to Midweek last week as we saw over 100 people join us for the meal, and many more join us for our Bible studies that took place afterwards.  But there is still room for more in our fellowship, so may we all serve as faithful ambassadors to those around us.  I look forward to seeing you at the “Super Bowl” this Sunday.

It sure was wonderful to worship with you last Sunday!  There was a great spirit on our campus as we re-opened our church doors, and I hope you were as encouraged that morning as I was.  As we are all learning in 2021, each of us can experience a “fresh start” every day, and I believe our church family experienced one last weekend.  I’m grateful that we are now able to press on in the mission and ministry that God has called us to, and I’m excited for this week as we likewise look forward to a fresh start in our Midweek programming.

I believe we have much to celebrate in this new year.  One thing I am celebrating this week is our church’s steadfast commitment in the area of stewardship.  In a year filled with turmoil, our church family remained resilient and faithful through its giving.  Through your generosity, God provided all that we needed to continue, and in many cases even expand, the ministries of ABC.  I’m thrilled that we made the 2020 budget as we received over $4.1 million in general contributions.  I’m also thankful that our church gave above and beyond to missions, as we exceeded our Lottie Moon goal by collecting over $64,000.  Additionally, we were able to put a considerable dent into our debt in 2020.  We were able to pay off an additional $642k above our debt service payments because of your faithful designated gifts.  What an amazing testimony of God’s grace, that even in a year filled with countless challenges, our church cheerfully and faithfully gave over $4.9 million for kingdom work!  I want you to know that your generosity makes a difference.  Anytime you see a new visitor, a new member, or a testimony through believer’s baptism, you were part of that story through your faithful tithes and offerings.  Because of that, we should all celebrate the 20 people that joined our church in December, including the 8 who were baptized last month.  Likewise, we should all celebrate the ministry that is happening right now in 2021. 

It was encouraging that even after a 3-week hiatus from gathering in-person, we added 6 new members into the family last Sunday.  Additionally, we saw God move mightily in several of our ministry areas.  The 11:11 service was up 44% from where it was on that same date last year, pre-pandemic.  The student ministry also had a big weekend as they too welcomed more students than they had last year at this time.  Our teenagers were thrilled to learn about the new ABC Students brand, see some of the new technology, and experience a few of the exciting upgrades to our youth rooms.  Our children’s ministry also had a successful morning as they kicked off their new worship program, “Elevate.”  The children had a blast as they learned about Christ through a dynamic program featuring videos, skits, music, and of course God’s Word.  I was humbled to see over 20 teenagers step up to help lead those children through our Elevate team.  It is a beautiful sight to watch young people grow a hunger to serve and disciple others in our church.  I’m also looking forward to this Sunday as our Women’s Ministry will host a new ministry event, “The Collective.”  I hope all of our ladies plan to attend this special evening of worship, and I encourage each of you to even invite a friend.

God is moving in our church, and we should all pause to give thanks.  I believe He is blessing us as we collectively seek Him through our faith and obedience.  Jesus reminds us, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matt 6:33).  As we continue to faithfully seek Christ and give towards His mission, I have no doubt that He will continue to build up His church for His glory.  May we all pursue Him today, because if we do, I believe the best is yet to come.

We are in the final sprint to Christmas!  I hope you are enjoying the cool temperatures, beautiful lights, and are making plans to spend time with loved ones in the coming days.  I’m confident that our music ministry helped you get in the holiday spirit last Sunday through their wonderful production, “The Sounds and Stories of Christmas.”  I’d like to especially thank Dodie Morris and Richmond Dewan for their tireless efforts to make it all happen.  Through their clear direction and countless hours of service, our church family was able to creatively celebrate the Christmas story, both online and in-person, all while involving over 150 ABC volunteers!  I’m grateful for their talents and their ministry-minded hearts, and I do thank everyone who pitched in with them to make it a big success.

Christmas is a special time of celebration.  From the music, to the traditions, to the gatherings with family and friends, this season is a beautiful moment for God’s people to pause, reflect, and celebrate.  Even in 2020, this celebration should continue because our present darkness does not change the fact that the light has already come.  Because the Word became flesh, you and I have a joy and a hope that is unwavering and transcendent of all circumstances.  This hope is in fact so bright, that you and I are Biblically called to share it with others. 

A few weeks ago, my family and I went out for a late walk on a trail in our neighborhood. We left while there was daylight, but time got away from us and darkness quickly settled in.  We hadn’t planned for it, so we did not bring flashlights with us, but fortunately, I did have my iPhone with me.  And as we all know, if you have an iPhone in your pocket, you do in fact have a flashlight with you.  So I turned on the flashlight feature and began to light up the path in front of me.  The light pushed away the darkness around me and gave me sure footing on the path.  But I did not keep that light to myself, because I knew there were others around me that needed it as well.  So I shined my light towards my entire family, so their next steps could also be made clear.

A lot of people in this world are unsure of their next steps.  They are concerned about the present darkness in this world, and they don’t know how to navigate through it.  But the Christmas story tells us that Jesus came to shine light into those dark places, and to give us hope and assurance in our next steps.  Light always comforts.  And the light that Jesus gave us is in fact so bright, that it is powerful enough to share with others.  Because of that, he actually commands us to share it!  He says, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14).  We have an opportunity to share the light of Christ in these coming days.  We all have people around us that are stumbling in the darkness, and God has given us an opportunity to shine light into their lives.  This week, you can shine by writing a note to a loved one, dropping off a gift to a neighbor, or simply checking in with someone who has been isolated for a long time.  When you do these things, you are sharing that light with others that need it.

On Christmas Eve, we will share the light with each other as we pass the candlelight down the aisles and light up our beautiful worship center.   But I encourage you to pass that light on long before you walk into our church doors.  One way to pass it on is simply through an invitation.  If you plan to stay at home on Christmas Eve, pass on the online link to our 4PM broadcast. If you plan to attend in person, invite someone to join you for one of our three services, 2PM, 4PM, and 6PM.  We have added a third service this year to welcome others, and still be able to maintain our current space standards in the worship center.  So prayerfully consider who God might be leading you to share your light with, and I believe many will be ministered to through our services this year.

I look forward to seeing you this Sunday as we have another big weekend ahead of us.  We’ll have live caroling in the lobby, our children will enjoy the Bethlehem Village (with live animals), and I will present our final message in our “Unwrapping Christmas” series.   Keep shining this week, and I look forward to seeing you Sunday.

What a powerful Sunday we had together!  I hope you enjoyed Sunday morning as much as I did.  It was exciting to see our children in pajamas enjoying train rides and hot chocolate, and it was wonderful to have Veritas help lead us in both of our worship services.  We experienced another “pandemic-record” in attendance that morning, and then we welcomed hundreds of people that evening for an amazing outdoor event, Christmas Under the Stars (see recap video below).  The event was filled with laughter, fun, and powerful worship that served as a public testimony to the birth of our King.  I’d like to thank our entire staff and the 50+ volunteers that worked so hard to make it happen.  Your efforts paid off, as I believe God used that event to bless our church and our entire community.  We were honored to register over 100 new guests that evening, and we pray that we will be able to minister to them even more in the coming days.

That is what Christmas is all about!  We are always called as a church family to love those that God has placed around us, but I believe that responsibility is even greater during this difficult season.  Our world is filled with darkness, but we are called to shine brightly as a city on a hill (Matt 5:14).  When we do so, we demonstrate to the world that Jesus’s words were true when he said “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).

We have the light of life in us, and because of that, we have an opportunity to shine brightly for Him this Christmas.  Our deacons shined brightly last week, as our servant-leaders were commissioned to deliver 100 poinsettias to widows and members that cannot join us in person at this time.  The gift of those flowers, as well as their presence, greatly ministered to those who needed a personal touch.  Our music ministry is shining brightly, as Dodie Morris and Richmond Dewan have put together an amazing online Christmas production to minister to people anywhere in the world (see trailer below).  I hope you are making plans to join us online, or in person for the viewing party this Sunday at 6pm in the worship center.  But more than that, I hope you make plans to share the video with someone that needs to experience the Light. 

This Sunday we will all shine brightly through our generosity.  This weekend is our annual mission project, “White Christmas,” and our church family will continue to provide food and relief for those who need it most this season.  I encourage you to bring your goods with you to worship this Sunday, or drop them off this week at the bins located by the main entrance driveway.  Your gift of mercy will bring light and hope into those homes.  And lastly, we all have an opportunity to shine brightly this month as we close out our budget year.  God has blessed our church and community tremendously through your continued generosity and faithfulness.  Our ministries have not slowed down during this pandemic.  Rather our ministries have not only pressed on, but they have even expanded!  We have been able to bless others in need, extend our online reach, and continue to offer excellence in live worship, Bible study, and children’s ministry because of you.  Thank you for being faithful and steadfast in a year that has been filled with storms.  God is shining through this church and I am excited to see what He is going to do as we strongly close out our annual budget through year end giving.

My prayer is that God will continue to bless you and our entire church during this important season.  May He continue to bless us, and keep us, and shine His face upon us.  Bring your White Christmas gift with you this Sunday, and come ready to worship and meet with the Lord.  The best is yet to come.

Christmas is officially here at ABC!  I want to thank all of our amazing volunteers for putting in many hours to decorate and transform our church for the holiday season.  The church looks absolutely beautiful, and I believe every person that walks through our doors this month will feel encouraged and welcomed because of the environment you helped create.

I think creating such an environment is especially important this year.  Normally this time of year, our country is naturally rejoicing and celebrating as we approach Christmas day.  However, I think we can all agree that this year is different.  Many are discouraged by our present challenges and anxious regarding the future, and because of that, our country is lacking its regular Christmas cheer.  And while all of those challenges are undeniable, so is our hope that we have in Jesus Christ.  So be careful to not allow the enemy to rob you of the joy that God has already given us through His son.

The prophet Habukkuk knew a lot about cultural challenges.  During his ministry, he was discouraged by Assyria’s heavy hand over Israel.  And in the book of Habakkuk, he cried out for relief from the Lord.  To his surprise, God answered that prayer by informing him that things were only going to get worse in the coming days.  God told him that He was preparing to send the Babylonians to further discipline and pillage Israel.  But after Habakkuk processed that devastating news, he came to an amazing conclusion.  He said, “Though the fig tree should not blossom,  nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls,¹⁸ yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation” (Habakkuk 3:17-18).

This month, I encourage you to follow Habakkuk’s lead and remember to rejoice, regardless of our challenging circumstances.  We will take joy in the God of our salvation this Christmas season at ABC.  We will not allow the present darkness to make us forget that the Light has already come!  I encourage you this month to rejoice and celebrate Christmas with your family, but also with your church family.  We will celebrate safely to minimize risk, but we will indeed celebrate the Light because He is worthy of our praise.

The celebration at ABC will begin this Sunday December 6^th.  The vocal group, Veritas, will be joining us in worship this weekend to help lead us in our services (see below for one of their music videos).  We’ll also provide some extra Christmas cheer for our children that morning, as they will enjoy a “Polar Express Sunday,” wearing their pajamas, drinking hot chocolate, and going on a train ride during BFG’s.  Later that afternoon we will be hosting an amazing community event called, “Christmas Under the Stars.”  To once again minimize risk, we are hosting this event outdoors with lots of space, and all the fun will begin at 4:30PM with a Christmas festival featuring train rides for the kids, a petting zoo, a snow slide, snowball fights, food trucks, and a live ice sculptor.  At 6:30PM Veritas will provide a full Christmas concert outside with plenty of space for everyone to spread out in the field to enjoy it.  Bring a lawn chair/blanket, and don’t worry, we will have some heaters on site!  It will be a powerful time of worship, and a great witness to the world as they hear the name of Jesus Christ lifted up on our church grounds.

I hope you plan to join us, and even more than that, I hope you plan to invite someone to come with you.  Many in our city need some joy right now, and this will be a great opportunity for ABC to shine brightly in a city navigating through darkness.  If you have Facebook, take some time to share this promotional video online (CLICK HERE).  Post it on your personal page and pass it on to any neighborhood pages that you may associate with.  Make a few calls/texts this week to help share the gift of Christmas with others who need it.  Rejoice in the Lord and take joy in the God of our salvation!  I look forward to celebrating with you this Sunday.

I hope you all are getting ready for a wonderful Thanksgiving week!  I know next week may look a little different than the Thanksgivings from previous years, as some of you have perhaps altered your travel and gathering plans.  But nonetheless, I do pray that each of you still takes the opportunity to come together with some loved ones to give thanks for all that God has done.  Psalm 9:1 says “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.” This psalm tells us that it is important for each of us to not only give thanks, but to also give thanks specifically.  This coming week, we all need to recount the wonderful things God has done in our lives.

If are struggling to create that specific Thanksgiving list, I would encourage you to think a little longer.  This is because we are told that anything good in our lives came from above (James 1:17), and we have reason to give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thess 5:18).  For instance, we can all give thanks for the breath we are breathing (Isaiah 42:5), for the families we’ve been placed in, for the community of faith we belong to, for His consistent provision of food and shelter, for our freedom in this country, and most of all, for our freedom in Jesus Christ.  Personally, I can tell you that I am thankful to each of you at ABC for allowing me to serve as your Pastor.  I’m thankful for your prayers, encouragement, and for the warm welcome you have given me and my family these past 4 months.  I’m thankful for our phenomenal staff and lay-leaders.  I’m grateful for the new visitors, new members, and baptisms that we’ve been able to celebrate these past few months.  I’m thankful for God raising up the biggest deacon class in church history, as we added 28 qualified men into our fold last Sunday.  I’m thankful for church growth and for steadfast stewardship, even amidst a pandemic.  I’m thankful for technology helping us bridge the gap to those who wish they could be with us physically.  And I am thankful for what God is going to do in this coming Christmas season, as I know He will use His church to shine brightly for Him.  My list could go on and on, but instead of continuing to read mine, I would encourage you to go make your own. Then share that list, first with the Lord, but then also with those around you. If you do, I think you’ll find it to be good medicine for your soul.

This weekend will feature a special Sunday in the life of our church.  For the first time at ABC, we are going to have a “Missions Sunday.”  In a spirit of Thanksgiving, we’re going to thank God for what He is doing to advance the Gospel around the globe.  We’re going to do this by bringing in a special guest speaker, Dr. Gordon Fort.  Dr. Fort is the Senior Ambassador for the IMB.  He has been devoted to Missions his entire life, as his ministry began when he grew up in Zimbabwe as one of 5 boys born to medical doctor missionary parents.  Since those early days, Dr. Fort has gone on to serve in a myriad of leadership positions for the IMB since his appointment in 1985.  I look forward to him encouraging our church family, and challenging us, to become even more Missions-minded in the days to come.  We will also promote our upcoming Lottie Moon offering and encourage all of us to prayerfully consider how we can be a part of it. I hope you plan to join us for a great weekend.  If you have family or friends visiting, we’d love to meet them at church this weekend!  Have a wonderful rest of your week and we’ll see you Sunday.

We had an amazing Veteran’s Day weekend at ABC!  Our Wall of Honor proudly displayed 108 heroes that faithfully served our country, our music ministry led us well in worship, and Ken Wallingford did an incredible job sharing his story as a POW in Vietnam.  I’d like to thank Ken for sharing that powerful testimony, and for teaching us what it means to truly pray in submission.  

Our church’s momentum continues to grow, as we saw yet again another record attendance for this pandemic season.  God is at work in our church family and we indeed have much to be thankful for.  It’s important for us to pause and give thanks for the things that He has done, and is currently doing, in our midst.  If we do not force ourselves to stop and reflect, it’s likely that we will overlook the clear gifts of grace that He has generously placed in lives.  

My three children all have different personalities, but they also share some commonalities.  For one thing, their first words were all alike.  As toddlers, I remember when they began saying those sweet first words such as “mama” and “da-da.”  However, I also remember that they all shortly thereafter transitioned to less pleasant words such as “no” or “mine!”  I didn’t have to teach them those words, they just seemed to come natural to them.  This is because selfishness is not a learned behavior; it’s something that comes naturally to all of us due to the Fall (Genesis 3, Psalm 51:5 ESV).  Because of that, all parents try to chip away at this vice in their children’s lives.  One of the primary ways is by teaching our kids some simple, courteous words such as “please” and “thank you.”

As adults, we too sometimes need a gentle reminder to say “thank you.”  We live in a world that is easy to pick apart, criticize, and complain about.  It is easy to cast stones in politics, in our families, and yes, even in the church.  And if we are not careful, we will overlook the countless blessings that God has bestowed on each of us.  We’re told, “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever” (1 Chronicles 16:34 ESV).  In the New Testament, Paul goes on to say that our thankfulness to the Lord should never be contingent on any outward circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18 ESV).  This is because His love for His people does endure forever.  Our Father has richly blessed every believer with the saving grace of His Son, and the common grace of countless blessings on this earth (James 1:17 ESV).  It’s a fair question to ask then: have you stopped to give thanks for those things this week?

To help us do that, we are going to pause and gather as a church family on Wednesday, November 18^th.  We are pressing forward with our annual Thanksgiving event, however this year we are going to scale it down to dessert-only due to COVID complications.  This event will be a wonderful opportunity for all of us to come together and celebrate the blessings that God has poured out in our individual lives, as well as in the life of our church.  Please make plans to join us, and consider making a contribution that will go towards The Trotter House ministry: https://www.austinbaptistchurch.com/thanksgiving

This Sunday, I look forward to returning to the pulpit to wrap up our mini-series on the Lord’s Prayer.  I hope you make plans to join us, and I encourage you to invite someone that needs to experience the life and ministry that can only come from His local church.  I look forward to giving thanks with you this Sunday.