A Father's Love

In many ways I am the busiest I've ever been in my life: family responsibilities have increased with Anita's new job; ministry at church is getting heavier in this new year with the many church visitors, new ministry opportunities, and ongoing affairs of church life; I'm overwhelmed by the reading and writing assignments in my Doctor of Ministry courses; and I've now taken an hour out of each day to pray. Not a day goes by that I don't feel snowed under and weighed down by too much to do! So what could make me drop everything I'm doing and give my total attention to something other than the normal daily stuff?

Yesterday Dane called from Covenant College and asked me to give him some ideas for a paper he had to write in a philosophy class. He's my son, he had a need, and I desperately wanted to offer him some help and support. So I spent about 4 hours late yesterday afternoon and evening reading and trying to find some resources that might be helpful to him. I emailed him back last night with some references for him to read and study for himself. Of course, he replied and said that by then he was basically finished with the paper but appreciated my help and might even use some of it! But it didn't matter to me - what mattered was that my son called me and was in need. I was going to respond!

Jeremiah 33:3 says, "Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known." Matthew 7:11 says, "If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!" My Father is delighted every time I call on Him and He is never too busy running the universe to give me His full attention and take care of me. What a joy to be His child!

That hour I've filled each day with prayer isn't just something else to do - it's a way to enjoy my dad who loves me more than I possibly imagine. Would you call on Him with me?

calling my dad,
Burt

sock heaven

Is there really a place where lost socks go? As one who washes clothes, I'm amazed at how every time I wash a load of clothes that includes socks, I put "X" number of socks in the washer but only take out "X - 1". Where do these things end up? The picture you see is a collection of poor souls who've lost their mates over the past few months!



I suspect we're not the only family that suffers from this malady. We've tried to clip them together, put them in washable bags, prayer and fasting, etc. but still socks seem to mysteriously vanish. Occasionally we have a reunion of sorts - the long lost mate is found and great rejoicing occurs in the Boykin home!

Part of the problem, obviously, is that Boykin boys socks are taken off in every room in the house and left there to somehow find their way to the laundry basket all by themselves . . . which they never do. These scattered socks are much like the unbelievers all around us who will never just find their way into the Kingdom. It takes the effort of God's people being faithful to the Biblical commands to go everywhere and proclaim the Gospel. God promises that as we do that He will be faithful to draw unbelievers to Himself! And every time one of these unbelieving sinners repents and embraces Christ there is great rejoicing in heaven.

There's not a sock heaven for lost socks - and there's not a heaven for lost people who don't know Christ. But there is HELL . . . is that okay with us?

seeking socks and souls,
Burt

Prayer Vision

If you attended worship yesterday at Community you heard me read my prayer vision for the coming year. In case you missed it, or want to read it again, here it is. I really do ask you to hold me accountable to it!

PRAYER VISION
Burt Boykin – 2006

After evaluating my current practice of prayer I’m confronted with my sin of unbelief, demonstrated by my lack of commitment to and minimal involvement in serious, Kingdom oriented prayer. Believing that prayer is the essential and basic way to show my utter dependence upon God and His grace, and in faith making a response to God’s promise in Jeremiah 33:3 (Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known), I commit by God’s grace to spend at least 1 hour each day of this year to Kingdom oriented prayer – focusing on the following areas: my heart, my home (biological and church), and the hopeless.

As I pray for my HEART I will ask the Lord specifically to:
· show me my sin and rebellion against God (Psalm 139:23,24)
· change and sanctify me by His grace (Titus 2:11,12)
· give me boldness as a leader (Acts 4:29)
· cultivate my love for others (1 Jn 4:7)

As I pray for my HOME I will ask the Lord specifically to:
· continue His covenant faithfulness with my children (Gen 18:19)
· give my wife the hope, riches, and power of the Gospel (Eph 1:15-22)
· use our home as a place of ministry (Rom 12:13)

· equip our elders and deacons for greater service (Acts 6:1-7)
· use each member to encourage others (Heb 10:24,25)
· establish and grow each member in the Gospel (Col 2:6,7)
· mobilize each member into a place of ministry (Eph 4:11-16)
· establish strong homes and marriages within the church (Eph 5:22- 6:4)

As I pray for the HOPELESS I will ask the Lord specifically to:
· bless Community Church with the needy and wounded (Matt 25:34-40)
· convict unbelievers of their sin and need of a Savior (John 16:8-11)
· draw people to Himself (John 6:44)
· use us to love sinners and proclaim the good news to them (Rom 10:13-15)


This 1 hour in prayer will typically divided into 4 segments,
each being a minimum of 15 minutes.

NORMAL DAILY SCHEDULE:
8:00 a.m. – emphasis on my heart; will pray alone, always with the Scripture open before me.

11:15 a.m. – focus on my home church, the Community Church family and her leaders; often will be with fellow church staff or a scheduled lunch appt; I will systematically pray for each member of the Community Church family

4:30 p.m. – emphasis on the hopeless; targeting local unbelievers as well as global outreach

8:00 p.m. (and/or later) – focus on the Boykin home; will pray with my wife and children, often together in a group, sometimes separately; will pray with Anita each night before bedtime.

I trust that by the end of the year this 1 hour will be at least 2 hours in length. I will pray believing that God not only ordains the ends, but also ordains the means by which He will accomplish His good and perfect will; and the means He has ordained is for His people to pray in faith, resting on the finished work of Christ, relying on the power of the Spirit. I believe “the victory will come and will come by prayer.” (Piper)



Also, if you were in worship with us you heard our speaker, Gary Cox, speak of how church leaders, especially pastors, have a big target on their back and Satan loves to attack us. I covet your prayers, not only for me, but especially for my family.




in fear and trembling,
Burt

What are we willing to risk?

Since Anita has started work over in 1 day surgery at Baptist Montclair, she's come home everyday with some great stories. Yesterday's was quite interesting!

A 50's something woman was in for some minor surgery. She was clearly much concerned about her appearance - hair was bleached, obvious breast augmentation (that's the accepted term these days), and very well-groomed. As anyone who's ever been around surgery knows, one of the standard questions asked prior to surgery is, "do you have any dentures, partials, or any other dental appliances in your mouth?" (This is for the safety of the patient because of the risk of them coming loose and choking the person.) Anita was one of two nurses who directly asked this lady and her answer both times was emphatically "NO." Anita and the other nurse never knew until the operating room staff sent the lady back because she had a full set of upper and lower dentures. She flat out lied and was willing to ignore the risk of death to protect her image!

So they took out her dentures and sent her back to surgery - leaving the dentures in a cup in the room to which she was to return. As they got word she was finished in surgery and would be back in a few minutes they went into her room and the dentures were gone! L.G. (the other nurse) asked her children and other family in the room if they'd seen the dentures, and their response quickly indicated they had no idea about mom's true dental situation. "I know she's had some veneer work done on her front teeth," said one child. L.G. quickly and tactfully diffused the situation and apologized for coming to wrong room! Come to find out the lady sent someone from the O.R. to fetch her dentures before she would return to her room and face her family. This is a story of someone enslaved to their self-image.

It's also a story about me and you - we all find things to attach ourselves to, becoming slaves to something other than Christ, something that we think will give us satisfaction and meaning in life. We all risk important things every day for the sake of "looking good" in the eyes of others.

As crazy is this lady in the story is, I'm right there with her - and so are you. Let's spend some time taking out our dentures and admitting to others that we're not as perfect as we'd like for them to think we are. Only the Gospel frees us to do this! All of us long for perfection - and though we won't attain it by ourselves, we have it in Christ!

setting my dentures in a cup,
Burt

Earthly Treasures

Anita and I are as sinful as any couple you'll meet. We covet, we're greedy, and we attach our hearts to idols just as much (probably moreso) as anybody you'll ever meet. Because of our sin the Lord has not allowed us to "store up" tons of earthly treasures. (As a child I grew up idolizing cars - God now graciously allows me to drive a previously wrecked '94 Honda.) But among the few true earthly treasures we have had is a Waterford crystal lamp we received as a wedding gift. And until yesterday we proudly displayed it and hoped that many would see our beautiful lamp. Here's what it looks like today!



"Do not lay up for youselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matt 6:19-21

It really was a nice lamp . . . too bad it's broken. But the good news is that we'll never have to worry about breaking it again! We're also thankful that all the heavenly treasure that is ours in Christ will never break. We need to invest more in that treasure.

treasuring Christ,
Burt

The Drawer

Everyone has one in their house - the one drawer where every piece of junk imaginable ends up, except the thing you're looking for.

Anita needed a small lock for her locker at work. "No problem, a few years ago we bought a 4-pack of small locks and only used 3 of them. The extra lock and key should be in 'the drawer.' Let me look for you." It was amazing - out came chunks of sidewalk chalk, used batteries, an old TV remote, packets of seeds for the garden, a picture of Seth and Yates holding baby Cobi, marbles, paint can lid openers, an old dog's vet tag, half used tea candles, secret documents revealing the location of Jimmy Hoffa, tons of other junk, and finally a lock, but NO key anywhere.

You have that same drawer in your house, don't you? As a kid my parents had one in our house. And now as an adult I have one of my own!

I think my heart is sort of like that drawer. I just keep putting stuff in there - a few good things, but mostly junk, and when I start looking for what I need I can't seem to find it. And what I often do find is stuff I wonder why I held on to for so long.

We're cleaning out the drawer this weekend. I'm not sure my heart can wait until then.

needing to dejunk,
Burt

A Call from the School Office

Getting a call from the school office or Principal is a dreaded thing by any parent. That's the last thing you want or need during a busy day. But just yesterday my phone rang and it was Yates saying, "Mr. McFarling wants to talk with you." Naturally a parent's first thoughts are either that my child is in serious trouble or he's hurt. (The fun part of this story is that Ronnie McFarling knows that, too!) As Ronnie takes the phone from Yates he tells me, "Just wanted to let you know that Yates made all 'A's on his report card; he's doing really well as a student." That's much better news than what a parent would expect to hear from the principal and I'm sure Ronnie gets a big kick out of messing with the minds of us parents! But I really appreciate Ronnie's willingness to take the time and energy to communicate not only the bad news of what kids do, but also the good news.

So often those of us in ministry we do a really good job of communicating to everyone how sinful we all are, that we're no good, that we deserve nothing but God's wrath and condemnation. And that's all very true! (This is also true in our view of ourselves, our Christian parenting and Christian friendships - we're quick to point out the faults and failures of ourselves and those around us.)

Read what Bryan Chapell writes on page 35 of his book "Holiness by Grace":

If we have become bogged down in a guilty depression, have begun to equate religious piety with endless despondency over our shame, or have identified honiness with unrelenting sadness, then we have not grasped the grace that marks the gospel. Grace distinguishes its possessors by their joy. The good news proclaimed in the Bible neith slights the sriousness of sin nor shades the wonders of the pardon and power God provides his people. This full gospel message must also characterize the attitudes of God's people, becasue those with whome we share Christ's living water will be affected by the springs from which we drink. If we are guilt-driven, then so will be our spouses, children, and coworkers. If we pretend to be guiltless, then we will encourage shameless behavios. However, if we exhibit joyful gratitude for the grace of God that pardons our guilt, then we will reproduce grateful spouses, children, and fellow believers who are zealous for God's purposes.

So as I thank Ronnie for taking the time to tell me the "good news" I have two points of personal application:

1. thank God for His telling me the "good news"
2. be more conscious of telling others not just about sin, but about the glorious forgiveness and grace that is the message of the Gospel

looking to tell the "good news,"
Burt

Who Needs to Be Humbled?

Anita started back to work just yesterday over at Baptist Montclair. She'll be working in the one-day surgery unit and (once finished with orientation & training) will only work a couple of days a week. But for a part-time job it's seems to be a really good one. In fact, I got curious and decided to compare her new job with mine.

She's not been in the workplace in 19 years, took a 5 week nursing refresher course, started looking for a job, and is now a staff nurse.

I've been in the same job for 19 years, during that time finished my masters degree and am presently working on a doctoral degree, and serve as the Sr. Pastor of a medium to large size church. (statistically speaking most churches in the US are under 100 members)

My conclusions: I know without a doubt God has called me into ministry and I love my job; couldn't dream of doing much else. Though I will ultimately bring home more money than will Anita this year, she'll make considerably more per hour than I do. There's where the humbling part comes in! Apparently God decided I needed a little more humility in my life and decided to use my wife's going back to work to do it.

We both wish she didn't have to work right now, but life can be expensive . . . especially with 7 boys, 1 in college and another just about ready to head off. We also both wish God would say He's finished humbling us. But we both know how much we need it and how graciously God moves us toward total dependence on Him.

a little more humbled today than yesterday,
and married to a wonderful wife,
Burt

The Tongue

Yesterday eating with Dane at Milo's was a disaster! It wasn't that Dane and I were at odds - we actually had a great conversation. It wasn't that the food was bad - it was Milo's . . . of course it was good. The problem was that I bit a hunk out of my tongue! A HUNK! In the middle of my #1 combo meal I bit my tongue - reached in with my finger to see if it was bleeding - it was - stuck a napkin in there to wipe off the blood - the napkin had blood pooled in it. At this point I'm thinking it must have been pretty bad so I asked Dane to look at my tongue. I grabbed it by the tip, pulled it out and to the right so he could see down the left side where I bit it. He uttered only one word - GUSHING! I interpreted that to mean there was a lot of blood coming out . . . the red napkins I kept pulling out of my mouth confirmed that diagnosis! It finally quit and I finished my #1 combo meal - tho in much pain (but you can't just toss out good Milo's food!)

I know what you're thinking - every time some Christian (particularly a pastor) starts to speak about the tongue, it's going to a lesson on all the evil words, sarcastic remarks, biting criticisms, rude comments, gossip, etc. that we speak. While it's certainly true that the Bible teaches us to guard our tongue against such sinful patterns of speech, we must also remember we're called to guard our tongue FOR the use of praise, adoration, and proclaiming the Gospel. At one point I honestly considered calling Steve to preach for me today because it hurt really bad to talk as my wounded tongue constantly brushed against my teeth. But God graciously brought a degree of healing and I was able to go ahead as planned and preach this morning. God reminded me that the tongue is to be guarded for His purposes!

So as we pray about our tongues let's not just pray that we wouldn't say bad stuff, but let's also pray that the Lord would protect our tongues and use them for His glory, for His praise, to proclaim His Gospel to those around us.

guarding my tongue to proclaim the Gospel,
Burt

Keeping up with showers

Anita asked Tanner a couple of days ago when he last took a shower. His answer was, "I don't know, I don't keep up with stuff like that. I just take one when somebody tells me to."

I guess there's good and bad in that. The good is that he's not so bound by routine - the bad is that some routines are pretty good ones! The good is that he's not overly concerned about his looks - the bad is that he probably should be. The good is that he's willing to take a shower when he's told - the bad is some things you shouldn't have to be told to do. The good is that he's still young and the smell hasn't gotten too bad yet - the bad is that he's getting older and the smell is starting to drift throughout the house.

This reminds me of the way I tend to deal with my own sin. If someone points it out to me and if it starts stinking too bad, I'll probably do something about it. But until then, "I don't keep up with stuff like that."

Two key applications for myself here: (1) Develop the discipline/routine/lifestyle of repentance. Daily showers of confession and cleansing in God's grace and forgiveness are actually good things. (2) Make sure I stay in the accountability relationship with my friend in B'ham who will faithfully remind me to take showers.

getting ready for a shower,
Burt

Family Reunion in Florida

After Christmas I took the whole family (yep, all 9 of us) down to Liberty County, FL for a family reunion. It was my mom's side of the family. She and all her siblings have passed on but it was a time for all us cousins and our families to get together. (aren't we a good looking group of cousins - my sister Edlyne is on the top right) We actually had a great time! My kids were even wanting to stay an extra day. Of all the "first cousins" from my mom's family I am the youngest, the baby of the bunch! And yes, I was reminded of that (notice how they made me get on the floor!) One of my cousins actually told me, "it's really hard for us to think of you as a pastor because you were such a spoiled, mean kid." Thanks . . . I loved traveling all the way down there to hear that!

But actually it's a great reminder to me of God's incredible grace. I, too, have a hard time thinking of myself as a pastor because I realize that deep down I'm still a spoiled, mean kid. Yet how amazing is it that God, in His mercy, would choose to use such a person as me!

We've sung a few times at Community the old song "Come, Ye Sinners." Read and sing to yourself these beautiful words.

Come, ye sinners, poor and wretched,
weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus, ready, stands to save you,
full of pity, joined with power.
He is able, He is able,
He is willing, doubt no more.

I stand in awe that God would invite and call such a sinner (spoiled, mean, arrogant, weak, etc.) as I and would even use me in His Kingdom work. Fellow sinner, Jesus invites you to join Him in the adventure of glorifying and enjoying Him in the Christian life. And because He is able and willing and powerful, don't doubt that He can use you.

still spoiled and mean but loved by Christ,
Burt