Here are some photos from the Grand Opening (events) of the Twin Falls, Chick-fil-A on January 10, 2013! The overall experience was fun. For me this was more than a business opening. There is no secret that I enjoy a Chick-fil-A sandwich, but this store represents something bigger to me. I had my first Chick-fil-A in Salt Lake City during the Winter Olympics of 2002. I had known of Chick-fil-A for a long time, but had not lived anywhere near a restaurant. After I read the autobiography of Truett Cathy shortly after that first chicken sandwich, I knew this would be a restaurant I would want to hope to succeed. And succeed they have.
I’m asked upon occasion about the decision I led Eastside Baptist through a few years ago as a church to repent and cease from age segregation of the ministries. I’m challenged by some about what this means about churches who don’t do as we have. I’m told that to use the word “repent” means that we think all churches who do not repent too are living in sin. I cannot speak for any other church but the one I am accountable to the Lord for. The one I will have to answer for. This transformation was with a sober reality of how much the world had had a grip on my ministry philosophy.
While preparing to preach through Judges I have been also looking for the warning signs from the New Testament that the modern church seems to ignore. These warnings are not spoken about from the pulpit very often and when it is, it offends the ears.
“…what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God.” (2 Cor 6:15-16 NASB)
I have also come across this warning from a deceased modern day preacher.
“God’s chosen people in the Old Testament were a segregated people and His purchased people int he New Testament were bidden not to integrate with this world. This is not physical separation, for we must live among the souls we are to evangelize. We are to be utterly distinct in spirit. Our approach, our motives and objectives and attitudes toward everything must be totally different, for we have the mind of Christ. This goes deeper than non-participation in dancing, card-playing, social drinking. Paul list the incompatibles that take in everything. Righteousness and unrighteousness: today these have become not merely relative but nonexistent in the modern mind – “the new morality” proves that! Light and darkness: when light comes in, darkness goes out-today a twilight has been created, neither day nor night, and men creep around in conditions of low visibility.
Christ and Belial: no “concord” there – today some thinkers would include the world in the church but the world’s friend is God’s enemy. The temple of God and idols: We have let Jezebel set up her altar to Baal beside the altar of Jehovah, mix the mystery of iniquity with the mystery of godliness. We need a new segregation of the church but the swing is entirely in the other direction of integration with the age. Thereby the church loses her identity and merges into the society she was meant to change. Of course it is part of the program of Antichrist, but God will have His faithful few in Sardis who shall walk with Him in white, for they are worthy.” ~ Vance Havner
I only have one winter camping experience and looking to make a second. Several years ago Wilderness Adventure Ministries (WAM) hosted a winter camp event for men and boys just north of Soldier Mountain Ski Resort. With a total of about 16 we made our way through a severe snow storm to meet up with our snow cave expert, Ernie. After Ernie took one look at the crew I brought with me he decided it might be better if we camp out at the Camas Prairie Bakery, a plan I thought would be like a dream come true.
So we did. And it was.
I often thought that there would never be a better winter camping story to tell than that one. Until the news of the grand opening of the new Chick-fil-A in Twin Falls was announced, and January 10 was the date of choice. I’m looking forward to the challenge of a 24 hour tailgate party in the parking lot of Chick-fil-A. I’m always looking for a challenge. The good news is that KFC is just down the street if I get hungry waiting for the Chick-fil-A to open.
I’ll keep you posted with live updates at Facebook.
What can you do to help? Thanks for asking…
Come by for a visit. If selected to be among the “first 100” I’ll be in the parking lot of CFA beginning 6AM, January 9 – 6AM, January 10. If the CFA cow is around we’ll get a picture with the cow.
visit the Twin Falls Chick-fil-A Facebook page and “like” the page. Twin Falls is a much smaller market than most CFA markets. Help me welcome CFA to small town, Idaho, USA.
Honk if you happen to be driving by.
Come have breakfast with me at 6:30AM on January 10. We’ll go dutch: I’ll be using my first free meal coupon. It’s gonna be a Chick-fil-A Day!
Yesterday was the first of two series that we began at Eastside. Sunday mornings I am preaching through the Book of Judges and the first Sunday of every month we are examining doctrinal truths. Here are the links to the preaching for the first Lord’s Day of 2013.
What have you been reading from the Bible this week? I’m not meaning from a devotional book (as helpful as they are) I’m meaning; what have you read from the Bible and how has it influenced your thinking and behavior? I would like to hear from you on this… leave a comment below.
This has been an impact on me this week:
15 But I have used none of these things. And I am not writing these things so that it will be done so in my case; for it would be better for me to die than have any man make my boast an empty one. 16 For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel. 17 For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me. 18 What then is my reward? That, when I preach the gospel, I may offer the gospel without charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel. (1 Corinthians 9:15-18 NASB)
Eastside has had the blessing from the Lord to have the resource of Sermon Audio for three years. This resource is not free and is not inexpensive. Yet the Lord has led a sweet couple (who do not live in Twin Falls or Idaho) to provide this ministry.
Since Eastside began broadcasting with Sermon Audio we have had 3,442 MP3 downloads. Every month I receive a monthly report from Sermon Audio that gives statistical data on the activity of our site.
This afternoon (12/31/2012) I decided to attempt to capture a snow flake with my camera (Kodak easyshare M583)
I first took my black gloves out to take pictures of the giant flakes that were falling. This worked
fine but the flakes seemed to melt quickly on the leather gloves. Next, I took my black hat out to see if the flakes would melt slower on a different fabric. This too worked well, but my camera would not focus on the snow flakes for some reason. Next I moved out in front, set up the step latter and a black coat to capture the flakes. Each adjustment I made would improve the focus of the camera but I decided the brightness of the already fallen snow was too bright. I made other attempts with slight adjustments on lighting and background but still had trouble with focus on the detail of the flakes. The final attempts were when I looked over to the 1992 Jeep Cherokee and the flakes seemed to be waiting for me to take their picture. So I did.
In this day of mass production of the same product, it is refreshing to know that there is a Maker who is displaying his glory with the smallest of details.
The following photos are a result of the afternoon project.
All pictures in today’s post were taken on the Kodak easyshare M583. The single snowflake was cropped using Picasa 3.
As I’m preparing to begin preaching through the book of Judges I have been studying the concluding days of Joshua as the people prepare to take the inheritance promised to their fathers. Joshua’s sermon in Joshua 24, has required long moments of meditation and consideration. It has brought a soberness to my mind with consideration to the gospel. It has confirmed the caution that must come with the preaching of the gospel, meaning warning people must consider the cost of following Christ. Too many times the gospel is preached as cheap grace. Too few times is the gospel preached with this kind of boldness.
These verses have become significant to me as I prepare for the preaching of Judges.
19 Then Joshua said to the people, “You will not be able to serve the LORD, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgression or your sins. 20 “If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you after He has done good to you.” Joshua 24:19-20 (NASB)
What have you been reading in the bible this week? Share this significant Scripture with me here, I look forward to reading about what You are reading in Scripture.
As the snow continues to accumulate I thought I would share a quick favorite moment from the past few days with my family. We gathered at Silas and Bianca’s after the Christmas Eve service of Eastside Baptist Church. This was a first time in several years for Renee and I to have both boys present on Christmas. The first time to have Christmas with our daughters (in-law). And always a treat to be with Renee’s dad.
Several years ago I read about an idea of setting out shepherd bags instead of stockings on Christmas morning (HT: John Piper). I asked Renee what it would take to do this, and of course she was eager to help make this happen for us. We both went to work reading and researching what a shepherd’s bag even was. www.slinging.org became the main help on how to make ashepherd’s bag. I also thought I would make slingshots for everyone.
This is an idea I wish I had acted on years ago. But rather than wish I had done it again after this Christmas, we did it. Renee was a huge encouragement and participant in the project.
The main reason for doing this was to help keep a less secular emphasis on this important day. I think Christmas is worth every effort a Christian can put on it as a day that should evoke celebration and worship to God. Many times, however, this reason is lost in the secular rush of the moment. My family has made major shifts on how we handle this day but none as helpful as this one, I feel.
There were moments in the production hours that reminded me of our early years with small children in our home and little money. We usually made gifts for each other. It’s helpful that I’m married to a creative and capable wife who always helps.
The kitchen became a workshop once again, but this time with a fresh emphasis on a class of people who first heard the good news that the Messiah had been born in Bethlehem. I enjoyed researching and reading about the shepherds and the unlikely band of ruffians to receive such grand news.
I must say that Renee would get a little nervous when I would announce that I was going out again to check test the slingshot durability. I’m sure there were no window anywhere near a shepherd. How would you inform the insurance adjuster that your husband was out in the front yard testing the slingshot production when the rock hit the window? Fortunately we didn’t have to make that phone call this year.
Here are a few photos of the project. If you would like more information on this idea please let me know, I’ll be happy to share with you more.
Renee had already made the bags. My job was to add shoulder straps. A shepherd bag was used to hold a slingshot and rocks.The slingshot was a shepherds weapon to fight off predators. In this photo, Renee had just brought me lunch. Perfect meal for slingshot production.
fine but the flakes seemed to melt quickly on the leather gloves. Next, I took my black hat out to see if the flakes would melt slower on a different fabric. This too worked well, but my camera would not focus on the snow flakes for some reason. Next I moved out in front, set up the step latter and a black coat to capture the flakes. Each adjustment I made would improve the focus of the camera but I decided the brightness of the already fallen snow was too bright. I made other attempts with slight adjustments on lighting and background but still had trouble with focus on the detail of the flakes. The final attempts were when I looked over to the 1992 Jeep Cherokee and the flakes seemed to be waiting for me to take their picture. So I did.
As the snow continues to accumulate I thought I would share a quick favorite moment from the past few days with my family. We gathered at Silas and Bianca’s after the Christmas Eve service of Eastside Baptist Church. This was a first time in several years for Renee and I to have both boys present on Christmas. The first time to have Christmas with our daughters (in-law). And always a treat to be with Renee’s dad.
