Jamie Parler

I love great lyrics and man, the other day I found some on the new Selah record. Many great songs on this CD, but track 8 called unredeemed really spoke to me. I guess because I know a few people right now are going through some storms in their lives. My prayer is that these lyrics will bring comfort to those I know and any others who are going through tough times.

Life breaks and falls apart, but we know these are…. Places, where grace is; soon to be so amazing… It may be unfulfilled, it may be unrestored, but when anything that’s shattered is laid before the Lord, just watch and see, it will not be, Unredeemed.

In other words, the final chapter of your situation may not be written as of yet. But take heart, as a Christian God will complete the story. Your situation may be unfulfilled, it may be unrestored, but it will not be unredeemed. That’s the power of God in our lives.

About a year ago, our church was right in the middle of going through the study “Experiencing God” by Henry Blackaby. If you ever want to be challenged, pick up the work book and go through it as a personal devotional study. If studied and applied properly, it will literally change many things about your spiritual life.

For some reason lately, I have been reminded of a couple of paragraphs from the workbook (p. 143-144). I wanted to share them with you because it is easy to get upside down in our thinking of how church should be done, the Christian life should be lived, and what we should be doing to be a witness to others for Christ which can become labor intensive and often times draining with little results. Here are the quotes from Dr. Blackaby that will challenge this thought.

“What our world often witnesses today is a devoted, committed Christian or church serving God. They don’t see anything happening that can be explained only in terms of God’s activity. Why? Because we are not attempting anything that only God can do.

Our world is not being attracted to the Christ we serve because they are not seeing Him at work in our lives. They (the world) see us doing good things for God and comment ‘ That’s nice, but it’s not my thing.’ The world is passing us by because they do not want to get involved in what they see in our lives. We are not giving them opportunities to encounter God. They are only seeing us (did you catch that?). Let the world watch God at work and He will attract people to Himself. Let Christ be lifted up, not in words but in life. Let people see the difference the living Christ makes in a life, a family, or a church; that will affect how they respond to the Gospel. When the world sees things happening through God’s people that cannot be explained except that God himself has done them, the world will be drawn to such a God.”

God is the answer to every issue in life. Our job is deepen our relationship with him, join him where he is working, adjust our lives (obedience) and let God do the rest. Have a good day!

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Today (Tuesday morning) I have observed something that doesn’t happen that often. I have run into several people who have been in tears. Some of the people were adults and some were kids. Nonetheless, tears have been flowing today. They are flowing because it is the first day of school.

Mom’s are crying as they drop kids off, kids are crying because they got dropped off, and though I didn’t see any on the outside, I am quite sure that there were some teachers and school staff who were shedding their own tears. Yep it’s school time around here.

I wanted to take just a minute to say a couple of things. First, thanks to all of the teachers,principals, and other staff who are so committed to educating our folks. Secondly, I want to talk to Mom’s (and probably Dad’s though they never would admit they were upset this morning). I stopped and talked to a lady who thought she was able to keep it all together but then lost it when she dropped her son off at school this morning. She is an aquaintance of mine and I felt the need to console her when she was upset. She was having a hard time dealing with the reality that her son is growing up so fast. She honestly, was feeling a sense of loss; loss of a chapter in life. She said to me “I wondered if I rocked him enough, or did all of the things up until this point?” I did my best to remind her that she could rock him this afternoon at 2:40 if she would like because he hasn’t left home, he’s just started a new chapter. I want to encourage you to understand that. I’ll be brave enough to admit that last year when Elliott went into K-5 (I used K-5 because I didn’t know if I could actually spell kindergarten) that I cried. All at the same time, a new chapter began while an old one was closed and it’s hard. I ran into a teacher this morning who was being sympathethic to Mom’s but at the same time, she is facing the reality that her child was going off to college this year…Another chapter

So what’s the point? Well first, if you need to cry, just cry. It’s a natural, God-given emotion. And trust me today you will not be alone. Second, be thankful for the chapters. Third, Take action today while you are in the current chapter, so you will limit the regrets when the chapter is over. In other words, make them a priority now and be intentional in their lives. And finally, I sure hope you hear this one. They will always be your kids and they will always need Mom and Dad. Just because they are growing doesn’t mean they will forget you or they don’t need you, though it seems that way sometimes. At the age of 38, I need My Mom and Dad a bunch. When Jennifer and I got through talking with our friend today, I told her that I was going to drive to Columbia and let my Mom rock me. I’m sure she can’t wait for that. LOL!

Pray for your kids today, pray for our students today, Pray for the teachers today. Take some time to thank the Lord for the gift of life and be sure to tell your kids what they mean

I drove to Anderson last Thursday to attend the funeral of Jim King. Jim was a member of North Anderson Baptist where we attended while we lived in Anderson. Jim was known by his grandkids as Papa Jim and Papa Jim was dearly loved. He passed away of heart attack at the age of 70. He was a former clemson football player, a big guy, and dearly loved.

During the funeral the family instructed Pastor Bill to ask if anyone would like to stand up on his behalf and say something about Jim. It was somewhat unexpected and I had never seen that done before; therefore I chose to remain seated.

As I sat there I began thinking what if I did say something? What would I say about Papa Jim? Do you ever role play in your mind? Welcome to my world.

If called upon, here is what I would have said:

I knew Jim mostly in passing. We chatted, exchanged pleasnatries, shook hands, etc. He knew that I was a long suffering Gamecock fan and yet had mercy on me. I could say a lot of things about Jim because I was able to watch him. I watch people and I understand that people watch me. Of all of the things I guess I could say, I want to share two thoughts that went through mind as I sat here today. First, I remember a time a time where Bill preached a message, maybe even as a conclusion to a weekend for the youth that focused on purity. The invitation that night was about remaing pure if you weren’t married and faithful if you were. Mostly kids responded to the invitation, for this was aimed mostly at young folks. However, during the invitation I saw Jim get up (you couldn’t miss him) and walk up to the organ player, who happened to be his wife, Beth. He leaned in and whispered something in her ear and she smiled. I am only imagining that he was telling her of his plans to remain faithful to her in their marriage. At the age of 60-something, it still mattered to him that his wife knew where he stood in regards to his commitment to her.

Number two: The church was over capacity for seating at his funeral. There were people standing and even sitting in the choir loft for an opportunity to attend and pay their final respects. Here’s what struck me. The church isn’t that full on a given Sunday which means that people outside of the church attended, which ultimately meant one thing, Jim had an influence in the world. Isn’t that what we all are to do? Jesus calls it salt and light. Jim took what he knew as a Christian and impacted the very people he knew the most. Both of these two thoughts point to one conclusion. He lived what he believed. He was committed to the Lord and it showed in his life. Is there anything else more important? God bless you Papa Jim. Thank you for the example that you were and for the legacy that will remain for years and years to come! We all look forward to seeing you again one day.

I am a PLACE cheerleader. Now I can promise you that you would not want to see me in a cheerleading dress, but when called upon, I will eagerly pick up the pom-poms if you will, when it comes to PLACE. It may be because this is the tool God used to call me into full ministry after 12 years in the business. Or it may be just be because of the vast amount of knowledge that I have gained through the PLACE process in the last 6 years. Either way, my desire is to help others understand the value of this process and the impact it can have on them personally, others in their church, and ultimately the Kingdom as people give their lives away for the glory of God. You might would say that I have owned this.
I have met hundreds of people who have said “yeah, I’ve taken a personality assessment or a spiritual gift inventory before” and they leave it at that. It is obvious to me that they have found out some knowledge about themselves but it stopped there. In other words, they “know” it but they don’t “own it.” There is a difference between the two. “Knowing it” is nice…”owning it” is transformational. If you own this process it changes everything. It changes the way you see yourself, others, and directs you into a whole new world of new ministry opportunities; a world by the way, which you were created for.
If you haven’t taken the PLACE assessments, take time to do it now. It’s here on the web site. You are just a click away (www.northsidebc.org/place). If you have taken the assessments but haven’t “owned” the results, go back and dig a little deeper. You are sitting on a gold mine!

This morning I read Psalm 103:10-12. It says “He has not dealt with us according to our sins. nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the Earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear him; As far as the East is from the West,So far has He removed our trangressions from us.”

I heard the definition of Mercy and Grace explained this way. Mercy is not getting what you deserve. Grace is getting what you don’t deserve.That’s what this verse is saying as it relates to God’s mercy. Folks we can’t forget that we are sinners. Not only that, we have sinned against God who is Holy. Our sin separtes us from him and we deserve punishment. But for some reason he hasn’t punished us for what we have done. As a kid I could relate; I think we all can. Do you remember some of the crazy things that you did? Though you got busted, in some cases for some reasons you didn’t get “busted,” if you know what I mean. As a Dad there are times when Elliott deserves punishment, but instead he receives mercy. How did you feel when you were a kid to have mercy extended to you? It was a big sense of relief for me. And yet at the same time, I knew I better step back in that same hole because mercy may not be exteneded the next time.

How much more have we sinned and been extended mercy by God? What should we do with that? I would recommend that we go to him, draw close to him, and thank him for his mercy. That’s called worship. I hope that you will join us tomorrow as we gather corporately to worship our great God. But please don’t forget that you can worship him right now, right where you are. And you can do that anytime and anywhere. Thank God for his mercies that are brand new each day. Have a good weekend.

I have reached a new all time low….As many of you know by looking at me, I’m a fan of cokes and other fattening foods. As a cancer survivor, though I haven’t, up to this point, been very faithful to better health, I feel like I need to be a much better steward of my health. So i have done my best to do the hardest thing for me; give up coke….In order to do so, the only thing when water isn’t cutting it for me is unsweetened tea with Splenda. I have decided that I like splenda instead of the blue or pink packets. Here’s the getting old part ( i can’t believe I’m about to make this public). I actually carried some of the splenda packets in my pocket the other day with me to a restaurant just in case they didn’t offer splenda. In addition, I have put some in the ash tray of our vehicles as well. Then it hit me…I’m old! Aren’t those habits reserved for Moms and grandmoms? I have begun the “it won’t do unless it’s my preference” type of thing.

There are other things in my life that I could admit that would fall along those same categories. However, I must remind myself not to get set in my ways so much that I become inflexible.

Sure, we all have, and I will continue to have my preferences. But I have to make sure that I don’t force my preferences on someone else just for the sake of preference. We all face that battle. We can’t force our preferences, we have to work for the greater good. Preferences matter, should be considered because there is some wisdom there, but holding to a preference for preference sake is unhealthy. We all naturally gravitate toward our preferences. Just don’t allow them to let you become close minded. I apologize if I have ever done that to anyone.

One more thing about getting old. At what age does it become ok to wear those dark socks up to your knees with sandals and a pair of shorts? I don’t care if I live to be 175 years old, that will never happen! I know that you are to “never say never.” Well I’m saying it….NEVER!!!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a good day.

I had a conversation recently with someone who was telling me that they needed to make more money so they could afford their lifestyle. His solution was to find a higher paying job. As I thought about what he said I asked myself, does he really need to make money or could he stand to trim back a bit? I have seen many people fall into a trap. They feel like that whatever lifestyle they have obtained must be sustained. Who says? Don’t get me wrong, I get the American Dream concept and I’m not against advancing in your career. However, the answer may not be in more. In fact, it could be in less. It’s called trimming the fat. When corporations face economic challenges they look for ways to cut costs. Have you tried that in your own life? Before concluding that the only way out of your financial condition is to find a more high paying job (you know, the one that, along with more money, comes with more stress, and more time away from family and friends) look for other alternatives. Here are some ideas:
• Take an honest look at what you are spending, determine what are needs vs. wants, and ask yourself which wants can I do without to relieve some of the financial burden (trimming the fat)
• Eat out less (that’s a hard one for me to even write).
• Sell something!
• Make money from your hobbies. It could relieve stress because you enjoy it while relieving your financial burden at the same time. Most creativity is born out of a need.
• Take a part time job (short term) to get ahead financially

You need to get into a group! God has given all of us a great gift….each other. Who holds you up when you feel like you are drowning? Could you help hold someone else up? Life is happening all around. It affects each of us differently, but don’t be naive enough to think you can handle it by yourelf. There are no such things as “Lone Ranger” Christians yet there are many among us.

As C-Groups pastor, it is my job to promote C-groups. However, the more I see, the more I counsel, the more i experience….the more I see the need for everyone to be in a group with a shepherd. It’s not about numbers, it’s about life. There are a lot of questions, myths, and perceptions of getting into a group. If any of these types of obstacles stand in the way of you joining a group, please call me and let’s talk. I’ll shoot straight and answer any of your questions. You need to be in a group. And perhaps a group could need you. Have a good ‘ern!