Thoughts From The Convention

The morning is off to a good start. Arose at 5:30 (after a late night last night) had a pleasant swim as the sun came up, and then my quiet time in God's Word. Now awaiting the others to get ready and depart for the Orange County Convention Center here in Orlando.

Due to a flat tire and accompanying difficulties on the Florida Turnpike, our arrival was delayed in Orlando. We arrived in time for a lunch reservation that Daughter in Law, Michelle had made, and then came to check in to the rented house. While Linda, Michelle, and the boys unpacked, Jay and I headed for "Tire Kingdom" to get another tire for the church van. The metal "S" from a bungee strap lying in the highway punctured two holes near the edge of the tire, so plugging it was not an option. By the time we got all that done, we were able to get to the Convention Center just as the evening session was getting underway.

Best I could tell, the Pastor's Conference had mostly been a pep rally for the Great Commission Task Force's Report which will be delivered this afternoon. I did not hear each speaker, of course, but what I did hear last night from Ronnie Floyd and Mac Brunson was troubling. Floyd, who is the chairman of the Task Force put heavy pressure on the Messengers to pass the recommendations that the Task Force will bring to the floor today. Failure to do so, would indicate our unwillingness to carry out the plan of God. Mac Brunson, Pastor of First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, FL, made it plain that these men who are leaders of our Convention had reached down to where we are to lift us up to where God wants us to be. The whole thing was unseemly, and one State Convention official told me that this kind of behavior in the Pastor's Conference was unprecedented.

Now, I am not personal friends with any of the Task Force members, but I have met a few of them. They are men and women of great reputation and many accomplishments. Many of these are men whom I respect and have admired for many years. But in the Madison Avenue like campaign to push their recommendations through, one would think this committee had been called by God at a burning bush, rather than being hand picked and appointed by Convention President, Johnny Hunt! While I appreciate the work, prayer, time, and money (lots and lots of money) spent on this task (for which I voted, by the way), we all need to remember that what they are presenting to us are RECOMMENDATIONS, not inspired edicts from the Almighty, etched in stone by His omnipotent finger.

I can support most of the recommendations, but I can see little that most of the recommendations have to do with the Great Commission. It is about methodology. We all agree on the Great Commission! It is our mission,! This report just seems to be somewhat self serving to some mega churches, and putting much more emphasis on designated giving. It appears to target NAMB, The Executive Committee, and the State Conventions, and simply adds more Cooperative Program money to the International Mission Board. While the IMB's work is immensely important, it in itself, is not "The Great Commission". It is an important part of it, but the Great Commission involves more than JUST Evangelism. I don't like the direction this thing has taken, and I am deeply troubled in my spirit about the "us against them" vibrations. Dr. Floyd's impassioned remarks last night left the clear impression that anyone who voted against the whole package, is voting against the Great Commission. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

The whole thing reminds me of a conversation that took place between my son, Jay, and his older son, Quint, a few months ago. There was a discussion going on about some issue, and Quint was paying close attention to the adult conversation. Jay asked ten year old Quint, what his opinion was in the matter.

Quit gave him his opinion, and Jay promptly said, "No. That is wrong."

I love what Quint replied.

"No, you asked for my opinion. That's what I gave you. It's neither right or wrong. It is my opinion."

I would pray that all of our SBC brethren might take a deep breath today and remember exactly what the GCTF report is - an opinion.

The nearly 10,000 messengers all have their own opinions. Let us prayerfully consider the options, and let us vote on each of the recommendations. But most of all, may the Lord's will be done, and may He be glorified.

On another note, my friend and fellow West Virginia pastor, Jim Drake, will be nominated today for First Vice President. I wish him well and look forward to voting for him.

Well, Jay is ready and we're off! Will post again later tonight, and may tweet a little through the sessions today. Check it out at pastoradkins/twitter.

Thanks For Your Concern and Prayers

Just a note to those of you who were concerned by the last post, to let you know, I was released from Kings Daughters Medical Center's Heart and Vascular Center on Sunday afternoon. All of the EKG's, blood work, echo cardiograms, and the stress test, indicated there were no apparent cardiac problems. So apparently the little incident on Friday afternoon was a false alarm.

The outpouring of calls, cards, Facebook posts, emails and prayers were truly comforting and deeply appreciated.

I made it back to church in time for the Deacon Meeting and evening service. Enjoyed sitting back and listening to Dad preach.

Linda and I are looking forward to leaving early Sunday morning for the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Orlando, Florida. We will be meeting up with our older son, Jay, and his family and look forward to spending the week with them in Orlando. We will be making a week of vacation out of the trip to the Convention.

I am thankful for the time away from the normal routine. Linda and I can both use the break! Also thankful for those who will fill the Westmoreland Baptist Church pulpit for the two Sundays I will be gone. My Dad, Rev. Caudle Adkins, Jr. will be speaking in the Sunday morning service on June 13th. On the 20th we will be blessed in the morning service with a 50 member Youth Choir and Drama Team from First Baptist Church at Bowling Green, Kentucky. Both Sunday nights (13th and 20th) will be covered by Chan Arnett of Catlettsburg, KY. Chan is an outstanding young Bible teacher, and we will be combining our adult and youth services at 7:00 PM on those two nights.

Thanks again for all your prayers and words of encouragement. I am blessed beyond measure with so many friends, and to serve as an under shepherd to the precious community of believers here at Westmoreland.

"The Best Laid Plans..."

The older I get, I am regularly reminded how things can change in just a matter of moments. As Scottish poet, Robert Burns, wrote, "The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry". I had a lot of plans when I arrived home from New Orleans at 9:05 on Thursday evening. It had been a real frustrating experience which began upon my arrival at Louis Armstrong International Airport. I had already checked in for my flight on line and had printed my boarding passes. Jay's family and I had said our goodbyes at the drop off point, and with only a carry on and a brief case, all I had to do was clear security and head for my departure gate.

Things got complicated when I checked the departure board in the terminal and noticed that my Delta Airlines flight from New Orleans to Cincinnati had been cancelled. Time and space here will not allow me to give all the details (and I really don't want to go over them again) but suffice it to say that Delta had plans for me to leave the next morning and arrive home on Friday night, 24 hours later than expected. That arrangement was not acceptable to me nor to another gentleman from Flatwoods, KY who was ahead of me in line. We both had important business in the Tri-State on Friday and we pressed the ticket agent to make other arrangements. Long story short, Delta was good enough to book us on a US Airways flight that was leaving in 20 minutes for Charlotte. Mr. Andre and I arrived at the gate just as the flight to Charlotte was boarding, and the adventure was on, facing really tight connections in Charlotte and Cincinnati. Fortunately we did make it to Cincy just in time to catch our late flight home.

I had lots of plans for this weekend. It was important that I get into the office for a full day's work on Friday. There were hospital visits to make, final sermon prep, two radio programs to record and get to the station by Monday, some writing to do, and a lot of administrative stuff which had piled up for a week.

Saturday was also going to be a very busy day, with the monthly men's prayer breakfast at the church, the final Upward Soccer games, my grandson, Will's, Little League championship playoff game, a week's growth of grass to mow, and a surprise 25th Anniversary party for Scott and Carla Bell that evening. If the weather would cooperate, I figured I could manage to get it all in.

Then, of course there was Sunday looming with two messages to deliver, high school and college graduates to recognize, a church fellowship dinner, and a deacon meeting to attend. Things looked like they might ease up by Tuesday, after our Upward Soccer Award Celebration and cook out at the church on Monday evening. That would give me four more days to get everything ready to leave early next Sunday for the Southern Baptist Convention in Orlando.

Lots of plans. Tight schedule, but do-able, I thought.

Not!

About 2:40 on Friday afternoon, after a very busy morning of hospital visits and other necessary errands, I was working away in my study when I noticed that something was wrong. There was a deep "discomfort" in my chest. Can't really call it "pain", but a heavy pressure was there, accompanied by shortness of breath. It was enough to concern me, knowing that Sonia, our church secretary, would be leaving for the day in just a few minutes. The discomfort was strong enough that I was not too crazy about being in the building alone, should the unthinkable happen. I lay down on the sofa in the parlor outside my study and breathed deeply and after 10 minutes or so, the pressure had eased, so I headed back to my desk to continue my work.

Deacon Charley Dygert stopped by just before 3:00 and Sonia quietly advised him of my little episode . Charley came in my office with obvious concern on his face. I explained to him that it was just a passing thing and that if I were going to have had a heart attack it would have certainly been the day before, when I was carrying a 30 pound bag and running thorough airports in New Orleans, Charlotte, and Cincinnati. I have a lot of respect for Charley and his good common sense, so I listened to what he had to say. He told me that for some time he had ignored similar symptoms, until one day he had "the big one". Charley had undergone a multiple bypass open heart surgery, and he strongly encouraged me to head on down to King's Daughters Medical Center in Ashland, KY (where I live) and tell them what had happened. Somewhat reluctantly, I promised Charley I would do so.

Linda was on her way home from work when I arrived at the house and, naturally, she kicked into crisis mode and drove me to the hospital. The ER waiting room was full of folks and I figured it would be a long wait. However, when I told the lady at the sign in window about my symptoms, a wheel chair was called for, and I was whisked back to cubicle number three, post haste.

I fully expected to have to spend the night, but I didn't think I would be spending the whole weekend. After all, I had way too much to do this weekend. Right?

Well, now it's Sunday morning. Normally at this time I would be on my way to the church, with much to accomplish before services begin. Not today. Right now, I am sitting in room 4J416 of the Heart and Vascular Center at King's Daughters, waiting for them to come get me for my stress test. I missed the prayer breakfast. I missed the final Upward games I had hoped to visit. I missed Will's playoff game (they lost), two neighbor boys mowed my grass, and I could only call Scott and Carla to wish them a happy anniversary. Randy Spurgeon will be preaching in my place this morning, and Dad is scheduled to handle things for tonight. Life goes on without me, and things will go just fine.

So, here I sit, awaiting my stress test and the results of yesterday's echo cardiogram. Those will determine if I go home later today, or stay on for a heart catherization. Naturally I am hoping for the former.

By the way - did I mention that I haven't had a chest pain since I have been here?

Why would all this happen, when I have had so much to do?

Perhaps three reasons.

1. I may have a physical problem that needs to be dealt with - now! If that is the case, I will forever be in the debt of Sonia, Charley, and Linda who all urged me to get checked out. If not -

2. I have ministered for years to folks who have had various heart procedures done. Perhaps the Lord has determined that I needed some more "training" to be better equipped to understand the emotions that accompany such situations for these folks and their families. (He has already taught me such lessons regarding cancer patients!)

3. Or perhaps, God just needed to remind me of something that I should have already known. I am not in control. He is! I should make my plans accordingly.

Our Lord's half brother, James, wrote in his little epistle in the New Testament these Holy Spirit inspired words:

" Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit"; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that." But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." (James 4:13-17)

OK Lord. I get it! Forgive me of the sin of presumption.

I'll do my best to stay busy in the work in the time I have remaining - If it is YOUR will.

Class. Real Class!

On June 2, 2010 an event happened in Detroit that will live forever in baseball lore. A young pitcher for the hometown Tigers lost his bid for a perfect game against the Cleveland Indians, with two outs in the ninth inning. Armando Galarraga became the 10th pitcher in baseball history to lose his bid for baseball immortality (27 up - 27 down) with only one out remaining between him and perfection. The thing that makes the Galarraga's loss more notable than the other nine heart breakers was the fact that the first base umpire, Jim Joyce, missed the call.

Granted, it was a "bang-bang" play at first base. Joyce had what he considered good position on the play. The pitch that should have been the final out of the gem was hit just left of first base. The Tigers first baseman went to his right to field the ball cleanly. Galarraga ran to first to cover the bag and take the throw. It's a routine play. Pitchers and first basemen practice that play from the time they are in Little League. It was executed perfectly, but the Umpire called the runner safe.

Baseball has long been called a game of inches. Umpires are called upon to make judgment calls in every game. The balls and strike calls are all based on the Umpire's concept of the strike zone. A couple of inches can make the difference. Line drives hit down the foul lines can , by mere inches, determine the outcome of a game. Close plays at the bases or at home plate are regular occurrences, and baseball Umpires are called upon to make a quick judgment call. Baseball has no rules that allow Umpires to review the plays. There is no "after further review, the call is overturned" announcements in Major League Baseball. Perhaps there should be, but there isn't, and that is an issue for another post. The burden rests squarely on the shoulders of the Umpire. Often they are correct. Sometimes they are wrong. In this case, the television replay showed that Joyce blew it.

He stood by the call. He knew it would be unpopular (to say the least) but he thought he had made the right call. He incurred the wrath of the nearly 20,000 fans who watched the replay on the Jumbo Tron. He took a brutal tongue lashing from Tiger Manager, Jim Leyland, and stoically walked off the field to a chorus of boos when the final out was recorded. As soon as he hit the Umpire's quarters, he asked the clubhouse man to que up the replay of the video. There he realized, he had blown the call.

In a post game interview, Joyce was contrite and nearly in tears, when he said, "I feel terrible! That kid worked his ____ off and I cost him a perfect game. I blew it!" He promptly called the Tiger's clubhouse to apologize to Galarraga. To the young man's credit he took the call, and graciously told the host of reporters gathered round him, "No body's perfect. He recognized he missed the call, and he called me to apologize. Umpires don't do that."

Galarraga was one out from perfection. He was one out away from becoming only the 21st pitcher in the history of Major League Baseball to ever face the minimum number of batters. No runs. No hits. No errors. No walks. No hit batsmen. No one reaching first on a dropped third strike. 27 batters up - 27 batters down. Of all the people on the field whom one would think would have a right to go ballistic, it would have been Galarraga. Yet the replay showed that when he took the throw at first base, his expression went immediately from ecstasy, to disbelief, to downcast eyes and a smile of disappointment. He then went to the mound and finished the job by getting the next hitter to ground out.

The most famous one hit shut out in the history of baseball was complete.

The pitcher lost out on an honor and recognition that only twenty men have earned in well over a century of playing thousands of games.

The Umpire, a veteran of the Major Leagues, who has called World Series and numerous league championship series games, and rated by many as one of the top three umpires in the game today, blew the most important call of his 22 year career.

Outrage poured from the fans. News media pundits called for Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig to reverse the call and give Galarraga the perfect game. But according to the rules of the game, it just couldn't be done. The sports world was in an uproar.

Yet in the middle of the pathos, all the affected parties have shown such qualities of contrition, forgiveness, and grace, that it boggles the mind that is so accustomed to the 21st century culture of "Me". What an example of sportsmanship, grace and forgiveness we see in the whole episode. Even Tiger Manager Leyland who was wroth with Joyce after the final out, later acknowledged, "He's a good Umpire. He just made a mistake. He's only human".

How would you and I react if we were in the place of Armando Galarraga? How would we feel if we were in Jim Joyce's shoes. The whole post game episode was an exhibition of class that is almost extinct in our society - not just the world of sports. I wish every Little League player, coach, umpire, and parent could see how true professionals carry themselves in difficult situations.

The picture above shows what took place before Thursday evening's game between the Tigers and Indians. Leyland sent Galarrage to bring the starting lineup to the home plate Umpire, Jim Joyce, before the game. Joyce fought back tears as Galarraga smiled and shook his hand.

Armando Galarraga. I didn't know much about him before Wednesday night, but he is my sports hero today. I want to be like him when I grow up.

One Powerful Sermon

Jesus came to enable fallen mankind to come back to a personal relationship with the Creator. What a day it was when the omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, and eternal one, became a man and dwelled among us! His virgin birth, sinless life, vicarious death, and bodily resurrection sealed the deal. Jesus is "the way the truth and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through Him". (John 14:7). Those whose daily lives and eternal destinies have been radically changed by Jesus, will naturally follow Him.

As a follower of Christ, we must be devoted to His teachings. His call to us is to " Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me ... for My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (Matt. 11:28-29)

Jesus' teachings were (and are) different from any other "religious" teacher of His day. Much like today, the Jewish rabbi's teachings were harsh and legalistic. Jesus' teachings were full of Grace and Truth. At the close of the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew tells us the reaction of the multitude who heard Jesus' powerful discourse - "And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes." (Matt. 7:28-29).

Consider that powerful discourse we call the Sermon on the Mount. His teaching was controversial to the legalists, to say the least. It was simple, yet profound! Just look at the wide range of topics that Jesus covered:

The Beatitudes 5:1-12
Salt and Light 5:13-14
Christ Came to Fulfill the Law 5:15-20
Anger 5:21-26
Lust 5:27-30
Divorce 5:31-32
Oaths 5:33-37
Retaliation 5:38-42
Love Your Enemies 5:43-48
Giving to the Needy 6:1-4
How to Pray 6:5-15
How to Fast 6:16-18
Lay Up Treasures in Heaven 6:19-24
Do Not Be Anxious 6:25-34
Judging Others 7:1-6
Ask and It Shall Be Given 7:7-11
The Golden Rule 7:12-14
A Tree and Its Fruit 7:15-20
I Never Knew You 7:21-23
Build Your House on the Rock 7:24-27

I have recommitted myself to the teachings of Jesus. That may sound strange coming from a guy who has been in ministry for nearly four decades, but I have determined that my focus in my remaining ministry will be to follow Jesus and to teach what Jesus taught. The whole Bible revolves around Him. His teaching ties it all together. "Churchianity" cannot change the lives and destinies of men - but Jesus can, and does!

Of Oil and Water

One of the oldest maxims I can remember hearing as a child is that "oil and water don't mix". Never has that been proven more true than it has over the past six weeks off the coast of Plaquemines Parish at the southern tip of Louisiana.

As one would imagine, the news here in New Orleans is dominated by the terrible ongoing man made disaster in the Gulf of Mexico at the site of the now collapsed deep water Horizon drilling rig. Now in it's 44th day of spewing who knows how many thousands of gallons of crude oil into the fishing rich waters of the Gulf, there is no definite end in sight. Three major efforts to stop the leak have failed. Much of the problem is the fact that the well head is a mile below the surface of the Gulf. Only robotic contraptions can operate at such depth, and it is almost as if British Petroleum is playing a deadly video game as it's engineers try one band aid solution after another. Meanwhile the crude oil and accompanying natural gas continues to pour through the puncture in the crust of the earth and there is apparently nothing that can be humanly done to stop the bleeding, short of a "relief well" being drilled nearby. Unfortunately, that task cannot be completed until August.

Did you get that? AUGUST!

Meanwhile, the wound still bleeds, the fouled area of the sea grows larger and larger each day. The and marshes of the Mississippi River delta are becoming mired in the oily muck. Ecosystems are being fouled and destroyed. Tar balls are washing up on beaches. The massive Gulf shrimping and fishing industries that supply over 30% of the nation's seafood is shut down indefinitely. The economic ripple effect will be felt far from here and for a long time, and a way of life is heading toward extinction. All the while, federal bureaucracy grinds slowly along, keeping Louisiana's governor from taking quick action to build man made sand bars to try to protect the imperiled coastline. The President finally shows up from vacation for a two hour photo op with a host of BP "clean up workers" who had been bussed in for the President's visit, and then bussed out as soon as he departed on Marine One.

The fishermen and shrimpers who have been idled, are quickly going bankrupt. No seafood goes to market, so the law of supply and demand will create higher prices. Unemployed workers have little money to spend on food, rent, recreation, nor funds to give to their churches. Other oil drilling operations are eventually going to be affected and new drilling ceases under tightened federal regulations. Beaches, restaurants, hotels and other businesses in coastal communities from Venice to the Florida Panhandle are already feeling the economic blast as tourism has nearly come to a screeching halt.

Sadly many of the people most directly affected by this disaster are those who had weathered the great natural disaster of nearly five years ago, which was Hurricane Katrina. To add insult to injury, meteorologists predict that the 2010 Hurricane season, which officially began yesterday, may bring more than 20 named storms, five to eight of which are expected to be severe, major hurricanes.

It all serves as a reminder that there are some issues we face in life that are just bigger than we can handle. An ominous cloud hangs over this part of the United States as this summer begins. This area, indeed all of us, need a touch from the hand of the almighty. When you pray (as Joe McKeever said after Katrina) pray BIG for Louisiana and the Gulf Coast. Pray for the off shore oil rig workers. Pray for the clean up crews who face a seemingly unending and insurmountable task if de-fouling the affected earth and sea. Pray for the families of the fishermen and shrimpers who are facing financial ruin. Pray for the wildlife and the marshes. Pray for the businesses and the churches who will also feel the effect.

Only God knows the final outcome of all of this, and it is all in his hands. Since we cannot know what tomorrow holds, it is comforting to know the One who holds tomorrow.

A Little "Conventional" Humor

It's June 1st and we're just a couple of weeks away from the Annual Meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, meeting this year in Orlando, FL. It's a good thing the SBC has finally ended the Disney Boycott of several years ago. If not, there would have been a lot of conflicted visiting families in the shadow of the Magic Kingdom this year - but I digress.

There is always serious business for the Messengers from the 40,000+ churches to consider at each annual meeting. Dr. Morris Chapman has said that the SBC in convention is "the largest deliberative body in the world". Tuesday afternoon's business session this year carries such weight, that I am sure there will be very few of the messengers found at any of the Disney attractions at that particular time.

The debate on the convention floor is often boring, sometimes interesting, and every now and again, pretty fiery. But I have always been fascinated in what is going on at the same time in the hallways and the exhibit area. The Convention Annual Meeting is always a time of reunion of old friends and great fellowship together. But it is also a time networking, schmoozing, and politicking. There are always fellows who are looking for a new place of service. Some, to escape bad, stagnant situations that they are presently enduring, and some who are looking to climb the ladder of success.

The week of September 11, 2001, I had opportunity to spend a few days with the late Rev. Dan McBride, whose work had been a wonderful source of delight to me for many years. This Texas Baptist had been in the Christian Education ministry for many years, but it was his humor and musical talent that had caught my attention as a very young man. Although somewhat dated now, the messages of this humorous songs about Baptist life (such as "Tiptoe Through the Tithers", "Righteous Indignation", "I'm Beginning to Sound a Lot Like Criswell", and "The Business Meeting Song") are a delight to every pastor who has been fortunate enough to come across them.

So, in light of the politicking that will be going on in the upcoming Convention meeting in Orlando, and in tribute to Dan McBride, with tongue planted firmly in cheek, I want to share the lyrics of one of his appropriate songs with you today:

"Destiny's Ladder"

I am climbing destiny's ladder with a self improvement plan.

I'm the guy who works and pursues the way that seemeth right to man!

And I hope you won't think it sinister, that I'm in the ministry.

My ambition is more professional, like medicine, or law, or dentistry!

So when I consider a move to a new church or residence,

I ask is this move conducive toward Convention President?

And if I can see advantage in the move potentially,

I figure it must be the will of the Lord, because it seems so right to me!

Every day occasions arise that ought to make your status grow.

Each denomination relation is a face that you should know,

All your knowledge of good theology won't get you any where.

It's applied political science that will write your name up there - in the Baptist Annual!

You should always be in the hallways at conventions when they meet.

Or maybe ask some prominent pastor if he'll join you when you eat.

It's the system tradition giveth and I'm sure you will agree,

That it must be the will of the Lord, because it seems so right to me!