March 28, 2011

Great Day Yesterday

I praise the Lord for His faithfulness. He met with us yesterday at Calvary Baptist in a great way. He blessed in the morning service through a manifestation of His presence and power. He saved two precious souls; one in the service and one after. Praise His name! I cannot comment on all the Lord is doing for us at Calvary, because I do not fully understand it all, but I can say that He is working! His presence is real and He is drawing sinners to Jesus Christ for His glory. I praise Him for that.

Last night, one of our young men, who was just yesterday voted in as Associate Pastor for a local church, preached. He did a great job. It will be hard to see him and his wife go, but the Lord is using them and we are grateful for that.

We had a great week of meeting last week in Chesnee, SC with Brother Gary Adkins and the folks at Casey Creek Baptist Church. The Lord blessed every night. It was a blessing to be in His presence! Remember Brother Adkins in your prayers. He is still recovering from open heart surgery. The Lord is blessing him and he is doing well. He is a precious man of God and I am grateful for his friendship in the Lord.

This week I will be at Montford Cove Baptist Church south of Marion, NC. The Pastor is brother Jerry Campbell. Please pray for the meeting this week.

Alan

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March 23, 2011

Thought I’d Say Something

It’s been a while since I took the time to blog. There are various reasons for the break, but none that are worth sharing. Suffice it to say that God is good and He is blessing in His Own unique way.

I am preaching this week at Casey Creek Baptist Church in Chesnee, SC. The Pastor is Brother Gary Adkins. Thus far, the meeting has been going well. The attendance is good, and there is a good spirit in the house of the Lord. Brother Gary is a precious man of God and I am enjoying the time we are spending together in meeting this week. Please pray for the remainder of the meeting.

Well, I did it. I said something! May say more later.

Alan

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February 1, 2011

An Important Post Every Church Member Should Read

Over on The Chapel Door blog, Pastor Jesse Carr has authored an important post. He begins a series on how to pray for your pastor. I commend this series of posts to you. If you value your church and will of God for your church, one of the best things you can do is to learn to pray for your pastor. You can find the post here. Check it out, then pray for your Pastor!

Alan

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January 17, 2011

Great Weekend

The Lord met with us this weekend at Calvary. Friday night and Saturday, we hosted a Women’s Conference. The speakers were Christine Wyrtzen founder of Daughters of Promise Ministries and Jean Padgett founder of The Rooms Of Your Life Ministries. A couple of hundred women were in attendance and the Lord met with them in a powerful, life-altering fashion. Then, we had a great day in the house of the Lord yesterday. I thank the Lord for the presence of His Spirit in His house as He blesses His Word and meets with His people. It is a wonderful thing to be saved by the grace of God and to know Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I praise His name this morning for the joy of knowing Him!

I am about to leave to teach my class this morning. Pray for the ministry of West Lenoir Baptist School of Ministry. The Lord has given us a good year, and I trust that He will continue to bless the school by sending us men of God who are hungry for the things of God. I praise the Lord that I am privileged to be a part of that ministry as well.

God bless you folks. Thanks for continuing to visit our humble web site.

Alan

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January 2, 2011

Let’s see…

Last time I posted was from Puerto Morelos Mexico. My wife Joan and I had a fantastic vacation in that beautiful little town. We have such a good time that we did not want to come home. I don’t know what you like to do on vacation, as for me, I like to read and rest. In that order, and I did lots of both during our time there. Some people have asked for photos of Puerto Morelos; I will try to post some in the near future.

So, I just wanted to stop by and welcome you to 2011. My son Jesse and I ended the year at Rustic Hills Baptist Church in Gastonia, NC preaching in a Watch Night service along with Wes Hammer and Robbie Stinson. The service was excellent! Pastor Jason Dowdell and his church organized a wonderful worship experience. So, 2011 began well, I would like to see it play out well, to the glory of God.

Last year was a horrendous year on many levels. Yet, amid the difficulties, it was a great year. For one thing, the Lord demonstrated His sufficient grace and unfailing presence on many occasions. For another, I discovered who my real friends were; that is always a blessing, and sometimes, it can even be somewhat of a surprise. All in all, I can look back on the past year with gratitude to God for His faithfulness, to my wife for her love and companionship, for my friends for their support, and you for continuing to visit The Sermon Notebook after all these years. As 2011 begins let us determine in our hearts that whatever this year may bring to pass in our lives, we will faithfully serve our God until Jesus comes.

There is much to do in our Lord’s Kingdom work. Let’s get to and make 2011 count for the glory of God.

Alan

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December 7, 2010

Hello From Puerto Morelos

I am sitting in the courtyard of a small hotel in Puerto Morelos, Mexico using their free wi-fi. I just wanted to stop by and let everyone know we made it safely to our destination. It is sunny this morning. the temperature is hovering around 80 degrees. I am looking out over the Caribbean Ocean, and it is calm, turquoise blue and stunningly beautiful. Today does not hold a lot of adventure for us. We are off to find me a hat so my delicate, baby-like skin does not get fried in the sun. Then, we will head out to the beach for a while to sit and soak up some rays. Well, Joan will soak up the rays. I will be thoroughly covered from head to toe and any visible skin will be swathed in a think coat of sunblock to protect my delicate, baby-like skin.

When we got here yesterday, we walked into town to buy a few supplies and to get a bite of dinner. We ate at this quaint restaurant that served the best guacamole and pico de gallo I have ever eaten. Joan had nachos. I had chicken nachos. we both had a Coke. By the way, Cokes are better in Mexico. They still make them with cane sugar and not corn syrup. The difference is worth the distance. they remind me of the soft drinks of my youth. The bill was just over $10.00. Cheap, delicious and filling. Well, I had better go for now. We have a hard day of nothing to do. I will check in manana, if possible.

Alan

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December 6, 2010

Off To Cancun

Actually, we are headed to Puerto Morelos, Mexico for the next several days. You hate me I know, but we are taking some much needed R and R, so deal with it. You can have your frosty mornings, your ice and your snow. I am headed were it is 80 degrees in the daytime and 60 at night. Anywy, pray for us as we travel. I will post pics as time and desire allow.

Well, we survived the infamous body scanner this morning. I figured they could see me in all my glory if they could stomach it. My lovely wife got both thevscanner and the patdown she just had a big old morning of TSA goodness, of course, the TSA agent who administered the patdown indicated that she wasn’t too thrilled about the process either. We laugh, but as we do, our rights as citizens are being eroded every day.

Adios amigos.

Alan

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