The Faughn Family of Four

It's amazing, but the summer is winding down. We have had VBS and next week we will enjoy a week of church camp here at Lebanon Road. We have a great group going. At my last count, there were over 50 young people from Lebanon Road who will be camping!

I'm excited to be going for part of the week. I'll leave Sunday afternoon and come back Tuesday night. I enjoy camp, and I'm appreciative that I get to have some part in the week. It will also be an honor to speak Monday night.

I will do my best to take some pictures during the week, but we'll see.

On to the links for this week:

1. Steve Higginbotham is beginning his 20th year with the church in Glasgow, Kentucky. As he begins that milestone year, he offers some advice in his article "From Where I Stand."

2. Caffinated Thoughts writes about the Doctrine of God. You will especially like the "list" at the end of this article, I think.

3. We have all marveled at geese flying through the air in their organized "V" pattern. Jeremiah Tatum gives us some spiritual lessons from that amazing phenomenon. This would be great material for a youth devo.

4. Everyone is talking about how "tight" money is, but many continue on doing the same things they have always done. Maybe that's one of the reasons money is tight? The Simple Dollar gives a great list to try. It is 100 Things to Do During a Money Free Weekend. Enjoy!

I hope you have a great weekend. I will try to blog as much as possible next week, but it may not be as much as usual, with camp and all.

Don't forget the Lord on His day!

Michael Reagan's book Twice Adopted is an absolute must-read. I bought it for my dad for Father's Day. After he finished it, he thought I would like it, and he let me borrow it. I'm thankful he did.

I was drawn to the book by both the author and the title. As much as dad helped with our adoption of Mary Carol, I thought the title was beautiful. Also, the Reagans have always been "Faughn favorites."


Michael's past, though, is covered with dark spots, some of which he still has trouble with. He is grown up and mature, but he still feels moments of heartbrokenness over some things in his past. (By the way, I'm trying to be vague, because I don't want to give away too much of the book.)

The book is very blunt as it deals with many of the struggles Michael had with several trusted adults. His candor is the best part of the book, in my mind.

If you have ever considered preaching (or teaching a Bible class) on some very difficult issues, I would suggest you read this book first. Reagan actually ends each chapter with some helpful hints. A couple of them almost read like a sermon outline, but all are helpful.

I'm so thankful my dad let me borrow this book. Pick up a copy, read, and learn; but be warned, Reagan pulls no punches with his difficult past. Still, you will enjoy the book.

Of all the All-Star games, the Major League Baseball All-Star game is the greatest. MLB always does such a great job of celebrating baseball, and that was so true last night.

In this final year of Yankee Stadium, the pre-game was amazing. 49 Hall of Fame players were on the field. The only negative was the Nolan Ryan was not there. There may have never been a greater collection of players on one field. Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Ralph Kiner, Yogi Berra, Brooks Robinson, Reggie Jackson, Al Kaline, and many more were all represented.

Yankee Stadium is a special place, and I'm sad to see it go in a few months, but this was such an appropriate way to give the building one more great moment.

Then came the game. Yes, I'm one of those who actually watched the entire game. I got to bed at 12:38 AM, but it was worth it. It was easily the best All-Star game I've ever seen.

However, I really think the game both provided the best, and hinted at the worst, about professional sports today.

First, the best. The play was fantastic. Despite three errors from Dan Uggla, I don't think I've ever seen better defense in an All-Star game. There were plays at the plate, beautiful infield strategy, and even a pick-off (a rarity in All-Star games). The pitching was clutch. I usually like higher-scoring games, but there were runners on all the time, so it was exciting. Every player seemed to be into the game and really put forth the effort that this game deserves. In fact, every available player was involved in the game (Tim Lincecum could not play, after he was placed in the hospital earlier in the day), and all played quite well. It was great to see.

But, while the play was great, the thought kept coming to mind--and then started to be commented on--about the availability of pitchers. Scott Kazmir (Tampa Bay) and Brandon Webb (Arizona) were the last starting pitchers left, but both had pitched on Sunday. They were only available for a few pitches each. Webb, in fact, pitched the 14th inning, but that was all. Kazmir threw the 15th for the American League, and was available for the 16th (had it been played), but that most likely would have been all for him.

Why do I call this the "worst" about professional sports? I'm taking nothing away from Webb or Kazmir. This was not up to them. However, the coaches and teams had talked. With the amount of money invested in these players, there is no way they want their pitchers "worn out" from an exhibition game.

I couldn't help but notice that this game tied the longest All-Star game (by number of innings), which was played in 1967. The losing pitcher of that game was Catfish Hunter, but he was in his fifth inning of relief! Can you imagine that happening now?

Players deserve to make whatever they can make, but it hurts games like the one last night. It's easy to play the "what if?" game, but what if last night's game had gone to a 16th or even a 17th inning? No one could have pitched.

With that said, I'm glad it didn't. I'm glad it ended the way it did (especially since the American League won...again). It was a great, great game. I hope you stayed up to watch it. I hope your kids saw at least the pregame show.

What a night!

Actually, this report begins on the 12th. We had an open house at the Faughn house on Saturday night. We wanted the congregation to know that we enjoy having people over and we wanted a great night of fellowship. We got it! Over 100 people from Lebanon Road came by our house. Leah did a fantastic job having everything ready (as I knew she would), and the evening was filled with joy and togetherness.

Then, on Sunday, we had another tremendous day. I began a series on Sunday morning on first principles. I'm calling the series "Christianity 101." The lesson, "Is There a God?" was well-received (especially the part where I called myself a pinhead...don't ask!).

As I say on a weekly basis, we were blessed with many visitors, both on Sunday morning and Sunday evening. I know this is an exciting time for Lebanon Road, and I'm thankful to be just a small part of it!

All told, there were 318 in attendance yesterday morning. As school nears, we have several away on vacations. I'm excited to see what our numbers will be when all our "regulars" are here! I was very excited by the Sunday night attendance, though. We had 285 last night! While we need to get that Sunday morning number moving upward again (and we will!!!), our PM attendance was truly uplifting.

If you are in or around Nashville, please stop by and see us. Come see all the great things that are happening at Lebanon Road!

Tired of hearing about the new iPhone yet? Me, too, but I'm thrilled that I am getting to update my "old" phone for free. I won't have the 3G capability (basically, high-speed internet without a Wi-Fi connection), but I can add so many great features. I'm downloading the software as I type this, in fact.

There have been a lot of great posts over the past few days, so let's get on to the list:

1. JD at Out Here Hope Remains recently lost his son. I mentioned this several weeks ago. For the past few weeks, as you might expect, he has been blogging about this loss. However, this past week, he used this for a moving article and sermon illustration. Check out "God Works for the Good."

2. I simply do not like the term "self-esteem." We are not to esteem self, we are to esteem God and others! Paul Harrington writes a great article that you will want to file away entitled, "The Dangers of Self-Esteem."

3. Trey Morgan writes another article with a simple, but interesting, title. Read "I Love Church."

4. There is a movement in the religious world where folks want to distance themselves from denominational names (sound familiar???). Drew Kizer writes an article about how we need to respond.

5. I need to read the Bible more. I once heard Todd Clippard say, "We have a lot of folks who read about the Bible, but don't read the Bible." I think he's right. David Lemmons provides a schedule for us to read the New Testament in its entirety in one month. I think it's a great challenge to take, so when I finish the Old Testament in a few weeks, I am going to try this schedule to read the New Testament.

6. Matthew Morine is holding a Gospel Meeting next week in Pearlington, Mississippi. I mention this article because the Lebanon Road church of Christ (where I preach) heavily supports this work. Pray this meeting and campaign goes well.

I hope you have a great weekend! Don't forget the Lord on His day.

If you have been reading the blog for some time, you may have noticed that I don't complete as many books as I did in past years. For those who are new, I write at least a one-paragraph "review" of each book I complete.

There are a couple of reasons for this slowdown:

1. The books I am currently reading are longer than others I have read in the past. Many of the books I have reviewed in the past were youth classbooks, and could be read in a day or two. I still read class books every so often, but currently I'm reading some longer works. When I finish, though, there will be a review.

2. I'm listening to more stuff. A few weeks ago, I posted an article asking for some suggestions of podcasts you would recommend. I have taken some of those and have also discovered some others that I like. I listen to a fairly significant number of podcasts. I can't read and listen at the same time, so the number of pages I read has gone down a bit.

However, this new interest is going to become the subject of my next series. Over the coming weeks, I will be writing my thoughts on each podcast to which I subscribe. Some are Bible based (of course), while others are general information, and, yes, some are just downright fun.

In the short time I've had my iPhone, I have stopped listening to three podcasts for various reasons. They are:

1. The Dave Ramsey Show Podcast. I know, you're shocked. I still love Ramsey, but I can hear him on the radio (or watch him on TV) whenever I like. Also, this podcast was about 45 minutes in length, five times each week. I simply didn't have the time to stay caught up with this one.

2. Desiring God with John Piper. Piper once spent 8 1/2 years on Romans. This podcast was deep, deep, deep. Nothing wrong with that, but it was also off, off, off, and that IS something wrong with that. I subscribe to several podcasts from folks with whom I disagree, but at least I can understand them!

3. Renewing Your Mind with R.C. Sproule. Again, very deep stuff. The thing I didn't like about this was that, often, the subjects were about different belief systems of folks in the 400s or 800s or whatever. Again, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, it's just not my style.

These three are some that I enjoyed from time-to-time, but just didn't enjoy enough to keep. Over the coming weeks, look for reviews of podcasts that I listen to and enjoy.

"But I don't have an ipod or iPhone," you might say (dad!). No problem. Just remember that iTunes is a free download and you can listen to music, podcasts, etc. right on the computer. Also, every podcast to which I subscribe is free, so this doesn't cost a dime!

For the past few weeks, I have played softball on Monday nights with the Lebanon Road church of Christ team. We're, well, not good, and I'm terrible, but we do have a lot of fun and we enjoy being out there together.

We've only won a couple of games, which makes what happened last night even more amazing and uplifting. In our first game, we lost despite a furious comeback at the end.

Then came the second game.

Early on, our youth minister ran home on a close play. He touched the plate and the umpire called him "safe." The catcher for the other team began to argue, saying, "I got him on the knee," and other similar things.

Now, remember, that we were very much "in" this game; in fact, we had a small lead at this time. But JD, our youth minister, walked back over by the umpire and said, "He tagged me."

The umpire changed his call. JD was out.

After a truly amazing game, we lost 12-11 in extra time.

When JD told the umpire that he had been tagged, I was so proud. It was something you just don't see in any sport, and it's truly sad you don't see more of it in "church-league" softball.

I was also proud of our team and fans (the faithful few). They congratulated JD and told them they were proud of him. Even following the close loss, our guys were kidding about it.

Honesty may cost an out, or even a game, but it is still a quality that is needed. There are some things far, far, far more important than a play at the plate. And I'm thankful to know folks who still live that quality out.

I wanted to have a links roundup this week, and I'll be away from my computer for a few days as we visit family for the 4th of July. (And trying to blog lengthy articles from my phone is carpel tunnel syndrome waiting to happen!)

So, here are some great links from this partial week:

1. Our summer camp theme is "Turning the World Upside Down." Ironically, Paula Harrington recently wrote an article with that same idea. By the way, it's great to see Paula back blogging regularly again!

2. Steve Higginbotham shares a great story of faith in "Views from the Pews." Young people never cease to amaze me.

3. We live in a world of choices, but we do not have a choice in some areas, like salvation. Trey Morgan writes about this here.

4. Polls can be interpreted in a myriad of different ways. Some numbers, though, are undeniably good and others are undeniably scary. Phil Sanders writes about the second of those in "A Conviction Crisis."

Well, I hope you enjoyed your Friday! Just kidding. I hope you enjoy reading these articles as much as I did.

Have a great 4th and be safe.

Don't forget the freedom that only the Lord can provide every day, but especially on His day.

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I had finished volume 1 of David Roper's commentary on Revelation. Now, having completed volume 2, I would like to offer some more thoughts on the two volumes together.

Obviously, Revelation is a very difficult book and one that has led to numerous controversies. In his commentary, Roper is able to write helpful thoughts about the text, while keeping the comments on a level where nearly every Bible student can "follow along."

One aspect of this commentary I appreciated was that Roper did not spend excess time and pagination refuting false teaching. Usually, "major" controversies were listed and then the truth was presented. In a commentary of this style, that is the way it should be. A student can go elsewhere to read deeply about the false teachings associated with the 1000 year reign, Armageddon, etc.

Roper does take the time to deal with the "666 controversy" at some length, but he keeps the comments simple and interesting. You will enjoy reading his thoughts on the controversy.

Roper does well at the beginning of volume 1 presenting a brief overview of the different ways to interpret Revelation. He writes under the idea that Revelation had to mean something to the original readers (which, by the way, removes much of the false teaching when applied) as well as to readers today. Through the entirety of the commentary, Roper is faithful to that premise.

Following the comments on each of the chapters, there is an "Application" section. Each of these is filled with sermon ideas and illustrations. Preachers and teachers will find a wealth of information in these sections to aid in preaching this book.

Revelation can be understood, but it requires study. Brother Roper has provided us with an invaluable source to help in that study. If you are willing to pay for these two volumes, you will be making a great investment in your knowledge of Revelation. I highly recommend these volumes for your study.

It's a blessing to have more than one preacher "on staff" at a congregation. It is a great way for people to use talents and it also provides a built-in network of helpers. J.D., Harry and I split several responsibilities, and one of those is preaching. Our elders want all three of us to spend time in front of the congregation presenting lessons from the pulpit, although I preach the majority of the time.

J.D. preached yesterday morning. His lesson was tremendous. Many, after services were over, were saying things to me like, "You'd better watch it," or "It's about time we heard some good preaching around here." They were kidding...

...

...I hope!

Seriously, the lesson was very good and reminded us that our faith is the backbone of so many things we do that are different from the world.

Last night our young men led the services. They led the singing, Scripture reading, and presented the lesson. Each was very well prepared (one speaker didn't even use notes!), and did a great job leading us in worship. I'm thankful that Lebanon Road lets these young men gain this valuable experience. I look forward to the next service led by our young men! (I tried to take pictures of the speakers, but they did not turn out well. I'll try to do better next time.)

We were also pleased to welcome another new member. Jean Welch has been visiting with us for quite some time and decided to place her membership with us. We are pleased to have her. She loves to read the Bible and enjoys Bible classes a lot.

We had 344 in attendance yesterday morning, despite having about 6 families away on vacation (and those are just the ones I know of). I think that's a tremendous number.

Last night it was fun to have mom and dad here with us. They were traveling back from a vacation in Gatlinburg and we got to worship with them. That was truly a joy.

Sometime, you need to stop by, too, to see all the great things going on at Lebanon Road!