10/18/24

I love eating, anyone with me on that sentiment? I love large family gatherings around the table, I love Thanksgiving and potluck dinners at church. I like being with family and friends around the table, so did Jesus. So many of his stories, parables and teachings, happen around a table. Jesus was invited to the lowest of the lows house and the most well to do and thought of tables. Jesus sat with those mired in sin and those who thought they were religious enough to be above the sinners. Jesus was even accused of being a glutton, he liked his meals.

I think that’s why communion is so special. Jesus gathered his friends, they ate, and he shared with them his plan for their salvation. He ate with one who would betray him and one who would deny him. He ate with one who doubted the plan and those who would cower in fear. He ate with his friends, imperfect, messy and open. Communion is a meal at Jesus’ table gathered with imperfect, messy family and friends to remember all that he has done for us. So come hungry and thirsty!

“Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

Brian

10/4/24

One of my favorite songs has a line in it I really like., “We were young and undefeated”. When I was younger and dreaming of being an NFL star in my front yard or an NBA star in my driveway, I never lost a game. I always imagined taking the last game-winning shot or scoring the game-winning touchdown, I was young and undefeated. It never crossed my mind that I would lose or that I would even struggle. The world was mine and the excitement of the game was real. I would come in and my mom would ask me if I won. I would get a big grin on my face and say, well of course we did, they had me!

Well, that bravado may not always translate to the real world, but we can have confidence in the one who has the whole world in His hands. Jeremiah 29:11 tells us “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”.  Our Church in a lot of ways is young (Fairview Church of Shoals) and undefeated. (God continues to bless us) God has done so many incredible things in the last 10 months. Baptisms, people joining, new Bible studies, growth in worship and so much more. Our little church has become a hub for this community and God is being glorified because of the ministry that flows from this Church.

I don’t know what the next ten months will bring but I do know who has us in His hands and His plan is for this Church to prosper.

May Christ be lifted high as we strive to glorify God

Brian

9/20/24

“To achieve big things, you have to have big dreams… It always started with a dream.”

I admit there are times when my vision for God’s church is small. I get caught up in what I can’t get done or the perceived obstacles that are in my way. I spend too much of my time trying to move obstacles and run around issues. My time would be far better spent on my knees, praying, seeking God’s wisdom, and relying on His strength. I have a long, long way to go as a mature disciple of Jesus.

So, how about you? Do you have huge, hairy, audacious, God-sized dreams for His Church or are you too often in my camp wondering if God can move in this world?  I want to challenge you to spend some time with God asking what He desires for His Church in Shoals.

Andy Stanley says, “Vision is a futuristic picture of what COULD be, fueled by some passion of what SHOULD be.”

As leaders, we are led by the holy spirit to ask, “What is not, but should be for the Glory of God?” Where is God leading this Church? Before you skip over, skim by, or ignore that question, please consider this: God has a plan and a purpose for Fairview Church in Shoals, Surry County, North Carolina, and the World.

 Beyond budgets, committees, programs, and services, what could be and can we find the passion to move on to what should be? I believe that when the Church begins to seek the face of God, dream God-sized dreams, and allow the Holy Spirit to move in and through us, the budget coffers will be full, the pews will not be able to hold those who need Jesus and the Church’s ministry will transform this community.

Brian

9/13/24

I read a lot about “today’s culture” and its impact on families, individuals, and the church. What should our role as followers of Jesus be in culture? Should we hide away in holy huddles? Pull our kids out and try to make sure they are not affected by today’s corrupted culture? What is the answer?

I was reading the other day and came across this statement that caught my attention; “Culture needs an alternative to itself, not an echo of itself.” Wow, that is spot on so how do we as Christians lean into that statement? I think we need to focus on our core purposes – meeting people where they are – in their culture, building relationships, and introducing people to a relationship with Jesus. We need to strive for long-term, life-changing discipleship building. This is what we can offer that culture does not.

Every week I try to remind us that we huddle up, call the play but we run the play in the world. Jesus did not shrink from the world, he engaged culture, shaped culture, and renewed culture by speaking truth in love. Let’s go Church, we are here to do the same!

Captured by His love,

Brian

9/6/24

“We love the Church, love the people here they have made us feel welcomed. “There is almost nothing a pastor loves to hear more than when people say they love the Church. (Ok well maybe your sermons have rocked our world, changed our trajectory in life and set us on the path to Kingdom living so we want to give all of our money to the Church…but I digress) We have been so blessed with visitors, sure one timers but so many that have moved from visiting to family. So, what does it really mean to join a church?

When you join our Church, we will ask that you commit to supporting the Church with your prayers, your presence, your gifts (talents, abilities and yes…financially), your service and your witness. Joining a church is not like joining a country club or the Kiwana’s, its so much more. You are entering into a covenant with God to support the Bride of Christ. I love my wife and I cherish her; I would do anything for her. Jesus gave everything for His bride, His very life. As we commit to honoring the church let us remember how much Jesus loves her and let’s follow His example.

If you are interested in membership, contact me, I’d love to talk about your place in our Church.

Brian

8/30/24

I’m a huge William Tyndale fan. No, he was not an athlete, politician or actor. He was a reformer, and he was a “baddie”. This guy stood up against the religious organization of his time and it cost him his life. The church was a corrupt institution that provided a few elites, extreme power. The religious leaders were oppressing the people, making a huge profit off of them and playing God all the while. By keeping the Bible in a language that only the highly educated could read, the religious leaders could manipulate scripture to say what they wanted it to say and no one could argue differently…until Tyndale came along.

Tyndale translated the Bible into everyday English so the commoner could read the word of God for themselves. Tyndale wanted to restore the church to a movement not an institution. For his efforts Tyndale was hanged and burned. But even as he was being lit on fire he prayed and a movement that began in an upper room was ignited again, and it spread.

What about now? Do you go to church or are you part of a movement? Has the message of the risen Savior so captured your heart and mind or do you just attend a religious service every now and then? Come Sunday as we explore this question together.

Brian

8/23/24

A friend of mine is a really big deal in the Christian, pastor, religious world. We talk often and I’m floored that sometimes he wants my thoughts on the state of the Church today. I don’t fancy myself a deep thinker or expert on anything. I think I stumble fall into most opportunities that have come my way but after 37 years of Church work, I have seen a lot.

The question posed in the conference call forum was simple: What is the most important function of the Church today? I was asked by my friend to sit in on the conversation. There were seminary professors, pastors of large churches, writers for online blogs and magazines, my friend who speaks all over the country and…me. The discussion started with some strong assertions, “Good theological training. People don’t know what they believe.” “Teaching the meaning of true worship and how to worship.”  “Biblical doctrine and how the Bible is applicable to our lives in an everchanging world.” I could have gotten behind several statements thrown out by the experts.

Then I was shocked, my fiend said, lets hear what Brian thinks. I’m sure everyone said “who?” I thought I was just sitting in for the experience, but now I was being asked what I thought the function of Church really was. With some hesitance, I spoke up and said, “Long term discipleship” Long after our sermons, programs and prayers, are people still walking with Jesus? The discussion went on for another hour and we wrapped up with a prayer.

My friend thanked me and said, “you have given me something to really think over.” I felt somewhat important for a moment before being clobbered in a soccer game later that day. Long-term discipleship. The long walk with Jesus, yep I think that’s it.

Brian

8/9/24

I think I’m in one of the busiest seasons of my life…I’m not bragging, please don’t hear that so that you can feel sorry for me or like I’m wearing that as a badge of honor. This business is some of my own doing but also just the season of life I’m in. My daughter Shanna gets married in a little over a week and as school starts back so do things around the Church. It’s all good but I do find myself shuffling through life, head down, just trying to get things done. Every now and then, God grabs my attention, reminds me to slow down and enjoy the journey.

I ran into a store the other day, needing to quickly grab a few items when I looked down and there was a kid staring up at me. The young fellow could not have been more than 5. I said hello and without hesitation he asked, “do you play sports?” I said I used to, now I coach. “What do you coach?”, soccer I said, and he asked if I wanted to play soccer now? I looked around the sporting goods store, the kid’s mom smiled and said, “sorry he doesn’t know a stranger”.  Before either of us had time to react, the young man grabbed a soccer ball and kicked it right at me. I returned it and then he kicked it back, before I knew it, we were playing soccer in the middle of the store! The ball went down the aisle and another man kicked it back, a store employee joined in and now 5 of us were playing. It lasted a few minutes and then we all went on our way. Thank you, God, for reminding me to enjoy the day you gave me!

Spiritual Gifts Surveys will be in SS classrooms and in the Vestibule beginning this Sunday. Grab one and see how God has gifted you.

Kyle Shinault will be preaching Sunday the 18th. It will be safe on that Sunday to invite your friends you thought might think your preacher is weird!

Brian

7/12/24

Something is broken. 

Okay, maybe not “something,” but a LOT of things are broken. 
We could talk all day about what is broken in our world and our country. 
We’d probably talk about politics and a (another) tumultuous presidential race in America, or wars happening in the Middle East, Ukraine, and many other places. 
We’d mention our educational system from top to bottom, the cost of healthcare, record-high temperatures, and the latest trends in the secular world of ethics and morality.

But what matters most this week is this thought… people are broken.

This coming weekend, someone will walk into our church’s worship service. They’ll get the kids checked in, maybe take a bulletin from the usher, and they’ll stand and sing along (or at least pretend to sing along). But on the inside, they’re broken. They wonder if God is real, if life is worth it, if the biblical gospel story can be believed, or if they are worthy of love. 
And we have been called with a holy calling, equipped with a message of divine truth, and invited into a special partnership with the Holy Spirit, who is already prepared to work through our words and our ministry.

Your smile, your greeting, your prayers might just be the thing that opens the door to their heart so that the Holy Spirit can do His work. Are you willing to do more than just attend? Are you willing to move out of your comfort zone, your norm, your space so that a visitor and new attendee will feel the warmth of Christ’s love.

Something is broken. We can help fix it.

Brian

Great opportunities are now open for you to share your giftedness with others. It’s a great time to join our awesome volunteers downstairs presenting the gospel to the next generation. Our Prayer and 1st Impressions Teams are now forming now forming. We would love to provide you with an easy Spiritual Gifts Inventory that will allow you to see where God has gifted you and where you might best serve. See Brian, Darla or Sandra for more information about a Spiritual Gifts Inventory.

6/28/24

Hello friends. In just a couple of short hours I will be heading out with other missionaries from our Church to be the hands of feet of Jesus in Cherokee, NC. I’m excited to see all that God will do in and through us on this mission trip. Please keep our team in your prayers and I’ll be giving an update on Sunday.

This past Sunday nine of our friends were baptized and the holy spirit was moving all morning long. What a blessing to be a part of such a great day. We followed up the morning with the first of our fellowship nights and what a turnout. Thank you to Ricky and the Men’s group for providing the food.

Our Children’s Team has done an incredible job with our children’s check-in program and with our new format of Children’s Church. Thank you all for your support and hard work as we address the needs of new and existing families.

Andrew Boyd is our last visiting pastor and a dear friend of mine.  You will be incredibly blessed, and I hope you will be joining us on Sunday, June 30th as we wrap up our Summer in the Psalms. This has been good for me to listen and be poured into and I look forward to jumping back into the pulpit July 7th.

God has blessed our Church so much and He is not done shaping us in His image. Please join us in praying that we have ears to hear His calling, eyes to see where He is leading us, and a heart to become more like Him.

“To humans belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue. All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord. Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.”

Seems appropriate for us to remember in this stage of our Church’s life.

Brian

6/21/24

In ancient times it was considered a crime worthy of punishment even death, to interrupt a King. Timothy Keller brought this point up in a recent book I read and cited one exception to this ancient rule; “only a child could interrupt the King without fear of punishment”. While our God is not doling out punishment, the symbolism is beautiful. We are the children of the King. As we celebrate Summer in the Psalms, listen to the words of Psalm 100:4 -5“Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.” So children come into the presence of your loving King. Bring your cares, concerns and troubles, rejoicing that your Lord welcomes you in and loves you.

Ron Pegram will be with us this Sunday. Ron is the former Chaplain for NASCAR and currently works at Reynolda Church in Winston Salem. We will also be commissioning our Mission Team at 11am and after the service you are all welcome to join us at the river by Keith and Connie’s house for…as it stands now 8 baptisms!!

God is good and his love does endure forever. The King is on the move, and we get to, get to be a part of all that He is doing in our Church.

Brian

5/24/24

I hope this week has been a good one for you. God has reminded me of my deep need for Him. I don’t mean that I need to stop in and say hello, through a quick prayer or a passing thought but the fact that without God I am doomed. I can’t save myself. I came across this Pricilla Shier quote that I believe we should all take to heart, “David defeated Goliath but lost to Bathsheba. Our real giants are the desires we haven’t killed yet”. Our struggle with sin is real, we are afraid of offending people for fear of being cancelled or left out but we should be far more concerned with how we have offended God with our sin.

Our scripture this Sunday is 2 Timothy 4:1-4 the time has come when we people and churches are no longer seeking sound doctrine but instead desire to surround themselves with teachers and people who will say what their itching ears want to hear. This Sunday we will tackle the hard issue of our deep need for God’s word and repentance.

There is real hope for people who repent and run to a loving, grace giving God. Just ask the Prodigal Son!

B-Lo

5/3/24

He looked tired. It was only 1:15 and I stopped at Subway for lunch. He let out a big sigh and I took that as my invitation to engage him in conversation. I mean what the heck the two girls in front of us were paralyzed by the choices for their bread, meats and toppings, you would have thought each decision brought life altering consequences. I said to the tired man, “long week?” it was only Wednesday. “Yeah, it has been three Mondays in a row”, he said. I have felt that feeling before, life is hard.

We are fighting through a jungle of responsibilities, jagged relationships, a tangled web of obligations and the weight of everyone’s needs. Everyone wants one more piece of you and unless you are superhuman, life is exhausting! You need a rest. You’ve tried vacations and they are nice while you are there, but the jungle awaits you and consumes you the day you return to real-life.

So, what do you do? The goal is not to avoid the jungle and become a hermit, the goal is to surrender to the one who can give your soul real rest. The one who, “leads you by still waters and refreshes your soul.” Lean into God, spend time with Him and surrender. God is waiting for you with refreshment for your whole life.

Ps. My friend at Subway placed his order quickly and turned to me saying,” I get the same thing every week”. I felt for him and his weeks of Monday after Monday and his turkey on wheat. I pray he finds rest in our Savior.

Brain

4/26/24

I love this time of year! The weather starts to warm up, the smell of fresh cut grass, Jimmy Buffet on the radio and my thoughts turn to my beach chair, feet in the water and the sound of waves breaking in front of me. But it’s also a great time to think about fellowship with our Church family and how we might serve others.

May:  

 12th: Mother’s Day Breakfast 10am in the Fellowship Hall                 

19th: Graduation Sunday Pre-school through College

June:     “Summer in the Psalm” with guest preachers each Sunday!

23rd: Family Fun Night – hamburgers, hotdogs, corn hole, can jam, playground and good old fellowship for all ages! 6pm-7:30pm

27th-30th: Fairview Mission Trip to Cherokee, NC! Contact Ricky Jessup to register. Deadline to register is June 6th. This is an amazing opportunity for us to help those in need and grow with each other.

July:        

14th-17th VBS 2024!!       

 28th: Family Fun Night #2 same as the first only better when you invite friends!

 Get these important dates on your calendar and lets have an incredible summer of fellowship, service and growth. For more info on any of our events, please call us at the Church office.

Brian

4/19/24

Every week we are blessed that visitors are walking through our doors. They are from Shoals, Pilot Mountain, King and even Germanton, our visitors are of different ages and stages of life, but they are all coming to Fairview to check us out.

“Church shopping” is very common in today’s world as people are trying to find the best fit for their family or themselves. Experts say that most visitors will decide in the first 15 minutes if they will return and give your church a second chance. That’s before the sermon, before the offering and the choir sings! So, what are they looking for? What turns them off at church? “From the way you park cars, to how you greet people, to their cleanliness of the facility, the factors that determine whether a guest return are all within our control. The problem is too many church leaders either don’t know or don’t care about what drives people away or keeps them coming back.”

So, what is our plan to make sure our friends come back a second time? I’m glad you asked because it’s going to require all of us to make some sacrifices and bend a little so that our guest feel comfortable and have a great experience as they encounter the living God at Fairview. Stay tuned because we will be talking about plans, ideas and suggestions to ensure that we make every effort to usher people to the feet of Jesus.

Thank you church family!              

                       Brian

4/7/24

Do you remember your first love? For me it was April, she had long blonde hair, always wore a dress and was really nice…I was 6 years old. April and I were in the same class for 4 years straight and I liked her for all four years. I moved schools and lost contact but at 56 I still remember my first love. How about you? How about our Church? Our Church how can a Church have a first love? Remember we are the bride of Christ and that indicates the intimacy and closeness God desires to have with His Church.

Often we can get busy doing the business of church and forget our first love (Christ) altogether. We can do good, feed people, help people, worship, sing, have Bible studies and still neglect our first love. It happened in the early church. In Revelation Jesus gives the early churches a warning. The Church in Ephesus was hard working doing a lot right but he gave them a stern warning, if you do not return to your first love, Me (Christ) I will take my blessing from you.

Always a great reminder, we need you Jesus.

Brian

3/22/24

3/22It’s a really a dress rehearsal. Palm Sunday is a dress rehearsal for what is to come. Jesus is making his way from Jericho to Jerusalem, healing telling stories and going head-to-head with the religious establishment. The people are in a frenzy, they have waited for a very long time for the Messiah and finally, this guy, this Jesus seems to be their answer. But they are unaware of God’s ultimate plan.

The people yell out Hosanna to the King, the crowd wanted to anoint him King of Israel.  Jesus was King long before Palm Sunday, he was King when the world was formed, he was King when Sarah gave birth to Abraham’s son, he was King when Moses led the Israelites across the parted Red Sea, he was King when David defeated Goliath and he was King at his birth. What they wanted, what they thought they needed was an earthly king who would restore their earthly kingdom. What the people received was a Godly King who provided a new Kingdom. This King, King Jesus would wash their feet, take away their sins and give them life eternal.

The people who yelled Hosanna to the King would also be the same who yelled out crucify him. Our King came to free us all. He died in our place, took our punishment. Satan roared with pleasure, but it wouldn’t last. The King rose, defeated death and sits on His throne. He is coming back to claim His own. Hosanna to the King, God of eternity and Lord of my life.

Brian.

3/15/24

“Something is better than nothing.”

Do something! No, you do something! I watched through my office window as Levi and Will, my 7-year-old neighbors argued over something in my front yard. I stopped what I was doing and walked to my front porch to see what it was that neither seemed interested in doing. The boys were standing over a dead bird that apparently one of them, not sure to this day which one, hit with a bad mitten racquet. Both boys were horrified that the bird laid there lifeless (not sure what they thought would happen when they wacked it with a racquet) but they both regretted the outcome. I causally walked up, spoke incredible words of wisdom, “huh, looks dead”. (not very pastoral I know) Levi looked up and said, “can you do something?” Not sure if they thought; you are a pastor, make it come back or what, but I wanted to say, I’m not that guy, I just work for the miracle worker but now I found myself in the same boat, just do something!

Often times when it comes to situations that we view as spiritual or matters of the heart, we shy away and think this is something for trained professionals or preacher types. What if God placed you in that situation or in front of that person to use you to demonstrate his power? Maybe God is asking you to do something. So how do we discern God’s calling in a situation when there are no visions, fleeces, impressions, open doors, random Bible verses, casting lots, liver shivers or writing in the sky? We simply listen. If God put you there just do something. (Grabbing an egg from our tree and loving on a shut in is a great start)

We buried the bird; I said a prayer and told the guys not to whack any more birds with racquets. So far so good!

In His grip,

Brian

3/8/24

“Bringing down the walls of Jericho involved more walking than shouting.

A Sunday shout is great, but it can’t replace a daily walk.”

I don’t know who said that quote, but I sure do think they are spot on. God called the Israelites to walk around the great walls of the fortified Jericho city. The walls were high, thick and armed with guards, but the Israelites had God on their side, and he did not require them to be loud. God required them to be faithful. They were…this time, and he delivered the city to them.

I know God is most concerned with my daily walk. Yes, going to church is important, speaking up about Jesus and serving those in need are all possible examples of a life pursuing Christ. But each of those acts, in themselves, do not necessarily mean that someone has a deep abiding faith. God is supremely interested in my walk and so are nonbelievers. Jesus and non-Christians are wondering if my talk matches my walk.  Brennan Manning, the brilliant writer and even more impressive, man of God wrote, “The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians: who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”

So true. What a challenge for me, does my walk, my faithful, obedient, day-in, day-out walk, honor God or am I just a clanging symbol who leads people further from the Father. A deep thought to really think about this week.

In His grip,                                                                                                                                      

                                        Brian

(Another deep thought to ponder this week; “Borrow money from a pessimist, they don’t expect to get it back”)

3/1/24

“As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects their heart.” Proverbs 27: 19

“What do you want to be when you grow up? “The question was kind of funny, I mean I am 56 but the question from my 7-year-old friend had a real earnestness, the kind of question that deserved real thought. I deflected for a moment and asked, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” I wasn’t ready for the candid response I got, “I already know what I want to be, but let’s get back to you.” I had to laugh but my friend just looked up at me waiting. I was put on the spot by a 7-year -old.

I was going to quip, maybe an international man of mystery and wealth but I knew he wasn’t in the mood for my usual silliness. I began to think about my years in ministry, how I loved being a student pastor and the great times I had leading youth groups. I thought about the opportunities I thought I would never get to lead churches and preach to congregations. I thought about how much I love coaching and the teams I have led, some big wins and some seasons that our record didn’t reflect the quality of our team. But none of that really captured who I wanted to be when I finally grow up. My friend patiently waited for an answer, and I finally gave one, I want to be a great dad, a good husband, a friend who can be counted on and a man that people look at and see a reflection of Jesus. We sat there for another minute in silence and then my friend said, “man you have a lot of work to do if you want to grow up and be Jesus.” So true! How about you? What do you want to be when you grow up?

B-Lo