The Legacy of a Man of God - Everette Sizemore

This past Wednesday evening I was walking through the hallway at Southside to my destination where I would begin to lead our Wednesday Evening Service.  As I was on my way to preach, my cell phone rang and I answered.  At the other end of the line was a precious man who was weeping as he told me that his father had just passed away moments earlier. 

As I listened to Jim describe his dad's last moments, my heart began to be filled with emotion because of his father, Everette Sizemore's influence over my life.  Mr. Everette served as a deacon and as the church treasurer at my former church, Brush Creek.  During my days serving that wonderful congregation, Mr. Everette became a mentor and dear friend of mine.  He was always faithful with a burning passion for the work of God and His church.  He taught me so much about how to serve people as I watched him serve people with his talents, hobbies and abilities.  He was a wonderful family man and loved his children and grandchildren with absolute love.  With all of these wonderful qualities, the one thing I remember most about this dear man was his committment and devotion toward his wife before her death just two years ago.  For several years, he cared for his sick wife, Mrs.Nancy who was also a precious saint of God.  As a newly married man when I met this man of God, I learned so much about how to be a godly husband, father, Christian, and church member from a man that modeled this lifestyle so well. 

Thank you Jesus for blessing my life with such a man as Everette Sizemore.

Fellowship Team Dinner

Tonight, Laura and I were invited to join the members of our fellowship team for dinner.  These individuals work so hard for our Lord throughout the year at Southside.  They plan, prepare and provide many opportunities for genuine fellowship for our church family.  I am amazed at how this group serves our Savior with such joy as they serve others.  Tonight, one of the families in our church hosted them to simply say "thanks" for all of their hard work.  It was such a pleasure for Laura and I to join them in showing our thanksgiving and appreciation to this wonderful group of leaders that is always at the helm of serving others.

Our College Students

Our college students at Southside are simply amazing.  They are dedicated to serve our Lord and each of them serve in many ways that so many don't even know about.  I am blessed that God has given us these young leaders who make a difference for Jesus each day as they shine for Him at school, work and in our community.  These young leaders are so gifted and they bless me each day. I enjoy the opportunity that God has given to me to love them as they help us fulfill God's vision of radical transformation in our city and community.

Our Minister of Education

Our Minister of Education is a wonderful teacher.  I could listen to him teach the Bible for hours.  He is a gifted teacher, especially with illustrations.  He does a great job making the Bible come alive in his classes.  He currently teaches Sunday School for senior adult couples and he also teaches a Love University Class on Romans each Wednesday night.  As well as serving at Southside, he is also the co-owner of CENTER CROSS CREATIVE, a ministry that does consulting work for churches who seek to update and streamline their sunday school programs.  He travels around our state teaching and training teachers on how to be more affective as they tach for Jesus.  I would encourage everyone to check out one of Pastor James' classes.  It will impact your spiritual walk.

Piedmon Baptist Association/Cental Triad Baptist Association Proposed Merger

Many of you have recently heard of the proposed merger between our local Baptist association, The Piemont Baptist Association, and the Central Triad Baptist Association located in High Point.  This proposed merger is a wonderful opportunity for both associations to come together for the purpose of laboring for the cause of Christ so that radical transformation can take place in the triad. 

I have had the opportunity and responsibility to be heavily involved in this task as I serve as President of the PBA this year and also on the transition team for the two associations.  After many hours of prayer, research, meetings, and counsel, I believe with all my heart that this is God's will.  It is simply amazing to see the progress that has been made as our leadership team has sought God's leadership with this opportunity.

Please pray about this opportunity and if you have any questions, please attend one of the listening sessions this coming week for more information.  Also, if you would like to make a lunch appointment with someone on the team to discuss this in further detail, do not hesitate to contact me.  My schedule is packed this week, but I will be glad to set up a time for you to meet with someone on our leadership team. 

Remember to put Monday, March 22 on your calendar.  We will meet at 7 PM on that night at Life Community Church in Jamestown to vote on the proposed merger.  Along with our associational staff and leadership team, I covet your prayers for this historic opportunity that will enable mighty things to happen in the Triad for Jesus.

For more info, you can visit the http://www.biblicalrecorder.com/.

Our Saxophone Players at Southside

Each week at Southside, we are blessed with wonderful musical worship.  God has brought us some of the most talented and gifted people who give of themselves in such a selfless way week by week.  These two gentlemen bless my heart each week as they play for the glory of God.  As I listen to them during our musical worship, I fill like the Psalms are simply coming alive in my heart.

Thank you Jim and Jordan as you give of yourself to play for our church family on Sunday mornings, Sunday evenings, and for special occasions.  I am also appreciative of the countless hours that you spend rehearsing so that you can give your best to our God each week.  I am blessed by your ministry of worship.

The Blessing of Genuine Friendship

One of my best friends in the entire world is a pastor in the state of Alabama. Although I do not get to see him but once a year, he is such an inspiration to our family.  He is a wonderful man of God who lives with a driven passion to reach people for Jesus.  He is married to such a great lady and they have four really cool kids. 

Today,  I was sitting at my desk in my study laboring over the book of Colossians.  As I was deep in study with a purpose of preparing for next sunday night's message, I heard my cell phone vibrate.  I picked it up and I notcied I had a text message.  As I read the message, it was from my good friend in Alabama who just wanted to send me a word of encouragement. 

I was amazed that the words he sent to me were exactly what I needed to hear although he had no idea how those words would bless me today.  WOW, how God works.  God used him to speak to me today in a way that reminds me of the blessing that genuine friendship really is.

As you close your day, ask God, "how can I share genuine words with those who are my friends?"

A special thanks to my good pal in Alabama for teaching me the value of genuine friendship.

Ten Years of Faithfulness

Living out a legacy is something that requires alot of hard work, dedication, and effort.  Last week, we were given a wonderful example of one who has fulfilled this call as we celebrated our Minister of Music's 10th anniversary at Southside.  Pastor Chip Holden is a godly man who works so hard each week to prepare to lead our church family to the throne of grace as we worship each Lord's day.  I am grateful for this man and the fact that God put him in my life.  I hope that I can persevere and work as hard as he has to be such a great husband, father and pastor.  It is my pleasure to be able to stand in the pulpit each week after this man of God leads us in musical worship. Congratulations, Pastor Chip.
 

The Joy of Visitation

One of the highlights of my ministry each week is the opportunity that I have to go on visitation with new families that visit our church.  Tonight, I was filled with such joy as I was invited into two homes to share God's love with the families that reside there.  These precious families reminded me tonight of the joy that comes to my heart as I get to share in this way.  I am amazed that God would choose to bless Southside with such wonderful and amazing people.  I left these homes tonight a blessed man.  It is so wonderful when you go with the intention of giving a blessing and leave as the one who received it.  Thank you Jesus for this opportunity.

The Great Commission Resurgence Report

Last summer as our church sent 10 messengers to join thousands of other Southern Baptist for our annual convention in Louisville, we were given a challenge to adopt the proposal of a Great Commission Resurgence within our convention.  The proposal passed with an overwhelming vote from the messengers and the task force has been working diligently ever since.

Tonight, the task force presented its recommentdations to the leaders within our convention and to the Executive Committee.  I am so excited to know that one of the recommmendations that is being proposed is the increase of fund percentages to the International Mission Board so that we can take the gospel of Jesus to the farthest corners of the earth. 

I am also excited to see how they are recommending that the North American Mission Board be set free from the state convention duplication process.  This will really help NAMB and our state conventions, especially in the area of church planting. 

Thanks you Jesus for opening doors so that we can carry your name to the world for the purpose of salvation.

VBS 2010

Tonight was our first meeting of 2010 to begin the process of our community wide Vacation Bible School. Although I could not be there because of a previous commitment, I was blessed just a bit ago to have received some texts and emails from those who attended.  They are pumped, encouraged and excited.

 As you know, God gave me a vision that we needed to open our hearts to do missions and evangelism in our community by creating a VBS environment that would reach beyond our church to other smaller churches in our community that otherwise could not have a VBS.  It is amazing at all the wonderful things God has done in the past through this ministry, but I am so excited about VBS in 2010. 

Please begin to join me in praying for this important time that I consider to be the most important week of our church year.  More children come to know the Lord through VBS than any other avenue in America.  I think this proves that VBS should be a very high priority in each of our lives as we plan our summer schedule.  We are going to need about 150 workers this year as we are going to have 5 different rotations.  Please pray that God will touch hearts and raise up leaders who can give their time to touch the hearts of the children in Greensboro.

The Blessing of Meeting Together

I am humbled, blessed and amazed each week at how God continues to work in the life of Southside Baptist Church.  Yesterday, we had a wonderful day.  God blessed us with great attendance, wonderful worship, 6 new members, and after church, God allowed a lady in our church and myself to lead a person to receive Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.  I am so blessed to be a part of a church that seeks to keep our focus on the gospel and its life changing message of hope. 

It is my prayer that God will continue to pour forth His blessings of love and grace upon us.  Thanks to each of you who are surrendered to carry out the great commission and the great commandment of our Lord.  It is so wonderful to know that God is blessing the legacy that has been put before us as we obey the Lord with our service to Him.

Our Little Mommy

Anna Brooke recently turned five years old.  With her new age, she has become quite a little mommy.  This picture shows Anna Brooke rocking a baby in her sunday school class at Southside.  Recently, with all of her motherly instincts, she has started setting the table and making her bed.  We are so proud that she is so loving and has a heart of service toward others.  These wonderful qualities have come to Anna Brooke's life because of the Godly legacy her mommy provides each day.

The Best Way To Start The Day

This morning is a typical monday morning at Fullertown.  As I think about all that has to be done, the "to do" list could easily become overwhelming. I am thankful that this does not have to be the case because of a fact that changed my life many years ago. I learned years ago that the best way to start your day is with God and His word.  This morning, I read Ecclesiastes 4 - 8 and I was amazed at the deep truths in these chapters of wisdom.  As I leave home in about 10 minutes to take Luke to school and head to the office, I am confident that what I read this morning will be used throughout my day to strengthen my soul and lead my life so that I may be able to bring glory to God with all that I do today.

My prayer and hope is that my children will follow my example and begin their day with God too so that their lives may be rich with the wisdom that comes from the word.  Have a great Monday.

The Early Morning at Fullertown

God has blessed our family with two incredible sons, Luke and Paul.  They are both such awesome boys that are adored by their sisters and of course their parents.  It is amazing that each morning to this day, Paul (our 2 year old,) wakes up early to be with his brother as he gets ready for school.  Although Paul does not go to preschool until 9:00 am, he is always eager to get ready with his older brother.  He even gets his coat on and has his back pack ready by 7:00 am so that he can be like his hero, Luke.  Just as Paul is eager to start his day early with Luke, our girls are always enjoying their sleep until the very last minute.

Luke's Duke Guitar

At Fullertown, we have alot of convictions and one of those convictions is that we seek to create an atmosphere of worship in our home that will bring glory to God.  Although I have hardly any musical ability, Laura Ann has plenty for both of us.  She has taught me over the years the importance of musical worship toward our Lord. 

From the time each of our children were born, Laura Ann has spent hours singing to them and leading them in musical worship.  This love for music really paid off when Luke asked for a guitar for his 6th birthday so he could sing to Jesus and play worship songs like our youth praise band does.  When this request came from his lips, his granny, who lives in Florida, decided to purchase a guitar for him that would help him as he begins his musical journey.  Of course, she purchased a Duke blue guitar because she knew that would really make for a happy birthday boy. 

This picture is of our son, sitting in the upstairs foyer of our home playing his heart out for Jesus.  It just shows how God is blessing the desire of Laura Ann's heart to see her children worship our Lord.  May the legacy of music continue for years to come as we seek to lead our children to worship our Lord with all of their heart.

The March of Nations

Tonight as the snow falls outside at Fullertown, Laura Ann and I have been watching the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics.  As we watched the "March of Nations," I was reminded of the diversity of the world.  In this session of the winter olympics, there are 82 nations represented.  As each nation marched in during the opening ceremonies, my heart was drawn to think about the fact that God loves the world so much that He gave His son as a gift to every nation and every person in the world. WOW, what an amazing thought to think about how BIG and AWESOME our God is.  As you think about what He has done for you, would you consider making the sacrifice to GO to another nation on a mission trip to share His love with those who may be very different from you by way of their culture, but who are very important to our God.

Serving our Baptist State Convention

ncbaptist.org

I received a telephone call today with information that two of our faithful members at Southside have been asked to serve our beloved Baptist State Convention of NC by serving on various teams and commmittees.  I am so proud of Mrs. Donna Elmore and Mr. George Gambill for being asked to serve in missions in this way.  It is such an honor for our church to be affiliated with such a wonderful convention that is really striving to make a difference in  NC and around the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

A New Format

Tonight was a cold and windy night in Greensboro but it was indeed a warm and wonderful night at Southside.  Tonight marked the beginning of a new format for our church family and as we embarked upon the journey of a new schedule and format, God proved faithful. I am so excited that so many of our precious members have affirmed this opportunity and I look forward to how this format change will bless our Wednesday evening ministry schedule in the days, months, and years to come.  Thank you church family for embracing the vision and ministry of the most wonderful church in the world, Southside Baptist Church of Greensboro.

A Sweet, Sweet Spirit

One of my favorite hymns to sing is, "Sweet, Sweet Spirit."  Today, as I spent most of my day out and about with several of our church members, I was reminded by them of the sweet sweet spirit that we had at Southside last night.  As I thought about these comments, I began to think in detail about that.  I am grateful for the sweet spirit that we enjoyed last night and my prayer is that it will continue as God's people assemble together to worship and learn from God's word.  Thank you church family for this sweet spirit.  Your pastor is humbly grateful. I love you.

A Vision Became A Reality

In the summer of 2007, Laura and I were sitting on an airplane in mid June headed to the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention.  She looked over at me with tears streaming down her face and said, "Dear, I need to talk to you about something."  I immediately put my book on my lap and said, "o.k."  Then, my God fearing wife began to share with me that God had pressed upon her heart to start a half day, part time preschool for children in our city that typically stayed at home with their moms, but needed an introduction to Jesus, learning, and social activity.  She went on to share that since God had given me the vision for our church months earlier that we should strive to be a church that was focused on a Gospel centered love, that we could name the preschool "WEE Love Academy." 

As we continued to fly to our destination for the convention, Laura took out a pad and showed me on paper how this vision in her heart could become a reality.  I was humbled, amazed, shocked, scared, and excited all at the same time.  As we committed to pray about this, God made it clear that this was His will for our church, city, and family. 

Now, we are in our third year and I simply could not imagine Southside without this ministry.  We have seen several families become a part of our church family because of this ministry.  We have seen precious preschoolers fall in love with Jesus.  We have seen a deeper committment of parents and grandparents who have children involved in this ministry.

All I can say is, GO GOD.  My prayer is that WEE Love Academy will stand as an avenue of evangelism and discipleship for our Lord for many, many years to come.

Thank you Jesus for making this vision a reality.

Laura Ann and God's Plan

As a child, I remember dreaming and thinking quite often about how my life would be when I became an adult.  I had the typical thought that I would fall in love with a high school sweetheart, go to a local university, have a career in broadcasting, and build a nice home at Moulton on the family farm.  Little did I know that God had very different plans.

At the age of 15, I remember so well sitting in a revival meeting at Sandy Creek Baptist Church on the second from back row when God hit my heart.  I simply fell into the pew during the invitation after the first stanza of the hymn of invitation, " I Have Decided To Follow Jesus," when I laid my head on the edge of the pew in front of my seat and began to cry.

I realized that night that God's plan for my life would be an adventure that would take me down a very dirfferent road than was typical.  I began to seek Him and at the age of 17, I enrolled at The Baptist College of Florida where I met the lady that God would use to change my life forever.  I will always remember meeting her at the new student reception and being swept in love with her.

Today, alot of time has passed and I can say that I fall more in love with her every day that passes by.  She has joined me on God's journey and it has been so much fun.  I am thankful for the gift that Laura is to me, our children and our church.  She is so unique and it is so apparent that God has His hand of blessing all over her life.  It is my pleasure to know her, love her, live with her, and share my life with her.

Yes, the journey has been so different than I imagined as a child, but O am I so glad because no author or love story could have ever matched the love or joy that has come to my life through Laura Ann. 

I love you Laura Ann and look forward to building a legacy of love with you for many years to come.

Thank you Jesus!

A Pure Example of Love

The Lord has blessed our family with two daughters who bring an unspeakable amount of joy to our family.  Anna Brooke and Sarah Belle have taught us so much about the love that siblings should have for one another.  Just as they share a bond of love that comes because they are biological sisters, every Christian should share love as brothers and sisters in Christ.  Lord, thank you for the example and challenge that my girls have set before my life to be a man of your love.  Help me to love others like you do Jesus.

The Legacy of Love Through Cooking

Several months ago, my amazing wife called me at the office one morning with a great idea.  She told me that she felt that God wanted her to prepare a cookbook for our church family with recipes that would tell the story of some of the precious ladies in our church who have given their lives to minister through their talent of cooking.  This idea became a reality after Laura spent countless hours on this project.  In late November of 2009, the cookbooks made their way from the printer to our church.  As we have enjoyed several of these recipes in our home, I am reminded of the love, labor, and talent of so many of our church members who shared special recipes from their hearts.  A legacy has been shared as these recipes have come from their hearts to all of our homes.  Thanks to all who contributed to this special project.

The Southside Site

http://www.sbcgreensboro.org/

As we seek to reach out to a new generation, our staff realized that we needed a new website that would provide up to date information about the ministry of Southside Baptist Church.  After many months of prayer and research, I asked Pastor Matthew Bowden, our Associate Pastor, to make this become a reality.  He has spent hours upon hours building our church website. I hope that all of you will make it a priority to use this site to point your family and friends to our church so they can be a part of all that God is doing.  Also, lets say a special thanks to Pastor Matthew for his hard work in this area of ministry.

Let's Go To The Beach

The last couple of weeks, our kids have consistently asked Laura and I when we can go back to the beach.  We always laugh as we answer," when the weather warms up."  As I look at this picture of our little Fuller's, I am reminded of how much they love the coast.  Their favorite place to go is a small community beach called, Cherry Grove that is located just upon the edge of South Carolina.  As we anticipate warmer weather in the next couple of months, we hope to deliver to our kids the desire of their hearts, THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO THE BEACH.  Daddy and Mommy are just as excited about this opportunity because we love the beach too. 

Lessons To Learn From The Legacy Of Coach K

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a committed fan of ACC Duke basketball.  Weather you are a Duke fan or not, there is so much to be learned from their head coach, Coach K.  He has modeled several wonderful attributes that should be used by Christians in our daily walk with God.  He is Committed, Consistent, and Courageous.  As you seek to walk with Jesus, remember that these attributes will always lead you to be a winner just as Duke currently ranks # 1 in the ACC.  If men can be so committed, consistent, and courageous with a sport, we should be even more committed, consistent, and courageous in our walk with God.  Let our legacy far outlive that of a ball team by the passion we live out each day.

CAMP CASWELL - Building The Legacy

This past week, our church received the letter of acceptance that our students have been approved to attend the summer missions camp at Fort Caswell.  This is so exciting because hundreds of young people are denied each year because of the demand of this camp.  This camp has been used to bring salvation to thousands of students over the past several summers.  It has also been used to stir the hearts of countless hundreds of students who now serve our Lord in full time ministry.  As I look at this picture, my heart rejoices that my children have enjoyed time on this holy ground.  This picture was taken during the youth camp of 2009.  I am praying that God does something amazing this summer as our students attend June 28-July 3, 2010.  Laura and I look forward to joining them for part of the week with our children once again. 

SNOW - God's Reminder To Us

Our oldest son, Luke, has a special love for the snow.  He was so excited last weekend when he woke up and saw the front lawn from his bedroom window as it was covered in snow.  He quickly dressed and went outside to enjoy the snow.  I will never forget the words he said right after this picture was taken.  He said, "Daddy, this snow reminds me that Jesus died on the cross so that we can be as white as this snow in our heart."  WOW, what a special moment for me to realize that God used this winter weather to give my son a physical image of how pure, beautiful, and white our hearts can be because of what Jesus does for us through the forgiveness of our sins and the cleansing of all the dark, black, and dirty filth in our lives.  Thank you Luke for reminding daddy that God uses the snow to show us His legacy of love.

The Joy of Rocking

When I was a child, my great grandmother (Mama D) loved to rock on her front porch.  I remember the joy of rocking with her each time our family went to visit her.  During the many hours of my childhood that I spent rocking with her, she blessed me with countless amounts of wisdom. 

Today, I am blessed to have a front porch with 2 rockers.  My baby boy, Paul, loves to go out and spend time rocking with daddy.  As I sit and rock with him, I often find myself sharing alot of that same wisdom that Mama D once shared with me. 

As I look at this picture of Paul doing what he loves most (rocking) I am reminded of the countless hours I spent doing the same thing as a child.

From Mama D's porch to ours, the legacy lives on.

The Legacy of Southside

As I think of how God builds a legacy, I realize that I am part of a legacy through the ministry of our church.  Southside Baptist Church is a beautiful bride of Jesus Christ that stands as a Bible teaching and believing church because of so many God fearing people who have stood for Jesus over the past several years.  As I look around our city, I see so many churches and people that consider themselves to be Christians, and I wonder how they can do so after compromising the truth of the beloved Gospel of our Lord.  I am thankful that my family has the opprotunity to be a part of a Biblical, Conservative, and Gospel Centered Congregation that seeks to live out God's love each day.  We certainly stand on the shoulders of many who gave such deep sacrifices for us to be a part of such a church. 

Thank you Jesus, precious Southside saints who are now in Heaven, and to all who continue to make the stand for us to have such a wonderful church today.

The Journey

Life is a journey that God allows us to participate in so that we can bring absolute glory to Him.  As I think about the journey of my life, I am filled with emotion because I simply can not believe that my great God would allow me to experience such marvelous blessings as I have throughout my life.  My prayer tonight is simply that God would lead every step of my journey so that I can please him in every area of my life.

Today is Friday, which is the day that I set aside each week to focus on my family and my personal walk with God.  As I walked through the events of this day, God allowed me to see the value of how important it is to live out your faith in front of your children.  Our four children spent a few minutes tonight in the playroom playing as if they were conducting a worship service at our church.  Anna Brooke called out and said, "Daddy, come here and watch us as we have church at Fullertown tonight."  I immediately ran upstairs and watched as our four little ones were standing on a table (as if it were a platform) with Bible's in their hands.  Anna Brooke and Sarah Belle started singing and then Luke and Paul started preaching. 

This experience tonight reminded me that my children watch everything I do, even when I am on the platform at our church.  WOW, what a humbling reminder that this life does indeed build a legacy.