Mike's Message

Finally hit the 250s

2009-05-09T20:48:00.000-04:00

I'm definitely not seeing the 240s from my house yet though. It was very hard getting past the 260 barrier. I've flirted with it for over a week. But after walking four miles, then cutting grass all afternoon, I'm weighing in at just over 256. Rehydrating may bring that back up a pound or two, but I should still be under 260.

The next two "weight decades" are significant to me. When I get to 250 I will be down about 80 pounds. That'll be my halfway point. I'm hoping to get to 170, and that takes a 160 pound loss from my 330 pound start. Getting to 240 will be significant because that is my college graduation weight. It would be nice to know I'm at least no bigger than I was when I graduated.

I've set dates for both of those goals. I'd like to be at 250 by the time Jon comes home on leave, and 240 by the time he returns to Germany 3 weeks later.

My Weight Loss Journey

2009-05-08T23:59:00.004-04:00

Red shirt, last fall, estimated 325 lbs.

Pink shirt, Easter 2009, around 282 lbs.

I don't see a lot of difference in these two, but I got a lot of compliments from Facebook friends about how much thinner I looked in the Easter picture. Do you see it?

Since the 25th of January I have lost about 70 pounds. I weighed in that night before going to bed at 332 pounds. When I got up this morning I was 260. When I told a friend that I needed to start blogging again, I was told this was one of the things I should have been blogging about. Technically, I have. I have kept a web log on a published Google Docs Spreadsheet detailing the journey. Feel free to look over the spreadsheet. Most of my progress for February through April is detailed on the page labeled "Mike." I was supposed to be having a contest with a friend named Jay during that time, but if you look at the page labeled "Jay" you'll see that he didn't hang with me. Jay is still working on his weight loss and I wish him all the luck in the world.

Now that our contest is over, I wanted to start a new page that compares my current weight with my January 25 weigh in at home. The old "Mike" page had a later start date, February 2, since that was the beginning of our contest. By February 2 I was already 5 pounds lighter dressed at the doctor's office than I had been at home undressed on January 25th. So the "home" page compares the current weight with the beginning of the Journey, not the beginning of the contest. Comments and encouragements are appreciated.

I'm still breathing

2009-05-08T23:58:00.000-04:00

I haven't posted on this or any blogs in quite a while. My blogs have pretty much become "Facebook Orphans". The only problem with that is that little of substance gets posted on Facebook, and what does get posted is only available to people with Facebook pages. I'm going to try to move away from Facebook and start publishing here more often. I need your help. What kind of things would you like to hear me talk about here? Please leave a note in the comments.

Audio Conference for Pastors -- Daniel Akin

2009-01-20T11:45:00.001-05:00

Audio Conference for Pastors
January 20 2009

Dr. Bobby Gilstrap interviews Dr. Daniel Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

1. Why do we have so many unhealthy churches?

We have jettisoned the authority and sufficiency of scripture.

Jesus repeatedly affirms the authority of the Word of God, as does Paul after him.

A bishop who is an avowed practicing homosexual is leading prayer in todays inaugural. You cannot get there in the bounds of accepting the authority of scripture.

A NT church is a church that reflects the true teaching of the Bible.

The church to be healthy, must ask, "What does the Bible say about the church?"
Matt 16:13-20; Acts 2:40-47; Eph 4:1-16; 1 Thes 1:1-10

2. Why do we need a recovery of Word based ministry?

Geo Barna says among evangelicals almost half believe Jesus committed sin while he was on the earth. They also believe that it is possible to work your way to salvation, even through other non-Christian religions. The only way you can take this position is to either to deny the Bible or be ignorant of the Bible.

We need to teach our people think in rigorous Biblical categories. We are seeing a young group who are modeling men who are radically committed to expository preaching and theological thinking. Dr. Johnny Hunt convinced of the necessity of teaching his people theology.

If we have a rigorous word based ministry we could have a real revival of substance in our churches and denomination.

3. Why do you beieve we need recovery of a regenerate church ministry?

Filling the church with baptized unregenerates opens the door for all types of confusion in the church.

We Baptist have baptized unregenerate adolescents who were not aware of what they were doing when they joined the church. If you have a church filled w unregenerate members you will have a mess on your hands. We must do a much better job of explaining the gospel and more rigorous as pastors in making sure people have genuinely believe the gospel.

What are practical tips for transforming an unregenerate membership to a regenerate membership?
1. Word Based Ministry - expositional
2. Christ Centered Preaching - gospel focused
3. Narrow the front door of the church. Deal with those who profess to believe the gospel seeking membership. We need to be certain that they understand and are committed to the gospel.

4. Why do yo believe there is a need for recovery of church discipline?

Church discipline should be a natural normal part of the body loving one another and taking care of one another. If you don't have both regenerate church and a disciplined church it will not work.

5. What are the essentials and non negotiables?

The Word rightly preached.
The Ordinances need the primacy they received in the early church.
Regenerate membership
Disciplined
Great Commission people who realize their obligation to carry the gospel both across the street and to the nations.

My Thoughts on Weddings

2008-09-26T11:14:00.001-04:00

A couple of months ago I was working in my office when I received a call from a young lady who was interested in using our building for her wedding. She told me that she and her boyfriend (with whom she is currently living) attended church here several years ago, but have moved out of the area. I asked her if they had found a new church home where they are currently living, and she said they have not.

I agreed to send her a copy of our church wedding policy, and have not heard back from her. But that got me asking myself some questions about weddings. Why would a couple that hasn't attended church in several years want to have their wedding in a church? Why would a couple who is living in a state of perpetual moral disobedience want to have their wedding in church?

Perhaps using our facilities appeals to them because there is something traditional about church weddings. Perhaps they somehow believe that their families expect them to be married in the church. Perhaps they even believe God will somehow bless their marriage if they have it at a church.

All of these were unsettling to me, as I believed that God blessed us with our facilities in order that we might use them for worship, fellowship, evangelism, and discipleship. I don't believe he ever intended them to be merely brick and mortar facilities that can be rented out for any civil affair. I listen as some of our members warn children not to run in the sanctuary, or to skate in the fellowship hall, because these buildings have a special purpose, they are set apart for God's service. Do we not profane them just as much if we loan or lease them out for to people who are inactive in church?

I don't expect anyone to be perfect when they are married. But I do expect that people who have their weddings in a church and ask a minister of the gospel to solemnize their vows to at least be on some type of discipleship journey. If your relationship with God is a value in your life, then your wedding should be a worship service, and a church building is an appropriate venue. But if you are not seeking such a relationship with God, then to have your wedding in the church is not only an act of hypocrisy, the church itself becomes complicit in that hypocrisy.

With this in mind, I have developed a personal wedding policy. In the past I confess that I have been far too liberal in performing weddings for almost anyone that asked. From this point forward if I will only officiate at weddings of believers who are active in a local church. I will also be working on our church's wedding policy. The current policy was crafted by the properties committee about 20 years ago. While the new policy will concern itself with the stewardship of our property, it will also reflect our mission and purpose.

______________________

Wedding Policy for Rev. Mike Hardin

Wedding Policy for First Baptist Church of Lovejoy, GA

Should Christian Ministers Officiate in the Weddings of Unbelievers?|Russell D. Moore, Baptist Press

Who's to blame for the Economic Crisis?

2008-09-25T11:57:00.006-04:00

It's easy to blame whoever happens to be in the White House when things go wrong. As a matter of fact, I think on domestic matters Bush has been a pretty weak President. I abhor the $700 Billion that he wants to use to "bail out" the mortgage issue. Perhaps if we had a huge surplus and could do so with cash. But the well is dry, and he wants the American taxpayers to go into debt to buy more debt. I am no economist, but it sounds like to me we are slightly delaying and greatly exacerbating the problem.

However, that all being said, look who called for reforms and oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac 5 years ago and notice who blocked said reforms. We do need change in Washington, but God help us if it's not the right change.

New Agency Proposed to Oversee Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae|NY Times, 9/11/2003

"Among the groups denouncing the proposal today [9/11/2003] were the National Association of Home Builders and Congressional Democrats who fear that tighter regulation of the companies could sharply reduce their commitment to financing low-income and affordable housing."

SBC Missions websites

2008-06-20T12:53:00.004-04:00

While at NAMB for the Fireproof screening yesterday, we were given lots of literature and freebies. (I never have to buy another ink pen). Lots of the literature we were given was nice glossy finish PR pieces. But the page I liked best was just a spreadsheet listing all of our (SBC) mission education web sites.

Click here to see this table in it's own window. For best results right-click on the links in the table and select "open in new window" or "open in new tab".

Download Excel Spreadsheet

"Fireproof", from the creators of "Facing the Giants"

2008-06-19T10:00:00.003-04:00

Welcome To FireproofTheMovie.com - Coming September 26, 2008

This morning Terri and I are at the North American Mission Board in Alpharetta attending a screening of the New Movie Fireproof. Please view the trailer below or click the link above to learn more about this movie, coming soon to a theater near you.

"Fireproof" set to be "Giant" in theaters this fall | Christian Index

Book Series - The Last Jihad

2008-06-04T12:46:00.005-04:00

I have just finished reading the last book in the the series of five by Joel C. Rosenberg. I discovered this series of novels quite by accident. I first read his book, Epicenter, a non-fiction work about the prophecies of scripture that are being fulfilled in our time. It was a good book to help understand the unfolding events of the Middle East. When I began reading Epicenter, Rosenberg made frequent references to his novels that were set in the near future leading up to the rapture. Having read and enjoyed all of the Left Behind series, which begins with the rapture and runs through the Second Coming of Christ, I thought I would enjoy Rosenberg's novels also.

At the time he wrote Epicenter, Rosenberg had only finished three of his five novels. I ordered all three of those from Amazon.com. I received the first two books in short order, but I was soon notified that the third book was out of stock. After reading the first two I was hooked, and went to my library to find the third and fourth volumes. The fifth has just come out in the last month or two. I did not think the library would have it yet, so I went ahead and ordered it.

One of the characteristics of the novels is that the fictional events tend to foreshadow future events. In the first book Rosenberg writes about a plane being used as a weapon to attack the United States. He says the book was about 90% finished on September 11, 2001, when we were in fact attacked with not one, but four commercial airliners. Before the book went to the publisher, he reworked the earlier chapters so that everything that was happening happened in the aftermath of September 11, 2001. He also wrote about the United States invading Iraq before our April 2003 invasion. He wrote about the attack of a US diplomatic convey in Gaza, and that also came to pass. In his forward to the final book, Rosenberg prays that the events of that book do not come to pass.

The books are action packed thrillers. They involve Jon Bennet, a Wall Street operative who is recruited to be an advisor to the president, and Erin McCoy, a CIA agent who becomes his sidekick. The book is full of action and excitement that keeps you wanting more. Rush Limbaugh described it as reading like an episode of the Fox TV series, 24. As you might expect a love interest develops between Bennet and McCoy, as each takes turns rescuing the other from a wide array of villains. The series is unapologetically Christian, with believers frequently and urgently sharing the gospel with non-believers. There are however some very likable characters who are killed while contemplating the claims of the gospel. The reader has to feel a sense of disappointment that if that character had lived just a little while longer, they likely would have come to faith in Christ. These characters serve as a warning of the brevity and uncertainty of life.

I would highly recommend the books to anyone who enjoys high action thrillers with a Christian world view. However, like the Left Behind series before them, I think they could have a great appeal even to non-believers.

The Books in order are: The Last Jihad, The Last Days, The Ezekiel Option, The Copper Scroll, and Dead Heat.

Buy the Books on Amazon.com, Joel C. Rosenberg

find my phone

2008-05-27T19:41:00.000-04:00

find my phone

My daughter lost her phone Sunday night. Someone else began using it Monday. Click the link above to see the numbers they called before I turned the phone off. None of them knew who had the phone when I called, but maybe they'll remember more for you.

Never Forget

2008-05-26T00:00:00.002-04:00

Henry Blackaby: Remembering America's Fallen | Baptist Press

As we pause today to remember all of the brave men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country, we are humbled by their courage. As the father of a US serviceman, not a day goes by that I don't think about the possibility of him, and the rest of our family, being called on to make that same sacrifice.

God bless the families of all who serve. But let us never forget, that in this current war with radical Islamic jihadists, that the first casualties were neither soldiers nor sailors, but civilians and civil servants. Let us never forget the lives that were taken from us. Let us never forget the passengers of United 93 who fought valiantly to take the plane back from the hijackers, saving our nation's capital building and all who were therein. Let us never forget the FDNY firefighters who were running up the stairwells of the burning towers while everyone else was running down.

Tominthebox News Network - Religious Humor/Satire

2008-05-25T07:27:00.001-04:00

Tominthebox News Network - Religious Humor/Satire

I use Google Reader to keep up with the news and my fellow bloggers. One of the nice things about Google Reader is that it suggests other feeds you may want to subscribe to, based on what you are already reading. I found this one this morning and was very impressed with the creativity and humor. If you need to add a little humor and satire to your church experience, this is the blog for you.

New forum for my subdivision

2008-05-23T22:41:00.001-04:00

Residents of Liberty Square Park

It's about time the homeowners in my neighborhood started taking responsibility for protecting our children and our property values. With that in mind I started this forum for my neighbors to begin talking with one another about how we can take control of our HOA and our neighborhood.

In Memory of Maria

2008-05-23T10:42:00.001-04:00

In Memory of Maria

Maria Chapman, the 5-year-old daughter of Contemporary Christian artist Steven Curtis Chapman, was killed Wednesday night in a tragic accident at her home. She was struck in the driveway by a car driven by an older sibling. Please keep the Chapman family, especially the teenage driver, in your prayers.

A blog has been set up in Maria's memory. Please visit the blog and click on "comments" under either of the two entries to leave your condolences.

Adoption Community Mourns Musician's Daughter | Associated Press

Good News! Home Prices are still dropping.

2008-05-22T13:28:00.000-04:00

Home prices down 1.7% in first quarter, U.S. agency says - MarketWatch
If you were planning to cash out your home in the near future, or hoping to get your lender to drop your PMI, then I guess dropping home prices aren't such a good thing. For the rest of us this is either good news or relatively unimportant.

First time home buyers will certainly appreciate being able to buy homes at a more affordable rate. The drop in housing prices will save them untold thousands in principle and interest over the life or their mortgages. Many who may previously have been priced out of the housing market may now finally have an opportunity to own their own homes without dangerous adjustable rate mortgages.

Those moving up to bigger homes will also benefit from this drop in prices. Most of us begin with a small "starter" home and move up as our income increases. If your home was worth $150,000 a year ago, and you were planning to upgrade to a $200,000 home, then the drop in prices will be a blessing for you. Although your current home won't bring $150,000 now, that home you wanted to move into will now cost less also. To make the math simple, let's assume they've both dropped 10% in value. Now you are only going to be able to get $135,000 for your current home, but you are only going to have to pay $180,000 for your new home. That means the upgrade is now costing you only $45,000 instead of $50,000. While that sounds like a savings of $5,000, it's much more over the life of your mortgage.

If you were planning to stay in your home for a few years then the current trend in housing really has very little impact on you. The real estate market has up and down fluctuations, just like the stock market. But like the stock market, the real estate market has historically always performed well over the long term. While no one can guarantee the future value of your individual home, there is almost a statistical certainty that the average price of a home in the United States will be more in 10 years than it is now, or even more than it was a year ago before prices began to fall.

The next time you hear the media screaming about falling housing prices just smile and think about all the good deals that are available to you, your friends and neighbors.

4 Philadelphia Police Officers in Videotaped Beatings Will Be Fired - New York Times

2008-05-20T15:47:00.002-04:00

4 Philadelphia Police Officers in Videotaped Beatings Will Be Fired - New York Times

Enough is enough. Can we not just get a law passed that says if a suspect attempts to allude police or resists arrest, he can expect a whipping upon capture? If you don't want to get whipped, don't run and don't fight. It's time we get on the side of law enforcement on this issue.

State notifies parents before releasing awful test scores | ajc.com

2008-05-20T14:25:00.001-04:00

State notifies parents before releasing awful test scores | ajc.com

School uproar: Did fautly test fail kids? | ajc.com

According to the unofficial results, only 20 to 30 percent of Georgia's sixth- and seventh-graders passed the state social studies exam. In math, about 40 percent of eighth-graders could be held back because they failed the test.

When a few students don't pass we have a problem with students that parents need to address. When 70-80% don't pass the social studies exam and 40% don't pass the math, we have a problem with the schools that the citizens need to address. Every year this problem is ignored another class of students drifts off into the world unprepared. This should be a top priority not only for our state school superintendent, but for our legislature and governor. This type of performance is inexcusable.

Pray for our Soldiers

2008-05-07T11:56:00.003-04:00

Afghanistan Firefight Heard on Voice Mail|KPTV.com

Our son Jonathon joined the army last summer, and is currently undergoing training in Arizona. We are thankful that he is not currently in harms way, but are keenly aware that he may be sent into a hostile area when he finishes his training. I hope we never come home to a voice mail like this. A soldier in Afghanistan tried to call his parents, but they weren't home. Later that day, in a firefight with insurgents, he leaned against his Humvee and accidentally redialed his phone. His parents still weren't home, but 3 minutes of the firefight was recorded on their voice mail. They were able to return his call and found him to be in good health after the firefight, thanks be to God.

Be warned, the audio is not clear. Also, if you can make out the language, it is the type of language you would expect among soldiers under fire. Enough said.

Click here to hear audio from the message left on the Petee's answering machine(WARNING: GRAPHIC LANGUAGE).

Alaska Governor Lives out Pro-life Values

2008-05-06T07:45:00.002-04:00

The Associated Press: Alaska governor balances newborn's needs, official duties

Al Mohler: Welcome to the Word, Trig Paxson Van Palin

In a time when up to 90% of children who are determined to have disabilities before birth are aborted, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has chosen to give birth to a downs syndrome baby. The Associated Press article states:

There was never any doubt the Palins would have the child, and on April 18 she gave birth to Trig Paxson Van Palin.
"We've both been very vocal about being pro-life," Palin said. "We understand that every innocent life has wonderful potential."

Reading this story is the first I've heard of Palin, but I admire her for living out her convictions. In order to become governor of Alaska, she had to beat the Republican incumbent in the primaries and then beat a former two-term Democratic governor in the general election. Interestingly she has been described as a "maverick" by some in her state. It is rumored that the better known maverick, John McCain, may be considering her as a running mate. Stay tuned.

Healthy Kingdom Churches | Discipleship & Family Ministries

2008-05-05T10:00:00.002-04:00

Healthy Kingdom Churches | Discipleship & Family Ministries

This morning I am meeting with Greg Ambercrombie of the Georgia Baptist Convention's Healthy Kingdom Churches department. We will be discussing the strengths and weaknesses of our church, and how we might become a more healthy church. In his book, The Purpose Driven Church, Rick Warren insist that our focus should be on church health rather than church growth, because healthy churches, like healthy plants, naturally are growing churches. Please pray for this meeting that God will give us insight into the needs of our church.

Man asks court to change his name to 'In God We Trust' | AccessAtlanta

2008-05-05T08:02:00.000-04:00

Man asks court to change his name to 'In God We Trust' | AccessAtlanta

How do we show God our gratitude for His blessings, especially those blessings received during life's most difficult times? How do we adequately communicate to others His faithfulness even through life's darkest storms? An Illinois man has come up with a rather unique way to do both. Steve Kreuscher of Zion, Illinois is asking a judge to allow him to legally change his name to "In God We Trust." He says the name would be a symbol of God's help during tough times. But that's not the only reason he wants to change his name. He is also afraid the phrase "In God We Trust" will be removed from US currency. I'm not quite sure how changing his name is supposed to slow or stop that process.

The fact is we don't need the courts to change our legal names. All of us who are believers carry the name of Christ already when we identify ourselves as Christians. There is no question of whether we carry the name. The only question is whether we live a life that gives honor to the name. Do we guard our hearts to keep them pure? Do we flee sin and pursue God's face? Do we place the welfare of others ahead of our own in a manner that is reflective of the selfless, unconditional love that God has manifested toward us?

Injured Western Oregon player helped around bases after hitting homer | StatesmanJournal.com

2008-05-03T12:11:00.004-04:00

Western Oregon player helped around bases after hitting homer | StatesmanJournal.com

Sometimes it really is how you play the game. Click the link above to read an incredible story of sportsmanship. Thanks to Walter Price for bringing this story to my attention.

Try Netflix for One Month for Free

2008-05-02T14:07:00.004-04:00

Click on the logo and get a free month of movies from Netflix.

No Due Dates
No Late Fees
Free Shipping Both Ways

Hurry! Offer Expires May 31, 2008

I got a promotional offer in the mail today with four cards to give a friend for a free month. If you'd like one, just ask me. Or just click on the logo above.

If you have any problems with the link just send me an email, and I'll send you a new link.

Scheduling a Blogger Post

2008-04-29T09:10:00.001-04:00

Blogger has a new feature currently available only in draft mode. It allows you to write a post now and have it automatically posted at some point in the future. Let's say you've written that great 10 part series on the mating ritual of the mosquito, but you don't want to publish the whole thing at once. You can upload all 10 pieces to blogger and have it publish an installment each day or week until they are all uploaded.

I think it's a pretty neat feature. Some people in our church sent me a link to a YouTube video via email several months back. I thought it was great, and since it dealt with the passion of Christ, I wanted to embed it on our church website just before Easter. I went ahead and wrote up the post, and saved it as a draft. Now all I had to do was remember to come back in early March and publish it. Well I forgot. It's there now. Although I have an early March date on the post, it was actually mid April before it went up.

With this new feature all I would have had to do is go ahead and set the date and time that I wanted it published back when I wrote it. Then it would have automatically shown up at the appropriate time.

How to do it:

Log into blogger in draft mode by going to draft.blogger.com.
Create Your Post
Click on "Post Options" in the bottom left-hand corner of the post editor.
On the right-hand side indicate the date and time you want the post published.
Click on the orange "Publish Post" button.

That's it. Your post will be published, but not before you want it to.

Additional Reading at Bloggerindraft.blogspot.com.

Obama's ex-pastor speaks out about church, sermons - CNN.com

2008-04-28T15:33:00.010-04:00

Mr. Wright has repeatedly complained that his controversial comments have been taken out of context and used unfairly against him. Responsible journalist certainly have a duty to place any comments he has made in their proper context. After all, he may be quoting and condemning someone else's comments, as he claims in this article. But when given the opportunity to place his "chickens coming home to roost" comment in it's proper context, he berates the CNN reporter who asked the question. He repeatedly asks her, "Have you heard the whole sermon?" When she admits she has not, he says, "Well that nullifies the question."

How does one complain about being taken out of context on the one hand, and then respond that someone who does not already know the context has no right to ask what the context was? Yet he then goes on to explain the context to us anyway. First he says that he was quoting the Iraqi ambassador. That explanation might fly if he was quoting him to discredit him. Yet as he continues to explain we see that he must have been agreeing with the Iraqi ambassador. He quotes Jesus teaching known to millions as the golden rule:

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them. Matthew 7:12

He then does us the kindness of interpreting the text to mean that the United States could not do acts of terrorism without expecting to be victimized by terrorism. Funny, that's exactly what I thought he meant back when he was being taken out of context.