Lebanon Road Report: March 1

I would have trouble thinking of a better day! We had a little bit of everything on Sunday, including the greatest news we could ever pass along (more about that in a few moments).

We had a large group travel to Gatlinburg for the annual Challenge Youth Conference over the weekend. Still, were blessed to have over 300 “in house” on Sunday morning, meaning our total attendance was really good. We had 306 present, but we also had 54 in Gatlinburg, so we totaled 360 yesterday morning! After a couple of weeks with our attendance being down a bit, that was truly exciting. It was good also, considering it was a very cold and windy day.

We also had a great incident Sunday morning, that is one of “those” moments. I was really fired up, preaching Titus 1:9-16, which deals with false teachers. As I got near the end of the sermon, though, I tried to really “hammer home” that elders were to rebuke false teachers with restoration in mind. I don’t remember my exact wording, but I really strongly said something along these lines: “Paul didn’t tell Titus to just let these false teachers go. Paul told Titus, ‘You save them!'” Just as I finished, one of our precious young men yelled out, “NO!” And it wasn’t just quiet: just about everyone heard it. Of course, I cracked up. It was absolutely funny, and the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. Some may have found it distracting, but I’m thankful to God that we are blessed with children at Lebanon Road!!!

During the afternoon, I was blessed by speaking at a local assisted living home: Sycamore Terrace. Four of our men, myself included, led a worship service for those of that home who are members of the church. It is a joy to encourage these great people who have been members of the body of Christ for so many years.

It was great to see our group return from CYC about 4:00. They had to fight terrible March winds coming home, so it was a relief to get them back to us safe-and-sound. They were truly uplifted by the weekend, and they learned so much. Each young person who went is wonderful, and JD also was blessed to have several adults go on the trip to help (and have a great time, too!). We’re thankful for each who made the trip.

Finally, the greatest news. At the conclusion of the sermon last night, another of our young ladies responded to the Lord’s invitation. Kenzi Biggs had been talking with her family and friends for some time, and decided over the weekend at CYC that she wanted to be saved. It was such a special moment for her and her family. Her grandfather, Al Cravens, baptized her. Here are some pictures of that greatest moment: