One Woman's Journey... A Guest Post

Not all that long ago, if you were to ask me "What do you think about God?" I would have gone on this long tirade about Christians. At my kindest moments I would think them boring, naive and bad dressers and I regularly said "I will NEVER be one of THOSE people". I equated God to his people and not the other way around and my opinions were not kind.

Then I lost a  bet with God and I reluctantly returned to church. In those early days I was aggressive, even MORE judgmental than usual, and defensive. I just knew those people would condemn me so I condemned them first. I steadfastly kept God OUT of my blog, out of my life and out of my heart. Those days the only thing that kept me coming back was KidStuf and Mary's hugs. In those early days Pastor Ken was not MY pastor and in fact, I was convinced if he said the word "Literally" ONE more time, well, even I would not spork a pastor, but...

It was before Pastor Hal refused to let me goad him. It was before Ms. Amy cast her spell on me and made me love her. It was before my beloved 4th grade tweens, before the Dorcas ladies, before the Cafe Club. Back then I mocked The Promise and thought talk radio was for freaks and kooks. Then I showed up at the doors of the church one November Sunday and found KidStuf.

To you, the leaders, players and Students of KidStuf, I say thank you. Every cold morning, every missed vacation, every night rehearsal and every other imaginable sacrifice you made to put on a production of KidStuf every week saved me. You broke down Christianity into bite sized pieces and fed it to me in a way I could digest. When Pastor Ken was still talking over my head, you spoke directly to my heart. You found me and you lead me to a real relationship with Christ. One virtue, one song and one laugh at a time. You broke through my strong defenses. With each new secular song I heard in church the wall cracked. When I saw a grown woman in pigtails bouncing around the stage the cracks deepened. When I saw a strong black man dressed as a pregnant woman the wall crashed to the ground. Once you brought down my defenses Pastor Ken got in and was never again THE pastor but MY pastor. Once that happened there was no going back. God walked it and did what God does.

Over the next few months I discovered I was the one Pastor Ken spoke of when he said "Those no one else wanted." I was Mary Nobody. I was the beaten down, the scorned, the lost. I was the one who felt I was too broken to be saved. I was convinced I was going to hell and I would take you with me given half the chance. I knew every section of the Bible that I could mock or use in my arguments but had no idea how many books in contained, how it started or how it finished. I knew every verse that was inconsistent, or could conveniently be twisted but had no idea how many times the word "Love" was used. Yes, I am the one this church changed course for. I am the face of Mary Nobody.

These days there is rarely a day God is not in my blog. Should  you find yourself in my car you will hear either a podcast for my "God Pick" playlist. I am married to the same man, live in the same house, drive the same car, have the same job but nothing is the same.

Now, I give God the credit for the dramatic changes in my life, but The Church at Argyle was His tool. THOSE  people pried open my heart so God could get in and completely transform me. I am not worthy to be called one of THOSE people but I'm honored to be among them and I am forever grateful.

With Gratitude & Love,
Beth Reed

Starting The Search...

The deacons have named a Pastor Search Committee – Kim Bass, Wade Collier, Terri Johnson, Arlette McCann, Tony Morales, Keith Thompson and Gerry Yutuc. Arlette was selected as Chair at their first meeting on Wednesday evening, May 5.

The Committee prayed, then got organized, and everyone was given the opportunity to share their hearts and thoughts. Everyone is still grieving and missing Pastor Ken, but everyone agreed that it would be Pastor Ken's most sincere desire that the Committee be careful to listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit as they work. The Committee believes that God has already prepared a man to lead us, and that we simply have to obey as He directs us to that man.

The Committee decided to pray individually for a week, and to perhaps fast one of those days. They ask that the entire Argyle family join them in praying and fasting as they seek out God's will, and listen for His voice.

The Committee will meet again on Wednesday, May 12. Until then, continue with them in prayer.

Picking Up The Pieces...

It has been a whirlwind since Easter. Many of us are still dealing with the loss of Pastor Ken, and some of us (Hal & Amy) are also dealing with deaths within their own families.

In the middle of all this, the church and its work have to go on. It is a sad truth that in the long view of the church, we are all expendable. The only certainty we face is that, until Jesus returns, the work of the church has to continue. We are still sad, we have to get back to what we are called to do.

I was asked Sunday, "What do the sheep do when the shepherd is gone?" The answer is, there are several shepherds, not just one. Sundays will never again include Pastor Ken teaching us, but there will always be a Sunday morning at Argyle. God will be praised, joyful voices will raise Him up, prayerful people will celebrate as the Gospel is proclaimed. Children and students will be loved and challenged with Scriptural truth, converts will be baptized and people will be encouraged in their spiritual growth.

Our By-Laws provide for transition. Our deacons have selected a Pastor Search Committee. Kim Bass, Wade Collier, Terri Johnson,  Phil Massicotte, Arlette McCann, Tony Morales, Keith Thompson, and Gerry Yutuc have already started the process that will lead to selecting our next Senior Pastor. Pray for them and pray for our fellowship to listen closely as God speaks to us about what He has in mind for us as we continue our journey with Him. We have a great past, but our greatest years lie in our future!

Hal Hunter
Ministry Pastor

A Blank Check...

On a recent day off, I had an appointment. Naturally, there would be a fee involved, so I asked Becky for a blank check. She gave me one, somewhat reluctantly, based on past experience (You need to read the book).

The professional visit went well, and as I was leaving I took out the blank check and he said, "No charge- just please send me a copy of the book." Sounded like a great deal to me!

On the way home, a strange, powerful force took control of my 4,000 pound vehicle, and I found myself sitting in the parking lot of a golf course. Hmmm, this Harry Potter stuff may have something to it (just kidding). Well, not wanting to waste the trip, I hit a bucket of balls before I finished the trip home.

A few hours later, Becky told me she got a call from the golf club. My first thought was, "What did I leave behind?" It was that blank check. They wanted us to know they found it and ripped it up for us. Talk about being grateful for a random act of kindness.

But then I started thinking about how Jesus wrote a blank check on my behalf on the cross. His sacrifice, written in blood, covered all of my sin debt. His name was written in red, not in a random act of kindness, but in a totally purposeful transaction for my redemption, a check in my name, cashed before the first rock was formed.

Ken Dyal

Wow!!

We had a great response to the introduction yesterday of the new book about Pastor Ken- The Story of the Fall by Adrian Greene. Not knowing how great the demand would be, not enough books were on hand to meet the demand- what a great problem to have.

This morning we ordered the additional books needed to honor rain checks, and discovered that they can't be delivered as soon as we hoped. They will be here about September 1. We are sorry for the delay, and will post an announcement if they arrive sooner than promised.

Pastor Ken, Adrian, and everyone else involved are overwhelmed with the response to the book, and the wonderful worship we experienced yesterday. Thanks to all of you for your kind remarks and expressions of love and support.

Golf Junkie Preacher

How much better does it get? One Sunday recently, I got up at 4:30 am to pray and prepare for my message later that morning. At 6:00 am the British Open telecast began, and the old geezer Tom Watson was positioned to make golfing history. I tell you, from 6 to 9 am I was glued to the TV, and I had to force myself to get into the car and head to the church for our Worship Gathering. I hate to admit it, but that morning I was like a lot of you about heading to "work" - there was something else on my mind.

There I was, riding down the road, Becky beside me, still thinking about Tom Watson maybe making golf history. Still thinking about something other than what was about to happen at Argyle.

A song came on the radio, and it's hard to put into words what happened. Chris Tomlin was singing a new arrangement of an old hymn- I Stand Amazed. As I listened to that song, my heart melted. Tom Watson and the British Open were no longer on my mind. The words of that old hymn led me to the foot of the cross, and right there in our car I experienced real worship.

The bible has a lot to say about idols. On that Sunday morning God used a contemporary artist singing an old song to kick over a few of this preacher's idols, to move his mind from the earthly to the eternal.

"I stand in the presence of Jesus the Nazerine,
and wonder how he could love me,
a sinner, condemned, unclean."

Ken Dyal

Amazon...

has the new book about Pastor Ken, The Story of the Fall, available for sale. The price is $15. Click here to visit Amazon.

The book's premiere is Sunday, August 9 at The Church at Argyle. Copies sold that day only will be only $10, and both Pastor Ken and the author, Adrian Greene, will be available to sign your books.

Imitation

Over the years I have learned how to copy with the best of them. It's interesting that the Apostle Paul asked his readers to imitate his life (1 Corinthians 4:16), but that's how it should be for those of us who claim to be followers of Jesus. We never know who is watching us. Our words or our actions may have a positive or negative on the lives we encounter.

Recently, I joined a gym. By the way, I heard about this place from a church member- this invest and invite thing really works. Going to this gym for the first time reminded me a little of how it must be for someone to leave their comfort zone and visit a church for the first time. It's scary walking in a place when everyone is a stranger. But. the employees were friendly and well trained; the place was clean; there were all kinds of people there- large, small, short, tall. They even had a class to teach the newcomers how to use the equipment.

Of course, I skipped all that stuff and went straight to the task at hand. Only one problem- I didn't know how to work some of the machines. In fact, I'm sure I looked a little geeky. Why am I so hard-headed? It took me two weeks to figure how to use the different stations. But how did I finally learn? Imitation. Watching other people who knew what they were doing and imitating them.

Paul had a point.

Ken Dyal

The Story of the Fall...

will be released on Sunday, August 9.

The Story of the Fall is a book about our pastor who lost his memory. Dr. Ken Dyal suffered a severe brain injury in a fall. The damage caused him to lose not only those memories made prior to his accident; he also loses memories made more than four weeks before the present. This book tells how he and his family coped with his crisis. The story is about the grace of God and the emotional investment we put into our loved ones and the human links that bring us – and sometimes keep us – together.

About the author

Adrian Greene grew up in Jacksonville, moving to the First Coast when he was nine years old. He graduated from Stanton College Preparatory School. He then earned a Bachelor's degree and a Master's degree in English literature from Wake Forest University. Currently, Adrian is teaching and working on his PhD at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He lives in High Point with his wife, Melissa Painter, who is the daughter of our Worship Arts Pastor and his wife, Rick and Donna Painter.

The book may be purchased at the close of our Worship Gathering on August 9. Pastor Ken and Adrian Greene will be available to sign your copies.

After August 9, the book may be purchased through our Church Office and online at Amazon.com.

The Cracker Barrel Creed

Recently our entire family decided to meet at Cracker Barrel. Becky and I arrived early to get a table. Most of our members know I have only one hobby, golf. So, when I sat down there was that Bermuda triangle thingie with golf tees. I think it has 16 holes and 15 tees.

Away I went. I had time to play several games. In fact, I scored in all four areas mentioned on the wood block. Leave one and you are a genius, two you're pretty smart, three means you are just plain dumb, and four says you are an ignoramus.

I started thinking about those answers the following weekend and I concluded I do about the same in life as I did that day in Cracker Barrel. I can always remember the ones- "You're a genius!" An example of that kind of day is the day I asked Becky to marry me.

Twos- "You're pretty smart." The days when I actually do what the Bible says to do, I seem pretty smart and seem to land on my feet.

Threes- "You're just plain dumb." Like, when you think you left your cell phone in the golf cart, travel 15 miles from home back to the club only to find you forgot to check one of your pockets.

Fours- "You are just an ignoramus." Like the other day, on I-295, I mentally drifted a bit and actually passed a policeman! Thankfully, he was in a gracious mood.