Hmmmm....????

I made a decision tonight -it is not one that I am happy at all about but it is one I feel called upon to enact. Since I began blogging I have allowed Open Comments. At times there have been comments I have disagreed with and that is fine. There were two that were very harsh toward me directly -and while they hurt (sorry my skin still isn't that thick) I allowed them without comment. But today someone posted some thing that I believe were not necessary, that I do not believe to be totally true and that cast (in my opinion) the church in a bad light. And I don't take lightly to people criticizing the Lord's Bride or my Family whom I love.

The problem is that it is anonymous and that I do not know who or how to contact the person who said those things. I would like a chance to interact with them (and still would - they know my contact info -I don't know theirs). I like for anyone to be able to post but I see no way to respond when someone won't post their name and own up to their comments. See, one could say anything, claim anything, stretch truth or outright lie under the anonymity of the Internet.

I just don't believe there is good that comes from anonymous letters or postings. It leaves you wondering, it makes everyone a suspect and they usually hurt. I like the way a dear friend puts it - "I don't read anonymous letters unless they have money in them." To say it very frankly - they dishearten, discourage and take the wind out of my sails! They leave me with a sick feeling in my stomach for days and I become preoccupied with how to "fix" whatever it is but feel useless in trying to do so.

So, while I hate to do it, for now I'll go to where you have to log in to post - but any and all can still e-mail me. I know it takes a moment, but please register - and post - it's free and I want to hear from people who read these blogs.

I love open talk, even if it is sometimes critical - I've learned some of my most valued lessons from open criticism I do think people need to own up to their comments. So let me ask: Should I allow anonymous comments and leave them all? Should I delete the ones I think are inappropriate? Or should I just not allow them at all? TAKE THE POLL NEXT DOOR...

New blogsite launched today...here's the first post...

(This new blog will live at http://how-why.today.com/ or http://dalejenkins3.blogspot.com/):

I know - some of you are why’ers, some how’ers and some just what’ers.. So? Are you a "what" person, a "why" person? or maybe just a "how" person. This blog spot will be for "why, how and what " people. (I know you think I've lost it so I better 'plain myself).
A lot of folks don't want to know "why" something is as it is they just want to know what. “What” people: You don’t really care why, “Just tell me what must be done and I'll do it." That's my Melanie. I'm more of a "why" guy. Some of you, like me, delve deeply into the “why” question - you want to know, almost must know “why” before you will invest time or talent, much less treasure into an activity. ("Why'd you do it that way? Why do you want to do this? Why don't you do it this way? etc.). And then there are the "how" folks - "How'd you do that?" You want to be told plainly how it’s all done. Well, this is a blog for all of you, the How'ers, Who'ers and Why'ers, this is your source. As God continues to bless the Spring Meadows Church of Christ I get a lot of questions. We'll try to answer those here. Why are you doing this and why this way? How'd you do that? What all are you up to and what's next?
As most who would be reading this site know we (Melanie and I) began working with the infant Spring Meadows church about a year ago. It’s been a wild ride. We have been so blessed and the work has gone so well. I thank all of you for your prayers.
Some of you want to know why: why did a new congregation start in Spring Hill? Why did you decide to leave Granny White and go to a place where the auditorium was smaller than most of the classrooms at GW? Why are you all doing what you are doing how you are doing it? Why do you all do a mid-week prayer service?
Others want to know how: how’d you all outgrow two buildings and are struggling to get into your third? how do you do your Bible classes? how are things different there?
One of our cornerstones at Spring Meadows is that we strive to be totally open. So we'll try to practice that on this blog too. That means we’ll answer any question and that we’ll share any method. God has been good to us and that is why the work has prospered. All glory and credit go to Him alone. This is a practical site in which we will give some of the logistics, thought process behind and methods that have been incorporated at the Spring Meadows Church of Christ. Yes, I'll entertain questions on this spot. Just post them or e-mail me privately (dale@smcoc.net) and I'll give it my most honest and best shot.
I'll walk you through various processes - what’s, how's and why's of them - what we learned and what we might do differently if we had a chance to do it again. And you can post your ideas, thoughts or how you might suggest it all could be improved on.
One of the first meetings I was in at Spring Meadows one of the men spoke up on a matter and said: "people are watching what we are doing." And we've found they are - most have been very, very gracious. We know of at least one other congregation that is trying to get a jump start that has contacted us on a number of matters when it comes to starting a new congregation.
With as much humility as we can muster we say God has really watched over, had His hand on, BLESSED the Spring Meadows church. I suppose with all the "righteous" people who have continually let us know that they are praying for us all the time, it's not surprising. We'd have to work hard to mess up all those prayers. We are humbled and thankful. Please keep 'em coming.
Ask anything. Make your own suggestions. Share it with others. Welcome to Straight from the Spring - the Spring Meadows Story.

Why Do You Wait?

"Why do you wait dear brother, oh why do you tarry so long. The Savior is waiting to give you, a place in His sanctified home..." Remember that strong old song?

I'm sure it's not a new question, in fact I've heard it for years myself, but it came up again recently. When a person decides they want to be baptized shouldn't they do it immediately?

I remember years ago when I'd direct camp invariably we'd have at least one child who would come to camp knowing that they were going to be baptized there. They'd decided a month or two earlier and wanted to be baptized at camp. On the other hand we'd have a child who would want to be baptized at camp and when we'd call their parents (a wise practice that we learned to do from someone who is wiser than I), and the parent would encourage the child to wait until they got home or later in the week when they could get there.

I'm told that used to people would wait in much the same way until a Gospel Meeting. Which in a rather ironic way would explain why Gospel Meeting in many places are not as effective as they were at one time. Camps have become the modern Gospel Meetings.

BUT: In the Bible it seems that baptism always came immediately upon the acceptance of Jesus as God's Son, or the recognition of sin in one's life. In Acts 2 it was both - they realized that "this same Jesus" was God's Son and that they had with "wicked hands...crucified and slain" Him. In Acts 16 the jail keeper was baptized "the same hour of the night". In Acts 8 the nobleman from Ethiopia was immersed, it appears, as soon as he saw water, after having Christ preached to him.

BUT: Believing what I believe (and I imagine most who follow this blog) about baptism and the significant step that it is - that is believing what the scriptures teach (Acts 2:38; 1 Peter 3:21; etc) - we've said it is the most important decision we make in life. And that day is the most important day of the person being baptized life. So would you missed the most important day of your child's life? And that question might raise a couple of more: Is a child ready to make such a decision - we don't send 10 year old's out into the world with cars, guns or wedding licenses. LaGard railed on this "green house" effect in "Radical Restoration". While LaGard made some very valid points, how do you sit a child in services of the church for week after week and have them hear lesson after lesson of how important baptism is from people holding the Word of God and telling you this is what God wants for your life and that without it a person will be lost and expect them not to want to be baptized. By the time I was 10 years old I'd heard the plan of salvation from the pulpit at services roughly 2000 times. The "age of accountability" - well, that's another blog for another day - one friend jokingly says that if the child's feet can't touch the bottom of the baptistery then they're too young! There's a lot you can do to help assure your child is prepared when they are ready to become a Christian (including my favorite of having them write a paper about why they want to be baptized - saving that paper for them to read later if the question should come up if they were ready), but the bottom line might be that when they are ready there isn't much you could do to keep them from it or convincing them to wait!

Another issue might be the "helicopter parents" of today. There are parents who think that their child will be warped if they (the parents) miss any event of their child's life! I sometimes wonder if that is more warping than the other. Trust me parents, be there if you can...but if you miss one T-ball game or social your child can still eventually function as an adult!!

The other question: Is that really the most important day? In a sense, yes. But isn't that mentality the same that leads people to think that if they've been put under the water they are fine and no need to really continue to grow? Wouldn't it perhaps be more important to teach that every day after that day becomes increasingly more significant. It is our attempt at faithful living for and faithful loving of God coupled with His grace that is required?

So would you wait? Would you be upset if your child didn't wait for a time you could be there (I heard of one parent who demanded the preacher baptize her little boy a second time because she wasn't there)? I've got a lot more thoughts on all of this but I'd like to hear yours...

DON'T WASTE BLOOD...

Sunday while partaking of the Lord's Supper something struck me. The reading was on Jesus blood being shed for us. I had a very small cut on my thumb last week and it bled...maybe a drop or three. I don't like giving my blood. Even a couple of drops.

I give blood but it better be for a good cause and it better not be wasted. Wish I'd kept up with how many times I've donated blood. How many pints/gallons I've given. I'm not a needle guy and once I fainted getting up too quickly from the "bloodletting" but I've continued to donate. And I certainly like the feeling that it gives me when I've given. But I don't want it wasted.

As Americans we are conditioned to believe that in a disaster we need to give blood. Truth is that is the time we probably need to least give blood. Only 5% of eligible donors give blood but in time of disaster there is such a "glut" so to speak that we can't even handle all the blood given. Blood has a "shelf life" of about 42 days. When 9/11 occurred literally 10's of thousands of gallons of blood could never be used - estimates are as high as 300,000 units that had to be discarded.

The Department of Health and Human Services actually wrote a statement asked that Americans stop giving and come back in 3 or 4 months. Because of the politics involved that statement was never released. When it came to light that blood had been wasted many Americans were outraged so much so that a slump in donations followed from which blood donor organizations are still reeling.

I don't waste my blood. But of much more value is the blood of Christ. One who turns on His sacrifice (Acts 20:28) and counts His blood as insignificant is in serious danger (please read Hebrews 10:26-31). When you forsake the services of the church, when you do not use the gifts he has given you for His work, when you speak evil of His church and His people...you are throwing away the blood of Christ. When you commune with Him and His Family you are a partaker of His blood which in turn flows through you.

Don't waste blood - especially His.