New Teaching Blog

I am very excited to be teaching my first class at my new church. This spring I will be teaching a 12 week study on What Baptists Believe. I will teach the first lesson on Wed Feb 4th. First Baptist Dickson is pushing to improve discipleship and teach the core beliefs in a new curriculum. We have a new educational minister that is very passionate about achieving this task. I plan on recording the lessons to make Cd's and I have started a teaching blog where I can post outlines and written material for people that miss a class or would like to follow along from a distance. If you are not currently involved in a Bible Study I hope you will choose this one and let me know if you would like a CD of the discussions. Following is the web address for my teaching blog and the first lesson is up and ready to go. God Bless and hope to hear from you soon.

http://geocities.com/roger.lightner/

Got Spurgeon?: "When tempted to sin, reply, 'I cannot do this great wickedness, for I am Christ's.' Immortal principles forbid the friend of Christ to sin. When wealth is before you to be won by sin, say that you are Christ's, and touch it not. Are you exposed to difficulties and dangers? Stand fast in the evil day, remembering that you are Christ's. Are you placed where others are sitting down idly, doing nothing? Rise to the work with all your powers; and when the sweat stands upon your brow, and you are tempted to loiter, cry, 'No, I cannot stop, for I am Christ's...' "

Smart Wife

Many of you know that Trish is an accountant and her company in Fort Smith told her she could work long distance from home for them. Tax season is here and she's starting to get some steady work. Our old computer was not quite powerful enough to do everything so Trish bought a new laptop that could run a second monitor. She has gotten it all hooked up and running mostly by herself with a little help from tech support. I have to admit I am impressed. I also look forward to playing with the dual monitor system.

There is an ice storm passing through Tennessee today. I had to come to work but it is supposed to hit Nashville during the day. The roads were already icing up in Dickson when I left so I hope I can get home tonight. We have friends from church that are having a C-section at the Baptist hospital today. I may have to run over there and see if Jamie (the husband) will share that little couch with me tonight. Hope you all are surviving the storm.

Got Spurgeon?: "Thou hast received the word with joy; thy feelings have been stirred and a lively impression has been made; but, remember, that to receive the word in the ear is one thing, and to receive Jesus into thy very soul is quite another;..."

Ice Storm

I woke up to a little ice on my car this morning but the roads were fine. We got mostly rain in the Nashville area. From what I'm seeing on Facebook it sounds like Fort Smith got a lot worse. I was shocked when Trish told me schools closed in Dickson. That means she wont get much done around the house today so I'll have to take Jedi to the library if its open so she can do some taxes and make me some money.
It looks like we got some decent renters in our house and they have moved in a few days early and have paid rent and had the utilities switched over. I'm a very happy man right now. Financial worries can put a lot of stress in your life. There's not a whole lot new here right now. I have a lot to do for my classes. Sunday we are having a Super Bowl party at church and next Wednesday I start teaching my new class at church. Hope everyone is doing well where you are.

Got Spurgeon?: "It is very usual for God's people, when they have enjoyed a great deliverance, to find a little trouble too much for them. Samson slays a thousand Philistines, and piles them up in heaps, and then faints for a little water! Jacob wrestles with God at Peniel, and overcomes Omnipotence itself, and then goes 'halting on his thigh!' Strange that there must be a shrinking of the sinew whenever we win the day. As if the Lord must teach us our littleness, our nothingness, in order to keep us within bounds."

B-Ball

Yesterday was our fourth basketball game and team picture day. The kids were hilarious as they got their pictures taken. Jedidiah went first and the photographer told him he would take his picture while he dribbled the ball between his legs and then spun the ball on his finger. Jedidiah sat back down and said, “I can’t do that!” The photographer told him he could choose a second option and that was to stand on the spot marked with tape on the floor and hold the ball under his right arm. Jedidiah figured there was a good chance he could handle that. The last picture was Jedidiah facing away from the camera to get his jersey number. The photographer then asked Jedidiah if he was smiling for that picture and Jedidiah spent about 20 seconds trying figure out why he need to smile for that one. The team we played seemed a lot taller and more agile than my team so I’m just glad my kids held their own against a better team. We had it tied halfway through the second half.

Church was good today. Trish and I are doing the prayer sheet for our Sunday School department. We are printing little descriptions of answered prayers and taping them to “Mega blocks” (medium sized Lego-like blocks). We are going to build a tower so people can visualize God answering prayer in our department. When it gets a little bigger I’ll post a picture. Hope everyone had a good weekend. Back to the grind tomorrow.

Poking Fun

I forgot to blog about a funny story. Last week we were sitting in Sunday School and someone opened the door and signalled for the teacher. It turned out his very pregnant wife (remember pregnancy causes forgetfulness) had pulled up to the front of the church, took her three year old into his class and proceeded on to her class. Have you guessed yet? Yep, she left the car running and sitting at the front of the church. The man said after 30 minutes they figured they'd better find out who's vehicle it was. Needless to say I made a little fun of her but that was a mistake because as soon as you do that you end up doing something even more stupid.
We don't have a lot of storage room in our apartment so we store a few things in our oven. The other day I was in a hurry and turned the oven on to preheat. One of the items in it was a very large plastic cutting board that dripped on several other items kind of like candle wax. The easiest way to clean it up was to let it cool until it just hardened a little. It pulled right off. If it hardened completely it stuck very tightly. I guess I deserved it after poking fun at a pregnant girl.
Tomorrow is team picture day for my basketball team so I hope to have some good pictures soon. Maybe we can get some pictures of Jedidiah holding hands with his new girlfriend instead of playing basketball. I left my Spurgeon book at work so I will put more on Monday. Take care and God Bless all.

Busy Week

I haven't got to blog much this week because the first week of school has been pretty hectic. School is off to a good start so far and I think it will be a good semester. I am also excited because I will be teaching my new class at church in two weeks. Wednesday February 4th I start teaching a class called "Back to the Basics: What Baptists Believe". I am going to have a separate blog site to coincide with my lessons so if you are following from a distance and want a Bible study to participate in I'd love to have you follow along. I will post the blog address as soon as I have the first lesson loaded and ready to go. I hope everyone is doing well and hope to have more time to write soon.

Got Spurgeon?: "You are staggering beneath a weight which your Father would not feel. What seems to you a crushing burden, would be to Him but as the small dust of the balance...If God cares for you, why need you care too? Can you trust Him for your soul, and not for your body? He has never refused to bear your burdens. He has never fainted under their weight. Come, then, soul! Have done with fretful care, and leave all thy concerns in the hand of a gracious God."

Snuggie

You probably have seen the commercial for Snuggies. It's a blanket with sleeves in it so you can stay warm and still do things. Jedidiah says he wants one every time he sees the commercial. Trish found one piece flannel jumper that still fits Jedidiah and we told him it was a snuggie. He loves it and won't hardly take it off. Not too long ago at church an associate pastor asked the question "is it ever OK to lie?". Since this saved me $19.95 plus tax and shipping and handling, I say it's justified. Today is the last day of a four day weekend for me. I'm also lucky enough that my birthday is usually a holiday (MLK day).

Got Spurgeon?: "Our Lord Jesus differs from all other teachers; they reach the ear, but He instructs the heart; they deal with the outward letter, but He imparts an inward taste for the truth, by which we perceive its savor and spirit. The most unlearned of men become ripe scholars in the school of grace when the Lord Jesus by His Holy Spirit unfolds the mysteries of the kingdom to them, and grants the divine anointing by which they are enabled to behold the invisible."

1st Day of School

Classes start today. What a strange schedule. We start on Thursday, I do not have Friday classes and Monday is a holiday. This means that my Tuesday/Thursday will meet twice before my Monday/Wednesday meets for the first time. Oh well, the first day is pretty light. On Tuesday the school is broadcasting the inauguration on a big screen in an auditorium. It was 15 degrees this morning and is supposed to hit single digits tonight. There was a little snow on the ground in Nashville this morning. Hope everyone has a great day.

Got Spurgeon?: "Has He power? That power is yours to support and strengthen you, to overcome your enemies, and to preserve you even to the end. Has He love? Well, there is not a drop of love in His heart which is not yours; you may dive into the immense ocean of His love, and you may say of it all, 'It is mine.' Hath He justice? It may seem a stern attribute,but even that is yours, for He will by His justice see to it that all which is promised to you in the covenant of grace shall be most certainly secured to you."

I'm not Ready Yet!

Well, today is the last day of training and prep. School starts tomorrow and I do not feel ready but it always works out somehow. Trish and I are going to head up the prayer ministry in our Sunday School department. I haven't had to do anything yet because she has really run with it. She got fancy by typing it up in sections with colored graphics. It will look very nice when we e-mail it or post it on the class website. Tonight we have leadership meetings at church after Bible Study.

Got Spurgeon?: "If our prayers had less of the tail feathers of pride and more wing they would be all the better. Verbiage is to devotion as chaff to the wheat."

Maybe I can Sleep Now

Well, today is a great day. Our realtor called and told us someone has rented our house. Of course we would love to sell it but we have been paying rent and mortgage for six months and our savings has played out. This should allow us to upgrade soon to a bigger place. We have been in a one bedroom apartment and let me tell you Jedidiah is a bed hog. I would like to thank our Sunday School director Todd. He took class time two Sundays ago to pray for us and two other families in the same situation. Since that prayer, Jim and Leslie Meeks received an offer on their house and ours has rented. We pray that Randy and Toni Hunsucker are next.

I met with Jim Meeks yesterday because he is our church's minister of education. He is letting me develop a 12 week class to be taught on Wednesday nights at church. I am very excited to start teaching at my new church. This class will cover Bible Basics that all Christians should know. I also will be teaching a nutrition class for the first time as a web class at work. I just got access to the web site and have a whole two days to prepare before students have access. I work best under pressure. I look forward to a good spring semester and now that a financial burden has been lifted a little maybe I will sleep better.

Got Spurgeon?: "Ask that your love may become extended, more intense, more practical, influencing every thought, work, and deed. Grow likewise in humility. Seek to lie very low, and know more of your own nothingness. As you grow downward in humility, seek also to grow upward -- having nearer approaches to God in prayer and more intimate fellowship with Jesus. May God the Holy Spirit enable you to 'grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour.' He who grows not in the knowledge of Jesus, refuses to be blessed. To know Him is 'life eternal,' and to advance in the knowledge of Him is to increase in happiness."

Late Christmas Party

Saturday night our Sunday School department had their Christmas party. They do it after new years because everybody is busy with so many other functions during Christmas break. We played dirty Santa with gag gifts. I always like to take something useful and watch people fight over it because all the other gifts are pretty useless. I was lucky enough to end up with a book called "The Irritable Male Syndrome", a Yoga VHS tape and some honeysuckle bubble bath. I'm gonna need that bubble bath after doing Yoga for the first time. It's funny to see what people will steal. A guy named Dave stole a box of pregnancy tests from our department director Todd and a lady named Alyce (sp?) stole a McDonalds Christmas ornament from someone. Jedidiah loved the house we were at and is plotting how he can buy it. We had a good time and the food was great!

Got Spurgeon?: "How encouraging is the thought of the Redeemer's never-ceasing intercession for us. When we pray, He pleads for us; and when we are not praying, He is advocating our cause, and by His supplications shielding us from unseen dangers...We little know what we owe to our Savior's prayers."

Basketball Day

This morning was the second game for the Above the Rim team I am coaching. They don't keep official score but the other team made 2 or 3 more baskets than we did. I was real proud of my team because they held there own even though the other team looked much bigger. Tonight our Sunday School department is having a party. This afternoon the Titans are playing the Ravens so that is on every one's mind in this area.

Got Spurgeon?: "A prayerless soul is a Christless soul. Prayer is the lisping of the believing infant, the shout of the fighting believer, the requiem of the dying saint falling asleep in Jesus. It is the breath, the watchword, the comfort, the strength, the honour of a Christian. If thou be a child of God, thou wilt seek thy Father's face, and live in they Father's love."

Quiet Nights!

As many of you know, we are renting a small apartment until our house in Arkansas sells. If you have ever lived in apartment complexes you know that there is always at lest one neighbor that gets on your nerves. I have been pleased for the most part because you can't hear neighbors very well. But, Trish has never lived in apartments so she is a little more sensitive than I am. She referred to the guy below us as "party boy". He had a couple wild nights lasting until 3am and Trish couldn't sleep but I didn't have any trouble. She started getting on my nerves by complaining so much. Then I started noticing them slamming their door all the time and I mean slamming that vibrates the whole building and it might happen 10 times in a 5 minute period. So now even mild mannered me is started to get a little agitated. "Party boy" and his friends smoke like freight trains so if you were standing there when they opened their door it was quite overwhelming. Well, "party boy" up and disappears at Christmas break and even though his stuff was still on the patio he never returned after new years. Yesterday I saw them cleaning the carpet in his appartment so it appears he is not coming back. Trish is very happy and behaving like a decent human being again so my world is much improved. Her curiosity kills her though and she is dying to know what happened to him but I am convinced I hid the body where the authorities will never find it, ha ha. We're just glad to have peace and quiet until the next trouble maker moves in.

Plugging In

Things are starting feel like we are fitting in at our new home. Part of that comes from plugging into our church home. Our Sunday School director is allowing me to get involved in leadership and I may be teaching sometime in the near future. We divide up into 3 small groups for most lessons so we can get to know people better. I went to the teachers meeting last night and will start going weekly. Trish and I are now going to head up the prayer ministry for the department. I know I'm weird for wanting to go to a meeting but it helps me get to know the solid core of the church and develop relationships with strong Christians. Our young adult class is exciting and our director has a great vision for making it even stronger. The men from the class are having a fellowship, devotion and then watching the national championship game tonight. I'll be rooting for Florida because I do respect Tim Tebow a lot.

Got Spurgeon?: "He has wine which no vineyard on earth ever yielded; he has bread which all the corn-fields of Egypt could never bring forth. Where can such sweetness be found as we have tasted in communion with our Beloved? In our esteem, the joys of earth are little better than husks for swine compared with Jesus, the heavenly manna. We would rather have one mouthful of Christ's love, and a sip of his fellowship, than a whole world full of carnal delights...What is time's mirth, in its best trim, compared to our Lord Jesus in His most despised estate?"

Do You Believe in Aliens?

I didn't believe in aliens until I learned you could make your own. This was a great Christmas gift for Jedidiah. All you do is put playdough like material called Martian Matter in the center and press any combination of molds you choose into the playdough to make an impression. Then you have different colored bottles of material you squeeze into the mold and then cover it with another layer of playdough. After 5 minutes it will harden into the shape of your alien with a soft plastic like consitency that looks and feels like a booger. Great Fun! Above are pictures of two example aliens and what the machine looks like.

Got Spurgeon?: "Pleasant it is to the believer to know that God's eye is thus tenderly observant of that work of grace which He has begun. He never loses sight of the treasure which He has placed in our earthen vessels. Sometimes we cannot see the light, but God always sees the light, and that is much better than our seeing it. Better for the judge to see my innocence than for me to think I see it."

Back to Work

Well, Christmas break is over and it's back to work. Yesterday and today I had to be on campus but no required meetings were scheduled so this frees me to work on class preparation. In Service meetings start tomorrow and classes start January 15. I am supposed to teach a food and nutrition class at our Dickson campus if the class makes. I could use the extra money and I like to study than anyway so it would be a lot of fun. I met my goal last year of finishing Charles Spurgeon's "Morning by Morning" devotional and have started his "Evening by Evening" devotional for 2009. I now understand why he was called the "great orator". I think I will include some of his statements that I have highlighted in my blog. You've seen the "got milk?" commercials so I'll do a "Got Spurgeon?" section.

Got Spurgeon?: "As it is necessary to repair the waste of the body by the frequent meal, so we must repair the waste of the soul by feeding upon the Book of God, or by listening to the preached Word, or by the soul-fattening table of the ordinances. How depressed are our graces when means are neglected! What poor starvelings some saints are who live without the diligent use of the Word of God and secret prayer!"

Chicken Man

Friday afternoon we went to Bellvue (West Nashville) to an indoor play area for kids called the Monkey Treehouse. It is pretty cool. They have art areas, magnet walls, felt walls, two treehouses, a play grocery store and an indoor sandbox. They also have a stage area where kids can play dress up. Jedidiah came out with this shirt on and told me it is a shirt that men wear to take care of their chickens. Today is my final day of rest before returning back to work tomorrow. I am ready to get back into my routine. A couple from church invited us over for lunch after church along with another couple. It was nice and we felt very honored to be invited. It is nice to start making connections in a new home.

First Basketball Game

This is a picture of First Baptist Church - Dickson, TN. They host an Above the Rim basketball league. I got suckered, I mean I have the privaledge of coaching Jedidiah's team. We had our first game this morning. Since I didn't really play basketball as a kid and the other team was coached by one of the organizers I went in with the realization that my team would get slaughtered. For five and six year olds they don't keep score but let's get real here, I kept track of baskets in the back of my head. I was pleasantly surprised to see my first string dominate the first half. The second string did well but did not score. It was a lot of fun and it is nice to live close enough that family came to see Jedidiah play. Afterwards we went to West Nashville shopping and ate lunch at Red Robbin. By the way the unofficial score of the game was 12-8 in favor of my orange and blue!

Roll Tide!!!

Today's my Bowl day. Alabama plays Utah tonight. Trish's niece Raven is staying with us and we are going into Nashville to entertain the kids. Trish will have strict orders to have me back in time for the game. Roll Tide Roll!!!

New Church Home

First Baptist Church of Dickson, TN hosted a fall festival Wednesday night before Halloween 2008. Trish, Jedidiah and I are enjoying our new church home.

Happy New Year 2009!

Welcome to my new personal blog. I'd like to start off the new year by updating friends and family on our recent move to the Nashville area. I finished my ten year stint at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith on August 7, 2008 and started at Nashville State Community College on August 13, 2008. I've had a great first semester and really like my new job. I have great new colleagues to work with. We have also found a new church home at First Baptist Church - Dickson, TN. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers because our home in Arkansas has not sold yet so we have the pleasure of paying rent and mortgage. Stay tuned for more info soon.