The Pilgrimage

I vividly remember the night in May of 2000 when the Hayes family walked
into the worship center at Bethel for the first time. The church had
arranged a time for me to speak to the congregation, with a “getting
acquainted” time in the fellowship hall afterwards.

I distinctly remember that as we walked into the old worship center (now the
Agape Center) I was carrying 4 year old Caleb with one arm, with my Bible in
the other. Melissa was carrying 5 month old Courtney in her arms. Little
did we know that the next year God would bless us with Cassidy.

Looking back, there was a LOT I didn’t know at that point, about life and
ministry. I knew I had a burning desire to preach Jesus Christ and him
crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2). I knew I had a passion to expound the
Scriptures, letting God speak through his Word (Acts 20:27). By his grace,
I’ve stayed faithful to those things, and he has blessed his Word.

But there was so much I didn’t know 8 years ago about being a pastor and
providing good leadership for our flock. We’ve seen lots of victories
together, but I had so much to learn, and some of it would have to come the
hard way. Unfortunately some of you sometimes suffered as a result of your
pastor’s hard knocks learning. Please forgive me for the times I’ve
exasperated you. Believe me, I wish I knew 8 years ago what I know now.
But I didn’t. I had to learn. I had to grow…and you guys have been so
patient and forgiving with me in the process.

Thanks for being such a loving family to the Hayes’. We love and appreciate
you so much. Let’s keep loving one another, loving Christ, and advancing
his Kingdom together!

Dr. Thurman R. Hayes, Jr.
Senior Pastor
Bethel Baptist Church
1004 Yorktown Road
Yorktown, VA 23693
(757) 867-8082
www.bbcyorktown.org

Some time ago I had the joy of helping my son Caleb memorize a poem for
school. He chose, “God Moves In A Mysterious Way,” by the 18th century poet
and hymn-writer William Cowper. The poem is about the fact that in our
darkest trials our loving, sovereign Father is at work, for his glory and
our good. If you are going through a trial, drink in these words. If you
are not going through a trial, remember them…for trials come upon all of
us.

“God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never failing skill
He treasures up His bright designs
And works His sovereign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break
In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence,
He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.

Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain.”

I thought of that poem this week as I told the story of Dr JI Packer to the
men in our Tuesday morning study. Dr Packer is probably the most respected
evangelical theologian in the world. His book, Knowing God, is a classic of
Christian literature, and he has written many other books that will bless
the church until our King returns.

But when he was seven years old, he ran out into the road and was hit by a
bread truck. He sustained a very serious head injury and had to wear a
protective plate on his head for an extended period to protect his brain.
This hindered him from playing sports, and drove a boy who was already shy
into even greater seclusion.

But God was at work. It was during those years that he began to read and
write. God was making the author whose books would one day bring blessing
to millions.

Think of Moses: When he was forced to flee Egypt under threat of his life,
where did God take him? To the very region where one day he would lead the
people of God after the Exodus!

Discouraged brother or sister, listen to me: God knows what He is doing in
your life! He is too wise to err. Trust him. He will take the very clouds
you dread and pour forth blessing from them. He will use this adversity in
your life to do amazing things in you and amazing things through you. “The
bud may have a bitter taste, but sweet will be the flower.” Be encouraged
today!

Dr. Thurman R. Hayes, Jr.
Senior Pastor
Bethel Baptist Church
1004 Yorktown Road
Yorktown, VA 23693
(757) 867-8082
www.bbcyorktown.org

What an amazing blessing to see God’s grace so mightily at work in this year’s EasterPraise!

 It is astounding how God brought all this together in such a short amount of time.  Pastor Phil did not arrive until after the first of the year and we had such an early Easter.  But we have a God who “is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church!”  (Eph 3:20-21)

 We tend to underestimate what can happen when God gets involved in something.  We tend to underestimate how powerfully he can work through the church, when we are of one mind and heart, when we have one focus.

 What an inspiration to see so many people with so many talents and so many willing hearts come together to do something great for His glory!

 And what a joy to have our hearts knit even more closely together as we joined together in the effort.

 I love being your pastor.  I am deeply grateful to God for allowing me to serve with each of you.

 So many seeds of the gospel were sown over the past week.  I was struck each night by the size of the crowds – the outreach efforts really paid off.  I was also struck by the makeup of the crowds – there were so many guests that they seemed to significantly outnumber the Bethel people!  That is exactly what we want. 

 God’s Word never returns to him empty (Isa 55:11).  The gospel was clear each night, and we can be assured that God will bring forth fruit that will last forever from the effort.

 Please be praying now for the people who were in attendance each night, and be praying for our follow-up efforts.

 Sola Deo Gloria!  To God alone be the glory!

With the ending of another season of Upward basketball at Bethel, let’s take a few moments to celebrate it.

This season the Hayes family had two Upward players, so I observe what is happening not just as a pastor, but primarily as a dad.  This is helpful.  I see things through the eyes of a loving parent.

This season I got to sit through several practices.  It brought joy to the heart of this daddy to see the smiles, the laughter, the great rapport between the players and the coaches.  And what a blessing to see my children sitting on the floor eagerly paying attention and participating in group discussions about Christ!

As a pastor, it was a thrill to see so many of our people participating in one way or another in Upward.  There are a myriad of ways to be involved, and we had so many who cheerfully volunteered their time for the glory of our Savior!  How exciting to see the Body of Christ in action, working as a team!  THANK YOU, VOLUNTEERS.

Who knows how many lives were touched forever by the seeds of the gospel that were sown this year?  Volunteers, thanks for your wise, strategic investment in that which will last forever.   

One of the things churches need to do is celebrate victories, and one of the greatest victories the Lord has given us recently is our giving to the Lottie Moon Offering for International Missions during the Christmas season.

Our goal at Bethel was 115K, a very, very challenging goal.  By God’s grace, we were able to give over 126K this year!!  This is reason to give praise to God!  It is something to celebrate!

Let’s celebrate God’s grace in enabling us to give.  2 Corinthians 8-9 make it very clear that when we give generously it is evidence of God’s grace.  Let’s celebrate it!

Let’s celebrate what God is going to do through this offering.  Our hearts should throb with excitement about how the Lord is going to use this money.  As an IMB Trustee I can tell you it will be well-spent.  It will be used for the sole purpose of reaching people all over the world for Christ.  We will meet them in heaven one day.

Let’s celebrate that God has enabled us to be a part of the most strategic enterprise in the universe.  Nothing…absolutely nothing…is more strategic than being part of the team that is at the point of the spear in reaching the last, the least, and the lost for Jesus Christ.  You are a part of that team. 

Thanks for your strategic Kingdom investment this Christmas, church!

Recently my reading of Scripture has been greatly enriched by two award-winning new reference works. 

One is the Archaeological Study Bible.  This is filled with enlightening articles and beautiful color pictures of biblical sights and artifacts.  It is fantastic in helping the serious student of Scripture understand the historical background of the text. 

The other is The IVP Atlas of Bible History.  Again, the photos are color and the articles are first-rate scholarship that is easy to understand.  It works chronologically, meaning that the articles, maps, and pictures follow the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.  Another wonderful resource for helping us understand the historical background of the text.  

Both these new resources are attracting rave reviews, and for good reason. 

If you can catch it before it leaves the theatres, The Kite Runner would be two hours well-spent.  It is among the most moving films I have ever seen. 

The film is based on the beautifully written novel by Afghan writer Khaled Hosseini, and sticks close to the book.  (If you’ve been in Starbucks over the past year you’ve probably seen the book while waiting in line for your latte.)

Without giving everything away and ruining it for you, it is the story of two boys growing up in Afghanistan in the 1970’s.  Amir is the son of a progressive, westernized businessman in Kabul.  His best friend Hassan is the son of his father’s servant.  The boys who play these two roles are incredible. 

The film shows the suffering of the Afghan people, first under the Soviets and later under the Taliban.  The portrait of the evil and hypocrisy of the Taliban is harrowing.  Amir, who escaped with his father to America after the Soviet invasion in 1979, returns to his home country in 2000 on a mission.  I will say no more. 

But while historical events and regime changes are shown in The Kite Runner, that is really not the heart of the film.  It is full of themes that affect everyone.  It is about friendship and family, fear and courage, love, loss, and loyalty.  Your spirit will be stirred.  Check it out.

(Warning:  Even though the movie is only PG-13, it is not for young children.  There is some heartbreaking sexual abuse.)   

One of the great growth years of my Christian journey was 1991, when I read the Bible through for the first time. 

Like most people who grow up in a Christian home and a good church, I was taught the importance of reading my Bible from an early age.  Unfortunately, I was also like most in that my Bible had too often sat on the shelf collecting dust. 

But powerful – even radical - things happen when we actually get around to reading God’s Word.  That year was transformational for me.  In reading the Bible through, the Big Picture started to come together.  I started to see the tapestry formed by the major biblical themes.  I started to really begin to grasp the biblical principles that one sees over and over in reading the Bible from cover to cover.  Consequently, I started to think more biblically about all kinds of issues…which is the starting point for living differently. 

Something that helped that first time I read the Bible from cover to cover was that I had a partner to talk with about each day’s reading.  That was Melissa.  We were just dating at the time, and I was in North Carolina going to seminary and she was in Virginia.  Still, during our daily phone conversations we would take a few minutes to talk and sometimes pray about what God had shown us in His Word that day. 

Reading the whole Bible together had an incredible impact on us as individuals and as a couple.  It also helped hold both of us accountable.  If one of us slipped in our reading, the other could encourage.  Furthermore, in talking with one another each day about the reading, it drove what we were learning that much deeper into our minds and hearts.

I hope you will read the Bible through this year, using the bookmarks our church is providing.  What’s more, I hope you will take the journey with others, and talk about what you are learning.  Let’s make 2008 a banner year in our lives and in the life of our church family!  

One of the great memories of my childhood is sitting in my mom’s lap while she read books to me.  I loved to cuddle up close to her and hear her read. 

God used those times to knit my heart closer to her…and He also used that time to give me a love of reading that has never left me. 

But what is really great is when you can read to your children and learn the deep truths of God’s Word simultaneously.  Let me tell you about two fantastic books to read with your children.  Both are beautifully written and centered on Christ.

The first is The Jesus Storybook Bible, by Sally Lloyd-Jones.  It isn’t often that I call new books “classics,” but I believe this one will be regarded as a classic in Christian literature.  Sally Lloyd-Jones is an amazing writer.  She weaves in lots of humor that kids love, and beautifully shows how the great stories of Scripture all point to the Savior.    

Charles Spurgeon once said of his preaching, “I take my text and make a bee line to the cross.”  That is precisely what Sally does as she retells these Bible stories from the Old and New Testaments.  She shows how every story points to the Savior.  You and your children will grow in your knowledge of God’s Word and your love for Christ as Sally shows how each biblical story whispers His name. 

Parents, buy this book! 

Another recent book does much the same thing:  The Big Picture Bible Story Book, by David Helm, is also excellent and Christ-centered.  Like Sally, David retells great Bible stories and vividly shows how the whole Bible points to Jesus.     

Both books are colorful and wonderfully illustrated.  You’ll read them over and over to your children, and as you do so your love for the Savior and your knowledge of God’s Word will grow deeper and deeper.  Just click on the titles above to order them.  There are spiritual riches waiting for you and your children.