Sandlapper Sadness

If you know me, then you know that I have a special place in my heart for South Carolina and her people. I was saddened yesterday to hear the news of Governor Mark Sanford. I have met him one time, but I really don't know him so these comments are from a distant observer. As I watched the news on Wednesday, I was disappointed that another one of our leaders has fallen into the trap of sexual misconduct. I was saddened for his wife and kids, for his staff, and for the people that he leads. I was also saddened for our nation. We don't need another sex scandal hitting the air waves.

Governor Sanford ... how could you do it? Well, here's how. A person falls into sexual misconduct when he or she listens to the little voice in the back of their mind that says, "You are not getting your needs met. You deserve better than this. No one will know. She really appreciates you. He really appreciates you. She wants you and so on."

I am sure that he has heard that little voice many, many times. Then, one day when he was tired or angry or hurt or bored, he entertained that voice. In fact, he played it out in his mind. He dreamed what it would be like. He convinced himself that it was going to be better. It became such a prominent thought that he convinced himself that it was okay and that God wanted him to be happy. I mean why would have God allowed this person to come into his life if he did not approve of this relationship. There's no doubt that he rationalized his behavior long before he took the plunge. When you allow your emotions to control your mind, you can come up with some crazy thoughts. You can justify behavior that is not right. You can hurt a lot of people.

Here's the problem. Mark Sanford failed to play the next scene of this mind game. He failed to examine the consequences, public and private. Or, if he considered the repercussions, then it is evident that he blazened forward with prideful arrogance which eventually led to his fall.

Governor Sanford, how could you? What happened? Govenor Sanford fell into the trap that many people who have gone before him tripped over. He fell to the same struggle that you have and I have...the struggle to consider ourselves more than others. When we allow pride to enter our hearts, we are increasing the chances for a fall.

The underlying problem in this case is that Governor Sanford was sorry for his indiscretion. He asked his wife to forgive him months ago. What's the problem then? He failed to repent. You see many of us when we are caught in a lie or some sort of sin, we feel bad. Then, we ask for God to forgive us and hopefully the person that we have offended. That's a good first step, but Jesus calls us to repent. Repentance means that we turn around and walk a different way. Governor Sanford asked for forgiveness and even sought out counsel from spiritual leaders, but in the end, he did not turn around and walk away from the sin.

If he had truly repented after his first trip out of bounds, he would probably still be the President of the Republican Governors Association. He still be respected in the state and nation and he would still have a home to go home to. But, instead of repenting he justified his actions and manipulated the circumstances to try to cover his tracks. That seldom works because the Bible teaches that those things done in the darkness will eventually be brought out into the light.

Now, before we join together on the state house grounds with rocks in our hands to stone him, let's be honest, how are we doing with our own issues? Are there any areas in our lives in which we have allowed compromise? Have we listened to that sweet voice in the back of our minds that is laced with evil? Have spent hours trying to justify and rationalize the reasons why we do what we do?

There is no person reading this post that is perfect. We all have temptations. We all must be on our guard because we have an enemy that seeks to destroy everything that God holds dear.

It is my prayer today that God will turn this very negative situation in Mark Sanford's life and bring something good out of it for him, for his wife, for his kids and for all of the sandlappers in the Palmetto State.

--- Marty Baker

PS: For you out-of-state readers, Sandlapper is a nickname for South Carolinians. It original was used as a description of people who live in the midlands or the sand hills section of the state. In the early 1970s, a music teacher, Nellie McMaster Sprott, from Winnsboro wrote a song called Sandlappers. Students across the state learned that song in school and the term sandlapper moved from the midlands and covered the entire state. Just thought you wanted to know. How do I know that? My dad is from Winnsboro and yes I was one of those students who sang that song.

How to Stay on Top of Your Game

Everyone needs motivation in order to stay at the top of their game. It's the responsibility of the leader of the organization to motivate his or her team members to do their best and to be their best. But, what if you are the leader, who motivates you?

As a leader you have learn the art of self-leadership. You have to know those things that replenish your vision and re-ignite your passion. You have to take the responsibility to not only know those things, but to do them.

The most important activity that I do to stay on top of my game is solitude. I need time alone with God, the Bible and my own thoughts. Practically speaking, I get this mainly on my back porch or my office at home, at times on the treadmill or walking in the neighborhood, or driving on long distances with no one in the car and the radio turned off. God uses these times to recalibrate me so that I can stay focused on what I am created to do and called to do. When I lose focus, I often find myself doing busy work but not really accomplishing any thing.

In addition to leading myself through solitude, I find motivation in seeing the progress of other people. I get excited when I see people break through barriers and proverbial glass ceilings. I get motivated when I see people do things that are unique and unprecedented. For instance, a few weeks ago, I had lunch with Greg Surratt. He is a visionary leader that has pioneered the multi-site church strategy that is sweeping the world. He speaks to over 4000 people from his Long Point Road campus in Mount Pleasant, SC and then over 5000 through video venues. People will tell you that video venues don't work, but Greg will say that for Seacoast and his classic South audience, they do.

What motivates you? Maybe it's time to take a few minutes and find the answer to that question. When you discover the source of your motivation, then trying to figure out what to do today will not be a problem. Your motivation will evolve into motion and before you know it you will be putting points on the score board. So, it's time to get in the game, but not only get in the game, but play in a way that says that you are at the top of your game.

Update from The Creek ... Lee University's 2nd Edtion

Sunday, June 14, 2009 was a great day at Stevens Creek. The small group out of the Lee Singers, 2nd Edition, led in worship. They did a great job. I was very proud of them and felt that they connected with our congregation. Lee is a premier university with an incredible music department. Over the years this university has had several of their students to become household names in the music industry. People like Jay DeMarcus of the country group Raschal Flatts, Scott Stapp of Creed, Janna Potter of Avalon, Phil Stacey - American Idol Finalist, Steve Fee of the Passion Movement and the world renown Todd and April Stugell. So, who knows, the students on the Creek Stage today may be the stars of tomorrow.

May God continue to bless Lee University.

I Love the Local Church...

I love local churches. Over the last few weeks, I have visited several churches. When I go in another church, I scope it out. I look at things that most people don't notice. I try to put myself in that congregation and see the good and at times I see some things that need a little work.

Well, today I attended a funeral service at West Acres Baptist Church in Evans, GA. One of the first people I ran into was the pastor, Larry Harmon. He is the real deal. Larry has been leading that church for 23 years and has grown a tremendous congregation in Columbia County. Not only has the membership increased, but the buildings are very well done.

So, what did I see? When I sat down, my first instinct was to count the ceiling tiles to see how large the room is? Well, they don't have ceiling tiles, so I counted the columns and the sound panels. In my non-professional estimate, the room was about 120 ft by 120 ft. I concluded that the seating capacity was around 1,400.

Soon after I sat down, the organist began to play. I enjoyed it. I have not heard an organ in a very, very long time. In fact, I thought: "My parents would love this church." You see, The Creek is a little much for my parents. They had close to 200 seats in the choir loft. I bet when those seats are full, they can "bring down the house". I thought of all of the joy that would be released in that room when the full choir hits their highest note. The organist moved to the piano and started to sing. He's good. Again, my Mom and Dad would love the "Bill Gaither-kind-of-style" he has.

As I listened to Pastor Harmon speak, I could hear the love for people coming out of his voice. So many times, I attend funerals and the preacher is awful, but not this time. Larry did a great job. He was honoring, he was Biblical, and he was encouraging to those grieving.

I noticed the flat screens scrolling announcements in the hallway. One slide mentioned that in the Spring of 2008, they owed 1.8 million dollars and the graph revealed that in the Spring of 2009, they owed 895K. How cool. In a recessionary economy, the members and friends of West Acres have been very generous.

So, here's what I have to say about West Acres Baptist: AMEN Pastor Harmon! You are a great leader.

One Prayer Begins at The Creek

Today we started the new series "One Prayer".  As you may know (see www.oneprayer.com), this is a series that over 1700 churches across America are joining together to experience.  This represents nearly 1 million people.  Now, that's pretty cool.  Today at The Creek we saw Chris Hodges message, "God is More."  Needless to say, I loved it.  It was right down my alley.  When he began with Ephesians 3:20:  Now unto him who is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine...", I knew that this message was going to speak to folks in our audience.  Chris reminded us that God is bigger than we think.  We need to put our faith and trust in him.  AMEN ... Pastor Chris.  You did a great job.  

One a side note, it was cool for Pastor Chris to do a personalized opening for our congregation.  I appreciated that ... it made me feel a little more connected to what I was hearing.

Next week, Dave Willis will be continuing the series with the message:  God is Faithful.  Say a prayer for Dave this week and get ready for an inspiring talk.