When we encounter what we perceive as a failed expectation of a desired result, what should be our mood, or state of mind.
Desired conclusions

Of course my life verse has always been Philippians 1:21 "For me to live is Christ, to die is gain."
"For to me, to live is (to experience and manifest) Christ and to die is gain (to experience and manifest Christ even more)." - Philippians 1:21 (my brother’s point of view)

I have desired much in the flesh, to see accomplished many things, because I have believed I could be a source of help or blessings.

Many times I have been disappointed because of my own expectations. Too often I have viewed them as failed desires, because I did not see the accomplishment of that desire. (The desired conclusions failed to materialize)

Too often in the flesh we often find ourselves in a mood of unhappiness. Which could be described as a mood of emotions, which could lead to depression (refers to a state of unhappiness, or sadness). As a result of what we believe to be an unfortunate incident or event, or choice, or even an expectation we believed would happen.

That seems to happen with regularity, that is, a desired result, of what you prayed for, wished for, hoped would happen or what you might even worked hard for would happen.

One might, as I have, work literally a whole year on a project and have great expectations of a desired result, and it fails to work out as you had desired in your mind. My brother called this "failed expectations."

As humans with fleshly baggage (sinful reactions) we can become sorrowful, downcast, cheerless, even distressed. I could add, not satisfied, displeased, or even discontented.

So how do we correct this mood? (refer to a state of unhappiness or sadness)

Personally, I believe the reaction is human. But to stay in the mood is sinful as well as destructive. There are fleshly ways of dealing with the mood of feeling the failure, the misery, or unhappiness, but often are very destructive as well.

Psa. 2:12b "Blessed are all they that put their trust in the Lord." I Peter 2:3 (after reading verse 2) "if so be you have tasted that the Lord is gracious."

We need to quickly "taste (experience) and see that the Lord is good" Bringing our focus and attention back to the presence of the Lord. It’s called 'Practice the Presence of the Holy Spirit."
"For me to live........?" What is your reason for living? If your reason to live is Christ, then He will provide.

Over the last five years since living in Portsmouth Ohio, there have been some really good experiences that have been so satisfying. And there have been experiences that have been really disappointing to the family.

God is not so trivial that he defines sin in the context of contemporary culture (which would necessitate the standard of right and wrong being in continual flux). Rather, He defines sin as anything that demeans His infinite beauty and glory (which supersedes culture). Worldliness, whether we want to admit it or not, goes much deeper than what is culturally acceptable; worldliness goes to the heart of the issue ... our hearts."Once you begin to define (set rules) what is OK and what is not OK, you lose.

Drafted by Charles E. Whisnant December 26, 2006 Proof Checked by Charity 29th

THE NIGHT SANTA DISAPPEARED

The Electric Train Derailed

Pauline Whisnant (my mom)

Though I do not have emerging scenes of dancing sugar plums in my head when it comes to Christmas memories, or any such fantasies, I do have memories of multi colored seasons of Christmases past.

There was the Christmas at school when Santa came to visit all of us mountain kids. Imagine that! Of course, that was the one and only time. I thought it was pretty amazing that he chose to include us in his schedule. I guess we made the "good" list that year. And I know it was truly St. Nick, because I took great notice of the characteristics we all know give away the secret. Yelp…it was that fluffy, snow white beard and that belly that was like a bowl full of jelly. They were the real deal!! I guess the fact that he never visited us again tells you where we fell on the list thereafter….the naughty category. So I can tell you first hand, you better watch out!!!

While I don’t remember receiving many gifts over the years from Santa, I do remember the year of his last appearing at my house. My brother Ray and I were all excited about what we might find that Christmas morning. As we made a dash to discover our treasures, nothing greeted us but an empty chest and disappointment. Dad being the logical mountain man that he was had a great explanation….we no longer believed in Santa so Santa no longer landed on our roof top with a bag full of toys. We still don’’t know who told Dad we no longer believed in that jolly old man. I can’t imagine who would spread such horrible rumors especially that time of year. No one to this day has confessed. They definitely were on my naughty list that year and have so remained.

Fast forwarding to memories after I left home at 16: I do recall Santa coming back around for visits. I guess my children and grandchildren never got on that black list. I tend to think Santa just got soft in his old age and lightened up on children during those "developing" personality years. He must have been reading Dr. Spock’s books. Then, too, maybe he enjoyed hearing me quote "Twas The Night Before Christmas".

Then there was the year Santa tampered with my oldest son, Charles, who was very young at the time. Santa had the nerve to come to our church of all things and tell Charles that he would bring him an electric train for Christmas. I tried to explain to Charles that this gift was not possible, but he insisted that it was true because after all THE MAN himself spoke it with his own lips with the list in hand. How does a mother win with Santa? And, yes, Santa showed up but with NO electric train. And I know for a fact Charles was on the nice list that year. It just goes to show you that Santa is human after all. Either he needed to get a new list manager or it was the beginning of Alzheimers. I know some snotty little naughty kid got my son’s electric train that year. It makes you wonder about that list, doesn’t it? While I don’t think Charles ever had to have therapy over the misfortune, I know I have needed it over the years. And if you are in this family and have never heard this story before, you now KNOW the truth about Santa.

With all this in consideration, I decided it was best not to expose my daughter Ellen, the youngest in the family, to Santa. After all he was on "my" naughty list. (And all along you thought it was because she fell off the piano bench, Charles.)

Her dad was great at playing Santa. He almost had her convinced there was a Santa the year he left a Santa doll that played music under the Christmas tree. The doll itself was NOT the mystery but HOW it was playing music. For the longest time…and really even until this very day she was (is) not able to figure out how that Santa was singing when she arrived at the tree in the wee hours of the morning while the rest were all nestled in their beds.

Ellen then carried on this Christmas tradition with my granddaughter April. And besides April’s teacher told her Santa was really Satan with the letters just changed around (so it was not all my fault). Then I started getting a little soft as I seasoned along with age…and I thought it might be nice to bring Santa back into our lives. So I invited him over to our house for April to meet. He came a looonnnggg way at my request. And he was the real deal let me tell you…I know because I saw the white fluffy beard (well, it was turning a little grey by this time). He arrived right on time. And with one look, April’’s heart darted faster than she did to the back of the house, not to return until we promised Santa was no where to be found. I am telling you, he should have never fouled up and delivered that electric train to the wrong house.

Feeling bad ever since, Ellen has left warm milk and cookies with the help of her son Stephen for Santa every Christmas Eve. She thinks once he came and got them as she saw with her own eyes foot prints in snow coming from the chimney. And that has been since she’s lived in snowless Texas so you know something’s up with that!!! Besides someone has been eating those cookies and drinking the milk. FYI it appears Santa likes Oreos best. Then again Stephen does love Oreos. Hummm..

Now that the fourth generation of females arrived with Miss Ella this year, it will be interesting to see what her Christmas tradition will be one day.

I am not sure what April’s posture is with Santa since she last saw him at my house many years ago. And I do not know what her sons, Reid and Cole think of him. You’d have to ask her. I think I heard her say once one of the kids cried when they saw him or would not go near him. It’s evidently in our DNA.

We continue to stay on the nice list, this I know. And someone continues to deliver gifts to us every year. And I continue to quote "Twas The Night Before Christmas". I think after all, I really do believe. Besides I know what happens when rumor gets out that you don’’t. So my lips are sealed.

Really though, I have had many wonderful heart filled Christmas seasons. Those with my husband Everette while he was here on earth, and those with my children and their children and their children!! Who needs Santa when you have family? And besides I don’t think he ever made good on that electric train.

Seriously though, I am greeting you with this letter of some of my Christmas memoirs and trust that your heart will be filled with the warmth of the love of Christ this 2006 season.

Celebrating His Birth,
Mom, Grandma, GG, Pauline

Written by by sister Ellen, as told a million times by my mother Pauline Greene Whisnant

Mom's point of view, my view next

STATEMENTS THAT PREACHERS MAKE ABOUT OTHER SERVANTS OF THE GOSPEL
Part Two

So how do you learn the REAL TRUTH! What is the Biblical teaching on Truth? What is truth about living life. Listen to Dr. Wayne Dyer. Who? Ask Charity. Really he does say a lot of good common sense things. But is it true?

How often when I was the pastor/teacher at FBC that visiting preachers would say, "Charles, you teach correctly, but you need to be more Baptistic." So to be correct you needed to be Baptist!

I had made the comment that there are some preachers who are not Baptist who could possibly be saved and go to heaven. That went over well with the brethren.

I remember when I introduced the teaching of John MacArthur to our church. Of course they didn’t know who he was, but if I liked him they would. Boy, did we have some very wonderful people.

But outside our church, once the pastors found out I liked MacArthur, I was in real trouble. Of course that has never really bothered me a whole lot, to be in trouble with other preachers.
My father-in-law thinks that is my calling–to see just how much I can get other preachers riled up.

SO WHAT IS TRUTH? WHAT IS THE BIBLICAL FORM OF TRUE CHRISTIAN LIVING?

Every body has their own idea of what a true Biblical Christian looks like and acts like, and believes, don’t they? Isn’t God great to allow so many of us to believe a little bit different on this and still be a Believer. Thank the Lord.

Of course, I am almost afraid to tell people what my theological position is. (That really is not true.) But I am afraid to say that my position is totally 100% correct.

For example, over the last month, there have been some good debates. Lordship Salvation vs. Free Grace. The Emergent Movement is a new debate today. Separation debate. The form of Worship debate. Fundamentalism vs. Evangelicalism. Postmodernism. The Cultural debate. Then the debate over John Piper and John MacArthur as well as those in the Emergent Movement

"Postmodernists are generally suspicious of rational and logical forms. They especially do not like to discuss truth in plain propositional terms." MacArthur quote in his book coming out in the spring. That ignited a great debate of terms. And it got me studying this issue.

One of the favorite topics on the evangelical agenda these days is how the church should "engage the culture." Do Christians need to imitate the boorish aspects of a quickly-decaying civilization in order to remain "relevant"? Some evidently think so.:" MacArthur again made this statement.

"We keep hearing from evangelical strategists and savvy church leaders that Christians need to be more tuned into contemporary culture." Well, I have heard that statement many times in different forms. Of course fundamentalists think you need to keep the old landmarks, or you have fallen prey to the culture.

John MacArthur has said a lot about this issue of engaging in the culture. But our Baptist friends think he is wrong because he is not a Baptist, and when Grace Church might use a different form music than the fundy that they think like

"MacArthur is a hypocrite who has an electric guitar shaped beam in his own eye."

"I hope everyone here agrees that such a statement is not only overstated, but it is patently unkind. It is a gross exaggeration and misrepresentation of John MacArthur. But it makes life easy. Just paint your opponents the darkest shade of black you can––that’ll make you look white on any account." Bob Haydon over at Fundy

I have discovered that just about every preacher, Christian leader, every pastor, who holds to the truth as he knows it, will have a different slant on that truth, and a different idea of how that truth is fleshed out. Is not the Lord so good to give us the option to have different points of view on the same truth.

Drafted by Charles E. Whisnant, proof ready Charity 12 19/20 2006

STATEMENTS THAT PREACHERS MAKE ABOUT OTHER SERVANTS OF THE GOSPEL

"Nothing is clearer than 2 Timothy 3:16-4:2. If I ever want to hear "Well done, good and faithful servant" I will have to preach the word––just as it is clearly revealed, and without compromise. I must strive prayerfully and by God’s grace to keep it from being tainted by my culture." wrote Jim Harris over at Pulpit Magazine.

You know he is 100% correct. When was the last time you were at a Pastor’s Conference and heard a preacher get up and say, "I have no idea if what I am about to say is true, but I am going to preach tonight about sin. " Few, I would suspect, if any.

Most preachers I know, think what they know is correct, or they will not preach on the subject. They may say there are several opinions on this topic, like the Rapture, or the Great Tribulation, but they have their idea what they believe.

What I have learned over the last few years, that I didn’t know, is that there are a lot of theologians and teachers that totally disagree with my position on just about every thing that I believe. That was a total shock to my belief system. How could that be true?

For the first thirty years of my teaching ministry, I was quite confident that what I was teaching was 100% correct, well at least 80% possibly correct.

I would have never preached a single sermon that I really believed was not biblically correct. The people who heard me preach for years believed what I was preaching to be correct biblically.

What many, I would suppose, didn’t believe was maybe how I applied the principles that I was preaching. For example: I believed all Christians should read out of the KJV. I believed that certain music styles were not necessarily wrong but should not be played in church worship. And the big one, when people came to worship they should look their best. My wife and four children could mention several other ideas that they would disagree with.

I have certainly done my share of pointing out the error of others who didn’t hold my view point. I thought it was my pastor/shepherd’s responsibility to share information about the error of other preachers, organizations, and ministries. Except for ones I really liked I would be silent on.

I didn’t realize just how many theologian do not accept the book of Revelation as Prophecy.

I have always believed, (still do) that the events in Revelation have yet to happen

Premillenial, Pre-Tribulation, and Israel is not the Church. I never knew that others held a different point of view. Can you imagine that. Where was I..... in a theological cave? No, just reading my good KJV Bible.

There are an equal number of theologians who do not hold to dispensationalism. I didn’t know there were several forms of dispensationalism. I believed there were seven. But today I would get laughed at by many if I were to preach that pont of view.

Well, not only doctrinal teachings of the Bible are in question, but how we view the application to those doctrines.

I didn’t know there are some churches that are not Baptist Churches. Think of that! Well, I did of course, but we were told that they were not real churches. And if they were not WBF Baptist churches they were not real churches either. What a shock to learn that was not the truth.

So what is the truth of this whole matter.

"[They] are wrong in their practice of separation. Separation is a Bible doctrine. This means they are off-base doctrinally on separation. Music is a doctrinal issue and their music is wrong"
fundyreformed.wordpress.com is quoting. It’s not Bob’s position, but it’s the position of so many.

My children have believed I have always been wrong on my viewpoint of music. How could it be, when I went to all the Basic Institute of Youth Conflict for over fifteen years?

I should say this, I remember walking out of a service in a church, because I didn’t like the music. Even though the preacher was one of the best teaching preachers in the state.

Well, I could write several of those stories. But I don’t want to embarrass myself any more that I already do quite well anyway.

I didn’t know that some churches (not Baptist Churches) believe in infant baptism! There are theological terms for those who hold that position and terms for those who do not hold that idea. But I discovered that in both sides of this issue, they believe salvation is by grace in the Lord Jesus Christ!

Confession is good for the soul.

Drafted by Charles E. Whisnant, Proof Read by Charity

IF GOD IS SOVEREIGN, WHY DO ANYTHING?

You might be tempted to say "it's meant for us to have the size church we have, " "We have the size church we do, because it’s the outworking of God's plan which He decreed in eternity." So you might then say, "Why should I do anything that might accomplish something different, God has already decided what will happen."

Of course you would be wrong! That is a little strong statement. We just sit back and do nothing!

Do you mean to say, you know what God has done in eternity? Do you mean to say, "God has meant for us to have our size church ." Therefore, you just rest in what you are doing and let God do the rest, by His sovereign will!! Is it a right view of God's sovereignty? Or is it "fatalism?"

I don't believe in "fatalism?" Which is? Fatalism teaches, I am told, "that no matter what you choose or do, things will turn out the same." The belief that your choices does not really affect what will happen, that is fatalism. (The doctrine that all events are predetermined by fate and are therefore unalterable.)

"So I choose to just let God in His sovereignty do as He will do anyway," you say. That is pure fatalism.

I have the size church I have because that is the size God chooses us to have.

Have you known preachers who say, "It’s the sovereign will of God what has happened in our church." I mean, they have twelve people in Sunday School and twenty five in Worship, and four on Sunday Night, and Wednesday night is shut down. And the pastor said, "It’s in the hand of a sovereign God." Could this be pure fatalism, and a misunderstanding of the sovereignty of God?

Indifference. If God decides everything that will happen, I will stop making choices that might not be God's choice, I will leave that in the hand of God. Haven't you just made a choice? You made a choice not to make a choice.

To use God's sovereignty as an excuse or reason, for the size church you have, (or really anything else) is a wrong view of God's sovereignty. You have the size church you have because of choices you make.

Drafted as a e mail but thought I would put use it as a thread today.

Charity checked this one out. Thank goodness.

The reason we have the size church we have are often for the reasons whe have chosen.

The Dynamics of Small Church Ministry
Part FIVE of Five

I have pastored four small size churches (under 200) I have worked in churches from 500-1200. There is a difference. Knowing the difference dynamics helps to develop your in your ministry. And all four at the beginning wanted to say small in size. And there was a reason for their belief.

In smaller churches you could have a few Sunday School classes, they could all be in one class as far as they are concern. Children and Adults.. Thank goodness at FBC Altoona we had a graded Sunday School. The reason for few classes is few workers want to be committed to teaching. Which was not the case at FBC. We had teachers who taught almost the entire time I was pastor of the church. Once a teacher they wanted to stay a teacher. Once a piano player, always a piano player in our church. (right Beverly) same for teachers: (right Charity, Mabel and Michael)

Some smaller churches are small because they can not afford to pay for a professional or skilled minister. They may have a pastor who has little or no leadership skills. They may have a pastor who has no desire to see growth in the church membership. Sometimes the pastor is in total control of the ministry and the people just leave without saying anything. One preacher I know stayed twenty five years, and over 200 people left the church in that time. That church stayed small, really small.

Some members of a smaller church feel threatened when they see the church grow in size. They see the new members and are suspicious of their motives. When new people come in to the church and join and they are placed in to leadership, they are upset.

Too often when a new pastor comes into the church and mentions growth, the members attempt to maintain the status quo or even decrease the size of their congregation. Often when the new staff worker or new pastor hints that the church is not spiritually healthy, he suggests that the church is in a recession. If the church is not fulfilling its biblical commission, and he suggests that their behavior and thinking is hindering the spread of the gospel, their reaction is one of disbelief. They are shocked and offended at such a thought.

For the pastor to suggest that they need to move away from the past if they are going to grow, is an issue that will create friction. He needs to acknowledge that the work done in the past, for sure, has made the present possible, but they need to move ahead to see growth.

In this paper I was trying to give the dynamics of a smaller church.

A FOOTNOTE:
There is always the exception to all these principles, conscious and unconscious, that determine human behavior and attitudes. The size of the church has a great significance on the minister and the ministries of the church. Size has an enormous impact on how a church functions. I have heard this for years.

Moving a smaller church to the next size church will take change. It will take the leadership’s ability to teach biblical truth in such a way that the membership will desire to see change. It will take the leadership to see some of these dynamics and adjust their effort.

Maybe if the pastor/teacher can teach biblical principles to the membership and be patient, the Lord might see fit to change the attitudes of the congregation about growing into a healthy church. Maybe two in four churches he can.

Our spiritual condition requires nourishment. Though the avenues through which we are fed are many, we can pretty much sum our diet up with the following five activities: PRAYER, BIBLE STUDY, WORSHIP, FELLOWSHIP and SERVICE.

That a church is smaller doesn’t mean it’s more or less holy or worldly. It doesn’t mean they are more biblical in how they do ministry. It doesn’t mean that they are small because they do things right. But you can have a smaller size church and be all the right things. But if you have any of the dynamics I have mentioned in this paper, you do not have a healthy church.

(You know you are a red neck small church if.....)
If your church is controlled by: (or)
powerful people
poor leadership
programs that are outdated
pleasing people
presumption of the probability of correct belief
pastor controlled
personality led
personal opinions
philosophy of worldliness
presuming you are spiritual with less people
petrified of conflict
plagued by fear at the idea of change
proverbial traditions
presumed theological knowledge
polarization groups (breaking up into opposing factions)
policy shoddiness
popular trends
porcupine mentality (sticky situations are avoided)
prehistorical educational materials
prescribed non-biblical legalistic rules
you have two outhouses in back of the church
persist in placing the nursery in the back of the church
pianos in your church hasn’t worked for years
pivoting (relying) on own your own internal leadership
parochialism Limited thinking
past history driven
patriarchal families controlled
pragmatic thinking rather than on theological principles
posters of missionaries letters dated 1989 so what if it is 2006
pulpit still has bulletins from three years ago.
preacher tells red neck jokes from the pulpit (Dr. David Bryant)
professional pastors are viewed as less spiritual


Drafted by Charles E. Whisnant on December 08 2006 Proof check by Charity Whisnant 12-10-06

The Dynamics of Small Church Ministry
Part Four Two of Five

In smaller churches the whole membership is asked to voice their opinion and vote on every issue, have you noticed? In the larger churches, there is no way that can happen on every issue that comes up. One church I pastored they voted to see how far they wanted the Church Van to be driven on any youth activity. The first of each month was a church business meeting and each member could voice his request and it could be voted on. ."I think church should start at 10:45 a.m. And since it was a "member in good standing" it was voted to start at 10:45 a.m. or was it 6:00 p.m..? That would never happen in a larger church. At FBC in Hammond there was a business meeting, but any decision was quickly passed by the deacons.

Why all the complexity in the different size churches:

The larger the church, the less members have in common. The larger the church the greater number of families, different backgrounds, and ideas. In a smaller church you have small groups and they seem to all know each other. They all know each other when they come into Union Mills to buy a wonderful tasting apple pie made by my wife Charity. She also knows those members who come into the bakery. In a larger church you really don’t stop to think if one family or two families will disagree with the mission of the church, in a smaller church you always ask that question.

Thus, in smaller churches policy is decided by many, and ministry is done by a few. In larger churches ministry is done by many, and policy is decided by a few.

In a smaller church, everybody thinks they have a say in what the policy is going to be. In a larger church they know they have little voice in the policy of the church.

In smaller churches communicating could usually be done by word of mouth and it would be okay, not in a larger church. Smaller churches like it that way. The friendly church, you know. In a larger church you could go for a year and never know who is sitting beside you in worship. Of course that could happen in a smaller church too, but not often. It did happen at Bigelow. Charity and I did not realize who this couple was, but they knew us.

If some outsider comes to a small church, and the musicians are mediocre in quality, it will generally distract from the worship. But also in a smaller church, since you know the musician and you love that person, you just overlook the lack of giftedness. We were blessed at FBC in Altoona to have two very gifted pianists.. The problem was not the musicians, it was the preacher in our church!.

Here is a new thought: Smaller churches do not change speedily. They experience less turnover. Same old members in the church since 1939, you know. And they feel powerful and essential and important, so they don’t leave the church. And the leadership will say, what does old member 1939 think about us having an AWANA Club? That would never happen in a larger church.

Also in a smaller church the leadership (one) and maybe several deacons, don’t want to lose members. And they will allow these individual to control the majority. One person can control what the rest of the church would like to do, but he is a good giver, so they will not do what is best for the many. Once at FBC, the deacon said, "Mrs. Dennison will not want to give up her old pew, she has been in that bench since 1959." In view of getting new pews, they didn’t want to hurt her feelings. They would not have voted to get new pews if Mrs. Dennison didn’t want them. That would never have happen at Mansfield or Calvary Baptist. Thank goodness. And it didn’t happen at FBC either, because Mrs. Dennison purchased the first new pew!.

Have you noticed too, that in larger churches, a few make the decisions and there are more in ministry; and in a smaller church, the many are making the decisions and few are working.

The smaller the church the more the members want to control the church. To be a member of a small church is to be a voting member. To be in a larger church, membership doesn’t mean your single vote is all that important.

Everybody wants to have a word about every decision. The leadership is concerned that every member won’t like the decision made, but they don’t want conflict by the powerful few.
I missed this principle altogether. I often offended everybody. In that way, I wouldn’t just try to please the few. But I don’t recommend this in most churches. Because it only worked in one of four churches.

In smaller churches the members think the pastor should open the church door for services and stay until the service is over and lock the door on his way out. Or the pastor thinks he needs to turn the lights on and check the air conditioning. In a larger church that would never happen. Praise the Lord.


Drafted by Charles E. Whisnant December 09 2006 Proofread by Charity Whisnant