New Year's Resolutions for Christians

As we turn the page from 2019 to 2020, I want to offer some New Year's Resolutions that will help us be better Christians during the New Year. While I offer up these resolutions for 2020, these things should be put into practice every year.

1. Make it a goal to attend the worship services at your local congregation or elsewhere every week of 2020. There are 50 Sunday's in the year 2020. Make it a goal to be present for worship all fifty opportunities. This is not counting the Sunday and Wednesday evening worship services, gospel meetings, Vacation Bible Schools, and singings that can be attended throughout the year. Obviously there will be instances where attendance for all 50 Sunday's might not be attainable due to sickness or other factors beyond your control, but before you decide to skip worship because you are too tired, remember the words of Hebrews 10:25, where we are told "not to forsake the assembly."

2. Make it a goal to better your prayer life in 2020. Everyone can improve their prayer life. As I wrote Monday and back in October, we have to be in the habit of going to God's throne and "wearing God out." This year, make it a habit to use your down time to pray. Prayers don't have to be long and we shouldn't make them long like the Pharisees did in Matthew 23:14. Instead we should be like the persistent widow in Luke 18 and "pray and not lose heart" (Luke 18:1).

3. Make Bible Study a priority in 2020. What do you do in your down time? Personally I enjoy watching sports (in person or on TV), playing fantasy football, reading, and watching The Andy Griffith Show. As a minister I have the privilege to get to spend the majority of my work days engaged in the study of God's Word. I do this by preparing sermons, Bible Classes, and blogs. Even though I devote most of my time to these things, I still read my Bible outside of sermon or Bible Class prep. I read the Gospel Advocate magazine, I go back and revisit passages from sermons or Bible Classes that I have heard on Sunday's and/or Wednesday's. I challenge you in 2020 to carve out time for Bible Study. When you wake up in the mornings or go to bed at nights, spend less time on social media and instead devote more time to God's Word.

4. Invite friends, co-workers, classmates, and even non-Christian family members to worship. In #1 I said that there are a total of 50 Sunday's in 2020. That's 50 people and 50 opportunities to invite someone to worship (again not counting Wednesday Bible Study, gospel meetings, and Vacation Bible Schools). Jesus tells us in Mark 16:15 to "go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." Are we preaching to others, either by sharing our knowledge of the scriptures or by our actions? Believe it or not, how we behave preaches a sermon that will make non-Christians either want to be apart of what we have, or dismiss us completely.

5. Break down the cliques. One of the biggest things that can kill a church are cliques. Cliques involve a group of people that only do things among themselves. They only sit together during worship, they only eat together, they only go on trips together. I get it, some people just gravitate to certain people better than others, but friends, this will kill churches. This will make people leave the church. We are all trying to get to the same place, there will be no cliques in Heaven, so why do we have them in our churches? The apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 3:14, that as Christians, we are "pressing toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." We are all trying to get to Heaven, instead of doing so with a select group, let's get there together!!

As this year comes to a close, I want to tell you that God loves you, I love you, and the Chestnut Mound church of Christ loves you. I guarantee that if you commit to these five resolutions in 2020, then you will become a much better Christian. This will be the last blog post (written by me at least) for 2019, however our doors are always open on Sunday mornings and evenings. We would love for you to join us for worship. If you're interested in becoming a Christian, we would love to study with you, and if you've fallen back into sin, we'd love to pray for you.

In Him,

Carver Moore

 We would be honored for you to join us for worship at the Chestnut Mound church of Christ.

Our service times are as follows:

Sunday Morning Bible study: 10 am

Sunday morning worship: 11 am

Sunday evening worship: 5 pm

The Power of Habits

Habits are very powerful things. According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, a habit is "a settled tendency or usual manner of behavior." We all have routines that we go through during our day, or our week. Oftentimes if we don't accomplish all we want to during that time span, then we have an empty feeling of incompleteness. Our habits control our thoughts, emotions, and physical actions. Our habits can either hurt us or harm us spiritually and physically. Habits prove that we are human and are simply part of our lives.

A few weeks ago I was presiding over the Lord's Table on a Sunday Evening at the Willow Avenue church of Christ. On Sunday evenings, Willow makes the emblems available to those who weren't able to attend Sunday morning worship. The emblems are placed in a children's classroom and two men preside over them. When it was time to offer thanks for the contribution, I started my prayer of thanks, however instead of saying "Bless the leadership of the Willow Avenue church of Christ as they oversee these funds." I said "Bless the leadership of the Chestnut (I caught myself) as they oversee these funds." I quickly realized that I got the two congregations mixed up and restated what I was trying to say with "Willow Avenue church of Christ." The lesson that I took from this, is that habit is a very strong and powerful thing. When does habit become too powerful and perhaps draw us away from our relationship with God? In today's blog article I ask you to consider the following four Spiritual items and how you can make them habits or better habits in your life.

Habit #1: Church Attendance, How often do we lay our heads down on Saturday nights and dread waking up early the next morning for worship services? How often do we wish the preacher wouldn't be so "long winded" and the songs and prayers were shorter? How often do we decide to stay home and watch the ball game instead of going to church? All of these factors influence our Christian lives, as well as our habits. If we allow ourselves to become conditioned to a point where our church attendance is an afterthought, then it will become hard to reverse that. On the other hand, if we allow ourselves to make it a "habit" to go to bed early, wake up early, and focus yourselves 100% on the worship service, then it will in turn be difficult to reverse that. In Hebrews 10:25, we are told not to "forsake the assembly." Make it a habit to attend worship services every time the doors of the building are open.

Habit #2: Prayer, The most intimate relationship that we can have with God is that of speaking to Him through prayer. Prayer is one of the easiest things to do, but yet we make it harder than it should be. Why is this? I believe that we simply don't make time for it. We live in a world where we are busy all the time. When we get home or to wherever we are going, we don't stop and think to pray. Our prayers don't have to be long and formal, but just a few words of thanks and requests for strength, or anything else on your mind will suffice. One thing that allows me to stop and think about God throughout the day is keeping a few of my favorite Bible verses in the notes app of my phone. I read these throughout the day and it helps me keep things in perspective. I also pray before I go to bed, and in the morning while I either walk or shower, sometimes at both times. The more effort that we put into making prayer a "habit" the easier it will be to "pray without ceasing" I Thessalonians 5:17.

Habit #3: Bible Study, When we need a clearer understanding of something that's going on in our lives, where do we go to find it? Do we turn to a "self help" book, or Google, or turn to the inspired Word of God? How often do we sit down and study God's Word in depth? Does it collect dust on our shelf from Sunday to Sunday? Did you know that the Bible is set up in a way that's easy for us to understand, yet we learn something new every time we read it? Why is it so hard to read and study it daily? Just like with prayer and church attendance, we live in a busy society. Oftentimes we barely have enough time to relax. Why not take those relaxing moments of the day and use them to study the Bible instead of watching TV and/or using your phone? Make it a "habit" to carve out a few minutes of your day to read at least one chapter of the Bible and I can assure you, that you will be blessed as a result. In II Timothy 2:15, we are commanded to "study to show ourselves approved unto God." Study provides us with much needed wisdom and understanding that will make us better, but others as well.

Habit #4: Evangelism, How do churches grow? The answer is simple, we evangelize. We take what we learn from attending worship and our personal Bible study and share it with others. We shouldn't keep this knowledge to ourselves, we should share it with others. I'm 100% confident that everyone reading this comes into contact with a person(s) that does not know God every day. It could be someone you work with, go to school with, the cashier at the gas station or the grocery store. We can share God's world with them directly by inviting them to services, but perhaps the most underrated way to evangelize is to show God by your actions and the way you treat people. A simple smile and a kind word can go a long way. Make this a "habit." In Mark 16:15, Jesus commands us as he's preparing to leave this earth to "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." We do this not only by words and doctrine, but also by our actions.

Our habits are very powerful things and can be dangerous at times. We can either use these habits for good or bad. I challenge you this week and especially as we turn the page to 2020, to make sure your habits are spiritually minded. Friends, I love you, the Chestnut Mound church of Christ loves you, and most importantly God loves you. Are you looking to improve your habits in 2020? If so we would love for you to join our family here at Chestnut Mound. We are imperfect Christians, yet we love each other and love you. We would be honored by your presence!!

In Him,

Carver Moore

 We would be honored for you to join us for worship at the Chestnut Mound church of Christ.

Our service times are as follows:

Sunday Morning Bible study: 10 am

Sunday morning worship: 11 am

Sunday evening worship: 5 pm

Take Up Your Cross

In our Bible Class here at Chestnut Mound, we have been doing a chapter by chapter study of the book of Matthew. The past few weeks I have been studying Matthew 16 in preparation for this Sunday's Bible Class period. One thing that I read really struck me. In verse 24, Jesus tells the disciples and us to "deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me." At first glance, one would think that Jesus is referring to a physical cross, held together by two pieces of wood. But this is not the case. So what does the cross represent?

The cross represents all the things that we suffer from/with. The cross represents our spiritual and physical suffering. At the time Jesus is saying to "take up your cross," He is a very short time from being crucified on an actual cross for our sins. He is in the process of preparing His disciples for that day. Jesus used imagery frequently to help the people of His time and us today to better understand His teachings. Jesus was about to suffer on the cross for us, and He wants us to remember that we suffer our own "crosses" daily. The question is, what do we do with our crosses?

Humble yourself, or as I like to say, check your ego at the door. Before Jesus said "take up your cross," He said we must "deny ourselves." I see so many people trying to get through life by solving their spiritual and physical problems on their own. They are afraid and ashamed to ask for help. Why is this? Society tells us that we should be "alphas" we should be strong willed and not afraid to "stand on our own two feet." Where does this leave God though? Friends, God is bigger than any amount of "alpha" you think you are. We should not be afraid of admitting to Him that we need His help.

When should we do this? Think about the hardest things in life that you've either been through, or are going through. Do you have it? Now think about Jesus hanging there on the cross for you and me. In John 19, we have perhaps the most detailed account of the death of Jesus of the four gospels. In verse 17, John states that Jesus "bore His cross," as He was being led up to Calvary. In all four of the gospels, we are told that Jesus was nailed to cross, was thirsty and given sour wine to drink, and was mocked as the soldiers divided His clothes and bowed down to Him. I make this comparison to show you that no matter what we face in life, it's not even close to what Jesus did. Notice though that Jesus did indeed bear His cross. Sometimes we have to be humble enough to bear ours.

We are coming to a time of the year where things are winding down. The year 2019 is history and the year 2020 brings new things. Some of these things can be stressful, taxes are due in a few short months, insurance rates are being adjusted, and we are struggling with what to buy our loved ones for Christmas. These things make us want to pull our hair out and lead to a loss of sleep, but these problems pale in comparison to what Jesus went through for us. Next time we complain about something, remember the cross, humble yourself, and bring your cross to Jesus!!

In Him,

Carver Moore

 We would be honored for you to join us for worship at the Chestnut Mound church of Christ.

Our service times are as follows:

Sunday Morning Bible study: 10 am

Sunday morning worship: 11 am

Sunday evening worship: 5 pm

Do You Have a Wonderful Life?

As I write this, Christmas is approximately two weeks and two days away. Christmas themed music is playing, merchants are running ads on TV and the internet trying to get you to buy, buy, buy. In Friday's article I touched on the importance of family and what a great time I had with my grandfather on the day before Thanksgiving. I often feel that we take our family and friends for granted. On Thursday night I took the time to watch my favorite Christmas movie, "It's a Wonderful Life."

For those who have never seen it, the movie was released in 1946 and focuses on a family man named George Bailey. Bailey and his family own and operate the building and loan corporation in the small town of Bedford Falls. The movie begins with all of George's family and friends praying for him on Christmas Eve. The majority of the movie is spent going back in time looking at the impact that George has had on his family, friends, and community. The goal is to acquaint an angel named Clarence with George so that the former can save the latter from taking his life due to a significant financial event involving George, his Uncle Billy, and the building and loan. Throughout Clarence's education on George, he sees the broad impact that George has had on the town of Bedford Falls. George spent most of his child and adult life wanting to see the world and later become a famous architect. But along the way, events in the lives of his family, friends, and even his own prevent him from leaving town and these same events end up changing his life for the better. George is one of those good guys that I believe we can all relate to.

1. How do you respond when things don't go your way in life? One thing that Clarence tells George at the very end of the movie is that "no one is a failure who has friends." We should all respond differently than George did. Do we lean on those around us for strength and support? I think that all to often it is easy to hold things inside and not seek out those we trust for help. Why is this the case? We don't like to show others our weaknesses. This is especially true for guys, but I'm telling you, God puts friends in your life for this reason. I'm lucky to have a few friends, one is married with a newborn baby, a few are engaged, and a few are single. They each are unique in their own ways, and they all are equipped to give advice from a variety of perspectives thanks in part to their life situations. But who's our greatest friend? The answer is Jesus. I love the song entitled "What a Friend we have in Jesus." The lyrics tell us that he will bear all your sins, and griefs, knows our weaknesses, and he considers it a privilege to carry all these things. The song also challenges us to find a friend as faithful as Him. We all have friends that will never leave us no matter what, but Jesus goes beyond even those relationships. I am thankful for the friends that I have and the comfort knowing that they are just a phone call, text, or Facebook message away.

2. Do you ever wish that your life situation was better? Do you ever wish you had a better job, a nicer car, nicer clothes, or a nicer house? Are you like George Bailey and are longing for the day where you can "shake the dust off the town" you're in and go somewhere better? We've all been there. This past year, I spent a ton of time searching for and applying for jobs in the public history field. My goal was to "shake the dust" off Cookeville and the Upper Cumberland as a whole and go to Nashville. Well you probably guessed by know that I didn't get any of those jobs, I'm still in Cookeville and am perfectly happy preaching for the Chestnut Mound church of Christ. Like George Bailey and the building and loan, I have realized that I need Chestnut Mound and Chestnut Mound needs me. Who knows, my career as a public historian may be a facade masking what I am really meant to do with my life. The fact is, that's for God to decide. He does this for both you and me. It's a roller coaster ride for sure, but isn't that the beauty of being a Christian? If it wasn't a roller coaster ride, than what would keep us "desiring the pure milk of the word" (I Peter 2:2)?

As I close this article, I want to leave you with the passage of scripture found in Romans 8:28, Paul tells the church at Rome, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." We don't understand it now, but God is molding our lives everyday to help us fulfill our purpose. I tell the congregation at Chestnut Mound frequently, that we are all a work in progress. Do you ever stop to think about all the people's lives we affect everyday? Clarence told George, "Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?" This holiday season and every season, don't be afraid to ask your friends for help, be thankful for where your life is, and remember that you have the greatest platform of all as a Christian.

In Him,

Carver Moore

 We would be honored for you to join us for worship at the Chestnut Mound church of Christ.

Our service times are as follows:

Sunday Morning Bible study: 10 am

Sunday morning worship: 11 am

Sunday evening worship: 5 pm

Riding Around With My Grandpa

A week ago today (I'm writing this on Wednesday) my grandpa, our good friend that helps him on the farm, and myself set out on a Thanksgiving Eve quest to find some of our Carver ancestors and those connected to them. The Carver family originally settled across the Cumberland River in the Wartrace Community of Jackson County, Tennessee. Our set of Carvers decided to purchase a home and farm across the Cumberland in the small community of Liberty near Granville in 1890. Before this trip I had a rough understanding of where the "older" Carvers were buried, but I had no idea what to expect. We began our mission at 8:30 on Wednesday morning.

The first stop of the day was at a cemetery on the banks of Wartrace Creek. One grave we visited was of a man named McCarver. My grandpa told us that he knew this man when he was my age. I thought to myself, who doesn't he know? Oh if I only knew. The next stop was to an older lady's house. This lady has a cemetery in her yard and my grandparents have known her for years. we visited with her for probably an hour and it was amazing listening to her and my grandpa talk about the old days. After leaving there, we went to a much larger cemetery there in Wartrace. There we found some Carvers and some Huffines (my grandma's descendants). From here, the day got much more interesting. The goal of the day for all three of us was to find the graves of Cornelius Carver (my 5th great-grandfather) and Joseph Rubin Carver (my 4th great-grandfather).

We found Joseph fairly easily, however Cornelius would prove much more difficult. Cornelius and his wife Naomi are buried on the top of a wooded hill. The path to get up there was literally straight up. My grandpa stayed in the Jeep (he had been there before and knew the way to get up there was difficult), while our buddy and I walked up there. We were winded and our legs hurt by the time we reached the cemetery, but boy was it worth the climb to get there. I have heard about Cornelius Carver my entire life and it was surreal to finally visit and get to touch his grave. The rest of the day was spent driving around looking for more Carvers and those connected to them. We found the old house where my 3rd great-grandfather, Samuel Sampson Carver lived before he and his family came across the Cumberland.

Outside of finally getting to visit Cornelius Carver's final resting place, my favorite part of the day was the three of us just enjoying small talk and each other's company while driving around Jackson County. My grandpa told us about riding the ferry across the Cumberland to get to my grandma's house, adventures with one of his buddies, and the three of us also talked about current things that were going on in our lives. The day reminded me of what Thanksgiving and the entire holiday season is really about. I also got a sense of why it is so important to learn from those that are both older and younger than you. I valued everything that those two men discussed and in turn they valued everything that I discussed.

Respect those who are older and younger than you. Believe it or not, older people know more than us younger folks when it comes to just about everything. Teenagers go through the phase of thinking that their parents and grandparents are out of touch and treat them like children. They don't do this because they want to make us feel bad, they do it to make us better and prepare us for adulthood. Older people, you should value the opinions of younger people and offer critiques when needed. Don't treat them like they are ignorant. I remember a really good piece of advice that my grandma gave me a few years ago. My grandpa was giving me a hard time about dating and girls and my grandma spoke up and said "There is no girl in this world, worth losing your soul over, I don't care how pretty she is." Even though she was my age in the 1950s, her advice is still relevant and still sticks with me to this day. I also remember when I first started preaching, I used to run through my sermons really fast. My grandpa told me that afternoon, "Carver, you need to slow down a bit." I still use his advice to this day, and guess what? It makes me less nervous when I get up to preach. In 1 Timothy 5:1-2, we are told how younger people and older people are to behave toward each other. "Do not rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers, older men as mothers, younger women as sisters, with all purity." I wouldn't be where I am without so many influences from people both older and younger than me. They push me to keep preaching and teaching God's word and be the best man that I can be. Let's lift each other up, instead of tearing each other down.

As I close, I want to go back to that Wednesday before Thanksgiving. That day was one of the best days of my life. Getting to hang out with my grandpa and our buddy is something I'll remember for a long time and I can't wait for our next adventure together. The life lessons that I have learned and continue to learn from them is second to none. I encourage you to spend time with those who are both older and younger than you. I guarantee that you'll learn something!!

In Him,

Carver Moore

 We would be honored for you to join us for worship at the Chestnut Mound church of Christ.

Our service times are as follows:

Sunday Morning Bible study: 10 am

Sunday morning worship: 11 am

Sunday evening worship: 5 pm

Maintaining Priorities

We all have a lot of things that we enjoy doing. Some people enjoy sports, some enjoy music, others enjoy hunting and fishing. Where do these things rank in our lives? Anyone that knows me, knows that I am a huge Vanderbilt Commodores football, basketball, and baseball, and Atlanta Braves baseball fan. I never miss a game on TV if I can help it, and I try to make a few games each year. However if and when these games conflict with church attendance or preaching, or even family events, I simply push my fandom of those teams to the side. Do you ever find yourself talking more about your hobbies than about God and His church? Do your hobbies influence your life more than God does? I am guilty of this and I see it a lot, especially with the rise of social media.

This past Spring and Summer, my beloved VandyBoys baseball team made a magical run to the College World Series Championship. Along the way, the team recorded a 59-12 record, defeated every team in the Southeastern Conference at least once, and won the SEC's regular season and tournament championships. To say I was excited about this would be an understatement. I wore VandyBoys shirts almost everyday and I still regularly wear my two National Championship shirts. I can't help but think about, what would have happened if I had focused more of my attention away from the VandyBoys to evangelism. I figured out that I could mix the two, by using a lot of VandyBoys illustrations in my sermons and Bible class lessons. Jesus mixed the passions and careers of the Jews by using parables to illustrate his gospel teachings. I would encourage you to use your passions and hobbies as a way of finding common ground with those who are lost. 

I remember when I was in college and younger, I used to let all my emotions ride on how Vandy or the Braves did in a particular game. If they won, I was happy, but if they did not, then watch out, because you did not want to be around me. I would yell at the TV (I confess I still do sometimes), stomp my feet, and sometimes throw things. I would let a loss affect the rest of my day, and would get myself so worked up that I often lashed out at others. It was only after I began preaching at Chestnut Mound and later went through some health scares that I realized that there is more to life than Vandy and the Braves. Next time your team disappoints you, remember these things:

1. Jesus shed His perfect and precious blood for you and me. Matthew 10:28

2. If we follow the plan of salvation, we will have a home with Him in Heaven. John 14:2

3. This Earth will pass away, but His words will last forever. Matthew 10:45, Mark 13:31, and Luke 21:33

What should be our priorities in this life? Three things: God, family, and Christian friends. We only get one shot with each. Make them count, they will be your legacy, not your favorite sports team. We should focus the majority of our time and efforts on those three areas of our life than any other aspect. I love my hobbies, I love going to Memorial Gym, Hawkins Field, or SunTrust Park and watching my teams play, but when it comes between me and the three things I mentioned above, then it's not worth it. I challenge you to watch and keep a tally of how often you talk or post about your favorite sports teams or your hobbies, and then watch and keep a tally of how often you talk or post about God. You might be surprised, I know I was. 

In Him,

Carver Moore

 We would be honored for you to join us for worship at the Chestnut Mound church of Christ.

Our service times are as follows:

Sunday Morning Bible study: 10 am

Sunday morning worship: 11 am

Sunday evening worship: 5 pm