“The way I see it, if folks own two vehicles, one of ‘em might as well be a pickup.” -a wise man from my church

Almost everything can be an icebreaker. The variable lies in the direction of the conversation after the ice is broken. One popular source of camaraderie among people is sharing a love for a particular sort of car. There is an especially strong sense of friendship developed over ownership of a 4 x 4. The ice is broken over the truck, then the conversation can quickly escalate into strong friendship.

However, often the ice is broken in this manner: “Is that the car you drive? What kinda car is that?” This is not a condescending or mean-spirited statement, but it could certainly be avoided through ownership of a pickup truck. There is something about driving this…

…that does not scream, “good ole boy.” However, my Dodge Caliber does get great gas mileage, which helps me connect on something almost as well-loved as a pickup truck in the country: frugality.

I have no plans to buy one soon, but let me tell you that a pickup truck is a worthy investment for the country parson.

I preached my first funeral last Friday. I was extremely nervous about everything: officiating the service well, not forgetting to say something, being in the right place at the right time, honoring God and the Gospel, comforting the family, and more. I was also nervous about what to wear because I wanted to be respectful. I do not wear much black, which would naturally be appropriate. I do not own a black suit or a black tie, and was not able to go out and buy such things in a pinch. Thankfully, a black suit and black tie are not necessary. What is necessary, however, is a dark suit and a tie that is unobtrusive, conservative, and classic.

I had no question about which tie I would wear. It is the tie I would have if I could only have one tie. It is the Brooks Brothers BB #1 Repp Stripe tie in burgundy and gold.

Full Disclosure: before I took my first pastorate, I worked at Brooks Brothers in Louisville. Perhaps, I am a bit biased, but I think this is the single most versatile tie anyone could own.

It works with a navy blazer and khakis. It works with a very nice suit. It is distinct, but not overbearing. Plus, since it will get a lot of wear, know that Brooks Brothers makes quality ties that they stand by.

Let me give you a hint on this tie. It is $79.50 from Brooks Brothers’ retail stores. That is a stout price, but like I said Brooks makes quality products, and they stand by them. If you want the retail tie, then go buy it from my friends in Louisville. However, if 80 bucks is (understandably) a little steep for you to pay for a tie, then there is good news for you. Brooks Brothers also has outlet stores. Now, they do not have every repp stripe tie from their retail stores also available at their outlet stores, but this tie is available. The silk is slightly different than the retail tie, but still much better than most other ties. The price tag at the outlet is $45, plus they often have sales that can get it as low as $30. I personally own the tie from the outlet. I purchased it at the outlet in Destin 2 summers ago (before I worked at Brooks), wear it all the time, and it has no visible signs of wear. It was worth 30 bucks.

A special note to Louisvillians: Next time your wife drags you to Ikea in Cincinnatti, shoot a couple exits up and swing through the Brooks outlet there. You can often find great deals therein.

Don’t get bored and quit before 1:46.

Whatever you do, make it to 5:06.

I recently heard the testimony of a sweet lady who wanted to take a mission trip to South America. She felt God prompting her to go on this trip, but had, in her estimation, a significant objection. “Lord,” she relayed her response to the group, “I don’t have any Spanish Gospel tracts.” I was amazed, and thought, “That will be great for your mission trip if you don’t find any.”

Soon after this, as I was reading Arnold Dallimore’s biograpy of Charles Spurgeon for class, I was struck by the fact that Spurgeon used Gospel tracts. Why would I be struck by such a thing? Growing up, I have seen and heard of so many egregious uses of tracts that I had simply written them off as ineffective and hackneyed. They are frequently ineffective due to the fact they lack quality content, or sometimes incorrect content. Such tracts should not be used. Furthermore, I have often seen tracts used as an exclusive means of evangelism. They are certainly not the only means of evangelism, nor are they the most ideal means of evangelism. When, for example, the “Million Dollar Bill” tract is placed instead of a tip, that is a terrible presentation of the Gospel.

However, the giving of tracts had moved, in my thoughts, to a place far worse than they deserved. I was forced to rethink this when I learned that Spurgeon had a prolific tract ministry. What were my objections? None were against tracts in and of themselves. They were against the misuse of tracts.

I got my shoes shined in the airport that week. I had a good conversation with the guy. My time was limited, as he had other customers to help. However, I shared a small part of the Gospel and encouraged him to find a church. I gave him my card, and went on about my day. Honestly, I needed a tract. Why not have a concise Gospel presentation to hand those who you develop a rapport with, yet time constraints–yours or theirs–prevent you from having an evangelistic conversation with?

In the the small community in which I pastor, I run across the same people frequently. Why not, in addition to my business card, hand them a Gospel tract? The lady that cuts my hair, the kind waitress, the mechanic, the mailman, and more.

I am in the process of making mine right now.It will be a fold over 3×5 card with my contact information at the end. I will also include what will (tentatively) be written in it below. I would love your feedback on the content.

Let me encourage you to make your own tracts, find good tracts, or use or modify what I have below.

Have You Encountered the Risen Christ?
Have you ever wondered why you were created? Perhaps you have even wondered if you were created. What if there is a purpose for the universe? What if there is someone who created you? (BIBLE READING: Psalm 24; Don’t have a Bible? You can find these Bible references at www.esvonline.org)
The Bible teaches that mankind and everything that exists are created by God.  In fact, the Bible teaches that God made man and woman “In His image.”  The image of God sets humans apart from the rest of creation, giving them dominion over the earth and all other creatures. Adam was God’s chosen ruler over the world He had created.  God commanded Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply and to subdue the earth.  In other words, as Adam and Eve ruled creation they were called to create culture.
This shows that God made us for a reason: to cultivate the good world that He made. However, as we look at the world around us it is far from perfect. In fact, the world is bad. We see wars, sickness, hunger, death, and more. Is this the good world God intended?  Our world today is different than it was when God created it because between then and now the Fall occurred. The Fall is what happened when God’s chosen leader—Adam—and his wife Eve chose to rebel against God’s good plan.  God is holy and just, and because of their rebellion He cursed the world. (BIBLE READING: Genesis 1-3)
Adam’s subsequent descendants inherited from him a sin nature.  Also, Adam represented all of his descendants when he sinned in the garden.  That being the case, we learn that all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God.  God’s curse on the world is evidence that God is angry with sin. God’s infinite holiness is offended by sin, therefore it is just for God to dole out infinite punishment. (BIBLE READING: Romans 1-3)
That is bad news, but Gospel means good news.  The good news is that, despite our sin, God loves us. This is not a love that ignores sin, for that would violate His justice. Also, God’s love is not passive in a way that He looks on us and is sad about our sin but must punish us anyway. No, God’s love is active. It has been displayed to us through the life, death, and resurrection of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. (BIBLE READING: 1 John 4:7-12)
God’s love is displayed through the life of Jesus Christ in the fact that Jesus is fully God, yet became fully man on our behalf. Jesus lived a sinless life before God. He was fully man and born of a virgin. Therefore, Jesus is the second Adam. The first Adam sinned as man’s representative, yet the second Adam was sinless as man’s representative.(BIBLE READING: Philippians 2; Romans 4-5)
God’s love was also displayed through the death of Jesus. He died in order to fully satisfy God’s justice (a perfect, worthy sacrifice was required for God to remain just) as well as to bring man to peace with God (man can only be justified before God if man’s representative is punished). Because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, God’s wrath is no longer on those who place their faith in Him. Jesus, although He died, conquered death through His sinless life. After three days, in His grave, He raised from the dead. His body that was cold and dead was resurrected back into life. (BIBLE READING: 1 Corinthians 15; John 20)
Jesus is the Son of God, and He has raised from the dead. This has major implications for your  life. God created you for His glory, and He can only be known through Jesus Christ. Al things were created through, for, and to Jesus Christ. He is the agent of creation, and the savior of creation. Have you encountered the risen Christ? God will not tolerate sin forever. There will come a day when all people will answer to Him for their sins. On that day, will your faith be in Christ? (BIBLE READING: Colossians 1:9-23)
The Bible teaches that you can know God through Christ. We have two options: trust in Christ and live unto God forever, or trust man-made schemes and suffer the wrath of God forever in Hell. Trust in Christ, He is our only hope.
More questions? Contact Mat Alexander, Pastor, Sunnyside Baptist Church: mathewcalexander@gmail.com
Website: http://sunnysidebaptist.wordpress.com

The Avett Brothers

For Christmas, I received Ken Burns’ documentary on the Civil War, which features Foote prominently.  The clips below are from that documentary.

Not long ago, my Spiritual Disciplines professor, Dr. Donald Whitney, referenced Foote in class.  Rule of thumb: if Dr. Whitney thinks someone is cool, they are.

Now let me say that everyone needs to know about Shelby Foote.

Above is Derek Webb’s new video.  In case there was any argument left, Webb has officially jumped the shark.  The song sounds a lot like Joy Electric with tolerable vocals, but I digress.

In the song, Webb is vaguely addressing people who hate homosexuals.  Of course, he is not drawing any distinction between the likes of Fred Phelps and people who just believe the Bible. The whole song is pretty cheesy.  For example, when trying to write a song protesting something, why not make it a little more like art and a little less like a song where you made the lyrics up as you went?

You say you always treat people like you like to be
I guess you love being hated for your sexuality
You love when people put words in your mouth
‘Bout what you believe, make you sound like a freak”

All of this is not enough to call an official shark-jump, except that Webb has found it necessary to cuss… again. And, let me tell you, the earth is shaking.

However, despite his sophomoric attempt to draw attention to a serious issue, Webb actually raises one.  The issue, of course, is that people are dying, to the tune of 50,000, “every day.”  Dr. Dennny Burk reports that the 50,000 number is probably referring back to a Tony Campolo illustration where he cites 50,000 people die of hunger every day.

The problem is that Webb issues a common logical fallacy into this song: the false dilemma.  In other words, he is asking, “Who cares about homosexuality when people are dying of hunger?” His titular response is, “What matters more to you?”

My answer is, “Yes.”  I care about homosexuals for the same reason I care about starving people.  Jesus died for them and rose from the dead.  The reason Christians maintain that homosexuality is a sin and that people should not starve to death is the Gospel.  Of course there are those who hate homosexuals, but that is because those people are letting their righteousness reside in themselves instead of seeing it as resting fully in the accomplished work of Christ.  The answer for all of us is the Gospel.

Therefore, our answer to this false dilemma should be one that keeps a strong backbone for Biblical fidelity and tender heart for those Christ died to save.

I wanted to check in with you and give you some info.

Whitney and I are all moved in here at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. We love it here! The neighborhood surrounding is is very nice, and we are enjoying meeting some folks around here. It has been pretty slow since we have been here, but we are definitely excited for new student orientation tomorrow. Classes start early next week.

My email address is mathewcalexander@gmail.com , and Whit’s is whitneywalexander@gmail.com

Our new address is:

Mathew C. and Whitney Alexander

2765 Seminary Court

Louisville, KY 40206

We love to get snail mail!

Also, Whit blogs here.

Anyway, if you would, please continue to pray for us as we make some decisions concerning employment and that kind of thing. It is going to be a busy semester, as I plan to take classes, will be interning in the Presdient’s office, and hope to find a job as well. Plus Whitney will be taking classes and working. Just pray for us that we will continue to honor the Lord here! Also, please pray that God will direct us to the correct church to join here!