Imagebearer’s Weblog

Wesley’s Covenant Prayer

This is my prayer Lord, help me live into it.

I am no longer my own, but yours.
Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will;
Put me to doing; put me to suffering;
Let me be employed for you or laid aside for you,
Exalted for you, or brought low for you;

Let me be full, let me be empty;
Let me have all things, let me have nothing;
I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things to your pleasure and disposal.

And now, glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
You are mine and I am yours. So be it.

And the covenant made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven.
Amen.

June 22, 2009 Posted by imagebearer | Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Firehouse Ministries

Misty and I seldom have the opportunity to worship together due to the fact that I am a pastor. Or at least in the traditional worship service on Sunday Morning at 11am.

My vacation started yesterday so we decided to go to a local church we have heard a lot about and check it out. We went to Firehouse Ministries which is located in the former movie cinema on Fowler Road in Mt. Airy NC. This is only 10 minutes from our home.

The service started at 10:30am. There was a really great setup for all childrens age groups. Samuel seemed to love his group. By the way, the children’s ministry area is set up in a secure area that is monitored at all times. Every child has to be signed in and the child and parent are given an identifying bracelet in case someone needs to find the parent during the worship time. At the end of the service you have to present that bracelet in order to pick up your child. Great idea.

I said some months ago that there needs to be a place where the John’s of this world can go and worship on Sunday morning and not be judged. I refer to John as someone who does not look like what most people think of as church going people. We have found that church.

It is my vision of what needs to happen. The pastor preached in jeans and a Harley Davidson shirt. by the way there was a shelter provided in the parking lot for folks to park their motorcycles under. Awesome idea.

It was hard to pick me out because I was one of many shaved heads in the building with between 600 and 700 who came for worship. There were lots of tattoo’s, everywhere. However there were lots of people who have probably never been on a motorcycle or had a tattoo.

The sermon was excellent, well delivered and with passion, biblical, and challenging. The worship was alive, upbeat, Godly and ecxiting. Craig and Jessica Vaughan are part of the Worship Team. Great job guys! We will definitely visit again when we have opportunity and I would like to recommend to anyone who lives in the area to check this church out. God is alive and well in this congregation.

Ronnie

June 22, 2009 Posted by imagebearer | Uncategorized | 1 Comment

A Day In The Life Of Your Pastor: Vacation Day 1

Read from the bottom up and there is a two hour time delay.

Ronnie

1. Winding down the day. God answered prayer in such an obvious way today. Its the start of a great vacation. Building a fire pit tomorrow.about 8 hours ago from TwitterBerry

2. Eating @ Libby Hill with the family.about 11 hours ago from TwitterBerry

3. Going to dinner with my parents for Fathers Day! I am very thankful for my dad.about 12 hours ago from TwitterBerry

4. Just finished 2 miles with misty and the kids.about 12 hours ago from TwitterBerry

5. Lunch with Mistys dad. Fishing with Kyle and Samuelabout 15 hours ago from TwitterBerry

6. Awesome worship service. Just your typical service. NOT!about 17 hours ago from TwitterBerry

7. We are worshiping @ Firehouse this morning. Awesome experience!about 19 hours ago from TwitterBerry

8. After I prayed this morning for those choosing to stay home. I called one of them and they are coming to church with us. God is awesome.about 20 hours ago from TwitterBerry

9. Praying for the 79% in Carroll County this morning choosing not to worship anywhere. God is Awesome & He loves you. Give Him an honest try.about 21 hours ago from TwitterBerry

10. Its not about escaping hell. Its about a relationship with the One who Created us!about 21 hours ago from TwitterBerry

11. Praying 4 worship serv everywhere today. Misty & I will visit a local congregation & worship together today. This is a rare occasion 4 us.about 21 hours ago from TwitterBerry

12. Praying for Father of the year awarded to a very deserving man at FUMC Hillsville this morning.about 21 hours ago from TwitterBerry

13. Praying for Mr & Mrs Jay Holderfield as they travel to their honeymoon destination today! God has blessed you with each other!about 21 hours ago from TwitterBerry

14. Praying for the Huff family as they travel to the beach this morning. Have an awesome vacation, you deserve it!about 21 hours ago from TwitterBerry

15. Going for a Prayer walk, praying for Christians everywhere today. My heart breaks for Christians to follow Him today!about 22 hours ago from web

16. Thanking God 4 my Dad! I have ben so blessed & pray that I will always have my dad’s giving spirit when it comes to his children & grand ch.about 23 hours ago from web

17. Prov 24:5 A wise person has great power, and a person of knowledge increases strength;about 23 hours ago from web

18. Prov 24:29 been done wrong, know how to respond? Do not say, “I’ll do to him as he has done to me; I’ll pay that man back for what he did.”about 23 hours ago from web

19. Happy Fathers Day! I get to spend most of the week with all my kids and that is the most awesome Gift!about 23 hours ago from web

June 22, 2009 Posted by imagebearer | Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

Pilot Mountain Challenge” Make it to the top

PILOT MOUNTAIN — The steep, curvy road that winds its way up to Pilot Knob is tough enough in a vehicle, but Saturday morning about 100 people made the grueling trek as fast as their legs could carry them.

Lured by the opportunity to test their physical limitations through an event billed as the “Pilot Make it Up the Mountain Challenge,” participants representing varying ages and athletic abilities braved late-June heat to complete the two-mile stretch.

And while the course was timed and an official winner recognized, there was little or no emphasis on competition or speed. Everyone who completed the course could truthfully say they finished at the top — specifically the summit of Pilot Mountain State Park.

“We just wanted to open the door for anyone to come out and do this,” explained Leanne Wilkins, fitness director of Armfield Civic and Recreation Center in Pilot Mountain, who coordinated the event with the help of a fitness committee and other volunteers.

Wilkins said the idea was to “walk, run, hike — however you can make it up the mountain.”

Another goal was to use the ever-imposing presence of Pilot Knob to promote fitness as well as bring more visitors to the park that has been a venue for bike racing, but not organized runs or walks.

Though many “serious runners” did come out Saturday to take on the area landmark as they would any other road race, the participants also included ordinary folks just trying to prove to themselves that they could do it, Wilkins said.

While gazing toward the imposing summit and its equalizing slopes before the event got under way, she added, “Nobody really has an advantage.”

The participants included one person from Seattle, Wilkins said.

Closer to home, Carol Hall of Winston-Salem said she was there “for the challenge, for one thing.”

“Plus, this is the first time it’s ever been done,” Hall, 56, said of the chance “just to do something different.” With previous road racing experience under her belt, she was among those choosing to run up the steep grade rather than walk.

The Rev. Bob Josey, 72, the president of the Greater Mount Airy Ministerial Association, also couldn’t resist the allure of the first-ever mountain jaunt, but he was somewhat more prepared for the task than the average senior citizen. “I’ve been doing it 25 years,” Josey said of a running hobby that involves regular runs from Cana, Va., up U.S. 52 to the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Josey said he also previously ran up the road to Pilot Knob, “just for fun.”

Before the participants bunched up at the starting line around 8:15 a.m., Josey seemed a little concerned about Saturday’s run, however. “I’ve got a bad knee,” he reported.

But 29 minutes and 37 seconds later, a winded but smiling Josey crossed the finish line at the top, greeted by cheers from bystanders.

Andy Hull of Mount Airy proved to be the person reaching the overlook parking lot ahead of everyone else.

“It was hell!” a heavily perspiring Hull said immediately after completing the event in 18 minutes and 39 seconds.

“The first mile and a half was probably the worst, and this last little hill when you’re pushing toward the end,” added Hull, who is in his early 30s and works as an engineer with Surry Telephone Membership Corp. His wife Kelly ran the course as well.

“We ran this mountain four times to prepare for it,” said Hull, who is a member of the Mount Airy Road Runners, a recently formed running club in Mount Airy. He believes the key to meeting the “challenge” of the mountain is not burning oneself out early in the course in order to save something for the end.

Once at the top, the Hulls and other participants were rewarded with a cool mountain breeze in addition to liquid refreshments. A shuttle service was available to transport the runners/hikers back down the mountain to their vehicles, but some chose to go back the way they came: on foot.

Water stations were positioned at strategic points up the mountain for the runners, with rescue vehicles standing by just in case. Halfway up the mountain road, Angela Stroup of Mount Airy waited at a sign informing runners and walkers that they had reached the one-mile mark.

Along with testing the mettle of runners, walkers and hikers, the “Pilot Make it Up the Mountain Challenge” raised between $2,000 and $2,500, Wilkins said. The proceeds will be used for fitness programs and health and wellness activities at Armfield Civic and Recreation Center.

Wilkins seemed to best sum up the overall theme of the “Pilot Make it Up the Mountain Challenge” when she told participants as they waited at the starting line, “Until you push yourself to try something new, you will never grow.”

Contact Tom Joyce at tjoyce@mtairynews.com or at 719-1924.

June 22, 2009 Posted by imagebearer | Uncategorized | Leave a Comment