AARON BURNS IS 30 TODAY!

(Above, Aaron Burns probably 8 years old).

I stayed up till 2:30 am today (Monday, Aug. 24) to write this Birthday tribute to you. Your Mom and I were up early the day you were born also. We lived in a Mobile home in Lester, WV. Burns boys always come EARLY in the morning! And thus you did. I showered, put on my "preacher suit and tie," and drove your Mom to the Raleigh General Hospital in Beckley. I remember bringing you and Mom home and how proud we were and also how proud your big brother, Matt was to have a "little brother." It was the "olden days" and we had an "old doctor" named "Bliss." He usually wouldn't let the Dad's in for the delivery, but, I begged him, put on the garb and in I went. I told Doc Bliss as you came out, "Wow Wee! I've never even seen a cat born!" And the Doc. said, "Me neither!" Our seven months of joyous bliss was nearly crushed as Jesus led you very near the Shadow of death with meningitis and a semi - coma. But back at good ole Raleigh General, Dr. Concepcion was used of God to bring healing to your little mind and body and our Lord spared your life for something very special.



(Aaron, Christmas, 08).

Being the son of a "Preacher" is not easy, but you have fared it well. From West Virginia to Kansas, to Ohio, the ups and downs, glad times and sad times have molded you into a great Man of God. When we took you to Northland Baptist Bible College in Northern, Wisconsin, our hearts broke to drive off, but it was HIS plan for your life in your education chapter. When I wrote you once to say, "Due to going to a Bible College, you will one day have friends for life around the world." I didn't know Jesus would one day call you to go. As hard as these special times are to be in the U. S. while you are in China for your 30th, I think all in the family and especially you would say, "This is what the Lord's will and plan is for Aaron Jay Burns."

I thank the Lord for how he has spared your life and protected you here and now, half way around the world. Thank you for following HIM, and obeying the Lord when he called you to go. We will make up on the "missed times" later, and one day, probably very soon, we will be sitting at Jesus' feet, soaking in the SON, singing, "It was worth it all."

(Me standing in front of the Hospital where Aaron was born).
HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Mom and I love you very much. Love, Dad

OUTDOOR BIBLE TIME AT NEW CHURCH!

I love the old chorus we used to sing, "There is Joy in Serving Jesus!" That can be said by about 12 of our faithful children's workers, Coletta and me with today being the final day of our first ever "Bible School" activity at our new facility. Due to the recession here which has really affected our church offerings, we were not able to go all out and have a BIG Neighborhood Bible Time at the Liberty Baptist Church of Van Wert, Ohio this summer. In June, while doing a live prayer time devotion at a Lima, Ohio Christian radio station, I picked up a Child Evangelism pamphlet that had the area director's name and phone number. I gave Rex Eads a call, and immediately, this loving, compassionate, humble servant of God who lives every day by faith loving Kids into the Kingdom, called me back and we scheduled a Five Day Bible Club at our playground just East of our new church. (You can see the East side of our gym and school building we bought in the background of the picture above).

Brother Rex did the drive from Lima every day this week, and was always early with a big smile on his face. We had a total of 32 children enroll, that ranged from 4 to 12. Five Children accepted Jesus this week. Other than rolling out the blue tarp for the kids to sit on and putting up a few chairs and a refreshment table, the rest of us just helped keep the kids in line and were faithful each day for their safety and welfare. Other than Rex's hard work, the other main duty for each day was for some to take turns bringing and serving refreshments at the end of each hourly morning session.

This afternoon as I left the hot playground and ball diamond picking up the tarp and the last table and chair, I whispered a prayer to the Lord today. "Thank you Lord for giving us this property to show the love of Jesus to neighborhood kids. Thank you for placing my wife and I here to serve these wonderful people. And, thank you Lord that even though the plants and crops really need the rain here, you held it off every day to let our church sponsor the 'Outdoor Bible Time' for Kids for the first time since we have purchased this property!"

I'm Jim C. Burns, and that's something to think about!

PS. "Lord, you can give us a down pour now!"

SUMMER AND MILEY HELP ME PRAY MORE

I took a vacation day last Friday to spend the afternoon with my wife and our only grandchild, Miley. After a little trio picnic at a State Park, we joined up with Miley's parents for supper, and returned her to her rightful owners (them). Some people hate winters saying they are cold and dark. Since I'm a snow skier, I love winter. I for one am not much for the "heat" of summer. Seems like the Devil works on me more when it's "hot." He likes "heat" ya know! But being with Coletta and Miley on this hot summer day brought a cool refreshing in my life.

Miley is much like "summer" when it comes to this "pray more thing." She has really done a number on our whole family. Because of this little gal almost "two," I pray more. I know I shouldn't but I worry about Miley. Don't get me wrong, she has two of the best parents a girl could ask for. It's not that. It's just that at her age, she's so "fragile," body, mind, and soul. I worry about how "fast" something bad could happen to her. (How's that for a preacher really TRUSTING GOD)?

A kidnapper? An illness? An accident? Or God forbid that a "pet python" would get out of its cage, crash through Matt and Jenny's window, bite and strangle my granddaughter, like what happened in Florida two weeks ago to a little two year old girl there! (Only the Florida tragedy was a pet in their house)! I didn't sleep much the night I read about that in the news. (Although I will say Matt and Jenny get an A + in keeping Pythons away).

When I pray for Miley's health, safety, and welfare, I can't help but want to pray more for her parents, Coletta, my wife, and also Aaron, our son in China. I know, my boys are adults now, but when you are a parent, and one of your sons drives a work van to repair gas furnaces every day, and the other is walking across a 10 lane street (every day) in a city of 7 million on the other side of the earth, you pray more.

Well good! I need to pray more! Not just in summer and for Miley, but also for my wife, family, other relatives and friends, and also the church where I pastor. So, even though I dislike the summer "heat," it is good for me! It helps me pray more, helps me trust the Lord more, and helps me entrust my family into his care more.

It also gives me great hope. I hope winter will come soon, and I hope I am still healthy enough to strap on my snow skis and take on a couple of black diamond slopes!

So let the summer and Miley help you pray more too. When you do, you see how big God is and can experience the cool refreshing He can bring in your life, even in the midst of the "hot summers" that come year after year.

That's something to think about.

jimmycburns@aol.com

SACRIFICING KIDS ON THE ALTAR OF YOUR SELFISHNESS

"But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea." (Matthew 18:6)

It's important for me to preface today's article by saying that I am not referring here to staying with a cult or a church ministry that is not Bible based. If you have a pastor or church who is not operating according to the principles of God's Word (the Bible), you need to get out of that mess as soon as possible. What I am talking about is Christ-centered Pastors, churches, and ministries that are living what they preach and who believe in exalting Christ and presenting salvation as a free gift. I'm referring to congregations who strive to live with Godly principles from hearts filled with love for Christ.

The burden of my heart has to do with selfish parents. Parents that are so selfish that if they don't get their way with something they want in the church or, if they have a conflict with another church member they’re leaving! Maybe the pastor "offends them" so the parents drag their "kids" and walk out. “ I got my feelings hurt, so, we're switching churches!" Or better yet, they take the more spiritual route and pull their kids out of church completely and don't go anywhere. I've pastored 4 different churches in 3 different states, and I've seen this more than once, and it's wrong. It's wicked, carnal, and very selfish. Paul the Apostle addressed this type of unchristian behavior this way, "For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?" (1 Cor. 3:3) Now think with me for a minute. Here is a child (let's say she’s a teen) and she loves her church, loves her pastor and family, and is absolutely crazy about the church's youth group and youth director. Her best friends are in her church youth group. She can't wait for the next teen activity, and wouldn't dream of missing teen choir rehearsal. Going to the Camp of the Wilds in July is something Ericka has been dreaming about since she was in the third grade. And then, just one month before the church bus pulls out of the parking lot for North Carolina, her parents rip her from everything that she loves and says, "Come on Ericka, we're having problems with _____ so, we won't be back at Liberty!" Jesus is saying in our introductory text, “Mom, you’d be much better off tying a big rock to your neck and sinking yourself in the lake and dying rather than to follow through with this horrible idea.” This type of divorce leaves scars, pain, and a lot of tears in the lives of children all across America. Most Christian parents would give their right arms to have a girl like Ericka who can't wait until the church doors are open again or the church bus is leaving for the next teen activity or camp, but not you, you're going to show the preacher, the church and the whole town, "we won't be back."

For any parent who is even tempted to think about doing such a selfish act, I have a sermon for you. What are you going to do when in just six months; your kid doesn't want to go to any church at all? She paints her finger nails black and dyes her hair pink. She starts hanging out with her druggie friends and soon after loses her virginity. She picks up a disease from a dirty needle and now, instead of embracing her Bible she is spitting at it. "I'm going to hell and having a party on the way!" is your daughter's new motto. Well Christian Mom, let me say this: You're going to have a lot to answer for when you stand at the feet of Jesus and He reminds you of the time when you should have just sat down with that other lady and got things worked out. You should simply forgive that other church member and be reconciled to your Christian "adult" brother or sister. Wouldn't this be the Biblical approach? Isn't this the right thing to do? So the next time you "don't get your way" at church or have a conflict at your House of Worship, why not be spiritual for a change, love your kids enough to not sacrifice them on the altar of your selfishness. You might be mad now for a gray haired preacher telling you the truth about your selfishness and pride, but one day, if you side up with God on what I'm talking about, you'll reap wonderful blessings with your children rather than bitter tears. It's better for you too. So just stop being so selfish and start growing up! Before you run away from God and the church, think about the horrible long term effect your exit will make on your children.

That's something to think about! jimmycburns@aol.com

NEW LIBERTY CHURCH SIGN!

Pictured above is our son, Matt Burns and his daughter, Miley in front of our new church sign at our new church building. An added blessing is that our son, Aaron in China donated his labor in designing this sign for our church. Due to a special donation, we were able to have our new sign for this year's Easter service. It was a blessing to have our oldest son, his wife, Jenny, and our only granddaughter, Miley with us for Easter.

Below is a picture of the three of them on our front porch right after our Easter services at our church.

OVER 30 YEARS LATER!

From Left to Right: Coletta Burns, Hilda Lubich, Ronna Garcia, and Ron Lubich in Beckley, WV.

My invitation to go back last week to the second church I pastored (Lester Baptist Church) in West Virginia proved to a very emotional and also inspiring trip for both Coletta and me. Pictured above is one of the families that attended the first church I pastored back in 1976 (Coal Marsh Missionary Baptist Church). Ron was the very first "new convert" I was privileged to baptize. His wife, Hilda had attended the church for years, and Ronna and her younger sister, Jennifer Hamilton (not pictured here), were in the children's departments while we were there. The whole family helped baby sit, Matt, our oldest son during his first year of life. This wonderful family is still in a Gospel preaching church being faithful serving the Lord. My next few posts will feature other "young people" who were just kids back in the seventies who are (28 to 30 years later), still in church! Most of those pictured above are dear friends that Coletta and I had not seen in three decades.

What a blessing to finally fellowship with them again!

If you are presently working with kids in the church, "Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." (Gal. 6:9)



This is something to think about!

TWO BOYS BORN IN BECKLY, WV!

On Mar. 24, 1977 our oldest son, Matthew was born at this hospital. On Aug. 24, 1979, our youngest son, Aaron was born at this same hospital. After being away from the Beckley, West Virginia area for 28 years, Pastor Wes Rigdon of the Lester Baptist Church, Lester, WV invited us to come back for me to speak at their church's Anniversary Revival. Please pray for this 4 night meeting at the same church Coletta and I served in from 1978 to 1981. I am typing this at the Econo Lodge Motel, on Harper Road in Beckley, just about 5 blocks West of the Raleigh General Hospital where we took these two pictures today. It is a special time for us to come back where Coletta and I started our first year in marriage, ministry, and where our two special "Burns Boys" were born. What a blessing!


That's Something to Think About! jimmycburns@aol.com