Craig Cummings

2011-10-23T20:42:00.000-04:00

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Skipping Easter

2010-03-30T09:01:00.000-04:00

Easter Sunday is THE day that so many churches swell in attendance but I wonder how many people are skipping Easter this year. Oh, they will be at church but probably will skip the benefits. Judas was one such person...he was with Jesus, learned from Him, followed Him but when it came right down to it he skipped the most important part of Jesus' life. He bailed at the end just as Jesus was about to die for the sins of the world including Judas' sins.

Judas missed the crucifixion and the Resurrection for his own selfish reasons. I wonder how many people will skip Easter this year and miss the point of Jesus' life purpose.

Life goes by fast

2010-01-07T10:53:00.000-05:00

If you are like me you have realized that 2009 zoomed by. Life goes by fast, my Dad warned me. So did God in Psalm 39:4-5. Since our days are numbered, it is important to set some goals to achieve each year and sometimes each day. Here are some great goals for 2010 I hope to accomplish:
1- Love deeper.
2- Pray harder.
3- Focus more intently.
4- Seek to make the greatest impact.

2010 will be gone sooner than you think...don't let the busy-ness of life overcome your life.

Thanks

2009-11-12T22:28:00.004-05:00

The older I get, the more I am thankful for things...even little things in life. Leaves to rake, pets to care for, neighbors to speak to may seem small but they are evidence of being able to get out and have mobility that we take for granted. This Thanksgiving I am so thankful for God's gift of breathing, moving, the ability to exercise and even run (if oxygen is available). Be sure and tell God thanks for the little things.

Circle Drawing

2009-09-09T14:13:00.004-04:00

Sunday I spoke about prayer and how important it is as a gauge of our faith walk. I mentioned Honi the circle draw-er. Honi lived before Christ and was known as a man who would draw a circle on the ground and vow not to come out of it until his audacious prayers were answered by God.

I challenged myself and our congregation to become circle draw-ers. Anything we need to pray about in a serious way, something desperate, something bold, we are going to "draw a circle" around it and not stop praying until God answers us.

Is there anything you need to draw a circle around in your life?

WOW!!!

2009-07-02T08:31:00.002-04:00

Not in my wildest imagination would I have thought that 33 (and counting) boys and girls would accept Christ at our Vacation Bible Xtreme. That's one for the history books of Union Baptist Church and my ministry. We also had the most volunteer servants ever as well as the largest enrollment in over a decade.

It's amazing to watch God move through something people call "obsolete" and "dated". VBX is the greatest outreach of every summer but this year really blew my mind. It was even worth putting on a firefly suit and "illuminating" the children with our Worship Pastor Mike Pursiful. (see picture) If nothing else it allows all of us adults to become children for one week out of the year. I thank God for such talented and serving people like those at Union Baptist Church. One lady, Jennifer Burress who organized, recruited and prayed for weeks saw the fruit of her work last night! Thank you to all who served the children in 2009!

Faith Walking

2009-05-19T14:54:00.006-04:00

A powerful verse from God is found in the Book of 2 Corinthians 5:7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.

Our church has just been challenged to walk by faith. The church responded with a resounding yes, we will walk by faith. I love to see God move among His people. I love it even more when He moves in financial ways when the economy is rotten. It's great to know that God is not bound by the US economy and He needs no stimulus plan.

I am thankful for an awesome God and a faithful church who follows Him. How are you walking?

God is bigger than...

2009-05-11T11:22:00.005-04:00

Amazingly, people's view of God is getting stranger. Don't believe me? Then read this quote from that Great Theologian Cybill Shepherd: "I’m a Christian Pagan Buddhist Goddess worshiper, but I’m also a feminist."(FoxNews.com) She said that in context of once again trying to get homosexual marriage made legal in California. She's mad at the Catholics and Mormons for financing the opposition to this twisted scheme of confusion and sin.

God's bigger than Miss/Ms/Mrs. Shepherd's view of Him. As a matter of fact He is bigger than anyone's view of Him. The Bible says God's way's are higher than ours. Aren't you glad? God does not get caught up or offended by our views, our opinions or our ranting. I am thankful for a God who is bigger than any issue I face. I would love to get a chance to talk to Cybill Shepherd...she definitely needs the only True God I know!

Communicate

2009-04-16T13:19:00.007-04:00

I am so pumped to know the only true God who communicates with me. I am not worthy by any means. But through Jesus Christ, the Living Word, I can commune with Almighty God.

I believe God longs for us to communicate with fellow believers and even those who don't follow Christ. That's why I blog, Facebook and now Twitter. Communicate, commune, in common are all from the same root word. The New Testament book of Acts speaks of the first Church having all things in common. They shared. That's my goal with my family and my church family...even with those who will be my family in the future. Join me in sharing the awesome, powerful love of Jesus in any way we can possibly think of.

Experience Easter

2009-03-31T13:56:00.003-04:00

The most sacred day of the year approaches...Easter. It is the celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Sure many followers of Christ celebrate this event every Sunday but Easter Sunday seems extra special. Let me tell you why:

1) It helps us re-focus on the reason we have eternal life.
2) It guides us to re-think our status in life now.
3) It proves to us that Jesus re-generated us so we can live as well.

Are you living this Easter or just existing? Jesus lived His life to the fullest and died so you and I could as well.

He is risen!

Who's on Facebook?

2009-02-26T10:24:00.006-05:00

Social media is the thing right now and it has become an awesome tool of communicating. Even the church can communicate in an evangelistic way. The church was the first to utilize print media by printing the Bible and were pioneers of the radio...today I have seen numerous churches and ministries on Facebook or My Space. My church is there and we are excited to see what God will do through mass communication as we get our message of hope, love and eternity out.

Our target is people and this is simply one more tool as we get some face time with those who need Jesus Christ.

2009-02-04T15:32:00.004-05:00

It's amazing how God uses the weather to alter our lives. For example just this week the snow practically made our worlds come to a halt in Knoxville. God uses His forces of nature to almost force us to stop our busy lives and just rest.

Job 37:6 For God says to the snow, "Fall on the earth".

Stop for a moment and just thank God for His wonders and powers He uses to give us rest.

Friendship

2009-01-19T22:30:00.000-05:00

Friends are a wonderful thing. My wife and I just spent the evening at a restaurant with 3 other couples laughing our heads off. What an awesome thing that God does in giving us friends. We all have old friends we could call anytime, but those who are presently our friends are special because God puts them into our lives just when we need them. I thank God for conversation, relationships and laughter...that's what friends are for.

2008-12-03T15:26:00.001-05:00

It is amazing how people cross our paths. Looking at my Facebook page revealed to me the uniqueness of those who have been and are still a part of my life. Looking around our worship each week reveals even more about those who are touching my life in a positive way. Then my awesome family has been a solid foundation for years. I am thankful that God sends people to impact our lives, to influence our decisions, and to initiate change. Keep sending them God...I am learning!!

2008-11-13T09:55:00.000-05:00

I have finally joined Facebook and with only a day into it I have been harrassed by people who couldn't believe it. I have also been amazed about people who have already "found" me. It's pretty awesome living in the 21st Century. I am looking forward to finding other "old" friends so we can stay in touch.

2008-11-06T13:36:00.000-05:00

One hundred and sixty-five...that's how old the church I have the privilege of serving is. On November 16 we will formally say "happy birthday"and reflect on what God has done over the years. That's a long time to be in existence. I wish I knew how many souls were brought into God's kingdom because of this church. People sharing God's love with people who need God's love. But we won't just be looking backward, we will look straight ahead at what God wants to do here for the next 165. Happy Birthday Union!!

Election 2008

2008-10-30T08:50:00.000-04:00

Even though I have an undergraduate degree in Political Science, I am no political expert. Come to think of it it really doesn't take an expert to figure out our nation is at a crossroads. Tuesday November 4 is Election Day, the day we have been hearing about for almost 3 years.

It is a pivotal day though, a day America will change. My prayer is that God will allow us to change to be more like Him. To turn our sinfulness into fruitfulness, to change our commitments to be more like a servant. It is not only our right but it is our privilege to vote. So go vote Tuesday and use your Bible as your Voter's Guide. Pray for America...my church has for the last 30 days and we expect to see God move. Do you?

Praying 4 America

2008-09-28T21:18:00.001-04:00

We all understand that our country is politically, economically, and socially sick. No government bailout can even come close to helping. We don't need more education on the subjects...We simply need to seek the face of God.

Tonight our church decided to do just that as we overwhelming embarked on a 30 day journey of prayer for our nation. Praying 4 America is a national focus on praying for all 50 states for 30 days. Check out http://www.praying4america.com/.

God has the answer, the hope and the real change our nation needs...if we will simply seek Him. Jeremiah 29:13 says You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all of your heart.

2008-09-22T15:50:00.000-04:00

I am creating a new Blog, with of course the help of my able-bodied Executive Assistant. This will be a place of encouragement, ideas and thoughts as I journey through this wonderful life God has called me to!