Blueridge Parkway

It is on my bucket list, I want to drive the all 469 miles of the Blueridge Parkway, I have been on short sections of it, and recently on my way back from a wonderful weekend with family at a wonderful Bed & Breakfast (a converted barn) we detoured through a short section of the Parkway, and paid a delightful visit to Mabry Mill which is the most photographed location on the Parkway. But job and life called and after a peaceful hour and half it was time to reconnect with the interstate highway system and head home.

One of the reasons I like this road (in addition to the mountains, fresh air etc.) was that is is not a road that is about getting somewhere, it is all about being somewhere. The enjoyment is in the journey not the destination. The max speedlimit is 45 and it is less than that in many places so you are not going to get anywhere quickly, you must slow down and enjoy what is passing by your fenders. I confess that on most days I am not very good at that, it is all about the next appointment, meeting, lesson, sermon or video to be produced. It is what is coming that is important. The only problem is; I miss the blessings that are passing in a blur.

So why don't you join me in this exercise... for a moment slow down to 35 MPH, roll down the windows, turn off the stereo, take a deep breath and enjoy the blessings that are in this moment. You wll be amazed at what you notice and you may just reduce you stress a bit to boot.

Jesse Waggoner

Drive Time Video

The first six episodes of my current teaching series is available via Drive Time Video. If you want to view higher quality video you can visit the podcast archive page and choose the download link to download the MP4 videos.

Also feel free to follow DTV on Twitter @ twitter.com/DriveTimeVideo

See you on the road.

JW

Walk in... Living Like Jesus One Step At a Time

Here is a preview of the current study being released via Drive Time Video --In the Christian life we focus on our future and on Jesus' work to "clean up" our past but He wants us to walk with Him each day. Each step we take is to be in harmony with His character and His Word. In this study we will learn about how to take our "Walk" to the next level. We will study several New Testament passages where are commanded to walk in...love, glory, obedience etc.

I hope to see you on the road.

The Cross Beside Jesus

Here is a portion of my message at Bible Center on 4-11-2010

Easter 2010

Some new pictures taken a Bible Center on Easter Sunday 2010 have just been added to the WaggonerMedia Gallery. My thanks to Jordan Damron for taking the picture and to Steven Vanhorn for sharing them with me.

Easter 2010 Photos

Blessings,
JW

Good Friday Service

Here is a video clip from WSAZ coverage of the Bible Center Good Friday service.

The Torn Veil

This Sunday I will be sharing part 4 of the five part series entitled: "The Cross History's Supreme Moment" as we look at the forth of five miracles that occurred when Jesus died. Each of these were designed to speak in a language that the people involved in the event would understand. We must go behind the scenes into the culture, history and Old Testament text in order to uncover the power of the messages God delivered to mark the significance of the sacrifice of His Son.

Feel free to join us at Bible Center Church this Sunday at 9:00 or 10:45, or on the radio AM 580 WCHS @9:30 a.m. or online at www.WaggonerMedia.com

Blessings,
Jesse Waggoner

What a Week

What a week! There certainly could be no more momentous week than the one which stretched from the Sunday Jesus entered Jerusalem, riding on a donkey to the following Sunday when He left the tomb. It was the week that completed the mission of redemption. It was the week that sealed the fate of Satan and those that follow Him. It was the week that secured the destiny of all those who in faith follow Jesus.

This week I want to invite you to walk along with Jesus through that last week. Take some time to, either alone or with your family read through the accounts of this week in the Gospels. Then join us for the events we have planned to help focus our attention and stir our worship on the God who poured out His love upon us. Tonight we have our annual Easter musical presentation featuring our Sanctuary Choir. We will have a special service on Thursday night with communion as we remember the last supper; a Good Friday service will take us to the cross; a contemporary service will prepare us for the dawn of resurrection week. The capstone will be our three services next Sunday as we worship our risen Lord.

Make plans to be moved by this week-long journey and be sure to invite someone to come along with you.

Easter = Outreach

I have seen signs that the seasons are changing the last few days. There has been a little more sunshine, the temperatures are warmer and the trees are beginning to bud; all great things in my book. Churches also have seasons and the time just before Easter is harvest time. Even those who would only be slightly inclined to attend church seem to be more open at Easter time. We usually have our highest attendance of the year on Easter Sunday. Church growth experts call it “The Easter Surge.” Whatever you call it, we should all be alert to the opportunities to do some outreach. We at Bible Center will be sure to be ready to welcome our guests and make sure the Gospel is clearly presented.

As you leave services on Sunday you will be given two Easter invitation cards that list all of our upcoming activities as well as give a special invitation to our celebrations of the resurrection of our Lord. Please pass these on with a friendly encouragement to join us. If you would like more than two, please stop by the Information Desk and get some extras.

We also are providing three electronic ways to share the same invitation. If you are a subscriber to CONNECT, you will receive one via e-mail; and please forward this e-mail on to anyone you like. If you are not a subscriber, just send an e-mail to info@biblecenterchurch.com and we will send you one. If you are on Facebook, just visit the Bible Center page (www.facebook.com/BibleCenter) and “Share” the invitation on your profile. If you are a Twitter user, you can “Retweet” the invitation as well (www.Twitter.com/BibleCenter).

Let’s see what God can do through all of us in these next two weeks.

Earthquake

Theologians and biblical scholars love to argue many things and one of them is: when is a miracle a miracle? Some things are clearly miracles, such as Jesus walking on water, turning water into wine, etc. But what about an answered prayer- was that a coincidence or God’s use of ordinary means to accomplish His purpose through providence? I am not sure that most of us strive for that level of exactness; we are content to give God credit for an extraordinary intervention, even through the use of ordinary devices. In our study today, we will look at the earthquake that occurred as Jesus died. Earthquakes happen frequently; in fact, on the day I write this (3/10) the USGS has recorded 31 earthquakes in the world with a magnitude of 2.5 or greater. It is only when they are massive or in populated areas that we hear about it, such as the recent ones in Haiti and Chile.

But sometimes God so times the circumstance and the moment of the “ordinary” that there is no doubt that He is making a statement. Often the statement may be unclear, but in the context of the cross it is. The shaking of the earth was to show that His power is supreme and after a three hour absence during the darkness, He was back and in control!

In your ordinary moments, be alert that God is at work doing extraordinary things. You also are invited to join us for part 2 of "The Cross: History's Supreme Moment" this Sunday at Bible Center Church or online at WaggonerMedia.com

Blessings,
Jesse

The Cross: History's Supreme Moment

I thought you may like a little preview of my coming series of messages...We go to great lengths to mark a special day. We eat cakes, tie up balloon, decorate homes, send cards, sing songs, and a hundred other things. Sometimes the lengths we go to seem extreme. I remember one wedding at Bible Center where the wedding party left our parking lot not in a car pulling cans, but by helicopter!

There was one day like no other on God’s calendar, and He went to great lengths to “mark” this day as no other. For the next five Sunday’s we will be looking at the miracles that occurred on the day Jesus died. Each of these five supernatural events were designed to be a marker that this was the day that was at the intersection between time and eternity, between the need of sinful man and the love of Holy God. As we study these we will also find that each miracle was carefully chosen to send us a particular symbolic message as to the spiritual reality that was unfolding on Calvary. So let’s enjoy the journey back to the cross where we will find that it is the supreme moment in history!

So you are invited to partipate at Bible Center at either 9:00 a.m. or 10:45 a.m. or online at www.WaggonerMedia.com

Blessings...

The Sandwich Generation

Are you part of the “Sandwich Generation?” Nearly 25% of Americans are –no, I don’t mean those who frequent Subway or live to create culinary masterpieces on bread. The phrase “Sandwich Generation” is of recent origin; in fact Merriam-Webster officially added the term to its dictionary in July 2006. The Sandwich Generation is a generation of people who care for their aging parents while supporting their own children. Due to the extension of our life expectancy and the phenomenon of “delayed adulthood,” more and more of us are faced with being sandwiched between caring for those above and below us. There are variations on this theme-there are:

The Traditional Sandwich: those sandwiched between aging parents who need care and/or help and their own children.

The Club Sandwich: those in their 50s or 60s sandwiched between aging parents, adult children and grandchildren, OR those in their 30s and 40s, with young children, aging parents and grandparents.

The Open Faced Sandwich: anyone else involved in elderly care.

If you find yourself in this stage of life or if you sometime may, let me assure you that caring for children and parents has been part of God’s plan for as long as there have been families. I have recently read again the story of Joseph as found in Genesis, I noted particularly in chapters 45-50 you find some great examples of parenting from the side of the child caring for an aging father – in this case Jacob. It also shows the attitude of the parent to his adult children, in this case Joseph and his brothers. I could summarize it in two words: Care and Cooperation. These are the essential attitudes on both sides of parenting. They are ones I want to work on and invite you to do the same. Until next time…

One Daily Question - Website

The One Daily Question Website is now open for visitors. As you perhaps know one daily question has been running on Facebook and Twitter since January but the questions are now available to those surfing the web. So feel free to point your friends to www.OneDailyQuestion.com

Here is an excerpt from the website with a little explaination:

"One Daily Question delivers One Daily Question to you via Twitter, The Web or Facebook. Let the power of a question lead you to a better understanding of yourself and others in your life, or just have some fun. The easy way to interact is to visit the Facebook Fanpage, where you can leave your answers and interact with others who enjoy One Daily Question. The easy way to have the question delivered to you is via Twitter or you can check back to this website. So use today's question to stir up some conversation around your office, dinner table or during your commute. So enjoy today's question and learn something about yourself and others @ www.OneDailyQuestion.com"

"The Fear of Man" Video

From the message entitled "The Fear of Man" from Isa. 51

"The Missed Cross Video"

Here is a video clip from the message entitled: "The Missed Cross"

Voice of the Valley - 2-14-2010

Second interview in as many weeks on Ric Cochran's radio show - voice of the valley talking about the upcoming Dennis Lee performance at Bible Center. Listen below

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Real Love

I love asking questions; recently I asked this question online via www.OneDailyQuestion.com: What is the perfect Valentine gift? I was somewhat surprised at the responses both online and in person. Most folks did not mention the usual gifts- very little talk of cards, flowers, candy, jewelry, etc. Instead it was a gift selected to match the person or dinner out or some time together. In our overly commercialized world, we can understand retailers pushing romantic trinkets our way but when it comes to love, the best gift we can give is ourselves. We sometimes fall prey to the thinking that we can substitute “things” for time. We must spend time adding value to others and nurturing relationships.

So on this Valentine’s Day, which is devoted to love, it would be a good time to devote some time and personal attention to those we are to love. So even if you have a box of candy ready or a nicely wrapped present to be delivered, don’t forget to deliver yourself. After all ,when God wanted to display his love to us He didn’t send a card, He sent His son.

Happy Valentine's Day,
Jesse

One Daily Question - Radio Interview

I enjoyed the opportunity to be on Ric Cochran's Voice of the Valley Radio Show on Sunday. We talked about social networking in general and my new project - One Daily Question in particular. For someone who wanted to be in radio when he grew up, it is always fun to be in the studio. If you want listen to it, use the link below.

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Where did you last see a cross? Was it a piece of jewelry? Embroidered into a Bible cover? Engraved on some furniture? Adorning the top of church? Or used to mark a grave? The cross has become THE symbol of our faith and for good reason. Without the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, we have no hope. Paul referenced the cross this way:

"But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." (Galatians 6:14)

I have come to believe that God really wants us to remember the events surrounding and the significance of the cross. One way He helps us remember is through a regular observance of communion. In picture form we once again show the death of our Savior. He has done so much to help us remember, so let's fully engage our hearts and minds and allow our thoughts to reconnect to the cross.

One Daily Question

As person who seeks to be a good communicator I have learned the value of asking a good question. I have been blessed with a number of friends who ask me outstanding questions and I am the better for them.

I am pleased to announce that I have started, first on Twitter and now Facebook, asking a daily question that I trust will help you stop and think, generate good conversation or just bring a smile. I hope those of you who see the question in your Twitter feed or in your Facebook news feed will appreciate the questions and will feel free to share them with others. I won't clutter your online world - just one question a day, some serious, some just for fun. Respond, submit your own questions or complain - all is welcome and encouraged.


Will you let me know what you think? (there is another question)


Blessings
Jesse Waggoner

One Daily Question on FACEBOOK

One Daily Question on TWITTER

One Daily Question on WaggonerMedia.com