Jason Dollar . Net

My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them. – Psalm 139:15-16

I have had a busy, busy last 3 weeks. I have been clamoring to get started as pastor at Rock Mountain Lakes Baptist Church, attempting to meet and speak with as many church folks as possible. I have been moving books into the office, working on sermons and devotions, taking part in the nursing home ministry of the church, making numerous phone calls, writing letters, and bringing all of this before the Lord in prayer. I am so thankful that the Lord had already written out these 3 weeks in his book, and he knows. He knows.

Next week, I have the honor of teaching apologetics to 7th and 8th graders at Camp Pearl near Lake Charles, LA. I am so excited for the opportunity! Really excited! But it is tough to leave my wife, who is expecting in a few weeks, and our kids behind. It is also tough to leave behind the church duties, when I am just trying to get them started. But next week has already been written in his book, and the Lord knows. He knows.

I also am making decisions about my “second job” and what it will look like this upcoming year. I am praying through some tough decisions about which classes to teach, and which not to teach, so that my primary focus can be on the church. It is all in his book, and he knows.

Page, happy birthday. I am so thankful that all of the days of your life (all 10,585 of them so far) were written in our Lord’s book, when as yet there were none of them. You are to me a refreshing fountain of life, a gift from God to bring me smiles. I love you. He knows.

This morning, Steve Cowan and I had the honor of being guests on the Rick and Bubba show to promote the Jericho Project and our books. It was a lot of fun, and we really appreciate the guys for having us on!

It is official. I am very thankful and humbled to be the new pastor at Rock Mountain Lakes Baptist Church. I am praying Ephesians 4 over it all!

It has been an amazing journey to this point. Thank you so much, to the membership, for allowing me this incredible opportunity to serve. Page, the kids, and I could not be happier about God’s gracious work in our lives.

To Brian, Jason, and all our friends at Ridgecrest – we will miss being at worship with you!

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. – Matthew 5:4

Jesus Christ has reversed the curse of death! We mourn because of sin. We mourn because of the consequences of living for the world and our own flesh, under the leadership of the devil. Blessed are those who mourn, since now Jesus has made Kingdom living available for all. What a comfort.

LISTEN HERE
Preached at Clearview Baptist Church Sunday, May 17

Synopsis

In 1 Corinthians 15, the Apostle Paul makes the case that Christians survive death via resurrection. This is good news for folks who long to live, as all people were designed to do. It is amazing, however, how people refuse to come to Christ to definitively solve the problem of death, and instead turn to other potential solutions which do not work. For example, cryopreservation (which means to suspend a dead body in liquid nitrogen, with the hopes that the person can be revived again one day) is becoming more and more popular as a way of solving the problem of death. Instead of this pipe dream, Jesus has removed the sting of death by becoming sin for us. He has shielded us from the wrath of God. He has solved the problem of death, for his glory and for our good. AMEN!

Dr. Steve Cowan, who has taught me more than perhaps any other human on the planet, and who graciously wrote the foreword to Contend, has contributed a short article on the meaning of life from the Christian worldview perspective to the Patheos website.

You should check it out, it is very encouraging.

Whenever people ask where I went to seminary, I usually go into an explanation of BTS as an institution, and why, by God’s grace, I chose to go there. It is not your mother’s seminary. It began with a different vision than most educational institutions for pastors and other ministry-related leaders.

By Faith magazine has written an outstanding article that highlights some of the really cool things that happens at BTS. I encourage you to check it out:

Birmingham Theological Seminary: Meeting Students Where They Live