Pastor Jay //

September 6 marked my last Sunday as pastor of FBC Cameron, MO after almost ten years of ministry there and twenty-one years since I accepted God’s call to ministry.  Thank you for your support here at my blog over the last several years. This blog was begun on August 19th, 2005 while I was attending a meeting in Richmond about connecting churches to missions. It chronicles a tremendous journey in my life and the life of our family over the last several years. Thank you for your encouragement along the way!

I have included part my letter of resignation below.

I want to thank you for allowing me to serve you as your pastor these years. We have witnessed God’s Mighty Hand and I praise Him for what He has done in our lives. I pray that the labors invested here will reap a mighty harvest for His Kingdom in years to come. I am confident that you are well established in His Word and His Will as you move forward in new endeavors. I pray as Paul did in Ephesians 4:1-6

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

In His Service,

Pastor Jay Raines

NOTE: there is not a link on this site to our new ministry site. Please note the site address in the picture.

Timing is everything – so they say. Have you ever wondered about God’s timing? Joshua may have felt the same way when he went to lead the people of Israel into the Promise Land. After 40 years of wondering in the desert, they were finally back at the Jordan River. God had been preparing them to take possession of the Promised Land. A trip from Egypt that could have lasted only a few weeks had now lasted more than a generation. What was worse, at the very time that God said to cross over, the Jordan was at full flood stage. This was the worst possible time to cross at the Jericho crossing. Joshua 3:14-15a says:

“So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest.”

Can you imagine standing on the eastern shore of those cliffs, looking down into the river valley and seeing that mighty river, dark with mud from seasonal rains? Many probably said, “Wait! We’ve been waiting 40 years. What would it hurt to wait 40 days.” Timing is everything. The only reason that I can think of for God to move the people at this time was glory – God’s glory. Jericho needed to tremble at the hand of God. Something miraculous needed to happen to show that God had done it. So God said move forward. Here’s what happened next: (more…)

Hello from the Harvest Dinner

It’s not totally put back together, but I am finally back online with the blog!! The u-haul boxes are still scattered all over the room here, but I am finally getting some of the blog parts back on the shelf. Thank you for your patience. I’ve learned some new things along with the move that will help improve the site. I’ll keep you “posted!!” Also, I’ve been finding myself micro-blogging more and more on Facebook. So, the best place to keep up with me, that will probably be the best place.

I wanted to share an excerpt from a downloadable mini e-book project I am currently working on:

Mini e-book: Relationships 101 – Connecting

On July 16, 1999 a Piper Saratoga II left the Essex County Airport in New Jersey and set a bearing for Martha’s Vinyard. The Kennedy family was gathering for a wedding at the family vacation house, but John, Jr. his wife and her sister never arrived. With 310 hours of flying experience, including 45 hours of night flying, John F. Kennedy, Jr. was well qualified to make the flight during the day under normal conditions. However, he was flying during a dark night and a haze. The plane went down into the sea for no other apparent reason than a condition called spatial disorientation. With spatial disorientation, the pilot becomes convinced that they are still flying parallel to the ground. There is a tendency to allow the plane to bank into a turn when the horizon is not visible. The inner ear may give the wrong impression that the plane is turning when it is not. Lights from Martha’s Vineyard would have provided a visual guide, but the haze that night obscured them from view. The instrument panel would have clearly indicated the true position and heading of the plane, but pilots tend to trust their instincts over the instruments. The plane was equipped with an auto-pilot device that could have been turned on and automatically brought the plane to a safe flying pattern. [“John F. Kennedy, Jr” Wikipedia.com (accessed April, 6 2008)

It is a easy to look back upon the hard facts of the plane wreckage and see what went wrong, but to survive, the time for correction is when you are in the pilot’s seat. Marriages today are failing at unprecedented rates. Everyone seems to be intimately effected by divorce. Even marriages that seem to be “good” marriages fail and we can’t understand why. As in the case with John, Jr., the dangerous conditions are not always seen until it is too late. Notice the critical errors for them that relate to all relationships:

Following instinct rather than the instruments

·         Being unprepared for difficult conditions

·         Ignoring help available at the flip of a switch

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More to come…

I wanted to share some pictures of the work being done around the church this week. We have had electricians, carpenters and other workers here making needed improvements. Here are some pictures:

Also, notice how nice the fountain looks when you drive by. Thank you trustees for taking care of the church. Thank you church for giving so that we can take care of God’s house.

We had a great time this weekend at children’s camp for our 3d through 6th grade. I did the missions sessions. We had some wonderful adults help us take 14 kids to camp. It was very fun!

I haven’t blogged much lately. (Although, I have discovered the WORLD of facebook.) I thought I would share this incredible video with you though.

I know that my Redeemer lives.

I will keep the survey going for a while. For now, here are the results:

Results page 

What would be your cardboard testimony? Give your answer in the comments section or email it in.

Here are some pictures from Children’s Camp. We had a great time.