Roger McKenzie

(Sunday evening message on February 10, 2020 at First Baptist Church of Saint Albans, West Virginia on the 50th anniversary of the 1970 revival.) I want to tell you a story of God’s moving that is so incredible that it is still being celebrated fifty years later. Next weekend South Meridian Church of God will celebrate a great time of renewal that some call “The Revival of Love” and others refer to as a great awakening. As I tell you my story, please keep in mind that as I experienced this revival, I was a nine-year-old child whose perspectives were shaped by my youth. However, I have found that children can be insightful about spiritual things, as I hope that in some ways I may have been. In order to refresh my memories and fill in some gaps, I reread One Divine Moment , edited by Robert Coleman and David Gyertson which recapped the events at Asbury College and A New Wind Blowing by Pastor Charles Tarr about the events in Anderson, Indiana. South Meridian Church was often an exciting...

If you have spent much time talking with teenagers recently, you likely have picked up on how many of them are dealing with anxiety. I’m not sure that it was ever easy to be a teen, but it certainly is not easy now. While technology and social media can be good, they can also fuel that anxiety that teenagers (and adults) experience. Add to that the pandemic and disrupted routines for a couple of years during their development and it is a recipe for anxiety. In his book,  The Anxious Teen , Brock Morgan discussed some alarming statistics from the 2020 movie  The Social Dilemma  (which I highly recommend and is available on Netflix). There were a large number of increases in self-harm and suicide rates in 2010 which correlates to the year when smartphone ownership increased dramatically among teens.   “So why would looking at a screen cause so much suffering in the lives of teenagers today?” Morgan suggests five reasons: “ Comparison:  Teenagers who have issues wi...

The events of Wednesday, January 6, 2021 in our nation’s capitol were deeply unsettling. Our country is deeply divided over many issues. Further, we remain in the midst of a global pandemic, people’s thoughts are frenzied, their emotions are frayed, and fear reigns in many hearts and minds of many. What is your role and mine as Christians in our culture in 2021? Jesus said about us as His followers, “you are the salt of the earth . . . You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:13-14 NIV). It is hard for us to be salt and light in our culture just now. We are sorting through the same issues and emotions as everyone else. However, as followers of Jesus, we are called to respond differently! Here is how the Apostle Paul described that difference, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same min...

Angels We Have Heard on High (2) [Verse 1] Angels we have heard on high Sweetly swinging o'er the plains And the mountains in reply Echoing their joyous strains [Chorus] Gloria In Excelsis Deo Gloria In Excelsis Deo [Verse 2] Shepherds why this jubilee? Why your joyous strains prolong? What the gladsome tidings be Which inspire your heavenly song? [Verse 3] Come to Bethlehem and see Him Whose birth the angels sing; Come, adore on bended knee Christ the Lord, the newborn King [Verse 4] See Him in a manger laid Whom the choirs of angels praise Mary, Joseph lend your aid While our hearts in love we raise. Away In a Manger (3) [Verse 1] Away in a manger, no crib for a bed The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head The stars in the bright sky looked down where He lay The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay [Verse 2] The cattle are lowing, the poor Baby awakes But little Lord Jesus, no crying He makes I love Thee, Lord...

The Incarnation of Jesus: An Overwhelming Grace There are lots of emotions that come with Christmas. Panic, for example, when you realize how few shopping days remain between now and December 25. Anger might be your emotion if you get asked if you are on your way to an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party and you are not. Hopefully, gratitude will be your response when you open gifts on Christmas morning (or Christmas eve). When I consider what Christmas really means, I have an overwhelming sense of God’s love. In chapter one of his Gospel, John carefully describes who Jesus is as the “Word” and then goes on to describe the miracle that happened at Christmas when “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14 NIV). God came in the form of the Son to live among us to show us the way and to make a way for our salvation.  At Christmas, we celebrate th...

Seven Characteristics of Highly Effective Teachers I think a lot about teaching. I became involved in the teaching ministry of the church as an assistant with a kindergarten group while I was still in middle school. So, teaching has always been very important to me--maybe too because it is such a vital part of the church’s ministry. Jesus commanded in His Great Commission that teaching be part of our disciple-making process. Since teaching is so important, the question that follows is “How do we teach well?” Let me state upfront that great learning experiences grow from teachers who are biblically based and Spirit-led. Aside from grounding our teaching in Scripture and moving at the guiding of the Holy Spirit, we have little to say that can add to the lives of our learners. With those presuppositions in place regarding teachers, let me add an additional Seven Characteristics of Highly Effective Teachers in the church’s ministry: Highly Effective Teachers are Learner-Centered . ...