A Message From Pastor Bruce
As I thank the Lord for the blessing which the Lakewood family is for me and Leanne, I cannot help but look back on the past few years in awe of God’s hand at work in our lives. As followers of Christ, we may often feel as if we need a detailed outline of His plan or road map from God in advance, in order to remain faithful to Him. However, if such a document had been provided to me in the fall of 2007, I would very likely have strongly resisted and may even have “pulled a Jonah.”
At the time, I am sorry to say, I would not have chosen to follow the path on which He has taken us. I was 34 years old, married, serving as a deacon in our church and working for a record label in Nashville on Music Row. I was not unhappy at all. I felt that I was obeying the Lord and doing His will. And the truth is, I was doing just that. But His plan was about to change, for He was preparing me for full-time ministry. In the process of losing that job in the music industry I felt like the rug was being pulled from under me. Initially Leanne and I struggled to trust what the Lord was doing. Nevertheless, within a short time my pastor and several other wise leaders from our church affirmed a calling on my life to full-time ministry. As a result, I cautiously accepted a position as the student pastor. Then something happened which I could have never envisioned - the Lord blessed us with over a decade of successful student ministry.
There have been times since then when I found myself once again, desiring a road map from the Lord – an itinerary so to speak. Moving to Louisville in 2018 was certainly one of those times. Finishing seminary just in time for the entire world to shut down due to COVID was another season of doubt for me. However, through these challenges, Leanne and I knew our that faith in the Lord would strengthen and sustain us, rather than having immediate answers about the future.
Right now, I probably share something with you regarding the desire to know the future. I want to peek forward several years and see what the Lord has done at Lakewood. My heart wants to see “this” and “that” as indicators of successful ministry (fill in the blank with your own desires). But as Scripture says, the heart is deceitful above all things. It is not my heart that I am to rely on, but on every word of the Lord. He has not promised to show us the future, other than the truth that Christ will continue to reign supreme. What He has done is call us to be faithful for today, and He will never fail us. Include in your prayer time an attitude of submitting to the Lord in all ways, and ask Him what you can do today for His successful future of Lakewood Baptist Church.
Blessings,
Pastor Bruce