David Shelton Online

MAKING A CHANGE

There is an old gospel song that begins, “Home is where the heart is, my heart’s on home. “ Throughout my years of ministry, I have always tried to maintain my priorities in the right order – God, then family, then church. In the last few years members of my family have achieved milestones and experienced change. Even more will happen in our lives in the next couple of years. As a husband, father, son, and even son-in-law, it is my responsibility to assure their care and help them become the best persons they can become.

The second verse of that gospel song says, “Everybody dreams about going home it seems, lately I am no exception to the rule.” In recent days the actions, decisions, and expressed attitudes of some here at Calvary have caused my heart and mind to beginning looking back to the South and my home.

With all this in mind, and after prayerful consideration, I am offering my resignation as pastor of Calvary Baptist Church. My last Sunday at Calvary will be July 20 followed by the remainder of my vacation days. I have accepted the invitation to become the pastor of Macedonia Baptist Church in Oxford, Georgia.

I am grateful for the opportunity to have been the pastor at Calvary. I appreciate all those who truly gave me freedom to provide care and leadership. I sincerely believe this decision is in the best interest of me, my family, the church in Georgia, and Calvary Baptist Church. Calvary will continue to be in my prayers in the months and years ahead.

BACK TO WRITING

I have not written anything new for my blog since October of last year. I would like to say there was deep and significant explanation for the gap. The truth is that I simply burned out. Now it is time to return to the discipline of writing. This time I hope to post three or four times a week on a variety of subjects and categories. To catch up, here are some of my observations for the last few months:

1) I am proud of my family. My daughter will graduate from college next Saturday. She completed her degree in just three years. She did this while working and covering most of her expenses. My son has become a very good baseball player for his high school's junior varsity team. He is a good teammate, but more importantly he is a good student. My wife has been teaching a three year old preschool class. She works hard to find creative ways to engage the children with limited resources available to her.

2) The Christian life is far more simple than we have made it. It comes down to the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. Love God. Love others. Serve God. Serve others. Share our story when we have the opportunity.

3) Reaping what we sow is a principle from which we cannot get away. Everyday on my way to and from the church I pass dozens of people who made the choice to do drugs. Now they are living with the consequences of that choice. My friends in Ukraine are endangered by Putin's decision to expand Russia's influence and territory and the choice of world leaders to do little to stop him.

4) God is in control. I may not see it. He may not work in the ways or in the time frame I would like. It is not my role to understand. It is my role to trust.

MAKING A MOVE TO MODESTO

This morning I resigned as the pastor of the First Baptist Church in Lithonia, Georgia. My last Sunday here will be August 29. I have accepted an invitation from Calvary Baptist Church in Modesto, California. My first Sunday in their pulpit will  be September 12. We will leave behind some great friends in Georgia, but we are excited about what the future holds in California. 

The One That Got Away

 One of the things I enjoy about coming home to Shreveport is the chance to do a little fishing. Yesterday my son and I were fishing for catfish. First he caught the largest fish he had ever caught. It big enough to make a meal for a couple of people. Then I hooked that fish's grandfather. It was the biggest fish I have had on the end of the line - except when fishing in the Chesapeake bay. I managed to get it to the shore line. When I went to pull it up on the bank, the line snapped. All three of us - my wife was a witness - tried to grap the fish. I managed to let him cut me. I think I heard him laughing as he disappeared into the the deep water.  Of course, I now get to enter the ranks of those who can boast of the one that got away.