We Just Can't Seem to Find Jimmy

This is going to be a stretch for an aplication, but bear with me.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am an avid collector of anything having to do with the American Mafia. Don't take me wrong. I'm not a fan. I don't like them. They are the scum of the earth. But for some reason, I enjoy reading about Meyer lansky, Lucky Luciano, John Gotti and the rest of them. It's a terrible thing for a preacher to admit but it's true.

So I have been interested in the over 20 year search for the remains of Jimmy Hoffa. They have looked for what remains of his earthly body in places as far removed as fat-rending plants to the end zone of Giant Stadium.

You've probably seen they've just reached another - pardon the pun - dead end. Here's the story from the net: http://www.comcast.net/news/national/index.jsp?cat=DOMESTIC&fn=/2006/05/31/403490.html

The FBI had received what they had considered the best evidence that he was buried underneath a barn. The hide and seek goes on. There's no doubt that he's dead, they just can't seem to find him.

Now here's the stretch.....

One day people will be looking for millions of people. They will have disappeared as completely as the former President of the Teamsters did. But it won't be foul play. It won't be murder.

Somebody might look for me. They might look for you. But for those who have trusted Jesus as the forgiver and leader, we'll be gone. But we won't be dead, we will be more alive at that moment than ever before.

Like Mercy Me's song, "I Can Only Imagine", I don't know how I will react. But I'll be loving every minute of it.

Good Morning

I hope all had a wonderful Memorial day Weekend. I spent part of my day watching "Band of Brothers" the story of Easy Company of the 101st Airborne Division also called the "Screaming Eagles."

If you haven't seen the series, it is the painfully accurate retelling of the men who went from D-Day to the end of the World War II. It is full of 'soldier talk' (meaning profanity) and war time violence.

But it will reveal what "The Greatest Generation" did in pursuit of defending the world against German, Italian and Japanese aggression.

So to those rapidly shrinking numbers of men who fought in that war, "Thank You! Thanks for your sacrifice. Thanks for your commitment. Thanks for your lives after the war. You have made this country to be the great country she is. May we always protect your investment."

Memorial Day and Yardwork

It seems to happen every year. Either the Saturday before Memorial Day or on Memorial Day, my wonderful wife decides we must do something about our yard. This year it is even worse because of the drought around here. (By the way, I've been humming "Showers of Blessing" where it says, "But for the showers we plead..." ) My yard looks like more like a playground than anything else. Not because there are jungle jims and swings on it, but because there are great worn patches where the grass has died... and even worse, the weeds seem to be dying also.

So this morning Sara bounced and I trudged outside to trim trees and bushes, weed whack the bank along the lake and then mow the weeds. It was not a fun morning. But it's over now and it does look some better. I was really proud of myself until Sara said, "We should do a little more each week..."

At that moment, I changed what I would do 2nd in heaven. First off, I'm going to spend a million or so years thanking Jesus for all He has done for me. But second, I am going to head on over to Adam and Eve's mansion and thank them for the first sin that brought weeds and hard work into men's lives. That is if I can fight through the crowd of women thanking Eve for the whole pain in childbirth thing.

See you in church tomorrow.

MEMORIAL DAY

I just came back from doing my duty. But it was more of an honor.

Each year on Memorial Day, we put flags on the graves of those who have served in the military of our country. Flags were placed on veterans of Viet Nam, Korea, World War II, World War I, The Spanish American War and one, I believe, from the Civil War.

That ground is sacred ground. This is not a 3 day holiday weekend. It is Memorial Day weekend. We have chosen as a nation to honor those who have given their life in service for our country.

I remember what Abraham Lincoln said when he dedicated the Cemetery at Gettysburg. He said:

“The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract … It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they have thus far so nobly advanced… that this nation, under God … shall not perish from this earth.”

Spend a moment at the cemetery this weekend. Remember those who have paid for our freedom. Remember those who are still on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. The fight for freedom from tyranny and oppression and terror continues. Think… Pray… Thank!

Lost in the Clutter

Over the last 6 months, our International Mission Board has been known as much for its' disagreements as its' missionaries. Most of us have not followed it, but SBC pastors have. But let me recap:

• The IMB Board of Trustees developed tighter controls on missionaries concerning their own baptism as well as prayer languages (tongues used in private prayer life).
• This decision led to the complain by some that the Board was going farther than the Baptist Faith and Message, 2000 went. Primarily Wade Burleson, an Oklahoma Pastor, who is on the Board, wrote about it in his blog http://kerussocharis.blogspot.com/
• This led to a move to remove Burleson from his position as Trustee, which would have been a first ever action. This was eventually rescinded.
• In the Board of Trustees meeting that just ended in Alberquerque, New Mexico, the tension erupted again. Here is a description of it from Associated Baptist Press http://www.abpnews.com/1044.article
• This has led to firestorm in various websites and blogs.

I go into all this background -which believe me could have been much, much longer - to say that lost in the clutter of all this controversy for the past 6 months has been:

• Almost 200 new missionaries being commissioned and sent out, bringing the total number of missionaries on mission to over 5,100.
• Over $133 million dollars has been given to theLottie Moon Christmas Missions Offering.
• Amazing stories of people receiving Christ as Savior and following Him in believer's baptism. I mention believers baptism NOT because we are Baptists, but because in many cultures Baptism is THE act that cuts a person off from his old past beliefs.

I have always thought that the strongest tactic of Satan with Christian organizations has been to divert them from the main thing.

While I am troubled by some of the Board's actions, I am more troubled that lost in the clutter of fighting and bickering has been the victories of missionaries who are on the front lines serving Jesus and us!

Franchise Churches

I was in a meeting once where pastors were discussing a new church start. There were serveral positive comments, but then one pastor said, "They are starting this church in my area."

The comment was made by Pastor whose church was very traditional. The church being started was going to be cutting edge contemporary. No one who would be comfortable in one church would be comfortable in the other. They would both preach and teach the Bible. But would approach that message very differently.

But it started my thinking and has kept me thinking ever since. And last week in Steve McCoy's Missional Baptist Blog, there was a great article written about. Here's the site: http://www.stevekmccoy.com/sbc/ Scroll down to "Local Missional Networking"

FBC, Osprey is surrounded by people who don't go anywhere to church. More people are moving in all the time.

Are we reaching them all? No.

Can we reach them all? No.

So what can we do? We need to begin to cooperate with other churches in our area to reach as many as we can. Jesus left his instructions for us just before He left to go home. He said we were to make new disciples every where we go... not just win and baptize them, but help them to begin to follow Jesus. A job that big will take all of us.

So does FBC, Osprey have the franchise agreement for Osprey? No, we are - at least, we ought to be - cooperating in a job that is too big for any one church. It will take all churches who love Jesus and His Word to reach as many people as possible until Jesus declares our job is over.

An Ending... A Beginning

I used to love the ending of the school year. "No more school, no more books, no more teacher's dirty looks"

I loved the beginning of summer because it meant biking and baseball during the day and hide and seek at night. It also meant sweating all night in the upstairs bedroom I had growing up.

It also meant camp! Our church would take over River Valley Ranch in Maryland for a week. I can remember coming home from camp as a young kid and proudly showing my mom that she wouldn't have to wash many clothes because I had worn the same underwear all week... I wonder why she yelled at me?

This Sunday our Student Ministry leaves for Snowbird Wilderness Camp in North Carolina. It will be a great time for them physically and spiritually. I am excited for them and can't wait until they come back to see the video of their trip.

Then 2 days after the teenagers get back, our Children's Ministry leaves for Lake Yale and the Missionary Adventure Camp. It will be the first camp experience for many children and they will have a blast!

Pray for the adults going... but pray that lives, hearts and destinies will be changed because of these weeks.

Their summer memories are going to be spectacular!

THE SBC'S NEXT PRESIDENT

On June 13-14, the Southern Baptist Convention will meet in Greensboro, North Carolina.

A major decision faces the convention as they select a new President to succeed Dr. Bobby Welch. Dr. Bobby Welch is the Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church, Daytona. He has been tireless in his vision to return the SBC to its' evangelistic zeal of the past. He has criss-crossed the nation motivating pastors and churches to commit to baptizing 1,000,000 people. What a great goal! Can you imagine what would happen if over 43,000 SBC churches reached into their own culture and communities and touched lives with the Savior's love and helped them to come to faith in Jesus and begin their walk of discipleship with believers baptism?

Most years the Presidency of the Convention is a foregone conclusion with only 1 man being nominated.

But this year is already different. 2 men have consented to allow their names to be placed in nomination for the Presidency: Dr. Ronnie Floyd of Arkansas and Dr. Frank Page of South Carolina.

Dr. Ronnie Floyd is Senior Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Springdale, Arkansas. Under his ministry, the church has grown from 3,700 members to over 16,000 members, baptizing approximately 600 people per year. They have helped to plant 17 churches across America.

But in the years that he has been pastor, the church's Cooperative Program percentage has plunged from 9% of their undesignated giving to less than 1% of the undesignated offering, even though their offerings have increased by over 800%.

That lack of Cooperative Program giving is an issue especially this year.

A blue-ribbon SBC panel is calling for the election of officers who come from churches that contribute at least 10 percent of their undesignated receipts to the Cooperative Program.

Dr. Frank Page is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Taylors, South Carolina. The church averages over 2,000 people in worship and had 67 baptisms last year. The church's giving to the Cooperative Program was over 12% of their $4,400,000 undesignated offerings.

There are many issues facing the next president of the SBC. But one issue facing the candidates will NOT be theology. Both men are firmly committed to the inerrancy of the Bible and the historic essential doctrines of Christianity and Baptist life.

Dr. Page stated that the choice is about methodology. According to the Baptist Press, Dr. Page said, "I just believe that it's time for people to not only say they support the work of Southern Baptists, but to show it. And I hope that my candidacy will bring that discussion to light."

Dr. Floyd's main emphasis as President of the Convention, would be to "underscore 'the centrality of the local church,' which he described as 'the heartbeat ... the center of this denomination.' The SBC, he said, exists 'to serve those local churches for the purpose of helping them carry out the Gospel of Christ together across the world.'"

Dr Floyd also said, in an article in Baptist Press: "If elected by messengers, Floyd said ... that he would 'passionately lead a desperate call to a spiritual movement in this denomination, a spiritual movement that is biblically based, Jesus-centered and Holy Spirit-controlled.'"

There are other issues that set the undertone for this year's election:

• Unrest over decisions made by the Board of Trustees of the international Mission Board.
• The resignation of Dr. Bob Reccord of the North American Mission Board.
• A growing discussion among Southern Baptists about Reform (Calvinist) theology.
• A decrease in the number of Baptisms being reported by SBC Churches.
  

This will be an election of huge import to our convention. It could impact the direction of the convention for years.

Allow me to make some personal observations...

I know now that I could not vote for Dr. Floyd as President. I believe that someone who wants to lead a convention that is based on cooperation must be cooperative himself with that convention with more than his time and words. It must be shown by a growing - not a decreasingcommitmentent of money to the Cooperative Program of the SBC.

I do not know enough about Dr. Page to know if I could vote for him. What I read and see looks promising.

But, I think that the Convention is ripe for 'dark horse' candidate who will announce his candidacy and bring together many people who are theological conservatives but believe that the 'inner circle' of the convention must be enlarged to allow for more than just mega-church pastors and Seminary presidents to make decisions for the entire convention.

Please pray.

New deacons, New Beginning

We ordained a deacon this morning and installed 2... that's baptist-speak for bringing in 2 new men - Wayne Hewitt and John Hilton - to help minister here in the church.

They are both the kind of men you'd want next to you in a crisis... but they are also the kind of men you'd want to go fishing with... or in Wayne Hewitt's case, go eating BBQ with.

I look at Deacons a little different than my other Purpose Driven friends do. I see them almost as elders. They don't make binding decisions because this is a baptist church and that's reserved for the congregation. But they give wisdom, spiritual insight into the decisions facing our church. And some of those decisions are biggies!

So pray for our new Deacons as well as the continuing deacons. I expect God things out of this group.

Just Back

"The person in greatest need of a vacation is the person who has just returned from one."

I'm not sure who said it, but it sounds like a Mark Twain quote. If you know who it was, post it on here.

Sara and I got back today from our short vacation to the Bahamas. It rained 2 of our 3 days on the http://www.royalcarib.com/rclfleet/rclsovereign.html Sovereign of the Seas. But we had a great time... ate too much and relaxed. So when can I go again?

I am still working on my statement about the SBC Presidency. I'll try to get it up tomorrow.

I am looking forward to Sunday!

• We'll ordain Wayne Hewitt as a Deacon and install both him and John Hilton. They are already great partners in the ministry here.
• We continue our series on "Rediscovering the Real Jesus" from John's biography of our Savior.
• Sunday night will be a good bye time for Jeff, Heidi, Sarah and Jenny Hesoun.

My desk is almost completely clean of accumulated messages, notes and the clutter that comes whenever I go on vacation... so I better get back to work!

Mom... Other Mothers... and Vacation

$134,000 is what a Massachusetts think tank estimated the yearly salary if stay at home mothers were paid their worth. I think they short changed them.

But I also think they even more stiffed moms who work outside of the home as well as raise families and put up with husbands.

So thanks to my mom for staying at home to raise my sisters and I.

Thank you Sara, for working while raising 2 great girls!

When I get back on from vacation on Friday, I am going to be posting a statement on the presidential race within the Southern Baptist Convention. It will be here as well as in our Enews letter.

Thought on an Approaching Vacation

This Sunday afternoon, Sara and I will be leaving for Daytona Beach to board the Sovereign of the Seas for a 5 day cruise to the Bahama's!

Can you read the anticipation in my words. If you can't, you are reading them correctly. :) This will be the first real time away for Sara and I since last October.

I wish I could say that I will be thinking about you all... that I will wonder what you all are doing... that if you need me call my cell and I'll be right there... BUT I CAN'T!

My cell phone will be off. I won't be reading my email until next Friday. The only decisions we will be making will be whether to eat with a view of the Ocean or a view of the pool.... whether to have the lobster or the steak or both... to wear sneakers or flip flops.

You all are a part of our family and our lives. Our thoughts will be with you... but just not next Sunday through Friday.

I'll see you all in church this Sunday for Mother's Day!

Solomon's Temple and You

Doesn't that sound like a riveting subject? Sounds as exciting as watching a session of Congress. :)

On Wednesday nights in the auditorium, we are studying the life of Solomon. We are in 2 Chronicles 2-5 where he builds the Temple. These thoughts occured to us while we were studying:

• What an expensive bulding! The amuont of gold was especially mind boggling.
• How beautiful it must have been! The tapestries, the carvings and the workmanship would have rivaled St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.

But then another thought hit me harder than any of the others:

The Temple of God is our bodies. And God is working to make our physical/spiritual tabernacles as beautiful as the one that Solomon built. It reminded me of the words toa song, "He has made me beautiful in his sight"

My body, your body, is the temple of the most high God. When our heavenly Father looks at you and I, He sees us as more breath-takingly beautiful than any building made with hands!

Avoiding Dissension

Wade Burleson is the Pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Enid, Oklahoma. He is also a trustee with the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention.

He wrote yesterday in his blog about the issue of dissension in our SBC. Here is his blog. http://kerussocharis.blogspot.com/

In it he gave 5 principles from Romans 14 about dealing with dissension. Here is what he quoted from author A.W. Pink:

"This difference of opinion bred dissensions and disrupted fellowship. To remove this evil and to promote good, the apostle laid down certain rules which may be summed up as thus.
First, 'Let ever man be fully persuaded in his own mind' (v. 5) and not blindly swayed by the opinions or customs of others.

Second, 'Be not censorious or condemn those who differ from you' (v. 13).

Third, Be not occupied with mere trifles, but concentrate on the essentials (v. 17).

Fourth, Follow after those things which make for peace and mutual edification (v. 19) and quibble not over matters which are to no profit.

Fifth, Make not an ostentatious display of your liberty, nor exercise the same to the injury of others (vv. 19-21)."

Then Pastor Burleson concludes:
"Would to God we as Southern Baptists, people who claim to believe in the authority of Scriptures, actually follow them when it comes to preventing dissension."

These are important words not just for our convention but also for us as believers here in Osprey!

I heard a strange sound this morning. It was the sound of a mysterious fluid dropping from the sky... Now I remember... It's rain! As I write this, it is still coming down. There's even some lightning and thunder. Thank you, Lord, for the rain we have needed so much.

Sara and I are reading through Psalm 119 in our morning devotions. David talks about the cause and effect relationship of purity to memorizing God's Word. So I'm trying to do more of that. I have learned that a 55 year old mind doesn't remember nearly as well as it did in elementary school. But I'm trying.

Do yourself a favor: Go outside, stand with your face to the sky and enjoy the feel of the rain!

Insights AFTER the Message

I hope you had a great weekend.

One Sunday after church, a pastor was feeling especially good after a sermon. He remarked to his wife, "I wonder how many great preachers there are in America today?"
His wife wisely replied, "One less than you think there is."

I was feeling like that pastor yesterday after church. I was thinking how many insights I had gotten out of Jesus healing of the lame man at the pool of Bethesda.

Last night before the evening service, one of our good men, Terry Quackenbush told me he had been thinking about Jesus remark to the man after he had been healed, "Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you."

He said that maybe the reason Jesus had said that to the man was because the man was thinking about all the sinful things he could do now that he was able to walk. And Jesus was just warning him.

Now why hadn't I thought of that? Why hadn't God given that insight to me? I know why.

It's because God doesn't want preaching or any other part of the church to be a lone ranger situation. He desires that everyone contributes... Everyone brings something to the table... No one has all the answers or all the insights. We - including the Pastor - need everyone else.

Thanks Terry! You not only gave me added insight into that story, you gave me added insight into the very DNA of the church.

Missions, SBC and Osprey

Of the changes that have happened at Osprey in the last several years, the one I am most thankful for has been the growing concern with reaching people throughout the world with the Gospel.

We have always shown our concern with wallet evangelism. We would give 10% to the Cooperative Program and 4% to our local Southwest Florida Baptist Association. But we really had no knowledge of any missionaries. We would do the Week of Prayer for Foreign Missions during December and the Week of Prayer for North American Missions in March. But it went as far as our wallets.

All of that began to change in 2000, when we received a call from a concerned grandparent who wanted their grandchildren to be involved in Vacation Bible School. We always receive lots of those calls. But this call was from Ann Godbold, a name that meant very little to me at the time.

Their grandchildren were the children of Rick and Elizabeth Arnold, missionaries to Senegal. And those children stole our hearts and changed our church.

We got to know missionaries not in 2 dimensions, but as real living breathing people. From that moment on, Osprey's love affair with missions has exploded.

• Mission Trips were taken.
• Mission giving increased dramatically to both the Cooperative Program and to individual missionaries.
• Missionaries were being prayed for not twice a year, but in every prayer meeting.
• Pictures of missionaries were placed on refrigerator doors.
• When Cash and Ann walked on the church campus, our children would grab their parent and say, "Look, there's the missionaries!" like they had just seen a professional athlete.

That's the way it ought to be. And while you're thinking about it, pray fora missionary by name, right now!

What We Believe ... About Jesus

I can be doctrinal and dispassionate about what I believe about the Bible or about church government, but it is impossible for me to be factual about Jesus.

He is my Savior.
* Luke 2:10-11 - But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

He is my Lord.
* Acts 2:36 - “Therefore let all the house of Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah!”

He is my soon coming rescuer.
* 1 Thessalonians 5:10-11 - For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.

He is my prayer warrior.
* Hebrews 7:25 - Therefore He is always able to save those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them.

He is the creator and sustainer of the universe.
* Colossians 1:16-17 - because by Him everything was created, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and by Him all things hold together.

He paid for my salvation by his blood
* Colossians 1:20 - and through Him to reconcile everything to Himself by making peace through the blood of His cross

I could never be calm about who Jesus is!

STOP THE KILLING IN DARFUR

I remember a line in a movie that said "This is Africa... no one cares what happens in Africa." I am afraid this is true. AIDS, genocide, corrupt governments and terrorism are a part of daily life especially in the Africa south of the Sahara Desert.

We may not be able to do everything but there is one area of Africa you can impact. And one action you can take.

People in Darfur are being murdered by the hundreds of thousands. It is a war of genocide against people simply because of their tribal and religious affiliation.

You can help by joining the Million Voices for Darfur Campaign, which aims to send one million postcards to President Bush and Congress calling for stronger action to stop the killing. Please click here to fill out and send a postcard to President Bush, then take further action by telling your family and friends to fill out a postcard.

We may think it doesn't effect us. And it may not effect our daily life. But the Scriptures are clear:

• Psalm 12:5 - “Because of the oppression of the afflicted and the groaning of the poor, I will now rise up,” says the Lord. “I will put in a safe place the one who longs for it.”
• Psalm 41:1 - Happy is one who cares for the poor; the Lord will save him in a day of adversity.
  

Pray! Send a postcard to the President! The killing must stop.

IMMIGRATION RALLIES - ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE

Roger Blackmore, a pastor friend of mine started a church in Long Island. I met him 2 years ago at the Purpose Driven Church Conference at Saddleback Community Church.
His blog is both well written and interesting.
This is his web address: http://churchatthemovies.blogspot.com/

This is what he wrote about yesterday's Immigration Rallies

Monday, May 01, 2006

ARE YOU SERIOUS?
I don't usually get into political/social stuff here, but something is gnawing at me today because a bunch of dissidents hit me where it hurts.When I went into the 7-11 this morning for my 24oz start-the-day-right cup of java, the two hispanic ladies who are normally looking after things on Mondays were nowhere to be seen. I guess they joined the immigrant boycott of American businesses today. They did not want to look after me or anyone else for that matter. Looks like they lost a day's wages for nothing since someone else was there to take my money, I still got my coffee and the place was buzzing as usual.

Fifteen years ago this month, my family and I took a trip from the north of Scotland to the U.S. Consulate in London. We had applied for green cards several months earlier, but had been told that interviews only happened within the last four weeks before the planned emmigration.So off we went to the big city, with copious forms, birth certificates, marriage license, ordination papers, letter of invitation to the U.S., etc., etc. It was all a bit nerve-wracking as we were told if anything was missing, the application would be void, so I checked and re-checked our paperwork over and over again.

At 8.00am on the appointed day we showed up at the office of a doctor designated by the INS where we had chest x-rays, blood tests and a physical. Then we went off to the Consulate for the interview and were told to return at 2.00pm that same day. It was tough to focus on lunch as greater priorities were on our minds. Would they grant the green cards? Would we be allowed to enter the USA? What would happen if they said no?

Finally we heard our names called, picked up the necessary documents and flew into New York a few weeks later as legal immigrants - first generation Americans.

A few years later we went through another ton of red tape - and parted with a considerable amount of cash - in order to have the privilege of standing in the court house in Brooklyn and taking the oath of allegiance to become American citizens.

It was quite a lot of effort - but worth every bit of it.

Today I'm proud to be an American and of course I don't have to live looking over my shoulder for the INS. Having come in through the front door, I just can't figure out why millions of illegals don't simply keep their heads down and get on with the illegal lives they have.

But walking our streets, shouting for rights and threatening our economy? You must be kidding. That's nuts in any language.

Thanks, Roger.

What We Believe... Part 1

"The B-I-B-L-E Yes that's the book for me.

I stand alone on the Word of God

The B-I-B-L-E!"

If you grew up in church, you probably remember singing that. When we finished we would all hold our Bibles in the air and shout as loud as we could "BIBLE!"

So I guess I grew up thinking that the Bible was a different kind of book.

There are a couple of views about the nature of the Bible:

• It's a good book with good moral teaching.
• It's a terrible book that is designed to keep women and other oppressed minorities in their place.
• It's just like any other book. It contains both truth and errors.
• It's the Word of God, without error.

We believe - as a church - that the Bible was given by inspiration of God Himself, therefore it is without errors. That is what is meant by the term 'inerrant'

Here's a couple of verses that back that up.

• 2 Timothy 3:15 - All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
• 2 Peter 1:19-21 - So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
  

But what does inerrancy means? It means that you and I have a trustworthy written record that has been written by God so that we can know what God wants us to know and can teach us to live like we ought to live.

This probably sounds pretty simplistic to the more theologically inclined among us... But at its' core that is what we believe about the Bible.

I start with the Bible because all of the rest flows from this foundational belief. So maybe we should keep on singing that song!