The Heath Mullikin Project

We spent a week in New Orleans with Mission Lab at New Orleans Baptist Seminary.  The Friday before we left, a spot opened and Karen was able to go with us.  So, we dropped the kids off with the grandparents in SC and off we went.  Mission Lab is like a missions camp(an idea we Wesleyan would be wise to “steal”).  The first day we helped a lady where water was pooling in her backyard.  Her house had been renovated(after much hassle and theft), but the yard needed work.  On day two we cleared a lot and Wednesday thru Friday we worked at Mattie’s Little Angels day care.  We had prepared a VBS type program, but went with the flow, singing songs, playing games, using puppets(which wears the inexperienced arm out quickly), and just loved the children.  I connected with a boy named Kameron who I believe is autistic.  He doesn’t speak much and generally kept to himself.  You could hear the ladies repeatedly call his name for him to sit down and quit running around.  Somehow, we started doing pat a cake together and this bonded us somehow.  I did find out that he gets personal tutoring everyday.  You have these 30 or so kids and the 4 or 5 women who work with them.  They have no place to play outside(unless you consider blacktop in the LA heat with debris and a rusted fence safe) and so it can get a little crazy inside.  On the flip side, the city has several beautiful dog parks for dogs to play in.  This is, indeed, a city turned upside down.  The people who have down little or nothing to help themselves have received the most government aid and assistance while Heather(the woman from Monday) has received no government help(or volunteer help until we arrived), but got her house rebuilt.  I know it’s easy to blast those who don’t help themselves and families who have relied totally on government help for generations.  I can’t carry anger in my heart for these people because what does Jesus see when he looks at me?  Someone who abuses the grace and mercy given to me and someone totally incapable of helping himself in regards to having my sins cleansed.  God has called us to help and serve everyone no matter their circumstances.  Rob Wilton spoke three nights at the seminary and the Andrew Ogea band led worship.  All were tremendous.  Rob’s dad is Don Wilton of North Spartanburg Baptist who I’ve enjoyed on tv occasionally with my mom.  Here’s how I was challenged this week:

To love Batman less and Jesus more.

To be able to quote more scripture and fewer sports statistics.

To do the things I’m good at more effectively while empowering those who do the things I’m not good at.

To be God’s ambassador instead of Heath’s ambassador

To go out on a limb for God because He made the whole stinking tree

This week I’ll be responding to some posts I’ve been reading on “once saved, always saved.”  It’s not what you expect, but hopefully another perspective.  Peace to all of you.

Yesterday was my first NC East District Conference and it had some good moments.  Every conference has it’s share of characters:  the person who talks way too long, the person who refuses to not read their report, the peanut gallery(youth pastor’s section), and confusing moments about when to clap, where to stand, and where to get your name tag.  I got two of those.  One with my name spelled correctly and one that said “Honorary Delegate Heath Mulliken.”  I got one vote for something as a layperson so I wasn’t even eligible.

Now, we had a crew of about 10 go to Asheboro to see the Dark Knight.  I wasn’t very emotional going in…not like Batman or Batman Begins although I was excited.  I answered a trivia question correctly before the showing(Batman first appeared in 1939) and won a Cinemark staff shirt with a Hulk promo on the back and a Batman-Gotham Knight poster autographed by one of the writers.  Now, I’m not going to give any spoilers, but if you haven’t seen the movie then read no further because I don’t want my opinion(which is great) to sway you.  You’ve been warned.  It’s ironic that on the day Andy and I were listing my top 50 movies that I saw what is now my favorite movie.  It’s the best movie I’ve ever seen. Period.  It’s not like watching a comic book movie but like watching an action psychological thriller.  Absolutely amazing.  Can’t say enough good things about all the performances and the Heath Leger Oscar buss is legit.  He is THE Joker.  There are at least 3 moments that took my breath away(sorry that sounds so girly) and made me say,”What?”  Now, this movie is not for the young or squeamish.  If you’re looking for Adam West then this is not the place for you.  Be prepared for a Silence of the Lambs type ride.  Gary Oldman is amazing as Gordon and hearing Michael Caine’s Alfred is like reading his lines from the monthly comics.  I’m making the trip to see this in IMAX in a few weeks.  Love to hear everyone’s thoughts.  I’m telling you, Chris Nolan has made his signature flick…until the sequel at least.

District Conference **.5

The Dark Knight ****

Well, Sunday night started the NC East Camp meeting.  The DS from the Dakota district is the speaker.  Sunday night was the best camp meeting sermon I’ve ever heard because 1-it was not 3 sermons rolled into one and 2-he did not feel the need to preach for over an hour(around 30 minutes I guess).  God used the message of being thirsty and coming to Christ for an overflowing drink to challenge my heart.

1.  Got a message from Jason(blog at left) that he has already seen the Dark Knight.  Well, I thought our tickets were for tonight in Asheboro, but it appears the movie is not showing until midnight Thursday.  Midnight is such a confusing time.  I distinctly asked the high school kid selling tickets if the show were Wednesday night and he said “yeah.”  Where’s the outrage?  So tomorrow will be

2.  District conference all day and then the Dark Knight at midnight.  I forgot how many people I knew were in the East district.  We saw and caught up with many of them Sunday night.  Hope to see and greet more tomorrow.  For the first time in 7 years, I have no report to give, I just have to report for duty…all day long.  I smell a lot of txting coming on.

3.  So, here’s where I’m at with the Mac.  I made all the songs in Propresenter disappear.  Anyone know what kind of file the library is and where it would be.  See, I tried to change the username and it switched alot of settings.  Also, I’ve learned that if you plug or put anything into the Mac that you must eject it or face losing precious data.  Still getting used to no right click, but I’m learning that they have other ways of doing all that stuff.  I told Karen to get ready cause this is what we are getting next.

4.  Andy Hames just called.  He’s my personal trainer and soda accountability partner.  Guess I shouldn’t let him know about the Pepsi machine down the hall.

5.  Arrived to the office yesterday to find a smoke filled basement due to two young guys trying to work out smoke machine that I didn’t know we had.

I will report more to come…

3.

Yeah, I know I haven’t posted since Monday and here are my reasons(okay they’re excuses)…

1. While learning the MacBook Pro I failed to eject my external hard drive which cause it to be possessed by a demon.  I have literally spent hours and lots of money trying to recover the last 7 years of my life and ministry.  Needless to say, this caused much panic around my house.  As I type this, my files are being recovered and moved to safety.

2.  My parents decided to visit and I spent much of Thursday and Friday with them.  Had a good visit and it was great to see them.  Hopefully, they can visit often after discovering how easy of a trip it is.

3.  Led my first Wednesday night youth meeting at Denton Wesleyan.  Got some kinks to work out, but it was great to meet some students for the first time.  They are great kids and I think God is going to do amazing things in all of our lives.

4.  Met with the youth leadership team Thursday night and laid out the next 6 months or so.  It was such a relief to see things put on the calendar and see the strategy take shape.  I know God is leading and directing and I am expecting Him to change lives.  I did realize this morning that I planned one event for a weekend when I will be gone, but our great leaders can handle it without me.

Things to pray for:

For Karen and I to find a washer and dryer that fits out budget.

Continued relationship building

New Orleans missions trip

Philly missions trip

For our church to make the name of Jesus famous in Denton and beyond

I spent most of last week in bed fighting an unknown virus.  My fever got as high as 102.  Then we spent the weekend chasing fireworks displays and running from storms.  Finally, on the 5th, we saw an amazing fireworks display at the World Famous Farm Park.  Our fireworks got rained out last year in Philly on the 4th too.  Here’s what’s up…

1.  Getting ready for my first Wednesday night youth meeting at Denton.  Some people are out of town, but I am excited to continue meeting new teens.  This opportunity is a blessing.  Now, where did I put all my youth messages?

2.  I am still reeling from camp(in a good way).  God did a great work in my heart and I know there are some areas He had to scrub harder than others.  I will be going up to one of the evening services of the Shenendoah camp where Matt is helping this week.  They are meeting at our(NC East) campground so it’s a short trip.

3.  I am a month behind on comics.  I have no idea what’s happening.  Gotta slip over to the comic store in Asheboro this week.

4.  Karen and I are hooked on the Dave Ramsey show on Fox Business.  Needless to say, we are making some changes.  And finally…

5.  Often times we award longevity that is not accompanied by excellence.  We also celebrate excellence that burns out too soon.  In the rare case of Fred Andrews, he has enjoyed longevity and excellence.  I had the honor of serving under him for 10 years and in the coming weeks his 30 years of Senior Pastor leadership will come to a close at Central First Wesleyan.  He’s not one of those guys who stayed at the same church for a long time because he couldn’t cut it elsewhere.  He’s also not one of those guys who served at a bunch of churches because he couldn’t cut it anywhere.  God used him to take the church to historic heights.  God isn’t finished with him yet as he will continue to serve the local church.  There are too many ministry students who missed out on learning what being a pastor is all about from this man yet there are many who are still being impacted today.  I know I am.

Oh dear, what an amazing two weeks of camp. I am so tired right now even though my wife was kind enough to let me take a 5 hour nap today. I’ve been in Denton 3 weeks now and here are some highlights…

1. Kudos to James and the rest of the SC boys for putting on two great SC camps. I got so may txts about how awesome “Free” was this year. It’s an answer to prayer and I know that God showed up at Table Rock yet again.  I’m just upset that James found a new sleeping buddy.  Who did Greg sleep with instead of Wes?  Check out Jon Brady’s blog for more.  I almost cried when I saw a pic of the inaugural Claude Heath Mullikin bucket on Facebook.  It was awesome because a girl from Central First was signing that mug.

2. Every service was unique at NC East Sr. High Camp. I really felt God leading me to try and make each altar call unique.  From silence to the Braveheart Freedom speech(face paint included) to the chuppahs it was an amazing week.  I hope that each teen left with actions steps to move forward in their relationship with God and to keep from slipping.

3.  The NC East crew is amazing.  I got closer to the guys I already knew and got to know new people as well.  God has brought together an amazing team.  I am already working on my lunch tour schedule to meet up with a many yp’s as possible.

4.  Home made ice cream!  Mark Wilburn hooked me up with some Pineapple and the team bought me butter pecan and banana split ice cream sandwiches.  Sadly, we didn’t finish them so I brought the leftovers home to the kids…Drake loves em.

5.  Pray for my mom as she continues to recover from knee surgery.  So far, her recovery is going well.

6.  Now that camps are over, I’m looking forward to plugging into Denton and hanging with the teens more.  We’ve got the whole summer ahead of us and it’s going to be amazing.

7.  Get to take the Mac for a ride this week.

8.  Well, we have company coming tomorrow and I’m got work and sleep to do.

It’s good to be back.