In Awe

I stand in awe of God's majesty and glory. Days are usually filled with ups and downs. Pastors celebrate victories with their people. On the same day they may weep with others of the church family as they deal with life storms. Then there is the small fire which has the potential of great devastation if neglected and untended. These need to be dealt with in a timely and godly manner. I feel overwhelmed with the influx of emotions that run the gamut of the human experience. Frustration and anxiety usually are the expectations of such a day; I seemed pulled in so many ways. But then there are those who call. The unexpected call of a Christian excited at sharing her faith at work and the simple request that I pray for her and her lost friend. The church members who resolve issues Biblically and douse the fire and thwart the enemy's attempt at creating disharmony and breach the fellowship and unity. I watch in awe as God works on the lives of those in our church, in my family, in me. And I marvel at God's handiwork of grace. Can you imagine the swings of emotions and experience Jesus dealt with during His personal ministry among us? Yet He exudes love, joy and peace and wishes it for us. What was the key to His success at dealing with the frustrations that permeate this thing called life? He constantly sought and longed for the presence of His Father through the discipline of prayer. He kept His priority of life to honor and glorify Him who had sent Him to minister to a lost and dying race. How do we get through all the stuff? By being a people of prayer and focus; by emulating our Savior who set the example for us.

Eyeing the Goal

One of the frustrations I'm having is my inability to edit this site and get the duplicates deleted. It's so easy to let minor things become majors. I apologize for the duplications, but then sometimes things happen.

One on One...

I am enjoying our new men's ministry, "One on One." It gives me an opportunity to engage in mentoring and Bible study with the men of our church who have signed on for this ministry. The time spent in prayer, study and friendship building as well as in encouraging each other and sharpening each other has been a blessing. I believe that it will also be invaluable to our church family as well. I've encouraged these men to expand our time of One on One together with their teenage sons or co-workers. Some have taken on that challenge. The consequence is time spent in God's Word and in the molding and building of friendships and fellowship within our church family as well as in our individual families. I've been greatly encouraged by those who have taken part and am praying for more opportunities with others in our church and community. I hope that you'll make this a matter of prayer. I am also considering doing this via long-distance phone calls to my son in Little Rock and my son-in-law in Evansville.

Catching Up...

It has been awhile since I've last written anything. God's been awesome in His dealings with me and with my family. Cathy enjoyed a great time away to relax, rest and recourse. The Lord is opening great opportunities for our church at Anderson. I'm praying for wisdom in dealing with the ministries we're already doing, and for those opportunities He seems to be leading us toward in the near future. I'm asking my family and friends to keep my in their prayers; that God will make known clearly His will and direction and supply the wisdom in the coming weeks and months. Our youth ministries this fall have started out with a bang. If the initial attendance and enthusiasm is any indication, we're going to have a banner year! Our AWANA workers and B3 leaders are doing a great job. The teen group and workers are especially an exciting group to watch and our youth leaders are doing a great job thus far with them. Adam and Rebecca Johnson, our new music leader is doing a great job as well, and has a good number of dedicated people who are involved with the choir. I believe that God will greatly use this couple in our church. They've been a great asset and fit for LBC. I am also excited with our new men's ministry called "One on One." It is a time to build fellowship and accountability with those men of the church who choose to meet with me one on one. As you can see, there is a lot going on and it keeps me busy. But what a privilege it is to be in ministry working for the Lord and His glory. I'm thankful and humbled at the honor I've been given to serve as Pastor of one of His churches.