Goodnight Sweetheart

Posted on by
Reply

Aren’t kids great? They are a true blessing, and now that school is out we are enjoying the extra time each day with our kids. God has truly blessed Raylee and I with great kids who are lot of fun to be around. I especially love that age when their personality begins to develop and you see your baby become their own little person. It seems like that has been happening a lot lately with Nixon at our house. I could tell you a lot of little stories about ways that we see his personality beginning to surface, and as a parent, that’s a lot of fun to see.

When our Emery was about this same age, we had Lindy Kate. When Lindy Kate came along, we decided to move Emery out of the crib into the “big girl bed.” Once you get into a good routine, putting a child down to sleep at night in a crib is really pretty easy. At least we’ve always had good luck with it. But moving from the crib to a bed was a whole different story with Emery. She did not want to stay in bed when we would put her down each night, and so we struggled for months and months to get some sort of rhythm going at bedtime.

Of all our children, Emery is our most independent spirit. That’s a good way to say that she’s stubborn, isn’t it? Her personality is such that if she sets her mind to something, there is little you can do to get in her way. Her name – Emery Lane – even means “industrious leader”. We hit the nail on the head when we named her! This independence will serve her well in life because I am sure that God is going to use her to be a great leader, but when you’re training a twenty-month-old to stay in bed that same spirit is a nightmare. Night after night for months on end we would struggle with her as we tried to establish a good routine for getting her to stay in bed. There were many nights that we went back and forth for 3 to 4 hours trying to get her to go to sleep.

After we had been struggling with all of this for a few months and I was just about to my wit’s end over my kids’ bedtime, the Lord really convicted me one night that I had never once stopped to pray about the situation. I bowed my head right then and there and prayed, “Lord, please make this little girl stay in bed!” You know what happened? Absolutely nothing! At least not right away. She fought sleep that night just like all the nights before, but something really changed in me that night.

I realized that God was trying to get my attention about how that time each night was the perfect opportunity to pray for our children, so I began to do just that. During my shifts (yes, we literally took shifts trying to get her to stay in bed), I began to pray for my children – that God would watch over them and that they would come to know him at a young age and walk with him all of their life. I used that time to pray for their future, to pray for Raylee and I as parents, and to pray for just about any other thing that God brought to my mind. God took something that I thought was going to make me an old man before my time, and he replaced it with a burden that I pray more for my children as well as many other things in my life.

What is it in your life that you are struggling with? Have you taken it to God in prayer? God has a plan for your life, and that includes even the little things that drive you crazy. Could it be that God is using those little things to teach you patience? Is there something about your character or trusting him that he wants to show you through even the little things that test you? I encourage you to not to overlook the power of prayer or the opportunity that God is giving you even in the small things of life to deepen your dependence upon him. Even in things that seem small or petty, take your requests to him. You never know how God might use things that you would never expect to pour out his blessings on you as you trust in him!

Better vs. Best

Posted on by
Reply

On Sunday my sermon was on the story of Hannah’s prayer to God that he would give her a son in 1 Samuel 1:11. After Hannah prayed to God, she believed that he would answer her prayer. So strong was her faith that we see it in action in verse 18, which says that, “her face was no longer sad.” Keep in mind that this was before God had answered her prayer. She knew that God was able to give her a son, and in faith she believed that he would give her what she asked for. God showed his favor to Hannah by blessing her with Samuel.

It’s easy to look at Hannah’s story and see God’s favor because of the way that he answered her prayer, but the truth is that it would have been no less a sign of God’s favor if he had not given Hannah a son. If we are not careful, it is easy to think that God has not answered our prayers if he does not grant them in the way that we desire. However, the problem with this thinking is that, “No” is an answer. Often God answers our prayers by not giving us the things that we ask of him. You and I need to see that it is no less a sign of God’s favor for him to withhold certain things from us if his will is to give us something better than what we ask him for. 

This is easy for us to see when it comes to our own children. If I let my kids eat whatever they wanted, they would live on a steady diet of sugar and candy. At this point in their life and development, they would probably think I was a rock star dad if I let them get away with this, but would it really be in their best interest? As parents, we see part of our job as teaching our children what is best for them that they might grow into strong, healthy adults. If they were allowed to survive on junk food, I would be condemning them to a life full of health risks like obesity, diabetes, and a mouth full of cavities. So because I love my kids, and because I know better than to give them exactly what they want, I set boundaries and teach them things like the importance of a balanced diet and good exercise. You might say that I show my children favor by not giving them everything that they want. It is more loving for me to have rules and set boundaries for them. 

This is the same principle at play when God shows his favor to us by not giving us what we ask of him. He sees what we simply cannot, and he knows what is best for us. God is always at work for his glory, and his glory is always for our good. There are many times that he may withhold something from us – even if it is something good – because his desire is to give us something better. 

I’m not God, and I would never pretend to have all the answers for what he wants for your life. But I do know this much, because the word of God promises it to us: Romans 8:28 tells us that, “we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” 

This verse comes with a condition. This is not a promise for everyone. Notice that this applies to “those who love God…who are called according to his purpose.” Hannah loved God, and she was called according his purpose. We see that clearly in 1 Samuel chapter one. Can the same be said of you? Are you trusting in God and believing him to answer your prayers? 

If God has saved you and called you according to his purpose for your life, you can trust that he is working in you to bring about his glory, and that his glory is always for your good. I challenge you to trust God with every area of your life, and not to give up praying or seeking his face just because his answer might be no. Remember that he can make good out of every situation, and it might be that he is showing you even more love than you realize by withholding something that you think is good in order that he might give you what is best.

A Living Legacy

Posted on by
Reply

In my time as pastor here at First Baptist, I have found a lot of direction and encouragement in Paul’s letters to Timothy. In these letters Paul calls on Timothy to hold true to the instruction given to Timothy during the time that they traveled and ministered together on their missionary journeys. These letters are a part of a group of New Testament books known as the pastoral epistles – letters written to pastors of churches. Knowing that you can see why I have found so much wisdom and instruction for my own life in Paul’s instruction.

In 2 Timothy 1:5 Paul tells Timothy that he is reminded of his sincere faith; “a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now…dwells in you.” Timothy was no doubt mentored and shaped tremendously by Paul’s example, but his first real spiritual influences were his grandmother and his mother. The women in his life were intent on discipling Timothy and in living out a sincere example of genuine faith for him to follow. 

I am blessed to say that I too have been profoundly impacted by the influence of Godly women who were very intentional about their role in teaching me to walk in faith and in providing me an incredible example to follow. My mother is one of the most sincere and committed women of faith that I have ever known. Some of my earliest memories are of her teaching me scripture through quoting bible verses and singing songs that were full of God’s promises. I can’t even count the number of days in my childhood when I awoke to her singing, “Ri-i-se and Shi-i-ne, and Give God the Glo-ry, Glo-ry!” And every time I was nervous or afraid she would quote Psalm 56:3 to me: “When I am afraid, I will trust in God.” As I got older, she would regularly remind me of 1 Corinthians 15:33, saying, “Do not be misled, ‘bad company corrupts good character.’” My mother was a woman of faith. She was a praying woman. And she provided a wonderful example for my brothers and I of what it meant to love God with all your heart and to serve him with gladness.

I was also fortunate enough to attend church as a child with both of my grandmothers, who were also great examples for me of faith in action. One of my grandmothers was my 2nd grade Sunday school teacher. In fact, she taught 2nd grade Sunday school for over 50 years! Every Sunday we would worship together as a family, and many times my grandmothers took an active role in shaping my faith and pointing the way toward Jesus for me to follow.

Fast forward to today, and I find myself married to the Godliest woman that I know. Raylee is such a pillar of faith and strength for our children. She is not only a great wife and a great partner – I’m not exaggerating when I say that I do not know a better mother, nor a better example of genuine Christlikeness for our children to follow. Every day I see her passion for the Lord on display in front of our children. She is an incredible example to them of what it looks like to love God with all your heart, all your soul, all your might, and with all your strength. My children are truly blessed to have her as their mother. I am true blessed that I get to share my life with her. 

What about you? Who are the women in your life that have helped shape your faith. Like Timothy, and like me, have you been shown the way to faith in Christ by your mother or your grandmother? How did they use their influence to shape your faith or their example to give you footsteps to follow in? Have you told them how your faith is stronger because they took seriously the role they were given in bringing you up in the nurture and the admonition of the Lord?

With Mother’s Day approaching fast, I want to encourage you to share with the women in your life about the impact that they have had on your faith. And if you are a mother or a grandmother, I want to challenge you to follow in the legacy set by Lois and Eunice who took seriously their calling to shape Timothy’s faith in Christ. God has given you a role in the lives of your children or grandchildren that no one else can compete with. Use it to point the way toward faith in Jesus for children and your grandchildren, that the generations who follow after them might call you blessed!

Class of 2012

Posted on by
Reply

This coming Sunday we will be honoring our high school seniors in our worship service as they prepare to graduate in just a few weeks. As a church we are so proud of our seniors and the impact that they have made for Christ on their school campus. The future for this group is an unwritten book with pages ready to be filled with stories of God’s faithfulness and his Spirit at work in their lives as they continue to trust in him and follow his leadership. I am grateful for the opportunity to be their pastor and to pour into them and watch them grow.

One of the real joys of being a pastor is the role that I get to have in discipling our church, and I am especially aware of how this affects our teenagers. Discipleship is not an event, rather it is a process that takes time. I like to think of it as a journey that takes a lifetime to complete. I am grateful to pastor a church that sees the need and is investing in the lives of our young people.

Discipleship begins in the home with the role that parents play in shaping the faith of their children. Proverb 23:26 says, “My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways.” In order to shape your son’s or your daughter’s faith, you have to first capture their heart. To do that, parents have to be trustworthy and consistent in their own walk with Christ. Notice that I didn’t say that parents have to be perfect, though. Some of our best teaching moments as parents come from our own failures and our willingness to be honest and vulnerable with our kids about our own shortcomings. Kids inherently know their parents’ weaknesses and they see their mistakes. When parents are willing to be honest about their failures and demonstrate a willingness to learn through the ups and downs of life, it has a tremendous impact on their children.

Our job as a church is to be a resource for parents and to equip them for the task of discipling their kids. A youth pastor and Sunday school leadership come along to play a huge role in serving parents and equipping them to disciple their kids. We are so blessed to have such great leadership in these areas of our church. The fact that we have a youth pastor who has been at our church since this graduating class were in preschool is practically unheard of. That is a tremendous asset to our church because there is a depth of the relationships inside our student ministry that many churches never get to experience. Did you know that they average tenure of a youth pastor in a Southern Baptist church is less than 2 years? First Baptist Church is blessed to have Jared along with his commitment to our church and his investment in our students and their families. We also have an outstanding group of adults who teach Sunday school, sponsor camp and other events, and who serve our young people by making a huge investment during these crucial years of their life. Together they are making a huge impact on the lives of students in our church and in our city.

I am so proud of the class of 2012, and proud of a church that believes in investing in future generations. What we do for our students matters now, but it will also pay huge dividends in years to come as they step into roles of leadership in church and in our community. May we always stay committed to reaching young people and to raising them up to become fully devoted followers of Christ.

Time to Man Up

Posted on by
Reply

Several weeks ago I was approached by Chickasha High School football coach Tom Cobble about participating in a focus group called by our own Jim Glaze, superintendent of Chickasha Public Schools. The purpose of the group was to discuss the dropout rate in our school system, focusing on ways that our school administration and community leadership could join together to reach at risk students as well as to provide resources to these students and their families. Jim and the rest of the administration at CPS want to both identify at risk students and to provide the necessary support that would encourage them to stay in school and finish their education. They also expressed a desire to bring together our community leaders to create an awareness of the issues facing these students and to call for our help in reaching them before they made the decision to drop out.

I am totally on board to try to help reach these at risk students, but in order to do that, we have to effect the real problem and not just the symptoms of a bigger issue. The high school drop out rate is not the real problem. The real problem is much bigger than just a matter of students deciding to drop out of school. The real problem is that our culture is plagued by broken families with parents who are not doing their job to raise up their kids in an environment of support and opportunity. Please hear me on this, I am not saying that everyone who has been through divorce or who is a single parent raising kids is the problem that is bringing us all down. That is NOT my heart here. But I do believe – and the research supports this – that the great majority of at risk students are a part of broken, dysfunctional families. These kids are not receiving the love, the discipline, the support, or the instruction that they need from home.

This isn’t just a cultural issue or a sign of the times, this is an issue for the church! Why is it an issue for the church? Because God is the one who invented the family unit. It was his idea. And scripture is full of teaching about the family and the role of both parents and children in contributing to strong, healthy families. So if families in our culture are failing left and right, then as the church, we have to wake up and see that we are failing at doing our job in equipping our people to understand the importance of building strong families.

But I would take things a step further to say that our broken families are a result of men who are not doing their job being the kind of men that God has called us to be. This isn’t a macho thing, and I’m not trying to be sexist or anything. I just believe with real conviction that if we were doing our jobs as husbands and fathers – real men – that so many of these issues would go away.

So I’m sounding the alarm and calling all men. It’s time for us to step up! Don’t stand by and wait for someone else to offer the solutions that are already in your hands. Be a real man! It’s time that we reject passivity, that we accept our responsibility, and that we lead courageously in our homes, in the church, and in our community. Too long have we stood by and pointed fingers at the symptoms instead of engaging with the real problem. God has called us to lead the way, and it’s time for us to start doing our part.

One great way to start doing your part as the man that God has called you to be is to surround yourself with other men who will sharpen you and hold you accountable to be the man God desires you to be. We have a great bible study for men that happens each week on Sunday night designed to offer this very thing for our men. Not only that, in two weeks, we have a group of men from our church who will be attending the state-wide Men’s ReWired retreat at Falls Creek. And the second Sunday of each month we have a group of men who meet for breakfast and to push each other to lead the way as Godly men. Join us. It’s time that we get in the game and stop waiting for someone else to fix the problem when we hold the keys to making a real difference. It’s time for us to stop acting like boys and to start being men. I dare you.

The Cure for an Easter Hangover

Posted on by
Reply

We had such a great Sunday this past week as we celebrated Easter together here at First. There was an excitement around our church campus Sunday morning that you could feel, and it showed itself in our worship as well. The energy in the room was electric as we gathered together for worship. You could literally sense it in the air from the very first words we sang. I want to brag on our staff and our people who did so much to make it a great day. I am humbled to lead such a great team and to serve such a great God.

Easter is always a big day for our church. We put so much effort into making it a special, and we should. But then after Easter has come and gone, many times we can experience what you might call an Easter hangover.  So much goes into making everything click just right on Easter Sunday, and when it’s over, it can be easy for anything else to be a let down. Sort of like when Moses came down of the mountain, how everything else must have seemed plain and ordinary compared to what he had just experienced in the presence of God. Sometimes that’s how it is for us; some of our greatest victories are followed by the grind of our daily struggles. Beyond every mountaintop lies a valley.

So how do we carry the momentum from such a big day over so that we avoid an Easter hangover? For starters, we acknowledge the fact that every Sunday is a chance for us to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. It is the very reason that we gather for worship on Sundays, to remind ourselves that Christ conquered sin and has set us free to experience his resurrection life. But we also need to recognize that we don’t just celebrate the resurrection on Sundays. Every day we have the opportunity to live in power of the Spirit who gives us life and freedom in Christ (Romans 8:2, 10-11).

Beyond that, we also need to find our mission in our calling to share the good news that Jesus did not stay buried in the grave. His victory over sin and death is available to anyone who will turn from their sin and call on the name of Jesus. We need to be driven to share this gospel with people everywhere as we turn our face toward our city with a passion to see all of Chickasha come alive with the resurrection life in Christ. If we see the resurrection as the end of the story, then it is easy to stop there and never move forward. But if we see the resurrection as the beginning of our story, then we must keep moving forward as we grow in our faith, making the most of every opportunity to share with others the hope that is ours in Christ.

This year I hope that you remember that Jesus’ resurrection is the final seal on all of God’s promises to us. By trusting in him, we are born again into a living hope, with the promise of life both here and now, and in the life to come. We must not forget that the resurrection is not the end but a glorious new beginning for those who trust in Christ.

Make Jesus Famous

Posted on by
Reply

Easter is here! The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead signaled his victory over sin and death, and it made available to us the forgiveness that he purchased with his death on the cross of calvary. By the grace of God we are given a living hope and the promise of salvation.

So much of our faith hinges upon the resurrection of Jesus. It is the hinge upon which our faith hangs – the center point of Christian faith and practice. It is hard to overstate the importance of the resurrection to our faith in Jesus Christ. Paul writes of the resurrection, “if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain…but in fact Christ has been raised from the dead…” (1 Corinthians 15:14, 20). We have great joy as Christians because the resurrection of Christ from the dead. Romans 8:11 assures us that “he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” Those who are in Christ can look to the future with great hope because we know that one day we too will be raised to dwell with God forever.

The resurrection of gives us a perspective about this life and the life that is to come that we must not trade for the temporary pleasures of this world. In the book Mere Christianity, author C.S. Lewis puts it this way, “Christianity asserts that every individual human being is going to live for ever, and this must be either true or false. Now there are a good many things which would not be worth bothering about if I were going to live only seventy years, but which I had better bother about very seriously if I am going to live forever.”

Chief on that list is what we do in response to the gospel. Will you be willing to pursue the things of God above the things that this world offers? What you do with the gospel is of first importance because it directly determines the outcome of your life for eternity. Now, I realize that I am most likely preaching this to the choir, but I want to take it a step further by asking this question: If you have responded in faith to the gospel by trusting in Christ, are you now working to share the joy that is yours because of Christ with others? In the light of forever, there is nothing more important that we can say or do that to share the love of Christ with those who have never trusted in him for their salvation.

It is this perspective – this understanding of what matters most – that motivates us to action. Our purpose as followers of Christ is found in knowing Jesus and in making him known. May he be famous in you this year at Easter.

Just Around the Corner

Posted on by
Reply

Easter Sunday is just around the corner, and we are busy making our preparations for all the great celebrations that our church has planned. 

On Friday, April 6th at 7 p.m. we will be having our annual Good Friday service. Good Friday will mark the end of our Lenten fast and it is a great opportunity for us to pray together and to reflect on the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross of Calvary. As a part of our worship that evening we will be observing the Lord’s Supper together. I hope that you will make plans to be be with us that evening as we look to the cross of Christ for our hope and our salvation. 

The next morning on Saturday, April 7th we will be having our annual Easter egg hunt for kids in the church courtyard. That morning the fun begins at 10 a.m. and we like to say that it ends about a minute later, so don’t be late! This is a great event for kids so invite those you know with kids to join us. We are also taking donations of individually wrapped candy and plastic eggs for this, so if you would like to make a donation then please drop it by our church offices by Wednesday, April 4th.

And then on Sunday, April 8th we will celebrate the joy of Jesus’ resurrection as we gather together for Sunday school and worship. Every Sunday is a chance for us to remember the resurrection but Easter, of course, is a special time of reflection and celebration that we hope you won’t miss. This year for Easter we will be looking at how the resurrection of Christ brings us hope and gives us life. My desire is that we will all focus on how the resurrection of Jesus Christ gives us the hope of of eternal life and the promise of fullness of life here and now. 

As you plans for celebrating Easter this year, I hope that you will pray about who you might invite to worship with our First family. Easter is one of those times of year when people are naturally interested in spiritual things. As a church, we need to take advantage of this opportunity to invest in the lives of people in our community and to invite them to worship with us. Let me encourage you to ask the Lord to put someone on your heart this year at Easter, and then I challenge you to begin working to bring them with you to worship. I can think of no better way to demonstrate our hope in the gospel than to give it away to those who are lost without Christ.

I hope that you will make plans to celebrate Easter with our First family, and that you won’t come alone!

 

March Madness

Posted on by
Reply

Over the weekend I took advantage of the nice weather to put together a basketball goal for our kids. We’ve had the goal since Christmas, but I guess that a combination of the sunshine and March Madness had me in the mood for some hoops. As I was sorting through all of the parts, laying it all out on the driveway, my mind went to the countless hours I spent as a kid playing basketball on the goal that my dad put up on our driveway when I was younger. I remember lots of pickup games between my brothers and I with the other kids in the neighborhood. I look back on those days and wonder if I spent half of my childhood pounding that pavement with a worn out old basketball, dreaming of the day that I would defy my genetic code to make it as a big time basketball star.

I will never forget the day that my dad put together our basketball goal. The reason I will never forget that day is because it proved to be painful and costly for my father. My dad is not the type of guy who would do anything half-way. So of course the run of the mill basketball goal post was not enough for him. If you knew my father, this would make perfect sense to you. He had to have something that was indestructible, and so he made his own post out of a four by four steel frame. No one on earth was going to bring that goal down. And on the day that my dad was setting that post, he dropped it, breaking multiple toes on each of his feet. I can only imagine the pain that he must have felt, but he soldiered on and set the post perfectly square before stopping to evaluate his injury. Again, if you knew my dad, this type of story would not surprise you in the least. Bless his heart, he limped for weeks in pain with every step over that dumb basketball goal. The things that we do for the people that we love.

It may have been just a basketball goal, but when I look back at it now, it means so much more to me. My father gave all he had so that his boys could have the very best. That one day cost him weeks of pain, but he never complained; in fact, I don’t remember that he even said a word about it. Don’t get me wrong, I know that he never intended to break his toes, but in the end he was willing to suffer a little in order to give his boys what he thought was best. And yet, think about how much more our heavenly father loves us and sacrificed his all so that we could have what we needed the most. I grew up with a wonderful example of God’s love as my earthly father, and I know that not everyone has that. But our heavenly father loves us perfectly, regardless of the example set by your earthly father, and his desire is to give us everything that we need in order to experience the fullness of his love in our hearts.

There is nothing that you can do to make God love you any more than he already does. The cross of Jesus Christ proves that to us. On the cross he gave us his all, surrendering his very life so that we might know his love and forgiveness. God’s favor with you does not rest on the things that you do. Instead, his favor is found by trusting in the sufficiency of Christ. You will never earn God’s love by trying harder to please him or by being a better person than you are now. The only way to be right with him is to give up trusting in everything else, that you might follow after Jesus with all you have. It cost him everything to ransom you from your sin, but he willingly gave his life on the cross so that you might experience his forgiveness and his favor.

The cross of Jesus Christ was painful and costly, but he endured it for your sake and for mine. He gave all he had because he wanted to give us what is best. You and I don’t have to be or do anything to earn that love, in fact, we can’t do anything to earn or deserve it. God offers it freely to all who would surrender their lives to him. That’s the beauty of the gospel of Jesus. He gives us freely what we could never earn or deserve without him. May this truth set you free from trying to earn God’s love, that you might walk in the freedom of his love. And may the greatness of his sacrifice stir us to offer all we have to the one who gave his all to save us from our sin.

On Mission Together

Posted on by
Reply

Spring break is just around the corner, and we have a group from our church who are headed to Texas to serve with Mission Arlington. The excitement is building for our group, and I am excited for them. You know for years as a youth pastor, I would take a group of students on a mission trip each year over spring break. I was so accustomed to leading those spring break trips year after year that is still seems a little strange to me when this time rolls around and I’m not making plans to lead a mission trip.

Short-term mission trips are great for many reasons. In all of my years of ministry, I have never witnessed someone regret their decision to go on a mission trip. I have known several who wished that they would have gone, but never any who regretted the decision to go. I am convinced that serving on a short-term trip impacts your life as much or more than those that you go to serve. Some might think of this as a disadvantage to mission trips, but over and over I have seen this work to the advantage of the church as people come home with their fire for ministry ignited by their time on the mission field.

One of the other great benefits to mission trips are the relationships that are formed through serving together with others in the trenches of ministry. There is a close personal connection that you quickly establish with the people that you serve alongside on a mission trip. Some of my closest relationships with people in the churches I have served have come through serving together with others on mission trips. For this reason more than any other, I think it can be a life-changing experience for a family to serve together on a mission trip. Better than any vacation experience are the memories that you have the opportunity to build together as you work to build the kingdom of God as a family. Raylee and I cannot wait for the day that we will be able to take our kids to serve as a family on mission together.

Serving on the mission field also gives you a chance to see God move outside of your own culture and context. When you have the chance to worship and serve with believers outside of your church, whether it be across town or across the globe, you find that the bond of Christ that unites you has the power to break down barriers of language, culture or anything else that might otherwise divide us. Your eyes are opened to the fact that God is at work in a mighty way in some of the places where you might least expect to find him. Yet we get to be a part of his kingdom movement as our hearts are united together in Christ. There is a kindred spirit that permeates us as the bride of Christ regardless of our individual context. It helps us to see that there is so much more to being a follower of Christ than we might otherwise experience.

I look forward to the day when our church is sending people from all ages on trips across our nation and around the world. We are currently working on developing some strategic mission partnerships that will allow us to establish ongoing relationships with missionaries at home and abroad for the purpose of opening the doors for our people to go and serve on mission. Pray for our missions committee that God will give them wisdom and direction for which avenues we should explore. There is literally a world of possibility, and we are working to build partnerships as God opens those doors for us.

Pray too for yourself that God might speak clearly to you about whether you are to go with us as we plan future mission trips. God may take you to the far parts of the earth to serve him, but I promise you that the life that will be touched the most will be your own.