Close games at Hoxie

Last night I watched our oldest boys play basketball against the Hoxie Mustangs. It was an enjoyable evening for the most part. Logan (7th grader) played one of his best games of the season. His team pulled out a nail biter with just 16 seconds left in the game they took the lead on a 12 foot jumper from Will Winberry. Logan hit 2 free throws after a Hoxie player was called for a technical foul and that sealed the victory. Way to go 7th grade Mohawks.

The Junior high game was sloppy to say the least. We played very sloppy for most of the first half but found ourselves down by only 2 at the half. In the second half we played much better and our effort was commendable. Tanner played well in the second half by attacking the boards and going strong to the goal. I wish I wasn't so intense at sporting events but I find myself yelling instructions way to much. I am very proud of all three of our boys and I hope that each of them know that.

Sports has always been a big part of my life. It can be a very positive thing if you don't allow it to become more than it should. The thing I love to watch at just about any sporting event is an athlete who is busting his tail. I mean playing hard on every play. Effort has beaten talent many times. Just because you have talent doesn't guarantee a win. That is great to hear because not all of us have a lot of talent but yet we can all put out an effort. In the church there may be more talented people than you but understand this God is not so much concerned with your talent as He is your effort.

The junior Mohawks may not have started well last night but they finished strong. That strong finish led them to a victory. You may not have started your walk with the Lord very well but there is still time to finish strong. Be remembered as someone who gave a great effort.

Big give away this Sunday!

I couldn't wait to tell you, this Sunday everyone is going home a with a gift from Emmanuel. Bring a friend and let them get in on the surprise. I can hardly keep from telling you all the exciting things that is going to happen this Sunday morning. Spread the word by email, phone, or visit but don't come to church this Sunday alone.

I need your help, we need more people stopping by our website. Starting this Sunday we will have cards with our web address on them and you can pass them out to people you come in contact with. I am hoping for 1000 hits before Christmas morning. We have lots to share let's get busy. Big news about a website contest coming up this Sunday as well.

WOW I love Christmas!!!!!!

Game Day.

Today is going to be another Great day. I am on my way to pick up Rudy for breakfast but before I do I just wanted to write a few lines and encourage all of you this morning. I have spent the last few days with what I have diagnosed as a ear infection today I'm going to see if I am right, (i'm going to the dr.) I haven't been able to hear very well out of my right ear and it is driving me crazy. I take so many things for granted how about you. My hearing has been one of those. This little health issue has caused me to wake up and give thanks for all the abilities that I do have. I don't want to waste the God given gifts such as hearing and speaking that God has given me so today I am going to try my best to lend an ear to someone who needs to talk (my left one) and use my mouth to speak encouragement to someone. Why don't you do the same. Let me know how it goes.

Oh yea, Game day! Tonight the Murray boys have a basketball game at Hoxie and I am fired up about watching them play. I love my life and all of you are a big part of it.

Don't forget to come and see the transformation of that sad Christmas tree this Sunday you will be WOWed!!!!!!

WOW starts off wtih a bang

Yesterday we kicked off a new series at Emmanuel called "Gifts that make you go WOW! I talked about the fact that God chose two ordinary people to do extraordinary things. It is a huge Gift from God for Him to choose to use us. I hope that each of you will grasp the reality that God wants to use you! How cool.

Speaking of being used let me tell you what 21 teenagers and 6 adults did yesterday. Immediately after church the youth set up a call station in the foyer of the church and made 1207 phone calls to people in Piggott. The reason for the call was to simply wish the community a Merry Christmas and ask what we could pray for them about. These kids made a huge difference in just a few short hours. I came in about 4 o'clock and wanted to take them all out for milkshakes and they wouldn't leave. I stood and watched as the well organized machine ran to perfection. They received 196 prayer request, prayed over the phone with almost 1oo individuals and got hung up on 96 times. Our teenagers ROCK!

Yesterday was just another indication of how important leadership is to a church. I want to thank Dave and Karen Green for giving great leadership to our students yesterday. If you want to know what I mean by the fact that being used by God is a gift just talk to Dave or Karen and ask them what if feels like to be used by God, better than that maybe you should ask one of the students who spent yesterday afternoon being used. (wow that was a long sentence)

I want to challenge those of you who are following along to find a way that God can use you and go to work. Start today and let me know how feels to be used by God.

Going Shopping!

To be a good leader you need to invest in those around you and today I am going to invest in my wife by spending quality time with her and hundreds of other people at the Mall. As soon as she finishes lunch duty at the school we are going to Paragould and Jonesboro. We are going to attend the funeral of our good friend David Richey's father who passed away on Tuesday. David is a wonderful fellow and we love him and his family very much so please pray for them.

I have to tell you how excited I am about this upcoming series of sermons. Thanks to those close to me I have been able to get plenty of good ideas on how to maximize this series. I don't know whether to call it The WOW series or The ULTIMATE GIFTS. I am sure by Sunday I'll know. The main thing is that we get the word out to those who need to hear it. Everyone is looking for a good deal these days and I think this Sunday will prove to be a good deal for everyone.

Christmas is just 26 days away, have you thought about how you can help us fill the church for our Christmas services. I want to encourage all of you to begin now inviting people to our services. Another thing you can do is volunteer! We need lots of volunteers to help park cars, greet guest, work in the nursery, pass out cider and many other things. If you are interested in volunteering call the church office and we will bless you by giving you a job.

Sorry but I have to go the money in my pocket is burning a hole all the way through my jeans so we better go get rid of it. If you would like you can email me at kevin@eblovesyou.com and tell me what you would like for Christmas.

Lifehouse Everything Skit you might want to watch!

WOW

Gifts that make you go WOW! That is what I am calling the series of sermons that I will be preaching during the Christmas holidays. I am so fired up about the future of our church it just makes me want to SHOUT. God is moving in the lives of many and I am one of them. Today I talked with a friend about some possible leadership changes that I can make in my life that will be huge for the growth of our church. We have to want to grow to grow, that goes for all of us as individuals not just the church as a whole.

Do you want to grow? Then evaluate your own life and see what could change. Is it your work habits or maybe your effort in doing the work. Are you giving God your best? These are questions that I am answering and evaluating what I find out. If you don't like criticism this may not be something on your to do list, because I assure you that all of us have our areas of weakness.

One of the gifts that can make you go WOW is that fact that God has chosen you to do a special work through. Mary had no idea she would be used the way she was but in the end it was an awesome gift God gave her in the fact that she was the mother of Jesus. God used Mary and He wants to use you, what a gift from God to know that He wants to use me to change the world, WOW! Let's work together as a TEAM and make a difference!!

I can explain.

I'm sorry to all of you faithful followers about not posting yesterday. I had some very important things that took most of my day and night and I was unable to keep my word. Please pray for the Walker family from Piggott, unfortunately their new born son (only 6days old) passed away and the funeral was yesterday. I had the opportunity to minister to this family by saying a few words at the funeral and taking some food over to the house. I want to say thanks to Bill Veal for going with me and ministering to this family. I could have gone alone but one of the things I am trying to learn about leadership is don't do things alone, take someone with you when you do ministry so the load is lighter and the joy is greater.

We have such a great opportunity all around us to make a difference. I find something new everyday that needs to be done for the Lord. God has chosen us to be in Piggott at this time to be his hands and feet. What a privilege! The happiest days of my life are when I am able to extend the love of Christ to those in need. If you want to join in on the blessings let me know that you are ready to go and serve and let's see what we can do. The holiday season is full of these kind of opportunities. Let's make sure we give the gift of God's Love to those all around us.
One of my favorite websites is Christianitytoday.com check it out and see what you think. I would love to hear some of your favorite sites, leave me a comment.

Follow me for 2 weeks

That's right for the next 2 weeks I am going to blog daily. The reason is I am trying to discipline myself in some other areas of my life and you can kind of be my accountability partners. I hope to share with you some interesting things over the next few weeks. I hope to introduce you to some of my mentors in the faith and give you something to think about.

One of the things I have been reading and studying about is how I can be a better leader at Emmanuel. I know that there is more in me that God is not getting I want to see what God can do through me. I have been doing much more reading and listening to other pastors and teachers that I respect so that I might learn something from them. I am beginning to understand that I don't have to know everything and it's o.k. to say I need help. Did I say that? HELP! My ultimate teacher is still the word of God and the Holy Spirit. I hope that over the next 2 weeks you will follow along with me and share with me what God does in your life and maybe share with me what God speaks to you.

Today I want to encourage you to check out flamingoroadchurch.com and go to the potentialblog. there you will find some good stuff to start with. I look forward to sharing and hearing.

Have a Great Day

Hi everyone today started out cloudy and rainy but that's just the weather on the outside that doesn't mean that today is a drury day. Make the most of opportunities today to turn someones cloudy day into a rainbow kind of day. You have the potential to change the course of someones day, look for that person and be a blessing to them today. It is so much fun to bring joy to a life, it makes you like Jesus because that's exactly what He does. He brings Joy when there is no Joy.

What I've learned while away

I know it's been awhile since you last heard from me but I have really been trying to read and seek the Lord for direction in my life and the life of the church. I must say that this is an exciting time for me because I have a hunger to excel in the work that God has for me. I don't know about you but medocricy is such a downer, you don't even realize it and before long a year has gone by and you have done nothing and you don't even really care. The thing about being mediocre is that you are always better than someone else and you just don't hang around or listen to those who are doing better than you. You are just satisfied to exist. ENOUGH!!! I praise the Lord for those who are visionaries, those people like Jerry Falwell, Franklin Graham, Rick Warren, Joel Olsteen, Troy Gramling and my list could go on and on. What I appreciate is the fact that these men would not settle for mediocrity in the ministry. They have and are striving for excellence for the cause of Christ.

I am finding myself daily wanting more and more to be apart of something far more than just a good church. What I really desire is to be apart of a God size vision and work. Thanks to my dear friend Troy I am learning that I can't expect to be a part of this Great work tomorrow if I don't first execute and put out the effort for it to happen today. To summarize, I can no longer just show up on Sunday and expect results without preparing and executing all week. It still takes dedication to achieve excellence. It is dedication to our Lord and execution of daily chores that will move the hand of God to bless His church.

Piggott Arkansas needs a church that will attempt Great things, and show a lost world that their is a God who can still do the impossible. I pray that whoever reads this blog will pass it on to others and you will beging praying about joining the team of workers who will work together today so we can see the miracles of God tomorrow!

I love you Emmanuel!! Let's dream again, Let's fish again, Let's trade good for Great.

In Revival

Well if anybody is still checking this blog I want to let you know what's going on. I am in Salem, AR. I am leading worship at the First Baptist Church. Sunday was an Awesome service as a husband and wife both gave thier lives to Christ and was baptized that evening. I am really excited to be hear and have God speak to me personally. I am spending a lot of time seeking and listening. I just want to be used by God don't you. The great thing is God wants to use us. Keep me in your prayers as I seek to lead the worship this week. I love to worship so it's going to be a lot of fun. I am praying for Emmanuel all the time because I know He has a wonderful future for us in Piggott. I love you.

Kevin