Looking forward to the weekend!

I just want to say how much I am looking forward to this weekend. Our series on John 3:16 will conclude this Sunday and we will be looking at how we can give back to God for giving so much to us. Giving is one of the greatest things a person can do in life. It doesn't always have to be financially it can be so many different ways. Service is one of the greatest things that you can do, ask yourself what am I doing to advance the Kingdom of God? Jesus said, " the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few." Is that still true today? I just read some statistics for Arkansas and it said they we have 4 more churches this year than last year, church attendance has declined along with the number of folks baptized. The same is true for our own association of baptist churches. I still believe that we have plenty of people in our communities that need and want to know Jesus, we just have to stay faithful and keep sharing the salvation message. Think about what you could give to God to help others come to know Christ. The harvest is plentiful and I'm praying for some folks to go harvest the crop.

Struggling to stay focused

Is it just me or is it hard for anybody else to stay focused this time of year. It just seems that when spring arrives I begin to think of all the things I need to do and want to do that I don't get anything done. It really frustrates me too! I am not the most organized person in the world but I want to be. What I am learning is that when I loose focus, begin to see my self wandering from one thing to the other, I have to discipline myself to stay focused on each task at hand. There is really nothing more rewarding than finishing what you started. Pray for me that I will not allow myself to be distracted by good things and mess up the best things.

I love my Life!

I don't know why God has blessed me so much, but I sure am thankful that He is! As all of you know I get to pastor one of the Greatest churches around. It's not perfect but it is a Great church. It seems that every Sunday seems to be getting better and better. This past Sunday was so special the music was outstanding the spirit was present and the crowd was very energetic it all made for a

Another thing that I am excited about in my life is my relationship with my wife. I am so in love with Johnna, she is my best friend. We are becoming a team in ministry and it is so cool to be used by God together. Pray for us that we will keep the Lord number 1 in our relationship so that we can continue to be used by God. Johnna is working on getting her teaching certificate so she can teach school next year so please pray for her.

My kids, what a blessing to be a dad! These boys keep me so busy, from rodeos to ballgames to school activities. This weekend was so cool for me as I got to watch our youngest son win his first team roping championship. Ethan had competed all year long in a youth rodeo series and the finals were this weekend and he came out on top. It w as real close to the end, and on Sunday afternoon he won 2nd and3rd place in the rodeo to put him in the top spot for the year. I got to rope with him and we place third together on Sunday. Tanner and Logan competed also but not as often, they have other interest like baseball, basketball and football. Tanner plays on the high school baseball team and this weekend they played in the district tournament. Piggott played brookland on Friday and came out on top in 10 innings. Tanner had a good game he went 2 for 5 at the plate and made a good play in the field. Yesterday we played Manila for a birth in the state tournament but came up a little short losing 5 to 3. Our team is really young so we have a bright future ahead of us, I am so proud of all our kids. Logan played a double header last night as well and his team beat Walnut Ridge to improve to 2 - 0. Logan plays on the infield and
is recovering from a broken foot. Let the summer begin, it's gonna be fun.

Well that's just what was on my mind, take a minute and think about what you are thankful for.

Praise The Lord!

This Sunday a young man gave his life to Christ in our morning worship service. It was so wonderful to be a part of a miracle. I am so thankful that we have a church that still reaches out to people. Last week his girlfriend was saved and this week he came to Christ. This is a young couple raising 4 children who need lots of help. I am excited about what God continues to do in our little town. Pray for opportunities this week to share Jesus with someone. Thank you Emmanuel for spending the time, money, and energy to reach our communities for Jesus Christ.

What a morning!

Hey everyone, I just got to tell you about what happened today at Emmanuel. Well, worship was spectacular, the Holy Spirit was very much present, (trust me) a single mother was greatly used by God, (you should have seen it) the hurting found healing and the outcast found a home, the word of God was preached and received, and Best of all a young mother gave her heart to Jesus, and oh yea, a mother, daughter, and son all were baptized. That's not all, (it was a long service, but I couldn't stop it, praise the Lord) my neighbor who's been in rehab for 4 months was home with his counselor and trust me he is a changed man. One of our former teenage girls returned to sing and she sent us home wanting more of what we just had experienced. I'm not a very good writer, Max Lacado I'm not, but if you could have been in our church this morning you would know what I'm talking about. God is not done with this church and I know it. The devil in hell is not happy at all with Emmanuel today because we have once again got a burden for the lost and we are going to do what we can to tell the world that Jesus saves! What a day it has been.

Great to be in Horatio, Arkansas

There are good people everywhere and I just spent 4 days with some of the finest. I haven't had this much fun in a Revival in a while. This church was pumped up and ready and they were not disappointed by the Lord. We ended the services tonight with a Great time of worship! I have cried and laughed all week and I feel refreshed. I can't wait to get home and see my family and just tell them all what went on during this Revival. I'm not sure how many people if any gave their lives to Christ but I do know that several saved folks made fresh commitments and that a town was and will be prayed for daily. I will let you know how things go because I plan on staying in touch with a few folks from down south. Way to go God!

Going Well

Hey friends, things are going very well down here in South Arkansas. I am having a ball! The church is not real big but they have done everything possible to see God move in a big way. I just love the pastor here. He is so full of life and love for the Lord it is contagious. The town is an old town that doesn't have much, I know many preachers who would not be very happy here but not Coy (the preacher). Coy has been here for 5 years and is doing a super job loving the people and reaching his community. Way to go Coy! I have met someone who has lifted my spirits and challenged me to make a difference in my community. Pray for us tonight.

Out of town

Hey everyone I am in South Arkansas leading worship for a revival. The name of the town in Horatio, Arkansas we are just a few miles from Oklahoma and Texas. I am with my good friend John Hodges from Salem FBC. We had a real good time of worship tonight, these folks are just good ole country folks and I feel right at home. The preacher is a team roper how 'bout that. I am excited about this week it feels good to be used to help another church get on fire for the Lord.

I missed being at Emmanuel today but I heard what went on and I am so proud of Emmanuel Baptist Church. Our church basically gave a family a brand new beginning this week and it all came together Sunday night with a huge pounding for the family and new furniture. Way to go ya! I love you and miss you and I am proud of all of you.

Sunny Day in Piggott

I love the sunshine. We have had a lot of rain as most of you know so that makes days like today very special. With all the rain I think we will all be happy to see lots of sunshine for sometime. I hope all of you are having a wonderful week. I have had some wonderful opportunities this week to be the feet and hands of Jesus and it has been wonderful. Pray for me.

Blessed

Do you ever just sit back and think about how blessed you are? I have been doing that a lot more here lately. One of the things missing in our world is gratitude. I want to teach my boys to be grateful for the things that they enjoy. Kids learn by example, that puts the responsibility on me. I know that I have it so much better than my parents did and our children have it even better than I did (I don't hesitate to tell them either, my parents did the same ) There is nothing wrong with being blessed, there is something bad wrong with being blessed and not thankful.

I just want to encourage all of my readers (both of you) to be thankful for all the blessings in your life. Yes we all have hard ache and trials, I do too. They do not compare to the things that God has given me. My salvation, my life, my family, my home, my church, my friends, and the list is very long. The scripture tells us to give thanks and that's what I'm doing, and I'm not even eating Turkey and dressing.

Great Weekend at Emmanuel

Great Weekend! We had our annual Easter Celebration on Saturday and we had well over 1000 people on our campus. Thanks to all the volunteers who gave out food, watched over the rides and helped with the games. Several families from the communities around Piggott benefited from our food boxes and clothing give away. I am always excited to see Emmanuel get involved in making a difference and we made a difference this weekend. We had a wonderful Easter Service that resulted in a full church and 3 people coming to know Christ as Lord of their lives.

Back from Oklahoma.

I'm sorry that I haven't posted lately, but me and Ethan (our youngest son) just returned from a trip to Grove, Oklahoma. We had a wonderful time! Ethan was invited to a junior young pro team roping school. It was a lot more than roping. The kids were involved in great bible study 3 times a day and were able to hear quality bible teaching. The purpose of the camp is to raise up a generation of young cowboys and cowgirls who not only compete in rodeo but share their faith and live their life by the word of God. I was impressed with the entire 3 day camp. I love it when people have prepared and excellence shows and that's what happened.

Ethan was the runner up winner in the Camp Championship Team Roping. There were youngsters from Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Oregon, and Missouri. Ethan and I met some fine folks that we will never forget. We really are living the abundant life!