The Louisiana Baptist Singing Ministers

Went to hear them and was very pleased. Wish all of you could have been there. They sang at FBC, Columbia, LA. Ran into a lot of old friends. Good to see them.

When winning just doesn't happen.

Well, I watched the Saints lose. I watched and could not believe what I was seeing. We tried, but we had a team that seemed to want the win a bit more than we did.

I then watched the Miss America Pageant. Wow. So subjective. Hope Anderson should have won. It was an odd pageant. She is a winner in all of our hearts. We are so proud to have her as our Miss Louisiana. I think God has big plans for her.

Sometimes winning doesn't happen. Sometimes it's not time. When winning doesn't happen, what do you do? I am disappointed. I am down. I try to convince myself that it wasn't meant to be. I sometimes believe myself. I really should. I don't know who needs what when. I don't know "all." Ah, but I do know the one who does. I am still learning to trust Him in all things. He has His timing and we have ours. Ours is not right, His always is.

In spite of the lack of wins recently for our state there are a great number of churches who are praying through the 21 days. Ours is one of them. It's an awesome experience and one I hope will change our lives for the better. Spending time with God is never a losing proposition. We are winners each second we spend with Him.

As we continue to pray, let God speak to you. Take time to listen to Him. If there is any time we need to be closer to God and have direction in our lives it's now. If there is anytime we need to rise up and live out our faith before mankind, it's now. Our nation needs a spot of Hope. Our state needs a spot of Hope. Let's share the Hope of Christ with those who need it.

The Search Committee, by Tim Owens: A review

I received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes from Tyndale House. The book, in short, is a hilarious, but serious look at a seven member committee charged with finding a new pastor for their small church. It has a "Jan Karon Mitford series" kind of ring to it. That brought a smile to my face. Tim is not copying Jan, but his book falls in the same vein and is much appreciated by those looking for such a ride that this book takes you on. 

Having only been on the Pastor end of such a situation I do feel that this book truly "tells it like it is" when a committee heads to a church to hear a prospective candidate. 

The characters are well developed and truly human. One gets the feeling one knows them. There were some unexpected incidents that truly made the story believable. I highly encourage all church members to read this book, even if you haven't served on a search committee. It's a light and easy read, but has enough depth to make you want to look for another book by Tim Owens. I certainly hope he is working on another.

15 years, two boys and two dogs later…

Fifteen years ago I stood in the auditorium and repeated vows that I have a hard time remembering to a girl I truly loved and still love. It was a cold day. Hot Springs in Arkansas froze over. A ficus tree died at Southwayside Baptist Church. Craig Anderson and Lisa Watson sang. Dr. Bob Beck and my own father performed the wedding. Close friends were present. Family was present. Cake was eaten and appreciated. Cathy Drewry and many others helped in many ways. Terry White even videoed the wedding. A gift we treasure to this day. A Rolls Royce took us to the Seminary for the reception. I was dumber than I am now. Susanne couldn't get any smarter.

We now have two boys and two dogs. Two boys are great. Two dogs…well. We've served God at three churches including the one we serve now. It's been a great journey learning about how each other thinks and feels about issues and life in general. I am thankful for Susanne. She is smart, speaks French, Spanish and English and cooks oh so well. She is a great mother and wife. She laughs and likes to have fun.

I have discovered that a relationship involves a great deal of forgiveness and realizing that some things just aren't as important as we think they are. The key to a happy marriage? Well…like my father says, "forgive, forgive forgive." After a while you overlook stuff that doesn't matter. Our marriage isn't perfect, none exist that are perfect. Enjoying just being around each other sure helps.

Not sure what my point is here. I just felt like sharing a bit.

@FBCWinn and "Does my child need a mobile phone?"

I decided I could handle doing twitter and facebook for our church family. Is it too much? I don't think so. There are so many tools available to communicate with each other that it has become an easy task to do so in under a few minutes. Hootsuite is such a tool. It allows me to post to facebook AND to twitter at the same time. Not bad.

"Does my child need a cell phone?"
As I visited a local school I noticed a few baskets in the office full of mobile phones. I thought, "Wow, someone could make some money selling those." Then it hit me. These were phones which were collected at the beginning of the day from students who brought them to school. Some of these phones belong to students as young as 3rd or 4th grade. My questions are, "Really? Do who do these kids need to contact at school? Who do these kids ever need to call? How many of them are driving? At this age, do they really need a mobile?" I posted a similar question on facebook, but no one responded. I am wondering, just wondering, why does a young child need a mobile phone? I am not judging anyone, but just want to know why some feel a child needs a mobile phone?

Pre-Teen Invasion/21 days of prayer

As you read this I may still be in Pineville at the Pre-Teen invasion. Pray for us as we are here with some of our smaller First Family members. Pray we learn more about God and have some fun along the way.

How is the 21 Days of Prayer going for you? It's quite challenge. Hang in there. Be open to what God wants to do in your life. He wants to use you in a mighty way. Draw close to Him and listen to what He is saying to you. I'm praying for all of us during this time of prayer.

Praying for 21 days…

Wow. That seems like a tall order. Actually, it's not. When it comes to drawing closer to God one should never become satisfied where one stands with Him. Just when a person feels he's doing ok, he realizes he is not as much like Jesus as he'd like to be. The process of becoming more like Christ takes time. In fact, it's going to take an entire lifetime.

The question I have is, "How much more like Christ am I today than I was yesterday?" That is a great question to ask oneself every day. Don't spend time asking if so and so is more like Christ. Take an inward look at yourself and ask yourself the question.

Spiritual awakening is not going occur in my life or anyone else's life automatically. It will occur when our heart is a receptive position. Is you heart in the "receptive position?"

Happy New Year folks!

As we begin this new year we begin it in prayer. On Monday, as we pray for spiritual awakening, I pray also that you will join with us in your prayer journal. Prayer journals will be available in the foyer. Seek God's face and renew your relationship with Him. We all are in need of a spiritual awakening. It's time.