Hit the Road, Jack

I am hitting the road next week.........Edmond and Tulsa. As always, as I return home I will be reflecting on how blessed I was to get to spend time with these wonderful disciples that I see each trip! You folks in Edmond need to be watching the weather channel because it seems every time I come over there I run into ice, sleet, hail, thunderstorms, tornadoes, or flooding. If we get any of those first 3, start looking towards the Heavens and listening for some trumpet sounds! :) Anyway, I won't be posting for a week or so.

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I am so glad Mike plugged "same kind of different as me" on his blog! It was written by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. It's the BEST book I have read all year....and second place is still on the back stretch. GREAT BOOK! I got a used copy off of Amazon. I am an Amazon junkie. Anybody else relate?

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Joseph and Mary Katur from Kenya are going to be in Searcy this weekend and some of next week. Wanta talk about some giants in the faith! I was only with them for 3 days last November, and they impacted me greatly. Because of their efforts and a few others, hundreds of kids are able to receive a Christian education at the Marianne School in Kapsabet, Kenya. I LOVE MARY AND JOSEPH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another Quote

Here is another powerful quote from the "End of Religion". This one comes from Doug Banister:

"Religion is the archrival of intimate spirituality. Religion , a tiresome system of manmade do's and don'ts, woulds and shoulds.......impotent to change human lives but tragically capable of devastating them......is what is left after true love for God has drained away. Religion is the shell that is left after the real thing has disappeared."


Chew on that one for a while?


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Was the U.S. Open not a blast? I suspect that like many of you, I have a new golfer to pull for.........Rocco Mediate. I have always pulled for Freddie Couples, Ernie Els, and Tiger. Gotta say, Rocco will probably be at the top of that list from now on. I love his graciousness and his ability to keep things in perspective. And his humor. And his charismatic personality. And his never give-up mentality. What's not to like? :) Where are you John Daly?

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I had a wonderful Father's Day weekend! I got to be with my dad Friday, attend a Wade family reunion on Saturday, and be with my two boys and their sweet wives for lunch on Sunday. I have a wonderful dad, and two great sons who will be wonderful dads someday. I am richly blessed!

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Josh Patrick is the best young preacher I have heard in a LONG LONG time. We got to hear him again this past weekend when we attended Grace Crossing in Memphis with Luke and Juliana. If you get a chance, go to their web site and listen to some of his sermons. The guy is off the charts! It's going to be exciting to see what God does with this talented young servant of His.

Soren Kierkegaard

In his book "The End of Religion", Bruxy Cavey includes this quote by Kierkegaard:

"Act just once in such a manner that your action expresses that you fear God alone and man not at all..........you will immediately in some measure cause a scandal"

That may not be an absolute truth, but I think it happens that way more often than it doesn't. You can see it happen many many times in the Bible, especially with Jesus. Since that time it's happened over and over again, and it still happens in 2008.

I'd rather be scandalous than safe.

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A news item today is that archaeologist have found what they believe to be the first church building or meeting place of Christians. It was found under Saint Georgeous Church in Rihab, Jordan. The article says they found stone seats thought to be for the clergy, and they discovered an area they "thought to be the aspe". I keep waiting for them to find an "order of worship" that shows 3 songs, a prayer, a scripture reading, 2 more songs, the sermon, an invitation song, the Supper, another song, announcements, and a closing prayer. :)

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Monte and Beth Cox leave today for Tanzania with several young couples who are going to be a mission team to that country in another year or so. This is a survey trip to search for the optimum area of the country to use as a base for their effort to bring the Gospel to those who have never heard it. Their daughter Sarah and her husband Andrew are a part of this team. One of minsters from Downtown, Dave Mathews, is also joining them on this trip. This is his first experience in Africa! I can't wait to hear his stories when he gets back. Monte, Beth, and Dave are coming home in a couple of weeks while the team stays there for another couple of weeks. Please pray for their efforts.

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It's less than 3 months till football season! What are your predictions this year? I say a certain team that wears Crimson is going to have a better season this year than last. And I say Tank Daniels is going to be on the field MORE this year for the defending world champion New York Giants! GO TANK!

What Does the Lord Require of You?

I am sure all of you recognize that question from the great trial in Micah chapter 6.
Israel was on trial, and the Lord had laid out all of it's transgressions and sins.
To make things right again and gain redemption, Israel wanted to know what sacrifice would wipe away it's wrongs...........it's many many wrongs. "With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God?" Israel asked. Would calves be enough? How about rams, thousands of them? Not good enough? Ok, how's this.........I will offer my first born, the "fruit of my body".

Truth was, no sacrifice was good enough, big enough, expensive enough, or personal enough. At least no sacrifice of ours.

With God's leading, Micah understood this. The prophet answers the people of Israel this way: "He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To ACT JUSTLY, and to LOVE MERCY, and to WALK HUMBLY with your God".

From where I am sitting, my take is that we STILL are having a hard time getting our arms around those 3 heart issues. I know I am. How you making out in those areas?
I have to figure the admonition to "Fix your eyes on Jesus" was a way to lead us to being these 3 things better than we are on our own.

Have you ever known or been around anybody that lived those 3 blessings better than HIM? Anybody love justice more, anybody more forgiving, or anybody even come close to being as humble?

It just keeps coming back to Jesus, doesn't it? Not to anything.........ANYTHING else. Jesus is enough.

Get Out the Black Balloons

Many of you know my buddy Keith Riley. Well, the youngster joins the AARP crowd today.........it's his 50th birthday! Send him a line or an electronic birthday card to his email address: kriley@firstcommunity.net

I am sure he will appreciate it! :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WOO-PIGSOOIE!!!!!!!!!!!!