One thing I love about the local church is that it is largely made effective through the work of volunteers.  Those who volunteer, sacrifice their time and energy to communicate the love of Jesus Christ.  It makes a pastor feel good when he can count on the leaders that serve under him and minister to the church body.

Last night, was a our first department head meeting at RFA.  We had a good turnout as we shared the vision of the church as well as leadership expectations.  Being a leader is a high calling.  We have been set apart by God to serve His kingdom and to do that, we must seek to excel in all that we do.  At the meeting I shared what I believe are some critical things that every leader must exemplify.  I cannot remember where I found these principles but they have proven to hold alot of truth.

A Leader Must Have Commitment
A Leader Must Have Consistency
A Leader Must Be Coachable
A Leader Must Be Classy (or Minister With Quality)
A Leader Must Model Character

Every leader should endeavor to have these qualities in their life.  I am excited about the future of RFA.  We have a great leadership team to build with.  The future looks bright.

I’m a little bothered today after my afternoon trip to Lifeway Bookstores.  I was in the market for 3 bibles for some of our students who have been chosen for a leadership council.  As I shopped through the Bible section for a good deal I was shocked when I found what I would call an industry double standard.  A Bible published by Zondervan Press that is made in China.  Now I know everything is made in China these days so why should I be shocked?  This to me is the ultimate paradox.  We pray for the persecuted around the world and then one of the largest Christian publishing houses in America outsources their Bible manufacturing to one the largest persecuting nations in the world.  It is pretty well illegal to own a Bible in China, but that is where American companies are having them made.

In recent news we found a Chinese pastor who was sentenced to re-education camp because he is a house church pastor.  For those of you that do not know, re-education means labor and torture until they recant their profession of Christianity.  Publishing Bibles in China is the ultimate in double-standards that rewards the Chinese government for persecution while helping an American company save a few bucks.  All I ask Zondervan is, “Is it worth it to save money?”

Thanks for letting me vent.  I had a hard time deciding whether to buy those Bibles or not but I almost had to considering they were the only ones that met the criteria I was looking for.  For shame, a few more dollars in the  hands of the Communist persecutors.  Please pray for the persecuted around the world.  Also pray for the Bible publishers to find another way to publish their Bibles.

Yesterday was another good day at church, although I must admit I was nervous at first.  There were snow flurries and not many people came out for Sunday School and I thought it would be slim pickens for service.  I was surprised when the people started rolling in and we had a good crowd for service.  There was a good spirit in the service and worship was great.  We continued our Flawed series by looking at Flawed by Fear.  We talked about Gideon and how he persevered through fear to obey the calling of God.

At the conclusion of the message there were several who admitted that they struggle with fear.  I believe more people than not struggle with the fear of failure.  I know I do!  God enables us to overcome our fears and we can be used for the Glory of His Kingdom.

This morning we woke up to a blizzard (falling snow).  It was a beautiful sight!  To most people snow is nothing but to us from Southeast Texas, it was a blizzard.  The only blizzard we have seen was from Dairy Queen.  Realistically, it was not a blizzard but the snow fell for quite some time.  It did not stick though but it was still a good sight to see.

We had a great time for Thanksgiving with Sonya’s family.  Two of her brothers and their families were there with their kids.  Hannah had a great time playing with all our nieces and nephews (6 of them were there).  She ran around and played and wore herself out.  She was playing with two of our nieces and one of our nephews when she ran up to me and said, “Boys are smelly!”  I replied, “you better believe it!”

That was music to my ears, “Boys are smelly!”  I am trying to put that in her head until she is out of high school.  When she finally gets old enough to date (25 yrs old), I will begin telling her that boys aren’t all that bad.  Hannah is only two but I get pretty nerved up thinking about her dating.  I am saving my money for a lie detector and an elephant gun so I will be prepared when her dates come over.  I will also be buying a nice 4 door so all of us will be comfortable on our double dates.  In case you are wondering, if they ask Hannah out, they are asking me out:)  So for the time being, I am brainwashing her that boys are smelly.

On this Thanksgiving Day we should be counting our blessings.  There are many things I am thankful for:

1.  Salvation – I am thankful that Jesus rescued my soul and forgave my sins.

2.  Satisfaction – He satisfies me like no one else can.

3.  Family – I love my family.  My beautiful wife and kids.

4.  Ministry – I am thankful He has called me.

What are you thankful for?

Last night, I had the privilege to share with a Spanish congregation in Rogers.  Pastor Armando is a new friend and he invited me to share what Thanksgiving means to me.  I had a wonderful time last night in the service and during the fellowship dinner that followed.

It was my first time to preach with an interpreter and I never knew it could be so tough.  When I preach my brain moves as fast as I speak.  Those of you that know me understand that my lips move fast and that means my brain moves fast.  Now, I have preached where my lips moved faster than my brain and I got in trouble:)  So, as I would share a line of my message, Pastor Armando would interpret.  It was tough to keep my train of thought.  The people were responsive, however, and they all made me feel welcome.

It was interesting as an American going through a whole service that was primarily Spanish speaking.  I was trying to remember my two years of Spanish class to pick up tidbits of what was being said.  The fact of the matter was that whether I understood Spanish or not, we are of one body, the body of Christ.  Just being among the brethren was awesome.  Regardless of language barriers, we are born of the same Spirit and you could sense the presence of God in the service, even if I couldn’t understand everything being said.

Last night, challenged me to be more mindful of the opportunity for missions here at home.  Represented in Pastor Armando’s congregation are people from Mexico, Central and South America.  He is a missionary in his own right to a dozen nations right here in Rogers.  God is tremendously blessing this ministry and you can tell He is at work.