We had a great time at our church thanksgiving dinner last night.  I would estimate close to 100 people were there and we enjoyed a good time of fellowship.  The fried turkey was the best I have ever eaten (props to Stan and Jimmy).  All of the sides and desserts were delicious.  I was impressed with the large turnout we had for the meal.

Tonight, I will be sharing thanksgiving dinner with the local Spanish Assembly of God church.  Josh and I will be joining them for their service and dinner.  I look forward to spending time with Pastor Armando and his congregation.  They have been a blessing to our church in the recent months and God is tremendously blessing their ministry.

I had lunch today with one of the Chi Alpha missionaries at the University of Arkansas.  Tim was a sharp guy that has a passion for college students.  He is responsible for taking care of the international students at U of A.  It is amazing the opportunity for ministry on a college campus.  On any college campus there are around 100 nations represented.  These are students who will take their education back to their home country and become that nation’s leaders.  What an opportunity to shape the nations by reaching them on an American University Campus.

Tim shared with me a strategy that is used on the campus that I think can be used by any believer no matter where they are.  It is perfect for the marketplace as well as our neighborhoods.  Tim shared with me the four B’s:

1.  Befriend – Befriend someone and spend time with them.  Just be friends.  Not just be there to preach to them but first let them know you genuinely care about them personally.

2.  Belong – Invite them to belong to you and your life.  This is a good place to invite them to a church function or to be with a small group of like-minded believers.  Also to see how you live life.

3.  Behavior – This is where they begin to see the difference in your life and notice something that they might want.  It is the place where you have consistently lived a Christ-like life and they know you strive to be different in a good way.

4.  Believe – After you befriend them and invite them to belong, they have had time to witness your behavior.  Now that they see a difference, they are ready to know what you believe.  The door begins to open to share Christ and His grace for your new friend.

Look into your life and see where you can use the 4 B’s.  Too many people begin by trying to make people believe before they are willing to befriend them.  Befriend with the purpose to get them to believe.

I shared about my unwritten dreams but there are also dreams I have for others. 

1.  I have a dream for Sonya to one day be able to record a CD.

2.  I have a dream for Sonya to flourish in a ministry that complements her giftings more than just what I have needed her for.  She has always filled in wherever needed but I dream of the day that she is able to do what burns in her heart.  I will not say what that is, but you can ask her:)

3.  I have a dream for Joshua to grow up and be a man of God and to serve Jesus with all of His heart.  I dream of the day that he can work with me in ministry but only if he is called by God.

4.  I have a dream that our church will record a live worship CD one day.

5.  I have a dream that we will one day write our own worship songs.

6.  I have a dream that my brother will surrender his life to Christ as well as his household.

7.  I have a dream that one day I will be able to buy my in-laws a home near ours. (and yes if I had the money, I would buy my parents one too:))

Everybody has dreams in life and some of those dreams we carry secretly for many years.  There are some dreams that I have had for many years that very few people know.  In fact, most of these things only Sonya knows.  Recently I was reading about our dreams in life and the author stated that in order to see our dreams fulfilled we must learn to vocalize them.  The author’s premise was to share our dreams in case someone wants to partner with you in those dreams.

Here are several of the dreams that I have carried for many years:

1.  To publish a book through a good book publisher.  (I have held this dream since I was a child). 

2.  To have a radio program.  Not just a preaching program but also a morning drive devotional.  A two minute devotional that inspires others for the day.  It will be called “Thoughts For The Journey”.

3.  To begin a network of churches.  To be a mother church and send out church planters in the surrounding communities to plant a church.

4.  To preach a major conference and share things that God has laid on my heart for His church.

5.  To raise up young people to mentor them into full-time ministry.

These are some of my unwritten dreams that one day I pray will come to pass.

“The person who has stopped being thankful has fallen asleep in life.”

      — Robert Louis Stevenson–

On Sunday mornings, I am excited to go to God’s house.  It is not just to be among God’s people but also in anticipation of what God might do.  I always look forward to see if we have new faces, lives changed and salvation.  My hope every Sunday is that God will be glorified and people will be touched by the worship and the Word.

It is our awesome privilege to worship God freely in America.  It is our privilege to hear the Word of God preached and to allow God to change our lives through that Word.  When we go to church we ought to be thankful but also come with an excitement of what He will do.  Do you have an anticipation from Sunday to Sunday or do you just go to church expecting to see the same ol’ thing?

God’s House ought to be an exciting place.  A place we love to Go.  Chili’s slogan is “No Place Else”.  That should be the slogan of God’s House, “No Place Else Like Church”.  On Sunday mornings, can you say with the Psalmist, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord’?

Next week is Thanksgiving.  Time for the annual Thanksgiving meal with family.  Thanksgiving dinner is more than just food.  It is more than turkey and dressing, ham and mash potatoes.  It is more than candied yams and cranberry sauce.  Thanksgiving is about family, friends and conversation. 

When the holidays come we are often reminded of the diversity of our families.  Sitting at the table are Republicans and Democrats, Christians and Non-Christians, Introverts and Extroverts.  There are alot of different personalities gathered around the table: good and bad.  It is the reality of family.  As I have always said, “You can pick your friends but you can’t pick your family.” 

So in light of all these things I have developed some ground rules for a successful holiday dinner.  There are Good Topics and Topics to be avoided at all costs. (Warning: Some of these discussions are tongue in cheek:) )

Good Topics (Neutrality is always grand):

1.  Black Friday shopping.  While waiting for dinner, break out the ads and discuss what you will buy the day after Thanksgiving.  Create a competition between the different family members to see who can go into the most debt before Christmas.

2.  Football -Whether it is College Football or Pro, makes little difference.  We should just be thankful that God created football.  Eat and then sit around and watch the game.  If you want to make peace with the family, always make sure you root against the Dallas Cowboys (right Judy?). 

3.  Food – A good subject while eating is what we will eat for the next meal.  I have always found it relaxing, while eating Turkey and dressing, to discuss another type of food; such as Mexican.  As Americans it is our right to be thinking about the next meal. 

4.  Exercise – Discuss your weight loss plan and compare notes with the others.  It is a good time to learn what works and what doesn’t work.  It is also a good time to evaluate the plans that do work.  If someone suggests a good diet or exercise program but they have gained weight since last Thanksgiving, simply smile and agree, but find someone else’s plan.

Topics Not To Discuss (Mood Killers)

1.  Politics – We are only weeks after the election, there are some at the table who would love to gloat. Others who are still depressed.  It is not the occasion to bring up your political persuasion.  This is the quickest way for the dinner to end in a family feud.  If you are Republican and would like to get one over on the family, quietly get up from the table, non-chalantly switch the channel from ESPN to Fox News and be re-seated.  If you are a Democrat, simply switch to any of the other 86 news stations.

2.  Religion – Most religion is okay to discuss, just do not discuss Christianity.  It is never a good idea to bring your Bible to the dinner.  Most families have a wide array of opinions that will create a certain dispute.  But if you are a fun-loving person, simply bring your Bible and discuss what Presidential Candidate was the right one biblically. (See #1)

3.  Kids – Always choose to stay away from the subject of kids.  No matter how good your kids are, everyone else’s are better at sports, school or church. 

I hope this helps.  These are lessons that you can apply to any dinner with the family.  Just to remind you, alot of this was written as satire. But if you would like to send it to Dear Abby for her to use, feel free.  Just sign my name, Family Figured Out, Rogers Arkansas.

The other night I purchased a small computer desk for my office.  It was a nice desk at an affordable price.  I unpacked the box, read the instructions (which I normally do not do) and laid out all my tools.  I was now ready for the assembly of the desk.

I began with the side parts and installed the drawer hardware.  I then placed the brackets on the top portion of the desk and was ready to attach piece “E”.  I looked for piece “E” which was no where to be found.  I looked in the box, out of the box, around the house (just in case Hannah ran off with it).  Piece “E” was permanently missing.  The box was brand new, never opened, but the factory failed to put in piece “E”.  I called the store and was required to disassemble the desk and repackage it so they could give me a new one.  I took it apart went to the store and got a new box with all the pieces in it.

When I picked up that first box at the store, you could not tell anything was missing.  The box looked good but piece “E” was missing.  This is like alot of lives.  Everything on the outside looks good but something is missing.  Before I came to Christ, I loved life.  I knew how to have a good time.  On the outside everything was great, but when I laid my head on the pillow at night, I felt like something was missing.  There was a void in my life.  In 1991, I realized that the missing piece was Jesus.  I gave my heart to Christ and He gave me the missing piece “E”.  Eternity.  Eternal Life with Him.

But the truth is I had to disassemble the sin in my life and trade it in for His grace and forgiveness.  It was the best trade-in I could ever make.  If your life is missing something, do not look any further.  Jesus is the missing link.