Today, I had the privilege to vote!  Yes, I said privilege!  We live in a nation where we are allowed to pick our leaders.  Many say one vote does not count, but every vote does count.  It is our duty as Americans.  It is our responsibility as Christians to vote for the leaders of this nation.  For many years I have heard people complain about our country, but yet they have never voted in any election.  If you do not vote you have no right to complain. 

This article today is from the heart and mind of Danny Cheney.  I have never been this candid about an election.  I cannot say how I would vote from the pulpit because they say it is “illegal”, however, I am allowed to say it personally.  This is my personal blog!  It has no bearing on how anyone in my congregation feels.  These are my opinions, so here goes.

I voted Republican: MacCain/Palin.  No, I did not vote for Obama.  At the onset, let me say that I think Obama is an incredible motivator/communicator.  He is highly intelligent and could no doubt be a leader.  He is already a leader, but as a Christian I could not vote for Obama.  1.  He is for abortion.  He is a supporter of partial birth abortion which is especially inhumane.  I cannot vote for someone who supports these things.  2.  He is liberal.  He votes for the most liberal and immoral of causes.  3.  Obama is not a proven leader in foreign affairs.  Our nation is in serious condition.  McCain is not the perfect candidate by any means.  However, in this unstable world we live in, I believe we need a strong leader.  McCain will stand against terrorism and the threats that face our nation.  I have a hard time thinking about Obama actually believing we can negotiate with terrorists.  4.  Obama is inconsistent.  He wavers to much in what he stands for.  He is a gifted orator but is also a crowd pleaser.  We do not need a gifted communicator for a president (because McCain is not a gifted speaker)  but rather need someone who stands by their convictions and leads the nation.

Finally, if Obama wins the election, he will be my president.  I will uphold him in prayer and intercede for him as I did George Bush and Bill Clinton.  He will have my respect and I will not bash him, even if I do not agree with him.  I will pray for God to touch him and give him wisdom to lead our nation.  I would pray for him and respect him the same I would McCain. Why? Because God ultimately appoints our leaders.  The Bible says, “The heart of the king is in the Lord’s hands”.  We must pray that God would guide whoever leads our nation.

Whether you are Republican or Democrat we must value each others opinions and spend time praying for our nation and its leaders.  God bless America!

I am always amazed at God when he doesn’t follow my instructions.  There is the old song, “I thank God for unanswered prayers” and there is alot of truth in that. 

This week we have been moving our last load from Nederland.  I had reserved a 17 foot U-Haul thinking it would be plenty of room for the rest of our belongings.  U-Haul called me to inform me that they did not have a 17 foot, only a 26 foot.  I was frustrated because I do not like driving that big of a truck especially while pulling my car.  Every time, I would wake up Monday night, I prayer for God to let them get a 17 foot truck by morning.  I interceded for this.  I even got frustrated because it didn’t seem like things were “going my way”.  I cried out to God to provide for me the 17 footer.

God didn’t answer my prayer!  I arrived at the U-Haul dealership and saw my 26 foot U-Haul with no 17 footer in sight.  “Thanks for answering my prayer God.”  The only consolation for me was the fact that they only charged me for a 17 foot truck, but as I drove off it did not ease my pain.

We got back to the house and began loading all of our things, when I stopped to thank the Lord for making me take the 26 foot truck, because I needed all 26 foot for my move.  We filled up every inch of the 26 foot truck.  God knew what I needed.

I sit in the hotel room tonight, thinking about how great God is.  I did not ask God to get me a 26 foot truck.  I wanted a 17 foot truck.  If I would have gotten what I wanted I would have been in serious trouble.  God saved me from a big mistake.  He always looks out for us.  I didn’t ask Him for the help but He gave it to me anyway and saved me money.  What an amazing God!

How often in life do we go our own way and do our own things, thinking we know what is best?  How many times do we get frustrated when things do not go our way, only to find that it all worked out in the end?  I have learned a big lesson in this move: all things work together for the good to them that love God!  God works everything out for our good.  I am still learning how to relax in God’s control.  Letting Him run my life is alot easier than having to make mistakes and do things over.

Today we had a great service at Rogers First Assembly.  There was an atmosphere of excitement in the air and God surely was present in our service.  It is interesting to be in a church service for the first time because when you welcome the guests, you really do not know who is a guest and who isn’t.  We know there were some new people today that we did not meet when we were here to try out.  This morning we had a good crowd and are excited to see what God is going to do in the months ahead.

Josh and I flew back to Houston this evening from Tulsa.  We had a good flight and will drive to Nederland tomorrow morning to finish packing our belongings to move to Rogers this week.  Our prayers continue for Nederland First Assembly as they search for a pastor.

Tomorrow is the new beginning for Sonya and  I, as well as a new start for Rogers First Assembly.  We are excited about what God has for us, this church and Northwest Arkansas.  God allows new beginnings to move us from where we are to the place He has for us.  There are seasons in life and in ministry and we must follow God wherever He leads.

For us, a new beginning in Rogers means that we are seeking the heart of God for His desire and vision for our new church.  I believe with all of my heart that God is up to something big and that He has plans for us and RFA.  A big part of any new beginning is looking forward.  Forgetting those things that are behind and pressing onward.

In times past, I have always tried to duplicate what has worked before or what I have done in previous ministries.  In this new start, I am asking God what He wants.  Not just something that has worked before but rather something for such a time as this.  God has a vision and a purpose for Northwest Arkansas and I want to discover how we can benefit His kingdom the most and gather the harvest.

Tomorrow is my inaugural message here at RFA.  I will begin a 2 part series on what I believe the role of the church is in the world and its responsibility to make disciples.

When I was a teenager I was a trouble-maker.  We egged a house with a dozen eggs one night.  We got caught and I was grounded from life for 7 weeks.  When I saw this cartoon today, I thought about my teenage years and wondered if I would have chosen the greener path had I been a teenager now:)

While we have been in the process of moving in, I have been putting things together, hanging stuff up, fixing door knobs, setting up our appliances and more.  Hannah has been watching everything I do.  She watches me use the tools and fix the different things.  Tonight, as I was working on a door knob, she picked up the screw driver and said, “Daddy fix it!”  She has confidence that I can fix things.

In our lives there are often things that are broken.  Marriages, relationship with our kids, sickness, finances, emotional wounds, loneliness and much more  that is broken in our lives.  We go through the motions in our lives and put band-aids on our broken hearts and never seem to get them fixed.  But as Hannah would say, “Daddy fix it.”

We have a Daddy that can fix everything.  Our Heavenly Father is our source of strength.  He is our mender, our healer, our stronghold, our help.  He is the El-Shaddai; the All-Sufficient One.  Whatever is broken in your life, Daddy Will Fix It!

We finally made it Rogers late Tuesday evening.  It was a rough trip in the U-Haul, it only broke down three times:)  In two days we counted 10 hours in the car waiting for the truck to be fixed.  That is 10 hours without driving, just sitting.  I will say, U-Haul was very gracious to us and gave us a good discount for the trouble.

As of yesterday, we have everything in the house and now we are busy unpacking.  I do not like this part of it.  Sonya is better at unpacking and I feel bad watching her do all the work.  So, I decided to help her:)  It is amazing how much is to be done when you move. 

We are also in unfamiliar land. Northwest Arkansas is beautiful to say the least but we still have a lot to learn about the area.  We still do not know where everything is.  We have managed to become regulars here at the Lowes, Wal-Mart, Braum’s (I love Braum’s), Chili’s (my all time favorite) and Taco Bell.  We haven’t had much time to sight see but we look forward to doing that when we get unpacked.

This has been an interesting experience for Hannah.  She is in a new house and has lots of new things to explore (get into).  I saw a garter snake in the shed and she looked at me and said, “Nake, it bite you!” A snake in the shed means we have an unusable shed:)

Josh is having a good time, the library is across the street. Need I say more!

Josh and I will be flying back Sunday evening to load up the rest of our stuff.  We will be in Nederland for a few more days.  Pray for our safe travel and strength for our family.