We left this morning to carry our first load to Rogers, Arkansas where we will begin our new ministry this Sunday.  We decided to break the trip up into two parts so we were headed to Sherman, Texas to stay the night.  By the time we reached Woodville (70 miles from home) the truck died and took a while to get going again.  I talked with the UHAUL folks and they seemed to think it would be alright to drive.  We left Woodville and were making good time until we got to Longview.  It happened again! 

Now, we were in Longview only because I missed my exit and we were driving to another road to get back on track.  While we were driving, the truck died again.  I pulled into a shopping center and called UHAUL again and this time they dispatched a service truck.  It took a couple hours to get the service truck to us but now the truck is fixed (hopefully).  It was a minor problem…a disconnected spark plug wire.  We had only been running on 7 cylinders.  I noticed there wasn’t enough power for the truck but that was because something was unplugged.  The mechanic put the spark plug wire back on and things worked great.

In our spiritual lives we often go on, “not firing on all cylinders”.  We have access to spiritual power through the Holy Spirit but too many times we disconnect ourselves from Him.  We will lose power when we unplug from His power.  We need to get to the mechanic (prayer and the Word) to get us back in touch with the power source.  If you feel like you are not walking in full power, call on the Holy Spirit.  He will empower you.

Yesterday, we held our last service in Nederland.  It was a solemn day knowing that we were leaving friends.   I had intended on preaching “Living In Uncertain Times” but at the last minute decided to share a farewell message.  A message from my heart.  I used Paul’s writing to the Corinthian church, II Corinthians 13:11.  I shared how we sometimes have to say farewell to follow God’s will and it is not easy but it is necessary.  From Paul’s writing, he shared a simple farewell outline. 

1. Become complete – continue to grow in faith.  It depends on you as much as it depends on the minister.

2.  Be of good comfort – be comforted by thinking on happier things.  The things that have been accomplished, as well as thinking on eternity.  Our friendships that are formed here will continue in Heaven.

3. Be of one mind – stick together and focus on the Kingdom of God. 

4.  Live in peace – cultivate peace.  Do everything you can to keep the atmosphere of unity alive in the church.

These were Paul’s words to the Corinthians and they seemed to fit our service Sunday.

Last night, the church gave us a farewell party and blessed us.  It was a great time of fellowship and saying good-byes.  I am so thankful for the friendships that have been formed and the love that we have for one another.  Click here for some pictures taken by Kenneth Miguez. 

We know that God has something in store for Nederland First Assembly as well as our new church, Rogers First Assembly.  We are excited about our new assignment and we are looking forward to the future in Rogers.

Can I be honest this morning?  I despise having garage sales.  They have never seemed to generate enough money to make it worth my while.  Some people seem to be good at having garage sales.  Most of the garage sales I have been to have been over-priced.  So over-priced you might as well buy it new. 

Sonya talked me into having one and I am glad we did.  Now, when we discussed it, I told let’s try to price cheap and go for getting more sales.  It worked!  In fact, one lady told me we were selling to cheap:)  We had most of the stuff sold within 2 hours. We shut it down at 11:00am and I gave the remaining stuff away to our last customer.  This is the first garage sale that we have had that we made decent money and yet did not have to haul a bunch of things to Good-Will. 

Thank God for Garage Sales and a willing party to take the left-overs.

There are some highlights to having to pack all of your stuff and move it 550 miles away.  The main highlight/fun is packing with a 2 year old.  Sonya packs it, Hannah unpacks it.  Sonya packs it, Hannah unpacks it.  Sonya takes it away from Hannah, Hannah cries.  We considered packing Hannah in a box but we felt that was a bad idea, even though I would punch holes in the top so she could breathe:)  That was just a joke, I would never do that to Hannah:)  

There are also a lot of things for a two year old to do when the family is moving.  Climbing on the boxes is one of her favorite or as you can see in the picture, climbing into the toy box and relax.  All in all, the packing is coming along fairly well. We load up Saturday at 2:00pm and will leave on Monday morning for our journey north.

Sunday, I will preach my last sermon in Nederland.  It has been a good five and a half years and I have thoroughly enjoyed preaching the Word of God from this pulpit.  I have counted nearly 800 messages that I have shared at Nederland First Assembly.  I love to communicate God’s Word. 

Last night was my final Wednesday night teaching.  I enjoy Wednesday nights more than any other service.  I like the laid back atmosphere and the hunger for God’s Word that I sense on a Wednesday night.  The Wednesday night crowd is the one who want more of God’s Word, so the atmosphere is different.  It is easy to teach the Bible to this crowd.

This Sunday Morning my final message will be “Living In Uncertain Times.”  We hope to see you there!

“There are three stages in the work of God: impossible; difficult; done.” -Hudson Taylor-

Today is my dad’s 59th birthday.  I am blessed with a great dad.  When I was younger I tried his parental patience and yet he still associates with me:) 

I am thankful for lessons of life that my dad has taught me.  Things that have shaped me and that I have valued in ministry.  My dad, is not a minister but he has been a model to me in work ethic and loyalty that has helped me in ministry. 

Here are some things I have learned from my dad:

1.  Marriage is for life.  He has been married to my mother for 39 years.  This helps me know that marriage is a commitment.  When life was challenging growing up, I watched my parents work through it.  My dad was faithful to my mother and was glad to come home every night from work.

2.  Be loyal.  My dad was the dedicated employee of the same company for 36 years.  He worked his way up from the bottom of the totem pole.  He has now retired but gone back to work for the same company as a contractor.  Growing up, I never heard my dad talk bad about his boss or come home and gripe about the company he worked for.  If he didn’t like something, he didn’t say it in front of us.  Loyalty to the people you serve is necessary.  Whether you stay in the same place for 39 years or move to another job or ministry.  Be loyal to those you serve.

3.  Work hard.  I have tried to count the times my dad stayed at home sick from work and I can honestly say I cannot think of any.  My dad went to work every day without fail.  He went to work sick.  He often would work long hours.  My dad taught me early on in life that if you want to always have a job, work hard, there are too many slackers.  When it comes to lay-offs they let the slackers go first.  Make yourself irreplaceable.  I have tried this principle from the time I started working.  I believe in working hard just like Mike and thankfully, I have never been without a job in my 21 years in the workforce.

Thanks Dad for the lessons you taught me.  You probably didn’t think I was paying attention:) Happy Birthday!

Maybe I am a bit odd but I like storms.  It is the perfect weather to either sleep in or to sit back and read a good book.  I guess it is the dark clouds that make it feel serene even when the storms look bad.  There are, however, some storms that scare me, like today’s.  As I was down at the gas station, I looked to the east and noticed the incoming clouds. They were pretty scary looking.  Storms are good but when they look ominous I don’t like them.