It has been a great month this month of October.  It has been filled with blessings.  October is when the leaves begin to change colors as fall is in full swing.  As you drive through Northwest Arkansas the beauty is beyond words.

As pastors, it has been an extremely blessed season for us.  We celebrate our 6th anniversary as Pastors of the greatest church on earth, Rogers First Assembly.  God has been doing great things in our church body and Sonya and I are grateful that we get to lead such a wonderful group of people.

We are  thankful for the way the church blessed us for Pastor’s Appreciation.  All the cards, gifts and words of encouragement mean the world to us. You guys know how to make our family feel loved and appreciated.  In fact, one card says it all (I think). It was given to me by my daughter, Hannah, and a couple of other kids in the church.  Thanks to everyone for making our October special. Quack-a-doodle-doo! Whatever that means!

Last night, we capped off a great month with our annual Fall Fest.  It was a huge success! We had more people than we have ever had.  Thanks to Sonya for coordinating it and a huge thanks to all of the volunteers who worked hard making sure everything  went smooth as we served people within our church as well as the many guests we had last night.  RFA is an awesome group of people who loves and serves others with passion.

Sonya and I love our church family!  Thanks for letting us be your pastors.

How often do you really study your Bible?

Most people say, “Often”, but I didn’t ask how many read the Bible. Most of us read our Bibles often but how often do we study it?

To get the most out of God’s Word we have dig into it. For instance, take a book of the Bible and try to mark off recurring themes throughout the book.  You can take the book of Proverbs and  highlight every time it mentions wisdom, or the fear of the  Lord or the righteous, etc.  Another study is to take the Gospel’s and pay close attention to every time Jesus performs a miracle, note His prayers, or even study His parables.  You could also do my favorite study of all time, the Book of Acts.  Get six different color highlighters or colored pencils and mark the references to the Holy Spirit (His gifts and baptism), salvations, healings, prayer, evangelism, discipleship and teaching.

In doing this it helps you to focus more on what the Bible says and helps you retain more of His Word. Studying the Word of God will enrich your life and help you to learn how to live this life.

Another great tool for study is the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (my favorite study book). You look up a verse of scripture and it will refer you to other passages in the Bible that are of the same subject.  This book helps you work through the Bible and see how God’s Word is pieced together.  You can find it online here.

I challenge you to get more out of the Word of God. The Bible says to study in order to show yourself approved.  Get into the Word…it will change your life!

Happy 8th Birthday to our beautiful girl. I am thankful God gave us such fun loving energetic girl who loves God with all her heart.