I saw this sign on one of the blogs I read.  It helps this business keep kids under a parent’s control.  Maybe we could tweak this sign for our children’s ministries just in case our kids get a little rowdy:)

We live in a day when the church world has perfected the church experience and it is done with excellence.  Many churches have full scale productions that rival the quality of Broadway.  Our music is professional.  The pastors have become premier communicators.  I believe we ought to give God our best and do our best for His Kingdom.  After all, we wouldn’t be half-prepared for service if we knew the president of the United States were to show up.  We serve the King of the Universe, so we ought to give our very best.

The truth is, however, that we often make ministry excellence our priority rather than spiritual excellence.  Ajith Fernando said, “Excellence is important, but if it is not backed by a godly life, it is useless.”  We must maintain ministry excellence only after we have made sure our hearts and motivations are right.  We should strive for excellence in our walk with God, in our prayer lives, in our spiritual disciplines and in our lives of holiness.  Ministry excellence and spiritual excellence work hand in hand.

As pastors and leaders we must learn that there is a balance between these things.  Sometimes it is easier to “do” ministry in excellence than it is for us to live godly lives.  We must strive for both!

In my devotional time this morning, I read an awesome verse of Scripture that speaks to us about Christ’s provision for our victory over temptation.

Hebrews 2:18, “For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.”

If we face struggles concerning temptation of any sort, claim this promise.  He is able to aid you because He has been there.  Every thing you face, He has faced.  He was in all points tempted like us, yet remained without sin.  There is victory because of His victory!

As I have been on vacation I have been trying to finish the book Leadership From The Inside Out by Kevin Harney.  It is a book that helps you evaluate the issues of the heart and life of a leader.  It is about more than leadership gifting but rather the heart of the leader.  In the chapter The Leader’s Ears it talks about hearing from God and listening for His voice.  It gives a good check list that helps you evaluate whether you are hearing from God.  Here is what Author Kevin Harney writes:

Symptom Check: I am hard of hearing.

1. It irritates me when people talk about “hearing from God”.

2. I would love to hear God speak but feel like I am spiritually deaf.

3. Sometimes I think I hear God speaking or sense his prompting, but worry it’s  just my own ideas or my mind playing tricks on me.

4.  I make the most of my decisions on my own, rarely seeking wisdom from others.

5. I have teams of people who give me their input and ideas, but if the truth be known, I gather these people so they will agree with me, not really to hear their input.

6. I rarely ask friends for their perspective on my life and ministry.

These are good questions to ask ourselves.  I know I have some work to do on my listening, how about you?

Today is my last day of vacation and tomorrow it is back to work.  I am looking forward to being back in the office.  The rest has been good.  We haven’t done much these last few days.  It has been nice just to unwind with no schedule or agenda.

I am excited to be back in the pulpit Sunday.  i have never been this long without preaching.  I am looking forward to starting our WHY? Series Sunday.  We will be talking about Why Christians Suffer.  Invite someone to church Sunday.  This will be a message that speaks to those that do not understand why we must go through hard times.

We were getting a little homesick for our own bed so we left a day early to head home.  We got in last night at 1:00am and it was nice to sleep in a little this morning.  We had a great trip to Oklahoma.  Many have asked how Sonya’s dad is and he is doing pretty good.  He still has his ups and downs but he is doing well.  We appreciate your continued concern and prayer for him.  By all means he is a miracle.  we should have lost him long ago but God continues to bring him through.

When we got to Oklahoma we just hung out at the house.  We had gone sight-seeing so much in Hot Springs that it was kind of nice to unwind.  I flew back in Friday for Sis. Weston’s funeral and then back to Oklamoma Saturday to finish up vacation.  Sunday, Sonya’s brother came over and we barbequed.  He is the master of the pit.  He smoked some chicken and pork ribs and when they were done, they melted in our mouths.  It was a good day spent with her family.

Then before we left on Monday, we took our bi-annual trip to the thrift store and swap shop.  I love these places to look for Classic books.  I bought a book by H.A. Ironside and an old book about the history of the reformation.  As many of you know I love books. I collect them.  I am running out of room for them but when I find more I cannot resist.

Just wanted to catch up on the last half of our vacation.  It is good to be back home.  Vacation has been good but we miss our church family.  It will be good to be back in the pulpit Sunday.

We are headed to Oklahoma today for the second leg of our vacation.  We have had a good time in Hot Springs but we are looking forward to spending time with Sonya’s parents.  We haven’t seen them since October.

As for blog posts, I am not sure when the next one will be.  Check back on Friday evening.  Sonya’s parents do not have internet access but I will try to find a place with Wi-Fi.  We miss home already but vacation has been good.

Monday in Hot Springs we visited the Wax Museum, the Mountain Tower in Hot Springs National Park and the Alligator Farm and Petting Zoo and Downtown Hot Springs.