For those associated with our ministry directly in Northwest Arkansas, for those of you that will attend this Sunday, I have some GREAT NEWS to share about some things God is doing.  I am blessed and blown away by it.  God is great!  For those of you who can’t be here on Sunday morning, go to:  www.ronniefloydwinners.com and click on Sunday Live Webcast to watch online.  Instructions are there for you on how to do it. 

I had a phenomenal Board of Directors meeting last night.  I am more than blessed with several great men who assist me in operational and ministry decisions for our church.  They are an encouragement to me and I thank God for them.  They provide the welcomed accountability concerning everything personally and things relative to ministry.

I lost a sweet friend this week, Mrs. Mabel Thompson, "Mrs. T" to me.  After a severe stroke, she died on Sunday morning.  Her family is close to ours and "Mrs. T" was a sweet encourager to us through the years.  I could not count the sweet cards she sent us through the years.  She represents many of our great people here:  behind the scenes, supportive, giving, praying, serving, and giving some more.  What would I do without them?  We will miss "Mrs. T", but we do know she is with the Lord Jesus in Heaven today. 

My dear Pastor friend, Grant Etheridge of Lavaca, Arkansas, is walking through some deep water with his wife as she had brain surgery this past Tuesday in Little Rock, Arkansas.  Pray for Tammy.  She is a godly woman and a wonderful Pastor’s wife.  The surgery lasted for 8 hours, initial prognosis is favorable, but will not be confirmed for days.  90% of her tumor was removed successfully and soon they will use another procedure to take care of the other 10%.  We love Grant and Tammy and we are checking on them daily and have been talking several times with them over the past four weeks or so since they had the initial diagnosis. 

Nick’s Bible Study Class at Prestonwood Church in Dallas is one of the fastest growing in the church.  This young singles class is exploding as Nick is moving forward in his ministry to Young Single Adults.  The class is just a small portion of his responsibilities as he works at Prestonwood while completing his Master of Divinity degree from the Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth.  However, he teaches this group while the the Pastor’s son, Josh Graham, serves as his volunteer director.  Josh’s dad, Jack, is a good friend and God has used him greatly through the years in Dallas and beyond.

My son Josh was elevated to serve not only as Head Football Coach of Shiloh Christian, but also as Athletic Director, as of yesterday.  The Lord has blessed the gifts of Jimmy Dykes, ESPN Basketball Analyst who has been serving as our Athletic Director, to such a point that his career has exploded with ESPN.  With the responsibilities that marriage bring and his new precious daughter, he can only do so much with all the travel that is involved with his job.  So pray for Jimmy as God continues to use him and pray for Josh as he takes on this additional responsibility. 

I am doing the Summit Business Persons Luncheon today, so I must go.  God bless you with His Favor!

When you lead anyone else or any organization, your goal should be to rally them towards a better future.  Whether you are a Mom or a Dad, a President or a pauper, each of us have influence over someone else.  For some, thousands. For others of us, just a few or perhaps just one other person.

Yet, your goal should be to rally other around you to a better future.  People are going somewhere and they are going to follow someone.  The person that convinces them they can experience a better future is usually the person they follow the most.

This coming Sunday is one of those moment for my leadership and for our church.  It is always my goal to lead the people where God says in His Word we should go.  This is not always easy, but is always necessary. 

God always is into people experiencing a better future, in fact, He is the True Leader that always rallies you to a better future, a better day, a better tomorrow.  Pain or grief may fill your heart, but God always wants to use whatever we have been through in life to lead us towards a better future.

Ask God to rally you towards a better future for your life and family.  I promise you this one thing:  He wants to do so…He is trying to do so…stop what you are doing and follow Him.  This is where the power of God is in life.  This is where the glory of God is for your life. 

When you are on the track towards a better future, rally others to go with you and be sure you go God’s Way by God’s Word! 

I have never been to a Super Bowl, but just returned from my first, the second most watched television program ever.  I was able to go through "Athletes in Action International," a worldwide ministry to athletes.  I attended their annual breakfast on Saturday morning, which an estimated 2,000 plus people attended. 

The Super Bowl is like no other sporting event I have ever attended.  I have been to State Championship games, the National College Championship Game before, but nothing like the Super Bowl.  Everywhere you went throughout Detroit, the presence of it was known.  Every news station, its presence was known.  Everywhere you went, people were talking about the Super Bowl.  The Media presence was astounding!

Jeana, Josh, and Nick accompanied me to Detroit for the breakfast and the game.  Let me speak to each accordingly.

The breakfast was outstanding as we heard Tony Dungy speak, Bart Starr speak, and Curtis Martin  honored with the presentation of, "The Bart Starr Trophy" for an athlete that demonstrates his faith both on the field and off of the field.  The testimony by Martin was incredible.  The heart of Bart Starr was awesome.  Tony Dungy, who has just lost his son to death, spoke about what God had taught him through his three sons.  It was truthful and sobering.  I met all of them at a special reception held.  We were all blessed!

The Super Bowl seats were great, looking from the Steelers end zone, right down their entire sideline.  The crowd was dominated by the Steelers in an overwhelming way.  The Steeler fans are, well, unique and persuasive.  It was an incredible game and a 10 hour day, non-stop for us, from leaving the hotel until returning to it.  With around two hours of sleep, we caught our flights and put in a full day on Monday.  

Yes, I picked the Seahawks, like most of those who chose to participate in our poll of who they felt would win.  Five missed passes and five holding calls cost the Seahawks the game.  The calls were…I will leave that alone.

So, yesterday I arrived back staying in meetings forever, came home and worked to finish matters up.  As well, began earlier than normal this morning to attempt the great "catch up" and prayerfully by Friday I can do it. 

If you are in Northwest Arkansas, attend the Summit Business Persons luncheon on Thursday….I am speaking and would love to see you there.

I am having time issues this week, and the internet service in my office and on Jeana’s computer have been horrible, so I am writing this via wireless. The rest has been a mess since our return from Detroit.

I hope to blog very soon on my experience at the Super Bowl. We had a great time and I will share more with you as soon as I can. Due to a funeral in Northeast Arkansas today and pressing preparations, it might be tomorrow before I can write again.

Do you have the proper perspective about your life and all matters relating to your life?  That is a very big question for each of us to answer.  Sometimes in the midst of loss or disappointment, we lose it.  Sometimes in the midst of crisis or challenge, we lose perspective.  Sometimes in the midst of success and victory, we lose it.  However, how about this?

MVP Running Back for the Seattle Seahawks, at the major Super Bowl Press Conference on Tuesday stated these words:  "We believe life itself with Jesus Christ is more important than what we do on the field … we want to make sure our focus is on more than this game.  We have a bigger calling."  How about that one?  This is what you call "perspective."  Those that covered the conference said that Shawn Alexander used his one hour with media (remember he is MVP this year) for the purpose of talking up Jesus Christ.  He is the real deal according to thefolks at Alabama where he played.  This is not just "fluff" with Alexander.  Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck of the Seahawks said he learned something from Trent Dilfer and he does it to this day … while in the tunnel about to come out to play he prays these words and says, "Lord, may we perform for an audience of one."  This is what you call perspective.  They are keeping things in perspective.  Hasselbeck told the media on Tuesday that most are not aware even though we have players from across this country who play on this team, "I don’t think many people realize how many Christian guys we have on this team and howunited we are … we are united in Christ, and the unity you see on this team is very encouraging."  Well, is that not something else?  

Pittsburgh Steeler strong safety, Troy Polamalu, wears his silver wedding band under his glove weekly as we goes about his defensive exploits in the NFL.  Why does he do this?  Well, he stated on Tuesday:  "I don’t think we put any value on marriage any longer in our country and, to me, the wedding band is a symbol of my wedding bond with my wife (Theodora) and my bond with God."  This is what you call perspective.  He knows it all will go away, but his relationship with his wife andmostly with the Lord will not.  Wide receiver, Antwaan Randel El stated these words:  "People think this game may go down in history, but it’s really only temporary.  I thank God that I am here,but I know I have to ask Him for guidance because I don’t know what to expect … I can’t let this game get me too high or too low … I have to stay focused on God and stay focused on his Word."  The starting center for the Steelers, Jeff Hartings said, "I’ve been praying every day that I would honor Him and I’m praying now that I don’t embarrass Him during this time … I want to give Him praise all the time and use this time as a platform not for me, but for Him."  This is what you call perspective!

So remember the next time you get the socks blessed off of you and you think more highly of yourself than you should think … keep perspective!  If these young men can do it, you can to.  As you watch any, part, or none of the game Sunday afternoon please remember:  Not all of the men you see are ego maniacs as some perceive, but many of them are true men of God!  Why?  PERSPECTIVE! 

Keep perspective the rest of the week.  You know:  All else in life is just a game except your walk with Jesus Christ … perspective!   

You have read it here 1st:  Seattle will defeat Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl. Why? There are two reasons I have picked the Seahawks over the Steelers. First, a strong offensive combination of a capable passing game and a great running game by the Seahawks. Second, Pittsburgh is on an impressive roll, but sooner or later all good things in sports come to an end … just ask USC! 

I have no vested interest in either team and have really loved watching both of them in the month of January. The Steelers are very impressive and quite honestly, are the best choice if you were betting money on this game; however, I do not bet and you should not either. Their defense is super and their quarterback, "Big Ben" is playing outstanding. The spirit and athleticism of Jerome Bettis makes the world pull for him and the Steelers. 

Do I really believe the Seahawks will win?  It is a gutsy call, but yes, I do believe they will win. If they lose by 30 points, will I be surprised? No! I would not be surprised at all. However, remember, I chose the National Champions in College Football and in the NFL conference championships last week, I was two for two! Overall, it will be a great game to watch and sentimental motivation is for both to win. I can live with either one and both teams have earned unquestionably the right to play for the Football World Championship! Line it up and let’s see who will win. Enjoy the game!   

For those of you who hate football and will be so glad when I stop blogging about it, let me give you something to consider. Consider watching the Food Network!  Jeana is one of their viewers. This is why the prophetic word of my son, Nick, is so relative still in our home at times. He said one time to us these words: "My two most unfavorite words are, ‘NEW RECIPE’!" A lot of men and women would rather watch the Food Network than the Super Bowl. That is cool, so enjoy. Enjoy your new recipes! I will take football any time over the Food Network; however, I am just one. I am thankful that when we are able to sit down finally and enjoy some television we have more than one TV set. It prevents conflict and surely gives me something to surf. When I watch television, it is usually while I am reading the paper or going through mail or even online catching up on email. The same is true for Jeana.

Anything great going on in your life right now? If so, "push pause", and thank God for it.