The power of God is needed in our lives. I ask God for this daily and many times, momentarily. When it is all said and done, I want to be a man who is committed to have the power of God in my life. I want to lead a people of God that rely, desire, and passionate about the power of God.  

In this culture, the power of God is our only hope.  God, church, and spiritual matters are usually not discussed without some kind of spin, nonsense, or fabrication.  Yes, we need a powerful move of God in this Christ-less culture. There is no hope without it.  Each day people in this life people drive by churches and are never moved or even give a thought about God.

We need God.  We need God’s power. We need a fresh touch of the Spirit of God. 

I want this, do you? I want to be willing to pursue, to adjust, to receive this power. 

Let’s pray: “Oh God, we are in great need. We are nothing and we operate in a very limited manner without YOUR power. Please Lord, touch us right now. May Your Spirit blow a fresh and refreshing breeze upon each of us. I pray this Sunday will be a day when the breeze becomes a spiritual wind in every Jesus preaching, Word of God-centered church in the world. In the name of Jesus, Your Son, Amen!”

This coming Sunday morning at our Pinnacle Hills location I will have the pleasure to honor my close associate in ministry, Drew Tucker.  Drew has been with me for 10 years, ministering the first 5.5 years at the Springdale location.  He now coordinates the Pinnacle Hills campus for us.  His wife, Kim, is a great friend to Jeana, as well as loved by all of us.  Their children are: Austin who is going to be a senior in high school next year, Katie who will be a sophomore at Texas A&M University, and Drew Jr. and his wife Jessi, who will be in their second year at the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary preparing for ministry.  This is a great and God-honoring family.  This Sunday morning at Pinnacle Hills, we bring honor to all of them, but especially to Drew.

Is it right to honor one another?  In Romans 12:10b it says, “Outdo one another in showing honor.”  How do you do showing honor to others?  Do you try to outdo anyone in showing honor?  I believe it is imperative to be diligent in this task.  When we honor someone we are showing respect to them.  In this cruel, critical, and cynical world, respect is almost a thing of the past.  Therefore, honor is usually out the door already!

Let me tell you why I can honor Drew Tucker:

• His proven walk with Christ.  Drew is a man of God.  He is a man of deep devotion to our Lord.  Above all, he seeks the Lord daily.
• His proven life with Family.  Drew is a godly man first, a husband second, and a father third.  There is not anyone that knows him that does not know this about him.
• His proven service with me.  Faithful, loyal, honest, transparent, authentic, willing, fun, appreciative, and wild are all the words I think of when I think of Drew.  Yes, he has proven all of these through our 10 years together.

Of course, honoring others comes easy for me in life.  My Mom and Dad raised me to love God’s Word enough to read it so I learned in my early Christian life the high call of honoring others.  My Mom and Dad taught me to honor others practically.  My distinct privilege to honor people in my church and on my staff team through the years has given me the platform to do so publicly and privately.  Many times it has not been easy due to their actions towards me or words said about me, of course, them not even knowing I knew most, if not all they were doing or saying.  Regardless of someone’s conduct towards us, we should honor them.  Yes, at times that may mean a lot of things, even though the relationship may be over.  However, nothing should keep us from showing respect to others.

A word for you today:  OUTDO one another in showing honor!

Early this morning, I read the words, “How can they preach unless they are sent?”  Of course, this account coming from Romans 10, also states:  “How can they hear without a preacher?”  Additionally, the passionate beginning words of this chapter state:  “Brothers, my heart’s desires and prayer to God concerning them is for their salvation!”  These are such great words as I am reading through Romans.  These words articulate so accurately my feelings right now in my life.

I want to be that preacher who is sent. I want to be that preacher who is sent by the Holy Spirit and by the church of Jesus Christ to preach the Good News of Jesus to the entire world. As we begin our daily global television opportunity next Monday, my heart is crying out…“Lord, send me!” I want to be used up for Jesus to bring those glad tidings of hope, peace, and joy. Preaching is on the heart of Jesus and they cannot hear without that preacher. Lord, I want to be that preacher.

My heart and passion is be used here as a Pastor to see Northwest Arkansas come to their salvation in Christ alone. For 20 years this fall, I have done daily what I could to see this happen. Some days I feel I have failed miserably and other days I believe God has used me a little. However, there is so much more to be done!  There are so many more people to reach for Jesus. My world begins right here in Northwest Arkansas. Help me. Send me. Pray for me.

The Scripture is clear: “The preacher must be sent!” He must be sent by the Holy Spirit as God’s messenger, but also sent by a local fellowship of believers.  He must be sent by people from across the world that believe God’s power is upon him and God wants to use him for the glory of God to take the Good News of Jesus into the world.  I appeal to you:

• Send me in prayer:  pray for me daily to be used up for Jesus to preach the Good News.
• Send me with support:  support me by believing in me, but most of all, believing God can use me. If he can use a donkey to speak, He can even use me.  I want to be used up!
• Send me financially:  No, not support for me personally in a financial way, but support the ministry financially.  For those who believe media can be that format, go to www.ronniefloydwinners.com and make a contribution financially to support our media ministry. Or just write a check to the church for Winners or even consider adding a monthly or weekly contribution above other tithes and offerings. This is serious business and serious support financially is needed to sustain and build it for God’s glory. We cannot go continually if you do not send us. The needs are massive.
• Send me with blessing:  words of blessing can have huge influence for the Kingdom of God.  I am not looking for the applause of men and women, but I am looking for words of blessing this ministry and our Lord.  The Bible calls us to “Bless the Lord” and to “Bless others.”

Ok, blogging is to be a time to share your heart…this is my heart…just trying to be honest with each of you who check-in periodically.  I just want to be one preacher who is sold out to the Gospel and used up to take it to the World.  I am willing, but I need you to…

Send me!

I spent five days in Park City, Utah over Spring Break, of which I had the privilege to ski three of those days.  What an absolutely wonderful little city.  I have been to Colorado to ski for years, but the convenience of the Utah deal was great.  We took a direct flight from Northwest Arkansas to Salt Lake City.  We walked across a few lanes to secure a vehicle.  Within 40 minutes you can be at the slopes. It was wonderful and we had no flight issues at all…thank you Lord!

Here are some pictures from our trip.  Josh, Kate, and Peyton were there, of course.  Kate’s parents, Don and Mona Elliott, put the trip together and Kate’s brother and a friend of his joined us. We had a condominium we shared, and we enjoyed all of it and are grateful to them for including us.

Before we hit the slopes on the Sunday I was away, we sat down and watched the live webcast of our worship service.  It was a great experience and my friend and colleague, Dr. Alan Damron, did a great job preaching the Word of God.  I congratulate our technological gurus who did a great job providing us a wholesome and great experience of watching the webcast of the service.  How technology has changed the world!

Yesterday was a taxing, but fulfilling Sunday.  I preached very long at all of our morning services, and yes, longer than usual.  I got home at 1:15 p.m. Jeana and I were involved in a marathon of photography yesterday afternoon from 1:30-5:15 p.m.  After changing clothes numerous times for the pictures, I changed clothing again and got to church last night at 6:00 p.m. as the service started.

My man, Jordan Cox, did a splendid job.  His heart, passion, and commitment to sports and wellness ministry really ignited my heart again.  He communicated wonderfully!

Have a special day.

Do you ever get discouraged? If not, you should probably check your pulse. Everyone gets discouraged from time to time…we’re human, and we all have feelings whether we want to admit it or not.  

So what exactly is discouragement? The dictionary defines it as: “to lose heart, courage, or confidence; to be demoralized.” Even with diligent prayer and the assistance from the King, Nehemiah became discouraged. Even though Nehemiah and God’s people were doing God’s will…doing an awesome thing for God…they still dealt with discouragement. Jerry Falwell says, “You can tell the level of greatness in a person’s life by what it takes to discourage them.” You notice that this statement doesn’t eliminate the possibility that even great people become discouraged.

There are many things that can bring discouragement in your life. I’m not going to take the time to list them, because it would be an extremely long list and I know it would not be complete. You know what gets you down…let’s talk about how to advance through it.

So, how do you get through your discouragement? First of all, with prayer. Give your discouragement to God. If there are several things weighing on you, give them to Him one at a time. And then let Him keep it – don’t try to take it back. Secondly, with preparation. Being prepared for the days ahead can keep you going through your feelings of discouragement. Plan your work and work your plan. Even when things aren’t going well, you’ll still be moving foward. Thirdly, focus. Focus on what God has called you to do, on your prayer-founded vision, and on completing the work. If Nehemiah hadn’t continued to focus even through his discouragement, the wall would have not been completed in an amazing 52 days, and may not have been completed at all. Lastly, have confidence. Be confident that God is moving, that He is teaching you, and that He will never leave you.

There are all kinds of ways to deal with discouragement. But the best way is God’s way.

As we continue with Nehemiah today, let’s look at what vision can do. Nehemiah not only had a burden, he had a vision. I often say that vision is “seeing something before you see it,” basically knowing what you want and going for it. Without a burden, Nehemiah would have never had a vision. And without a vision, the wall would’ve never been rebuilt.

So how do you know your vision, what you see…what you want, will be successful? 

• It must be a vision that was God-given. Sure, work like it all depends on you; but pray and believe like it all depends on God.
• It must be future-driven, rallying people to a better future.
• It must be leader-led. God will always raise up someone to lead the people and the process to meet a need. It might be you!
• It must be thoroughly researched. Nehemiah went out into the night to investigate the area before any work began. A spiritual calling does not negate the need for hard work and diligence.
• It must be faith initiated. Was there really any logical way that Nehemiah would receive permission, supplies, and protection from the King, much less rebuild a wall in just fifty-two days with a rag-tag group of folks? No way. But he had faith that he was doing what God wanted him to do…and he did it. And God blessed!
• It must be clearly communicated. If you can’t clearly communicate your vision, how are other people supposed to see it and join in with you?
• It must be strategically organized. Things quickly fall apart when chaos reigns.
• You must mobilize people. How? By knowing where you are going, starting with a few, share your vision with those who are in leadership positions, then communicate it to everyone.
• It will be continually criticized. What? A God-given vision constantly under the microscope? Yes, especially a God-given vision constantly under the microscope. There will always be someone who doesn’t like what you are doing, and they will let you know about it. Sometimes very vocally and publicly.
• It must be completely finished. God doesn’t leave things undone. His work, His Kingdom, and His will far outweighs the leader, whether it is you or not. Where God leads, He succeeds.

But you also must remember this: There is no genuine vision for success that ever excludes a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and His will being fulfilled in your life. Check your life, then check your vision.

We talked yesterday about Nehemiah’s burden. But how did his burden and vision become reality? Remember, Nehemiah asked God for miracles, and the first one God granted was in the heart of a King.

Nehemiah’s job title does not sound very illustrious. He was “cup-bearer to the King.” But it actually was a very significant role in the King’s house. It meant that the King trusted Nehemiah with his life because Nehemiah was the last one to touch the food (and drink) before it was presented to the King. Nehemiah tasted everything the King ate to insure that no one was trying to poison him. Not a slouch job, but he definitely wasn’t one of the King’s best friends. After all, he could die any day just doing his job.

But because Nehemiah was burdened, he fasted, prayed, and asked God to do miracles. One day the King said to Nehemiah, “Why are you sad?” Nehemiah’s burden was so great that even the King noticed. It gave Nehemiah the opportunity to share his burden with the King. And guess what…the King gave him permission to go to Jerusalem and see to the rebuilding of the walls! Not only that, the King gave him letters to take with him to insure that he not only had safe passage, but the materials needed to complete the task, and soldiers for protection!

Just because God granted a miracle did not mean Nehemiah was without challenges. There were two guys in particular who were not happy with what was about to happen, and they caused quite a bit of trouble. But again, because Nehemiah continued to pray and ask God for miracles, He gave Nehemiah the wisdom and grace to handle the situation. Do you have a Sandballat and Tobiah in your life? Keep praying, keep fasting, and keep petitioning God. He may open doors in the places you least expect.

During this week of Spring Break, I just want to give you some food for thought from the book of Nehemiah.

In Nehemiah chapter 1, we find Nehemiah in a foreign land, serving a foreign King, all while his home of Jerusalem sits in ruins. Nehemiah was painfully aware of what had become of his city and his people. So what did he do about it?

He asked God for miracles. Not just like, “Hey God, can you go ahead and fix Jerusalem for us?” No, it was a very emotional and spiritual process. Nehemiah himself was moved, therefore, he petitioned God to move. He prayed and fasted day and night, he confessed sins and reminded God of His promises. He appealed and pleaded with God to return the people to their home and give them victory over their enemies. Nehemiah acted upon what God had put in his heart.

So what does it take for you to ask God for a miracle? What does it take for you to be moved enough to ask God to move? Take a look…stop and think for a moment. What kind of miracles do you need in your life? John 14:13 reminds us that all we have to do is ask. Are you asking? Why not?

We will highlight some of the changes taking place and are about to take place in Northwest Arkansas in our Summit Business Persons’ Luncheon today.  Tickets may still be available so if you live here, you ought to call and see right now.  Do not miss the Summit today.

We will hear about the development of Pinnacle Hills in our Summit.  Some of what will be shared, you know.  However, some of it that will be shared will be new information.  The Pinnacle Group, who is developing this special place of destination, will be bringing some light to all of us.  I have driven through the Pinnacle Promenade which is right now scheduled for opening on October 4.  This lifestyle shopping experience will open 100 stores on that day and will have an estimated 1 million square feet of retail.  The Pinnacle Promenade is on the East side of the interstate.  It will be very, very special.

With the Pinnacle Shoppes, the convention center, and others opening in the fall on the West side of the interstate, this region is changing.  Additional hotel rooms are being added by the convention center, and other buildings are being added now for business.  By the end of the year 1 million square feet of office space will be existent in this $1 billion development in its initial stages.  The new Mercy Health Center is being constructed right now on the East side of the interstate.  It will be an estimated $150 million complex.  Within months, you will begin to see the new interchange that will be constructed and added.  An estimated 10,000 people will work within the Pinnacle Hills region daily. 

Is it not just like God…right in the heart of this new Northwest Arkansas phenomenon is …The Church at Pinnacle Hills…the north campus of our church.  Construction is emerging and things are popping on that site.  I cannot wait until people from both of our campuses get to walk in it and, most of all, when Northwest Arkansas will get to experience it.  God is good.

If you have not noticed . . . Northwest Arkansas is changing! 

Hey, do you ever feel like you are juggling matters in life? I promise you I feel that way more than not. Is it bad? No, because it is necessary. It is necessary in order to meet the demands of normal life. What I have found is that what I juggle has changed through the years.

In my first few years of marriage, I juggled college and seminary, with pastoring, and the development of a relationship with Jeana. When I entered the Doctoral level of education, I continued to have to juggle that, church, and Jeana; however, Josh came along and then Nick. When the doctorate was completed, the churches got bigger, the children were preschoolers, and of course, there was Jeana. As the churches got bigger with more staff and stuff, the children and their needs increased, outside ministry venues and book opportunities began to open up, and then there was Jeana. The day came when the boys were gone, but they got married, then had a child, the church developed two locations, the church, staff, and stuff grew, the outside opportunities I negated most of them, and yes, then there was Jeana. Yes, the juggle seems to increase around me continually, but what I juggle changes along the way.

Can you identify with any of this? To be juggle-free, is to be dead. Therefore, do not desire to be free from “the juggle” in life. The juggle will always be there. There will always be various matters you have to juggle. When challenges occur or loss or disappointment, then the juggle increases, sometime in number and at other times in intensity.

At whatever point you are in life, the juggle will always come down to one thing … Priorities! What is the most important thing daily? What needs to be the most pressing matter now? What do I need to do versus what do I want to do?  Be very careful to ever determine the juggle by anything other than God-established Priorities in His Word. If you will, one of three things will happen. First, you will drop matters becoming neglectful of the most important.  Secondly, you will just shut-down because you are very weary of the juggle. Thirdly, you will juggle and do it well, but not God’s way. Most have had to become “juggle artists” in our culture, but most do not do it God’s way.

The Secret to the Juggle is found in your God-established Priorities. What should they be? Perhaps the following will help you determine the juggle right now.

1. Your personal relationship to Jesus Christ … never let it be sacrificed for anything or anyone.
2. Your family relationships … yet be careful to not abuse all in “the name of family.”
3. Your church family … #1 and #3 are so tightly connected, you had better be very careful letting your #2 get in the way of either; if so, you are in a danger zone.
4. Your job … be very careful here … Life is about the Kingdom of God and its advancement, not about you, your career, your job and its advancement … your job is a tool in the hand of God to let you mobilize to expand His Kingdom as well as a way to assist you in the basic needs of life.
5. Your recreation … keep in perspective … in this day of “play” … this part of the juggle has become the most dominant and destructive to the above four … again, be very careful.

Juggle God’s way … by His Priorities for you.