I have to share with these pictures today as Peyton just turned 7 months old, weighing in at 18 pounds! As you see him in these three pictures today, please remember to pray for all of our children and grandchildren. The parents of these children have remarkable challenges until that child leaves home. We need to pray for parents. We are so blessed on both of our campuses to have great people who take care of these preschoolers and children… pray for them.

Enjoy the pictures and have a great weekend.

I am writing a book manuscript that I must have complete by the end of May. I have wanted to do a project like this for years. However, due to its selected audience, many publishers shy away from it.  The book is needed desperately due to its target audience, the needs of their lives, and the condition of the American church.

The working title which may change by press times is: THE TOP 10 LESSONS EVERY MINISTER NEEDS TO KNOW.  This book is for ministers of all ages, in all seasons of ministry, serving in any ministry role, in any size ministry located in any part of the world. This is a huge audience, but still selected. It is not just for the Pastor, but any minister that serves a church as a part-time person, to a volunteer minister by calling, or staff member of any position. 

This book will come out in September-October in time for my 20th anniversary as Senior Pastor of our church, as well as my 30th year as a Pastor of a local church. I am very excited about it because for at least five years God has given me a passion to encourage and help ministers of all size churches, at all seasons of life. Ministers are being attacked in our churches and by our culture in a new way. We must encourage them, lift them up, and equip them to be all God wants them to be in their lives. I encourage pastors worldwide via email and encourage so many American pastors right now who call me or email me questions about life, leadership, and spiritual matters. It always brings me joy to help ministers and their families. They are real people and need real friends. 

Ministers attacking ministers and ministers attacking churches and churches attacking ministers has to cease for us to be all God wants us to be in life.  Disagreement and conflict occur, even among Christian people.  However, truth must be held high.  Christian leaders are called upon by God to take the high road.  The carnality of ministry conduct in the American church is so common to what we read about in 1 Corinthians 3.  The bottom line:  Ministers and churches need a major spiritual revival.  Somehow in someway we have to rise above the stuff and rediscover who we are and what God wants us to be. 

The hope of America is the church of Jesus Christ-the hope of the church is for Christian ministers to be authentic spiritual leaders.  Due to the condition of the church there is obvious a need for helping ministers.  The “how to” mentality has been good to an extent, but ministry is much more than learning about, “how to do something” that will help me or my church.  So many things needed you will not and cannot learn in educational venues.  Only life and ministry itself can provide the school for it. 

I have set aside a few “writing days” for developing this project.  This means I try to give most of the early morning and early afternoon to it, attempting to not be distracted concerning it.  Therefore, we need your prayers concerning this project.

I am calling another Pastor-led, Church-wide Sunday night prayer meeting at our Springdale venue.  Why?  I am committed to turning God’s House into what He wants it to be, “A House of Prayer”.  The prayer meeting occurred last Sunday night from 6:00-7:10 and we will do honor the same time schedule this week.  I need you there.  Please join us. I do not think one person who attended last week felt they wasted time.  In fact, there was a contagious enthusiasm about God’s activity among us.  We must have a burden to pray.

Pray for me today…Come and join me for prayer this Sunday night at our Springdale location.

Study and preparation on my series, “Responding To The Da Vinci Code” has dominated my mornings.  Even after the initial 38-40 hours of reading and preparing just to get to the point to design this five week series, I am spending more time preparing each message than I have in a long time in any series.  Why?  It is challenging material, providing me a marvelous opportunity to teach our people theology as well as the challenge to make it relevant in the lives of people.  I do not want us to miss our potential for evangelizing people once the movie is released.

As I think back upon Monday or Tuesday nights in the past, where I have been blessed to have trained a few people all the way to 300-400 people in personal evangelism, or I think upon various moments in our past where we have attempted to equip people in various ways, I do not know of a greater moment for me personally as a Pastor  to equip thousands to win others to Christ in such a relevant and theological way as I am doing right now on Sunday mornings.  These five weeks are really a blessing to me in preparation, even though it has been a grind; a laborious but joyful grind.  I am really intrigued with training our people to think intellectually about their faith.  This has stimulated me in a new way as a Pastor-Shepherd, Preacher-Teacher, and Equipper-Coach.  As a church leader today, I must be all those things and more.  What a joy to know you are called:  sent, went, and put!

So much of my life is committed to study and preparation.  I am blessed to have established a discipline years ago about the importance of giving your mornings to God.  Ever since late high school days, I have committed to have a time with God in prayer and the Word to begin each day.  In my first full-time pastorate, while attending seminary, I then established the discipline of giving my mornings completely to prayer, the Word, study, and preparation.  No, it was not easy early on in my younger life with school and preschool children.  When I moved here 19 plus years ago, I took it to another level by having an office in my home.  This has been so important to taking this to a much deeper and greater level.

By the time I enter a world full of people just before noon daily, I have spent time in prayer, the Word, study, and preparation for anywhere from 6-8 hours, depending on the day.  Mondays through Thursdays this is hardly ever broken or denied.  Necessary travel or emergencies serve as the only exceptions.  Fridays and Saturday mornings I change my schedule to prepare my body and soul for the coming Sunday, my weekly Super Bowl. 

Everyone is different and each person has unique challenges in life.  There are two simple lessons through all of this to us today: 

(1) The early mornings have incredible value, so take advantage of them, whether it be 30 minutes or 3 hours, but seize them.

(2) Time with God is more valuable than time with anyone else.

Please pray for me daily.  I want to be all God wants me to be in my life.  Pray for our series we are going through right now.  Pray for my mornings to be all God wants them to be in my life. 

Somehow, somewhere, and sometime today…spend time with God.

Prayer works … do you really believe it does? Prayer is one-on-one communication with God. It is you talking to God. However, prayer needs to be as much listening as it is talking to God. You listen to God through the Bible, His Word for your life. You also can listen to God through your spiritual authority, your Pastor, proclaiming and teaching God’s Word. You can listen to God through your circumstances in life. Yes, He speaks through those, sometimes very clearly. At times, you can hear God through His voice into your heart. Test all of God speaking to you through His Word. Never will God lead you to do anything apart from His Word.

Prayer with others is successful … do you believe it is? It is important that we partner in prayer at times with others. I do this with my Staff Team. I do this with our Prayer Support Teams. I do this each Sunday morning with men from both of our campuses. I also partner with others in prayer when I experience worship. Partnership in prayer can be with anyone and can happen anywhere about anything.

Prayer in the church is almost missing … can you believe that? Sometimes prayer is an add on, not important, and not receiving its rightful place. Jesus made it real clear that He wants His House to be a House of Prayer! This is very difficult in today’s world. Again, people run fast. People have a warped view of prayer that flows out of their improper view of God. We must encourage churches to become Houses of Prayer!

Prayer filled God’s House last night … were you there? I led the entire service last night in a continual prayer time. You know, it was refreshing. So many people expressed appreciation for taking the entire service for that.  I felt their enthusiasm has the potential to be contagious. Great Christians and great churches exist because of prayer, nothing else. When the furnace of prayer is burning, the church will have the fire of God upon it, developing a fiery passion for holiness and for world evangelization.

Prayer can be a priority in your life this week … will you make it one? It starts today, right now. It starts daily in the mornings. Yes, it can happen in what we call a “quiet time,” but it can also happen on the way to work, or on your way back home from delivering your children to school, or anytime and anywhere.

Prayer works … will you try it today?  This week?

This week I have written a couple of days on my fiasco of travel on Sunday afternoon and evening.  I must share a positive word about my travel home yesterday.  

I got home on Thursday, left on time, got home on time, with all of my bags…thanks be to God and to the airlines!  I even got my ticket changed with minimal challenge and cost late on Wednesday night.  We were scheduled to come home on Friday morning, but pressing issues drove me to come home on Thursday.  Just want to give you the full perspective.  Airlines can work and do work.  It is just much more enjoyable when they do.  Amen to that!

The spring is beautiful here in Northwest Arkansas.  The leaves were just starting to come out on Easter, but today they are expressing themselves in fresh green and beauty.  Four seasons are wonderful and when you get to March and early April you are ready for the change. 

What a great principle for life:  life is full of all kinds of seasons.  Nothing is forever except eternal life, heaven, and the Lord Himself.   Change is always on the way!  Whatever and wherever you are in life today, remember:  it is a season in your life and change is on the way. 

Be in church this weekend.  God is moving.  Let’s do not miss what He is doing. 

This Sunday the “Responding To The Da Vinci Code…Seek The Truth” series continues. I am very excited about the opportunity that has been presented to us at this time in our culture. I think we are being set up for a tremendous avenue for sharing the Gospel. While some may think it is existent for slamming Christianity, God is bringing the opportunity before us to present the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We must seize the opportunity and bring our friends and family members. This is a great moment to present the power of Jesus Christ, but also to prepare us for the days to come once the movie is released across the world. We must be ready to present a positive and powerful message for Jesus with the compassion of our Savior.

Oh my, how God blessed Easter week through our ministries on both campuses as over 10,000 people were reached for God’s glory. Wow, how blessed we are to be in such a great place for this special moment for the Kingdom of God. I believe God is preparing His church to take off in days to come. For over two years, we have been planting seeds, preparing for the fruit and harvest. As we are nearing the completion of campus expansion projects which are massive and taxing, we are also preparing to launch new ministry adventures which will serve as venues of opportunity for both campuses. Let’s pray.

Speaking of prayer, when is the last time you have been in an old fashioned Pastor-led prayer meeting? I am going to lead one that will be for both campuses at our Springdale location on Sunday night at 6:00 p.m., concluding by 7:10 p.m. I have some things on my heart that I want to share with you. Therefore, prepare with me and join me. We must pray. God is doing some major things and we must be ready for Him to take us on to greater and higher ground. We cannot go there without Him and we cannot go where He Himself does not go with us.

Pray for Jeana and me. Some major things are happening of which I cannot discuss for now, but please pray.

You must read my blog from yesterday before you can understand what I am saying today. Now, if you were not with me yesterday, have you read it yet? Go now, if you have not, to my blog from yesterday…back? Good. Let me continue…

Okay, I know you have been right where we walked on Sunday. I mean this has become a part of America, just like apple pie and Chevrolet, right? The saga became influenced by those people. Not the travelers like us, who paid real money for a real expectation like get to our destination! The saga was influenced by employees of entities. It all began on Saturday night with this attempt.

I called to change our flights after I came home and had to work through with Jeana on whether or not we could leave at the 1:05 p.m. time. After staying on the phone for 30 minutes, it became very apparent that I would have to pay $1,300 plus to change my flights, unless I wanted to attempt to call at 12:45 to see if I could get on the 3:35 p.m. flight or even one later. I knew it was booked all day Monday so that became apparent as a non-option. Obviously, I was not going to dish out that kind of money, so I determined I would wait and evaluate on Sunday morning.

I was up at 3:30 a.m. on Sunday, spent my time with God, went through my message, exercised for 40 minutes, woke up Jeana at 6:00 a.m. to discover where she was in her journey. We determined to attempt to get on the 1:05, but I had not started packing for this event. Plus Jeana could barely move, so how would she make it? The Lord provided, we hopped on the 1:05 p.m. flight and then we got to Atlanta.

Of course, after the third delay in Atlanta, I attempted to communicate with an employee who showed no interest in anyone. Therefore, to no avail, all I received was what others received: disinterest, eyes rolling, hey “I don’t know anything.” However, I translated it, “Look at my face, do I even care? It is a job and I am getting off soon.” This continued through my journey on numerous occasions, plus when I got to Panama City with no luggage, it was continuing with that employee, plus the rental car place “rolling eyes” yada, yada, yada.

When I attempted to find my luggage, I got directly involved with the airlines at Fort Walton Beach and I got a caring, compassionate person whom I commended big-time for her spirit of service! You know what I noticed, my attitude adjusted when I knew someone just cared. By that time, I just needed to know they cared. I must say also, they came through. My bags were at my hotel by the time Jeana and I were up on Monday morning and when we left Panama City, not one soul in the airlines knew where they were nor really appeared to care.

When you travel, these things happen. Yet, it always helps when just one person cares. You know what I thought of every time: “how many times do people call our ministry and talk with one of our staff members…what do they sense?” Do we really demonstrate care? Do we go the extra mile? Do we convince them we are caring people?

Just think: I went through this on Sunday following not only a fabulous Easter Weekend, but also an in-depth training period on the previous Thursday from the man who built “service” into one of the greatest hotel brands in the world! I kept thinking all day, “you should have heard what I heard on Thursday with my staff and with other business persons.”

My point for the day: Care for others! You cannot just “work up a care,” but you have to be a caring person for what people are going through in your life.

Model care for others…“Oh God, please help me to always care for others.”

After Easter weekend, which was taxing to say the least with Jeana’s illness adding to the challenges, I had to get on those airlines. We leave Pinnacle Hills on Sunday not even able to stay to greet people as we always do. We had a friend drive us to the airport, deliver us at the door, get us inside, and then we checked in.  Everything went great. We even left on time at 1:05 p.m. It was amazing. Easter Sunday, airlines leaving on time. The airport was somewhat limited in passengers, which surprised me.

We arrive in Atlanta, began to experience our two hour layover in their 2nd tier connecting airlines terminal, and all was well. Then, my greatest fear began. Delay #1 … Delay #2 … Delay #3 … Delay #4 … Delay #5 … flight cancelled. I rushed my sickly, but healing wife down the corridor, got in line, got on a phone, and got rebooked for Panama City, Florida!  Hey, I need to go to Fort Walton Beach, not Panama City. The assistant said, “You will not get into Fort Walton until Tuesday, so you must go here and I can get you on a flight in 30 minutes.” So, I knew enough about the area and thought that was a good idea.

So here we go, it is now been several hours since arriving in Atlanta, changing to one of their deluxe terminals, walking quickly to go to Panama City. The flight was on time and we made it, being assured our luggage was going with us. As soon as I got on, I had to call the car rental place to insure I could even get a car. I was assured I would have a car, just not sure what kind. At that point, it really did not matter. So we got on the unique plane and I worked most of the way. We arrived a few minutes late, but late I take…if I can just arrive, get off of the airlines and begin to be in control of my destiny somewhat.

We arrived in Panama City and I solved the car issue. We had no luggage, so here we go searching to file a claim for our luggage being told, “we have no idea where your luggage is,” so that was comforting.

So after driving over from a different airport, in a different car, with no luggage, and a late arrival, we got into our room around 11:00 p.m. This was after experiencing Easter weekend responsibilities since Friday morning, dealing with a sick wife, and everything else. Hey, not bad though, it only took us 10 hours to get here! Look at the bright side, I could have left Northwest Arkansas and driven almost to Mobile, Alabama, in that time!  Or I could have flown privately and been there in one hour and thirty minutes!

You know, there was no bad weather, just the airlines. Oh my, what a challenge they are. The luggage arrived overnight after I stayed on the phone most of my drive over from Panama City to San Destin, Florida.

Stay tuned tomorrow:  THE SAGA CONTINUES!

I believe this Easter Weekend will go down as our greatest ever in our ministry. Buildings were packed yesterday, spirit was phenomenal, THREE DAYS was powerful, the drama of it was beyond great, and The Da Vinci series seemed to be well received. I want to express my gratitude to God and to our Staff Teams that were involved in helping the day be a special day.

The raising of the cross at Pinnacle Hills on Friday was one of the great spiritual moments of my life. There was something about it that made it very, very special. Be sure and look at the pictures. They will tell a small part of the experience, but it was truly a spiritual highlight.

On Saturday morning about 3:00 a.m. Jeana was captivated by a virus that put her down and out. About 10:00 a.m. I gave her some medicine that assisted her and she slept until after I got home from the final Saturday evening service about 8:30 p.m. I had to wake her up. She was sick and very sick.

We were to leave after morning worship services for an annual conference we attend for pastors and wives for churches that average over 2,000 in Bible Study weekly. That become a story in and of itself, trying to deal with that. I attempted to change our flight, but the cost was ungodly at best. Oh, I may speak to you about the ordeal we went through on that.

The only service Jeana was able to attend on Easter weekend was the final service at Pinnacle Hills. She is better this morning. We are in San Destin, Florida, attending this conference. Therefore, my blog may be posted later every day if and when I am able to do it.

It is beautiful and sunny in Florida.  I enjoyed running and walking this morning. What a special place. God is great to give us such beauty to observe.

Today at noon we saw the raising of the first of 3 crosses on our new Pinnacle Hills campus. Check out this photo of us. If you click on it you can view more pictures from today.