If my friend, J.B. Hunt, would have lived until this day, we would have celebrated his 80th birthday today. I remember his 70th birthday party and how special it was. This one would have been really special. Of course, Mr. Hunt thought he would have never died. He believed God would give him many more years. He was so convincing, we all thought he wouldn’t die for many years.

His death just before Christmas caught us all by surprise. Just days before, we discussed so much together, laughing and carrying on for a while during a lunch gathering. The next thing we knew, all of our lives were changed by his loss.

Great men like Mr. J.B. Hunt are so rare, and we miss him dearly. On this day when we would have celebrated his 80th, I just couldn’t let it pass without some words of reflection. His death represents so many in his generation who are leaving us and entering into the Savior’s peace in heaven. When we think of Mr. Hunt’s sweetheart, Johnelle, we think of so many ladies just like her who have lived their lives for their men, and today, they are alone. They did not ask for this assignment, but it has been assigned to them.

It reminds us all to pray, to pray for these sweethearts left behind. May God give them grace and peace on days like today. Days where memories dominate their minds and hurt breaks their hearts.

It also reminds us not only of the great things men like J. B. did and have left us in this life, but it also reminds us of the great need to pray for more men to be raised up to be like them. May God grant me the privilege to walk with more men of the stature of J.B. Hunt and others like him.

May God raise up more great leaders among us.

I am in Dallas for meetings with the GuideStone Financial Services, where I am on the Board of Trustees. This ministry is now a $10 BILLION financial services ministry in the areas of retirement, hospitalization, and investments for pastors and Christian Leaders. The Lord is blessing it in a phenomenal manner.

My friend, Dr. O.S. Hawkins, serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer of this entity. He has put together a winning team with his great number one right hand guy, John Jones. These two men are extraordinary in their leadership of this organization. GuideStone is a ministry team serving those who serve the Lord. Pray for the continued success of this compassionate ministry.

The Summit is on Thursday, and the theme is “Coaching Tomorrow’s Leaders.” We will attack this unique topic by interviewing three men who are coaching tomorrow’s leaders right now. I think you will gain insight on the teenage community and families and really begin to understand your culture. I hope you will be there and engage with us.

Have a blessed day… have to leave for meetings.

Amazing stories happen in this ministry weekly. This weekend at our Pinnacle Hills Campus, we had 180 students involved in our Element Weekend. Before Sunday morning, 37 had come to Christ. I am awaiting the report from last night’s grand closing meeting, and I think the results will be outstanding. Amazing stories … lives are changed. Amen.

Amazing stories were shared in Worship by our Jail Chaplain, Earl Adams. This is a great tribute to our Savior and to our church for making this enormous New Testament investment in ministering to inmates and their families. Since Pastor Adams started over 8 years ago, we have seen over 2100 inmates come to Christ. The stories of life change are stirring and forevermore. We heard some of those stories on Sunday. Thank you Pastor Adams.

Amazing stories happen when God’s people obey His word. The message Sunday was different, but will result in some great life-changing stories. I will be encouraged to learn these miraculous stories of God’s power moving among our people. We will see the Lord and His power lift up families, resulting in lifestyle change.

Get ready for Sunday, March 4 … I promise you, the Lord will move mightily in your life. I am prepared and ready to go with the Word God has given to me. It is biblical, relevant, and life-changing. Bring someone with you on this coming Lord’s day.

Let the story become YOUR story this week. By the way, go see the movie, “Amazing Grace.” It is outstanding!

In Andy Stanley’s book, Visioneering, he writes,

How is never a problem for God. It is usually a problem for us. But how is God’s specialty. If the Old and New Testaments teach us anything, they teach us that nothing is too difficult for God. What He originates, He orchestrates.

This is a great insight for each of us to think about over this weekend.

There are so many times we want to know how God wants us to do something once we know what He wants us to do. The issue is that we always do not know “the how” of what God wants us to do. Oh yes, God is famous for asking us to do something without telling us initially how He wants us to do it.

We just have to start doing it once He tells us. The how is left up to God. Yes, He will tell us how to do it eventually, but until then, you call that span of time … faith! Oh yes, God wants us to walk by faith.

I do not know what God may be wanting you to do in your life, but believe Him by acting on what He says and let Him lead you to doing it. So many times our dreams and visions die on the table of “how!” We get fearful and we lose what God has put in our heart or we wait so long, the moment is missed.

Be encouraged this weekend: “Nothing is too difficult for the Lord!” I mean nothing. If He puts it in your heart to do, He will make a way and He will show you a way to see it done. Just remember,

The HOW is left up to God … you know … His Specialty!

As I peer out the windows in my office, the darkness has left and we are just moments from sunrise here in Northwest Arkansas. I love this time of day to look at, drive in, or to walk around the neighborhood. I like it because the sun has not come up and the sky is not even close to bright, but you know it is moments away.

There is nothing like the early morning. This morning I rolled out of bed at 3:30 a.m. I threw water on my face and walked upstairs to my home office where I will abide until almost noon. This is my practice on normal days Monday-Thursday. On Sundays I get up that early as well, but obviously have to move forward to the events of the day.

Upon reaching my home office, I begin to pray. I spend the next hour or so of my life in prayer, reading God’s Word devotionally for my nurture and growth, and conclude with a time of writing in my spiritual journal. From that moment, I enter into study and preparation for the day in all kinds of ways.

You know, the early morning is what has been my secret all these years spiritually as well as in leading the churches I have served. I do not know how I would do what I do if I had not fallen in love with uninterrupted time in study and preparation. I really think this ship would have sunk.

Try the early morning in your life. Don’t say to me,”Pastor Floyd, I love sleep!” Well, so do I. I still set two alarm clocks daily. I look forward to Fridays and Saturdays when I sleep in until 7:30 or so. Try it for 30 days – getting up one hour earlier than normal, spending some of it with God, but also creating margin for you to enjoy. This is far more profitable than a life filled with a rushed morning schedule.

By the way … Jesus loved the early morning.

This week, I want you to consider the blessings of God upon your life. These blessings come in so many ways.

This week:

• THINK UPON the blessing of health.
• THINK UPON the blessing of family.
• THINK UPON the blessing of finances.
• THINK UPON the blessing of job.
• THINK UPON the blessings of friends.

During this week, Monday through Friday, think about these blessings and thank God daily for each one. Let today be the day you focus on the blessing of health and then follow suit over the rest of the days.

I feel blessed … how about you?

Each Valentine’s Day, Jeana makes me a Red Velvet Cake in the shape of a heart. It is an extensive process because she makes it from scratch from a recipe she picked up years ago. She makes it again for me on my birthday. Therefore, I have the privilege to enjoy the red velvet cake only twice a year. Yet I am so glad that this is so, because I eat it to the last particle. I like to sit down and enjoy it very refrigerated with a cold class of skim milk. (You see, I am dietary conscious even while I consume it.)

Because I only have it twice a year, I enjoy it so much more. If I had it weekly or several times a year, it would dull my senses. Another interesting thing is …

The longer it is in the refrigerator, the better it gets. Of course, I consume it within three days, so it’s not there very long!

This reminds me of other blessings we receive in life. If the same one comes numerous times, then our senses may dull to the experience and impact of it. Do not take for granted any of God’s blessings.

This also reminds me of something else. The longer we have the blessings, the more we can let them soak into our hearts. If we are sensitive to God, we will realize how great they are. My friends, this is a very important lesson for each of us. This is why walking with God can become sweeter, walking with your mate can become sweeter, and life can become sweeter, if you are sensitive to God. The longer you experience them, the sweeter than can become. May God give to you today …

A Red Velvet Cake Day!

She walked by me in the Student Union Building while I was in college, and I turned and said to myself, “I must get to know that girl!” I want you to know that I did get to know her, and quite well I might add. That was in the spring of 1975. Jeana departed for the summer as a missionary for the Texas Baptist Student Union Ministry. I departed for the summer on the road preaching the Word of God. Upon returning that fall, Jeana and I began to date some, resulting in me confessing my love for her over the Christmas holidays. The next summer, Jeana prepared for our wedding as I went to be a summer evangelist in Portland, Oregon. In early August of 1976, we got engaged and in September, I became a pastor. We were married on December 31, 1976.

Therefore, 30 years, 1 month, and 15 days ago today, I married Jeana. We have been blessed with two sons, Josh and Nick. They have blessed us with their lifetime spouses of Kate and Meredith. Josh and Kate have blessed us with Peyton, our first grandchild, with a second to arrive in August of this year. Nick and Meredith will bless us in May with our first granddaughter. The family tree continues to grow, and we want it to grow and multiply greatly. Is this not cool? One grandchild now and by the end of August we will have three grandchildren: One boy, one girl, and not sure whether the August grandchild will be a boy or a girl … but soon we will know!

Marriage is a journey with a special person, chosen by God and of course, chosen by you as well. Jeana was a great choice for me. She balances me and my personality. She works with me in ministry and serves the needs of this church and her husband in a splendid way. I am grateful to God for her. She is a fabulous mother and GIGI (you know “grandmother.”)

This church may never have a greater pastor’s wife than Jeana. You see modeled before you godliness, service, and churchmanship. Raised in the home of a pastor, she learned the value of Jesus, family, and the church.

So on this 14th day of February 2007, I want to say, “I love you Jeana” and Happy Valentine’s Day. I am blessed and yes, I know, I got the good end of this marriage relationship. In other words, I am the blessed one, more than you.

You are my Valentine … my Sweetheart!

There are days when I do not know what to write to you. A blog by a pastor does not need to sermonize or continually be a teaching tool. It needs to be an expression of my personal life, a behind the scenes look not only into my life, but into the ministry which God has called me to at this season of life. The last thing I want this blog to become is repetitive for you to read or burdensome for me to write. My heart is to encourage you as you live life. Let me encourage you today.

Last night I spent a couple of hours with about 20 or so leaders of our collegiate ministry at our Springdale Campus, led by Jason Autry. We were in the home of my dear friends, Robert and DeeGee Farrell. They graciously fed the entire group of leaders, as they are part of the lay team that holds up the arms of some of the college students at both the University of Arkansas and John Brown University. The purpose of the night was to let these collegiate student leaders get to know their pastor, as well as dialogue in a question and answer period with them.

I did enjoy myself thoroughly as I saw the promise and hope of that generation. I was with some who are already in law school, others studying education, some in arts and graphics, and so much more. This group was serious about their faith and serious about life. My life was enlarged by being with them as I detected their future possibilities. I have always had a heart for students at all levels due to my passion to see this nation and world be what God wants it to be. This will not happen without a spiritual revolution that must be led by this younger generation.

I challenged them to change their generation, resulting in changing our world. I challenged them to enter into all professional arenas from entertainment to politics to medicine to law to education. We cannot sit by in an idle way in this culture as the world just continues to degenerate. We must go where people are, enter into their worlds with conviction and the life-changing message of Jesus Christ. I am hopeful this group heard me and will pray through this challenge personally.

By the way, I was impressed with Jason and Bonnie Autry as they entered into the world of these collegiate students. They were comfortable, engaging, and caring for their needs. I am so grateful this couple is here to serve with us, and only God knows the value they bring. One day, when these students have matured in life 20 years from now, many of them will talk about Jason and Bonnie Autry and their influence upon their lives. You know what I call that?

Leaving a legacy … You can do it in your life also!

Due to technical difficulties, Pastor Floyd could not do his blog today. Please check back tomorrow.