Our Holy Land travelers have arrived safely at their destination!
Pastor’s message was, “Just got home.” What a wonderful reminder to us all about the history, meaning, and importance of Israel in God’s plan!
Pray for them to get good rest tonight so that they can begin their exciting journey tomorrow. We will post more news and updates as we get them.
After an early 3:30 a.m. wake time for study and prayer on Monday, I did not get to bed until early Tuesday morning. There is so much to do in order to prepare to leave. My schedule on Monday was not friendly to getting ready to leave the country. I packed in way too much, resulting in a very late night last night.
We have three groups going out of Northwest Arkansas today, which will merge into two groups for the international flight. International travel is very busy, and we just could not get everyone on the same flight. Israel is seven hours ahead of us, so remember that when you pray for us.
My blogging will be in and out over the next few days. I will try to have some updates along the way. Please know we want to communicate with you if possible. There are 80 of us going, so my hands will be full, and teaching opportunities will overflow.
May God bless your day . . . pray for us to have safe flights.
We are preparing to leave for Israel on Tuesday afternoon. We have three different flights going out of Northwest Arkansas on Tuesday, and I am on the last one. We merge into two groups flying overseas, one on Lufthansa and the other on Delta. I am on the Delta International flight direct into Tel Aviv.
We have a total of 80 people going. Of course, each time I write a number, it changes because more people are joining at the last minute. Who knows, we may have another one join us yet!
We are expecting a great trip. We spend the first night in Tel Aviv on the Mediterranean Ocean. We then spend two evenings in Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee. We conclude the trip with several nights in Jerusalem. We will return on Thursday week.
I will be speaking at least 20 times on the trip, as well as leading the group. By no means it is a vacation for me, even though it is a great refreshment spiritually. Pray for me.
I will write again tomorrow morning from here in America; then if possible, I will bring updates along the way. I hope you will stay in touch on this blog and please relate the information to others.
See you Tuesday morning.
Remember to move your clock up ONE HOUR before you retire for bed on Saturday night. It helps to begin thinking about this as you move into the late afternoon. Just going through your home and changing all of the clocks will wake you up to the reality.
I hope you will remind others of this change on Saturday. Inform the members of your connection group and your friends. Do not assume anyone knows. Do what you can to remind as many people as possible so none of us will use this change as a mental or physical reason why we would not attend church on Sunday morning.
I guarantee that Sunday morning will be very special and engaging for you. We will see God do some great and mighty things. Experiencing the power of Christ will be powerful for all of us. Bring someone with you. You will NOT regret coming to Sunday worship. A special moment is ahead for you.
Come spiritually prepared for Sunday. If you come prepared, I promise that God will really minister to you.
Additionally, we are having Sunday night worship at our Springdale location right now. It is being attended by people from both campuses, and I really believe God is using it in a very special way. Try it, you really may like it.
See you Sunday morning . . . ON TIME.
I thought you might enjoy seeing a picture of my Mom as she celebrated her 80th birthday with friends and family. She was the center of attention that night and we are grateful for the years God gave her. Last Friday night and the entire experience was a "Moment to Remember" so we honor her. Here is a picture.
The blessing of any parent is the joy of becoming a grandparent. Mom is not only a grandmother, but a great-grandmother. How about this picture that shows her with all of the grandchildren? Of course, this is also the spouses of the grandchildren and their children. What a picture!
Hey, just one more picture for the day. This next picture is of my Mom, brother–Johnny; sister–Linda; and yours truly. Yes, I am the baby of the family. Here goes.
Just wanted to share with you a little "inside family" and pray you …
Have a Super Day!
My schedule changed yesterday due to demands from the ministry as well as the weather forecast of a major winter storm. I was to be at the Board of Trustees meeting at Liberty University today. I love going to Liberty. I did everything possible to insure I was there for today’s meeting. However, I just could not do it.
Have you ever had responsibility for something and really wanted to do it, but there was just no way it could occur? If you have, you understand where I am today. I am preparing for many things right now, and every moment in study is being seized. Demands on my time, schedule, and energy are great at this time.
As I grappled with my decision to stay here for this two-day period I was to be away, I really felt the need to go back to the basics of priorities. I had to ask myself, “What is my priority?” When it all was settled, where did I need to be the most?
Priorities help us make decisions. We need to remember this as we live life.
Pray for me this week. It is a pivotal week for study and preparation. Oh by the way, the weather helped me make this decision, and I believe I made the right decision.
Priorities lived out help us make right decisions.
Mom turned 80 years old on Sunday. I talked to her on my way to church and she asked, “Are you surprised you have a Mother who is 80 today?” I responded, “Well, I have never really thought of it that way, but I’m glad I do.”
Following my GuideStone meeting on Monday and Tuesday, Jeana and I drove to my Mom’s and spent Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday nights with her to celebrate her 80th birthday. We enjoyed being with family and having those moments together.
On Thursday night at almost 10:00 p.m., Josh, Kate, Meredith, Nick, and our three grand-children Peyton, Reese, and Parker all showed up at the door UNANNOUNCED to Mom. We brought them into celebrate a couple of days with Mom. She was shocked. So here we are in a 1,600-square foot home with eight adults and three children. We all lived through it and survived for two nights. It was all about making memories.
On Friday night, we gave a surprise birthday party for Mom at her church’s fellowship hall. Again, she was shocked! Many of her friends joined us to celebrate, and we just enjoyed fellowship with family and friends. By the time that ended and we cleaned up the fellowship hall, we were all pretty well exhausted.
On Saturday, our children and grand-children, along with Mom and my niece Tanya, journeyed to the cemetery where my Dad was buried. It has been just over two years now that Dad has been with the Lord. He is buried in an obscure cemetery in the country,
about 40 minutes from our home in a cemetery called, “Floyd’s Chapel.” His mom and dad, grand-father and grand-mother are all buried there along with other family members. It is located off of a dirt road about 15 minutes or so from Gonzales, Texas. We spent some time there walking around, mainly at Dad’s grave, and then left.
Then from the cemetery, we said good-bye to Mom and Tanya, and my children, grandchildren, and Jeana and I departed in three separate cars. On our way to the airport in Austin, we stopped by Buccy’s in Luling, Texas, one of the most interesting stops Jeana and I enjoy each time we go see Mom. It is a glorified mega-stop for families traveling on I-10 from Houston to San Antonio. At this place, we said good-bye to Nick, Meredith, and Reese as they drove back to Dallas and the rest of us went to Austin to catch our plane home. It was a busy, busy few days.
So Mom had a special 80th birthday, and I am so glad we were able to participate.
Mom, if you read this, “We love you and celebrate your 80th year on this earth–make it great!”
