Baptism pics

Monday Morning Reflections

• We had a great day we had Sunday! I had the privilege of baptizing five of our young people. What a joy it was to see them take this step of publicly declaring their faith in Jesus Christ. We also had a New Member Reception in our evening service with a great time of fellowship afterward. I just can't help but believe that God has great things in store for Solid Rock Church!
• This Wednesday, in our InterMission service, I'm going to unveil some of the plans for our fall campaign. All I can say now is that it is going to be a great opportunity to reach out to friends and family members who are hurting and needing an intervention from God. We're still three months away from the beginning of this campaign but now is the time to start planning, so don't miss the InterMission service.
• Wasn't that a wonderful rain we got Saturday night? That's exactly the kind of rainfall I love: steady and through the night (I think it was through the night). It makes it so much easier to sleep. "Thank you, God, for the rain! Please send us even more."
• Have a great week! Stay close to God.

Can't wait!

I'm really excited about our baptism service tomorrow morning! I'll be baptizing five young people. I love to see people take this important step in their spiritual journey. Baptism is really the first step after a person decides to follow Jesus. So we'll have plenty of reasons to celebrate tomorrow.

Can't wait!

Pastor takes on the IRS

Found this interesting article. I'll be watching to see how it develops.

How are you doing on saying "no"?

Six months ago we went through a sermon series on money management called "In God We Trust". One of the messages had to do with living within our means. That week, I talked about the importance of saying "no" to spending money that we really don't need to spend. So now, six months later, my question is "How are you doing"? Are you still saying "no", or have you let down your guard?

Don't be afraid to say "no" to yourself and to your family members. It'll pay off--literally.

Opera isn't dead!

Remember the story about Paul Potts? Well, it seems that he has an American counterpart. Neal E. Boyd got the same response as Paul when he also sang opera. I don't think he sang as well as Paul, but I still love it!

Click here to read the story and watch the video.

Sunday Night Reflections

I always enjoy baby dedications, and this morning was no exception. Each one seems to be a little different, I guess because you never really know how the baby is going to react. Adyson did well this morning, but someone told me after the service that they had a hard time hearing the prayer because she had my lapel mic in her mouth!

There is a song we sing at SRC (not often enough) that we just call the buffalo song. It's based on Psalm 92:10--But you have made me as strong as a wild ox. We call it the buffalo song because the spanish lyrics use the word búfalo, based on the Reina Valera translation of the Bible: Pero tú aumentarás mis fuerzas como las del búfalo. Anyway, it's a fun song to sing and play. We jammed on it for a little while after the service, and after a while, it sounded like we were playing something by Carlos Santana. Wow!

I bought some more books while I was in Dallas this past week, and I'm already deep into reading a couple of them. That's the way I usually read: more than one book at a time. So right now I'm reading through three books. I had started reading a fourth, but decided to lay it aside for a few weeks. Eventually, I'll decide which book I want to finish first and lay the others aside for a time. When I read, I like to read with a pen in my hand so I can write notes on the margins. That helps me remember things, and it makes it easier to review the highlights when I look at it again.

Have a great week! Remember to interact with your Bible this week.

Going back home

I've enjoyed a couple of very restful days in Coppell. I've read a lot, gone out to eat at a couple of really good restaurants (Souper Salad, and Steak 'n Shake), and had a lot of time to visit with family. It's been wonderful. But now it's time to get back home. I'm ready to see Kelli and Joey, who weren't able to make the trip. And I'm looking forward to church tomorrow!

Colts game, June 30th

We're planning a group trip to see the Colts play on Monday, June 30th. Don't forget that if you'd like to go (I hope you do), you'll need to pay for your ticket ($10) tomorrow at church. We're going to buy the tickets on Monday. It'll be fun!

Books, books, books!

Last night, I went to what is now my favorite bookstore: Mardel. I love this store! I really only spent time in the book section, but they have a lot more to offer. My wife and daughter, both teachers, enjoy buying teaching materials for their classrooms.

I browsed for almost two hours. I would have stayed longer but they were getting ready to close. I limited myself to buying five books, although I could've bought about ten or twelve.

Well, enough posting; I've got lots of reading to do!

The Big D, part 3

Day 3 in Dallas: More of the same today. Spent all day in business sessions and had another great service tonight. One of the things I enjoy about District Council is seeing some of my pastor friends from other cities that I don't get too see very often. I wish we had more time to catch up.

Another thing I enjoy about District Council is going out to eat. Imagine that! We've had some excellent meals at Black-Eyed Pea (there's a story that goes along with that, but I won't blog about it), Joe's Crab Shack, Buck's Prime (hamburger place--very good!), and lots of McDonalds.

District council ends at noon tomorrow but we're going to stay here in the area another day or two.

The Big D, part 2

Our second day in Dallas was very interesting! The big news is comes from the business session, where the resolution to dissolve the GLAD district and create four new districts failed. I don't think very many people expected that to happen. There were a lot of votes in favor of the resolution but not the 2/3 required majority. So the GLAD district continues.

My new GPS is really helping me get around Dallas. It's not 100% accurate, but it's accurate enough. It's made things a lot easier for me. I'm really enjoying it.

I may try to get up early tomorrow to jog before the first session. We'll see!

The Big D

I'm in Dallas this week for the GLAD District Council. We had our opening service tonight, and it was a good one. Our speaker challenged us to return to our Pentecostal values. The message was well received.

We're staying at a beautiful hotel, the Hilton Anatole. My only complaint is that we're staying in room 666!

Sunday Night Reflections

• What a great service we had tonight! Attendance was good, and everyone seemed to be really interested in continuing to learn from the book of James. Lots of practical advice in that book.
• This morning's service was fun. I think church should be that way, don't you? Thanks, Bernice, for a great Father's day program. I pray that all of us men can learn to be the spiritual coaches in our homes. We're definitely a work in progress.
• We're off to Dallas this week for the GLAD District Council. Looking forward to getting away for a few days. And, this will be my first chance to use my Father's Day gift--the GPS! We'll see how it works.
• I'm finally getting back to a jogging schedule. It's been a difficult start, but it gets a little easier each day. I'm increasing my distance a little bit each day. Who knows, maybe I'll even enter a race at the end of the summer--not to win, just to run!
• Have a great week!

My Father's Day gift!

I got my Father's Day Gift a week early. Lillian and the kids got together to buy me this toy, er, gift. Pretty nice, huh?

Fireproof

Take me out to the ball game

We're planning a group outing to see the San Angelo Colts take on the Alexandria Aces on June 30th. Tickets are $10 per person, and will include a hot dog, chips, and a drink. If you are interested in going, you'll need to pay for your ticket(s) by Sunday, June 22nd because the Colts require payment for group sales one week in advance.

We need to have a minimum of 24 people to take advantage of the group prices. Why don't you come join us. It'll be lots of fun!

People will turn on you

Steven Furtick had an insightful post on his blog on how people will turn on you. It will happen, he says. And he gives the following examples:

• Children turn on their natural parents, who loved them an did an above average job raising them

• Staff members turn on their pastors…and yank half the donor base out from under the church in the process

• Pastors turn on their congregations, committing unthinkable acts of immorality and deceit

• Husbands turn on faithful wives of 24 years because the girl at the office made him feel young, funny, and relatively attractive.

I hate to admit, but Steven is absolutely right. I've seen it more times than I care to remember, in every one of the contexts he lists. Don't let it be you who turns on someone who loves you.

But what if it happens to you? Steven gives some great advice on this. Read the entire post here.

Happy Anniversary!

Today is the one-year anniversary of the beginning of this blog. I started blogging on June 9, 2007 with this post.

One year later, I'm still enjoying blogging about what's going on at Solid Rock Church, and linking to other interesting blogs and articles, as well as blogging about some of my thoughts and reflections related to Solid Rock and the church world in general.

I know I have a few readers out there, so as long as there are three of you reading this blog, I guess I'll keep it going. And remember, comments are always welcomed!

Sunday Night Reflections

• We're currently studying the book of James on Sunday nights, and it sure is giving me a lot to think about. Tonight we looked at chapter 3 where James writes about taming our tongues. I really felt like the applications we looked at tonight were very relevant because we all tend to be inconsistent with our speech. May God help us!
• I had a chance to visit briefly with Pastor Tim Dewey from Evangel Temple this afternoon. He was recently diagnosed with throat cancer, and just finished with his radiation treatment. I was glad to see that he was strong enough to be in his church this morning. He looks weak but seems to be doing well otherwise. He's believing God for a complete healing. Let's believe with him; please keep him in your prayers.
• We're having baptisms on June 29th, and I can't wait. This is one of my favorite things to do because of the changed lives that baptisms represent. It's not too late to sign up! And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name. (Acts 22:16)
• This is going to be a great week! Enjoy it!
  

You Preach First

I read this tonight as a part of my sermon during the InterMission Service. Something to think about.

You Preach First

The first sermon preached each Sunday is not by the minister, but by you.

You preach a message about respect when you arrive to the service on time. You preach a message of joy when you say "good morning" to those you meet in the parking lot, in the classrooms, and in the sanctuary.

You preach a message of welcome!—"We have room for you" when you slide over in the pew instead of forcing others to squeeze in front of you. You preach a message of hope and joy when you sing enthusiastically during the song service.

You preach a message about the power of prayer when you fervently enter into the time of prayer together.

You preach a message of love when you smile, say hello, and introduce yourself to guests. You preach a message about trust when you bring your tithes and offerings. You preach a message about the importance of the Scriptures when you open your Bible to the day's text.

Many messages are preached before the minister stands up to bring his message. If your message is positive and consistent, then the message given from the pulpit will be much better received!

Come Sunday morning prepared to preach your best sermon.

—Encyclopedia of 15,000 Illustrations

But You!

Sermon preached at the Graduate Recognition Service at Solid Rock Church on May 24, 2008

Paul Washer

Here is the video I spoke about in Sunday night's sermon.

Sunday Night Reflections

• Today was an exciting day at Solid Rock Church. We renewed our Missions Faith Promises for the next twelve months, and once again, the families of SRC showed that they are serious about giving to missions. Thank you, Solid Rock! God will give us the seed if we have the faith to place all our trust in Him!
• It's June 1st, and that means it's officially summer for me. Yes, I know summer doesn't actually start for another two or three weeks, but as far as I'm concerned, it's summer. That means that I have a little extra time for reading. I've already ordered three books from Amazon.com to go along with several others that have been on the back burner for a few months. I plan to do a lot of reading this summer, perhaps more than most summers. I can't wait to get started!
• I have a confession to make. About 25 years ago, Lillian was reading through a series of books by Janette Oke about life on the frontier in the late 1800s. I would tease her about the books, mainly because she started speaking like the characters in the books, saying things like, "Yup, we'll be home right soon"! Well, now I find myself really enjoying the movies that have been made from the books. I guess I just enjoy imagining what life was like in simpler times. Tonight we watched the latest movie, Love's Unfolding Dream. Don't really care for the titles, but I really like the movies.
• Have a great week! Don't forget about our InterMission service this Wednesday at 7:00 PM.