Pastor Jon's Ramblings

Extreme Makeover: What Looks Good to God

2010-10-25T16:01:00.005-05:00

nRecently I started a new sermon series titled, "Extreme Makeover: What Looks Good to God."
The purpose of this sermon series is to take a look at the before and the after pictures of certain parts of our body. The before picture looks at our body and our habits before we accept Christ as our personal savior. The after picture looks at what our body and habits should be when we accept Christ and we are born again. Through the first four weeks we have looked at our ears, tongue, heart and hands.

Before we accept Christ we listen to others, and more specifically the voices we want to hear, but after we accept Christ the first person that we should listen to is God.

Before we accept Christ our tongues often get us in trouble because we use our tongues too quickly and in unhealthy ways. We may speak the truth, but more often than not we do not speak the truth in love. We also put our tongues to work in ways that are not healthy or helpful. We tend to be critical, to gossip, and to say things that really don't need to be said. We tend to go to the phone long before we go to the throne. After we accept Christ the first person we should talk to is God. We should also be quick to listen and slow to speak and when we do speak we should always speak the truth in love.

Before we accept Christ we are conditioned not to give our hearts much of a thought. We are trained that good behavior gets rewarded and bad behavior gets punished. We are not taught that our words and our actions flow from what is inside of our hearts. This tends to get us in trouble because our hearts will tell on us in the end. We may not know where our words or actions come from at first because we are not taught how to listen to our hearts, but when we think about it we realize that our hearts are the source of our problems. After we accept Christ we are given a new heart, a heart of love.

Before we accept Christ we use our hands in ways that benefit us mostly. We rarely use our hands for the benefit of others. We are always trying to provide for ourselves, protect ourselves, accumulate more stuff, and satisfying our own desires. We think that if we don't take care of ourselves then no one will. After we accept Christ we are called to use our hands for the benefit of others. We are called to trust God to provide and care for us and use our hands to help those around us.

This series has gone over extremely well so far. It is evident that God is speaking to people about their ears, tongues, hearts and hands. I have three more sermons in this series. I encourage you to think about the before and the after pictures of your legs, your knees and your feet. I cannot wait to see what God will do in these next three sermons.

The Gospel of Mark

2010-08-27T16:52:00.006-05:00

The Gospel of Mark is a rather interesting book of the Bible, but it seems to play a secondary role to the other Synoptic Gospels for a variety of reasons. Mark does not include the birth story of Jesus. Instead he starts with a one verse introduction and follows that with a quotation from Isaiah the prophet. This is followed by a brief story of John the Baptist. Due to the lack of a birth narrative it is not often used around Christmas time to talk about the birth of Jesus. Mark also does not include a lot of detail about Jesus after His resurrection (unless you consider verses 9 - 20, which is not in the earlier Greek manuscripts, but none the less these verses do not offer a lot of detail following the empty tomb). So it is not often used around Easter time to talk about the death and resurrection of Jesus. Mark does not include as many of Jesus' parables as Matthew and Luke. So it is not as prominent when discussing the teachings of Jesus. Mark also has a much different pace than Matthew and Luke. Mark's Gospel has a much faster pace. It kind of seems like you can never catch up to Jesus. But the Gospel of Mark was written for a purpose. As a matter of fact, Mark states his purpose in 1.1 when he says, "the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." Mark wants to talk about the Good News of Jesus Christ. What is this Good News? By most accounts the Good News is that the Kingdom of God is at hand. Mark takes 16 chapters to relate how the Kingdom of God is already present and how it affected the lives of the first century Jews and Gentiles. Mark fulfills his purpose in somewhat of a different way than Matthew and Luke and that is good for us because we get a third perspective on the life and death and resurrection of Jesus. I encourage you to take the time and work your way through the Gospel of Mark and see how the Kingdom of God affected their lives and consider how the presence of the Kingdom of God can affect our lives as well.

Going with God

2010-07-23T23:15:00.000-05:00

I recently started a new ministry assignment and my first sermon was based on Exodus 33. This passage of Scripture tells the story of when God was so fed up with the Israelites that He decided to send an angel ahead of them instead of leading them Himself. Moses pleaded with God to lead them not only for their sake, but also that people would know that they are God's people. My intent with this sermon was to set the tone for our ministry together. The decision to transfer to this new ministry assignment was not one that I took lightly. In my previous assignment God was opening doors for us to make connections in multiple areas of the community. These ministries were in the early stages, but they were very exciting and growing rapidly. In the midst of this God impressed upon me to move to almost 9 hours away to a new assignment. My wife and I spent over a month making this decision, but in the end we decided that if we were to go with God that we would have to move. This move involved moving to a new state, a new culture, a smaller community and a variety of other transitions. It is taking time to adjust. We have been at my new assignment almost two months now and it has amazed us how God has confirmed over and over again that this was the right move. We have learned that if we go with God, even when it does not make complete sense at the time, the benefits of obedience are remarkable.

"Into Your hand I commit my spirit"

2010-04-20T09:47:00.005-05:00

This morning I was reading Psalm 31. (My Bible says that Psalm 31 is a Psalm of Deliverance written by David presumably when Saul was out to kill him.) Verse 5 really grabbed my attention. It reads, "Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God" (Psalm 31:5, NRSV). As I read this verse my mind was immediately drawn to Jesus' last words on the Cross when He said, "Father, into Your hands I commend My Spirit"(found in Luke 23:46). I have studied the last words of Jesus many times, I have taken classes on the Gospel of Luke, and I have preached on the last seven words of Jesus. But for some reason as I was reading Psalm 31 this morning, Luke 23:46 seemed to take on an additional meaning for me.

For a long time I believed that the main message of Jesus' last words was a verbal declaration of Him giving up His life to do what we could not do for ourselves. Now it also seems to mean that Jesus was also sending a message to those who could hear His these words. Many of the people around the cross were undoubtedly familiar with the fact the Jesus was from the house and line of David, but I am sure that they were very familiar with not only David's life story but his Psalms as well (research shows that many of David's Psalms were written as literature or as a musical piece, which would aid in prolonging the knowledge of his life).

If you look at these two passages of scripture they are somewhat similar in nature. David was being hunted down by Saul. Jesus was on the cross about to take His last breath. Saul appeared to be jealous of David's growing popularity. The religious leaders felt that Jesus was a threat to them and their leadership. The primary difference is that Jesus is literally seconds away from death and David has a long life still ahead of him.

It seems that Jesus was intentionally trying to convey a message to those around the cross by reminding them of David's Psalm. Jesus had a way with words and He was often able to communicate different ideas to different people with one statement. I think the same is true here. I doubt this is accidental, but what does it mean for us today? Any thoughts on what it might mean?

Living in God's Promises

2010-04-16T11:19:00.005-05:00

Last week I started a new sermon series called "Living with Hope: Learning to Walk in the Promises of God." I started this series by looking at Hebrews 6:13 - 20, which reads:

The Certainty of God's Promise
13 When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, 14 saying, "I will surely bless you and give you many descendants." 15 And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.
16 Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. 17 Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. 18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.
(NIV, copied from www.Biblegateway.com)

This passage of Scripture reminds us of the certainty of God's promises. God has made many promises. Some Bible scholars say that God's promises number in the 1000's. As we look through Scripture many of these promises are made to a specific person or people group at a specific time and in a specific situation.

For example, God's promise to Abram (later called Abraham) that he would be the father of many nations. For this to happen, Abram would have to become a father first. Abram and his wife did not have any children and it it took several years, decades really, for them to have a child of their own. God's promise was fulfilled in their lives and Abram was the father of many nations. This a specific promise to a specific family at a specific time and place.

Not all of God's promises are so specific. Many of the promises that we find in Scripture are promises that we can not only claim in our own lives today but live by them as well. This Sunday we are going to start looking at these promises that we can claim for ourselves. The first promise we are going to look at is the promise of God's presence in our lives. This is a powerful promise for all of us that offers us a tremendous hope. We can life with hope because the author of our hope is present in our lives.

God's Promises

2010-04-07T21:57:00.002-05:00

The word promise is full of hope. A promise is especially hopeful if the promise is made by someone that is faithful in keeping their promises. All of us have experienced both fulfilled promises and broken promises. When someone breaks a promise that they have made to us we become skeptical of the next person to make a promise. Over time this skepticism grows as more and more promises are broken. When we find someone who consistently keeps their promises they become very special and a consistent source of hope. God is faithful in keeping His promises.

God has made many promises and they are found in Scripture. Mark Dever, in his book "What Does God Want Of Us Anyway?", outlines God's promises in Scripture. He looks to the Old Testament as the place where God makes His promises. He looks to the New Testament as the place where God keeps His promises. Dever does an excellent job and looking at God's promises. He shows how these promises are full of hope, not only because the promises are made, but more importantly because God keeps all of the promises that He makes.

While the promises that God made are centuries old, they are still relevant to us today. They are still living and full of hope. While many of these promises were made in a specific time and place and to a specific person or people group, these promises are still available for us to claim because God made these promises out of His character of love.

God's promises are still a source of hope to us today. Beginning this Sunday we are going to be seeing how we have hope in God's promises.

Sunday's Comin'

2010-04-02T09:26:00.002-05:00

True For You But Not For Me - Book Review

2010-03-31T12:13:00.005-05:00

Recently I read "True For You But Not For Me: Overcoming Objections to Christian Faith" by Paul Copan, published by Bethany House. This is the third book in a row from Bethany House that has dealt with objections to the Christian Faith or other faith traditions. "True For You But Not For Me" has been as insightful as the last two books. One thing that I really took away from this book was that notion that evangelism is a process not an event. As a pastor of a local church this is very helpful idea. More often than not evangelism has been reduced to either personality style or single events scattered throughout the year. This notion makes evangelism so much more than that. It helps us to see that evangelistic events are just part of a larger activity of the church. But more importantly is helps us to remember that evangelism is more relational in nature. It takes time and trust. I really appreciate Copan's understanding of evangelism as a process. This book is worth reading for just that one point, but there is so much more to this book. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in sharing the Christian faith.

Scandalous - Book Review

2010-03-26T23:37:00.003-05:00

In his book "Scandalous: The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus" D. A. Carson takes a fresh look at the story of the cross and resurrection of Jesus in 5 specific passages. This is an excellent book. I found the first chapter on Matthew 27:27 - 51a very insightful. Carson looks at four ironies in this passage of Scripture: Jesus as King, Jesus as powerful, Jesus as Savior and Jesus' trust in God. While this passage of Scripture has been looked at over and over again, especially at Easter time, Carson looks at this passage with fresh eyes and offers helpful insights into understanding it. Carson offers the same helpful insights into Romans 3:21 - 26, Revelation 12, John 11:1 - 53 and John 20:24 - 31. This book is an quick an excellent read. I highly recommend this book. It offers several new insights into often read passages.

Change

2010-03-26T09:43:00.003-05:00

Recently I picked up a copy of John Maxwell's "The Maxwell Daily Reader" off of the bargain book rack. Usually you get what you pay for, but I found something here. Maxwell has put together a daily reader with leadership insights "to develop the leader within you" (subtitle of book). The entry for March 22 is titled, "Change Requires Additional Commitment." In this two paragraph reading Maxwell hits on three important ideas. Time is a valuable quantity and change often requires more time of individuals, at least initially. And change is a matter of attitude and perspective. Willingness to change is a matter of attitude and Maxwell believes there is not much you can do with someone who has an unwilling attitude about change. But he goes on to say that the ability to change is a matter of perspective. Most of the time change does not happen because there is not an accurate perspective of the current situation. Maxwell says that as leaders we are called to help clarify the perspective of reality and of the current situation to show the need for change, if change is needed. If there is a need for change and we understand that need for change it all boils down to our attitudes. What is our attitude towards change?

Religions of the Stars - Book Review

2010-02-26T09:39:00.003-06:00

Bethany House has done it again. First "The Karma of Jesus" and now "Religions of the Stars." In "The Karma of Jesus" author Mark Herringshaw took the time discuss the God's grace in comparison to Eastern Religions. In "Religions of the Stars" author Richard Abanes looks at the buffet of "religions" in Hollywood. In both books the authors attempts were to educate on other religions. Abanes takes this opportunity to respectfully present foundational information about each "religion." I think he does a good job at presenting the basic beliefs of each "religion." This book is very helpful for Christians to have a working understanding of Oprah's New Spirituality, Mormonism, Buddha, Scientology, Kabbalah, and the Occult. The belief systems that have been promoted by influential celebrities have been been slowly eroding away how Christianity is viewed and understood. Even though Abanes is respectful in his presentation of these "religions" his book helps us to understand how different they are and how they can affect us as Christians living in America. I recommend this book to all Christians.

Miserly Moms - Book Review

2010-02-18T20:25:00.002-06:00

Jonni McCoy has compiled several excellent practical guidelines for saving money in her book Miserly Moms: Living Well on Less in a Tough Economy. While not all of these ideas are new, but they are still helpful none the less. One of the greatest aspects of McCoy's book is her ability to inspire the reader to save. Many financial guidelines can seem burdensome and overwhelming, but McCoy has a way of encouraging the reader to want to take these guidelines and put them into practice. I highly recommend this book.

The Karma of Jesus - Book Review

2010-02-16T12:47:00.002-06:00

I appreciate Herringshaw's attempt to articulate an apologetic of grace against the Eastern understanding of karma. I found the illustrations helpful in his endeavor to help us, as Westerners, to begin to understand what we have for so long ignored or avoided. Upon further study this book does not completely reflect the full scope of Eastern religious beliefs and how we me might form a helpful dialog, but that is not the intent of this book. I feel the intent is, at the very least, to introduce the conversation and to that end Herringshaw was successful. I did find the book educational, but I would do more study if I wanted to have a well informed discussion with someone from an Eastern Religion. I do appreciate his willingness to help us understand a culture that is by and large defined by beliefs that are pieced together from various religious belief systems. It is a reminder that we need to be careful with our beliefs. We need to understand them and accurately present them.

Closer: Devotions to Draw Couples Together

2010-02-13T17:56:00.001-06:00

Jim and Cathy Burns put together an excellent weekly devotional for couples. Their format is very helpful (scripture, personal thought, faith conversations and a step closer). Not only the format, but the topics they discuss are very timely and helpful (trust, attitude, forgiveness, etc.). This is an excellent book for any couple no matter how long they have been together. One of my favorite chapters is titled "The Happiness Effect." I really like the reminded that our circumstances do not dictate our happiness, but our happiness comes from within. This book is full of these kind of helpful reminders and it is well worth the reading.

Easter: A Hunt for Hope

2010-02-10T22:53:00.005-06:00

Wednesday, February 17th, is the beginning of the season that we celebrate Easter, the season of Lent. This is a season that many Christians give something up and replace it by spending extra time in prayer, reading the Bible or some other way to draw closer to God. What is standing in your way of drawing closer to God? Over the next few weeks you might consider how to remove this obstacle and draw closer to God.

Starting on Sunday, February 28th, I will begin a sermon series titled Easter: A Hunt for Hope. We will be looking at Easter and the hope that it has to offer us. If you are in need of Hope this sermon series if for you. By drawing closer to God we come closer to the hope that we will be looking at over the next few weeks.

Regret-Free Living

2010-01-21T19:49:00.000-06:00

As a pastor one of the things I like to do is to come up with a theme for each year. This year I have decided on the "Year of Hope." In my search for resources and ideas on where people need hope and the hope that they have I came across a book by Stephen Arterburn entitled "Regret-Free Living: Hope For Past Mistakes And Freedom From Unhealthy Patterns." One area of hope that I decided I wanted to talk about was in the area of relationships. Many people seem to have a lot of difficulty with destructive and unhealthy relationships and habits. This book offers some helpful insight into this area. This book does not pat you on the back and make you feel good just to make you feel good, but instead Arterburn shows us that we have accept responsibility for our actions and the state of our relationships. He also takes the time to help identify some tools that we have at our disposal to help us live a regret-free life. This book, while it is specifically about hope for relationships, has been a help in that area. I recommend this book for those seeking hope in your relationships.

Thought for the Day

2009-12-09T09:22:00.002-06:00

Recently I came across a statement in a book that has stuck with me.

"We need to quit focusing on what we want and start focusing on God's will."

Lost in Christmess

2009-12-04T09:13:00.003-06:00

Christmas has always been an exciting time for me. I always loved it as a kid. First I loved it because I got presents. And then I loved it because I got a couple of weeks off from school and I got presents. But as I entered my teen years I became expected to purchase gifts for those I loved. The only hard part was usually I did not have much money so I had to be creative. Then when I was old enough to work I saved money to buy gifts for Christmas. One of my first jobs was at a toy store and I had to work on Black Friday. Working my first Black Friday I began to realize how much stress and crazy behavior the Christmas season brings out in people. I have seen people go without sleep and spend a lot of money, money they usually did not have, all because they thought getting the gifts their loved ones wanted would make this year a better Christmas than last year was. I have even seen two women over the age of 85 fight over that last toy at the toy story. We have gotten lost in Christmess. (Christmess is the name that Pastor Bob Coy gave to this time of year because of what we have done to it and what we have turned it into.) This past Sunday I began reminding us what we have forgotten or set aside at Christmas time because it is not the shiny new toy or the last piece of technology. It is a gift that all of us need, but very few really want. It is the Gift of Jesus Christ and what the gift of this little baby boy offer us. The birth of Jesus offers us hope, peace, joy, and love. This year, lets not get lost in the mess we have made of Christmas, but lets take the time to share Jesus with those who need Him most. Accepting Jesus makes a world of difference.

Drop Like Stars

2009-08-21T16:06:00.002-05:00

Last night I had the opportunity to attend a "seminar" by Rob Bell. The pastor from Mars Hill in Grand Rapids, MI. I had never heard him in person before so I had no idea what to expect. As the auditorium began to fill up I could sense the excitement of some of the people in attendance. As Rob began to share I was immediately taken in by his first story about living life in the hallways. The entire time he spoke, just under two hours, was great. He has a way of connecting the stories to draw you in and to make you understand, and even feel, what he is talking about. I don't want to give it away, but I want to encourage you to take the time to either take in this seminar or read his book, Drop Like Stars. It is well worth the investment.

"What Being A Missional Church Gets You"

2009-08-10T10:27:00.002-05:00

Those were the words of Dr. Eugenio Duarte when he accepted the election as the 37th General Superintendent of the Church of the Nazarene at the last General Assembly. This past week Dr. Duarte presided over his first District Assembly for the Kansas City District. Thursday night was a powerful representation of the movement of God. Dr. Duarte, a product of the mission work of the Church of the Nazarene, ordained 10 members of the sending church. One pastor said, "the missions church is ordaining the parent church." Sometimes we get to see the work of God come full circle. When the Church of the Nazarene was first presented with the opportunity to take the work of the church over seas they had a decision to make. Would they step out on faith or wait until they had gotten everything together before they took this risk. They stepped out on faith and God has used that faithful decision to reach over a million people through the mission work of the Church of the Nazarene. And last Thursday night the church that took that step of faith almost one hundred years ago had the privilege and honor of seeing someone who came to faith because of their missions efforts not only hold the highest office in the Church of the Nazarene but share in the sacrament of ordination. It was an amazing sight. God truly has a way of showing us how awesome He is. Lets continue with the missional spirit that God blessed our church with and make disciples as we are going.

2009 Kansas City District Homecoming and District Assembly

2009-08-05T10:40:00.002-05:00

Tonight is a historic night in the life of the Church of the Nazarene. Last month at the 27th General Assembly of the Church we elected the first international General Superintendent. Dr. Eugenio Duarte from the Cape Verde Islands was elected as the 37th General Superintendent. Tonight Dr. Duarte will begin presiding over his first District Assembly, for the Kansas City District. This is an exciting event for several reasons, but for me it shows how far God has brought the Church of the Nazarene in the last hundred years. Who would have thought that a merger of various holiness groups and movements would only 101 years later have a leader who was born and raised in the Cape Verde Islands. God is leading us to share the message of holiness around the world and His message is being heard, accepted and lived out. I encourage anyone on the Kansas City District to come and take part in this historic night and celebrate what God has done and God is doing in our midst.

Wednesday Night Electives

2009-07-30T14:25:00.000-05:00

Our church is looking into the idea of offering more alternatives on Wednesday to help people along their spiritual journey. To help us with this decision we are interested in hearing from you. What classes or ministry opportunities would help you the most in your walk with the Lord? There is a poll on the left hand column that lists a few options If the option that fits you best is not listed, simply post a comment to his blog post and it will go directly to my mail box. Thanks again for your help. We look forward making this journey together.

Book Review: Sometimes a Light Surprises

2009-07-27T18:37:00.004-05:00

It's time for another book review from yours truly!! The book I read is called Sometimes a Light Surprises by Jamie Langston Turner. The story is about two people -- a man named Ben who has never recovered after the tragic death of his wife and a young lady named Kelly. The lives of these two characters intersect and give each other a new point of view. The book, overall, was pretty good. It took a few chapters to lay the groundwork for everything that was going to happen and to build the character in the reader's mind so that we would be able to relate with what was happening. The ending of the book is open-ended. I'm not sure if there will be another book to follow or if it was left open-ended because the author wanted us to draw our own conclusions.

The theme of the book was healing. We all have had hurts, struggles, and heartache. Each one of us deal with it differently, but we all eventually have the deal with it. And at some point we either forgive or we carry the hurts with us. The characters in the book are both hurting and Kelly is teaching Ben more about healing then he ever imagined a young girl could.

The book is a good reminder that the way we live our lives every day can truly affect those around us. We can be an example for others -- whether that example is a good one is up to us.

If you're interested in the book you can find it here.

My 2009 General Assembly Experience

2009-07-05T08:24:00.003-05:00

Two weeks ago my wife and I made our way to Orlando, FL, for the 27th General Assembly of the Church of the Nazarene. I was not sure what to expect. I knew there was going to be a partial change of leadership. Three of our General Superintendents were retiring and we needed to elect their replacements. I also knew that we were going to discuss the identity, mission and purpose of the church. We were scheduled to discuss some of the tenets of the faith. I also knew that there some differences of opinion about the direction of the church.

This past week we elected three Godly men to lead our church. Our church is a missional church and it was exciting to see a gentleman from the Cape Verde Islands elected to help lead this church. Dr. Eugeno Duarte will bring a global mindset to our leadership. Dr. David Graves will bring a passionate pastoral mindset. And Dr. Stan Toler will bring a strong leadership and evangelistic mindset to our leadership. The gifts that these three men bring will powerfully move our church into its second hundred years.

When we arrived it did not take long before I was encouraged. After attending a few seminars and attending a worship service, it was obvious that God was working. Not only did not take long to be encouraged, but I was also challenged by what was being shared. Our mission is "To Make Christlike Disciples in the Nations." This is not just a fancy mission statement but this is at the core of what we believe. God has called us, equipped us, and sent us. Everything that happened that last two weeks was planned with the purpose of helping us fulfill this calling better. All the seminars and worship services powerfully fulfilled this purpose.

The Church of the Nazarene shares the message of holiness of heart and mind. This message of freedom from a life of sin needs to be heard today in the midst of our economic uncertainty. We believe in the God of the immeasurably more, but to allow God to be the God of the immeasurably more we must be radically obedient to God.

I went to the 27th General Assembly of the Church of the Nazarene in Orlando, FL, curious about what was going to happen. I was curious about who would be elected as the three new General Superintendents and about the future of the church. And I left General Assembly very encouraged about the new leadership and the direction of the Church. God has truly blessed our church in the last two weeks and I cannot wait to see what God is going to in the Church and through the Church in the next four years. God has been good to us.

2009 General Assembly - Stan Toler Elected

2009-07-02T13:21:00.002-05:00

On Thursday, July 2nd, the General Assembly went back to work at electing the 39th General Superintendent after Dr. John Bowling rescinded his election. Dr. David Graves was declared to be the 38th General Superintendent. It took 16 ballots to elect Dr. Stan Toler. When he was elected, he began weeping. When we reached the platform he joked that he was not dressed for the occasion. He said, "I humbly accept this election."

Toler shared some of his testimony. He said he was saved in Sunday School when he was four years old and called to be a pastor a few years later. He began his pastoral ministry when he was 17. He said he "never aspired to be anything but a pastor." A few weeks ago someone told him not to be so closed minded.

On June 4, 2009, he was elected as the District Superintendent of the Southwest Oklahoma District and he was supposed to assume that role upon returning home from General Assembly. Not he has other plans to make.

God knows what He is doing. Sometimes we can get ahead of God but God has a way of calling us back to Him.

Praise God for these three Godly men who will lead our church in the years to come.