In The Eye Of D. Holder

Time For Refreshing

2017-04-05T10:08:00.001-06:00

After many months of silence, I resume blogging. As previous posts indicate, many changes have come in my life. The scope of this blog shifts as well.

I am a pastor, a husband and father, and an avid vintage electronics hobbyist. Therefore, this blog will include insights, perspectives, and updates on these subjects. Part of this "experiment" is an effort to log my efforts at restoring history. Another aspect is to share thoughts and insights that I hope will help and encourage readers.

So stay tuned. The best is yet to be!

Them Changes...

2015-01-29T11:57:00.001-06:00

...with a tip of the afro tinged hat to Buddy Miles.

With almost a year passing since my last blog post, I can honestly say that myself, my family, and two churches I have served have gone through "them changes."

In the past 12 months, (or so)

My mother-in-law died,
My father-in-law died,
My wife took a new job,
I took a new ministry responsibility,
We sold a house,
We bought a new house,
We moved,
My wife had surgery,
Our financial picture has changed,
And we are still getting settled.

How's that for changes?

Now, the task is to finish living out of boxes, be able to find things that have gone missing since we moved,

And make a new life.

It is still pretty much the old life. I am still a pastor. My wife is still an educator. We still have two sons.

But so much has changed.

I am glad to be back in my home town. Doors of opportunity have opened. In future blogs, for those who are interested, (for those who are not, I will still write) I will discuss on this blog what I believe to be three of the reasons we have pulled up our roots to come back home.

'Midst all "them changes,"

Life changes daily. God never does.

Hello, It's Been A While; Not Much How 'Bout You?

2014-05-24T21:33:00.002-06:00

I stumbled across my own blog tonight. It has been well over a year since I've updated it. Shame. Those in the know will tell you regular (at least twice weekly) blog updates are necessary to keep readers returning to your site.

So is it about merely getting return traffic? Or having something to say? I have no product to sell, other than my Christian faith, which is not a tangible product and costs nothing monetarily.

Or is it about expression? Blogging is a great outlet for "unkempt thoughts," random ideas, and even rants.

I have been busy with another hobby- antique radio. I absolutely love it. I now have over 100 of the little fellows (old radios) in my collection. Most do not work and are in various shades of disrepair. I have been busy sorting out and setting up the various items I have acquired these few months.

It is true- one can acquire many things requiring much more storage space. Jesus had something to say about this, but it is disturbing. (Luke 12:13-21)

I have outgrown the garage, the store room and soon a storage building. But it sure has been fun.

Other than that, being shorthanded at the church has kept me busy. It seems that during this era, we have had to have more meetings than since I have been at First Baptist, Sulphur, LA.

Good thing to have a hobby. It provides such satisfaction that I can actually look back and see something fixed and finished- something I don't often see as person who works with people and their problems.

It has been a while. Perhaps it is time to keep the silence broken and resume blogging. A friend suggested I blog on my radio hobby. Perhaps. Then I could enjoy two pastimes at the same time.

Stay tuned. More to come.

The Theater Of The Mind

2012-10-30T21:55:00.000-06:00

"Radio is a world that has to be seen to believed."

....And I Didn't Know He Was Even On Facebook!

2012-10-30T21:50:00.001-06:00

"A Giant Oak In God's Forest Has Fallen"

2012-07-17T08:53:00.000-06:00

"I see the handiwork of God which is beauty; people who are oppressed and in need of things physical and spiritual."

These are the words of my favorite professor, scholar, and mentor, Dr. Donald Potts. He was a kind man, a wise man, and seemed to have almost infinite patience with his students. Even up to the very end, he continued to read, study, and write.

The last few years of his life he struggled with physical disease and limitations. But that didn't keep him from serving the Lord. He kept teaching and mentoring those who would stop by to visit him.

A few years ago, I was preparing to teach a seminary course on preaching. Dr. Potts always had thorough notes and well developed outlines. In fact, one of the greatest things he taught me was to think logically and outline those thoughts in a logical progression. I stopped by his home to get a copy of his preaching lectures. As I expected, he was gracious and generous with his materials. I enjoyed visiting with him and using the opportunity to "pick his brain" on numerous subjects.

I can recall that as a student,we called his Pastoral Ministries class "Story time." He had some dillies of stories to tell. It seemed that Dr. Potts as a pastor had one amazing adventure after another.

I recall him entering the classroom on test day with a stack of tests in his hand, chuckling with a somewhat sinister tone. Every test I took from him, no matter what the class, seemed to follow the same format: 1st Page- True/False, fill in the blank; 2ne Page- Matching and short answer; 3rd Page- Essay. His tests weren' that hard but they were thorough. When he came back to class with the graded papers, he always graded on a curve. He would show the scores on the board, sometimes reaching waaay down to get some students on the passing side. He liked to say, "Grace did abound!" In his class, it did.

I recall he was a walking library of knowledge. You could ask a question about Bible, theology, or just about any other subject and he would reply with a thoughtful, well-reasoned answer. He never got very excited or emotional. He remained calm and steady, even in times of test debates with students who thought they knew more than he did. One in particular incident I recall was when a student was arguing with him over some fine point of theology. After some discussion, with time running out for class time, he said, "Well, we'll just let you be wrong if you want to be." Sometimes I found myself cheering inside when he would with his typical flawless logic refute a student who was half cocked in their thinking.

Not only did he have a library in his head, his personal library was huge. The few times I conferred with him at his college office, I was impressed with the hundreds of volumes on his shelf. I daydreamed about having a library like that. When asked if he had read them all, he with typical understatement say, "Well I know what's in them!"

I recall that in his former life in the world of work, he had been a nuclear physicist. His engineering background certainly showed in his carefully organized notes, outlines, and thinking. He once told us that for people to say that a man would enter the ministry strictly for the money was being foolish. He said that before he entered ministry, he made more money in a week than in a whole month as a pastor.

I recall that when I first began preaching and teaching that I found myself using phrases and thoughts he first put forth in the classroom. I applied his pastoral wisdom to several situations I have faced in my ministry.

Once he told us that we should learn parlaimentary procedure. It kept him from being fired by a church. By knowing what was out of order, a business meeting where some were going to try to get rid of him was over before it got started. I've never forgotten that lesson.

I recall a few years ago visiting with he and his wife in the hospital as she was dying. His wife, Jean, was a mentor to minister's wives herself. When I entered college, my wife met with her to learn how to be my helpmeet in the ministry. Mrs. Potts could tell some good stories herself!

When I visited with them, Dr. Potts asked me to pray. It was clear that the end was near and Dr. Potts loved his wife dearly. It was a reverent and tender moment, for which I was glad a shared.

When his beloved Jean died, Dr. Potts preached her funeral service. I don't know that I could do that myself. But I remember being lifted up, encouraged, and leaving with even more admiration and respect for this man.

Dr. Dane Fowlkes, a classmate of mine at ETBU, had the honor of preaching Dr. Potts' funeral message. Dr. Potts, ever meticulous and prepared, had chosen for the text Philippians 4:1-7, which emphasizes "Rejoice the Lord always." It was a fitting text.

As he concluded his message, Dr. Fowlkes told a story that I have been pondering ever since. He said that last Saturday, the day he died, Dr. Potts did something rather uncharacteristic for him. He closed the curtains looking out on the patio, locked the front door, and then wheeled his scooter chair into the hallway of his home. He backed his scooter against the wall to face the pictures of his family lined up down the wall. There he was later found, slumped over, asleep in Jesus. It was as though he knew that it was his time to "go the way of all flesh." He died quietly and peacefully among pictures of the people he loved most.

The picture above shows me, a young man who surrendered to ministry under my ministry, and Dr. Potts at an awards event some years ago at East Texas Baptist University. Someone told me they could tell it was an old picture because I looked younger and thinner. Today, I treasure that picture- me with my mentor, and my mentoree, all in one shot. Three generations of ministers. The work and heritage goes on!

Countless ministers, students, and congregations have had the privilege to sit under his deep scholarship and sense his reverence for God and his word. I have sat under many teachers, but he remained my favorite. I count myself most blessed to have been a student of his. I hope I can pass on just a portion of what he gave me. In both knowledge and character, he was a "giant oak in God's forest."

So long for now, Dr. Potts. "Well done, thou good and faithful servant!"

Note: I was looking through my archives and found this one. I don't know why it was never published; Dr. Potts died a couple of years ago. But I still want to pay tribute to a man who taught me much about the word of God and ministry.

What Is Our Business?

2012-07-17T08:46:00.000-06:00

Leaders of organizations are often advised to ask two questions:

"What is our business?"

"How's business?"

My church is not a "business" per se, but we do have a business. Churches are easily distracted and can lose focus. Preachers can forget to keep the main thing the main thing: preaching the gospel of Christ.

In preparation for a recent sermon, I ran across this story from a Charles Spurgeon sermon. Apparently he considered the issue of sounding like a broken record in his preaching. He knew he was addressing an old subject, the blood of Christ, and he told why.

I used it in my message last Sunday. ( Yes, R.W., I quoted Spurgeon!) It reminds me in my preaching and teaching to keep the main thing the main thing and to stay in the business of preaching the gospel:

Do I hear some one say, that I am now coming to an old subject? This thought struck me when I was preparing for preaching, that I should have to tell you an old story over again; and just as I was thinking of that, happening to turn over a book, I met with an anecdote of Judson the missionary to Burmah. He had passed through unheard-of hardships, and had performed dangerous exploits for his Master. He returned, after thirty years' absence, to America. "Announced to address an assembly in a provincial town, and a vast concourse having gathered from great distances to hear him, he rose at the close of the usual service, and, as all eyes were fixed and every year attent, he spoke for about fifteen minutes, with much pathos, of the precious Saviour, of what he had done for us, and of what we owed to him; and he sat down, visibly affected. "The people are very much disappointed," said a friend to him on their way home; "they wonder you did not talk of something else." "Why what did they want?" he replied: "I presented, to the best of my ability, the most interesting subject in the world." "But they wanted something different—a story" "Well, I am sure I gave them a story—the most thrilling one that can be conceived of." "But they had beard it before. They wanted something new of a man who had just come from the antipodes." "Then I am glad they have it to say, that a man coming from the antipodes had nothing better to tell than the wondrous story of the dying love of Jesus. My business is to preach the gospel of Christ; and when I can speak at all, I dare not trifle with my commission. When I looked upon those people to-day, and remembering where I should next meet them, how could I stand up and furnish food to vain curiosity—tickle their fancy with amusing stories, however decently strung together on a thread of religion?

That is not what Christ meant by preaching the gospel. And then how could I hereafter meet the fearful charge, 'I gave you one opportunity to tell them of ME; you spent it in describing your own adventures!'" So I thought. Well, if Judson told the old story after he had been thirty years away, and could not find anything better, I will just go back to this old subject, which is always new and always fresh to us—the precious blood of Christ, by which we are saved.

I shudder. One opportunity to speak to others. Of whom do I speak? Myself or Christ?

The answer is clear.

The Old Is New Again

2012-05-27T19:33:00.000-06:00

Spend some time observing and you will find that "vintage" is cool. There are vintage pieces of furniture, cars, and so on. Is there something about the simplicity and workmanship of items from the past that makes us long for the "good old days."

In part because of my own love of "vintage," I have taken up a hobby that connects my past, the past, and vintage technology.

I attempt to restore old tube type radios. That word attempt is key. At this point in my career, I am not always successful.

Not much in the way of equipment is necessary. A few hand tools, solder, some electronic parts, a little know-how, and a VERY sympathetic spouse is required. My garage is getting smaller due to all the vintage gear it now holds.

My hobby connects my past because in high school, I took Radio-TV repair. I wanted to be a TV man. Those were the final days before solid state televisions, and certainly big screen LED's. I enjoyed tinkering with those big metal chassis and orange glowing vacuum tubes. I really planned a career in electronics- but God had another plan for my life. That's another story.

My hobby connects the past, because I am dealing with vintage technology. Look at some old radios- wooden cabinets, metal cabinets, bakelite, and even plastic and you can see artistry, style, and taste. Somehow the electronic devices of today often look drab and similar. Each of those old radios had individual character. What's more- they were made to be fixed- unlike so much of today's electronic items which are just tossed when they cease to operate.

Vintage technology is part of the mix because vacuum tubes just sound different. Ask any guitar player today who knows his stuff, and he or she will likely tell you that they think tube amps sound so much better, warmer, and real than modern solid state stuff.

Real radios glow in the dark. That's romantic....

So imagine my thrill when I read this article recently: http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2012/05/return-of-the-vacuum-tube.html. It reports that seemingly obsolete vacuum tube technology is finding use in space exploration.

The old is new....again.

That just warms my heart.

Anything Wrong With This Picture?

2012-03-30T20:28:00.000-06:00

Tattoo artist Drew Blaisdell, 46, tattoos Pastor Steve Bentley at Serentity Tattoo that is located in Bentley's church, The Bridge, in Flint Mich. (RNS PHOTO/Mandi Wright/USA Today)

Revitalize Your Church: Small Town Pastor Cleans Up Abandoned Neighborhood...

2012-03-23T19:41:00.001-06:00

Our church history reading group was discussing this week how the early church expanded so rapidly. It was, in part, due to its willingness to care for the sick and societal outcasts. "See how they love one another" was one outsider's comment.

That is why this news items resonates. Our most powerful Christian apologetic is not our cleverly reasoned arguments, but our willingness to "love one another."

Check it out:

Revitalize Your Church: Small Town Pastor Cleans Up Abandoned Neighborhood...: Kudos to Pastor Dan Lemke, who understands that loving God ought to be translated into practical acts of kindness and community transformati...

How Well Said!

2012-02-16T21:07:00.000-06:00

Every now and then, someone comes along and says something so well, there is little to add. This is how I feel about this video. I rarely do so, but I encourage the reader to pass this along. The argument is well framed and stated.

He may be a Lutheran, but he sure sounds like a historic Baptist!

I applaud Rev. Harrison and his courageous statements.

Do These Go Together?

2012-01-31T21:37:00.000-06:00

Don't know why, but this sign I saw struck me as a bit odd.

Football, Faith, Tebow and Trivia

2012-01-14T07:05:00.000-06:00

I am impressed with Tim Tebow. He seems to represent Christianity well. It is time that we had a "celebrity" who truly lived out his or her Christian faith without phoniness and shallowness.
I am praying that he will stay true to this faith and not fall. He has been put up on a higher level, so his fall would be great. Then the skeptics could say, "Yeah, I told you; he's just like the rest of those hypocrites."

I noticed that the mayor of Pittsburg lost a bet with the mayor of Denver, so he had to wear a Tebow jersey while "Tebowing." The one thing that bothers me about it is wondering if Tim (and others) are doing this in part, to be seen. Jesus had a specific warning against that type of display. (Matthew 6:1)

I discovered some amazing trivia about Tim Tebow:

His favorite Bible verse is John 3:16. In his playoff win against the Steelers, he threw for 316 yards. His average yards per completion was 31.6 yards. The Neilson rating system had the game in the fourth quarter at a 31.6 share.

Now get this: The referees who called the game were named Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. And finally, according to his link, Witches are casting spells against him to end his season.

I pray for Tebow. May he stand strong in his faith...and his football.

Enough To Make Me Rethink My Ebook Reader (Not!)

2012-01-11T20:17:00.000-06:00

Try this with you Kindle or Nook!

Merry Christmas To All!

2011-12-25T07:44:00.001-06:00

Just one way of celebrating Christmas in Cajun Country....

One Reason Why Christmas Sales Are Up This Year

2011-12-24T09:04:00.000-06:00

I don't think Dave Ramsey would be pleased.....

Stupid and Graceless

2011-12-03T21:41:00.000-06:00

I admire Bob Costas for saying something on national television that needs to be said. He uses words like "obnoxious," "knuckleheads," and "idiots."

In the words of Tim Challies: “Bob Costas carves the selfish idiots who make a spectacle of themselves after they do something good on the football field."

He raises a good question: "Where are the coaches in all this?"

Preach on, Bob!

Anybody with us?

You Think It's Cold Here?

2011-10-06T22:43:00.001-06:00

Captured on an October morning in Lake Charles, LA.

A Good Reason To Let Sleeping Classics Lie

2011-10-05T21:43:00.002-06:00

Many, many years ago, I read the classic work, "How to Win Friends and Influence People," by Dale Carnegie. Its impact on my life since then has been beyond measure. Its practical, sensible, and proven advice for getting along with people is worth a read by anyone. In fact, I have recently been listening to it on compact disc in my car. Though my eldest son will grimace here, I once insisted that he read the book after some now forgotten relational infraction he committed. He did read the book, or said he did, though I recall thinking that he must have had some angle on a rapid reading method.

It is a classic book.

That's why it should be left that way.

I happened to notice the other day that the book has been "updated" for the 21st century. Admittedly, some of its illustrations and examples are dated. After all, the book was originally published in 1937 during the height of the Great Depression. The world has changed much since then.

Unfortunately, the book apparently has as well. Just one sentence will suffice as an example:

Today’s biggest enemy of lasting influence is the sector of both personal and corporate musing that concerns itself with the art of creating impressions without consulting the science of need ascertainment.

Huh? What? And just what in the name of Dale Carnegie is "need ascertainment?"

Here is a good example of why classic works need to be left to stand as they were first conceived. One of the reasons this book has spanned the generations, no doubt, is its plain and simple language. Now that clear and easy to grasp wording is changed into gobbeldygook.

Let that be a lesson to all.

Some things are better left alone.

2011-09-08T22:43:00.000-06:00

I recently finished the book, Renovation of the Church: What Happens When A Seeker Church Discovers Spiritual Formation, by Carlson and Lueken. It is a part biographical, part confessional story about a church that moved from being "seeker driven" to become more focused on spiritual formation. They went from a megachurch to a much smaller one. But they found that they gained quality over quantity. As a matter of fact, I could resonate well with their staff's feelings of having to sing and dance, so to speak, in order to please the crowd and keep them coming. In short, they went from a consumer church to more of a contributor church. They have the scars to prove it as well. Music style may not have changed as much as the tone of the church overall.

In my informal conversations with pastors of traditional churches, I have discovered that we all struggle with "performance anxiety" as well. At the end of the day, we manage to offend and please almost all individuals in the worshipping crowd. Then again, who ARE we there to please?

I maintain that it is the spirit of the worship, not necessarily the type of songs we sing. I have felt God's presence deeply while singing "A Mighty Fortress," as well as I felt I was at a rock concert performance while the band cranked out the latest worship tune as heard on "YOUR FAVORITE CHRISTIAN MUSIC STATION!." Likewise, in a more "worshipful" service, I have felt anything but. Then again, with a hard rock'n band, I truly felt God's nearness.

My eldest son, going from a megachurch in Dallas with all its bells and whistles to a coffeehouse with a guitarist seated on a stool, said he felt closer to God in the latter setting.

But the order of worship is not up for a democratic decision, just as the sermon topic isn't. However, a sense of what people will like is an ever nagging presence. Some us, even in ministry, still struggle with the desire to please our fellow humans.

In closing, I say as I have said for several years: The pendulum would one day swing. It is now swinging. The move will be back to a more liturgical form of worship. It is already happening in the more avant garde churches, particularly in urban areas and on the left coast. What type of worship will characterize the next generation?

God only knows.

One Of My Favorite Quotes

2011-09-06T20:17:00.004-06:00

Years ago, I discovered these words by Theodore Roosevelt. For some time, I had them displayed prominently under the glass on my desktop where I could see it daily.

For some reason, I enjoy reading them aloud with a voice that is my imitation of Winston Churchill. (Imagine him saying these words in the tone he used to inspire the British people during World War II saying among other things: "We shall never, never, never give up!"

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

Sounds to me like Teddy had his own share of critics. But unlike so many who wither under criticism, he refused to knuckle under.

Cold and timid souls they are who are content to carp and criticize yet never even enter the arena. Things do look quite differently from the field than they do in the stands. Often one has only a split second to make a decision while the armchair quarterback can pontificate almost endlessly.

Am I immune to criticism? Of course not. Whether it is valid or not, I have many times spent restless nights replaying a critic's comments in my head.

Just the other day, I received a comment from a church guest on a response form saying that my sermon had no practical application to everyday life. In fact, I had specifically added ways there the biblical principal could be applied to work, school, etc.

So what happened? "What we have here is a failure to communicate." Whether the person wasn't getting it, or I wasn't sending it, no matter. I pledged to do better to communicate application in my sermons.

And I choose to remain in the arena.

Church Music: Style Or Substance? Or Both?

2011-06-29T13:14:00.004-06:00

I was working through some files and found this observation. I am not sure who wrote it, but it was not I:

If a church hires a new music leader, it can expect a significant turnover. Musical style and presentation in the church is one of the biggest factors for choosing a church in the first place. And when that changes, even slightly, we feel we have an excuse for leaving. I love our music leader. Great guy, great life story. He spent three stints in prison in his 20s before he surrendered his life to the King of Kings. But I don’t like the songs he chooses on most Sundays. I don’t want to sing about me and how blessed I am. I want hymns, the richness of lyrics that have been handed down for hundreds of years. But should I leave my church just because our song leader doesn’t choose songs I like? Is it really all that important what I think about the music selection? Can God not receive praise even if I think the lyrics are trite and bland?

Many of us church leaders have well programmed and produced and timed our church worship to the point that even rock stars are envious.

All the while, are we may be saying, "You can have it your way." Some of us also know that if we don't give it to 'em like they want it, well, there's always another church down the road.

What of being a follower of Jesus Christ means that we are to "deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow him?"

Our music and art can be a dead giveaway.

New Celebrities/Rock Stars

2011-06-05T15:36:00.003-06:00

I heard a story the other day (probably apocryphal) that an unusual event occurred in Baton Rouge, LA. After living in Louisiana these eleven years it seems that the unusual is part of our culture. Who Dat?

Nevertheless, a concert by a well known country artist was in progress. They are so well known that I do not recall their names.

As the story was told to me, all of a sudden a sea of heads turns from the stage to see something at the back of the venue. The band is playing and singing. The ocean of bodies then parts like Red Sea to reveal The New Rockstars.

The Swamp People.

Swamp People is a History Channel "reality" show about people who live in the Louisians Bayou and wrestle alligators. I often hear from people around here who watch the show and enjoy it. The Swamp people have become quite celebrities, and not just in our native Louisiana,

The poor band on the stage didn't know what to do- keep playing or stop. I understand the dilemma. As a public speaker and church leader I have often wondered what to do when some emergency or something unepected happens during a worship service.

Unfortunately, I know the rest of the story.

I do know that the Swamp People appeared at the mall in nearby Lake Charles yesterday and people stood in line for two hours to get their autographs.

Celebrity Syndrome. It used to be politicians, musicians, and artisans.

Now it is the Swamp People.

They are apparently taking their show on the road and may be coming to a town near you. Be prepared to wait in line to speak with someone who works out of a boat and who kills 'gators for a living.

If you missed them in Lake Charles, don't worry. They did leave behind signed momentos of their visit. I hear there still a few left.

By the way, a smiliar thing happened here recently with Billy the Exterminator. People do the strangest things. While I didn't stand in the line, I did get to see him up close!

The Day Has Finally Come!

2011-04-19T15:37:00.003-06:00

I have heard of disunity in church. Now it is a reality.

2011-03-01T20:23:00.003-06:00

Last Sunday morning at our church, during our worship service, we had a minor emergency.

A young man who is a walking miracle due to burns he recently suffered was back for the second time since his release from the hospital. Doctors initially told him that he had an 8% chance of living. He suffered the burns due to a gasoline fueled bonfire that went out of control. He was taken by airlife helicopter to Baton Rouge and spent a few weeks in ICU. He is still a bit weak.

The worship music began and the first song felt so powerful and worshipful. Things were rolling. During the second song, I sensed something wasn't right in the room. This young man got weak on his feet and almost passed out. Fortunately, we have several nurses who rushed to his side and were caring for him until an ambulance arrived.

What does one do? We stopped and prayed, and the choir sung on. There did seem to be a sweeter spirit, the music felt more powerful, and one lady joined our church at the service's conclusion. I enjoyed preaching and for a moment thought I might not get to deliver the sermon. I prayed for guidance and God provided. It is not always easy to weigh a person's needs with carrying on worship.

But as one man said, "What is better in a crisis like that than to be praising the Lord?"

At the conclusion of the service, we leaned of the young man's financial needs and our church took a significant love offering to help he and his wife out. Had he not come to church, that need might not have been addressed and there might not have been medical professionals around to help.

God is good.

God is sovereign.

He showed me that Sunday morning...again.

By the way, I found out that another church across the river from us also faced an emergency situation. The church was on fire...wel, just a bit of smoke from a burned out light ballast. But it did empty the building and that pastor did not get to preach. I reminded him that he can "coast" this week and use the sermon this coming Sunday...perhaps...