Once in a lifetime.

I’ve got really awesome news: my little brother got engaged this weekend! We all hoped the young lady would say, “Yes!” since she’s very cool and we like her.

All this week I’ve prayed that Pastor Blackstock would let Supermissionary Jason Holt teach in our SS class today. I’d known he was coming to LBC for about 3 weeks, I guess.

I asked Pastor very early about it, but he likes to have the visiting missionaries teach his “young couples” class on Sunday mornings.

This morning, I called Pastor because Jason had been sick last week. I asked Pastor about and he said, “He’ll be teaching your class this morning.”

I was shocked! I couldn’t believe Pastor would give up Jason Holt to the Teen class, but he did. Pastor heard the surprise in my voice and said, “Haven’t you been praying that he’d be in your class this morning?”

I winced. “Yes, sir.”

“You prayed for God to do something, but you didn’t believe it would happen?” he asked.

Sometimes I wish my Pastor wasn’t as smart as he is.

Awesome Person Alert!

I think most of you know Trip Walters, but I’ll let you in on some great stuff about him.

First off, he’s just plain cool, which is rare for someone that loves God as much as he does. Second, he loves to preach the Word of God! Today in chapel at BCWE, he shotgunned us about some of the things that were burdening his heart.

He spoke to us about our prayer life and the covenants we have with the Father. It’s amazing that that stuff is so awesome, yet I just don’t act like it.

Think about it: if you were God, would you want to listen to the whining that people call prayer? Every day? For a couple of thousand years?

Not me. Good think I’m not God. Obviously.

Right at the light.

A teenager I’m tutoring was explaining his goals in life to me yesterday. We talked about where he wanted to be in the next five and ten years.

Like many folks, he wants to be loaded with cash, which sounds pretty good to me, too.

Anyway,  we talked a little bit about the things he’s doing to help him get there. It turns out that almost 90% of his time is spent doing things that don’t really help him reach those goals.

It made me think about my own goals and reassess the things I’m doing each day. If it isn’t helping me get where God wants me, should I just cut it altogether?

Round of applause.

Heather Link has been a great addition to our SS class. She’s doing an awesome job with a bunch of the stuff that I was slack on or that was hindering me.

For instance, Sammie’s birthday was last week, but it wasn’t on my calendar. Heather sent her a b-day card. That’s a good assistant.

It also doesn’t hurt that she brings breakfast. I’m just saying.

Prayer requests.

Here are a few things to remember in prayer this week:

Pastor Blackstock & his family. He’s got kidney stones, and Mrs. Debbie is still very ill.

The Mount Moriah Teen Camp this summer.

Our missions trips this summer: Montana, New York and Peru.

Pastor’s School at First Baptist in Hammond, Indiana.

$14.50

At BCWE we had a chapel service today. It’s different than those that many colleges have, because it’s run completely by the students! I had no idea that Robert Canfield could preach like that. It was great!

Trip Walters played his guitar and sang an awesome song that he wrote for the special music. That guy is crazy talented. He took a story straight out of the Bible and put it to music. Ask him about it sometime.

Trent Cornwell was at Vision, where our classes are on Thursdays and Fridays. He’s got incredible vision for his teen group, and he’s been an inspiration to a bunch of us at LBC. Check out his blog for their youth.

And one.

Stephen Cofield preached an awesome message tonight in the Teen service. “Danger, Distance and Direction” was a sermon that hit home and hit hard. He didn’t mince words.

Also, Jose Santana showed me an outline he started. It’s his first, and it looks like the beginning of a great message! He wants to preach something that he’s been burdened about, and he’s working on an idea that Stephen Cofield mentioned a couple of weeks ago. He’s committed to studying and praying for exactly what God wants him to share.

Vitamin E

My buddy, Scott, asked me on Saturday if I needed some Vitamin E. He’s about as strange as most of my friends, so I replied, “Maybe?”

He said I looked like a needed some encouragement, which is the vitamin I was missing. I kinda laughed him off, but he was right. I needed it all week, and God, as He always does, came through with just the right dose.

In SS we started discussing what our love should do. It should be active, so what actions does my love accomplish?

We talked about our church and what it means and what we want it to be. All really loaded stuff that’s great discussion material, but it all came down to what does my love do? What does your love do?

Today was the first part of a series, and it was, “Do what you already know to do.”

Your love should motivate you to do what you already know you should be doing. Should you read your Bible every day? Do it. Should you pray? Do it. Should you be in church every service? Do it. Should you be at visitation? Do it. Should you bring your Bible to services? Do it.

I thought about calling this lesson “Just do it!” But thought better of it.

Next week is part two:  “Learn to do something new.”

You are what you eat.

If I get Yogurt for SS in the morning, does that mean we’re bacteria? I guess Mr. Smith was mostly correct…

Anyway, I hope we can get some milk and some meat from the Bible tomorrow. God’s really worked on me about love. Not what it means or what it is but what it should accomplish. It’s goals, it’s hopes and it’s dreams.

Be prepared to change your mind, and be ready for God to change your heart.

Your choice of toppings.

Sunday we’ll finish up our discussion on love by looking at the Church of Thessalonica, and we’ll find out just what we want from our church and ourselves.

Lord willing!