PREACHING – Retirement has given me time to evaluate my years as a preacher. I know there were far better preachers than I was but my heart was in it, doing it for glory of our Lord and the benefit of others. When my sons John and Gary went of to Bible College they told me they had difficulty getting use to other preachers after sitting under my preaching for so many years. John told me it was strange being taught things they had already been taught by me. That was all an encouragement to this old man’s heart.

TIME SPENT - I don’t have a lot of spare time here at Patty and Al’s. Not that I have a lot to do. Patty has a lot of running to do fixing up rental properties and I tag along. They have several rental properties preparing for future retirement and one was vacated this month and there was a lot of fixing up to do so I sit and watch, keeping her company. A family rented it last night so it wasn’t vacant long.

DIFFERENT AREA – Things are different here and I enjoy the palm trees and the flowering crepe myrtles. So many of the streets are divided by islands to separate the directions. Driving through our neighborhood there are boys playing basketball and smaller kids riding bikes. The heat doesn’t seem to slow them down. There were palms in California when I went to Western Union School years ago. I lived there for a time when I was small but I didn’t notice those things then.

BARKING DOGS – I hate barking dogs. Our neighbor has a dog that barks almost continually and it drives me nuts. You’d think it would bother them too but I never hear them getting after them. Any suggestions short of a gun??

THE MOSQUE - The plans to build a Mosque in New York is causing a lot of debate and little wonder being near ground zero where the building were destroyed by Muslims. Another slap in the face.

PRAISE THE LORD – the house has been sold. Thank you for praying. It is interesting how God works. We have been praying the Lord would sell the house and the family who bought it told Gary and Donna that they have been praying to find the right house. I’m told they are believers and will be looking for a new church. Wouldn’t it be something if they found Fellowship Baptist Church.

STUFF – I have mentioned “stuff” before. Many Americans have more “stuff” than they know what to do with it. Driving to and from church there is a place that rents or leases Pods. Three of these would be about the size of a large tractor-trailer. These are storage bins that can be placed at your house so you can fill them with “stuff” and then they will store them for you or deliver them to your next living place. It seems to me that when you get so much “stuff” that you need a storage bin it is time to get rid of some things. I wonder what God thinks of this kind of stewardship when there are so many needy around the world.

TEACHING – A good Sunday school teacher, especially in the teen and adult classes, should learn how to draw the class into discussion. It is not enough to just lecture the class, we need to get the class thinking and participating. I thing some teachers are afraid the students might ask a question they can’t answer. This shouldn’t be a problem, just admit you don’t know but you will find an answer for next week. No one has all the answers so be honest, admit it and find an answer.

VISITATION – Recently Al, Patty and I called on a couple ladies in a rest home and we had an enjoyable time. They were so appreciative of our call. A third lady came by and joined into the conversation. There are a lot of lonely people in this world that need a friendly call. Plan to make a call on someone this week. Just imagine how much our churches would grow if we all planned to make one call a week.

GROWTH – We have a family picture on the wall with eighteen people in it. If we were to take that picture today, we would have to add twenty-one to it. Isn’t it amazing how families grow? So it is with every family and we need to pray and labor to see that each one accepts Christ as their Savior so that we may be together for all eternity. Sadly, that is not the case and there are gaps in all of our families with unsaved members.

SCHOOL – Another week or two and school starts up again and plans are being made to start up the Good News Clubs again which is always a big undertaking. Pray for workers to help out in this great effort to win boys and girls for Christ. It takes a lot of work and planning.

URGENT PRAYER NEEDED – My grandson Ben received his second heart transplant Monday night. Twelve hours later he will have a second surgery for a kidney transplant.

REMEMBERING BACK – Recently I have been recalling how I got started in ministry and I would like to share the details with you. I received Christ as a boy but without parental encouragement I got away from it. After marriage the Lord brought heavy conviction upon me and I began living for the Lord and sensing a deep need to serve Him. Without Bible college training I knew no church would accept me in ministry. Nor could I figure a way to go to college and care for a family of five. This meant I would have to start a church and learn as I labored.

MAKING CONTACTS – I called Dr. Robert Powell of Temple Baptist Church in Tacoma, Washington He was leaving for the conference out east and said he would get off the train in Auburn for a few minutes, which he did. He gave me the names of three pastors I didn’t know and he got back on the train. I finally found the three men and learned they had rented a small store building in Federal Way, Washington without knowing where the next months rent would come from or who would take the task of starting a church. They had me speak in their three churches to get to know me and afterwards gave me the keys to the building and told me to go to work. They would continue to pay the rent through their churches. What a challenge for someone as ignorant and untrained as I was.

BIBLE STUDY – Some ladies from the church we attended were having a home Bible study in the area and some husbands had started attending as well. They rightly felt they shouldn’t be teaching men in the class and this gave me an opportunity at some contacts to help start a new church. God works in strange ways.

PROPERTY - As the work grew we knew we needed a place of our own and I found five acres in the area with and old house on it which we bought and started a building on the opposite end of the land. It was a good thing, as the owner of the storefront did not want to renew the lease on the building. While working on the building we started holding Sunday morning services in a restaurant owned by a family of one of the children coming to our services. We eventually started holding meetings in our unfinished building.

ORDINATION – About three years into the project the new church decided to call for an ordination council for me. The council was well attended with pastors wanting to question me being an untrained pastor in their fellowship. The council went well and they unanimously recommend me for ordination.