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The other day Betty, Anneka and I were going to dinner with some friends of ours. They were following us to the restaurant but got caught by a stop light. So Betty walked out to the street to flag them down as they went by. As Anneka and I stood by the car waiting, Anneka shouts, "Mommy, I love you!!" which Betty responded with "Anneka, I love you too!!" Then Anneka turns to me and says, "That always works!" Yes, it does, doesn't it? Every time you tell God, "I love you", His response will always be, "I love you too." There is no price tag on the value of Bettys and Annekas love. I have nothing that can buy it or replace it. Yet I am amazed how quickly we will trade God's love for some selfish little bobble that in its true value is worthless to the love of God. I want Anneka to always know that there is nothing we will trade for her love. That she will not be replaced or devalued in anyway. I believe that when childr

Thanks to everyone who made our Thanksgiving Sunday a great success. Especially Pastor Jason and Jenni Perez. Abalze did a outstanding presentation of Total Eclipse of the Heart! If you haven't see it yet I encourage you to click on the video below. Again, thanks to all of you who made this drama and day great!

This morning I asked you to pray for a pastors wife named Kristy Dykes. As I understand it (and someone correct me if I am wrong) the doctors have given her a few months to live. I would ask that you please pray and believe God for her total and complete healing. I would also ask that you visit her blog at http://www.christianlovestories.blogspot.com/ There you will find an entry from her husband Milton about Tough Men and Tender Romance. And Kristy, if you happen to read this, know that we are praying for you!!

My Top 10 List for this year. #10 - I am thankful for coffee. I really work hard at not drinking to much of the stuff and most days I don't. But I really love a good cup of coffee. #9 - I am thankful for people who catch God's vision and perspective about life and ministry. When people can see what I see, it is refreshing and it gives me hope. #8 - I am thankful for God's comfort. After my dad passed away, God's foundation was the real comfort of my life. #7 - I am thankful for God's provision. More than money though, he has provided new relationships to replace old ones that moved on. #6 - I am thankful for the opportunities for me to grow as a person and as a pastor. He has been and is continuing to answer my prayers. #5 - I am thankful to be pastor of FFWC. It has been 12 years and I still love what I am doing everyday. #4 - I am thankful for my mom, Helen, who determined to raise me in church and serve God with my life. #3 - I am thankful for Anneka. Ev

Gas is going up again? Just a few minutes ago a barrel of oil jumped to $99.29, this will become .05 to .10 cents a gallon at the pump in a couple of weeks. What is there to be thankful for? How much more of this can we stand? Orange juice is $6 a gallon (I quit drinking that a $3.50), Milk is $5 a gallon (again, I quit a $4) and I'm starting to feel guilty about drinking my coffee. So again, what is there to be thankful for? Can you answer the question? Go ahead and post your thankfulness here? There is plenty I can be thankful for, but thankfulness only works when we remember what to be thankful for!

Wow what a day! I want to thank everyone who made today a great success. I was great to see all our guests! The mean was terrific and the food was even better. We really did have a great time - but now I am exhausted. I was worth it all though. God Bless and don't forget that we do not have services this Wednesday. Happy Thanksgiving!!

Well the i's are dotted and the t's are crossed. We ready for a big day tomorrow. I am excited about it - believing that we are going to have a great day. I hope that you can make it and enjoy the great music, drama, ministry and dinner afterwards. It's 12:14 am and I'm going to bed now.

Last week was Ignited Annual Slopfest. It was the grossest, sloppiest, stomach turning, almost puking fun I have ever seen. The whole event was a great success and everyone did have fun. The church smelled like fish for a day or two, but nothing serious.

A couple of weeks ago we had a oceanside baptism. It was a lot of fun and a great experience for all. 6 people were baptized. The picnic was a great and I believe everyone had a good time. If you didn't get to go you can see some pics at our websites photo album. But the lesson learned for the day was this. Never have a ocean baptismal when there is a tropical storm churning off of the coast. About every third wave was a "biggie" and finally in the end I was timing the waves and letting the ocean do the baptizing.

As a kid I remember when Christmas started. You know, the day you started hearing Christmas music in the stores, the day that traditionally you put the Christmas tree up, the week when city's would put out their Christmas decorations. For me it was the day after Thanksgiving. But in recent years I've noticed we are celebrating Christmas sooner than that. Stores started putting out decorations before Halloween. I attended my first Christmas concert 2 weeks ago. Wal-Mart started playing Christmas music this week. While Black Friday (the shopping day after Thanksgiving) will still be a nightmare (that's when I quit going over the Roosevelt Bridge until 2008) a recent trip to the mall was already packed with, you guess it, Christmas shoppers. I caught myself starting to whistle Christmas Carols and I even bought a Christmas album this week. So what's the point? We may start hearing Christmas music in October or we may be able to buy our Christmas tree in July. Bu

Yesterday about 100 pastors and church leadership from the Assemblies of God met with our new General Superintendent, Rev. George Wood. If you don't know, the General Superintendent leads our national office in Springfield, Missouri. He wanted to share with us 5 core values that the leadership team of the AG will be working on and then opened the floor for answers and questions. The five core values are 1. Passionately proclaim, at home and abroad, by word and deed Jesus as Savior, Baptizer in the Holy Spirit, Healer, and Soon Coming King. 2. Strategically invest in the next generation 3. Vigorously plant new churches 4. Skillfully resource our Fellowship 5. Fervently pray for God’s favor and help as we serve Him with pure hearts and noble purpose. Not only was I impressed with the fact that Rev. Wood desires to be accessible and open about the AG's future. I was further impressed with ability to communicate to us passion concerning these core values as well as other points

It's 9 p.m. and I've been at my desk all day. After traveling last week and getting ready for last Sunday services I'm just getting caught up (only to find out that I'm farther behind than I thought I was). Tomorrow I'm going to Lakeland. Some pastors in our District are meeting with the new General Superintendent Rev. George Wood. I let you know how it went.

What a whirlwind of a week. I fly up to NW Arkansas for my dads funeral monday. The funeral was Tuesday and then I flew back on Wednesday. I had a three hour layover in Atlanta so Joe McCutchen took me out to lunch. We were returning in time for my flight then someone sideswiped a bus out on the interstate. When I finally got to the airport I ran all the way to the gate (which was a mile away) and just made it on the plane. Whew! I am ever glad to be home. I plan on writing some more about my trip of the next few days, so please check back soon.