The prophet Hosea challenged God’s people to break up their fallow ground.  Fallow ground is ground that is unplowed, unresponsive and unproductive.  Hosea shared that people’s hearts can come to a place where they are hard to the Word of God and the work of His Spirit.  Hosea confronted those who hardened their heart to God and moved toward apathy, idolatry and immorality

My conviction is that the leading cause for fallow ground in the lives of believers today is the TV.  The statistics are shocking.  The average person in the U.S. watches over 150 hours of TV per month.  The TV is on an average of 8 hours and 18 minutes in homes today.  Believers are paying more attention to the TV, then to the Lord.  As I challenged our church family Sunday–I challenge you to turn off the TV, pray for personal revival, fast at least one meal (or one day) this week and read the Bible a lot.  Read through the Gospels or minor prophets or letters of Paul.  Let’s seek the Lord with the assurance that as we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us.

Today is Juli’s birthday!  The Lord has blessed me with such a wonderful wife, partner in parenting and pastor’s wife.  It’s hard to believe that we have been married for 17 years.  In those years we have lived in Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Georgia.  I have served on church staff and as Pastor.  We have been blessed with 4 awesome boys and a gazillion wonderful memories.  Juli is my best friend, greatest cheerleader, and co-laborer in ministry.  Happy Birthday, Juli!  I pray the Lord allows us to spend many, many, many more together.

Over the last few weeks I have been longing for God to do something fresh in my life.  That became a renewed passion over vacation this summer.  And God has moved!  He has moved in my life and in our church.  Our God is good.  I pray that He sends revival in our hearts.  As we look at our Fresh Plant series, I pray that God does something new and fresh in your life, too.

Over the last few weeks I have had many opportunities to talk to people about their relationship with the Lord.  I spoke with a manager at his workplace, a young man at lunch, a teenage girl after church, a young lady we invited to our home, and a few in my office.  Sharing the Gospel is a wonderful joy.  And, to be part of seeing someone trust Jesus Christ alone as the only way of salvation is beyond words.  I pray that God always gives us a heart to share Christ!

For the last year on my blog I have been able to click one time and go immediately to the right place to write.  For some reason the last 3 weeks it has told me to put in my password.  So, today I went back and looked on my last year calendar where I wrote the password and signed in.

I am so glad that there are no secret formulas or passwords as we approach our Father in heaven.  The Bible says we can come boldly before the throne of grace.  We have immediate access!

As I shared this past Sunday on the urgency of being ready to meet Christ, we had a great day!  I thank the Lord for the decisions that were made.  We need to be revived and ready when Jesus comes.  Have you prepared to meet Him?

We are just back from vacation!  We loved seeing our families in Missouri, sharing in a retirement party for Juli’s mom, and having July 4th fireworks with the Perstrope clan.  From visiting and eating to fishing and tubing, we had a great time.  Also, we got the joy of seeing our Big Mama in Mississippi and her new grandbaby, Jacob. 

In just a few hours Katy and Eric and their families and their wedding party will be here for a wedding rehearsal.  Then, tomorrow afternoon they will “tie the knot.”  What joy!  Outside of our salvation, the gift of a life-long companion may be the most precious treasure from the Lord.  God saw that it was not good for man to be alone, so with holy anesthesia, a rib, and great precision He sculpted the woman.  Thank you, Lord, for the precious gift of marriage. 

The Southern Baptist Convention had a continual emphasis on the Great Commission.  From the Pastor’s Conference to the final message by Tony Nolan the emphasis centered on sharing the Gospel in our cities and with the world.  May the Lord challenge us to sacrifice whatever it takes, so all the world can hear.

We kicked off VBS on Sunday and finished with moon bounces, hotdogs, games and lots of fun last night.  A special thanks to Amanda Kingry for all her hard work directing VBS this year.  For all who were teachers, guides, and helpers a big thanks!  It was a fun week as we learned to Know the Truth, Speak the Truth, and Live the Truth.  Let’s seek to be Good Samaritan’s and apply the truths that we have learned.