Saturday Morning

It's a cool Saturday morning (30f, -1c) and there is a fresh layer of snow on the ground (a couple of inches). The sky is still overcast and will probably remain that way all day. Coffee and the computer are a good combination on a morning like this one.

In just a few hours, I'll be heading out for another associational evangelism conference. Unlike last Saturday, I'm really looking forward to this one. This is the second year for the Pulaski County Association Evangelism Conference. I'm very confident that there will be more churches that are participating this year than there were last year. The venue has changed from the association camp grounds to The First Baptist Church of St. Robert MO. The only bad part of heading out in a few hours is that I have so much to get done between now and then!

At this conference, I'll get to preach during the Monday morning session. Most of the time, I only get to share the Gospel with magic. It will be hard to shed the magician image since I started out primarily as a "Gospel Magician." Even though I feel that preaching is my primary vocational calling, I will forever be seen as a magician. It is not a bad thing...it just limits opportunities for preaching invitations and perpetuates having to spend time in magic that I would rather devote to other priorities.

I finally sent out the church pairings and schedule for our TriCounty Association Conference that begins next Saturday. This should be a job for somebody that doesn't have a full-time gig and a winter conference schedule of their own. It does give me a great appreciation for the other people that have put on conferences in the past. I am anticipating that there will be a great response and more churches will want to participate in coming years. I am baffled by churches that don't want to band together with other churches (and these are of the same denomination!) to share the Good News. Have we become so narcissistic that we would rather see the lost remain lost than see them find Jesus through the work of another believer? Would we really be jealous of an evangelist that God uses to reap a harvest in our own churches? Are we afraid that we will be out-preached by a guest in our own church? Shame on us!

It as never been about us. It has always been about God and His great love for those that are lost. We have been given the awesome responsibility of telling the world that God loves them and that Jesus died for them. I am praying for another great weekend. There have been nearly 50 new souls that claimed Jesus as Savior over the past two conferences. I am looking forward to seeing what God will do in the next two!

I hope that you will take the time this weekend to honor the Creator. Find a church. Go.

John<><