Catching Up

I hope that this post finds you all doing well. It has been a wonderful couple of weeks with little to tackle in the way of pressing matters. A nice break from the past few months. Today ends the tirade of political commercials and recorded phone messages. I hope that you all took the time to vote today.

I want to take a moment to introduce you to a fellow evangelist, Wess Adams. Wess and his wife were at our church on Sunday evening and if you're looking for a music evangelist to come to your church, you'll want to click the link above and check him out. Also, if your looking for a killer sound system, check out his site for his Bose system. I have a feeling that one of those babies may be in my future!

I'm excited about the coming winter months. It's not that I like winter, it's that things tend to slow down a bit and I'm hoping to be able to work on some new magic effects in the coming months. I've already got a few ideas on how to use some for ministry and as always, some are just for fun. For my magic friends that are reading, I may ask for your ideas on a couple of things as I get to working on them. It's fun to make changes in my show. I really like some of the effects that I use and they are effective in telling a story or teaching a lesson. On the other hand, I want to have something new for those churches that have seen me before. There has to be some balance and method in deciding what to keep and what to change. Also, one would hope that I make some progress as a magician by using different and challenging effects and props.

That kind of gets me thinking along the lines of "What are you planning on for next year?" It may be a little early for New Year's resolutions, but it's not too early to begin to make some personal assessments of where you've come from, where you are, and where you are going. Once we've figured some of that out, we need to have a plan to get where we are going. Do you have some things that you are needing to re-tool for the coming year. As life changes around us, often our perspectives often change about people, ideals, values, etc. You may even begin to see God in a different light. I hope that you begin to see Him in a John the Baptist sort of way--you know, He must increase and I must decrease.

We grow (progress) as Christians, too. Paul talks to us about renewing our mind. That is not the same as changing our mind, but rather the natural growth that comes from a dynamic relationship with God through Jesus. I think that God would like to see us as we challenge ourselves to grow in ministry and service. I think that our friends, neighbors, co-workers would like to see a new "show" as well. We all rejoice when we see one of our brothers/sisters in Jesus growing.

How about it? Why don't you begin to plan a growing you for next year? Don't wait for New Year's Day. Begin now and you can be that new person when January rolls around.


'Til next time,
John