A Few Thoughts
I am currently sitting in the passenger seat of a minivan en route to Virginia Beach coming back from an amazing Men's Rally in Jacksonville, NC over the last 24 hours. What a time we had! With these few minutes that I have trapped in the vehicle on a beautiful day, I wanted to publish this post communicating a few things that I've been meaning to blog about for the past few days.
A Wonderful Report from Ruse, Bulgaria
I woke up last Tuesday morning to some incredibly encouraging text messages from my friend, Pastor Martin Klok from Amersfoort, Holland. Take a look at the pictures I received:
Altar call after the Dutch Impact team
Dutch teens making an impact in the nations
Pastor Klok has a fantastic group of teens that joins him for an impact team every year to different locations. This year, they endeavored to make an impact in the city in which my wife and I served served as missionaries from 2005-2010, where currently Romanian Pastor Victor and family are laboring for the Lord. You might imagine how my heart leapt at seeing the harvest of souls that were responding to the Gospel in these images. Truly, the words of Christ from John 4 encouraged my soul: "'One sows and another reaps.' I sent you to reap for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors." I am so grateful to play even the smalleat part in the harvest of souls that is being reaped there today.
Feeling Appreciated
After our Mid-Week service on Wednesday night, the church blind-sided us with another wonderful surprise:
Basket of goodies for Pastor Appreciation Month
The pastoral calling is difficult for many reasons. But there are also many things that make it worthwhile. One of those things is a church that recognizes the weight that the pastor and his family carries and truly appreciates them. I cannot express the gratitude that comes from having a church that understands these things. Yes, the basket of gifts is a blessing and a symbol of the church's sentiments. An even greater blessing comes from knowing that it is far more than just a sentiment. We are more than blessed to have a tight-knit group of faithfully committed men and women of God. I can't say it enough: THANK YOU!
Meat for Men
Altar Call from today's Men's Rally
Reactions from today's rally were all positive. Wow, I am constantly amazed at the quality of preachers and sermons that fill the pulpits of our fellowship all around the world. This Men's Rally featured seasoned pastors Paul Stephens, Dave Szczepanski and Louie Lobato. The men had more than their fill of quality ministry. We are now returning to Virginia Beach once again filled with wisdom and instruction from the Word of God through these faithful vessels. We can't wait to get back to the Kind business in future days and weeks.