Extended Flock

But I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of the full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. [Col 2:1-3]


Notice the burden Paul had for people, many whom he had never met face to face. He says he had a great struggle over those people. The word "struggle" means a great battle in his soul. He had a burden for the people at Colossae and Thessolonica. He had a shepherd's heart.

I feel that same sense of burden today as I write this. God has entrusted an extended flock to me to challenge, nurture, feed, and comfort through these writings. Many of the people who had read these meditations I have never met face to face. Take for example the fact that I never pastored a church of over 300 people. Yet, 51,000 times people have come to this blog to read for various reasons. Out of those 51,000 hits to this site the vast majority have been from people living in the United States. It doesn't stop there. Just this week alone people from Latvia, Germany, Australia, Philippines, and France have read some of these blogs. Since we began posting these entries several years ago people from South Korea, The United Kingdom, Canada, Russia, and India in addition to these other countries previously mentioned have visited this site numerous times. Most likely I will never meet these people this side of Heaven but my heart has a great struggle for each of you. I want you to know Christ and be encouraged in Him. I want you to know the hidden treasure that is Christ.

I have a great struggle in my heart burning more now than ever to get truth out. Whether that be preaching in person, writing these messages, and hopefully one day soon making messages available on the world wide web as well. I have a desire to see people grow in Christ and to see the church of God revived. That is a burden I struggle with here in Paradise, TX with Faith Community Church as well as the church at large.

You are my extended flock. I may not remain by your bedsides during times of crisis or stand before you week after week teaching truth in person, but through this venue the messages God gives me literally spans the globe. I trust Christ is working in your hearts to have His will and way as you read and reflect.

I write with a struggle today. Wondering how many God will lead to this site. Wondering how many will come to understand the mystery that is Christ. Wondering if these writings ever make a difference. It would be nice to hear from you from time to time for encouragement. I write and send these things into cyberspace never knowing what the end result is.

It does not matter if I am encouraged. My struggle is to write for God and for each of you. Know today you are each in my heart though I do not know who you are. Know that I am praying for each of you and for the expansion of this ministry further than I ever could have imagined.

I may never stand before a flock of several hundred or several thousand. Through this writing ministry I literally have an extended flock of thousands covering dozens of countries around the world. Please know today I love you. Also know I have a great struggle on your behalf and I pray for each of you. May the Lord continue to use and expand this ministry.