Deep in the Heart of Texas

I have seen a lot of the state of Texas in the past four days. I started out Thursday morning in Seminole. I dropped off Taylor in Paradise that afternoon and then drove late into the night to the prayer cabin in Palestine. As I write this I am sitting in the offices of Southside Baptist Church in Lufkin, where the Lord allowed me to minister this morning. I have been from the west to the east in this great state.

You know what I have discovered along the way. The wealth of relationships God sent my way wherever we have lived. These relationships go back nearly twenty years in some cases. Thank God for them. Everywhere I have been I have enjoyed the blessings of friends who have partnered with me in ministry at one time or another. I am blessed beyond words.

I wept this morning in the pulpit looking out at the sea of faces that have loved us, prayed for us, supported us financially, encouraged us and believed in us for nearly two decades. I saw faces from my home church, from Southside, and even four ladies who came down from Paradise to speak about missions in the Southside services this morning. I am a blessed man. The relationships are as vast as the scenery I have seen over the past four days.

I am a deeply grateful man for the blessings God has put in my life. Thank you Lord for using people. Thank you for loving me enough to send other people to love me. I am not deserving but grateful.

I will leave in the morning to drive back to Paradise. Now the real work begins of starting this church deep in the heart of Wise County. I am trusting God every step of the way.