This Christmas will be a great day. Sunday was so good and this week started out cold but looks to warm up in traditional Louisiana style. Been so busy I haven't taken the time to blog. If you guys at Foremost read this, Thanks for the great service. This week will be full of family, presents, kids and grand kids. I wish everyone a great week. Hey M+M

Sitting here in the quiet of my office is always a great way to reflect on God's presence and seek him for His direction. We set up and fed 39 folks from Serenity House and I believe God was so pleased , we had 36 volunteers from our own church come out to serve who got to reach out, mingle and eat with our visitors.. It made it a day to remember for everyone. We had so much food we fed the 70 plus lunch and the entire shelter supper and I'm sure they are still nibbling on some of the food we prepared to be frozen for them. I'm reading a new book by Gordon MacDonald titled "Who Stole My Church". It will give any church member insight into why we do the things we do to become a soul reaching church. It is very well written and easy to read. I recently went to a meeting with some of our young leaders and we all got a book from the speaker. Boy I struggled reading his work. It was just hard to read and process. Later that month I mentioned that to our young leaders and they were experiencing the same thing. Its great when someone puts out a book that won't hurt your brain to process. We are adding the titiles from our Exodus project to our web sight. The Exodus project has been so great for our church. Many have grown and many have decided to reach out to their friends who this old world may have kept captive and bring them to experience the unconditional love of Christ. Hey M+M

Here we are on this great Monday. For some of you who blog along with me I apologize for the distance in between. We are getting ready to reach out this Thursday to feed 100 folks dinner. It is going to be great. Watch your calenders for a power packed Dec. Got some time today to spend in Ephesians. It is so good when after 25 years , God's word is still so relevant.
Hey M+M

What a beautiful fall day. We are heading into Thanksgiving this week and it will surely be one of the best. We will have lunch with some in our area as an outreach and that is always so fulfilling.
In January will be going through experiencing God in our small group on Wed. Can't wait
Hey M+M

It has been such a good day. Sitting here with our Saviour, watching it rain and keeping warm
This month is so full already with the outreaches and a wedding and just great things. It is hard to be distracted from where we are going. Thank God for those who draw close and become a circle of support, they make a big difference.
I believe the Holy Spirit is saying , unbelievable tomorrow and unbelievable future to those who can see and will grab hold to. Hey M+M

I had meetings after meetings today as our church continues to expand. Had a lengthy meeting with S.U.M. about us being able to open a fully accredited bible college here on our campus. Wow what an opportunity. This week is fall fest and this year will be so much better as we reach out into our community on one of the devils dark days. I hope we can snatch a few into Gods Kingdom this year on that day. I hope we always reach out no matter what a day is. Our Exodus Project continues this Sun. Our new K-Team is so young and they will be doing worship the last Sun. of the month as we continue to reach out. If you like worship a little young, come and see.
Hey M+M

Today is Fri. Thank goodness cause its been a busy week. Just returned from a sectional ministers meeting planing next year. It is so great to see all the great ministries that are emerging out of this generation. Next week is Fall Festival and so far it will be a great night. What an opportunity to reach into our community. The Exodus Project has been so rewarding and Wed. night discipleship has been such a blessing. In Jan we will be cranking up a whole new series on Wed. night for the adults. This Sunday if you are young or just young at heart our new K-Team will be doing worship. Bro. Keith and his team bring a whole new flavor and style to our services. I came and listened to them practice and wow. Hey M+M

I was just going over notes for a class I will be teaching on the Deity of Christ. It always refreshes me just to sit in His presence and when you combine that with the knowledge of who He is , Wow.
Will begin laying out finishing touches for our fall fest. The Holy Spirit has kept me on course by challenging me through the Word and by confirming it. I have never been so excited about the change and the challenges we are undertaking. It continues to cause us to expand and grow, of course not without pain, but I will continue to be strong for the Gospels sake. Hey M+M

Kind of rainy here and overcast. It seems like a rainy day comes now and then. Looking forward to Fall Fest this year as we expand our out reach. We will almost double the games and prizes and I believe we will have free snowballs. WOW. Pastor Appreciation Day was just great. I appreciate all the cards and out pouring of love from this church toward us. They always step up and take such good care of us. Had a great lunch with some of our new leaders. Thank God for He remembers to call and position our leaders. Our new K-Team had its first practice this week and they did great. We are looking to hear and see what God does through our new team. They will be in service the last Sun. of this month. Hey M+M

What a day at Christian Life. This morning was an unusual service. I was so pleased that the Holy Spirit still touches lives. Bro. Miller, the Dean at S.U.M. and I had a great lunch. It was a great compliment to have this man comment so positively on my messages as we move through the Exodus Project. It's getting late on this Sunday night and I still have to go to the store to pick up some items. We will host another section wide ladies rally tomorrow. Hey M+M

Well its a beautiful Wednesday and this time of the year is so geat. This morning Mr Joe and me went to Raceland to drop off the food we collected. Pastor Troy was so glad to see the help. His church has been cooking hot meals for over 300 folks each month. Had folks in here all day. New people as our church continues to see God's grace shine on it. Will be meeting with those who will be involved with the fall festival tonight after our small group. Will begin a new series that will take us through the year, tonight. Some good descipleship and training. Hey M+M

I cannot believe it's Friday afternoon and the last time I wrote was last Friday. This has been a good week. We have so many good ideas as our church continues to expand. I'm up here waiting for some storm donations to bring to the ravished areas. Each new storm seem to raise the bar. Ups had to go unload a truck but I'm back. Will finish the teaching on Generational curses this week and then begin a new series. Hey M+M.

It's a Friday afternoon here with the wind gusting as our friends in Texas see Ike. We will begin receiving supplies here today and have intent to ship it to Houma. Don't know who may come out in this weather but there always seem to have some brave souls. We need to pray for our folks in Texas. We are very familiar with need here.
Continuing with "The Exodus Project". WOW. Hey M+M

Sitting here reading a chapter out of John Bevere's book "Honor's Reward". It is a great book on how to attract God's favor and blessing. It is good to revisit this book because I had already read it. Amazing that even though you may have already read something, there is still relevance in the book that jumps out at you. I have read more this year than most years of my life. A person that empowers themselves will go far. Hey since you're are reading check out Mark Battersons new book "Wild Goose Chase".Hey M+M

Well we made it through the storm pretty much unscathed. Only a lot of tree limbs down and no power. Entergy is working real hard to get it back up. We have been in contact with some area churches and we may coordinate some relief supplies to the Houma area. I will be in touch. Got to go and maintenance our generator. Hey M+M

It is the last day of August and I'm here at the church with 10 souls and myself who will be riding out the huricane here. I opened our facility as sort of a shelter as an outreach and so far i'm glad I did. We will see if it was a good decision as tomorrow inches on us. Our families who have shown up have been so gracious. Next week we begin the Exodus Project. Hey M+M

Today sent the morning being refreshed by the Holy Spirit. Took some quiet time and read some more writings by Pastor Mark Batterson. I really like that guy. Each week is being filled with invitations. Pastor Mike from Calvary called me yesterday and wanted to personally invite me to a special meeting. Our schedule is so full I had to decline. It is good to have a close group of pastors like we have here that communicate and care for each other. Everyone is beginning to gear up for the fall outreaches for our city. We had more food arrive this week for our food pantry as it begins to fill and take shape. The promises of God are so sure.
Hey M+M

Are you ready for Sept? The days are counting down till the end of the year and what excitement it brings. We are already planning our fall festival ,Thanksgiving, and Christmas events. As always it is great to serve our community and to serve others. I spoke to Mrs Seymour of Serenity House and we will be feeding them lunch on Thanksgiving day. Also we are expanding that outreach to help feed some senor citizens in our community. Last year we put on quite a spread. Only have a few more weeks on the deliverance teaching and then will spend a few weeks on generation curses. I am still amazed at how things get out into the body of Christ that are received as fact. I plan on spending the rest of the day researching and working on web messages for Sept so I have to go. Hey M+M

Well it has been a great Monday already. Will have lunch today with the winners of our new slogan contest. This week is full of meetings. One interesting meeting is with an African missionary who is heading that way . It was good to see Liz's pictures of the Navajo reservation. She will be showing a video this Sun. This Fri I will have breakfast with our local leaders and Paul Ai. That ought to be great. Bro. Keith Hawes will be ministering this Sun. He has been such a great addition to our fellowship. Ministered yesterday on refreshing so I hope all are being refreshed. Hey M+M

August is in full swing. Last week got some time to spend with local leaders and Family Research Council. Go to there web sight it is (frcpub@frc.org) It was always very informative. Also all those school supplies are pretty much gone. It is good to know we can help our kids. Today we begin our senior fellowship lunch here at the church. It is always good to see the new ministries cranking up here at our church. This week has been full of meetings as we continue to expand our ministry. Thank God for surrounding us with such great people who have a heart to serve our community.
Hey M+M

It is a quiet Monday Morning. After all the hustle of yesterday with water day it is good to be quiet for a while. Gods word always seem to speak louder when its quiet. Plenty on schedule as this week was already full from last week. Service was great and I'm sure we have never been so on course. Have a great BdayJ and hey M+M

What an incredible week it has been. I cannot believe Monday was the last time I wrote. This week has been so full. Tomorrow we have water day here at the church. I am so proud of our staff as the continue to step up and minister to our kids and all who come. Water day has become one of our biggest attendance days.
It is also going to be very hot tomorrow. Food is starting to come in for our food pantry just in time for some of our families who are stretched. Excited about the new direction we are heading. The Holy Spirit keeps telling me to be strong and there is so much at stake for our families that we will continue to move forward.
Hey M+M got your cousins a puppy.

It is going to be another hot one. I hope everyone stays as cool as they can. Yesterday it was great spending time with Dr. Miller, Dean of the School of Urban Missions in New Orleans. God has such plans for our north shore and I hope to be a part of it. They had 27 young people went down the river( wow ). From what I hear they all had fun and all returned home safe and sound. Team leaders Davin and Laurie are doing great mobilizing our young people. Today have a lot of things planned so I better get started. Hey M+M

It's another Friday morning and what a week it has been. Meeting with new people and expanding our staff. It good to watch God grow people and His Kingdom. Looking at video series on Demonology and Deliverance by Benny Hinn that a lady in our new class loaned me. I'm always looking for ways to learn and expand. I'm surprised at the amount of supposition that exist concerning deliverance in the body of Christ. Been busy at the area hospitals. some sick some having baby's, the miracle of life always amazes me. Hey M+M

It was great to get up early and go visit church fiends who are in the hospital. Then come here to the office and work. I will always be amazed at growth. It hurts, and it stretches. Boy but the outcome is so great. Will take today and spend time in planning my week and spend some research time on our new deliverance class. Hey M+M

Well it's another late Sunday night here at the Church. God's presence is so rich. I wonder some time if any one ever reads what is shared and then I might be in a bank or somewhere and someone will ask about something on our sight. I thank God He uses all types of ways to reach folks. Tonight I'm working on my schedule for the rest of July and the month of August. It is going to be powerful. We have had such great services and we are expanding with 4 more new ministries opening this month. It is always great to have people who are willing to do things for His sake and put their agenda on the side. Well let me get off here and spend some quality time with my old friend. Hey M+M

It is a beautiful sunny day today. I wish we could get a break on the humidity though.
This morning I 'm meeting with some volunteers who will be helping put together a food ministry in our church. We have some commitments from the suppliers who support second harvest in New Orleans. Have had a very successful week. Kicked off the 9 week teaching small group on deliverance. Will spend the day working . Have Team Meetings tonight and as we keep expanding who knows what the limit is. Hey M+M

Well it's Tuesday night here at the church. I have made up my mind to start taking at least 2 days a week off and today was one of them. Got to work on the new house we are building and spend a few hours fishing and still made it here for the work night here at church.Thank God for the faithful volunteers who come out and labor. They have all gone home but we got a lot accomplished. Tomorrow I begin a new series on deliverance. Man it has stirred up some interest. It's always interesting to see the reaction of folks when they listen to you teach to see if it is something new or if it lines up with what they have been taught. Either way as long as God is glorified I believe it will be o.k. Hey M+M

It was a great day off yesterday. I had some concrete poured and no matter what happens in life there seems to always be an opportunity to share Gods Love. One of the construction workers I hired was going through a problem and God allowed me to be in position to reach out with Gods love. I have always been a risk taker and it awes me to see the outcomes of those risk. What a wonderful Lord we serve. Some times moving out of our comfort zone puts us in position to touch. Still gleaning from Mark Batterson. A powerful precept or information shared and accepted by others helps to bring us forward. Hey M+M

Its another monday. The day is already filled with a to do list for today. Have been researching material for a small group on Bilical Deliverance and what a diverse group of teachings that are in the body of Christ. What's amazing is all of them claim to be correct. I really think when you blow away all the smoke there is a core of truth that can be found because deliverance is avaiable and accesable. It was good to see our national web sight mention one of the books i.m reading titled "UN CHRISTIAN". It is a joy when God leads and we all seem to be going down the right path. Hey M+M

Well it's Sunday afternoon and it is so good to have some quiet time. The rain is falling outside and it really cools things off. I was reading a powerful article by Dr. George Wood as he explained some of the years of his career serving our Lord. it is so good to have such Godly men that can inspire. We will be shifting gears as we head to the start of school and open up some new ministries here, it is going to be great. Hey M+M

Ryan Post ministered to us in song and a powerful word from the Lord on Sunday. Keep watching this young man - God is going to continue to do great things through his life.

Well its Wed. afternoon. Got all my running done and get time now to sit and go over my schedule for rest of week. Visited in hospital and had appointments till lunch then got to visit my friends at Magee. have you seen the photos of our series which were geared to men for the month of June. My helpers that helped us reach out to young men were great. Well got to go we are having an electrical problem in our youth bldg. and electrician just arrived. hey M+M

 

Its a great Monday morning. Was a great day Sunday spending time with Ryan Post and his family. We are headed to the fourth of July weekend and I hope the weather holds for every one. It is great to be expanding a little bit and adding new folks and ministries. Hey M+M

Some of our staff went with me to our sectional BBQ at Journey Fellowship and the evening was great. The food was super and as always Pastor Doug and his church welcomed everyone so gracefully. The worship team from The Mission did a great job and of course the ministry was excellent. Our brother from the Philippians encouraged us to continue on our path. We all went to coffee and doughnuts after " like we needed that" but the fellowship keeps bringing us closer together. Well got to go now, think I will do a little maintenance here at our church. Looking forward to Ryan Post in the morning. See you soon M+M

It has started out to be a great Monday. Got up early and spent some time in reflection about our direction, staff and the usual worries that go with pastoring. Been searching the scriptures daily for Gods input and He is always right on time. Had a great lunch last week with Gerald Dubre and family from North Carolina. He has done so well there. Excited about the new direction our church continues to follow. We are beginning a new worship team and a host of other great things that will help us transition to be more of a reflection of our community. Hey M+M

Was here in my office preparing for the Lion Sunday. Unless you are familiar with our series we are doing for men, we had the scarecrow, the tin man, and now the lion.
It has been so good. Next week I will be bringing some of our staff to a special BBQ at Pastor Doug McCalisters of Journey Fellowship. We will enjoy good food, fellowship of all the cutting edge ministers and have a special time of ministry by David Sobrepena who pastors in the Philippians. His Church runs about 18,000 in attendance. Check out his web sight at www.WordofHope.ph.Sis Deb's flight was moved and she won't return till today from the mission field. Just spoke to her in Miami.
Shes really excited to come home. Hey M+M

Wish I had time everyday to blog but sometimes my schedule just seems to grow. Spent this morning visiting. Had a conversation with Ryan Post about the service week after next. He is so great. Check out his web sight at www.ryanpostblues.com. You can also check out his my space. I was reading an article by Arden Adamson who is the District Superintendent in Wisconsin. Wish all of you had it. I'm going to pass some of the info on to our staff in the next meeting. Sis Deb will be back tomorrow and I thank God for keeping His hand on the team. Hey M+M

Sunday was so great. It has been such an experience to create new ways to speak the gospel to this generation. Our Tin Man showed up in this series we are doing with the scare crow. This Sunday the lion will be with us. I have a proverb that I was researching this morning in my devotions. It's Pro. 21:22 and it says a wise man can scale the city of the mighty. Something to ponder and research. Sis Debbie is still working in the Dominican Republic but is returning this week.It will be good to have her home. Hey M+M

It has been such a great friday. Our youth are heading home from what I hear was the best youth camp ever. God has been so faithful to touch our youth. I put Pastor Debbie on a plane heading the Dominican Republic. She is part of a team that will be working in an orphanage and a senior center there. Please remember her in prayer.
Our last costume just came in today for the series we are doing this month for men. Sunday we the scarecrow from Wizard of oz with us as I ministered on "Have you got a brain" and this sunday the scarecrow has brought a friend who neeeds a heart. The Tin man will be with us. What a great time to be in ministry. Well I have to go, see you later M+M.

My what a Wednesday it has been already. Had a busy morning then back to the office getting ready for Sundays father day service. Went with Laurie to deliver some of our youth to camp Monday. They were so excited and we are just praying and believing that they will experience Christ in a profound way. As usual we were about 45 minutes from the campground and the air conked out on the van. We made it anyway and it was great. Tonight we have a great small group lined up. Tomorrow will begin early with hospital visits and appointments. The day will be split with early and late. Sis Deb will leave Friday for the mission field. Please pray for her as she ministers overseas. Hey M+M.

It's a beautiful Friday morning. The day started early. Already have the coffee made and just enjoying some quiet time. My first appointment is at 8:30 with a one of our board members. It is great to have leaders who put their own interest aside and work for the good of our church. In my devotions, God has brought me to the same verses in Ezekiel where he began to tear down visions to the foundations and took out prophets because they just wanted to do what they wanted and not be led by he Holy Spirit. I thank God that He is revealing some great things we can see to reach our generation. It is crucial we as leaders watch our hearts and not let anything in that would hinder what God is doing or His Church. Remember humility is sometimes viewed as weakness by the world but is great in Gods eyes. Have appointments lined up each hour till lunch and then have a lunch appointment. After lunch thinking about doing a little work with our youth building to continue on. And as always hey M+M

It's hot today is south Louisiana. All our air conditioners are working hard. Had a great day and believe it or not have another new book you can research. It's called UN christian and it's ground breaking research from the Barna Group. It is great to be living now and to be a reflection of God's grace and a witness in these times. We truly have the answer to the worlds problems. If you get a chance you can go on Mark Gormans web sight and download his new book for free. You need to check out chapter 10. Will spend the day in and out with appointments as we continue to minister the rest of the week. Hey M+M.

It is a beautiful Fri. and God is so good. Spent the day yesterday with people and one interesting part of the day was spent with Keith Howes. He is new at our church but so talented. We hope to be involved in helping him plant a new church around Amite or just south of there. He has such a great spirit. Today has been so busy still catching up and planing for our churches new direction. Please pray for us because these changes are always exciting and sometimes painful. Spent some time this afternoon getting the final ideas together for our team meeting tonight. What a great team God has here and its exciting to see it grow. Hey M+M.

After a busy morning I have the chance to sit down and put on some worship music and just enjoy God's presence. It's during these times of reflection that I draw strength and direction. The most important thing most need right now is encouragement. God is still in control of everything. He is still leading and speaking. Had some time to research some great ideas from Mark Batterson this morning. It is great to see God working so many ways. Got to go Christens wedding rehearsal and dinner is tonight.

We had an unbelievable Sunday. God continues to expand our churches ministry's and new growth is always exciting. Today has been full of catching up since returning from vacation. There is a new book I'm starting. " It's being put in a pit with a lion on a snowy day by Mark Batterson from New York. I recently attended a meeting in which Mark was the speaker. He is an awesome guy. And as always hey m and m.

It was an awesome mothers day. I hope everyone was ministered too.
Hey m+m

It has been a week since I had time to reflect and write anything new. The new material we are using on Wed. night has really challenged so many. It is great to see our youth growing to the point that what we just built may be too small in the near future. It was very good to be one of the speakers at our national day of prayer thursday. It was such a success.

Saturday it was a great day as our parish leaders and pastors came together to pray over our city's and parish. It was good to see people from our church and others as we asked Gods forgiveness, favor and blessing on our community.
Sunday was so awesome and we raised a lot of money for the orphanage with the dinners. I speak for Sis Debbie and those who helped in any way, God bless you and thank you from the orphanage,

It has been an incredible Wednesday. Today the morning started crisp with this little cold front. It sure beats the heat. I was going over our lesson for tonight in this new material on the life of Peter. This material is so relevant to today's life. Volunteers are here cutting up all the meat and getting ready for the big missions dinner Sunday. You had better get your ticket there are only about 40 left.
Don't forget to join us (12 local Pastors and our city leaders as we pray on the steps of our court house this Sat at 12 noon). Got to run and go pick up new A.C. unit for our welcome, coffee room. Again we were blessed with 3.5 ton unit for $250.00, WOW.

It's Sunday night and what a day we had. Incredible service. God has remained so faithful to our church. Man, and how many visitors we must of had. As we continue to listen to His voice I know we continue to make a difference.

What a beautiful Saturday it is! It is good to come here on a Saturday when everything is quiet. Yesterday we were so blessed to have the North Lake Pastors here for breakfast. Pastor Doug McCalister ,our Presbyter, always challenges the boundaries at his church and challenges us to do the same for the gospel's sake. Sis Debbie and Ms. Lou cooked up an outstanding breakfast. We had a visitor from a new work beginning in Mandeville. I gave a tour of our Church and they all were so excited to see the transformation God has done in this place. It is a great time to be serving the Lord and seeing our Church continue to move in the direction He has for us.
Today is the Strawberry Festival and it must be one of the best ones yet; the traffic is horrible. I'm looking forward to Sunday. Our team has lined up a great day.

Wow what a day as we take a little break before our Wed. night small groups. Today was filled with running and erands. It's good to just take a few minitues and get a cup of coffee and relax. Tomorrow I will be traveling to the funeral of our Honor Bound Rep's wife who passed away this week. Please keep him in your prayers. His name is Albert Fraley. He said yesterday she was walking in her garden and today she's in the presence of our Lord.

I almost forgot to tell you of four books I'm reading. First is "The Last Christian Generation" by Josh McDowell, next is "Surviving the Anointing" by David Ravenhill, "People of the Presence" by Mary Cummings and finally, "Core Values" by George O. Wood. All of these have been so excellent.

Well, it's late afternoon and I've been on the roof of our 2 story building. We are still repairing and it seems like the work never ends. We had an afternoon staff meeting going over plans. This church has such great people. Well got to go , will do counseling tonight and continue reaching for the Son.

It's a great Tuesday! I got up early. I like to be up when that light fog is just letting the sun in, it seems so peaceful. In my devotions I was reading in Proverbs 11:08 how "the righteous are delivered and it comes on the wicked instead". Proverbs is just so full of wisdom and inspiration.

I met with Mr. Spangler, a Groups Representative who is trying to get the Fellowship of Christian Athletes up and going. You can check them out at www.fca.org.
Last night I spent two and a half hours with an historian for the city of Hammond. Deb and I were going to donate an antique strawberry pint we own to the Strawberry Festival. After all the research we will have to wait till next year to donate it so that we can get accurate information on it's origin. We have been told that it is most likely that the boxes were built here in Hammond or Ponchatoula, but no one has any records nor has anyone ever seen one of the boxes like we have. Just like our Father to put something in our hands that is unique.

Sunday was great as we discovered rusty faith.
Today started real early with morning devotions. Then it was off to the office and I began working on this Sundays message. This week will be a great week and what a line up God has prepared for us. Wed. we begin a new series in our small group on the Life of Peter. The material we wanted to do is so new it was not even in print yet. We will begin that in about 3 months. The weekend of the 19th, I will be with the city leaders as we pray on the court house steps for our city. Friday the pastors from the Northlake Section will meet at our church for breakfast and prayer. Have dedicated this afternoon to working on our complex and helping Sis debbie set up for an incredible evening with our ladies group.