Monday, July 02, 2007

New SBCOutpost

The new SBCOUTPOST site is up and running. I think it will be a good sounding board and discussion site for those interested in all things Southern Baptist. The contributors are a variety of younger leaders in the SBC but the folks who comment come from an even broader spectrum. Just reading the conversations on the old site have helped me understand a lot of things related to the direction of our denomination.

Sunday, July 01, 2007

Humbled

It just is not fair. Why should I be called and allowed to teach, proclaim and share God's Word? It is so rewarding I should have to pay to do it. Instead, I get paid again and again. Sometimes the pay come in very unexpected ways.

First, let me help everyone. Never do anything for the pat on the back or the reward you will receive. If you are doing it for the praise of man you are doing it for the wrong reason. This applies to ministry and to just about anything in life. The only "attaboy!" that really counts is the one in heaven.

That's why when someone does go way out of their way to bless you it means so much. Blessings are like that; they tend to gain in value when they are unexpected. That happened to me today.

It came in the form of a one page handwritten letter. It was from someone that Sweetie and I have evidently impacted in our ministry. The words were crafted very carefully to convey both a message of thanks and an explanation for the remainder of the gift. The gift was not large in size but it was a perfect (and practical) tool for the expression of thanksgiving. It is something I can carry nearly every day and use whenever needed. It may not be of huge monetary value but it represented a significant investment on the part of the giver. I am awed and humbled.

It meant so much to me I am challenged to do something out of the ordinary and unexpected for someone else this week. How about you? Who could you bless?