Weekend Services

This past weekend was very busy but also very rewarding. I was reminded of the great privilege of serving God and serving people as I sat down to write on the blog today. I have been blessed to be able to witness the presence of God touch the lives of people as the Word was shared and the invitation was given. I was reminded of the tears that I have seen stream down the faces of people looking for hope and strength in their time of trouble. I was reminded of the shouts of praise and adoration that I have heard as people have been able to receive the breakthrough that they needed. I was reminded of the embraces and hugs that I have received as people have been lifted out of the dark valley of discouragement and despair. All of these memories encourage me to remember that God cares about the challenges that we face that and that He will use each of us to minister to those who are in need. This past weekend found me in Coeburn, VA as well as Radcliff, KY. I was able to witness much of what I wrote about in the previous paragraph as well as other manifestations of the presence of the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This past weekend afforded me the opportunity to remind the congregations that we do face challenges, difficulties and obstacles in our lives. These appear large and gigantic and we do not have the ability to overcome them but God has provided a Savior who does have the power to defeat the powers of the enemy. We are called to walk in an obedient response to the leading of the Spirit as He prepares the way of victory for us. I see obstacles but I also see victories. I see struggles but I also see people who overcome. I see the tears of people who are walking through the dark valleys of despair but I also see our great Savior wiping the tears from our eyes as He reminds us that we are not alone in our valleys. I saw this and much more happen this weekend as the Spirit of God was given freedom to do His ministry work in the services. Always take the time to recognize the presence of the Spirit and realize that He desires to accomplish His work if we will be obedient. On a personal note, the congregation at New River Ministries in Radcliff, KY surprised me with a birthday celebration after the Sunday afternoon service. We enjoyed a time of fellowship which included a cake decorated with the colors of my favorite football team, the Alabama Crimson Tide (National Champions). An old song comes to my mind at this point, "Isn't God good to give us so many blessings?" I was in Coeburn, VA on my birthday and a lady in the church also gave me a cake decorated with the colors of the Alabama Crimson Tide. I mentioned these because I want each of you to realize that our world still contains people who are thoughtful and kind. We hear much about the evil of the world but we also need to hear about the good people who still exist to be an encouragement to their fellow human beings.