We recently went on vacation , and one of our stops was in Tyler, Texas.  Tyler has always had a lot of congestion on its main road and the state of Texas decided to make a loop around the outskirts of Tyler.  Sonya and I decided to take this “toll” road to see sights we had never seen before.  I remember expressly saying to Sonya, “This is a toll road but there are no toll booths.  I guess they don’t really charge toll.” 

Today, I found out that they do charge toll.  $1.65 worth of toll.  I guess this is a bargain considering I drove about 4 miles on this toll road. I will gladly pay the toll but I have to wonder how cost effective a buck sixty-five is.  You see, they mailed me a bill for a $1.65 cents. 

I pondered for nearly 30 minutes how cost effective this is for the state of Texas.  They print a bill for a $1.65.  They pay someone to stuff this envelope.  They pay the U.S. Post Office 41 cents to mail this bill for a $1.65.  I have never been accused of being smart, but it it doesn’t seem like they are going to pay off the debt on the toll road very quickly.  Somewhere, they need to reevaluate the process.

I think of this as bad stewardship of resources.  Then again, it may not be.  However, this $1.65 bill I received caused me to consider areas of my own life where I might not be the best steward.  Do I manage my time effectively?  Am I a good steward with my time?  Do I manage my money well?  Do I glorify God in my spending?  We can all evaluate areas of our lives where maybe we are not doing things wisely.  Are our ministries run effectively, using the best available resources? 

Everyone of us needs to look at how we spend our time and money and see if there is any room for improvement.

I apologize for the inconvenience but we are having to cancel the Movie Night for Flywheel.  We did not realize that we have to purchase a license beforehand.  This license allows us to watch it in the church. Here is the link if you would like to read about the licensing. http://www.providentfilms.org/providentfilms/license_faq.asp  We will have to purchase the license and then we will reschedule the movie night sometime this summer.  Again I am sorry for the trouble this may cause, especially if you invited someone but we have to keep in line with integrity in everything we do.  If you have any questions feel free to call.

 I saw this sign on one of the blogs I read.  It helps this business keep kids under a parent’s control.  Maybe we could tweak this sign for our children’s ministries just in case our kids get a little rowdy:)

We live in a day when the church world has perfected the church experience and it is done with excellence.  Many churches have full scale productions that rival the quality of Broadway.  Our music is professional.  The pastors have become premier communicators.  I believe we ought to give God our best and do our best for His Kingdom.  After all, we wouldn’t be half-prepared for service if we knew the president of the United States were to show up.  We serve the King of the Universe, so we ought to give our very best.

The truth is, however, that we often make ministry excellence our priority rather than spiritual excellence.  Ajith Fernando said, “Excellence is important, but if it is not backed by a godly life, it is useless.”  We must maintain ministry excellence only after we have made sure our hearts and motivations are right.  We should strive for excellence in our walk with God, in our prayer lives, in our spiritual disciplines and in our lives of holiness.  Ministry excellence and spiritual excellence work hand in hand.

As pastors and leaders we must learn that there is a balance between these things.  Sometimes it is easier to “do” ministry in excellence than it is for us to live godly lives.  We must strive for both!

In my devotional time this morning, I read an awesome verse of Scripture that speaks to us about Christ’s provision for our victory over temptation.

Hebrews 2:18, “For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.”

If we face struggles concerning temptation of any sort, claim this promise.  He is able to aid you because He has been there.  Every thing you face, He has faced.  He was in all points tempted like us, yet remained without sin.  There is victory because of His victory!

As I have been on vacation I have been trying to finish the book Leadership From The Inside Out by Kevin Harney.  It is a book that helps you evaluate the issues of the heart and life of a leader.  It is about more than leadership gifting but rather the heart of the leader.  In the chapter The Leader’s Ears it talks about hearing from God and listening for His voice.  It gives a good check list that helps you evaluate whether you are hearing from God.  Here is what Author Kevin Harney writes:

Symptom Check: I am hard of hearing.

1. It irritates me when people talk about “hearing from God”.

2. I would love to hear God speak but feel like I am spiritually deaf.

3. Sometimes I think I hear God speaking or sense his prompting, but worry it’s  just my own ideas or my mind playing tricks on me.

4.  I make the most of my decisions on my own, rarely seeking wisdom from others.

5. I have teams of people who give me their input and ideas, but if the truth be known, I gather these people so they will agree with me, not really to hear their input.

6. I rarely ask friends for their perspective on my life and ministry.

These are good questions to ask ourselves.  I know I have some work to do on my listening, how about you?

Today is my last day of vacation and tomorrow it is back to work.  I am looking forward to being back in the office.  The rest has been good.  We haven’t done much these last few days.  It has been nice just to unwind with no schedule or agenda.

I am excited to be back in the pulpit Sunday.  i have never been this long without preaching.  I am looking forward to starting our WHY? Series Sunday.  We will be talking about Why Christians Suffer.  Invite someone to church Sunday.  This will be a message that speaks to those that do not understand why we must go through hard times.