Notes from Sunday - 10/19/08

I know. It has been a week since I have published a post. But contrary to popular belief, it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that the Cowboys lost last week. It has just been one of those weeks when I stayed on the run to keep up with my schedule. Hopefully, I won't be so far behind this week.

Sunday was a great day of worship at Shiloh Church. God richly blessed our Lord's Day services.

My mom came in from Oklahoma City to spend the weekend with us. And she led the pre-sermon solo in both of our morning services. In the 10 AM service, she sung one of the first hymns she taught me to sing when I was a boy, "I Don't Know About Tomorrow." It was great to have mom here and to have her participate in our worship services. And she quickly fell in love with Shiloh.

There were several politicians in our second morning service. ?

I preached the second of a two part series on prayer. Last week, I preached "God is not a Sleepy Friend" (Luke 11:1-13). Yesterday, I preached "God is not a Crooked Judge" (Luke 18:8).

I have thoroughly enjoyed teaching on prayer these past two weeks. The subject of prayer humbles me and reminds me of my own desperate need for God's help. And it also gives me the opportunity to arm the church with one of the great tools the Lord's has given us for life, faith, and ministry. It happens after prayer!

What a sight it is to see the members of Shiloh holding hands in prayer together at the end of our worship services!

After the worship services, we attended a luncheon with about 500 Shiloh members. It was a very special occasion. There was no real program. We just came together to share a meal and fellowship with one another. It was a wonderful experience for me and my family. And I really enjoyed meeting and chatting with the members of Shiloh.

When HBC3 was introduced at the end of the luncheon, he jumped up with a big smile on his face. For the rest of the evening, Crystal and I wondered who was that little boy who jumped up and what did he do with our son!

The move from Los Angeles to Jacksonville has been a challenging step of faith for me and my family. We miss our family and friends in Los Angeles. But the great outpouring of love the membership of Shiloh has shown us has made this transition so much easier for us. Thank you, Shiloh. I love you and praise God for sending me to you.

The sky if falling. The Dallas Cowboys - for the record, they are not just my team, they're "American's Team" - were beat down by the St. Louis Rams 34-14. This makes two straight losses in a row. Who cares that "Pacman" Jones was suspended this past week and Tony Romo's finger kept him out of the game. A beat down is a beat down. And my boys were beat down Sunday. See, I am man enough to say it. The Cowboys lost.

The Jacksonville Jaguars had a bye-week. It was also the same day the luncheon was scheduled. Coincidence?

I can't believe that 65-year-old Bernard Hopkins defeated middleweight champ Kelly Pavlik Saturday night.

USC is #5 in the first BCS poll that was released this weekend. Now all we need is four teams ahead of us to lose!