Day to Be Dad

NATHAN AND AN OWL

Got to just be dad today with my 7 yr. old Nathan. He had a fieldtrip to New Orleans to the Aquarium and the IMAX theatre. We had a blast just hanging out looking at cool stuff and him being there with his friends from school. I love watching him interact with the boys in his class and also the girls. You get a better picture of who they are developing into as you watch them respond to the teacher and friends. We are so blessed to have a great school like Faith Academy and devoted teachers like Ms. Christian, yes that’s really her name. Nathan thinks the world of her, and so do we. She treats it as more than a job, she really loves our children and we can tell. Its good to put faces with the names we hear at the dinner table and in some cases meet their parents. Great day for going to New Orleans, it was beautiful.

The Lutcher/Gramercy Meeting

We had a great time meeting with some people on Saturday morning about launching a campus in the Lutcher/Gramercy area. Got to share vision and our heart for what we believe God has called us to do. A lot of work has gone into that place by our XG youth as they have been doing a Thursday night youth meeting since Oct. 192006. We feel that the next logical step is a full blown church plant. We already have a campus pastor, a campus youth pastor, and children’s workers, plus worship is in place. We are going to be building a core over the next few weeks and months toward a goal to launch sometime this summer/fall. If you want to be a part of that team then email me and we’ll get you in the loop. Jesus spoke before His Ascension and said, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone…” Well, I’ve got to go.

Fireproof

Well the banquet on Saturday night was phenomenal. We had a packed house and everything was great. The food by Chef KD was excellent as well as the desserts and especially that salad dressing, first class. I want to thank Polly and her team of decorators for transforming the gym into an elegant affair. I would forget one if I tried to list them all, but Rhonda, Derenda, Tina, Karen, Vanessa, and the staff were as usual, right there. I want to thank our interns and several singles for stepping up in the area of food prep and serving. Someone suggested we open a restaurant, I don’t know about that. The interns and singles really worked well with Chef’s crew to make it a tremendous night. As always our tech guys and staff, they just continue to produce and do all that the Lord puts in my heart to do. I say thanks to you all. I can’t forget Mama Nell and her famous peanut butter chocolate chip cookies that pulled us through. Great night, lots of tears and believing for “results” in the families of HOF and beyond. It was great spending Valentine’s Day with you all. See you at the series.

Jesus Begins

After His time of testing, Jesus then stepped into God’s will for his life: ministry. Don’t let the “churchy” use of that word get to you but understand what it means: serve. It means to serve by executing the commands of someone else. Jesus began to carry out what the Father showed Him and spoke to Him. In fact a prophecy from Isaiah is quoted which says in part:

“the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow, a light has shined.” Matt. 4:16

A great light shines in the darkness of the lives of people when we have a heart to serve, or do God’s will and not our own. Why, because it is so unnatural to see people serve others with no personal motive in mind. I know your local business person will serve you because they want to sell a product or service, and that’s natural. Many will ask us to serve their good cause, their good dream, or their good service in fact sometimes far too many will ask. Shining like a beacon on a dark night or a star in a black sky stands the person who has no agenda other than God’s. Serve to see the broken healed, the bound set free, the weary refreshed. Jesus began to serve and changed the course of humanity. Let’s get started and see what God does.

After the fast

In Matthew 4, Jesus encounters a time of temptation either during or just after 40 days of a fast. It’s important to note that you can count on a test in your life even after something as monumental as 21 days of fasting. If you haven’t already gone through your trial, then your time is coming. I love how Jesus made it through, by quoting scripture. You can rely on the Word that is in you through those times of reading and hearing the scripture to battle the devil and his attempt to tempt you. God’s Word is powerful, and is the only way to stand against the devil’s attacks in our personal lives. It’s eternal so what worked for Jesus will work today. It’s specific to the particular area you are being tempted in: ethics, fear, morals, finances, or spiritual. Each temptation was the Satan’s attempt to have Jesus take a shortcut, cutting out God, to meet some legitimate need in His life. Turn bread into stones, but man needs more than bread. If you are the Son of God then jump, but we need to trust that God is protecting us. Bow down and have it all, but we only worship and serve God. Jesus showed us how to make it through and in Christ you and I will make it through also. Be blessed.

The Fast is Over

As we put our time of fasting behind us for this year I want to share with you in the next few blogs several tips I’ve learned over the years so that your investment in spiritual things can be of the most value to you. Here goes: Live a fasted lifestyle.

Many have remarked to me that they wished we could continue on in fasting and prayer and getting together each evening at the church. That is just not possible to keep that kind of schedule, nor is it healthy. I want you to know that the presence of God is not confined to our church auditorium, but you can enjoy Him anytime you are willing to get into a quiet place of life and make room for the Holy Spirit, He’ll respond. The reason times of fasting are so successful in bringing awakening is that we learn to say no to our flesh and God honors that. I encourage you to live a fasted lifestyle. That means make saying no to your flesh a regular, intentional part of your everyday life. We do this when we turn off the TV to pray, forego a little sleep to read our Bible, push away from the extra helping of food to go and spend time with the Holy Spirit. You don’t have to indulge your flesh in everything it wants or you will feel the pull of the world in your life. As we have been discovering, change your thinking and change your life.

Prayer Blog

Hey it’s been a while since I last blogged, sometimes I just get bored with the whole blogging thing. However, I never get bored with prayer. Prayer has been very important to me personally and this time of prayer has also been great. We have seen so many come out as we bombard Heaven. It’s also great to see the mix of people who come to prayer, from every generation and that’s important because God wants them all. This week we are concentrating on the part of our vision that declares that prisoners will be set free. Seeing spiritual breakthroughs in 09 is a major focus, so that God’s people can “be” who God has called us, gifted us, and positioned us to be. Today marks the half way mark of our fast and as we prayed this morning for all the faster that God’s grace would be on our lives as we obey His voice.

Excited about the fast

Tonight is our first Wednesday night of 2009 and I’m pumped as we move into our annual time of fasting. We’ll be talking about that tonight as we prepare for The Awakening series that begins this Sunday. This is always such a great time of spiritual momentum for HOF and we desperately need all who can to be involved and committed. Here are some dates for you to remember

Fast dates : Jan 11- Jan 31

Nightly prayer: Each night at 7:00 pm except Wed. nights

Awakening Series: starting Jan. 11 for 5 Sundays
Anointing service: Wed, Feb. 4 @ 7 pm

Christmas Eve Service

We are once again excited about the chance to give a witness to the love of God with a Christmas Eve service. Last year was amazing and we are expecting this year to be even better. We know it can be hectic for families during this time of the year so we’ve given you two options to choose to honor God this Christmas season. Our first service will be at 4:30 pm with the second at 6:00 pm. We’ll be celebrating communion together as well as singing Christmas songs together. We are going to introduce something called “Cardboard Testimonies” this year as a way for us to tell our story of God’s grace in our lives. It’s going to be electric and powerful as we share a time of thanking God for the gift of His Son, Jesus. Bring the whole family and celebrate God’s gift before going off to be with your family. The best is yet to come.

Exiled

We’ve been reading through the book of Revelations in our morning prayer time and it’s been particularly meaningful. Understand that John was writing the book while in exile on the Island of Patmos, which is off the coast of Turkey. It was there that God “revealed” Himself and His plans to John. I thought of so many who were “in exile” or put out of some circle because of their faith. Maybe you don’t feel like you fit into the various circles in our lives: co-workers, family, or friends because of your heart for Jesus and desire to live for Him. That can happen and it’s not of our doing but just because the life of Jesus in us can effect how we are seen. John didn’t just see his situation but he saw Jesus. The pages of Revelations tell how he worshipped God there and his God met him there. My prayer for you is that if you are feeling “put out” of some circles of people that you will choose to worship God and that He will reveal Himself to you there. The great thing is that God promised that everyone who reads the book of Revelations would be blessed. I know that’s coming true in my life.

Sent Back Different

Paul said, “I’m sending him(Onesimus-the runaway) back to you, and with him comes my own heart.” Philemon 12 NLT

The problem in Onesimus’ life was not his master, or his circumstances or any other thing, instead the problem was his heart. That’s what Paul worked on in his life. Often times when the heart is healed then going back to what you have run away from is no longer intimidating or fearful. Is there a something that you have been running from because it brings a great deal of pain into your life? Often running away seems like the only solution. Running to Jesus to have your heart renewed is God’s solution. The bible says to guard our hearts because the course of our lives is decided there. David was spoken of in the bible as a man with God’s own heart. I believe if we ask today, then God will give us His heart and going back may seem a better option than ever.

From Useless to Useful

I’m all about things that work. If it doesn’t work then I don’t have much use for anything. Paul said that Onesimus, the runaway from Philemon was previously useless had become useful.

“Onesimus hasn’t been of much use to you in the past, but now he’s very useful to both of us.” Philemon 11

It’s a great art to take something that doesn’t work and make it work again. That’s exactly what God does with our lives. He takes the “useless” parts of our lives and changes them so they become useful to both Him and to you. It takes a skilled person to repair a car or a dryer much less repair a soul. God says that He makes all things new. I’m determined to let the Spirit of God work in me to make all of my life useful for both Him and me. Our church is all about allowing that to happen to others like you and me.

Blogging about Philemon

I’ll be blogging for the next few days about Philemon, a letter written by Paul to his friend. It seems that Philemon’s indentured servant ran away. Man can I relate to running away. I remember running from the Lord, I remember running from responsibility, I remember running away from my problems by drinking and such, I remember running from God’s call on my life. I was a runner. The thing about running is that at some point you have to stop. Onesimus was a servant who ran from the household of Philemon. God allowed him to run right into the jail cell of Paul the apostle. You may think you are running from your problems, but you can never run from the hand of God in your life. Paul says that Onesimus ran away for a little while so that Philemon could have him back forever. It seems that God used Paul to extract the runner out of Onesimus. Today, I’d like to ask if you are running from something? You can run but there is nowhere that God won’t see and love you. God’s desire is to take the runner out of you so that you run the race for God, not run away from trouble.

It doesn’t matter

As I was reading my Bible this scripture in Colossians 3:11 jumped into my spirit. It reads, “In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, ……..Christ is all that matters, and He lives in all of us.” Sometimes we think things from our past really matter, you know the mess-ups, the mistakes, the missed opportunities. God really encouraged me that IN THIS NEW LIFE it doesn’t matter. In this new life, Christ is all that matters, or what Christ has accomplished for us on the cross. What Jesus has done for us in his death, burial, and resurrection is more powerful than any of the things we can point to in our past. My focus is on Jesus, my faith is in what He has done at Calvary, and the best is yet to come. Jesus is my future and the past just doesn’t matter nor can it keep me from all that God has planned for my life. That is such a faith-filled thought and gives me great hope as I walk in this life. I wanted to share it with you. It just doesn’t matter.

Football is a classroom

You see a picture of Kaleb decked out in the best looking football jerseys I’ve personally seen, the Faith Academy Crusaders. We are in full swing and tonight is another double-header at ACHS where we play our home games. Football has provided an interesting backdrop to talk about some life issues with my son. Things like being part of a team, taking care of your responsibilities, and giving your best even if your team is losing. I’m amazed at how life’s everyday activities can speak to us. I want to encourage you to be open to what God may be trying to say to you through your everyday schedule of activities.

Bella is Here

I’m holding the newest addition to our church, Bella Freyder. Lauren and Drew gave birth last week in Jackson, MS running from the storm. She’s precious and reminds us that God is still blessing us with the joy of sons and daughters. Lauren brought her by the office so that we could all get a sneak peak. It’s been a while since I’ve held one that small, but it all came back to me.

9/11

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 7 years since the terrorist’s attack on the Twin Towers in NYC. I can still remember being glued to the TV in my office comforted by the presence of our staff as we watched in horror the events unfold. Today I read in Psalms 55:4-5, “My heart pounds in my chest. The terror of death assaults me. Fear and trembling overwhelm me and I can’t stop shaking.” What an impact that day has had on all of our lives, from flying to government to elections. Those terrifying events have changed our lives forever, but we have a promise in Christ. Verse 16 says, “But I will call on God and the Lord will rescue me.” I’m so glad that when things happen that shake our world we can go to God and He can be trusted. In that psalm it says to give your burdens to the Lord and he will take care of you. Would you give Him your burdens today? He can handle it. I promise.

Serving: Our Communities

You see the pictures above of HOF serving the communities of Lutcher/Gramercy and at home at HOF. When we see a storm coming we see an opportunity to serve. After we’ve taken care of our families, we want to turn our attention to those who are lonely and affected to help them the best that we can. We have a mandate to do what we can to help them. As part of the PRC Compassion Team we were able to give out blue tarps, MREs, and water to those who were adversely affected. What a privilege it is to serve.

The Clean Up Is On

Helllo everyone from HOF and those of you who are out of our area. We survived the storm just fine, like everyone else we were without power and had much debris. I personally got power restored Thurday morning. The church is still without power but we are hoping for something real soon. The place is alive with our great staff as we are finding ways to help our community. We'll be reaching out to the Lutcher/Gramercy area today with tarps and water and MRE which stands for Meals Ready to Eat. We are also setting up a RELIEF SITE at our main campus to meet the needs of the Gonzales area. We were given a refrigeration truck that we are trying to get going so that we can give out ice to those still without power. Also, WE ARE HAVING CHURCH ON SUNDAY with our without power. We'll be doing two services at the normal times and so we hope to see all of you there. Let's serve our community in their time of need.

Serving: Our Core Value

You’ll see several pictures of our 2nd Year Interns serving one of our local hi schools. Part of what ministry is all about is serving. The interns did some light cosmetic improvement to the local field by painting the wall of seating and painting the school mascot in a prominent space for school spirit. It’s serving in ways that meet OTHER”S needs that paves the way for the gospel to be spread. Paul said we would be known by our good deeds. I want to encourage you to open your eyes and see the possibilities around you to serve someone, then just do it expecting nothing in return.

When a storm is brewing, what now?

I’m sitting here like everyone else and I’m paying attention to the fact that there is a storm in the making that might be headed our way. So many decisions to make, and so little definitive info to base our decisions on. Where is the storm? Where is it going? Where should I go? Where should I put things? Where are the candles, the flashlight, the generator? In Luke 8:25, Jesus asked His disciples, “Where is your faith?”. I think in all of our planning and thinking the first thing we need to make sure we locate is our faith. That’s what Jesus asked the disciples after the storm. Remind yourself where your faith is and then make your plans accordingly.

Intern Camp

Sunday afternoon marked the beginning of this year’s intern class session. The interns went to Tickfaw State Park for 2 and ½ days of sessions designed to prepare them for the journey they are beginning. They are a great group and I had the privilege of going on Tuesday and speaking into their lives. I had a great time, and I think they did also. Internship has been a huge tool in developing young ministry people for us at HOF. First year interns are taught by Rob Mooney, with second year interns taught by Wade Moran. They are going to play an integral role in the ministry as well as gain valuable hands on training in being the church. We see this as the mission of our church to help train up the next generation of leaders that God will use to see the church vibrant and relevant into the years to come.

ACHS is open

Well, here we go. ACHS opened on schedule this morning and after a few minutes of meeting and greeting the new school and school year were kicked off with a chapel service. We put together a worship band of staff people and P. Wade spoke to the school body, faculty, and parents about not being the same “old” person in a new surrounding. It was about how God “re-news” us. It was a powerful time and great ministry as already God has begun to work in the hearts of the students. I thought it was a fitting first event that will set the atmosphere of ACHS. What a great opportunity we have to teach the next generation of leaders. The school looks great, the faculty is fired up, and I’m personally pumped. We still have another 4-6 weeks until the gym is finished and the rest of the facility but I can’t wait for you to see it, it’s fine.

The Work is Progressing

Thanks to all who have shown up to help at ACHS, our new high school facility we call the North Campus. Early Monday morning after my plea for help on Sunday an army of HOF soldier ants descended on the school and what has transpired has been miraculous. It’s truly is amazing what can be accomplished when a group of people decide to live for something larger than themselves. Monday morning the facility was truly a shambles because of all the trades that were working in the building. After Monday, it really looks like a first class facility. Each day God has the right people show up and they knock out task after task that needs to be completed by opening day which is Tomorrow. This week alone we have passed Fire Marshall and Parish inspections which give us our occupancy for the building. The gymnasium will still be 4-6 weeks in the making but when it’s done, it’s going to be incredible. I’m pumped because we’ll have another option when it comes to facilities to host and serve the needs of people. Thanks again for being faithful.

Many Hands Make Light Work

Proverbs says that many hands make the work light, and we definitely had many hands yesterday at the N. Campus ACHS cleanup. We got so much done and I can’t thank enough all who gave of their time and energy. Things are progressing and we need favor from some contractors and some inspectors so agree with us. The place is looking great but we have much to do. Please call the office is you think you might have some time to help out so we can let you know the needs. If you have any cleaning supplies feel free to bring them. It coming together and the best is yet to come.

What a Week

What a week it’s been, ManUp was a huge success as we crammed 210 men into the conference room at Cabela’s. There is a real enthusiasm for God among the men of HOF and we want to see it expand and grow. We’ve scheduled our last ManUp of the summer for Sept. 8, 2008 and Joe Champion will be our guest speaker. He pastors a great church of over 5000 in Austin, TX. He’s a former LSU player and we’re going to have a great time. We intend to do something like a huge tailgate later this fall after the weather turns nice. Stay tuned.
Our Wednesday night service, One Heart, was also a homerun. Three of us spoke about A heart for God, A heart for the Church, and A heart for the City. We ended with a unique time of ministry that really touched people’s lives. It’s always great to see different generations come together to worship the One True God. He’s what we have in common. I’m so excited about the future of HOF that I can hardly wait till Sunday. I’m sure the devil’s not happy and will resist us, but God has already taken care of him. It’s not about what we do, but what He’s already done. I believe!

ManUp #2

ManUp is right around the corner again this Monday night and as you can see we are going to be in the fishing theme while we are hanging out at Cabela’s. What a great night it’s going to be, looking at sporting goods, hanging out with men of God, and talking about being men. This will be no place for wimps or panties as we are on a mission to see God make men into His image. Come and see the largest spinner bait in the world (at least the largest I’ve seen) up close. Last month’s meeting set the stage and Monday we’ll continue to see what God has in store for the men of the House. This would be a great venue to bring a friend or family member and come early and look at the store. If you don’t trust yourself in Cabela’s you might want to leave the wallet in the truck, but trust me you’ll want to be there. Hey man, we’re going up.

Back From Conference

A team of us just returned from Hillsong Conference and once again it was a powerful experience. The themes were worship, leadership and justice. Worship most everyone knows about Hilllsong worship as I would say that most of the cutting edge churches sing some Hillsong worship songs. Leadership is always strong with many well known pastors teaching on leading God’s people such as Brian Houston, Judah Smith, Joyce Meyer, Paul deJong, Marcus Witt, and many others including the Hillsong team. The area of justice is something that I feel the Lord is putting His hand and His heart into these days. A good definition of justice is righting the wrong that you see, whether that wrong is hunger, poverty or sex slavery at home or abroad. The heart of Jesus was always on display when He ministered life to the hurting and those on the margins of society like the widow and the orphan. I was impacted in each of these areas and convicted that I need to grow, that we as a church body need to grow in worship, leadership and justice. Enjoy the pics of the venue, the stage and the place.

Man Up

Wow, what a meeting we had Monday night. Everything just seemed to be in place and on time. The food was phenomenal, thank you Joey Nasser, the worship was hot, thank you Michael and the band, and the word was rich, thank you Pastor Van. We had a full house, every seat filled with men of HOF and some new men also. It just seemed like men were ready to get together and hear from God. It was satisfying seeing young and old, regulars and visitors, and men from a few other churches all together. Pastor Van rocked it, he really has a gift to minister to men. Men dealt with our issues and at the end of the night my feeling was, “God, I’m glad you made me a man” and “I want to be a man for Jesus”. So often men get ripped for all of our faults, but we left knowing that God loves us and wants us to Man Up for the kingdom. I can’t wait till the next one.

Payoff can take a while

Last Friday Greg and I were eating a late lunch at Cane’s when a young man approached and asked if I remembered him. His face was familiar but I didn’t remember the name. He said his name was Bobby and that I was principal when he attended Faith Academy years ago. He’d has served in the Armed Forces and was in the area living and had a 5 year old daughter that was cute as she could be. He was a big guy, very muscular and in great shape, you know, young. He said that I used to whip his butt when he was at Faith Academy. He also said, thank you for the whippings. He confessed that at the time it was unpleasant but now as he had grown older he understood what I was doing. He was very pleasant to talk with and I was so glad to see he had matured in every way and not just physically. It was great to see the payoff in the life of someone that I had the opportunity to invest in, even if it was discipline. He appreciated it and I’m glad now that I took the time to help him see that following authority is a great character trait that will help you in life. He said his parents had divorced and he doesn’t see his dad much. I invited him to MANUP, hope he come tonight. I’d like to invest some more into his life, this time as his peer, not his principal.

XG Camp 08

As is our custom, Vanessa and I traveled to Hattiesburg, MS to be a part of one night of youth camp. Man, have things changed since I was a youth. There were 6 or 7 youth groups from all over Louisiana from Shreveport to Houma. It was great to see 350 youth worship;ing the Lord and getting fired up about becoming all the Christ died for them to be. Worship was great, the drama rocked, and Wade preached a tremendous message that the Holy Spirit used to speak to every heart in the place. I’m so encouraged by the young leaders that God is raising up in HOF and I know that they are going to do great things in their generation. In fact, I’ll be speaking along those lines on Sunday as we begin the ONE PRAYER series. I’m really excited about this series that we are doing in partnership with over 1400 churches and 830,000 people world wide. God is doing something great today and we want to be right in the middle of it.

Take Someone on Your Journey

This morning as I read from Acts 15 & 16 something jumped out at me from the scripture. Acts 15:37 says, “…that Barnabas ….wanted to take John Mark along with him.” Acts 16:3 says, “Paul wanted him(Timothy) to join them on their journey.” A characteristic of people who are going somewhere directed by the Lord is that they will want to take someone with them. I know that I always try to find someone to go with me especially if I don’t know what I’m getting myself into or don’t fully know where I’m going. John Mark was a person who had previously disappointed Paul, while Timothy was an up and comer in the church at Lystra. Barnabas was looking to bring John Mark along as a second chance effort, a reclamation project if you will. Paul was envisioning Timothy as the cream of the crop. I find it amazing how God uses different people with different views of “others” to reach everyone. I want my eyes open to someone that I can take with me on my journey. You never know where they will go after that.

Father’s Day Men’s Retreat

I’m asking you all to pray for me as I’m going to be doing a men’s retreat for Mission Church in the Hammond area on Friday and Saturday. In fact it’s a very cool arrangement because my dad and I are both doing our first retreat together. I’ll be doing a service on Friday night and Dad will do a devotion on Saturday morning. My good friend Devon Pedeaux asked us to do this several month ago and I’m fired up about it. All the Bledsoe boys are going to Percy Quinn State Park where the retreat is being held and we are staying in one room. Me, Dad, and my 3 sons will get to spend some time together in the “woods” and lakes of LA. I love speaking to men about their walk with the Lord because men bring such a strength to the body of Christ. I’m going to challenge them to go to the next level as a man of God, as a dad, and as a husband. We leave Friday afternoon and return during the day Saturday. I guess Vanessa and Madison will just have to hit the mall, oh well. It’s no girls allowed, men only. No baths, just men. See you all on Father’s Day!

Fishing with the family

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the youngest 3 Bledsoe kids and I went fishing with Mom and Dad. We had a blast catching redfish and just being together away from home. Check out the videos of the kids doing their thing. Spending time with my children is some of the best use of my time because much more is happening than just fishing. We talked about all kinds of things and of course it gave me the open door to speak into their lives about different issues that come up on a trip like that. One asked about dying, I talked to another about valuing all life, I also got to talk about respecting other’s property. Life is a great big classroom and it’s our responsibility to teach our children, not school, not Club Faith, but my responsibility as a parent. School and Club Faith should reinforce what I’m already saying to them. As they follow me, I get to make something out of them. It’s one of the great joys in life to mold my children and help shape them into fully devoted followers of Christ. It’s also why I pray, because I can only do so much and then they must choose Jesus. HOF is a place where they can choose Christ, I want there to be other places around the world for “other’s” children too.

Gifts for Others

I thought that you might like to know that 42 people showed up Sunday night to discover their gifting. I want to thank Greg and Wade for helping them find out their gifting. It’s good to see people apply the word they are hearing. “Anyone who listens to my teachings and follows it is wise..” Matt. 7:24. It’s exciting to be a part of a church where people will follow in addition to listening. The implications of that kind of obedience are full of promise and I know that the best is yet to come. My heart is to lead HOF to being a place where the lonely can be planted, where the bound can be set free, and where the free can live out God’s purpose for their lives. It’s going to be a great ride and I’m all in for the fun. For those of you who stayed home to watch the LSU game, Geaux Tigers and we’ll see you at the next Discovery Seminar.

Someone’s gift encouraged me

I think it was Mother’s Day after church that someone I know well came up to me and told me that they had something from God to tell me. I haven’t always had the best experiences with this sort of thing, but I knew this person well and knew they loved God and loved Vanessa and I. The woman proceeded to tell me that she saw a storm coming, uh-oh, but that it would be alright. In fact, she said it was going to be good, better than alright. Well, I’ve remembered that word as I’ve dealt with different things, some personal, some church related. My point is that God thought enough about me to speak to someone who would speak into my life. It reminds me that God loves me and knows where I am in life. It also gives me hope that God is moving and all things are working for my good in Christ. I Cor. 12:7 says, “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.” As we step deeper into this series on “Others” my desire is that the Holy Spirit will move in our lives in a new way so that we can help each other.

When It’s Fair To Compare

One of the biggest challenges that I face as a Christian, father, and pastor is in the area of comparing myself to others. It’s always been easy to look across at another person and see how I’m doing according to them. The trouble with that is that we either end up prideful or jealous. Think you’re doing better and you could be prideful. Think someone is doing better than you and jealousy and envy rear their ugly heads. That’s why Paul cautioned us in 2 Cor. 10:12, “But they are only comparing themselves with each other, using themselves as the standard of measurement. How ignorant!”
Instead, the Psalms encourages us in this comparison; “Psalm 119:6 (NLT) Then I will not be ashamedwhen I compare my life with your commands.” We ought to compare ourselves to God’s commands. It’s like a mirror that we can look into to see how we are doing. Everyone wants to know how he or she is doing, that’s natural. Measuring ourselves by the wrong standard is dangerous, but comparing ourselves to God’s commands will help us to grow and develop without the damaging attitudes that go along with comparing ourselves to others.

The Pastor living on a dirt floor

On the Friday night after we had gotten into the Dom. Rep. we were scheduled to minister at this little church. It was a Friday night, not a normal church night yet the church was packed. It was in a typical neighborhood with a little bar down the street. The first year interns did a good job of sharing their faith and we got to minister to people which is always a thrill. My heart was touched by this pastor pictured with his wife. He and his wife live in a small room behind the church. You can see that church is just a stick structure with corrugated tin around the outside and nothing inside. In fact, a recent missions group tore down the structure and built this tin building. This pastor has a job working on a road construction crew, and pastors after work and on weekends. He and his wife also take in abandoned children and raise them in their home. The real shocker came when we were invited back to the pastor’s quarters and saw that he and his wife lived on a dirt floor with a portion of the room partitioned by a sheet for their bathroom. You will be happy to know that HOF is concreting their floor and building them a new bathroom. That is the best $500 we have ever spent.

Elvis, Tony, and Niko

While in the Dominican Republic we met three incredible men. Bishop Elvis is the overseer of the Church of God churches in all of the Dominican Rep. Tony is an evangelist who has a children’s ministry to the poorest parts of his city and also helps out people like us on mission’s trips. Niko is a Haitian who oversees the Haitian Churches of God. He started with 8 churches but it has grown to 43 and we are working with him to build a couple of churches this year. All these men co-labor with Charles Lambert who does all this as a labor of love for Central and South America. We were privileged to get to spend some time with these men and hear their hearts for God.

The Dominican Cont’d

On Sunday morning we attended a Haitian Church that spoke Creole French. Several of the interns spoke that morning, sharing how God has changed their lives. The worship was great even though I couldn’t understand any songs and I sensed the presence of the Holy Spirit there. They were such joyful and passionate people as they worshipped. The building as you can see was little more than a shack by American standards but you could tell that they had a spirit of excellence, which is the Holy Spirit, in everything that they did. I was amazed at how well behaved the children were and how nice the building was kept, everything painted and in place. I felt impressed that we, HOF, should invest in that church and so we have sent them money to buy land and build a building. It brings so much joy when we can be a blessing to others, and can’t wait to hear of them dedicating a new place to the Lord. We are so blessed here in the USA and I feel compelled to be a blessing to other people. I don’t believe there is a better way to invest money than in building churches that will impact their community. I want to bring back one of you Cajuns and have you talk French to that church some day.

We Are Back

Many of you know that I’ve been in the Domincan Republic with our first year interns on their mission trip/church dedication. The 1st year interns last year preached at a church and they came back so fired up that we decided to build them a new church as the place they were meeting needed an update. I’ll be blogging about our trip for the next several days and showing you some of the pics we took. I’ll include some funny ones of the interns as well as some of the ministry ones. I’ll also be talking about what God talked to me about. It’s awesome to get outside of your normal box and see that God is a big God. I love to see other parts of the world, a desire given by my father’s love of missions. He set a great example traveling behind the Iron Curtain and always having a heart for peoples in other cultures having the opportunity to know Christ. Jesus was into missions, He left Heaven to come to earth so we could know. Think about it.

Significant Church

Sunday afternoon Bud Plake and I drove to Houston to be with Jim Graff and discuss what it means to be a significant church. Jim is Joel Osteen’s brother-in-law and I believe it’s true that God works in families. Jim leads a great church in Victoria, TX and along with Joel they are some of the most genuine people in the world. They both speak so highly of John Osteen, founder of Lakewood and several years deceased. One of the great things I noticed in my short visit to Lakewood was the love that there was in that house for God and for others. We were treated with such kindness and love that made it tangible. My father baptized in the spirit at Lakewood Church under John Osteen 35+ years ago, so we have some history with that church. We got a tour of the new facility and truly it’s amazing what God is doing in Houston and around the world. It’s encouraging to see the next generation step to the front and take their place in serving their communities and the world. I am planning to host a Significant Church conference at HOF sometime in the future. I really have a heart to serve pastors in this day and time.

The President

Many of you will recognize Kevin Mawae, All Pro Center, of the Tennessee Titans. I’ve gotten to know Kevin over the last few years through a mutual pastor friend. I’ve gotten to spend some time with him and see what God is doing in his life. He is the president of the NFL Players Union and is a real leader among his peers in the NFL. You can tell from the picture how different an NFL body is from a pastor’s body. He has a real servant’s heart and apart from serving the NFL players, he is committed to his local church. The fact that such a great man is a former Tiger is just icing on the cake. It is just amazing to me to see up close someone who is employed in the NFL. His forte is his technique, quickness, and a great mind. His heart for God is just as impressive, and he will continue to make an impact on and off the field. Who knows, but one day he might be Pastor Kevin.

Thanking God

I’m sure most of you recognize Coach Miles as the coach from your own LSU Tiger National Champs. I am honored to be a part of Miles Men, a group of men who have committed to pray for Coach Miles. This all came about because Coach Miles is a protégé of Coach Bill McCartney. Coach McCartney is the founder of Promise Keepers and was in town doing a men’s event. He met with us 3 years ago when Coach Miles was hired to ask us to pray for Coach Miles as he would be in a very visible, stressful, and influential position in the state. We met this past Saturday to give God thanks for His grace and mercy to Coach Miles who has had the best record in college football of something like 33-5 plus SEC and National Champion-ships. It was a great time to hear Coach Miles humble, gentle and authentic spirit. I most admire that he’s family first in a job that often pushes family to the side. He was leaving our meeting to be at the ball fields with his kids the rest of the morning. We recommitted to pray for Coach Miles and his family, that he would be an influence in the lives of the young men he coaches and the thousands who cheer on from the sidelines. I am believing for many more crystal balls for LSU.

Back from the ARC

Vanessa and I ,as well as 9 second year interns, Wade and Cynthia spent Sunday through Wednesday in Birmingham at the ARC conference. It was a rich atmosphere of leaders in the Church of the Highlands sanctuary. Brian Houston, lead pastor of Hillsongs, was the featured speaker for the conference. His passion for the local church and gift of leading really spoke to my heart. I was challenged and dare I say changed during my time there. The second year interns served selflessly and were great. We all enjoyed a meal at one of my favorite places, PF Changs. I attended this conference differently than others in the past. This time I wasn’t desperate for “stuff” I could tell our church, but was more interested in catching the spirit of those God is using in an effective way today. I’m so consumed with living out the vision that God has for HOF and I know that immersing myself in environments like that only feed that passion that I feel for God and encourage my faith to believe for more. We ran into many old and new friends. It was great to visit with Van and Jan Ducote again. They are doing great in Gulfport and such a blessing to be around. 10 sermons in 2 and ½ days and it felt like a blur. See you Sunday.

If We Can Agree

The other day I picked up 2 of my children for a baseball game and offered to buy them a snack from somewhere, they only had to agree as we didn’t have time to make 2 stops. I listened quietly to them try to come to some kind of agreement. What one wanted, the other absolutely refused. When the other made a suggestion, then the first wouldn’t hear of it. I know they were hungry because they always are after school, yet because they couldn’t agree they went to the game hungry and irritated. I thought of the scripture where Jesus tells us, “If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you.” Matthew 18:19 I wonder how many times we don’t get what we desperately desire because we can’t agree. Unity in a relationship, a business or a church is an incredibly valuable commodity. In fact, so much that Jesus spends the entire 17th chapter of John’s gospel praying for unity. What is possible when we have one heart, one vision, one love: the cause of Christ? Anything we ask. I’m in, are you?

We Passed

The Accreditation Site Team from ICAA and SACS just presented the staff of Faith Academy and the ELC with the news that we passed with flying colors. I’m so proud of the staff of both as I heard the site team confirm what I had suspected for some time now and that is we have a kicking school and ELC. The team was made up of principals and administrators from other Christian schools and was headed up by Phil Brown of East Texas. Each had a prescribed area of the school to evaluate and give commendations and recommendations. It is so helpful to have an outside, independent set of eyes look at what you are doing and they gave us some valuable feedback on ways to improve what we are doing. It all began on Saturday evening and required the teachers attending on Sunday followed by two hectic days of on site evaluation. It’s worth it as we invest in the most valuable resource we have: our children. If you haven’t checked out Faith Academy or the Early Learning Center then you owe it to your children to check out the finest Christian learning environment available. A big kudos to Kirby Veron and Leigh Braud who lead FA and the ELC.

Sometimes you need a little help

The boys and I went 4-wheeler riding over the Easter break at a place in St. Martin parish. It was 44 acres of mud trails and woods. Several times one of us would get stuck. I was reminded of the series we did on Breaking Free where we talked about people getting stuck and not be able to go forward in life. It doesn’t really matter why we got stuck just to know that someone is around to help us get unstuck. With the 4-wheeler we had to do several things: 1) Get close enough to help, 2) send over a tow rope 3) the stuck person needed to latch on and then just pull to solid ground. I’m so thankful that Jesus is there when we are stuck and offers His help and helps us to solid ground. God has used so many different people to pull me out of my stuck places and I’m thankful for relationships. I always want to stay close to those who are willing and able to pull me out of the mud. Let’s stay close church and help each other out.

No One Man Show

This weekend I got to take some of the boys out to a couple of LSU sporting events. We attended the LSU baseball game versus Arkansas courtesy of Tim’s generosity and then we caught the LSU Lady Tigers Tournament game against Marist for a berth in the Sweet Sixteen. In both contests I was reminded again how it takes every person on a team to ‘win’. The baseball team had a 9-0 lead over Arkansas and had hit 3 homers when the wheels fell off. It was a combination of things like bad pitching, errors fielding, and not hitting in the later stages of the game that did the Tigers in. In the Lady Tigers game, Marist played a funky triangle and two defense to stop Big Syl down low, our most potent player. It didn’t work as the rest of the team picked up the pace and of course Big Syl did her part and we got the “W”. Church is a lot like sports in that it takes all of us to really win our city to Christ. I’m more passionate than ever about helping people realize the dream that God has placed in them. I’m convinced that when we get people doing what God has made them to do, then we’ll be much more effective in touching our city for Christ. I know that all of you reading this blog has a God-given dream and my prayer for you today is that you would live out His dream and find that He’ll be faithful to fulfill your dreams as well.

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday was a great day for HOF. We had a record crowd of 1150 people and the best thing was that 26 people made a decision for Christ. It’s awesome to see what God is doing in lives and families. We are looking forward believing that the best is yet to come for you and for HOF. Thanks to all the people who greeted, loved the kids, worked Club Faith, served coffee, ushered and sang in the choir. You guys rock.

Championship Saturday

I sat through several championship games on Saturday waiting for the one I had come to see. The thing that stuck out to me from my vantage point in the stands was the poor sportsmanship displayed by parents. Invariably if a call went against their team, parents would instantly blame the ref for cheating. As if any ref would cheat in an elementary girl's basketball championship game. What could possibly be the motive for that? The kids played hard and competed well, but I was just disgusted by the attitudes of some of the parents. I like to win as much as anyone, but it seems that winning has become everything. Often someone would yell at the refs over a call and the attitude was way out of line. I like to yell and get into the games as much as anyone, but we have to be aware of the unspoken line that is not to be crossed of good sportsmanship. I think we should support our team and not put down the opposition. I want to encourage all of you that will be at ball parks this spring and summer to represent Christ in the way you support your young people. People are always looking, I know I was.

XG Healer Conference

Someone sent a comment and asked to see the finished backdrop. Here is a pic during the Friday night meeting of the XG Youth conference.

March Madness

It’s tournament time for Faith Academy’s 7th & 8th grade team. Tuesday night the Crusaders subdued a scrappy Cypress Heights team for the 3rd time this year. The F.A. team has gone unbeaten in their league and with two more wins will take the tournament title as well as well as the regular season title. Our struggle will be more intense as the tournament goes on but I believe the guys have what it takes to win the title. Last night was good because the guys have been off for a while and everyone got to play. Cypress Heights has 3 guys out sick so they were at a disadvantage. Our next game is against Baton Rouge Lutheran on Friday with the championship on Saturday probably against Runnels, our archenemy this year. The two games have been titanic struggles with F.A. prevailing each time. We’ll have to beat them again to win the tourney title if the seedings hold to form.

XG Youth Conference: HEALER

Tonight it all starts as hundreds of youth from churches as far away as Houston gather for the annual XG youth conference. I’ve been privileged to see all the behind the scenes work that is going into making this the best ever. Speaking with Wade the other day, our dream is to see vibrant life-giving youth churches as part of their local church. I believe that youth ministry is ministry. There is only one ministry, building the Kingdom. I will be speaking to youth pastors and leaders on Saturday morning and looking forward to spending time with them and giving them a senior pastor’s point of view. XG has been praying and fasting for God to touch this generation. You need to make sure that your young person is there. No matter the cost or the obstacles the investment into their lives will be eternal. Man, I love young people and the energy they bring to a church.

Church United but not Bored

This is a picture of some of us that serve on the Church United Board. We got together this week to celebrate what great things God is doing with Church United For Community Development (CUFCD). It is this entity that we have partnered with to build the temporary housing apartments at the north end of our property and a second permanent apartment complex is due to open soon. We’ll be able to offer 4 additional families permanent housing for a modest rent while seeing them grow in the things of God. CUFCD is involved in after school programs for kids in difficult surroundings, prison release/re-entry programs with job training, abstinence training, Ascension House, and much more. Pictured is Brandon, Mark Stermer, Gene Mills, and Derrick Smith. Pastor Dino Rizzo, Claudia Berry, and Parnell are not pictured. These people really have a heart to see God touch the “poor” and the “lonely”. I would encourage you to use the Thrift Shop just north of the church if you have anything to donate or if you need something. Also, a division of CUFCD is available to hire for construction clean-up as well as other types of work.

Highlands Up Close

Wade and I traveled to Birmingham for Highlands Up Close where we spent 24 hours with their staff and senior pastor, Chris Hodges. Chris is a Louisiana guy that has built a phenomenal church just on the edge of Birmingham. They were portable for 6 years or so and then last year moved into their first permanent church home. The facility is gorgeous but more than that God is blessing their church and they are reaching hundreds for Christ. Last weekend over 8000 attended church at one of their 4 campuses and over 8 services. The thing that I took away from our 24 hours there was their spirit of excellence and a passion for people. We also got to catch up with some other pastor friends from around the country and meet new friends. It is important for me to hear from those whom God is using as we continue to follow the Lord and see our own story unfolding at HOF. I am so thankful for Chris making himself available as we work to see God’s kingdom grow. I’m going to include of picture of some people there attempt to put the first video on my blog of a band practice that will give you a glimpse of their church.

Amy’s Funeral Today

Today Vanessa and I will go to Bethany North to participate in Amy’s funeral. It’s going to be a bittersweet day. I’ve watched Amy grow up from a child into a young lady. I remember one time Randy and Beth asked me to go with them on a trip to Colorado and I ended up babysitting for Amy and Angie when they were just real young. Talk about funny, a 20 something young man babysitting 2 young girls. We played Connect Four and they would cry because I wouldn’t let them win. Early in their lives they lived next door to my sister and her husband and we watched her grow tall into a young lady. I remember that once we were in Dallas where she was interning at a ritzy women’s boutique and several of us met her for dinner at P.F. Changs. She was always into fashion and style that was Amy. I watched as she and Joel began to spend time together that of course ended in their marriage. We were honored to be a part of that ceremony in St. Thomas. I remember spending time with the Stockstill family and thinking how blessed she was to be moving from a great family into another great family. I watched from a distance as she and Joel stepped into ministry and it was awesome to see God take a girl and see her become a woman of God. She always honored us even though we only pastored her for a short time of her life. She loved Vanessa and Vanessa loved Amy. We were blessed that she was a part of our lives and rejoice that she is with the Lord. At the same time our hearts go out to Randy, Beth, Andrew, and Angie as well as Joel and his family.

National Prayer Breakfast

I had the opportunity to attend the National Prayer Breakfast last week in Washington D.C. Gene Mills asked if I would attend in his place with Senator David Vitter and of course I’m grateful to both of them for the opportunity to attend. I always enjoy D.C. and Vanessa and I had a great time in the city. The speaker this year was Ward Brehm, chairman of the Africa Development Fund. His message was one of helping the poor in their poverty. Some of his main points were:

· Don’t lead thinking of you, but for 7 generations after you.
· God is often all the poor have
· We need to cross the street and cross the ocean.
· Attend to small disasters at home and huge ones across the sea.
· One million miles from my comfort zone but just 5 miles from my house.
· Jesus said, when you’ve done it unto “ONE” of the least of these, you’ve done it unto Me.” Look for one.
· Poor are not a group or a demographic, they are “1” individual.
· Africa awakened me and I didn’t even know I was asleep.
· God’s strategy for letting the poor know He loves them is US.


A host of who’s who were there from the political world, in fact I had a seat better than Chuck Colson but not as good as Rick Warren’s. Michael W. Smith sang a couple of his powerful songs and led us in worship. The whole message of using our strength to help the weakest among us was right on target for me. God has continually spoken this to me and challenged me to live it daily. What a privilege, thanks Senator Vitter, and thanks Gene Mills.