We all need reminders.  Right?  Most of us tend to forget and/or neglect things that are crucial.  Sometimes a simple, or even a silly, word can be used to remind us of important things.

I love to write and I’m never without a pen.  Sometimes I think I can’t think without a pen and paper.  I probably jot down more notes than anyone you’ve ever seen.  Even after all these years, I still write out all my sermon notes in long hand.  I just can’t seem to break the habit.

The other day I was thinking about the importance of starting the day out right, so that we might walk with God.  In a few minutes I came up with an acrostic based on the word W A L K.  It serves to remind me of what I should do when I get out of bed in the morning.  Hopefully it will be of a benefit to you as well.

Worship – This is the way we should start every day, and every prayer.  We can’t expect anything to go right unless we put God first.  To walk with the Lord we must give God the first part of every day, the first day of the week, the first tenth of every dollar, and the first place in every decision.

The “Lord’s Prayer” begins with these words – “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name” (Matthew 6:19).  Our prayer and our life is out of order unless God is first.

Ask – Since we are to “Pray without ceasing” (I Thess.5:17) we should wake up praying.  We should go to sleep praying and get up praying.  We should start the day with praise and then move on to petition.  You never know what a day might hold – you better be prepared.  We aren’t ready to meet the demands of the day until we pause to pray.  Ask God for help!

Listen – It’s one thing for you to speak to God, it’s another thing for Him to speak to you.  I’m not talking about some eerie, unearthly voice, or a burning bush experience.  God speaks to us through His word and we aren’t prepared for the day until we’ve heard from our Lord.  Absolutely nothing can take the place of reading and studying the Bible.  We should have the attitude of Job, who said, “—I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.”  (Job 23:12).

Keep – The Bible uses the word “Keep” many times and in many ways.  Each new day brings us duties we are to perform.  It’s not enough to just hear from God, ask for help, and worship God.  We are to be “doers of the word.”  The word “keep” reminds us of our duties for the day, our responsibilities.

We should keep the commandments of God, the commission from the Lord, the chores we’ve been given, the commitments we’ve made, the connection with our loved ones, the convictions we’ve embraced, the confidence that comes from trusting God.

WALK in this manner and you will have a good day.  Think about it!

I cried last night! It wasn’t because of any problems or lack of needs on my part. It wasn’t because a pipe broke and flooded our new church building. And it wasn’t because someone disapproved of the way I handled things–I can stand the heat and I’m not going to get out of the kitchen!

I cried because of the suffering and difficulties faced by people I love, good and godly people who are doing their best to serve God. Don’t get me wrong, I know God will use those bad things to create something good, but meanwhile people I love are hurting and that hurts me. Should not I weep with those who weep?

One of the amazing things is that one of those people actually spent more time expressing concern about me than talking about his problems. Me! Me–whose needs pale in comparison to theirs. I don’t need anything, materially speaking, yet they were concerned about my welfare.

My crying spell reminded me of how blessed I am and how we need one another. Tough times are ahead and we can expect to see a lot of good people going through great difficulties. I know God’s grace is sufficent, but it still hurts to see them hurt. More than ever Christians need to be involved in the lives of fellow believers. I’m talking about much more than financial assistance. People need contact, support, and sympathy. If they don’t get it from the “Christian community” they won’t get it.

Yes I cried last night and I’m glad I did. I also prayed that God would forgive me of the many times I didn’t. I’m too selfish, too inconsiderate, etc. But every once in a while I come to my senses and think about the needs of others. I need more such seasons!

Yep I cried last night and I prayed for my loved ones. Now’s the time for action. I can’t do everything, but I can do something, and that’s the plan for the day. I pray that God will richly bless you and your family and supply all your needs. I even hope that you might cry tonight. Think about it!

Today is our first day assembling in our new building and under our new name. Excitement is in the air. I feel like a kid preacher–I haven’t been this nervous since those early days of preaching. It’s like being up to bat in the bottom of the 9th in the last game of the World Series, hoping you don’t strike out. Our people have prayed much and worked hard–I am so proud of them! I don’t know what this day holds, but I know who holds it in his hands! Pray for us that we will magnify our dear Savior in all we do.

OK it’s time for a quick note of explanation. For over two years we have been seeking to relocate our church and finally it has happened! Two weeks ago we sold our property and we are now in the process of moving in a beautiful new building in the exact location where we wanted to be. Last Sunday we voted to change the name of the church to Lakeway Baptist Church, an appropriate name for our new location near Lake Houston.

I can’t even begin to tell you all the wonderful things God has the last two years. I can’t understand it, and we don’t deserve it, but I’m sure enjoying it! In spite of all our faults and failures God has blessed us in marvellous ways. Our people are excited and our future has never looked brighter. As I told someone, it makes me wish I was 20 years younger. I would love to see where all this is going. However, I am perfectly content in this because I know it is exactly as God has planned it. By His grace I plan to enjoy every minute of it. This whole situation has reminded me that regardless of how bad times are God is “able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think”(Eph. 3:20).

I am not able to write as much as I would like, so article might be few and far between for a while. We will be making changes to our website asap, so bear with us. I will keep you updated the best I can. Most of all, pray for us that many precious souls will be saved. HDS

We just celebrated our 40th anniversary as a church and the entire day was wonderful. We had a packed house, saw many old friends, and met some new folks. We also were blessed with three new additions to the church.

I love what one person said–“I have never before been in a church where so many people are willing to help.” Isn’t that great! As the pastor, I am so very proud of our folks!! They worked hard and did so with a sweet spirit. That’s the way it ought to be. How could anyone not want to be a part of a church like that?

Now we have a major task ahead of us. We are preparing to relocate and there will be a lot of work to do. As it looks now, our first service in the new building will be Nov.1st. We are looking forward to this challenge and I ask that you pray for us that we will impact our new community for Christ.