Minus 160

 So, as I walked out of the house yesterday morning, the thermometer read -31 degrees.  MINUS 31 DEGREES!!! This morning wasn't much better.  In fact, it was a bit colder. It was so cold that when I attempted to open my truck doors the frozen locks wouldn't let me turn the key. It was so cold that when I opened the garage to back the car out, fog started pouring out of the garage spontaneously. It was a balmy 8 degrees in the garage and that difference in temperature was enough to create a misty condensation. I think tonight, with windchill, we'll be down to -47...I love winter!!!


Even with those frigid temperatures, the work of walking alongside a church body does not stop. As I've made my way into the office over the past few days, I've been filled with excitement over what the Lord might have planned for our church family over the next year. I've been thinking and praying and dreaming about all of the possibilities. One thought that keeps running through my mind is how stuck I can get in the quicksand of ministry...the day to day process of conducting services, planning and preparing for worship services, you know, the "church" stuff.  I keep praying about Calvary's role in the community, her role as "disciple-maker", and whether or not we fully grasp how important that role is in helping people to live a little more like Jesus everyday.

I don't know if you know this but there is not a single Southern Baptist work south of Highway 160.  Not one.  In fact, in most towns, there is not a single Christian work, let alone Southern Baptist.  In thinking about the vision of Calvary, I have to ask myself, "What would it look like to do something about that sad fact?  What would it look like to begin to focus on areas left isolated and sadly disregarded when it comes to learning how much Jesus loves them and cares about them?"  What would it look like to have a vision that dares to invade the area below 160?

So my prayer today (and I'd ask you to join me in it) is for God to let us know what it would look like to go Minus 160.  As we pray this, let's stay open to His leading and in doing so, let's begin to prepare for an outpouring of illumination, as we simultaneously seek His will for our existence.  Our life as a church, our purpose and our future, is so much bigger than we could ever imagine...I'm excited to find out just how big that might be.  How 'bout you?