It is always an honor to be asked to speak at a meeting or other event. While I don’t have a ton of experience in this area, that’s okay. I don’t “expect” invitations, and I do my best not to seek them out. It is a privilege to get to speak and I consider it a great honor to be asked. Next week, I’ll be involved in a series of Gospel Meetings in a special way. About two years ago, my dad called and asked if I could speak at the Central church of Christ in Paducah, Kentucky. This is the congregation where he preaches. He also called my brother-in-law,…

Well, it rained. We needed the rain, but it forced the party indoors. Still, we had a great party, and Mary Carol had a blast. For 20 minutes before anyone showed up, she sat at a table saying, “My friends are coming; my friends will be here in a minute.” The best, though, was that, when the kids left, Mary Carol hugged Leah and said, “Mommy, I like my friends.” (Kleenex moment!) Here are some pictures of the party. (before we got Turner a plate, he just feasted on everyone else’s Cheetos) (a lot of moms helping with the grilled hot dogs….grilled by the Iron Chef of the grill!) (Sarah!!!…

Three years ago today we were in the hospital for Mary Carol’s birth and adoption. It was one of the greatest highlights and most rewarding days of my life. Tonight we are planning a party for her, so I’ll have some pictures of that later. For now, just take a look at what a difference three years makes. (the day Mary Carol was born…our first family picture) (our not-so-little-girl this morning) (Mary Carol on her birthday present. We bought an old swingset; fixed it up, and put a new swing on it. She LOVED it, and couldn’t even wait to change out of her pajamas before riding!)

It was another tremendous day on “the Pike.” Lebanon Road is such a wonderful place, and yesterday’s worship service was one of those truly uplifting services, where everything (except my PowerPoint…grrr) just seemed to go well. The singing was great, with very well-selected songs, and those who lead prayers and read Scripture did a great job. It was an honor to present the sermon that Jason, Jeremiah, dad, and I all wrote together, and it was very well-received. We were, again, blessed to have visitors from all over the country, including a youth group from Phoenix, Arizona, that was in town to see Lipscomb and were traveling to see FHU…

Three years ago this week, I was blogging like crazy. One young person in my youth group said he could tell I was trying to keep my mind working because I was posting two and three things every day. The reason was that, it was three years ago this week we were in Kentucky waiting for Mary Carol to be born. Her birthday–and adoption day–are October 7. We thought the birth was going to happen early (all medical signs pointed that way), but she just waited until her due date! So, we were in Kentucky for a week waiting and waiting and waiting. It was wonderful to be with family,…

I’m so excited about the sermon I’m presenting Sunday morning at Lebanon Road. While it’s always an honor to preach, some sermons really are more “fun” than others. There are four preachers in my immediate family: my dad, Jim, who preaches in Paducah, Kentucky; Leah’s brother, Jason Moon, who preaches in Huntsville, Alabama; and my brother-in-law, Jeremiah Tatum, who preaches in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. We all enjoy preaching and are very thankful to have a “built-in” network. So, once each year, we all write a sermon together. This is the second time we have done this, and we have used a psalm both times (and will probably stick with that for…

We have added a new feature. Finally. I’ve been looking for how to do this for some time. At the bottom of each article, you will find several buttons. These are links to the various social sharing sites, like Digg, Del.icio.us, Technorati, and Furl. These sites are basically large sites where folks submit articles they like so others can more easily find them. If you use these sites, PLEASE submit our articles when you find one you like. This will help others more easily find our articles and our site. By the way, I don’t use these sites a lot, but, when I do, I use Digg. Thanks for your…

As is the case with many preachers, I like to read about leadership. I have several books (thanks to a generous gift from a friend) by John Maxwell and recently reviewed a book by Zig Ziglar. Most preachers enjoy reading these books because they are filled with principles that come straight from the Scriptures, and because preachers are leaders. I subscribe to two leadership podcasts that are brief but powerful. 1. Inspiring Words of Encouragement. Zig Ziglar’s podcast is wonderful! If you have never listened to Zig speak, you have missed a wonderful opportunity. These podcasts cover a range of topics. While most deal with the business world, there are…

No, Josh and Tiffany, we’re not having another baby (at least, not that we know of). The big news is that, for some time, Dale Jenkins and I have been working “behind the scenes” to put a podcast for preachers together. Now, it has become a reality! iPreach is a podcast designed for those who preach, but anyone will enjoy the podcasts. They are laid-back and fun. While we still have some kinks to work out, we have completed three episodes, and they are already on iTunes. Our goal is to put up one episode each week, but the first three were all “uploaded” at once, so you can get…

We didn’t have over 500 again, but we were blessed to have a good number with us for worship and Bible classes again at Lebanon Road. Things just continue to go well here, and we pray that it will continue right into October. We had 357 in worship yesterday morning, and we were also pleased to have 291 in our Bible classes. Our percentage in Bible classes continues to be good, and, while there is room for improvement, we are pleased that it is staying high. I think it shows a great emphasis on the Bible school program, and it is a testament to the work and ability of our…