It has been a busy week, and it's not over yet. We began our Faith Promise Conference tonight. Bro. Allen Hagood preached a great message. Tommy and Sherri Drewett did a great job and so did Bro. Jim Slocumb.

The spirit of the service was great. I am looking forward to the service tomorrow (Friday) night and then to our commitment service on Sunday morning. With the economic condition like it is in our country, and in our world for that matter, the faith of our people certainly will be challenged. Rather than be pessimistic, we should thank God for giving us an environment that will allow Him to show us what He can and will do.

I have no reservations about extolling the blessing associated with Faith Promise mission giving. After practicing it for 40 years, I can personally testify that it is a method of giving that enables a person to give more to missions. Why? Because God will respond in a positive way to the faith of His people.

Faith Promise mission giving is a voluntary way to take part in God’s program of world evangelism. The plan may not be for everyone. As a pastor, I tell folks that they must decide for themselves whether or not they want to participate in the program. Those who do are blessed. Those who don’t, I feel, miss the blessing.

When it comes to getting ready for a special event like a Missions Conference, regardless of having a To-Do list (literal or in your mind), I always have a feeling in the pit of my stomach that if have forgotten to do something. Hopefully, I am not alone. Surely, I am not alone. This is a dead give away that time management is not a strong point. When it comes to my schedule, an old saying comes to mind–The hurrier I go, the behinder I get.

Thursday, our church begins its 14th annual Faith Promise Missions Conference. Pastor Allen Hagood of Star City Arkansas will be our featured speaker. Tommy and Sherri Drewett of Pineville, Louisiana will be our special guests to provide their special style of music. They will be joined by their son Shawn on Saturday for a reunion of the Drewett Family. Bro. Jim Slocumb, director of Texas Mission Development will lead our music. We invite Bro. Jim to be with us every year. Our people love him.

I never fail to get excited when it is time for our missions conference. God has honored the faith of our people by supplying their faith promises in some amazing ways, and I have no doubt that He will do it again this next year.

We held our first Marriage Enrichment seminar Saturday. Under the leadership of my wife, the ladies have been conducting Ladies Seminars for several years now, and they have been very successful and enjoyed by many ladies of the church. After teaching six weeks of lessons in our couples Sunday School class, the class members ask about the possibility of having a Marriage Seminar. So I began to plan one for the Fall, but time constraints and some other activities caused us to postpone it. Finally, things came together.

Thinking we had a final on the number who would attend, my wife and I assembled the materials and prepared for Saturday. On Friday we received a call from a couple asking if it was too late to sign up. They came and joined right in. We met Saturday for three hours, had lunch as a group at a local restaurant and returned to the church for two and a half more hours. We had a great day with positive comments from everyone. To top it off, the young couple who signed up on Friday along with their three children were at church today.

All the couples who attended committed to participate in the 40 day Love Dare. I have heard that there are possibly others who did not attend the seminar but plan to participate in the Love Dare. I plan to ask the couples to network as a group to encourage one another during this 40 day journey.