We prioritize our passions. We do not prioritize other things as well. Sometimes we should prioritize things that are not out passions and take risks with accountable consistency. What will you prioritize for a year so a year from now you can look back and say, “oh yeah?” Last year I made these things a priority:

• Physical fitness — the gym became my third place. I have worked out three times a week for a year. I have not lost weight, but I moved the gut to the upper body. I feel great. My stress level is much lower.
• Scripture reading — our church read the Bible in 90 Days in the Fall 2011. While it was a rigorous journey, it was life changing. I’m poised to read the Bible through with my family starting Sunday.
• Mission Trip — I was blessed to go on a mission trip to the Ukraine with Michael Gott. It was life changing.

What will I prioritize in 2012? Some things do pop up unexpectedly, but here’s my plan:

• Read the word — I’m reading the Bible through with my family.
• Trip to Israel — I’m planning on taking a trip to the holy land.
• Finish Spanish — I want to complete becoming bilingual in 2 years.
• Continue fitness — I want to lose a little weight and keep working out.
• Financial fitness — eliminate debt and give more away.

What will your priorities be in 2012?

1. I went on a mission trip to Ukraine with Michael and Jan Gott. I highly recommend you take a trip with them. Check out their website at http://michaelgottinternational.com/   — I taught English in the English Dynamics School. It was incredible. While I cannot go in 2012, I am committing to go in 2013. You should go. It’s an amazing trip and you will get to see 100s saved by the power of the gospel.

2. I was able to get healthier this year than I have been since getting out of the Army. I’ve been working out in a gym three times a week for at least an hour and a half. I’ve been doing 30 minutes of cardio and then weight lifting for an hour. I have not lost any weight, but I have shifted fat to muscle. Great year. I feel better than I have in a long time.

3. We had a great church year. In 2010 we had a tough year. We had staff changes that were hard, but in 2011 we got to replace staff and are now hitting on all cylinders. Our church is committed to reaching out AND making disciples, not just attenders. Our church is at peace and is poised for revival and renewal.

Beginning in January 2012, I will start a series called “MOMENTUM.” I will challenge people to set a few goals that are BIG yet attainable in key areas of life. Where do you need to create “MOMENTUM” in January? Sometimes we can look back on a year and see God’s blessing. That reflection can birth in us a desire to gain needed “MOMENTUM” in key areas. Where has God worked in your life this year?

2. She loves the Lord — I’ve never seen her have a backslidden day.

3. She is not prejudice — she has friends of every color and creed. I’ve never heard her be prejudice which is big for us.

4. She is a true friend — she’s more than a friend, she’s a sister. After 24 years I can say she is trustworthy.

5. She is a witness for Jesus — she went downtown yesterday and invited people to our services and to invite them to get free gift wrapping today.

6. She has a great voice — UNREAL voice.

7. She puts up with me — no comment.

The Purpose of Ministry
To be in the ministry is to serve. The purpose of serving in the ministry or church mission is to encourage people to become followers of Jesus. We are in the people business. And that can be the rub in church life. People are involved and it is messy. I’m rereading with our staff Robert Coleman’s Master Plan of Evangelism. It is probably the best book on disciple making I have ever read. In the book one of the burning focus is on how Jesus ministered to the masses, but spent most of His time with the few, the twelve.

Andy Stanley is correct. “Life change best happens in circles, not rows.” The challenge is to get people in circles where life change can really happen.

Is it worth stretching our relational boundaries? In church life I often find myself trying to reach and please everyone. Yet it is hard when people do not even seem to care or help in relating to people. It is easier to play is safe. I feel obligated to take risks, but there is a reality.

A Look Back
The reality of ministry is we cannot do it all. It will not happen. Even Jesus did not reach and minister to everyone. And even He could not please everyone.

I went to DFW for Thanksgiving. I was blessed to see family. I had not been home for Thanksgiving in two years and needed to show the love. It was great. I went to see my parents in Granbury, then went to Ft. Worth to see my Grandmother. Then got to stay with a ministry mentor in Arlington. While in Arlington I got to do these things:

• I got to see a special brother and his family who I served with on staff at a church 12 years ago. His family is from South America and are just beautiful people.
• I got to see a brother’s father who was in the hospital after a stroke. I spent a few hours there talking preaching and ministry with the brother and his father as both are preachers. Sadly, but gloriously, the father went to be with the Lord.
• I got to see another special  brother from another church I served in before coming to Ruidoso. He and his wife are just precious gems in the kingdom.
• I got to see a brother from the church I served 12 years ago. It was great seeing him yet was hard as he is struggling physically and in his family life.
• I got to see another brother and his wife from the church I served before coming to Ruidoso. We ate dinner with them and reminisced about doing door-to-door evangelism and made plans for a future golf game.

What’s the point? I got to see most of these friends in a span of 5 hours (except my friend in the hospital). In just a short time I got to see people who I invested in. I got to see fruit, spiritual fruit, that abides, in their lives.

Is it worth it to stretch thin? Is the balance of the few and the masses worth it?

A Look Forward
Yes it is worth it. The focus needs to be on the few. That’s what Jesus did. Yet even in the masses, and the drive to reach more and more people, which can be frustrating and hard, the effort is more than worth it. I plan to keep on keeping on trying to do all I can, while know when I cannot do it all. People are involved and they are worth it.

Walk with integrity and biblical purpose within biblical community.  There is always going to be people you cannot get to that you mean to but you cannot. There will be times when you can keep the fire burning on relationships. I do not do it because it is a job. I do it because it is my Lord. I have received and know the blessing is community.

What do you think?

1. My main desire in doing this campaign was centered around Jesus’ command to “make disciples.”

2. The 90 Days emphasis far exceeded my expectations personally and professionally.

3. One tension people wrestle with is related to this question: “will I retain or understand what I’m reading?”

Those who are reading the Bible know you will retain much of the story, but not everything.

Those not reading ask from the wrong perspective. Of course not reading guarantees not retaining or understanding much at all.

4. Reading the Bible in 90 Days really comes down to one thing: TIME. There is a challenge in reading, but it’s not one that should keep anyone from reading the Bible. If a person or family will give God up to an hour a day, reading the Bible in 90 Days is a doable thing.

The time factor does not just relate to the 90 Days challenge. It’s much more thank that. Spiritual disciplines require time. The way we divided up our time reveals our priorities. Reading the word through in 90 Days has taught me that while I can’t sustain an hour a day with my family gathering at the same time, I can manage 20-30 minutes every day. And I might be able to get my family together for up to an hour for Bible reading and prayer 2-3 times a week.

The bottom line is I’ve learned I can give God much more time personally and collectively with my family.

At the deeper angle, I’m sentimental to the military. I served in the Army for 11 years. That time was very formative in my adult life. I learned much in the Army that I could not have learned anywhere else and didn’t learn anywhere else things like …

1. How to work hard

2. How to use heavy weapons

3. Discipline, leadership, etc … the list goes on and on.

Today I still rely on the things I learned in the military. I got out in response to a call to ministry. I’m still living that out.

I’m thankful for our veterans. Love all of you. I can only speculate, but I do believe God has a plan for good for our country to be an instrument to spread the gospel.

Thank you for purchasing my freedom to serve at FBC, Ruidoso, New Mexico.  Thank you for purchasing and protecting the freedom my family enjoys. THANK YOU.

When my beloved Texas Rangers made the playoffs again this year, I was stunned. I’ve not watched a full baseball game this year. I did watch most of game 6 the other night. I didn’t watch game 7 at all. But I’d like to share a few things the “ekklesia” — the church, can learn from the Texas Rangers:

1. We should be thankful for the opportunity — As I look at the Star-Telegram this morning it only focused on how “Ranger Strike Out Again.” The sports media in DFW is sick. I can remember just a few years ago when the Rangers season was over in May. Year after year that would happen. I’m thankful we now have a competing team.

The church should be thankful for every opportunity is has to play. We should not be tearing people down. We should know we’ve receive God’s grace and let Him live through us. So many have not yet heard the gospel. How can we not be thankful?

2. We should realize sometimes we give the game away – yes, the Cardinals won the series, but there’s no doubt in my mind that the best team didn’t win. Texas has a better record but didn’t get home field because of the dumb all star game rule. Texas was down to two strikes two times, but botched it. The Cards were good, but leave no doubt the Rangers should have won, everyone knows it. They gave the world series away. Sometimes we just have to admit it. Players and coaches can’t say that because they sound ungracious but it’s true. They should say, “we gave it away.”

I see this often. Christ followers give away the spiritual game. We have only one enemy, Satan. How do we give the game away?

1. We treat sports as more important than gathering with God’s people for worship, so the church struggles to gain momentum, but we expect God to bless us. In America, cultural Christianity is hindering the church and kingdom push.

2. We don’t really grow in our faith, giving lip service to the spiritual disciplines like Bible reading and prayer, giving and witnessing. Most people are not as spiritually mature as they make it out. They are mature in life but not in spiritual fruit.

3. We don’t model for our kids a faith on fire. It’s more like “we are Christian but other things in our lives come first” so there’s no real powerful change in peoples lives. God doesn’t get second best, He gets the tenth best. I try to remember my faith will be tested by how my daughter lives when she is 18-25 years old. That scares me to death.

Ron Washington probably made a few mistakes. But the bottom line is his pitchers gave the game away. They didn’t mean to do it just happens in sports.

One difference in the spiritual life is the opportunity to win is much easier. One of my challenges is watching potential go down the drain.

I’ve so thankful for those who don’t give their faith away. They are not giving the spiritual game away but are running the race in simplicity — getting the prize.

Bottom line – don’t give the game away.

1. On November 3 we will ask everyone who is behind in reading to move up to the New Testament so we can finish together.

2. Reading the Bible in 90 Days can at times seem like a chore. But even when it is He still speaks through His word. There’s a filling that comes from reading the Bible in bulk. There’s a confidence we gain from the reading, but also from the mystery of God’s working in hearts.

3. I cannot wait to see how people will improve their “table for two” times with God when the reading is done on Thanksgiving. Many have restored their family altars during this season.

4. I know some people dropped out. That’s the hard part from many angles. My hope is they will keep going anyway and not completely quit. The enemy wants people to not trust God’s word. The enemy wants to keep people from giving God the time.

5. I believe this season, Fall 2011, will be a landmark season in the life of FBC Ruidoso. Real disciple-making challenges separate the disciples from the attenders. Disciple-making is one thing. Attending without it is another.

6. I’m thinking of reading the Bible through personally and with my family next year. Either way, my family altar will remain functional. We will not solo our table for two time at the expense of family time in the word.

7. There’s a big difference in reading the Bible to please God and reading the Bible to please myself. A 7 minute quiet time is not going to cut it.

8. FBC will read the Bible in 90 Days again next year. Why not?

9. FBC will listen to the New Testament in 40 Days starting Easter 2012.

10. I’m still amazed at the stories still coming in from people who are not even members or residents of New Mexico. AWESOME.