Friday, August 26, 2011

Living Water

I had the opportunity to preach at Living Water Ministries this morning, which is the food and clothing pantry here in Borger.  I always enjoy preaching there because, for whatever reason, I feel no pressure.  We dove off into the book of James this morning talking about the reality of our faith and that faith will always be shown by our actions.  And though many people say they have faith in God, they tell on themselves with their actions.  After I had finished the message I went to the back and grabbed a donut that I had eyed earlier before I started (donuts are a weakness of mine).  When I came back to the auditorium there was a lady waiting on me that I didn’t know.  She handed me two pieces of paper and said.  I wrote a poem about you while you were preaching.  I asked if she was giving the poem to me and she said, “Yes.”  So I glanced at it not thinking much about it until I got back to my office and really had a chance to read it with intent.  I would like to share it with you.

Bill Sizemore is on fire.  The Lord is blazing in him too.  He is made I your image, God. He is full of You.  We can feel the Spirit of God when the Word he preaches, and we can tell he practices everything he teaches.  He is super pastor. He is a super hero.  If we were to count his flaws we’d have to count to zero.  Every word that comes out of his mouth ministers to us all: convictions and correction and edification help us to answer God’s call.  Keep on doing God’s will telling us the truth from Genesis to Revelation to the book of Ruth.  Thank you God for Bill Sizemore we really appreciate him today.  God bless him and keep him and use him in every Christian way.  In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

She didn’t sign it so I don’t know her name, yet.  This was a great honor that someone would take the time to write such kind words.  Praise the Lord for his blessing through the lives of His redeemed.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Ready for Routine

I love the summer break that the girls get from school.  We had a great time this summer going White rafting with my family and just hanging out for the summer.  I have to admit, I look forward to the time that the girls have a curfew and a reason to go to bed so that I can get some sleep.  I am finding that the older I get the more I like my daily routine.  I am a morning person and I like my cup of coffee and my prayer and Bible time before the sun comes up. This seems to be the time that it is quit enough for me to hear the still small voice of the Lord coming through the pages of his Word.  I am take a trip through 1 & 2 Samuel right now.  I love to read of the integrity of David as he watches over God's announted.  I was noticing today how many times God would step in and do what needed to be done to guard the integrity of David, his servant, and realizing how many times, I am sure, God has done the same for me.

It seems that lately my days are filled with counseling.  We have such a busy Church that the people are in the office all day.  Some for counseling, some for ministry, but all for the work and edification of the Lord.  There are times when I am counseling that I feel it is a waist of time when I don't believe the person is going to make the changes neccessary, but I have not felt that in these counseling sessions.  I really believe God's people are heeding the advise and making the changes.  That is a beautiful thing to me.  I love seeing God's people freed from the bondage of this world and the people in it.

I do have a lot on my plate with Ministry Training, Marriage Retreat, and Ukraine all starring me in the face asking for material to be produced, but I know the Lord has something to say and he knows just how to say it.  I have to be careful not to add to the load by thinking I have to produce all this stuff.  I am very excited for this fall season because I believe we are going to experience some major growth in every way.  The wave that we have been riding is now made it to D2.  We should have a class of about 25 people if not more when it is all said and done.  This is a special class if you will because I have many of the people that have taken ownership of the ministry and the Church going through this class.  It should make for some deep discussion and discovery into God's Word.

Monday, August 22, 2011

Turning Fourty Two

It was so cool when I celebrated my 40th birthday.  The Church had prepared a big surprise birthday party, and Kim had got my whole family to come and be with me on that special day.  In all honesty it felt like the right of passage from "dude" to "Sir" and I kind of liked it.  Today I turned 42 and there is the same love in the air from all my family and friends, and it has been one spectacular day.  There was no surprise party, no right of passage, not really that much fan fair.  Just a nice day running around Amarillo with the one that I love to be with the most.  My wife.  There are some men that hit my age and have a day like I had today and say, "Is this it!  This is what I have to look forward too."  And they begin to try and right the wrongs that they feel have been done in their life or maybe set a new course for what they really want out of life. 

I praise the Lord that is not my life.  All I know is I enjoyed today.  I look forward to what life has in store for me on this journey, on this path.  In so many ways I feel life is just beginning.  One of the stops we made this morning was to the hospital to see a new born babe of one of our members, relizing that stage of my life is over but taking joy in this moment was them.  And just after lunch I was making funeral arrangements for another member that had just lost her grandfather.  I know that God does things on purpose.  There might have been a time that I would have said, "God, why today, can't I just enjoy my birthday;" but I never had that thought.  This is life.  We take the joys with the heartaches.  We take the ups with the downs.  You see I have experienced both of those events in my life.  I like the fact that I have lived enough to rejoice and weep in the same day; to congradulate and comfort in the same instant.  I like having friends that are just taking off in life and those that are seasoned in it.  This is a good place to be.  This is a good time to be alive.  This is a good time to be me.  So I say Happy Birthday 42.  I pray there are many more special days like this one.

Ok, so now that I've got the centimental stuff out of the way.  Let me tell you what happened.  I need to get my bike tuned up so Kim was going to follow me to the shop in Amarillo.  The bike is not running that well so my max speed is 65 mph.  Now the speed limit is 70, so I'm trying not to be a hazard to the rest of the world traveling on 136 hwy.  I told Kim I needed to get some gas but I decided I would just see if we could make it all the way to Amarillo.  We didn't!  Half was there I run out of gas.  That's not that big of a deal as the bikers with know because I have a reserve tank on the bike that should get me the rest of the way.  But, because the bike isn't running well it isn't getting good gas milage either so I get a mile from the nearest gas station in Amarillo and I run out of gas again.  This time, I'm out.  There's nothing in the tank.  So, Kim has to run up to the gas station, buy a gas can, buy the gas and bring it back to me sitting on the side of the road with the bike.  I wish I had stopped for gas like I said I was going too in the first place. Se La Vi!