NUMBER FOCUS

By -
Numbers are funny things.  I'm more of a word guy than a numbers guy.  At elder's meetings, when they pull out the Financial Reports, I pretend to understand, care and pay attention.  Sometimes I pretend to be in prayer mode.  It's just that my eyes are rolling back in their sockets and I don't want anyone to notice.

What's amazing to me are the numbers we (I) choose to focus on.  For example, Numbers from this weekend:

Super Bowl Bash:  575 men

Sunday Attendance:  1087

Baptisms:  5

New Members:  30

Giving;  $ 21,715.78

 Lots of numbers there.  Lots of really good numbers.  Lots of numbers to celebrate, be excited about, praise God for, high-five all around the room for.  But, those aren't the numbers I'm staring at.  Maybe I'm just a Negative Nellie, a Debbie Downer.  Maybe just the eternal pessimist.  A cup half-empty with a small leak and fear of evaporation guy.  Wow, that sounds bad!

Of all the numbers listed there that are shout from the rooftop numbers, I can't get past the fact that I've been preaching my guts out on getting BALANCE in our personal finances, and the fact that this HAS to start with God's Lordship over our finances and that His portion should come first....only to see attendance go up and giving go down.

This is my blog.  This is not a devotional.  It's not where I write to feed you or encourage you or teach you.  It's where I write.  Sometimes my joys.  Sometimes my failures.  Sometimes my frustrations.  Today is the latter.

When you commit your entire life to see people find God and grow in that relationship and in faith and they don't it is always frustrating.

So, now you know.  I'm just a guy.  A guy who loves God and wants others to experience all that He has.  When people settle for less than that I get frustrated.  I'm just a guy.  A guy who trusts God fully (most times) and wants others to experience the joy of that.  I pray you don't miss it.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SHOULD JOHN KELLY APOLOGIZE?

By -
In case you are unaware, Dr. John Kelly is the Superintendent of Schools for Pearland ISD.  Recently, he, and other Houston suburban superintendents were asked about the mandate sent down from President Obama requiring all school districts in America to allow any transgender student to be allowed to use the restroom or locker room, not of their biological sex, but of whatever sex they "identified with".  Here were his comments. " When the Supreme Court re-defined marriage and invented new constitutional rights, the door was opened for re-defining all social norms, now including Executive Branch dictates about bathroom and locker room rules in local schools," he said. "A hostile vocal minority now rules in America aided by an apathetic, unengaged   majority. What's next? Legalizing pedophilia and polygamy? Unless we return to the Biblical basis on which our nation's laws were established, we are in serious trouble — and cannot expect God's con
Read more

CHRISTIANS DON'T KEEP COMPANY WITH SINNERS

By -
Image
     Ever heard that one?  Oh, my hand is up.  I heard that.  I heard it all my years growing up in a Christian home.  Christians aren't to hang out with non-Christians.  Why?  Because that's what the Bible says.  Duh!  1 Corinthians 15:33 says it plainly...“ Bad company corrupts good character .”  There it is.  Christians are not to be hanging around with sinners...lost people...unbelievers...people who don't follow Jesus.  It will corrupt their good character.  So, just say no!    If you're a Christian parent ...a good Christian parent, you'll get your kid in a Christian school, playing in a Christian T-Ball league, playing some good instrument (that is appropriate for use at church, of course), make sure their radio only tunes into KSBJ (God's Listening, right?), and most of all, DO NOT LET THEM HAVE FRIENDS THAT AREN'T CHRISTIANS...from good Christian families.  Real Christians.  If you don't watch their every step, I mean every step, they'll m
Read more

BUNNIES, BOUNCING & BAIT

By -
Yesterday was the day before Easter. A few months ago, in a moment of insanity or inspiration, I'm still not sure which, I mentioned in a staff meeting that we should rent the local football stadium, hire a helicopter and drop a few thousand Easter eggs out of it. Yesterday we did it...with a few exceptions. We dropped 30,000 eggs. We had 15 inflatables. We had games, face-painting, popcorn & cotton candy. We gave away thousands of dollars of prizes. And it was all free. We really didn't have any idea what to expect. I mean, we'd never done this before. Initially, we thought if 1,000 people showed up it would be a success. Then we reassessed and revised our expectations. We hoped for 1500. I don't know how many people showed up yesterday. I know that after the parking team had parked 5000 cars they quit counting. I know that we caused such a traffic jam in Pearland that the Pearland PD had to dispatch 5 units to handle the traffic backups we c
Read more