* What a terrific weekend. One I will not forget.
* Dad and Mom traveled down from South Carolina on Amtrack. They loved the train ride.
* Yesterday, they watched the kids play Upward Basketball. Then Dad, the girls, and I went to see the movie ‘Avatar.’ We had a great time with them today. They are leaving in the morning . We all have had a fine weekend with them.
* It was a BIG Sunday at First Baptist of Sebring!!
* Good sized crowd at 8:30 service and a massive crowd at 11:00.
* Finished sermon series ‘The Word On Worship’ in the early service. It was entitled ‘Midnight In A Jail Cell’ out of Acts 16. Paul and Silas were stripped, beaten, and locked in the stocks in a jail cell. Yet, at midnight, they were still worshiping God out loud. They focused on their Savior instead of their circumstances…and so should we!
* Worship is not about a momentary escape from your life’s hurts; instead, it is about bringing your life’s hurts to God for comfort and help.
* I’ve greatly enjoyed preaching this sermon series on worship, and I hope it helped the church.
* Enjoyed hanging out with the young adults for a little while during the Sunday School hour.
* They had me sit in a chair in the middle of the room. Then they formed a circle and prayed over me. That meant a great deal!
* At 11:00, the church house was packed out. Biggest crowd I’ve ever seen here. Several hundred people with an electric buzz in the air.
* I gave my 2010 Pastor’s Address. Talked about the God-given vision for this church. Lasted about 45 minutes. Folks seemed to stay engaged. Lots of hugs, tears, prayers, and smiles at the end of it. I loved seeing all those people praying around the stage area at the end of the service.
* I 100 percent am sold out to carrying out GOD’S vision for this church. I am passionate about what we are doing here, and I am excited about the future.
* Revival services begin on Sunday, February 28, and run through Wednesday, March 3. Our guest speaker will be my youngest brother, Dr. Wyman Richardson. Please begin making plans now to attend all of these services. We will provide meals before the weeknight services, and we will offer a nursery for your babies.
* To help our church get ready for this, I will preach on it for 2 weeks. On February 14, I will preach on ‘A Picture Of Revival.’ On February 21, I will preach on ‘Positioning For Revival.’
* A new ‘Live It!’ video will be posted on the blog tomorrow night. It is entitled ‘Beware.’ We had an ultra-cool experience filming it.
* I love doing these videos, and I plan on doing more of them.
* Tonight, I am going to do one thing: chill out with my family. Time for me to rest.
Peace.