Saturday, November 12, 2016

Our Expanding Family


On October 22nd our family expanded when our daughter Robin married Eli Price. They have been seeing each other for the past year-and-a-half or so and were engaged this past New Year's Eve

The wedding was a beautiful ceremony at the Pond at Crossroads Church. Friends and family gathered to celebrate with us on as beautiful a day as I can ever remember. When Robin told us she wanted an outdoor wedding in October in Southwest Louisiana I had more than a little concern over the threat of hurricane season! It was a bright sunny day with perfect temperatures. Thanks Lord. 

The ceremony could have served as a Pinterest show case! We had spent our Thursday family gatherings making stuff for the past several months and all the crafty, hippy, folksy decor was adorable.  Additionally, the flowers were beautiful, the brunch menu for the reception was delicious and Robin was absolutely stunning! 

We had such a great time getting to know Eli's family the week leading up to the wedding. They are from the Atlanta, GA area and just could not be more charming. We're so thankful Robin has married in to such a sweet family. 

I had the honor of walking Robin down the aisle as well as officiating the communion portion of their ceremony. Eli's pastor, Aaron Shamp of Redeemer City Church did the main officiating and tied a really good knot! For the communion service, I used my dad's Bible. It was a special way to include him in their ceremony. I know he would be so proud of Robin and I know he would warmly welcome Eli into our family.

So many people have asked me how it felt to give my daughter's hand in marriage. Being a pastor for over thirty years I have counseled so many people who struggle with marriage. It is enough to make a dad apprehensive about who his kids might marry. I can say with all sincerity that I am so at peace with Robin's selection of Eli. He is a kind, thoughtful, considerate young Christian man that I know is going to take great care of my little girl. I told him so at the wedding after giving him Robin's hand. It was a private moment between he and I and it took a few seconds. When I sat down by Donna she immediately asked, "Did you threaten him?" I did not. I welcomed him into the family! 

Saturday, August 6, 2016

Kentucky


Donna and I joined Scott and Kara Holmes (Scott is the District Superintendent of the LA Assemblies of God) and Eric and Annabelle Treuil (Eric is the Assistant Superintendent of the LA Assemblies of God) in Louisville, KY last week for the 2016 General Presbytery meeting. Annually, representatives from each district convene to do business on behalf of the nation-wide fellowship. I have the privilege of serving along-side Scott and Eric as a General Presbyter for the Louisiana District.

We had a good meeting. Some important decisions were made including the choice to stand by our 100-year ethic of abstinence concerning the consumption of alcohol. Go to the PE News website to read the position paper  that was adopted by the Presbytery in order to get an understanding of our stance on this issue. 

While we were there we got to enjoy a little leisure time. It's always a blessing to get to mix a little pleasure with business. Donna's love language is traveling, you know! Who knew there is so much to do in Louisville, Kentucky? (It was our first time to visit Louisville.) The city of Louisville itself is known mostly for horse racing, baseball bats, bourbon and basketball. (Not necessarily in that order.) The state of Kentucky celebrates some of it's favorite sons: Mohammad Ali, Abraham Lincoln, Daniel Boone and Colonel Sanders. (Not necessarily in that order.) It is an impressive city that has done a great job preserving it's rich history while embracing the ever-changing culture of modern-America. 

Here's a picture of Scott and me in front of the Louisville Slugger baseball bat manufactory where they've been making baseball bats for over 100 years! 

We got to take in the newly opened Ark Encounter. It was incredible. The true-to-life-sized structure was mesmerizing and the three decks of exhibits and strong apologetic material arguing for the validity of the Ark and the great flood was impressive! Christian scientist and Historians make the case for a young earth and do a great job explaining a lot of questions skeptics have had concerning the story of Noah's Ark. They also have a nice exhibit on the preservation of the Inspired Scriptures and a petting zoo that includes camel rides! The Ark Encounter is a little over an hour-and-a-half drive from Louisville, but is well worth it! 

We also enjoyed the Mega Cavern and it's trail of underground zip lines. This was some of the most fun I've had in a while! I highly recommend it! 



Thursday, July 28, 2016

The Making of Freedom


Our July Message series was called "Freedom." For our opening video we chose to use a different format than we have ever utilized before: Shadow Puppets. We have had a lot of complements and inquiries into the making of the video, so I am posting this behind-the-scenes mini-documentary along with the video itself. Hats off to Marshall Hunter, Aaron Thomas and Chris Deville who created and performed the puppetry, filmed and edited the piece. The song is an old spiritual I grew up singing as a boy. It features Glenn Lancon on vocals. The piece was arranged and recorded by Coy Watson and Aaron Thomas who really captured the feel we were after. I'm so blessed to get to work with these amazing artists every day! Enjoy.






Saturday, July 2, 2016

Book Review - Love Does by Bob Goff


Love Does by Bob Goff reads like someone's journal. When I say someone, I mean someone who has lived one of the most exciting, inspiring, engaging lives ever! The book will have you laughing, crying, dreaming and, most importantly, DOING! I feel like I have accomplished a few things with my life, but this book makes you take serious inventory of what you've done, what you're doing and what you're going to do! Love Does is not only the name of Bob's book, but also the name of a ministry he's founded that addresses the needs of sex trafficking victims, the impoverished, human rights violations and educational concerns in India, Uganda, Somalia, Iraq and Nepal. It turns out, through Bob Goff's life - love does a lot! 

The book is an easy read and is really hard to put down. It's the kind of book you want to keep close so you can pull out every now and again and experience the inspiration it provides again and again. 


I used to be afraid of failing at something that really mattered to me, but now I'm more afraid of succeeding at things that don't matter.   - Bob Goff 

Friday, March 11, 2016

Marathon Men


You know you're too busy when you don't even have time to blog about accomplishing one of the hardest things you've ever taken on in your life! Something you've done that only 0.5% of Americans have done. On February 28th I ran a marathon! 26.2 miles! 

My amazing friend Paul Burke and I have been training for months. We ran in a half in November (my second half - I ran one in 2013). When we did we thought, "Why not go ahead and keep training? If not now, when?" So we did it! 

We ran in the Rock-n-Roll Marathon in New Orleans with 15,000 other runners competing in either the marathon, a half marathon or a 10k. My time was 5:26. I had hoped to do it in 5:00. My training had taken me to the 20 mile mark and the day I did 20 miles (about 3 weeks before the race) I felt like I could have kept going. 

On race day, I finished the first half in under a 10 minute/mile but at mile 20 I hit a HUGE wall mentally and physically. Someone had told me at mile 20 you're half way there. Boy were they right!  It was all I could do to keep going. Brutal! But I did it! 

My goal is to stay in half marathon shape and run in a half once a year or so. I don't know if I'll ever do a full marathon again. It takes so much training! But never say never right? 

Saturday, February 13, 2016

The Irrevocable Call of God



We are so proud of Jeremy Phelps, who graduated from Teen Challenge today. Jeremy is a long-time friend who we first became acquainted with while living in Georgia. His sister, Kristen was attending our youth ministry there and asked me to visit her brother who had been arrested. When I showed up the next morning, Jeremy had just prayed and asked God to send him a sign that He loved him and would answer his prayer. We prayed together, he rededicated his life to the Lord and began attending our youth group. 

From there, Jeremy went through our Master's Commission program in Atlanta, accompanied us to Romania on one of our mission trips there and really felt a calling to that country. Over time, he backslid and allowed drugs to get a stronghold on his life. Last year he called me about the Teen Challenge program here and God opened a door for him to go through the program. I am so proud of him. It's been awesome to watch God move in his life. This summer he will do a three month internship at our Master's Commission School in Romania! God's calling is truly irrevocable! 

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Twenty-two Year Old Walking Man



Today, this guy turns twenty-two! Chase is working for a local paint contractor, living in the apartments the church owns that serves as our student housing for CLC and looking forward to his next adventure. Last year at this time he and one of his best friends were backpacking across the British Isles. Every once and a while I can see that far away look in his eyes and I imagine he is dreaming of his next journey. Chase's full name is Chase Walker Ables, after my grandfather - John Walker Russell. It seems the name Walker was a suitable selection! 

Monday, February 1, 2016


We've just wrapped up a series at Crossroads called Sound Systems. The premise of the series was that God wants us sound in every regard within our lives. He wants us spiritually sound, sound in our relationships and sound in our finances. He wants us living with sound minds and sound bodies. 

By sound, I mean whole, well, healthy and strong. 3 John 2 says, "Beloved I wish above all things that you prosper and be in health even as your soul prospers." If we believe that, then we should put systems in place that help ensure that soundness in our lives. 

Systems are practices and disciplines that contribute toward a healthy lifestyle. Things like prayer and Bible study help keep us strong spiritually. Communication and serving one another keep our relationships in tact. Budgeting and wise investments lead to financial soundness. Meditating on God's Word and living lives of humility ensure mental and emotional stability. Proper diet and exercise are essential to having healthy bodies.  

We believe only God can truly define what soundness consists of. With that in mind, our sound systems must be High Definition. For these systems to operate efficiently in our lives, we must remain faithful and consistent in these disciplines and practices. You might say what we need is High Fidelity sound systems. Did you see what I did right there? Hi Def? Hi Fi? Sound systems! 

Saturday, January 23, 2016

Persistent Prayer


We have just completed 21 Days of Prayer at Crossroads Church. What now?

1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Pray without ceasing.” Notice it doesn’t say pray 21 days without ceasing. God has expectations on day 22, 23 and so on. 

Jesus taught His disciples in Luke 18 that we ought always to pray and not give up. He went on to tell them a story of an unjust judge who is petitioned by a widow and dismisses her, convinced he doesn’t have time to intervene in her case. However, because she keeps coming to him again and again, he finally gives her justice because of her persistence. He then draws the parallel between us and this story, not to suggest that God is an unjust Judge, but to point out that ours should be a prayer life that is persistent. Here’s why:

Persistant prayer is…

1. Faith’s priority.

The first fruit of real faith is faithfulness. It’s Job’s declaration, “Though God slay me, still I will trust Him.” (Job 13:15) Real faith says, “I don’t have to receive the answer to my prayer to continue to pray.”

2. Faith’s praise.

In Philippians 4:6, the Holy Spirit inspires Paul to admonish believers to offer prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. Real faith says, “I don’t have to see results to believe God has heard and will answer my prayer.” Persistent prayer comes to God again and again, not asking for the same thing over and over, but thanking God for what was requested the first time we prayed. 

3. Faith’s partner.

Some would have us believe that faith is all that is required to receive something from God. Hebrews 6:12 demonstrates that this assumption is incorrect. The writer declares that it is with faith and patience that we inherit the promises of God. Patience postures us persistently in prayer however long it takes to receive our answer. 


I believe we have secured God’s attention through this 21 days of prayer but I also believe God is interested in seeing what we will do with the additional 344 days! Let us PERSIST! 

Friday, January 15, 2016

Doing Battle


For the past eleven days, our church has been gathering every morning to seek God together. We have averaged around 120 gathering at the church while another 200 or so have joined in through live streaming online. Many have also been engaged in different types of fasts, from meals to social media. God's presence has been so real each day and we are hearing amazing reports of answered prayer, divine guidance and spiritual growth. 

We're calling this prayer campaign the Sound of War. All around us these days we hear of wars and rumors of wars just like Jesus predicted. The most important battles are spiritual in nature. We are fighting on our knees! We are doing battle in the heavenly realms, claiming victory over an enemy that comes to steal and to kill and destroy! I believe God's ears are attentive to our cries. I believe when this 21 days of prayer and fasting are over we will experience some amazing break-through! Please let us know how we can be praying with you!

KatyMac's healing is what I have dedicated my fast to. Some miracles only happen by prayer and fasting according to Jesus in Matthew 17:21 and I have committed this time of fasting to that miracle!

For those of you who don't know Katie, she is the youngest daughter of one of my staff members and long-time friend, Richard Gaspard and his wife Daphne who is our Women's Director here at Crossroads. Katie is battling Myelodysplastic Syndrome and went through stem cell therapy some months ago. She is now suffering with GVHD (Graft Verses Host Disease) and really needs God to intervene.

We know that Katie's healing has been provided through the stripes that Jesus suffered and we are simply standing on His Word while we engage in the spiritual battle that is ensuing. Satan wants to rob Katie of her miracle but greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4)! Please join us in prayer for KatyMac and let's do battle together! 

Friday, January 8, 2016

Twenty-four



Today is my daughter Robin's 24th birthday. This is a picture of her in Uganda with one of her sponsor children. I love this picture because it captures so much of what is uniquely Robin: Her compassion, her sense of adventure, her love for God and people. We are very proud of this young lady! 

My kids have never bought in to a lot of the music artists I love, but one group we have always enjoyed mutually is the group Switchfoot. One of my favorite songs of their's seems wonderfully appropriate today. It's called Twenty Four.




Friday, January 1, 2016

That Happy New Year Smile!


So this happened last night! Robin is now engaged to Eli Price. They have been seeing each other since early 2015. He is the Admin Assistant of the Baptist Collegiate Ministries at UL. He is also on staff at a church here in Lafayette called Redeemer City Church. He is enrolled at the Baptist Theological Seminary in NOLA working on his Master's Degree and he hails from the great state of Georgia, just south of Atlanta. 

Dads are never ready for this kind of thing, but he is a great guy and we're very happy for them. He arranged for us to show up right after he popped the question. In a lifetime of smiles, I've never seen her smile bigger. 

Here's to a year of big smiles everyone! Happy New Year! 

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