This past year has been a year of transition for our family. As most of you are aware, our two oldest children were married and are now serving the Lord in ministry.

Yesterday the Lord blessed us with two puppies to help fill the void in our home! We haven’t named them yet, but we have already enjoyed their playful company, as well as the frequent visits by our married children who are enjoying them, as well.

Today at 1:00 pm, along with our pastoral staff, I went out into our community to knock on doors and invite people to Lancaster Baptist Church. For over twenty-one years it has been our custom to stay actively involved in going out and talking to people in the community. The first word of the great commission, of course, is “go,” and I believe it is vital that we stay on the go with the Gospel.

Although it is often difficult to break away from the busy schedule of life and ministry, it is always rewarding to go out and talk to others about the Lord. Oftentimes, I will not have the opportunity to see someone accept Christ as Saviour right at the door, but inevitably the Lord blesses the labor and sends folks to Lancaster Baptist who are saved and become a part of the church. Today I shared the Gospel with a Spanish man who has promised to be in church this Sunday. I am praying that he will be there!

May God help each of us today be conscious of those around us who are in need of a Saviour!

Just a few days from now, we will be involved in our annual Winter Revival at Lancaster Baptist Church. I believe there has been more prayer and fasting prior to this revival than any meeting we have ever conducted. Several men in the church have fasted and prayed for extended periods of time, and most members of the church have had some measure of prayer and fasting over the last three weeks. I am praying there will be a new love for the Lord Jesus as a result of our Winter Revival, with preaching from Dr. John Goetsch.

Revival often tarries because God’s people hold on to some sin or grieve the Spirit in some other way. When revival comes, God’s people will love Him immensely and they will hate the wickedness and temptations of the devil.

Please join me in prayer today for revival in this needy hour.

What a great weekend of ministry the Lord gave us just a few days ago. My good friend Dr. R.B. Ouellette preached our Sunday services. Dr. Ouellette is a strong, biblical preacher who has helped our church and churches across the country throughout the years. He is the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Bridgeport, Michigan, where he has labored for more than thirty years.

Also, this past weekend students returned for the second semester of West Coast Baptist College. I am praying that God will bless this semester in a special way. It is a joy to have a part in the education of the hearts and minds of these students. Please pray that God will bless each of them.

I teach a class in the college entitled Practical Theology. This is a class that deals with many of the practical aspects of pastoral ministry. It is always a joy for me to meet with the young men and encourage them about the privilege of serving the Saviour!

What a blessing it was for me to gather together with co-laborers at the Coastline Baptist Church in Oceanside, California, this past week. My brother, Stephen, was the conference host and is the pastor of the Coastline Baptist Church. The Lord has done a great work there in Oceanside these past ten years, and it was a blessing to experience it firsthand.

For me personally, the conference was more than just a meeting. It was a time of refreshment, encouragement, and fellowship with the dozens of pastors from the region.

I was thrilled to see a number of men from our church attend this conference, and it was evident to me that the Lord was working in their hearts. This was a time of iron sharpening iron, and I thank the Lord for the special time we had with His men and around His Word.

Philippians 1:27
“Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ:that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.”