My good blogger friend, Mark Wilson, also is a great leadership guy.  We will be catching up with Mark at FLAME X next week.  Mark is teaching Intro to Homeletics (which Pam is taking) and a ReKindle class on the Small/Rural church.  From what I’ve heard it has set a record in registrations.  Since most of our churches are small and rural, I guess it scratches an itch.  Mark has a great heart for the pastors of small/rural church like the church we pastor and 1,200 other Wesleyan churches across the country. (sorry, rabbit trail )

When Mark teaches leadership, he talks about keeping in on channel P or Positive.  I know Mark would rather see the glass half-full rather than half-empty.  It has been over two years since I started blogging and Pam joined me about 10 months ago.  In fact, one of her early blogs was able to help Mark with something he was going through (How cool is that!)  One of the guiding principles of this blog is that I want to build the body of Christ rather than tear it down.  Unfortunately, those kind of Christian blogs that tear down the body of Christ are a dime a dozen and I’d rather not associate myself with them or even link them.

Why am I rambling like this on a Saturday night?  By my writing, you would get the impression that everything is rosy in my little corner of the world and that everything is going just as planned and that I don’t have a care in the world.  Some of my closest friends have been reading between the lines and know differently.  The truth is that the last month or two have been extremely interesting, but I would rather not dwell on that.  Instead, I dwell on how God has worked in and through me over the last months.  I would rather see the glass half-full rather than half-empty.

Over the last few weeks, God has revived this pastor.  I think it was more like being hit upside the head with a 2 X 4.  There is a revival in my heart and my spirit.  Yes, sometimes it is very easy as a Christian and even as a pastor to put it on cruise control.  It’s easy to complain about things.  It’s easy to blame other people.  Through this time however, God is changing me, to quote a new aquaintence who will be our percussionist at FLAME X, from the inside out.  I have a passion for God’s Word — I’m beginning to understand to what it means to pray in the Spirit at all times.  My prayer life has been revitalized — and it is cool.

What I’ve learned is that even through a difficult time, God can teach us things about ourselves and what it means to be part of His Kingdom.  So here’s to Keeping the FLAME held high and keeping it on Channel P.  Seize the Day!