I was more nervous than I should have been and the sermon didn’t all come out exactly the way I practiced it, but my first day to preach today at Golf Course Road proved to be a really good start to our partnership together in the Gospel here in Midland. Carrie-Anne and I met more people today, made some holy connections back to Amarillo and DFW and even Marble Falls, encountered several visitors, and experienced a church-wide joy and enthusiasm for what our God is doing in us and through us at GCR.

Over the next couple of days I will post in this space some of what we preached today. Or, you can click here and watch the whole thing right now. Today, it’s enough to say that our gracious God has us exactly where he wants us. Carrie-Anne and I don’t feel as guided or led by God as much as we feel pushed by him to be at this place, with these good people, all together at the same church at the same time for his very specific Gospel purposes. We’re here together at GCR for a reason. That gives me a tremendous confidence and courage. And joy. We’re so happy and grateful to God and his church here for allowing us to share in the blessing of whatever he’s about to do.

Whatever has happened at GCR over the past six decades, over the past six years, over the past six months — all the good, all the bad, and all the really weird unexplainable stuff — we’re choosing to take our Lord’s perspective. We’re not going to dwell on the wrong questions, we’re not going to focus on the wrong things. Jesus says these things happened that the work of God might be displayed in this church. Well, our God is going to work at GCR, throughout the city of Midland and beyond, and all of us are rolling up our sleeves to join in. Together.

It was a really good day. We introduced Cory Legg to the church as our new Worship Minister. We gave EricWest a standing ovation for his excellent leadership during the interim. We celebrated all the Gospel works the Lord has done in and through us this summer for the least of these in our city. We were all encouraged. The room was full, the singing was dynamic, and the preaching was decent. It was a really good day at GCR. God be praised.

Peace,

Allan