I’m leading off with a couple of pictures from the 25th Annual Horsemen Campout last weekend at Cooper Lake. The festivities began with a massive barbecue lunch on Dan Miller’s back porch: brisket, turkey, sausage, ribs, all the trimmings, and peach cobbler, provided by the legendary Mesquite Barbecue. Perfect. We ate too much, laughed too hard, and almost stayed too long. We concluded the traditional opening ceremonies with a time of intense prayer for our brother, who’s just not physically able to make it to the lake anymore. And he returned the favor over us. Each of us got the “hedge of protection.” And then Dan had to tell us to scram.

The weather Thursday was perfect. The cold front blew in early Friday afternoon, prompting Kevin and I to channel our inner Dan-O and rig up a wind break with a giant tarp and 72 bungee cords. It must have raised the wind chill at our picnic table by ten degrees! We sent Dan the picture. He was proud.

Steak and potatoes for dinner. Breakfast tacos in the mornings. Coffee out of Ol’ Blue. Lots of chips and snacks. A little less hiking than in years past. A few more conversations about our physical health and ailments than I’m comfortable with. Deep discussions into the night about church membership, baptism, parenting and grandparenting, women’s roles, congregational leadership structures, and Wolfgang Van Halen. And more prayer. Lots of prayer. For our families. Our churches and ministries. For Dan and Debbie. For each other.

I thank God for these three great friends. For Dan’s inspiring faithfulness in the middle of the Parkinson’s Disease that is robbing him of his physical abilities, but not his spirit or trust in the Lord. For Kevin’s enduring tenacity and hope, for his faith to always see what’s on the other side and point it out to us. And for Jason’s humor and love, his uncompromising love for the least of these that amazes everybody except the people who know him best.

And I thank God for these weekends that help me re-set my calling and my heart.

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I hear Christians say the funniest things in Bible class. Or in the foyer after church. During a Bible class series on the Holy Spirit, or following a couple of sermons about the Holy Spirit, I’ve heard disciples of Jesus say things like, “You can talk too much about the Holy Spirit.” “You can put too much focus on the Holy Spirit.” “You don’t want to overemphasize the Holy Spirit; that might lead to who knows what.”

Wait.

It won’t lead to “who knows what.” We know exactly what it will lead to. If we’ll pay more attention to the Spirit, if we’ll listen to the Spirit, if we’ll give God’s Holy Spirit total control over our church, we know the result.

“Live by the Spirit… The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” ~Galatians 5:16, 22-23

I don’t know about your church, but my church could use more love and joy and peace. We need more patience in our church, and kindness and goodness. Where I worship and serve, we could use more faithfulness and gentleness and self-control. When the Holy Spirit accomplishes that in the church, it’s so much more powerful than speaking in tongues or healing! When the Holy Spirit produces that kind of fruit in God’s Church, the whole world will know the Kingdom of God is here!

“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” ~Galatians 5:25

Peace,
Allan