"They say the longest part of a journey is the last leg toward home." Oh so true! That stretch from Bakersfield to Fresno yesterday seemed to take forever. After 1500 miles and 22 hours over the road, with the anxiety of reuniting with my girls driving me, the homestretch seemed to go on...and on...and on...and on...

But finally, I pulled in at Deb's house and saw three of the prettiest faces ever to grace the face of this earth.

My prayer is that in the last six weeks, God has used my ministry to encourage and equip people from Tahoe, California to Teays Valley, West Virginia but now, its time to settle down and settle in and focus on encouraging and equipping my girls.

It's time to be a daddy again.

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Some miscellaneous reflections that hit me while driving through the Painted Desert.

*By far, the smoothest highways between central Texas and central California are in Arizona.

*If you're ever traveling west on I-40 into California, do yourself a favor and bypass stopping in Needles. Good grief it is hot there.

*XM Satellite Radio might just be the greatest invention for long-range traveling baseball fans.

*I don't ever remember seeing a warning sign alerting drivers to the possibility of elk crossing the highway, but there is such a sign near Flagstaff alerting drivers of the possibility of elk crossing the interstate for a 54-mile stretch.

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Tuesday night, I tuned into nearly every MLB game being broadcast over XM for at least an inning. It was fun to listen to great voices of the game calling the action across the fruited plain.

That got me thinking: Who are the five best voices of the game in my lifetime?

Now, I realize any quest such as this is fraught with an overabundance of subjectivity, but I thought I'd share with you the Top 5 Baseball voices of my lifetime:

#5 - Jack Buck, St. Louis Cardinals -- Who can forget his call of the dramatic Kirk Gibson walk-off homer versus the Oakland A's in the '88 World Series? "I do not believe what I just saw!" Jack Buck and Mike Shannon were the voices of my childhood, calling the St. Louis Cardinals games that I listened to over radio while going to bed at night.

#4 - Jim Elder, Arkansas Travelers -- The 33-year voice of the Arkansas Travelers(AA Minor League team in Little Rock) who recreated Traveler away games each night on KARN. Elder was so revered that the pressbox at Ray Winder Field was affectionately renamed "The Jim Box" in his honor.

#3 - Jon Miller, San Francisco Giants -- The voice of ESPN's Sunday Night Game of the Week is a historical almanac of facts, stats and stories coupled with a pristine voice and a voracious commitment for correct pronunciation. His book Confessions of a Baseball Purist is a must-read for any serious baseball fan.

#2 - Bob Costas, NBC -- Perhaps the greatest network injustice of my lifetime is the fact Bob Costas hasn't called baseball games since NBC lost out on their TV deal. Simply put, no one paints a picture with words quite like Costas. His knowledge and understanding of the dynamics of the game, coupled with his wordsmithing, makes Costas one of my favorite all-time announcers.

#1 - Vin Scully, Los Angeles Dodgers -- For me, anyone who can call a baseball game solo and deliver information the way Scully does is peerless. Scully doesn't need a partner, serving as play-by-play and color man all by himself. Listening to Scully call a game, as I did on Tuesday evening for four innings, is pure delight. A member of the Dodgers radio booth for 57 years, Scully is honored in nearly every possible Hall of Fame for his expertise, credentials and longevity.

While killing time on a 3-hour layover in Nashville, Tennessee, I have this one overwhelming thought.

I'm tired of traveling!

The last six weeks have been crazy. My body clock doesn't seem to know what time zone I'm in. Living out of suitcases makes me wonder how the business travelers do it. During the next 48 hours, I will have set foot in seven different states.

But it's nearly over.

And I can't wait.

I can't wait to get back to my new family at Woodward Park. Can't wait to get back to my girls who've lived without their daddy for six weeks. And I can't wait to get back to my bride, my darling Mandy, who has endured the demands of being a "single mom" for the last six weeks.

After one more scheduled trip in October to speak at the National Soujourners Convention in Marshall, Texas, I am committing to no more travel for a year unless it involves my girls going with me!

They say the longest part of any journey is the last leg toward home. Right now, I am experiencing that first-hand.

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Because of my travel schedule, I'll be out of pocket until Thursday. Don't give up on my blog, though, because come Thursday, I'll be back to the Monday through Friday routine of giving you something from my personal study to sink your teeth into.

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My beloved Rangers are officially on life support. With the A's winning two of three in Arlington this weekend, it will take a miracle the likes of the 1977 Yankees and Bucky Dent for the Rangers to have any hopes of playing into October. I'm not counting on it.

But listen, all you Fresno A's fans, I'll gladly jump on the A's bandwagon...but only for the playoff run. Protocol demands rooting for the division rival in the playoffs...but only for the playoffs.

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Finally, a nugget on the Bible to tide you over till Thursday culled from N.T. Wright this morning on the flight from Columbus to Nashville.

"It needs to be stressed that our evidence for the text of the New Testament is in a completely different league than our evidence for every single other book from the ancient world. We know major Greek authors such as Plato and Sophocles, and even Homer, through a small handful of manuscripts, many of them medieval. We know Roman authors such as Tacitus and Pliny through similarly few copies -- in some cases just one or two, and many of them again very late. By contrast, we possess literally hundreds of early manuscripts of some or all of the New Testament, putting us in an unrivaled position to work back from the small variations which creep into any manuscript tradition and discern the likely original text. When I say early, by the way, I mean from the first six or seven centuries, which is many centuries earlier than the oldest surviving manuscripts of most classical authors. We have dozens of New Testament manuscripts from the third and fourth centuries, and a few from as early as the second century.

Pressure on the church to firm up its list of authoritative books didn't come, as is sometimes supposed today, from a desire to present a socially or politically acceptable theology; these debates were going through periods of fierce, if intermittent, persecution. Rather, the impetus came from those who offered rival 'canons.' Some of these cut out key passages from the main books, as was done by Marcion, a Roman teacher in the second century. Others added new books with different teachings, as was done by the Gnostics (remember the DaVinci Code?) as part of their claim to possess secret teachings of what Jesus and the apostles 'really' said" (From Simply Christian, p. 178-9).

One of the neat aspects of Scripture is the prevalence of the inspired writers to include hymns/songs in their writings. From Paul's Christ hymn in Philippians 2.5-11 to the Psalms of David in the middle of the Old Testament, Scripture is filled with hymns that reflect the worship of God's people.

This morning, I was reading in Isaiah. In Isaiah 11, the prophet tells of the coming Messiah and his kingdom -- of how the kingdom to be established would bring justice to the world. The result of that prophecy? In Isaiah 12, two songs of praise break out in response to the promised inbreaking of the kingdom.

"In that day you will say: 'I will praise you, O LORD. Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me. Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.'"

"In that day you will say: 'Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you'" (Isaiah 12.1-2, 4-6).

What is your favorite hymn? Take a moment and share with us through the comments section your favorite hymn and why that hymn speaks most directly to your heart.

I have so enjoyed my time with Michael Ross and the Cross Lanes, West Virginia church. What a wonderful, encouraging family of Christians whose love for Jesus is evident.

Last night, something happened at Cross Lanes that has never happened to me before in my ministry. They asked if I'd come back to teach again on Thursday night. Oftentimes when serving as a guest speaker, you wonder if the church is ready to get you out-of-town sooner than later.

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For all you Cross Lanes folks, here is the link I promised you last night. Click here to go to Amazon's page of Life on the Vine: Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit in Christian Community by Philip Kenneson.

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Last night, I shared the following paragraphs from Dr. Gailyn Van Rheenen, Director of Mission Alive who writes periodically on mission education.

"I have found that many church leaders assume that the first step in church planting is purchasing a piece of property and constructing a church building. A church defined as 'a place where things happen' necessitates property and place. A second assumption is that church is a public 'service' organized by a staff for the giving of information or for celebration. Church becomes, to some degree, a spectator engagement. These ideas are so culturally embedded in the term 'church' that we commonly say, 'Let's go to church,' inferring place, or ask 'When does church begin?' inferring service. When American pragmatism is added to the mix, church planting becomes 'getting the largest number of people to a service in the shortest period of time.'

Within the North American cultural environment where success is defined by numerical growth, church planting is frequently the reapportioning of the Christian population. Christians sometimes flock to new churches who because of abundant financial resources have brought together the best personnel to offer better preaching, enhanced children's ministry, superior classes, and/or inspirational services than other churches. Megachurches consume smaller churches in what might be called the Wal-Martization of Christianity. The goal becomes providing more and better services, fulfilling the felt needs of the consuming population.

My devotional life and understanding of church has been enriched by Philip Kenneson's Life on the Vine: Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit in Christian Community. Kenneson is convicted that the church in the United States is seriously ill and aims to accurately and honestly provide both a diagnosis and remedy. He believes that 'it is quite possible for the church to be both growing and yet not bearing the fruit of the Spirit. What is happening in many cases is that the church is simply cultivating at the center of its life the seeds that the dominant culture has sown in its midst...The church that is being cultivated in the Unites States looks suspiciously like the dominant culture rather than being an alternative to it' (11-12). The question is not simply 'Is it bearing fruit?' but 'Is the fruit that the church is bearing the fruit of the Spirit?'(15). For example, the rates of divorce and premarital chastity do not significantly vary between Christians and non-Christians (16). Christians are frequently 'pledging allegiances to Christ with their lips while engaging practices that cultivate a quite different set of loyalties, dispositions and convictions' (29).

Kenneson rightly suggests that Christianity, if it is to distinctively grow in the soil of American culture, must reflect the character and mission of God 'uniquely embodied in the person of Jesus Christ' and much less perfectly 'in the life of that community animated by his Spirit' (32).

While Kenneson's Life on the Vine does not deal with church planting, many lessons can be learned about this ministry. We no longer live in a world where people ascribe to basic Christian values. Church planting which focuses on meeting people 'where they are' is doomed to synthesize the values of the dominant culture with those of Christ. We must, therefore, seek a new and different way of church planting, one which primarily looks to God for its identity and purpose and then incarnationally contextualizes these missional perspectives in local cultural contexts. This missional church understands itself as a community of disciples on a pilgrimage through life helping each other to be Christ's disciples and encouraging others to join them as they journey through life to heaven."

Well, here she is, our little darling on her first day of third grade. Last night when Trae and I talked, the excitement in her voice about her new school and new friends was impossible to miss. She loves her school. She loves her new friends. And she loves her teacher.

Opening day at Maple Creek Elementary saw a great celebration rally for the school being recognized as a top-performing school in the state of California. A DJ from Radio Disney was there, playing the kids' favorite songs. Mandy took Tori and said when they played the Chicken Dance, Tori fell in love with it. Trae loved the High School Musical songs.

I am so thankful today that Trae and Tori have been so resilient in the face of our recent transitions.

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Have any of you seen Oliver Stone's World Trade Center? What did you think of the movie portraying the most infamous day of my lifetime?

Yesterday, Toney Stowers and I caught the early matinee showing of the movie at the new Teays Valley theater. I must say I was gripped and riveted by the emotions of the film.

The movie centers on the dramatic survival of two Port Authority police officers, John McLoughlin and William Jimeno, who were in Tower 2 when it collapsed. Trapped twenty feet beneath the rubble, they struggle to survive for some 22 hours.

As husbands and fathers, they were strengthened by the images and memories of their wives and children as they fought impossible odds to survive. They, along with two others, were the only ones rescued from the rubble of the felling of Tower 2 (the first tower to fall on that fateful day).

One of the scenes in the movie that gripped me most was when, after being pulled from the debris, McLoughlin was taken to a hospital for treatment. As the hospital personnel whealed him toward the ER, he is met by his wife. "You kept me alive," McLoughlin told her. "You kept me alive."

The bonds of family are so empowering; bonds that give us identity and purpose, strength and significance. In Psalm 68.6, the Bible says, "God sets the lonely in families." Family is God's great gift to us to strengthen and sustain us in the face of difficult circumstances.

I left the movie with a flood of emotions, but the strongest emotion of all was the realization that my girls can never again be taken for granted.

Have you told the members of your family how much they mean to you? If you haven't recently, find some time today to do it!

This morning, I awoke to discover this wonderful picture in my email inbox. Thank you, Suzi Planas, for being so thoughtful. That one picture, born of your compassion, is a great blessing in my life today.

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If someone challenged you to describe Christianity in one paragraph, could you do it? How would you do it? What words would you use to describe the essence of the faith to which you have staked your eternal destiny?

On the flight to West Virginia, I read Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense by one of my favorite authors, British scholar N.T. Wright. Here is how Wright, in one paragraph, describes Christanity.

"Christianity is all about the belief that the living God, in fulfillment of his promises and as the climax of the story of Israel, has accomplished all of this -- the finding, the saving, the giving of new life -- in Jesus. He has done it. With Jesus, God's rescue operation has been put into effect once and for all. A great door has swung open in the cosmos which can never again be shut. It's the door to the prison where we've been kept chained up. We are offered freedom: freedom to experience God's rescue for ourselves, to go through the open door and explore the new world to which we now have access. In particular, we are all invited -- summoned acutally -- to discover, through following Jesus, that this new world is indeed a place of justice, spirituality, relationship, and beauty, and that we are not only to enjoy it as such but to work at bringing it to birth on earth as it is in heaven" (92).

On Thursday, I experienced probably the most heart-breaking moment of my life as a father. As you know, our family has been in transition from Texas to California which has meant some unusually long periods of separation. Mandy and the girls flew into San Jose on Thursday, allowing us to spend about four hours together. While Mandy rested, the girls and I played. And played. And played.

We played hide-and-seek in the hotel room. We played with toys. We took a tour of the hotel.

As the time approached for Mandy and the girls to drive to Fresno, we prayed. And after the prayer, Tori began to cry. "What's wrong, honey?" I asked. "Daddy, I want you to come home with me."

That simple plea from my two-year-old was like a dagger in the heart. Through her tears, she was simply begging for the presence of her daddy.

That moment convicted me of the need to make the most of every precious moment I have with my girls. It also convicted me with insight -- could the emotions I experienced in that moment mirror the emotions of God when we, as His children, beg in prayer for His presence in our lives?

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Please keep Trae in your prayers tomorrow. She begins her first day of third grade at Maple Creek Elementary School.

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This morning begins a four-lesson seminar at the Cross Lanes Church of Christ on what it means to live out the mission of Jesus. This year, the Cross Lanes church, under the capable leadership of their minister, Michael Ross, has been looking into how to be Jesus.

I have the task this weekend of shifting the focus from how-to be Jesus to how-to do as Jesus did. John has said, "whoever claims to live in (Jesus) must walk as he did" (1 John 2.6). Today, we embark on the walk.

Tonight, I'll speak at the annual Back-to-School Bash, a youth rally for teens throughout Kanawha and Teays Valley.

It is a hectic, frenetic time of ministry, all while my heart remains firmly gripped by the words of my baby girl.

This morning, I want to give thanks to Ken, Jo Ann, George, Gary, Curtis and Randy for their willingness to participate in sharing their favorite or most meaningful Bible verse.

To the other 300+ of you who visited here in the last 48 hours but didn't chime in, I'm giving you another chance today. We're aiming for a little participation here this week so we can all get to know each other a little bit.

This morning, I've got traveling on my mind. The girls are flying into San Jose this afternoon while I fly out of San Jose in the morning for a series of speaking engagements in West Virginia.

Today, I'd like for you to share your favorite vacation spot or travel destination. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

What verse or passage of Scripture speaks most directly to your deepest spiritual need? What verse or passage would you say is your "favorite"?

This morning, I have turned the comments tab on in order for you to participate. I'm anxious to find out what your favorite Bible verse or passage is so, today, when you finish reading mine, take a moment and share with me your favorite verse or passage of Scripture.

Here's mine...

"In the past we also were foolish. We did not obey, we were wrong, and we were slaves to many things our bodies wanted and enjoyed. We spent our lives doing evil and being jealous. People hated us and we hated each other. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior was shown, he saved us because of his mercy. It was not because of good deeds we did to be right with him. He saved us through the washing that made us new people through the Holy Spirit. God poured out richly upon us that Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ our Savior. Being made right with God by his grace, we could have the hope of receiving the life that never ends" (Titus 3.3-7, NCV).

I especially love these verses because Paul summarizes the essence of the entire Bible in one paragraph. The spiritual state without God is contrasted to the blessed state of life in Christ and I discover, or better yet rediscover, that my destiny is staked to the redeeming work of Jesus Christ at Calvary.

Alright, it's your turn. Take a moment and click the tab at the bottom right corner of this blog entry and share with us your most meaningful verse of Scripture.

On Friday, I lobbed out the challenge for someone to name the one college football program to produce potentially three starting quarterbacks in the NFL this year. I was shocked that no one who emailed me did so with the correct answer.

The correct answer? The Fresno State Bulldogs (David Carr -- Houston Texans; Billy Volek -- Tennessee Titans; Trent Dilfer -- San Francisco 49'ers). Granted, including Dilfer is probably a stretch, but still, I find it amazing that a non-BCS school has produced so many top-flight quarterbacks worthy of starting in the NFL.

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Following the after-evening-worship fellowship at Taco Bell last night and the addition of the Woodward Park members I had not thus far eaten with, I have now shared a table with 160 different people. The blessing of meeting, eating and sharing with so many different people in such a short time-span (11 days) has been a true blessing in my life.

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Last night during his sermon, Paul Partlow raised an interesting question in relation to the ministry of Jesus. While talking about Jesus's interaction with a leprous man in Matthew 8, Paul asked, "Would Jesus avoid his kind or advance His kingdom?"

That is a powerfully convicting question and one that should give us pause today as we embark on living as Jesus in the world.

In each of our lives, we are periodically, if not daily, encountered by people who have been marginalized by society. People who, because of disease, poverty, dysfunction, etc. have been mistreated or worse yet, ignored.

Will we engage them or shun them?

In Luke 10.25-37, Jesus tells the famously powerful story of the Good Samaritan. But before the Good Samaritan is held out as the hero for advacing the reign of God through mercy and compassion, a priest and Levite are held out as examples to avoid. The priest and Levite pass by the man who'd been beaten and left in a ditch to die. For reasons Scripture doesn't record, they elect to avoid the man, leaving him to wallow in his misery.

When faced with the choice of advancing the kingdom or avoiding his kind, they chose avoidance.

What choice will I make today? What choice will you make?

In Jesus, we see an example of One who never took the path of least resistance but One who, even in the face of societal pressure, intentionally chose the path that would advance His kingdom, even if the person whom Jesus engaged was a person who'd been marginalized by all others.

Today, should you meet a "leper," I encourage you to follow the Way of Jesus: the Way of seeking first the kingdom by engaging people so as to advance the kingdom of God in this world.

Some sports takes to start you off on this beautiful Friday morning in Fresno:

*The Fresno-area River Park Little League team plays tomorrow night in the Western Regional Championship game at San Bernardino against Arizona (ESPN 2, 6:00 p.m. PT). One of the players on the team, Ryan Clark, is the grandson of Woodward Park members Ron and Karen Clark.

*Wednesday I threw the Rangers under the bus, pronouncing them finished in the AL West race. Since then, the Rangers have won two games by a combined score of 22-2. Hopefully, my pronouncement was premature.

*Tonight, the Dodgers and Giants begin a crucial three-game series that will go a long way in determining how the NL West shakes out. On July 26, the Dodgers were in last place in the NL West. This morning, just 16 days later, the Dodgers are in first. Is that a testimony to good baseball by the Dodgers or mediocre baseball within the division?

*Tonight in Fresno, the AAA affiliates of the Dodgers (Las Vegas) and the Giants (Fresno) do battle at Grizzlies Park. I will be blessed to join Mike and Rena Avedikian and their family in a luxury box for the game. I am excited about my introduction into Fresno Grizzlies baseball.

*Finally, only one college has produced three potential NFL starting quarterbacks for the 2006 season. Can you name them and the college from which they came? Email me if you know the answer (jim.gardner@hotmail.com).

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Yesterday was a dramatic day with a terrorist plot to bomb 10 flights from the United Kingdom to the United States foiled by British authorities. The plot, according to a Nightline special last night, was devised as a celebration by extremists of the five-year anniversary of 9-11.

In the face of a world fraught with terror, how are we, the children of God, called to live? Should we cowher down in the face of fear? Or is there another option?

"The LORD is my light and my salvation -- whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life -- of whom shall I be afraid? Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident" (Psalm 27.1,3).

David, writing 1000 years prior to Jesus, calls for confidence in the face of fear. And that can only happen when the unhealthy fears of terroristic threats are replaced with the healthy fear of the LORD.

Jesus said it this way: "I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him" (Luke 12.4-5).

If I read Jesus right, his advice is the unhealthy fear that drives us toward cowardice must be replaced by a healthy, confident fear of God and His power.

If the recent events have caused you pause and filled your heart with fear, then today might be a great day to stop and reflect: Who do I fear most -- man or God?

"The wise are known for their understanding. Their pleasant words make them better teachers" (Proverbs 16.21, NCV).

Two days ago, I shared with you some personal insights from Proverbs 16.1-9 about how God ultimately directs our steps.

Last night, I enjoyed Bible class with the Young Families class at Woodward Park. Ironically, the class focused on wise/unwise speech from Proverbs 16-18. Of the many verses we discussed last night, admonishing us to speak wisely, the aformentioned verse in 16.21 gripped me.

Have you ever sat at the feet of a preacher/teacher who spoke unpleasantly? Back in the day, "cutting edge" had more to do with tone and volume than with progressive ideas. The revival-style preaching/teaching was best measured by higher volume, sharper tone and stinging conviction.

In contrast, I've always tried to preach conversationally -- not to minimize the necessity, at times, for bold, courageous, convicting speech -- because conversational preaching/teaching has always come across to me more pleasantly.

Listen to Paul as he weighs in: "When you talk, you should always be kind and pleasant so you will be able to answer everyone in the way you should" (Colossians 4.6, NCV).

I pray that my preaching/teaching will never compromise truth, but the conveying of truth will always come in a pleasant tone.

So how is your tone today? Remember, the words you say and the way you say them speak volumes about your faith.

This morning, when I enjoy breakfast at the home of J.D. and Norma Nix, it will put the total number of Woodward Park members I have eaten with over the 100 mark. There is nothing like breaking bread at a table of sharing to build relationships, depth and genuine fellowship.

But...I wonder if the elders here might reconsider adding a clothing allowance to the compensation package? I'm fearing my expanding waistline won't allow me to fit into any of my suit pants come Sunday!

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The Rangers are toast -- nothing like a 5-game losing streak on a road trip through Anaheim and Oakland. The Rangers now sit 6 1/2 games back in the AL West with the A's and Angels both surging.

I guess the summer swoon is in full gear. Oh well, there's always next year!

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"I lift up my eyes to the hills -- where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth" (Psalm 121.1,2).

What an absolutely magnificent sunrise this morning. When I left home for the office at 5:45 A.M., the sun peeking over the Sierra Nevada mountain range to the east was incredible. The mornings here in Fresno provide a break in the smog effect and the visiblity of God's handiwork is on pristine display.

Perhaps it was a morning just like this morning that prompted the hymn writer to pen the words of Psalm 121. The mountains and the rising sun evidence the majesty of their Maker -- the LORD whose aid, help and compassion for His own are readily available.

Does today find you in need of aid that only God can provide? Does today find you already feeling overwhelmed with the crush of the daily grind? Are you anxious about your job, your family, your children, or maybe even a cross-country relocation? Then today, carve out some time to "cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you" (1 Peter 5.7).

Sometime today, sneak off to a quiet place and spend some time in Proverbs 16, especially verses 1-9. As the Proverbs go, chapter 16.1-9 has an amazing, if not out-of-the-ordinary consistency within it. Much of Proverbs reads like a disjointed, disconnected series of wise sayings; as if Solomon were recording the inspirational thoughts from a daily desk calendar.

This morning, Proverbs 16.9 is especially striking to me: "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps."

Do I hear an "Amen" echoing across the vast cyber-landscape?

Throughout my life, on many different occasions, I have attempted to my level-best to engineer my life. To plan my course. To dictate the outcome of my existence. To control my destiny.

From the simplest things in life, like where to spend a day off with the girls to much larger things, like where I will minister and how long I will stay there, I have been notorious in the past for planning my course and assuming that God would rubber-stamp His blessing on all of my plans.

Wrong!

Over and over again, God has circumstantially reminded me that it is He, not me, who determines the course, the outcome, the destiny.

For example, I was reminded of this again just in the last couple of days. I had flawlessly engineered a wonderful plan -- with Mandy's help -- for the relocation of our family and belongings to California. We had it planned. The plan was right on target. Everything was working flawlessly, according to my plan.

And then...the course changed. The plan altered. Because of class size quotas in California, Trae has to physically be present in her classroom on the opening day of school, August 21, in order to secure her place in school. Maple Creek is a wonderful school with a sterling reputation and is adjacent to our neighborhood. We had prayed earnestly a place could be found for Trae at Maple Creek. Yesterday afternoon, we learned that there was a place for her, provided she was present and accounted for on opening day, August 21.

That wasn't in the plan! My plan was for Trae to start school on the Tuesday after Labor Day.

So now, the girls have to fly west next Thursday -- the same day I fly east to begin a speaking tour of Teays Valley, West Virginia -- to settle in for a couple of days before the beginning of school.

Before, I'd be highly frustrated and aggrevated that my course, my plans had been changed. But now, in the little things and even most of the big things, I'm finding more and more peace in the provision of God to direct my steps.

What about you? When your flawlessly engineered plans for your life are altered, does it produce anxiety, stress and depression? Or does it produce faith?

If I'm reading Solomon correctly, it seems his inspired counsel is unqualified: when the course I have is altered, it must serve as a window of faith to see and to sense the will and working of God for good (Romans 8.28). So today, if you get thrown off schedule, if your course gets re-directed, let me encourage you to look for the blessing in the midst of the burden. You might be surprised to see the hand of God in your midst.

"The time is coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them," declares the LORD. "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the LORD. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' because they will all know me..." (Jeremiah 31.31-34a).

It's hard to miss the excitement in the voice of God as God forecasts a time of new beginnings. The novelty of the new -- be it a new car, a new home, a new ministry, even a new covenant -- excites us, as it did our God, in ways the routine does not.

I am personally experiencing that very excitement right now in my life. The elders of the Woodward Park Church of Christ have entrusted to me the role of Preaching Minister for a great church in Fresno, California and I couldn't be more excited.

Our new beginning yesterday was met with great enthusiasm. The spontaneous applause that paused my sermon yesterday three different times was very encouraging. The enthusiastic "Amens" echoed encouragement. Funny how at home a new minister can feel after just one Sunday, but that is the very contentment I have this morning.

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Let me tell you a little about the Woodward Park church. Woodward Park is located in north Fresno, on the edge of the thriving suburb of Clovis. The Woodward Park church is a dynamic, multicultural, multiethnic fellowship of God's people. On Sundays, five different assemblies meet in four different languages. There are the Sunday morning and evening assemblies in English. Contiguous to the morning English speaking assembly are assemblies for the Laotian members in their language and the Cambodians in their language. In the afternoon, the Hmong meet for worship in their native tongue.

I noticed yesterday during our communion service that the sound of the Laotians singing in an adjacent, overflow room echoed through the main auditorium. It was wonderful, beautiful, to hear the voices of other Christians praising God in worship while the English-speaking assembly was participating in communion.

Ironically, the thought hit me, "This gives a whole new meaning to the debate about singing during the communion service."

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I must confess I am getting older and beginning to sense the effects. The English-speaking membership of Woodward Park is around 750 and the process of learning names is driving me nuts! I'm finding it harder to recall people's names as easily as in the past.

Since I'm here solo for three more weeks, I am eating breakfast, lunch and dinner each day with small groups of members to connect. Currently, I have shared a table with 69 different members of Woodward Park. The fellowship has been great, the food has been incredible (and my expanding waistline proves it) and the forming bonds of friendship have been a true blessing.

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What's new in your world today? Perhaps life this morning finds you in a rut, stuck in a monotonous routine. Perhaps this morning you are looking for something new in your life to infuse you with enthusiasm.

"Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3.22,23).

Every day is new and every day brings with it, even in the midst of our routine chores, revelations of the compassion of God. It might be the sunrise or sunset. It might be a spouse's simple expression of love. It might be a child's hug. It might be a friend's phone call. It might be a walk in nature.

Today, look for and seize the expression of God's compassion and mercy for you, His child. It might be just the spark of enthusiasm your faith walk needs!

"By the grace God has given me, I (Paul) laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work" (1 Corinthians 3.10-13).

Greetings from the central valley of California, an area the size of the state of Tennessee that is large enough and fertile enough to supply the agriculutral needs of the world, were it not for that one, tiny little problem: a lack of water.

It's not the physical agricultural possibilities, though, that draws me to Fresno. It's the spiritual possibilities -- the possibilities of planting and watering spiritual seed while praying for the Lord of the Harvest to do His work. That is the task that draws me to this new beginning in my ministry.

One of the repeated refrains I hear from minister's when they begin a new work is how the new beginning is unique and filled with untold possibilities. Oftentimes, minister's new to a congregation speak of the immediate future as if the growth that comes from the new beginning is altogether unique to the past of their particular congregation. While I understand the emotion and exuberance of new beginnings, I find it disingenuous for preacher's to pretend their new beginning is wholly unique.

For example, I come to Woodward Park on the heels of the ministry of four good, godly men. Stan Williams is unmatched in evangelistic zeal. John Smith is unmatched as a story-teller, engaging both the mind and the heart. Kevin Schwiger's story is incredible -- a Methodist pastor converted by Stan who left home in Ohio to come and serve at Woodward Park. And most recently, Ronney Wheeler loved and served the saints in Fresno in a way that was special to so many people.

I realize as I move into the Preaching Ministry role at Woodward Park that I stand on the shoulders of four good, godly men who long ago laid the foundation and built upon that foundation to assist Woodward Park in becoming a light to Fresno. My coming and this new beginning is simply the continuation of the good done in the past to live as light in this corner of the world.

On Sunday, I will stand and preach in a place where great men have stood and preached. And I will do so with thanksgiving in my heart for those who've paved the way. I will not try to be Stan, John, Kevin or Ronney but I will fully submit to the will of God for my ministry and use the gifts He has given me to build upon the solid foundation of Jesus Christ.

What a day! 14 hours of driving, another temporary separation from the three most beautiful girls I know, food on the go, non-stop baseball talk thanks to the trading dealine on XM satellite radio, and a quiet hotel room just outside of Tucson, Arizona (the truth is I never thought I'd make it to El Paso! Good grief West Texas is big).

What a weekend! The pain of the departure from Marble Falls was overwhelmed by the joy and enthusiasm of three baptisms on Sunday. What a sincere blessing every member of the Marble Falls church was to me and my family on Sunday. Thank you for surrounding us with love.

What a birthday! On August 1, 1984, twenty-two years ago today, my grandfather baptized me into Jesus in the waters of Lake Greeson at Camp Barton. My physical life numbers 35 years, but today, I celebrate 22 years of life in Christ. Each year on this day, I find time to pause and reflect: have I grown in Christ in the last year? Is my understanding of God's will for my life deeper? Am I more submissive to the Lordship of Jesus over every area of my life? Am I growing in grace and truth?

So, when is your spiritual birthday? Does that day hold special, spiritual memories and blessings for you? If not, let me encourage you to carve out time on that day each year to reflect on your spiritual maturity.