The Lone Stove State

We left Dallas, TX at 5:40 P.M. Saturday evening and it was 100 degrees with high humidity from the flooding rain they had received that week. When we landed at St. Louis, we stepped out into a cool 79 degree low humidity evening and signed, "It's good to be back home." Now before the TX folks get riled up, the good thing is we were talking about the weather - not the state of the Lord's church in Dallas. That morning it was my great pleasure to do a four hour workshop/conference for the shepherds, their wives, and the staff of the Highland Oaks Church of Christ. It was a wonderful experience, and I'm not talking about the quality of the teaching they got. What a wonderful group of spiritual leaders! I was so impressed with the obvious love they had for one another and, most of all, their passion for wanting to truly be the kind of shepherds and ministers that the church family needs. The series of training sessions that they've all gone through to help the new and existing shepherds prepare for honest shepherding, is absolutely amazing. It's great to have a desire to change, grow, and follow a more people oriented path of leadership, but it's not ofter that I've seen that kind of effort and training put into learning how to do it.
This is a great church, doing some great things, and I can't wait to see how God blesses them. We are so happy that Pat and Deborah (our son-in-law and daughter) are working with such a wonderful group and being loved so completely by everyone we talked to. They have an impressive facility, but more import, they have an impressive plan to help every member develop a deeper relationship with Jesus - and that's what church is all about.
I was blessed to be with them and do something that I hoped helped. If you're ever passing through the north side of Dallas on Sunday, stop by and visit with these good brethren. You'll be glad you did.