I took a lot of pictures on my recent trip to Kenya and I posted several of them on my Facebook page. After a few days of posting pictures one of my daughters commented “We need more pics of the kids”. The main purpose of the trip to Kenya was to see and spend time with my son, daughter in law and 5 of my grandkids where they are serving as missionaries. Up until that time in the trip I had posted more pictures of the scenery than anything else. I was spending hours each day with my grandkids and I wanted everyone back home to see how beautiful it was in Kenya. My daughter however, was desperate to see pictures of her nephews and niece.

I have thought a lot about my daughter’s comment since arriving back home. As I have been doing some planning for preaching in this next year I have been asking if I am going to be communicating what matters most to the people who will be listening? My daughter wasn’t opposed to pictures of the beauty of Kenya, but what mattered most to her was pictures of her nieces, her nephews, her brother and her sister in law.

I have spent a lot of time today asking if I am seeing and hearing what matters most to the people around me.
You can help me plan for this next year. What do you most need answers to this next year? What do you most desire to know? What about the people you work with? How about your friends? What about your family, what do they need to hear?

I am not looking to compromise the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am looking to present the truth of his love and forgiveness and the power of the gospel in ways that matter and in ways that will be heard.

Will you help me? Just leave a comment for me on this blog. If you don’t want others to see the comment or question you leave for me just say so in your comments and I won’t allow it to seen by everyone.
Here’s hoping you are listening. Listening to the presence of God and to the needs of those around you.

Dennis