We enjoyed a powerful and humbling day yesterday. After a weekend of motivation, encouragement and conviction at our annual District Assembly God continued working on, and in, me as we gathered on Sunday. Some musings from yesterday …

-God is still God and he is alive and working. I had so many reminders of this on Sunday and all weekend. What great assurance to realize that God is still God no matter what we are facing or where we are located.

-Several people came to the altar at the conclusion of the worship service yesterday. Making commitments, confessing and repenting and answering God’s call on their lives. It was thrilling to experience and to imagine the impact this will have on our community.

-3 people who visited for the first time on Easter Sunday returned yesterday and we had another brand new visitor. Our people are really starting to get serious about reaching out and about inviting people to Christ and the church.

-God was really working on me all weekend. I didn’t enjoy being worked on but I am rejoicing in all that he continues to refine in me. One of the results of this was a change in the message I had prepared for yesterday. I always preach to myself whenever I preach as well as to the congregation, but yesterday was simply me telling everyone what God was teaching me and evidently it applied to many others.

-It is not a coincidence that we had such a powerful service yesterday. There were 11 of our ladies away for a mini-retreat on Friday night and Saturday and there were 5 of us at our District Assembly on Friday night and Saturday. All of us were prepared and expecting great things as we entered to worship yesterday. The preparation for and expectation of great things in worship always boosts our time of corporate worship. If more of us would take the time to prepare and expect as we gather to worship we would experience outstanding times of worship regularly.

-Our attendance was down a bit, but was still 9 above what we had the week after Easter last year.

-Our small group was very small in size but we still enjoyed a great time of looking in the Word and discussion of God’s love.

-For the 15 months that I have been here I have been saying that God is up to something good in Canton. I am more convinced than ever that God is truly ready to do some awesome things in our community. I am excited and challenged by what I sense God is desiring to do through us and in us in the next 5 years. Wow!

-My wife and I experienced a tremendous blessing yesterday and it is one that we had been praying about for over 5 months. I am almost speechless as I reflect on the blessing. Those who know me are aware that I am rarely speechless but once again God took my breath away.

Here’s hoping that you see God at work this week. I am praying that you have some “take your breath away” moments. Here’s hoping that you start preparing and expecting great things for this week. Look for someone to encourage today.

Dennis