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June 7 Update
Jun 7, 07:52 PM
I was in Shreveport, Louisiana, this week where I spoke at the Asbury Alumni Dinner for the Louisiana Annual Conference. It was a terrific occasion held that the First United Methodist Church of Bossier City. When I speak at gatherings like that, I try to do more than a typical after dinner speech. I try to speak life into the people through a presentation of deep Biblical truth. I shared some insights from Ezekiel 47 which is the vision of the River of Life which flows from the presence of God. It is a powerful image of water poured out into the world giving abundant life wherever it flows. Jesus called this “Living Water.” It refers to the Spirit which flows through individual and collective lives of those who seek to center their lives in Christ. As He said in John 7:38, “He who believe in Me, as the scriptures have said, out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.” The people were very responsive. I find people everywhere are hungry for spiritual reality and Biblical truth revealed in power.
Following the dinner, I was asked to meet with some of the leadership of the host church which I was happy to do. The church is large and has a long history in the area but now find themselves in a place of stagnation and decline. They are seeking vision and strategy in order to change that. They want to have vitality in the ministry and impact in the community around them. This is an area in which I can be helpful to congregations. I was glad to give whatever input I had for them. I wish all churches would have a Kingdom impact in their communities.
From Shreveport, I flew to Houston for a meeting with Pastor Kirbyjon Caldwell of Windsor Village, the largest Methodist Church in the United States. He is a friend and a most influential pastor in the Houston area. His vision for ministry is the empowerment of community – education, health care, housing, and finance – in addition to developing the spiritual lives of the people. He and I talked about a conference we (Beeson) are conducting there in October and also the possibility of working together on an initiative to provide theological training for lay people in Windsor Village. It was a most constructive meeting.
Today, Sandy and I are at St. Simons, GA where I will conduct a wedding tomorrow. We will return to our home in Athens on Monday.
God bless all of you who continue to follow and participate in our ministry. We consider it a privilege to partner with you – we send our love and blessings.