We had a “hot time” in Terrell, TX.  I have worked with pastor David Rucker in about every church he’s pastored!  He and his wife, Cammille, have been great friends of ours.  We were delighted to share these days of renewal with them.  The church is absolutely beautiful.  It is most unique in its architecture and has amazing stained glass windows.  The people were wonderful!

The participation in worship was fun to watch.  They really sang out and gave their all in praise.

We had great attendance throughout the week.

They really enjoyed hearing the story of Jonah!

And Gideon is always a fun story to tell.  I love to see the way God uses these simple stories to touch hearts.

BibleQuest exceeded our expectations.  We had over twice as many elementary kids in BibleQuest as the church has in Sunday School.  We ran out of books and had to have more shipped in!

They did a great job in the closing program.

They worked hard for the “official” Gold medals.

It was a great week.  One of the members emailed me and shared what God had done in her life.

“Though we attend church regularly, I still always felt somewhat disconnected from God.  Dayspring for me was a complete and total renewal of my spirit. A complete RECONNECTION. I feel like the weight of the world has been lifted from my shoulders. I have gone from being a ‘glass half-empty’ person to a ‘glass over-flowing’ person.”

What a wonderful testimony!  We rejoice when we see God move like this in people’s hearts.  Please pray with us as we continue to walk through the doors He opens for us.

Cimarron, NM, has to be one of the most beautiful spots on the planet.  Rev. Matthew Gary and his wife were great hosts.  One of our great adventures we enjoyed was when the director of Philmont and his wife took us, along with Gary and his wife Pam, on a day trip through Philmont Scout ranch.  We saw incredible beauty and heard the history of the area.
Cimarron United Methodist Church is at the doorway to the Sangre de Christo Mountains of northern New Mexico. On the edge of the New Mexico Highlands and at the base of the mountains, Cimarron River flows through their community. Rich in history as a stop on the Mountain Branch of the Santa Fe Trail, and the headquarters of the Maxwell Land Grant, Methodist Circuit Riders were serving Cimarron as early as 1869.
This congregation hosts many visiting church groups visiting ski areas during the winter, and the mountain playgrounds during the summer. They also host many Boy Scout troops that are coming or leaving from nearby Philmont Scout Ranch.

Grand vistas were easy on the eyes.

Buffalo were at “home on the range”.  Incredible animals.  We also saw elk, deer, turkey, horses and burros.  We were happy we did NOT see snakes, bears, and mountain lions.

The mountains were so majestic!

I had the privilege of speaking to K-12 in an assembly while I was there.  They really related to the storytelling.

Jonah was a big hit.  The storytelling is being well received wherever we go.

I thought this boy was going to fall off the pew.  He was really enjoying himself.

Let me tell you about the 4 pictures above.  I was about to begin telling the evening story when I heard the sound of children’s feet coming up the aisle.  I looked up and the entire area in the front of the sanctuary was filled with boys and girls perched in various positions.  Those children sat there motionless and listened intently to the story.  This scene was repeated the next night as well.

The best part is when they find their way to the altar when the story is over.

BibleQuest was a lot of fun.  The boys and girls were very faithful in attending and had great fun.

Here are the BibleQuest medal winners.  All the kids did great!  Rev. Matthew Gary and our BibleQuest coordinator, Pam Gary, are standing behind the kids.
On the last night, one of the children shouted out, “When can they come back?”

Gotta love it!

Thanks to Rev. Matthew Gary and all those who worked on the preparation.  All the hard work paid off.

When I first began ministry in Northwest Texas in the late 70’s, Felicia and I served near Friona in the small town of Lazbuddie.  It was a joy to be back in the area and even see some of the faces of life-long friends in the audience.

Sunday morning we began with a sermon in song.  The church in Friona has a recording ministry, so you can check out the video of the sermon online, if you like.  It is on May 9 and is divided into two parts.     http://sermon.net/frionaumc

We were delighted to be able to work with Dr. Ron Colwell.  He is back in the Northwest Texas conference after serving for a time in Nashville as the International Director of the Upper Room Walk to Emmaus.

We had a great time in Friona.  The people were so responsive to the stories and the times of worship.

The children loved BibleQuest.  They really got into the music and learned so much.

The congregation loved hearing them sing on the closing night of Dayspring.

The medal winners worked hard and you can see they are quite proud of their accomplishments.

It was a joy to be back in our “home” area, to see old friends and to make new ones.  God is so good!

I was last in Seminole over 15 years ago, so we had the joy of running into some old friends as well as making new ones.  Marvin and Dianne Gregory have been good pastor friends for over 30 years.  Marvin has been in Seminole for 7 years and is doing a great job of ministry there.  The congregation has great affection for their parsonage family and their relationship is very comfortable and open.

Because there is a “Dayspring” church in Seminole, we opted to not use that name for our meeting.  Instead, we used the title, “The Master’s Storyteller”.  They made up their own promo materials using that theme and the community was not sure what to expect, but they were looking forward to it.

Here is James, the brother of Jesus.

I’m having a great time telling the story of Jonah.

We had great participation in each service, averaging their Sunday morning attendance all week.

We also had a fantastic time with the children in BibleQuest.  The kids were excited to be there.  I overheard one third grader begging his mother to stay for worship even though they had achievement tests that week.

This is the kickoff on Sunday morning with Felicia.

Each evening was filled with excitement as the children checked in.

They loved listening to the stories!

It was really a lot of fun working with them.

They did a great job in the closing program on Wednesday night.

These are our deserving winners of the “official BibleQuest gold medal”.

It was a great joy to be with this congregation and I look forward to hearing of the ways God is using these people to make a difference in Seminole.

Felicia and I are preparing to go to Friona, TX, next week.  Please pray with us that God will give fruit for His Kingdom during our time there.  We do know that God is at work and we just want to be tools in His hands to remind others of His great love.

We had a great time in Muleshoe, TX.  Rev. Monty Leavell has done a super job in this church and they were really prepared for revival.

We arrived on Saturday afternoon in the ministry motorhome.  This vehicle is our home away from home for 200 days per year.  It makes it possible for us to travel across the nation and have a home base.

The setup crew was waiting and ready to help set up the audio/visual equipment.  It’s good to have “roadies”.

Felicia helped get the BibleQuest kicked off on Sunday morning.  The boys and girls loved being in BibleQuest.   On Thursday morning a father who came to help me load our equipment told me his sons had chosen BibleQuest over their baseball game!!  He was impressed.

They loved the music and they sang, clapped, and swayed as they sang.

The services were filled with enthusiastic worship this week.

The stories were a big hit.

Here is “Cowboy Dan” with Rev. Leavell.

The kids were leaning forward, listening to the stories.  We even had some sitting in the center aisle for a better look, and they didn’t move!

The crowds grew each night.  We were so blessed by the wonderful participation.

We were blessed to see the altar response.  God is faithful to hear and answer the prayers of His people.  “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, will forgive their sins, and will heal their land.”

Felicia did a great job speaking to the women’s group in Muleshoe.

Here are the winners of the “official BibleQuest gold medals”.

We thank God for the opportunity to serve in this church.  Thanks to all who prayed for us as we were there.  God has indeed heard and answered.

Felicia and I were so blessed to be with the folks at FUMC in Denver City.  I was last there over 25 years ago.  I found a vibrant, mission-minded people who are hungry for God.  They have a strong ministry to youth and children and are seeking ways to reach their community.  Their pastor, Billy Everette, has such a pastor’s heart.  This is my third time to work with him across the years.  He is committed to Christ and has an obvious love for the people in his community.  I predict great days ahead in his ministry there.

We were very pleased with the good turnout each night.  They really enjoyed worshiping.  The stories were well received.

We really enjoyed working with the children in BibleQuest.  They had great fun and learned so much.

Each night they were eager to quote the new verses they had memorized.

It was such fun to see them excited about learning God’s Word.

We were proud of the hard-working medal winners.  Here they are with the pastor, Billy Everette, and the director of the BibleQuest, Adrienne Williams.

Here is Felicia catching up on some quilting in the motorhome.  I call it our mobile sewing studio.  She does such beautiful work.

This was a return visit to Big Spring.  We were last there about 5 years ago.  The church has been through a lot in the intervening years, including the tragic death of a young pastor due to cancer.  They expressed the love of God to Shane Brue’s family in remarkable ways, exemplifying what it means to be the Body of Christ.  (For more on this, see the blog on this page for March 2008.)

Felicia and I greatly enjoyed worshiping with this congregation.

The stories were well received.  In the last couple of years we have moved to a total storytelling format that has created a great deal of interest in the churches.

We have seen increased attendance and more people at the altar.

Sharon Wiese is doing a great job as pastor.  I don’t know of anyone who has a more loving and gentle spirit than Sharon.  We had a great time working with her.  She did keep us busy!

In addition to a pretty hefty speaking schedule in the church, she also worked with the public school system who provided open doors to speak in two schools.

Bible Quest was well received.  The boys and girls had a blast.  We even had a good group on the night the circus came to town.

The church had a bus go out and bring children in for BibleQuest.  They even had adults who would “adopt” a visiting child and have them sit with them during the worship after BibleQuest.

This church has really made outreach to the children of Big Spring a priority.  Their children’s director, Joyce Willis, is offering leadership in this area that is making a difference.

We caught the excitement of one little girl who won two of the BibleQuest medals.  She was a kindergartner who memorized the most verses in her age group and also brought the most friends to BibleQuest.

There were a total of three medals won in BibleQuest this week.

We are looking forward to setting up a return visit to Big Spring in 2013.  Until then, we will pray for one another and the work of the Kingdom He calls us all to fulfill.

I love Louisiana.  I have deep roots in this great state.  My great, great, great grandfather founded the little community and church in Indian Bayou.  While I was in Leesville, I even ran into some of my Hoffpauir cousins.  We had a great time trying to see where we sat in the branches of the family tree.

Hank Hamilton is pastor in Leesville.  This was our first time to work together, but the second time to be in this church.  Hank has a great heart for ministry.  His devotion to Christ is evident in his leadership.  The Church is hungry for God and is passionately seeking after Christ.

The BibleQuest went very well.  It was a delight to work with the boys and girls. Jennifer had things organized to a T.

The church responded enthusiastically to the storytelling format.  Each night we watched the crowds grow.  The worship was alive!  There were many who used this week to commit themselves anew to Christ and His Kingdom.

Here are a few pics from the week.

The kids were pumped when we told them all about BibleQuest.

They checked in each night and reported all they had done to earn their stickers and work towards that gold medal.

Each night they lined up and proudly quoted Bible verses they had learned.

They loved singing the BibleQuest songs.

The boys and girls did a great job in their closing ceremony.

Here are our winners of the “official BibleQuest Gold Medal”!

We had great participation from the adults each night as well.

All in all, it was a great week.  I believe God is working and fanning a spark into a real flame of renewal in Leesville, LA.

Felicia and I will be heading out for Big Spring and Denver City, TX on our next revival.  Watch for reports here.  Pray for us as we travel, that God will use us to make a difference in the places he leads us.

Hartsville, SC, was the last leg of our two week trek.  We were already pumped when we arrived because we had such a great week in the previous church and knew that St. Luke was well prepared.  Phil Thrailkill is a dear friend who has a deep faith and love for God.  I read his sermons weekly and am always blessed by the insight he has into Scripture.   He and his staff had been hard at work for over six months making preparation for these days of renewal.
We were a little worried about the crowd because an ice storm hit on Saturday.  There were many in the area without power.  But on Sunday morning, they were there, despite the ice.  Here is a picture showing the beauty of the ice on the trees.

We were very pleased with the turnout.  There was standing room only in about every service.  In a time when folks believe United Methodists just won’t come out after dark, this is yet another church that proved them wrong.  These crowds are becoming the rule for Daysprings, rather than the exception.  Thanks for all your prayers!

One evening, we even had a dove visit.  This beautiful bird sat next to the main entrance all evening.  Hundreds of people walked by and this bird did not budge.

Again, the kids really got into BibleQuest.  They memorized with gusto!  This group of children memorized over 500 verses of Scripture in four days!

They loved coming up each evening and saying their Bible verses.

Most of the kids stayed after BibleQuest to hear the stories.  Here are a couple of pictures showing them listening in the service.

They did a great job in the closing program.  One of the best singing bunch of kids we’ve worked with.

Here are the proud medal winners.

While we were in town, we realized we were near the grave of one of Felicia’s ancestors.  She is descended from the Bacot family who were French Huguenot who settled in Charleston, SC in the 18th century.  Samuel Bacot was her (many) great grandfather, a revolutionary war hero who was buried near Darlington, SC.  With the help of the Historic Commission, we found his grave in an overgrown thicket.  He died in 1795.

Felicia and I jumped in the motorhome and headed east.  After driving for two and a half days, we finally arrived in South Carolina for two weeks of Dayspring in Surfside Beach and Hartsville.  It was worth the trip.

We parked on the beach at Lakewood RV Resort in Surfside Beach.  It was lovely to wake up and sip coffee while watching the waves of the Atlantic Ocean.  AAAHHH.  The church was well prepared with the help of a fantastic staff.  Each night we watched the crowds swell.  Lots of children stayed for the service after BibleQuest and really enjoyed the stories.

We were so pleased to see these great crowds each evening!

Jonah was a hit!

Elijah calls us to committment.

Gideon tells his story.

These kids were locked in on the stories!

Worship was alive!

The kids really loved bibleQuest!

Look at this crowd of kids for the closing program on Wednesday night!

Here are our medal winners from BibleQuest.

One of them was hiding, so I found his picture in a different shot.  He’s the boy on the back row in the brown shirt.

Thanks to Dr. Scott Wachter and his staff and all the committee members who helped to make this a GREAT week.