I am about to do something that I have not done in 30 years of ministry. I thought about doing it, I have been asked to do it, and I guess I have fought doing it for no better reason than “we have never done it that way before”, a sentiment that by the way I would chastise you for having. However, it is a new day and time to rethink some things. So here it is, for the first time in the history of this preacher I am going to move the Sunday night service to accommodate those of you who want to get back home to watch the Super Bowl. So mark the date on your calendar, next Sunday night February 4th our Sunday evening service which actually be a Sunday afternoon service which will begin at 4:00. Most of you know that I am not a sports enthusiast, but I know many of you are. It is not your fault that they choose to play one of the biggest games of the year on Sunday night. So we will gather a little early that day to focus on worship and the Word so that those of you who want to can enjoyed the game in it’s entirety. (more…)

We have entered the 21st century at DeSoto Hills. We now have an “atomic clock”. I am not sure why it is call atomic. It is certainly not nuclear powered, the thing runs off of two AA batteries. I think the name has something to do with satellites and accuracy and world wide precision. Whatever it means, it sounds good so I picked one up the other day while I was out buying paper and file folders. With great fanfare I brought this technological wonder in the church office and announced from now on our time keeping would be high tech. There was just one little problem, I couldn’t figure out how to set the thing. Being of the male gender, I half-way read the instructions and discovered that after putting the batteries in the clock would move to 4, 8, or 12 and remain there till it received a signal which might happen overnight. Sure enough the thing stopped at 4:00 where it stayed all day long. I announced to the staff not to worry that tomorrow morning we would know exactly what time it was. (more…)

When used in a biblical setting, the word “sacrifice” readily conjunctures up images of those giants of the faith who came before us. Men like Abraham who by faith left his country to follow the Lord and who later in obedience would be willing to sacrifice His only son. Men like Daniel who face the lions rather than bow to the image of a pagan king. Likewise, there are accounts of woman like Rahab who risk everything to follow God or Mary who gave everything to anoint Him with a costly perfume. Those earlier disciples left their nets to follow Jesus and most would end up dying a martyrs death. However, last Sunday I was reminded that even simply and small sacrifices that typically go unnoticed by the masses can have a great impact for the kingdom. I was watching the parking lot from my second story window last Sunday. It was another rainy day and yet I saw a scene that was familiar to me. In fact it has been happening since day one at DeSoto Hills. I saw automobiles passing up perfectly empty and close parking spots to head over and park on side roads across from the church. (more…)

Beginning January 21, we are going to (as Emeril would say) “kick things up a notch” on Sunday nights at DeSoto Hills with the formation of KIDS KLUB. This is designed to help kids ages K-5th grade memorize and utilize God’s Word in a fun, exciting, and rewarding atmosphere. We want to help them learn key passages that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. KIDS KLUB will meet each Sunday afternoon at 5:00 p.m.

Parents, we urge you to have your children here. You will not want them to miss this opportunity. If you are interested in helping with KK, there will be a meeting Sunday night, Jan 14th in the prayer room after the service to fill you in on what is needed. If enough workers are available, we would love to expand it to include three and four year olds. Another thing we are going to need is plenty of folks who will simply listen to the children say their verses. They are going to be eager to share what they have learned and want an adult on hand to listen and encourage them. Who knows? You might learn some new verses yourself in the midst of all of this. I cannot over emphasize what an impact this could have on all those involved. (more…)

Granny (Kathy’s mom) has a new crop of grandchildren thanks to her younger brother, Spence, and her older brother, Randy. Spence, himself, was a second crop for Kathy’s parents. Randy was 18 when Spence was born. So it was no surprise when a new group of grandchildren arrived from Spence and his wife after the first group, including our two, were already grown up. What was a surprise was the fact that Randy and his wife gave us a new addition to the family after his two older children had already left the nest.

Her name is Savannah and she is now 6 years old. Savannah is a woodsman, or should I say woods-person, thanks to her dad. Randy is an avid outdoorsman and has passed his love of the great outdoors on to his daughter. She is NO tomboy – far from it. However, she has grown up around deer hunters and deer camps and deer facts and deer conservation. She bagged her first deer last year while still a kindergartner, and knows her way around such things. This became clear to me during the holidays. The younger ones, under the direction of Aunt Kathy, were preparing to put on a show for us. They needed two toboggans for costumes. (more…)