Rarely do I “get away” that I don’t “come back” with some kind of lesson. They aren’t always new or particularly earth shattering lessons, but they are perspectives that sometimes become clearer as you have the opportunity to slow down. My recent trip to Chunky, Mississippi was no exception. We spent the weekend in a hunting lodge owned by Kathy’s brother, Randy Pope. Now before you get in your mind some thrown together shack, think again. Over the years, Randy has put a lot of thought, time and energy into this place and it is absolutely wonderful. It has all the rustic feel of its setting, but without the inconveniences normally associated with such an out of the way place. Although I am not a hunter, I love the outdoors. Late one afternoon, I positioned myself in one of the tree stands to see what I might observe in the way of wildlife. After I settled into the stand awhile, it hit me how much was going on in the woods all around me when I just took the time to be still and listen. Squirrels where chattering, birds were singing, twigs were snapping, and I could even hear leaves falling. Now some might say that you can’t hear a leaf fall, but you can if you are still enough. After about an hour and a half of being really still, my wait was rewarded when three bucks and a doe emerged from a thicket and started feeding below me. What is the moral to this story? If you will shut up, sit still, and stay put, you just might see something wonderful from the hand of the Creator.

“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10

Wisdom from the woods,

Bro. James

Although we are not going to have any kind of official party this year, I do want to pause to commemorate that on October 15, DeSoto Hills will celebrate her two-year anniversary.   The journey getting here was long and taxing at times, but I believe all of us who were involved in the move would have to say it was worth the work and the wait.  Wow!  What an incredible two years it has been and we are just getting started.

This occasion offers us the perfect opportunity not only to celebrate where we have been, but also evaluate where we are, and anticipate where we are going.  In doing so, we need to GIVE THANKS for the spirit that prevails here.  It is a spirit produced not just by your friendliness, but by our focus on Him.

We also need to be thankful for the statistics.  In the past two years, we have baptized 60 people and seen 282 other additions. We have averaged 470 in Sunday School, 633 in Worship, and given $2,757,150.  However, even as we celebrate all of this, it is critical that we GIVE THOUGHT to what lies before us, both in terms of obstacles and opportunities.  Even now, the new Strategic Planning Team is beginning to gear up to help us think through all of this.  We need to address debit retirement, space constraints, ministry expansion, and future building needs.  We were challenged last Sunday night during our revival to invest what the Lord has given us and not just to hide it away.

“to whom much is given, much shall be required”
Luke 12:48
Happy birthday,

Bro. James

Today I call upon a “tried and true” friend to help once again make a valid point. In 30 years of preaching, this popular proverb has found its way into my messages on countless occasions. Although it is not a biblical proverb, it does reinforce truths that are found throughout the scripture. We have all heard it and probably even said it from time to time- “a picture is worth a thousands words”.

I use it here to challenge you to give us a picture. Almost weekly I am asked, “When are we going to make a pictorial church directory?” With our growth, I knew that a conventional directory would soon be outdated. Therefore, we are going with a company that specializes in online directories that can be updated as new people join. Appointments will be scheduled for November 18-22 and 25-28. Please make the time to come b e photographed so we can have a complete directory.

This is going to be such a helpful tool for the DeSoto Hills family. We will have some conventional directories available for those of you who are not computer savvy, but I hope most of you will discover how to access us on the web. Security measures will be taken to ensure privacy. How blessed we are to have such a growing family. Let’s get to know one another even better.

See you in the directory,

Bro. James

Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines the word REVIVAL as renewed attention to or interest in something. Of course, for us that “something” would consist of our relationship to and resolve for the Lord. Although I try to make every Sunday here a time of renewal, I am fully aware that hearing it through the same vessel week after week may at times lose its effectiveness. Periodically, we need a fresh face, a fresh voice, and even a fresh perspective to help move us along in our walk with the Lord. I am happy to announce that on Sunday, October 5, we have all three of these coming to DeSoto Hills in one package. His name is David Michael and he serves with the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board as an Associate Executive Director with an emphasis in Mission Strategy. He is a gifted speaker and I hope you will make plans to be here for this exciting one day event. Let’s take every opportunity we have for the Lord to renew us day by day.

Looking ahead,

Bro. James

While some churches suffer from what I jokingly call “staff infection”, we are blessed at DeSoto Hills with what could only be described as “staff affection”. I make this statement based on the fact that we have individuals who serve here that truly care for one another and for this church family. Ministry can be difficult, but these folks pull together to provide a working environment that helps lighten the load for all involved. Probably some of the most unsung heroes of any church staff are the secretaries. I am sad to say we have two that are are leaving us. Joan Lyons is taking early retirement and Cheryl Blanton is leaving to help with her family’s growing business. Joan has been the friendly voice and welcoming smile that so many have experienced as they called or came by the church office throughout the week. She has become an expert at multi-tasking. On any given day, on top of her regular duties, you might find Joan ordering pizza for the youth choir, negotiating with the bus company for transportation, or c onsoling a church member who has had a bad day. She is never too busy to stop and help a fellow staffer out and she is going to be sorely missed. Cheryl has been keeping the books for DeSoto Hills as a part time financial secretary since we began. Her willingness to help serve in this position on such a limited basis has been such a blessing. She has worked in the office only a few hours a week, but she has been on call for us 24/7. Thanks, Cheryl, for helping us keep track of all those receipts, camp fees, and weekly offerings. The good news is that although they will not be working here, both Joan and Cheryl are members of DeSoto Hills, so they will still be around. I am also happy to announce that Jo Tubbs is still with us and Deb Curtis has been hired as the new church/financial secretary. She will be training alongside Joan and Cheryl for the next few weeks. She is well equipped to do both jobs and I hope you will get a chance to come by or call to welcome her. Her husband is the pastor of New Prospect Baptist Church in Lewisburg, so she understands the unique challenges of church=2 0life. I am so grateful that the Lord continues to provide us with committed and caring individuals to serve on the staff of DeSoto Hills.

Blessed beyond measure,

Bro. James

Recently Kathy and I made a short road trip to the Strawberry Plains Plantation just outside Holly Springs, now owned and operated by the Audubon Society. Actually, we were multi-tasking. I was scheduled to speak at the Blue Mountain College chapel service that Friday morning, so Kathy went with me. After the service, we changed clothes and headed back to Holly Springs. Our first stop was Philips Grocery -which is no longer a grocery store, but actually a restaurant. Well… it’s kind of a restaurant. They serve these famous hamburgers in a building across from the old train depot. It’s really hard to find and even harder to believe you would want to eat there, but that is a whole different story. It was standing room only. Anyway, after the “ambience” of Philips, we headed to the plantation to experience the annual hummingbird migration. The weather was great, the company was ideal, and the migration was pretty neat. We strolled the gardens and then took a guided wagon tour around a section of the grounds to hear how the Audubon Society was working to enhance the land making it a more suitable wildlife habitant. This is, of course, the sole purpose of this non-profit organization. Our very knowledgeable guide talked about different species of birds, insects, snakes, rodents, trees, and grasses that were a part of the plantation landscape. He explained how they all affected one another. At one point, I was ready to break into a chorus of “The Circle of Life” from Disney’s movie The Lion King. However, as I listened further, it struck me how often the things we consider pests to have a purpose in life. They may annoy us, or as in the case of snakes, scare us, but they have purpose. So it is in our walk with the Lord. There are annoyances or fears that at times seem like blight on an otherwise perfect landscape, and yet the Lord uses them. I was reminded that those beautiful blue birds that nest in my backyard every spring are dependent on those pesky mosquitoes that buzz my head every summer. Probably would not have the one without the other.

Meandering Through Marshall County,

Bro. James

Someone recently forwarded this prayer to me and I wanted to share it with all of you. Although the e-mail contributed it to Billy Graham, it was actually prayed by Joe Wright on January 23, 1996 to open the Kansas State Senate. As you can imagine, it caused quite a stir and some senators even walked out during the prayer. Controversial or not, it is a confession and an intersession that ought to be on the lips of all Americans. I trust this edited version of his prayer will motivate you to pray for this country and her leaders both present and future. Pray specifically that America will once again find “our spiritual equilibrium” by returning to the God of our fathers.

A Prayer For Our Nation

Heavenly=2 0Father, we come before you today to ask for your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, “Woe to those who call evil good”, but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free.

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Amen and Amen,

Bro. James

P.S
If you would like more information on the history of this prayer or want to read it in its entirety, you can go to www.barefootsworld.net/kansenprayer.html

If you have questions, we have answers. DeSoto Hills continues to be a work in progress. It seems almost daily we are making changes to our present ministries or creating new ones to meet the ever-increasing needs of this congregation. However, in the midst of all this fine-tuning and jump-starting, there are some bedrock principles that do not change. They are foundational and they help us keep our spiritual equilibrium in a world that seems to be whirling out of control. Discovering DeSoto Hills is a four-session study designed to help you understand what makes us tick. We cover a wide variety of topics that I pray will not only be educational, but inspirational. It is an on going class that I teach and repeat every four weeks. Each session is really independent of the others so you can join us at any point and just keep coming until you finish all four sessions. Discovering DeSoto Hills is a part of our regular Wednesday night schedule. We will be meeting at 6:30 in room M215 (2nd Floor).

Standing on a Firm Foundation,

Bro. James

P.S.
Our regular Praise, Prayer, and Proclamation service resumes on September 3 at 6pm. This short service is designed to offer a time of fellowship, worship, prayer, and devotion prior to going into our small groups. Don’t let the size fool you. We may only spend 30 minutes together, but we try to make it a very meaningful time. We will pick up our study in the Psalms on the 3rd. See you there.

Experience has taught me that the Lord can teach us the most extraordinary lessons in the midst of the most ordinary settings.  His classroom is big - really big.  Class is always in session and there are numerous lessons to be learned for those who are paying attention.  I was reminded of this several weeks ago when I had a WOW moment while doing a menial task.   It was a Sunday night and I was tidying up the Grand Hall before the service.  It had been a busy day and the place was kind of cluttered.   While others were standing around visiting, I decided to remove an empty folding table that had been used earlier in the day, but was now taking some of the grandness out of the Grand Hall.  I flipped it on it side, folded the legs up and proceeded toward the back hall, half dragging and half carrying the table.  Just as I reached the hallway door, I heard a small, but clear voice say, “Do you want some help, Bro. James”?   I turned to find one of our 6^th grade boys eager an d waiting lend a hand.  As we moved the table down the hall, my WOW moment hit me.  This young man volunteered to help me because he is growing up in a family of “helpers”.  His parents, by example, have taught him and his siblings the meaning of serving others.  They are all workers.  Give them a job and it will be done right the first time.  If they are not assigned a job, they will be doing whatever they can to help out.  I looked out the door last Sunday and saw this young man’s dad sweeping off the sidewalk.  What I love about this family is not just what they do, but how they do it.  They work with a smile on their face and a spring in their step.  How about you today?  What are you passing on to the next generation?  If others are going to follow your example, what course are you laying out for them?

School is in Session,

Bro. James

It may be a well-worn cliché, but that does not make it any less true.  Time really does have a way of flying by.  In only a few short months, DeSoto Hills will celebrate her 2^nd birthday.   From the outset, we designed our Wednesday night activities a little differently in order to do a better job of discipleship.  We want to take the Lord at His word when He challenges us through the Great Commission to not only reach the world for Him, but also teach the world to follow Him.   Wednesdays have become a prime time for us to do just that.  Although our commitment remains the same, in September we are making some changes.  Our mid-week activities are taking on a new name with a new logo.  We call it 365 because He calls us to follow Him daily.  We hope to give you a wee kly experience that will help you in this daily endeavor.   We are also adding new classes that are designed to help you walk with and for the Lord in a more productive way.  Perhaps  the biggest and probably the most popular change we are making to Wednesday night is the new addition of FOOD!  Starting in September we will be serving a meal from 5:15 until 6:00 in the MPC, followed by our Praise, Prayer, and Proclamation service at 6:00 and our classes at 6:30.  I hope you will make a new commitment to make DeSoto Hills your Wednesday night place to be.

A Fellow Pilgrim,

Bro. James