Wisdom Teeth

Jana had all four wisdom teeth cut out this week. Why do they call them wisdom teeth anyway? I'm sure I can Google it and find the answer. But why bother. At least now for her, they will no longer be a problem. She has done pretty well, but is still swollen and sore. Thanks to those who have been praying for her.

I had my wisdom teeth extracted twenty-five years ago at the dental school in Memphis. $78 to have all four wisdom teeth surgically removed. What a deal, even back then. Of course you get what you pay for. Ouch. Actually it was not all that bad, except for one little mistake. The dentist, surgeon, student (I'm not really sure who he was) accidentally stitched my tongue to my gums. I know that some of you are getting a big kick out of that, just thinking about it. Quite frankly it makes for a pretty funny story now, but it was not fun then. Thankfully I survived and so will Jana.

Have a great day.
Johnny

Fast Food Blitz

The Highland Drive Family will be blitzing the "fast food" community with deliberate acts of kindness in order to show the love of Jesus in a creative way. Our members will be purchasing meals for people whom they do not know, just to say they care. We have already received one very positive email from a recipient. I am so excited about hearing how God is going to use these acts of kindness to draw people to himself. So, eat up!

Blessings,
Johnny

Children

Vacation Bible School is going on at our church this week and things are going great. 118 kids the first day and 121 yesterday. More importantly, the children are having a great time as they learn about the wonderful love of God. All of our volunteer workers are doing a fantastic job. It is a joy to work with each of them. Please pray for us as we move through the next few days of ministry to these precious young ones.

Hogs, Dogs, and Wolves

Last night we were at Julie and Stephen's house. After dinner some in the room started humming the Arkansas fight song. At the right time young Hutch said "Arkansas." Of course all the Razorbacks in the room (everyone except me) were ecstatic. Once more they describing Hutch as brilliant, smart, unbelievable. Quite frankly I was not impressed. Well, maybe just a little. It would have been much more impressive if he had said something like "Go Dawgs."

Oh well, I'll keep working with him. The good news is that He was wearing an MSU t-shirt that matched his Papa J's. So, there was some comfort to this old bulldog. It will be a tough sell, but I refuse to give up on the fact that I can make him into a bulldog fan.

In the mean time, he will learn to cheer for the local Red Wolves and will continue to enjoy going to games here in town. Though I am a Mississippi State Bulldog at heart, and Jan is a Razorback through and through, we both love cheering for ASU. Regardless of which SEC team Hutch ultimately embraces, he will have the opportunity enjoy live sporting events right here in town.

Sabbatical

On July 1 I will begin a forty-day sabbatical from my job as pastor of Highland Drive Baptist Church. Though somewhat unusual, pastoral sabbaticals are not unheard of. I thought I would take a moment to share a few thoughts about why this has come about.

A few years ago our active deacons invited me to make a list of all the things that I felt would be helpful in enabling me to achieve my full potential as the pastor of our church. After careful consideration I gave them the list. On the list I decided to mention the idea of a sabbatical. I shared that pastors who make the commitment to a single church for a long ministry could benefit from some time away from the day-to-day challenges that come with pastoral ministries. These wonderful men embraced that idea and have worked hard to secure an opportunity for me to just that.

Because this is a new concept for our church and it will likely raise many questions, I thought it might be helpful to answer one of those at this time.

What is the purpose of this sabbatical?
Rest and recuperation. Pastors are on call 24/7.
Rejuvination in ministry.
Opportunities for study and enhancement of ministry skills.
Time for spiritual growth and reflection.

Let me assure you that our passion for ministry is stronger than it has ever been and our excitement about being at Highland Drive Baptist Church has never been greater. We are so grateful to the Lord for allowing us to be in the Highland Drive family for the past sixteen years and we look forward to many years of continued service.

If you have questions about our upcoming sabbatical, please do not hesitate to ask.

On the Mend

Thanks for those who have been praying for me. The "bug" is in retreat and I feel that I am rapidly getting better. I have most of my voice back today.

It was great to be back in church yesterday. A preacher who is unable to preach can be a pretty sad guy. I hope the message to parents about the teenage years was and will continue to be helpful. Next Sunday we will continue the Mythbuster theme by looking at yet another myth of parenting.

HDBC members and attenders . . . remember to invest and invite this week.

Blessings,
Johnny

The Bug

I'm not sure if it has a name, but whatever bug invaded my body last Thursday was a good one. It has led to sinus infection, laryngitis, chest congestion, and overall aching. I'm sure that was more than you wanted to know, but hey, that's what blogs are all about.

It was tough to miss church on Sunday, but I had absolutely no voice. Even this morning I can barely communicate. I know things went well on Sunday as Highland Drive celebrated the birth of triplets (three new small groups). What a great day. The expansion of the number of small groups will provide for greater growth and enable us to reach more people.

I appreciate our staff members and laypersons who are always willing to step in when I have to be out. Highland Drive is truly a great church.

Johnny