This weekend we concluded our Storms series looking at Paul's shipwreck in Acts 27-28. It was a special weekend for me, as it was the first time I have had the opportunity to teach. It was a little step out of my comfort zone in terms of what is familiar, but it was energizing to use one of my spiritual gifts that I don't get to exercise as much as some others. I shared about "How God uses storms for our good and His glory." I also shared about our experience with Hurricane Katrina after these 11 years. We looked at Romans 8:28-39 to see why Paul was so confident that the Lord would see Him through. If you want to watch the message, here's the link: http://fbctopeka.com/sermon/storms-week-4/

Harper Compton, my worship arts associate and right hand man, led us in worship, and he and the team did an excellent job.

Here's what we sang together:

Pre-service - "Suffering Servant" [The Modern Post/Dustin Kensrue]

"Rejoice" [The Modern Post/Dustin Kensrue]

"It Is Well" [Horatio Spafford/Todd Fields]

"You Never Let Go" [Matt Redman]

Communion - "Man Of Sorrow" [Hillsong]

As we sang, I was overwhelmed at many moments as I thought of how faithful the Lord has been. His love has never failed, and He has been with us through it all.

My prayer is that, as we face the inevitable storms of this life, we would know that the Lord is with us and is working all things together for good for us.

In the Son,

Bill

It is finished. I finally graduated from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary with my Master of Divinity degree. Many of you didn't know that this was even going on, but I have been working toward this for a LONG time.

Here are some fun facts about the journey to graduation:

85 hours of coursework for the M.Div
12 years to finish (began Fall 2002)
8 moves
5 cities (Gainesville, FL; New Orleans, LA; Jacksonville, FL; Lakeland, FL; Topeka, KS)
3 states (Florida, Louisiana, Kansas)
3 children
3 ministries/churches (UF Baptist Collegiate Ministries, First Baptist Church at the Mall, Fellowship Bible Church)
1 hurricane (Katrina)
1 temp job because of said hurricane (Fidelity National Insurance)
1 wedding to my incredible wife who supported me and encouraged me the entire time we have been married!

It is done, and it is surreal. I have been "in school" for as long as I can remember. I was talking with someone the other day who mentioned that it was weird to get to the point in life where he had been out of school longer than he had been in school. I'll be 70 before that's even a possibility... This degree doesn't really change anything in my day-to-day reality. I wanted to pursue this degree because my heart is more to be a pastor than it is to be a musician. I want to pastor the church through music, and that has always been the desire. My education has helped me to grow in that regard, and I don't regret it in the least, no matter how long it took. If nothing else, my kids saw what it looks like to persevere and finish, despite many obstacles and challenges.

So, my encouragement to you is this: don't quit, whatever it is that you're pursuing. It might take longer than you think. The journey might look much different than you thought it would at the outset. There may be many obstacles making it difficult. Don't. Quit. There is something to be said for finishing what you start, and it says it about you, and it says it about me.

Fellowship Service Recap - 09/03 - 09/04/16

Graduation (Finally)!