After viewing the video of my preaching last Sunday I was upset that I had not done a better job. I know exactly what many of my problems are when I am preaching but it is another thing all together to change. For example I know that I say "a" all the time as Jeanie reminds me but even knowing that it is difficult to change. I know that I look at my notes too much and I have been trying to do better. It seems that when I am tired I do worse than at other times. Last Sunday I had preached through the entire sermon eight times prior to actually delivering it on Sunday morning. The Sunday before that I had been through the sermon nine times. It may be that I actually need to go through the sermon 15 or 16 times but I run out of time and energy before I can do it. Perhaps the key is in the planning of my week so I can start earlier in preaching through the sermon. Each time I go through the sermon there are usually some things that God shows me that needs to be changed or added.

I know that many preachers have a much better memory and delivery than I do. I know that some do not even have to prepare a sermon they can simply stand up and begin to talk and the words come to them. I know that some do prepare their sermons in written form as I do and yet they are able to preach without looking at their notes and without going through the sermon so many times as I do. I also know that God can use my preaching in spite of my flaws and that He does use it. It may be that this is the best that I can do.

When I was still in junior high and high school I was very introverted and shy. It was painful for me to speak in front of people or to be in conversational situations. That has improved but I am sure that it still causes stress.

Considering my preaching abilities and my own unholiness I sometimes wonder how God can put up with me. Surely there are many others that could do a much better job. Lord, forgive me for how I have failed you and help me to be all that you want me to be.

Please pray for me! Thank you for your faithfulness, support, and prayers!!

For a few weeks we have had a four and a half foot brown snake in our back yard. Probably a bull snake but we didn't want to walk out of our back door and step on it. We had not been able to kill it missing it several times. Sunday as we were going to the church Jeanie saw the snake next to the sidewalk curled up in the grass. We could barely see it. I dropped a 50 lb bag of rocks on top of it so it wouldn't get away and then I was able to kill it. We usually have a few snakes come through our yard in the summer but not many. We have never seen a rattlesnake or copperhead in this area although south of us there is a large area with many rattlesnakes.

We were in Oklahoma City Friday and Saturday. I took my lapel mic to Ford Audio and hopefully they will be able to find out what is wrong with it. We also needed to pick up some more material for Vacation Bible School which will soon be here on May 24. We came back by my parents and Jeanie's mothers to visit with them and give them their Mother's Day gifts.

Started a new blog yesterday for the Sweetwater, OK news. There no one really recording the news in our area at this time and hopefully this will fill the gap and be useful to the people in the community. The new blog is located at: http://sweetwaternews.blogspot.com or there is a link on the Sweetwater, OK webpage at www.theburningbush.org/Sweetwater.html.