JULY 15....A BENCHMARK DATE FOR ME

Thirty-three years ago the Rush couple and their three little kids moved westward to a new frontier...the Memorial Drive Church of Christ.  It took us two days and one sleepless night to U-Haul our way through the Missouri Ozarks to enter the land of toll roads and orange barrels.

The first eighteen years were pretty rough.  The next fifteen years have been the opposite.  I had to grow up to get the point through my head that I will always be trying to grow up.  I had miscalculated.  I had not arrived as I had assumed.  I did not come to Tulsa as a favor by me to them....but of God to me.

I needed the rigors, the challenges, and the many blessings.  It isn't a matter of what I have done for the church but what the church has done for me.

I've learned a few things along the way....well 24 ideas just fell out:

• Power is perfected in weakness.
• The sermon isn't the main thing about the assembly....God is.
• Sometimes one just has to stand alone by themselves and learn to not be depressed.
• If you want to see a church come alive do two things; develop worship in song and build a children's ministry.
• The name of Jesus is more than signing off on a prayer.
• Forgiveness is what I needed more than what they needed.
• God works.
• Everybody is important.
• Shouting and pounding don't make an effective sermon.
• Bragging on the church inspires its members more than insulting it.
• God still does impossible things.
• Children will grow to do more than we can imagine if we will cut the guilt/fear strings.
• I'd rather operate from God's unknown mystery than my assumed understanding.
• One of our more urgent works is to believe in others.
• When you can't figure how, everything will be okay.
• Don't get discouraged when it seems things aren't working out for those will be the very paths God uses to work it out better than we had assumed.
• Patience always produces.
• The Holy Spirit isn't for sissies.
• Prayer is meaningful when we learn God is active.
• Don't be pressured to sacrifice your time for others just to keep them happy for the day is coming when that kind of person will move on unhappy with you anyway.
• God will get the work done; my job is to believe Him.
• Some in the brotherhood will pat you on the back as long as you are faithful to their traditions. 
• The church is the most exciting system on earth.
• We carry resurrection power....and we've got big work to do!