Last night I was in the home of a couple that is visiting out church. They spent time talking about all of the ways that our people have reached out to them. It was such a blessing to hear how they have been received.

They also had such good things to say about the attitude of our people and the spirit of our church. That does not happen by accident. It Is not just an event that occurs. It is more than personality and position.

Today I had the opportunity to talk to a leader among Southern Baptists in South Carolina. He shared with me the large number of churches that are either involved in conflict or they are consumed with just taking care of themselves. They show no results in terms of building the kingdom. The number was in the hundreds.

The visit I had last night and the conversation I had today reminded me of how grateful we should be for the opportunity God has given to us.

There are certain things that we have to keep at the forefront:

• We must be a people of prayer.
• We must invite others to join us.
• We must give generously.
• We must serve in the life of the church.
• We must trust Him with every part of our lives.