Things I Learned in Tulsa

Hey everybody! This past weekend, I was at the Tulsa International Soul-Winning Workshop. I had a great time but I found myself disappointed or frustrated from time to time. My reasoning is that I was expecting to go to lots of classes and hear lots of speakers talk about church unity and brotherhood and love and stuff like that. I was gonna be encouraged like I hadn't been in a very long time. It was supposed to be a "life-changing" experience for me. Didn't happen that way. Since it was my first time at the workshop, I didn't really have a clue what I was getting myself into. I spent most of my time at the Acappella booth or trying to get ready for the next event, whatever that event was. I didn't get to go to one class at all. I was so irritated! After it was all over, we went to worship Sunday morning and got to lead a few worship songs along with Watershed. Then Jerry Taylor from Abilene Christian University gave one of the best sermons I've heard in a long time. He talked about vision. He talked about our vision versus God's vision and how inferior we are. He talked about us making sure our vision is clear before we start checking on other folk's vision. He made me realize that I need to be more careful when looking at people so that I don't judge them. I was encouraged by his sermon but I was more encouraged by Watershed. We got to eat lunch with them after the worship service and had the best time I'd had in a long time. I'm sure I can safely speak for the other guys when I say that we were truly blessed by the Watershed guys and their families. They are some of the coolest guys to hang around with. We have become fast friends with them and I'm looking forward to spending more time with them (maybe we can do some more events together if we get booked together....hint hint!). The other thing I realized is that by being a blessing to others, God blesses you more than you know. We saw thousands of people over the course of the week and I noticed how much a smile can mean to some folk. Sometimes people just need to be spoken to. I saw so many people whose days were brightened by a simple "hi, how's it goin'?". The trick is...get this...are you ready? Listen to them when they answer. I know, novel concept, but so effective. When you're engaged in what other people are saying or doing, you're blessing them with your presence. That's not an arrogant idea. God put so many of us here so that we can look out for each other and bless each other by being near each other. That nearness, be it physical, emotional, or spritual, helps us to draw nearer to God and his infinite mercy and grace. I really said all that to invite you (and myself) to encourage one another and everyone with whom you come in contact. You might notice your day get a little better!