Every now and then a preacher/missionary needs to fill his bucket. It's easy to run dry spiritually in ministry, there are so many things to do... from newsletters to outreach programs, to media production (audio & video), to preaching, teaching, correspondence, visiting, funerals, mission trips, web sites, etc. etc. etc... Your spiritual bucket can run dry in a hurry and it becomes imperative that you replenish your own soul.
This past weekend, I did exactly that. Two elders from the Westport Christian Church and I participated in a two-day men’s retreat at Lake Aurora Christian Camp. The theme was 20/20 Set Your Eyes on Jesus. Bob Russell delivered four lessons from the word of God and with decades of preaching for the largest independent Christian church in the US, Southeast Christian Church (over 20,000 members), his lessons were enlightening, to say the least.
Bob Russell is an amazing preacher and his lessons alone were enough to fill my spiritual bucket for months to come. The sheer experience he has collected over years of preaching is amazing and the applicable wisdom God has blessed him with is overwhelmingly obvious.
Of course, Bob was not the only speaker at the retreat that blessed the 300 plus men attending, many others brought meaningful messages and encouragement from the Word of God.
One of the most inspiring things about the retreat was the men themselves. It brought tears to my eyes as we worshiped together and sang praises to our God. So many godly men singing with all their hearts, lifting up their hands to the Lord of all creation, and praying for strength, power, boldness, and wisdom to lead others to Christ. Also, it was so encouraging to see so many young men in attendance hanging on the words coming from Bob’s sermons and seeing their eyes light up with a hunger for the Word of God.
My soul was revived with hope for the next generation of Christians and my heart was refreshed to see an army of dedicated men unashamed of their Lord.
Praise God for all those strong Christian men who will stand firm and be men of God…
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. I Corinthians 16:13