In The Mission Field

For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.(Psalms 50:10)

I was blessed Monday evening with the opportunity to do some photography with an honest to goodness professional. Harold Davis has some tremendous photos that caught my attention about two months ago while I was preparing to go to Yosemite to take pictures. This guy was nice enough to invite me to take pictures with him Monday evening at Point Reyes, near San Francisco. I had a blast and learned a lot, including how much I need to learn.

We had several things in common. We both love our wives with all our hearts. We both have three children, he has boys and I have girls. We both love nature photography. We both shoot Nikon. I discovered late Monday night, as we called it a day, that we both love his wife's Turkey Cranberry Sandwiches! (Thank You Mrs. Davis!). I also discovered that we had an interesting difference. I was raised in a Christian home and Harold was raised in an atheist home, yet there we were, our journey had put us together in God's gallery, enjoying His greatest works of art.

This was one of my most enjoyable experiences in photography. I couldn't help it! I am a pastor after all. I love the Lord and I love people. I had to talk a little about the Lord. It was brief but I am praying that the Lord will use me to reach people like Harold with the Good News! There are so many truly wonderful people all around us that need to see the light shine from the lives of Christians. It is unfortunately very easy to become isolated from the very people we should be reaching with the Gospel. If we're not careful we spend 100% of our time with other Christians and that leaves a huge void in this world. God loves the world so much that He gave His only Son for them, so that they can have eternal life. Who will tell them?

I'm feeling more like a missionary today than I have in a while. I think, as a pastor, it's very easy to lose touch with the world outside of our church. We preach, teach, disciple, nurture, plan, organize, administrate, and keep ourselves way too busy at times. Trymon Messer, one of the greatest soul winners I have known, made a statement to me while while walking around Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. He said that if I had to choose between being a great preacher and being a soul winner, be a soul winner! I think of that statement often. I don't really think God wants me to choose between the two, I think He wants me to be both.

Who have you spent time with lately? Who have you opened your life and heart up to? Who have you talked to about the Lord? We need to get busy! "The Time Is At Hand".

Pastor Mike