State Missionary Rick Lance is executive director of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions.

Other Recent Blog Entries:

Lessons I Learned from Landrum Leavell
Monday, October 2, 2008
Landrum Leavell devoted some of his valuable time to encourage me and to offer support to me as a young man seeking to develop my gifts in ministry.

A Memorable Milestone
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
September 8th was a memorable milestone for Alabama Baptists: ... the day on which we crossed the $1 billion mark in Cooperative Program giving.

Fired Up about 'Fireproof'
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Can a motion picture be used to reach people for Christ? In the case of "Fireproof," the answer is definitely yes.

Tell Them Thanks for Me
Monday, August 18, 2008
My gas gauge was low, leaning toward empty. So, it was now time to stop and pay a fortune at the pump.

Thanks for Ten Years Together
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
One priority was on my mind, when I was called to this opportunity of ministry. It was the Great Commission.

Good News for Bad Times
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
During bad times, people look for some good news. For Christians, this is an opportunity for us to offer the very best of good news.

Your God and Your Tears
Friday, July 11, 2008
Your God has a tear bottle cellar. He has a bottle or bottles containing your tears. . . .

The Biggest Giver Ever
Monday, July 7, 2008
John 3:16 is perhaps the best text in the Bible for preaching on stewardship and the ministry of giving..

December 2006

A Prayer for the New Year

Lord, as we your children embrace the prospects of a New Year of ministry in your name, I pray that each one of us will ask for wisdom like daily bread to be consumed for nourishment. The opportunities before us are unknown to us and, that in itself can cause concern and anxiety, but knowing that you never leave us or forsake us, offers immeasurable assurance for the challenges we face.

Father, we need the wisdom that only you can give to us. We need the wisdom that comes from walking with you daily and learning from you through the experiences of life. This wisdom can teach us to be patient when life seems to be moving to slowly in terms of our own agendas. Your wisdom afforded to us can also give us courage to change our behavior when it is not Christ-honoring.

As the New Year faces us over the horizon of time, help us to see it in the bite size pieces of daily living and not in the chunks of time we call weeks and months. Teach us to number our days so that we will develop a heart of wisdom. Remind us to ask in faith so that your daily dose of wisdom can come like a helpful prescription from the divine pharmacy of heaven.

As we walk in wisdom through the opportunities of 2007, may we understand that life is a journey to be lived in fellowship with You and others who know You and love You. Let this experience be an act of daily worship of You and an act of daily fellowship with Your people. Although we are not promised tomorrow, we trust for the gift of life as we have it in Jesus. It is in His name we make this prayer, amen.

Christmas Wishes and Christmas Prayers

A pastor friend of mine once told me about a time early in ministry when his children were very young and excited that Christmas was fast approaching. My friend saw his daughters in the living room floor eagerly examining magazines featuring the attractive new toys popular for the gift buying frenzy of the season. As a young pastor and father, my friend knew that his modest budget could not possibly support the ambitious agendas of his daughters. This led him to offer a few words of realism about the financial resources available this year. One of the daughters spoke emphatically at him with a gleam in her eye, "Oh, Daddy, we are just wushing." Wushing is the sentiment expressed by older children and adults when they form a wish list for Christmas.

Somewhere along the way, my Christmas wishing turned into more of an exercise of Christmas praying. This reminds me of another anecdotal account of how wishing and praying can match well in this season. There was a little girl who knelt by her bed with her Mom to say her prayers. This child was a fervent pray-er. On this occasion she prayed about the usual concerns and then offered thanks for the memorable blessings. But then her volume was raised to the intensity of a shout when she made one last request. "Dear Lord, you know I have asked for a new bicycle this Christmas and you know the good things I could do for You with it. Please give me a new bike for Christmas." She closed the prayer with an amen, and then her mother asked, "Honey, why did you yell out your request for a new bike? The Lord is not deaf." "I know He is not deaf, Mom, but Grandmother is and she is in the next room."

Wishing and praying during the Christmas season can become one. However, I have formed a prayer list for Christmas filled with personal concerns, and not one of them is material in nature.

There will be gift buying, but this Christmas my main prayer is that I will not just buy a gift for my loved ones, but I pray that I will be a gift to my loved ones. The giving of the material things can veil the real desire of our hearts which is to give ourselves to those we love, especially The One-- Jesus Christ the Lord!

When Christ came at Christmas He received gifts of value from a few admirers and worshippers, but most notably Jesus was the Gift in the truest sense of the word. Following in His footsteps I hope I can be a gift to someone this Christmas. That desire is more than a wish, it is a prayer. It is the mission of my Christmas experience. Do I still wish? Yes, but I enjoy praying more. Do I still buy gifts? Yes, but I want to be sure I am packaged well to be a gift to Christ and others.