May, 2006 Here's My Heart... Three summers ago, Anita and I took a long-planned vacation to The Outer Banks of North Carolina. We did so for basically one purpose... the see the famous lighthouses that dotted the coastline of that state. Anita has long had a love for lighthouses, and admittedly, I was quite intrigued myself. We contacted AAA to be sure we had a good roadmap that would take us exactly to our desired destination, along with all the necessary brochures about what we would want to see while there. So, after Morning Worship, on a summer afternoon, we left home with our detailed roadmap that would eventually point us to the lighthouses. Interesting, the symbolism here, isn't it? You know, that's exactly what the precious Word of God is to us. It is a "roadmap" to point us to the "Lighthouse". With the Bible, we can chart a course all the way from the "creation", in the book of Genesis, to the "consummation", in the book of The Revelation. And, with every step, or by turning each page of our "roadmap", it brings us closer and closer to the "Lighthouse" that will provide direction all the way to eternity. So, we arrived at our destiantion, safe and sound, but we believed we would, because we had carefully followed the roadmap. Oh, there were turns we could have made, back roads we could have taken, but the lighthouses were our goal, and the roadmap was our guide. How much time, quality time, are you spending with your "roadmap" right now? I can promise you, if you will spend time in it each day, carefully following it's directions and instructions, you will find the "Lighthouse" still available, still pointing the way, still giving direction, and still lighting a path for eternity. God's Word. Spend time in it today. It could make an eternal difference. -Jim Clayton, Senior Pastor