I thank God for his mercy, for my parents, for my wife and children, for my friends and for our Church.

As I turn another year older, I want to go on record and say if I never live to see another birthday I’ve had the greatest life ever. I live every day knowing it could be my last and with that conviction I attempt to serve God with all of my heart EVERY day.

But if God is gracious and allows me to live a long and fruitful life I am planning on doing the following if HE so wills.

1) I want to spend the next 20 years doing everything possible to reach the city of Los Angeles and the United States of America and the unreached world for Jesus Christ.

2) My immediate focus is to raise the funds for our new worship facility to provide more room for those who do NOT know Jesus Christ. In achieving this goal I believe that we will provide for generations to come a light house that will SHINE brightly here in the city of Los Angeles.

3) The next 20 years I want to try to train up more leaders. Men and Women who desire to shake and change the world for Jesus Christ. II Timothy 2:2 Who is on board?

4) I am greatly burdened to help shift our country back to God. We must reach the younger generation. I do NOT want to grow old and have a church that is NOT filled with YOUNG PEOPLE who in turn will reach their generation. That might mean having even more of a contemporary sound to our music. It might mean mixing up some things. It might mean spending more time and money on the younger generation. But I am burdened to stand for Biblical principles and to teach them to the youth in our culture.

5) Not interested in slowing down. Smile! I think the older we become the MORE we have to offer. I want to figure out how to be a better steward of my time and talent and resources. I want to give more. I want to serve more. I want to be used more. I want to be ready for whatever God has in store.

6) In my immediate plans… I want to use these next 4 months to complete the task assigned to me of being the President of the North American Christian Convention. July 5-8 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Visit www.gotonacc.org and look at the program. I hope as many of you as possible will find a way to join me this summer for a life changing experience as we see God UNLEASH his spirit upon the churches in America.

7) Want to finish up a book that I’m putting together called “God has an app for that”. It’s designed to help people who have tried everything to fulfill their needs to know that God has a solution to all of our problems. It will not be released until Jan/Feb 2012 but the manuscript needs to be completed in just a few months. Please pray that this book is blessed by God and reaches those who have little understanding of how much WISDOM is found in the Bible.

8.) This might upset some of you, but I have a growing burden that we might need to change the name of our church. Please here me out on this. Although I LOVE the name of our church it is DIFFICULT on so many levels. First, most people can NOT even spell the name. You should try and have 10 people spell Shepherd and see how many people can NOT do it. Second, it is a tad dated. It used to fit our area when there were nothing but hills around us, but today the hills are replaced by Walmart and homes. Third, it’s DIFFICULT to find a logo for Shepherd that looks modern and contemporary. Again, I want to reach the next generation and I have been trying for OVER 10 years to even find a logo for a Shepherd that doesn’t look 100 years old. Lastly, the name doesn’t work with all of our campuses. And we need a name that will fit with all 5 of our church satellites. Again, don’t be upset, just be in prayer.

9) I want to go to Israel again soon. Perhaps the spring of 2012. I feel like the Lord is coming sooner than we think and I would love to visit the city of all cities, the city of Jerusalem. Please contact the church office and leave your contact number if you are interested in joining me on my 8th trip to the Holy Land.

10) My final thought, on this my birthday, is to THANK each and every one of you for the past 24 years of working together, side by side, reaching out and building God’s church here in the valley. I trust that God will continue to bless us the next 20! SMILE Will you make these next 20 years the most fruitful years ever. Let’s work and pray and give and serve and love and witness TOGETHER. Let’s try to do something that ONLY God can get the credit for. Let’s believe God for the impossible. Let’s use the Internet, the net of compassion, the net of our influence to reach our world for Jesus. Let’s HONOR God with our life and our words. Let’s give 100 percent of our heart and all of our time, talent and treasure to lead others into a saving relationship with God’s son. Let’s don’t slow up or down in our attempts to build a great church.

May God strengthen us to carry on and to finish strong. Thank you and please know that I love you!!!!!! twitter.com/pastordudley