Dee Lott

My spiritual journey began in the arms and lap of my mother. We always had lots of Bible stories and prayer. My dad is a man of many talents who never met a man he could not serve in some way. Both my parents constantly encouraged me to search and study the Scripture, listen to what the Spirit was saying and prove it out in the Scripture.

God has sent many friends and fellow brothers to encourage my family and me. The great thing about God is that through His Son, Jesus, I get a lot of second chances. I just have to turn back to Him for help. God has grown my faith, trust, and love for Him through job layoff s, marriage struggles, and family diffi culties. God is great and He never forsakes His called ones. I am extremely blessed to be His child.

I grew up in Roswell, New Mexico, which was heavy sheep country. As a shepherd in the church, the role of taking care of the flock is of primary importance. Taking care of the wounded, treating the hurt, finding the lost, and identifying good pasture and clean safe water are all part of being a good shepherd. A shepherd realizes that the True Source for serving the sheep is the Lord. He must spend much time studying the Scripture, and constantly take the flock before the throne of God. A shepherd should be equipping and empowering the flock to better serve God, and continually encouraging spiritual growth and searching the Scriptures. His personal walk with the Lord should be above all other priorities.

Highland is a very gifted body of believers with a heart to serve and a passion for the lost in all walks of life. I see Highland continuing to encourage and equip its families to share their resources and talents both in the adjacent neighborhood and worldwide. Highland has found the best way of "taking Christ" to the community is to "be Christ" to the community in whatever direction the Spirit points us to serve.

The future will be filled with blessings and trials. To be prepared for spiritual warfare, Highland must ensure that each toddler, child, teen and adult are nourished with the milk and meat of the Word. As a natural result of developing a passionate love for Jesus, I envision Highland becoming a church where elementary, teens, college students, and adults are actively sharing their faith with their own peers.