New Learnings

• Fasted yesterday! Boy does food have power over us (especially me). All I drank was water and a little juice. My age is showing, as I had a cramp in my left calf, something with sugar helped resolve it. I was fasting for someone else, but remembered how powerful fasting can be. I need to do it more often.

Some blogs which have had recent impact upon me and which you should read as well ~

• Read this for temptations a leader faces. It's very good and true. It is titled "WHAT LEADERSHIP DEMANDS."
• Gary Lamb has a great post about taking the easy road vs. the more difficult road. It's for leaders, but really this applies to all of us, in the blog titled, KNOWN ROUTE VS. THE EASY ROUTE.
• Scott Hodge gives some great advice about listening and learning in his blog, TWO EARS and ONE MOUTH.
• Another quick hitter from Steven Furtick. Go HERE and HERE.

That's it! Enjoy and grow in Christ!

Interesting Idea!

I read this at the Lifechurch.tv blog. This is an interesting way of doing church. I have actually heard of this before.


LifeChurch.tv
Think Smarter
Posted: 31 Jul 2008 05:15 AM CDT

Some people work too hard. Instead of working harder, they could work smarter.

On a recent flight, I bumped into Benny Perez. Benny pastors a fast growing church in Vegas. When they ran out of room in their three Sunday morning experiences, they figured out how to add a fourth.

• The church’s first experience now starts at 8:30 a.m.
• Benny begins the experience with preaching instead of worship.
• At 9:00 a.m., worship starts. So does the second worship experience.
• Once worship is finished, the 8:30 crowd is released and Benny preaches again to the 9:00 crowd.

He is thinking smarter.

If you are facing an obstacle, maybe God will show you something you’d never see otherwise.

Think smarter.

How are you and I learning to think smarter?

Prayer Time

I received this picture from a snack time when our resident clown Patty - Watty was with the kids. It's a cool picture of my boy in prayer.

Only issue is it looks like he is scrunching his nose. But it is neat to see that when he is not with Debbie and I and we are praying that he takes it seriously.
Makes the dad and mom feel like something is rubbing off.

Chapman's part 2

If you did not see the interview on Good Morning America, you can read the story here at the Good Morning America web-site. It's a powerful story of a family's love of God and one another; and the grace and hope they experienced.

Steven Curtis Chapman

Tomorrow morning (Wednesday) on ABC - Good Morning America Steven Curtis and his wife will discuss the tragic death of their daughter earlier this year. She was accidently run over by her brother. I have seen part of the interview and the focus is on faith in the midst of tragedy.

It is a powerful testimony to faith in the midst of suffering, pain, loss and uncertainty, where we ask lots of questions, and sometimes receive very little answers, other than 'God is faithful.'

One more television reminder, they will also be on the Larry King show on Thursday at 9 pm eastern time.

Tooth Removal

Joshua had two teeth removed today. Not fun for a kid who hates and fears needles. Of course Novocaine needles are always big and intimidating. I've had my share of them. He whimpered through that portion and when the dentist starting pulling, he actually was laughing. The dentist said, he's never had anyone laugh during a tooth pulling, let alone two.

I was proud of the boy. Good for him! Next week are two more. Now he is not afraid of next weeks pulling. And wow, did those baby teeth have deep roots!

Risking failure

Interesting blog from one that I receive daily called

BRAND AUTOPSY

Business Failure Commandments

Posted: 01 Aug 2008 09:27 AM CDT

---

What you just read is a money quote from Donald Keough’s recently published, THE TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR BUSINESS FAILURE. For years Keough, a former long-time Coca-Cola executive, has been flipping the script by giving presentations on How to Fail in Business. Keough rightly reasons, by learning why companies fail, we can learn what NOT TO DO in order to achieve business success. Now these fail-trap lessons on business failure are available for us to read and learn from.

Keough, like his good friend Warren Buffet, is a smart businessman who doesn’t try to overcomplicate business theory and uses plain everyday language to share smart advice. Thus, THE TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR BUSINESS FAILURE appeals to big business execs, small business owners, and aspiring entrepreneurs.

I was hooked early on when reading the first commandment leading to business failure: QUIT TAKING RISKS. Keough writes...

“Over time, many, many successful companies have failed to take important risks at critical points, and they have paid a price. Some have merely stumbled and found later redemption, but quite a few have not only fallen but disappeared. In the 1980s alone, 230 companies disappeared from the FORTUNE 500. In fact, only 16 of the 100 largest companies that were around in the early 1900s are still with us.”

To support this commandment, Keough gives us a history lesson by retelling classic failure stories from Xerox and Coca-Cola as well as mixing in new lessons in failure such as this one about Apple …

“In business, you can make a good argument for mistakes like Steve Job’s Lisa or Power MacCube because the highly creative Apple environment that spawned them also produced big winners like iPod and iPhone.”

“As Peter Drucker pointed out nearly fifty years agao, it is management’s major task to prudently risk a company’s present assets in order to ensure its future existence. In fact, if a company never has a failure, I submit that their management is probably not discontented enough to justify their salaries.”

---

Go ahead, chew on that last line cause its worth thinking about … “… if a company never has a failure, I submit that their management is probably not discontented enough to justify their salaries.”

MD: Interesting comments when we correlate them back to the church! And remember, in my eyes failure is not risking / not trying. We will always succeed when we step out of our comfort zone, maybe not to the degree we hoped for, but that success or lack of success can lead to greater successes . . . only because we risked in the first place.

Sunday Reflections

• A really good morning of worship. It seemed everything was hitting on all cylinders. Lots of positive comments.
• My sister and niece (with her 3 children) came from Chicago to visit for a couple of days. It was nice and meaningful to have them here. The message was especially appropriate for them, and many from what I heard (about Pain!)
• My niece was asking lots of questions after worship about church, religion, etc. She is married to a Catholic (who does not attend church) and Michelle is wanting to go. How cool is that!
• My sister really thought the music and the entire worship was "very moving." She was even tempted to come forward in the end for prayer. Janet is a Christian, but I'm honored that she was moved by God's Spirit.
• We came for last night's VBS and one of Michelle's children suddenly missed mom and started to scream, so Debbie and I hung out with her until mom came back, then another one just wanted mom with her. Kinda fun for a day or two to have girls around the house. Like I said, for a day or two.
  
• Anyway, good job to all yesterday. Also having Sue come forward to join makes 3 weeks in a row. I like that energy and hopefulness and the end of worship!!
  

Remember to focus on Jesus! He is our life source! Go and make a difference in someone's life this week!

WOMEN of FAITH

Quick update -

We have 3 tickets available. If you know someone who would like to go, or maybe you want to go, please let me know . . .

ASAP

Luther at his best

It's just after midnight and I am rereading my writing. Still kinda weird. I even hit a part which I did not remember writing which made me teary eyed. I'll write about that passage another day.

For today, slowly read these words from Martin Luther, from near the end of his work, The Freedom of a Christian ~

The Christian can do all things and has all things and is filled with the love which makes us free, joyful, almighty workers and conquerors over all tribulation, servants of our neighbors, and yet lords of all.

But who lives this Christian life in our day? It is neither preached about nor sought after so that Christians do not know why they bear the name of Christ. Surely, it is because God dwells in us so that by faith in God we become Christs to one another and treat our neighbors as Christ has treated us, that "Christ may be the same in all . . . that we may be truly Christian.

What wonderful words from Luther. To know that this was written in 1520 is pretty scary, since we are battling some of the same issues almost 500 years later.

Light Reading

Today I started rereading my major project. It seems kinda weird to be reading stuff I have written. I am taking notes about what I have written, with the expectation that some of what I take notes on will be areas where questions will be asked.

Along with that, while laying in bed I was reading some great reformed theology, reading up on the doctrines of God's Providence and Predestination (which includes election and reprobation). Just some light reading at 12:30 am.

Keep me in prayer!

Becoming Like Wal-Mart?

I read the following article on a church leadership web-site by Todd Rhodes. It was interesting and made me do some thinking and wondering about how the church moves in and around our community. What are your thoughts?!?

Maybe the Church Should Become a Little More Like Wal-Mart…

What is the price or value of a soul?

$215,000.

That’s the price that Wal-mart has put on each of their customers. A couple weeks ago, I happened upon a documentary on CNBC about the inner workings of Wal-mart. It was a very interesting program. One of the main things that stood out to me is that Wal-mart has done extensive research into their business.

If, for example, I go into my local Wal-mart store and get bad service; can’t find what I need; have to wait in the checkout line too long; or anything else that really makes me upset, Wal-mart knows that they have a lot to lose. In fact, they’ve calculated the value of what I’m worth to them. If I get mad at Wal-mart and never return, I have just cost the company (on average) $215,000. That’s how much sales they have figured they will lose from the average customer over their lifetime if they don’t come back...

Wal-mart puts a high value on me and every other person and family in my community.

Many churches, on the other hand, seemingly couldn’t care less about the people in their community. Sure, we give them lip service, but when it really comes down to reaching our target, many of us are too busy arguing about carpet color, worship styles, and how much to ‘give’ to missions in Africa, all the while missing the main point of reaching our own community for Christ.

Wal-mart provides diapers and socks and hemorrhoid cream for a profit.

The church offers eternal life and salvation for free.

Shouldn’t our communities know we value them at least as much as Wal-mart?

FOR DISCUSSION: Here’s today’s questions for you:

--Does your church value people more than Wal-mart?
--If so, what does that look like in your community?
--Who is better at reaching their audience in your community? Your church or Wal-mart?
--Does your church even have a specific target audience?
--Does your church have a specific plan to reach that audience?
--If your church shut down today, would your community notice?
--And if they noticed, would they care?
--What is your church offering your community that no one else can or does?

Sunday Reflections

WOW! I'm exhausted. For the second Sunday in a row, I could easily go to sleep early.

It was a wonderful day. I love having someone come forward to join the church or accept Jesus. Having Jennifer come forward was great. There is nothing like baptisms. Now we have 3 on the horizon, Jennifer's may be on Sunday due to family obligations and her fiance (Luke) is heading back to college and wants to be there.

I was really struck by the message. I am asking God, what changes do I need to make, instead of asking Him to change my every want and whim. How can God disturb me . . . wake me up. We all need it. How does God need to do that for you?!

Tonight was also a fun night, beautiful weather to sit and enjoy time together as a church. There were 125 people out there at Praise on the Prairie. Thanks to the Music Committee for putting this fun night together, for Doug's help and Jeff's equipment.

I loved Zachary telling jokes. What nerve he has. When I was 8 there would be no way you'd get me up on a stage.

Have a great week, and look to make a difference for Jesus.

Time to Defend

I now have the date for my Oral Defense . . . August 26th at 10 .m.

Of course, the bad part is the fact that this is my wedding anniversary. Now, this means it will be a great day, because the 26th of August must be a great day.

So, keep me in prayer as I prepare and move forward in the process. They don't give you questions in advance to review and discuss, it's whatever the readers deem appropriate. Hopefully, they will ask about the Cubs and Bears. I have no problem with those.

Anyway, I need to reread my writings and a couple of other books in prep.

TEST

I changed some settings, hoping the blog gets mailed on a more regular basis, since it seems it is not always getting e-mailed in a timely manner by the blog service called feedblitz.

Thanks for your patience.

Ding Dong

At 1 am last night our doorball rang. We both jumped up, I looked out the window, no cars, nothing out there. Maybe it was the lightening. Not!

A little while later, while we were still moving around the house, it happened again, and this time I saw a head by the door. Gave me big time goose bumps. Do I get the butcher knife, call the police, what comes next?

Then Debbie saw them over by a neighbors house. Okay, it's kids. Fortunately, it began to rain and that put the kabosh on their night and mine. But the adrenalin made it difficult to go back to sleep and morning came too quickly.

A night out

We went out with members of the JOY class to Beef and Boards and saw Smoke on the Mountain. My first thought when I heard the title was the old Deep Purple song, Smoke on the Water.

We had a wonderful time, very relaxing, went in the church van with about 20 others. The food, company and performance were right on. Speaking of the performance, the talent was great, it was a comedy about a pastor's final Sunday before moving to a new church and the family remembers and looks forward to the future. Great truths about Christ and the Kingdom were passed on, there was a great deal of openness to speaking about Jesus, which was wonderful.

The group wanted me to take notes and the only one which I don't think I can do is the one they all wanted me to remember, and that is sermons should be 10 minutes. Don't know if I have ever done 10 minutes.

In my first church most sermons were 17-22 minutes, now they are 25-30 minutes. If I ever do a 20 minute sermon, you will all be so shocked. Anyways, it was a great night and a fun night.

I heard we missed the Oak Ridge Boys at the 4-H fair in Alec, and they sang Elvira. Gosh, haven't heard that one in about 20 years. That was a fun one.

Now it's time to lay my head on the pillow. The previous blog tells you why.

An Open Letter

I received this letter / blog awhile ago and have held onto it. It's from Tim Stevens' blog, Executive Pastor at Granger Church in Indiana. This blog is from a woman named Kelly Adkins who writes a blog as "The Pastors Wife." I liked it, it was so right on about church people, about the way many think and react, so I thought I would send it out, uncut in a blog. What is your reaction, let me know.

Here it is:

Open Letter to a Church Hopper

Kelly Adkins was a dear friend (of Tim Stevens) many years ago when she lived in God's country (i.e. Granger) with her husband, Mike. About 5 years ago, they started Grace Fellowship in Orlando, a church that is growing and thriving.

I (Tim) enjoy reading Kelly's words of wisdom, and loved this open letter she wrote to a church hopper...

Dearest Career Church Hopper:

I met you again on Wednesday, the same person smiling at me through a different face, telling me that you've been shopping for churches for months now, and that darn it, you "just can't find one (you) like." The music's too rocky at this one, you said; the preacher too funny at that one. The latest one might make the cut, though: you'd had the pastor and his wife over the previous evening for a little "dinner audition" -- your words, not mine -- and he said things that made you feel good and comfortable, things that you already agree with, so you're thinking about sticking around. At the very least, you could get your teaching from this church and your worship from that one.

I'm sure we'll run into each other again, but before we do, I'd like to suggest some things you could perhaps think about before you move on to the next church, as I'm sure you will, whether this weekend or next year:

* Christ didn't bleed for the Church so you could treat your search for one like an episode of Survivor, deciding who to vote off the island this week.
* The Church was not commissioned by Christ to meet your needs. You ARE the Church, and you've been commissioned to meet the needs of the world.
* Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her (Eph 5:25). Quit treating his bride like a Jesus buffet where you can pick and choose what you like, hedging your bets against the pain and sacrifice of making a commitment.
* Per scripture's instructions to use your gifts in service to the Body of Christ -- and its lack of instruction to search for a church that scratches you where you itch -- you might want to consider what the Church you're visiting needs from you, rather than the other way around.
* If you only want to hear things you already know and agree with, save your Sundays and talk to yourself in the bathroom mirror.

Sincerely,
The Preacher's Wife

So, what is your reaction to this? Are there more you would want to add or subtract?

Quote - 2

Seth Godin, author and speaker, wrote this on his blog (July 9, 2008)

• If you are willing to satisfy people with good enough, you can make just about everybody happy. If you delight people and create change that lasts, you’re going to offend those that hate change in all its forms. Your choice.

Is good enough good enough for God? Does God expect greatness or simply good enough (simply passing the exam)?

As Christians we need to be asking those questions everyday? Not in the sense of am I good enough for God's salvation, because frankly we will never be good enough, but what are our actions like when we are in the world, how good are we and making a difference.

Quote

Don Hutson is a great speaker and author of One Minute Entrepreneur. I appreciated this quote from him . . .

“The image of a person, company or product is never a constant but an ever-changing variable.”

Have you ever considered how much you have changed in your lifetime. Then add to that God's call to change, which is a constant theme in the Bible.

Laughing Prayers

Usually we try to be pretty reverent during bedtime prayers. On Sundays I always pray and just before we started we were all giggling and and each time there was silence and I was ready to begin, we all would burst out laughing. What a great way, and I mean it, what a great way to enter into prayer. . . with hearts bursting with happiness and joy.

I eventually started the prayer off by being silly and we all settled down from there. Just a reminder God is not an old curmudgeon, He wants and expects us to have joy and laughter.

Sunday Reflections

Great day at church. Wow!! So amazing and exciting when people come forward. We had a couple and one other gentlemen come forward to join the church and one man who I mentioned last week, gave his life to Christ. That is so cool!!! Actually, it is also draining on me emotionally, physically and spiritually. As great as the day was, I was exhausted.

Since the final hymn was song over and over, Doug tells me 6 verses in all; we are shooting for 7 verses next time. Wouldn't it be great if we looked forward to the end of the worship, not because it is over and we can go home, but to celebrate those who come forward each week and to give God a praise offering. What an expectation that would be!!!

Why not keep that hope and dream as part of your prayers. Let's watch a God thing "miracle" occur in our midst.

All Star Ending

Seasons over. The Alexandria 10 and under all star team lost to Napannee in the first round of games on Friday at North manchester, 11-2. They were dominated. To think that Napannee was the 4th seed from their region and we were number 1 was scary. They were amazingly sound in all areas of the game.

On Saturday we beat Frankton 6-1 and needed one more win to guarantee a chance to advance to next week's state tournament, but lost to Plymouth in a close and hard fought game 5-3. Thus ends the season. Joshua was happy about playing, he walked and scored in one of the games on Saturday and caught a fly ball for the final out of the Frankton game.

He is already looking toward next season, when he expects to pitch and play 3rd base.

He is also looking forward to football season, and wants to start kicking, since he was the kicker last year, and practice running routes as a wide receiver.

ANGEL FOOD

We are going to be starting a ministry called ANGEL FOOD. It is simply a means of buying food at a discount and passing it out, but there is a huge need in Alexandria for this. You pay $30 for about $50-60 worth of food. Tree of Life ministries is moving from Alexandria to Marion and they have provided this to the community, we are going to take it over from them. I have met with their pastor Chuck Moore about it.

This Saturday morning we will have the opportunity to go with them to Swayzee to pick up the food and see how it all works. I cannot go because of a funeral, but if you would like to be involved and see how the operation works, they will be leaving from their church off Harrison St. at 8:40 a.m. Let me know if you are interested in learning more about what to do and how you can help. To learn more about Angel Food, go to www.angelfoodministries.com

Brett Favre and the church

If you are a football fan then you are starting to salivate since the preseason practice begins in the next week. . . go BEARS! Now they need our prayers.

Brett Favre the great quarterback for the Green Bay Packers retired after last season, and now he wants to play again, and needs the Packers to resign him, in order to be eligible to play again, then they need to do something with him. That is, play him, trade him or sit him on the bench. Remember, Green Bay has already committed to start a quarterback they drafted 4 years ago. I wonder how this guy, Aaron Rodgers feels about all this. He's kept quiet. It is an interesting story because of the intense emotions. Let me give you a couple of thoughts . . .

Favre retired, he had an amazing career. As a life long Bears fan, I intensely disliked it when he played against the Bears. Yet I marveled at his playmaking ability and excitement for the game. I heard a reporter say he received a voice mail from Favre after he retired saying he was not forced to retire, it was his decision, but now Favre is saying he was forced to retire. Something is not fully correct here! What should the Packers do?

Favre has one, maybe two good years left, and has been brutally critical of management in the last weeks; and two years ago he stunk. Last year was a surprise year for the Packers, but I don't think he can repeat that magic. So, do you keep what was old, but good, even great; or do you move forward into the future which is unknown and go with a new quarterback? That seems to be the struggle for the universal church . . . do we look to the future and grab at new opportunities God gives us, or do we stick with something which has worked, but will no longer bring us to the promised land? I don't believe Favre has the team or ability to lead the Packers to the Super Bowl.

There are hard decisions to make, sometimes I see selfishness in Favre, making this all about him. Do we do that in the church as well? Do we make church about us, about our likes and dislikes, or about the greater mission of serving Christ? I see Favre trying to hold the Packers hostage, sometimes we hear about church folk holding the church hostage by not giving or serving. I also have seen a great enthusiasm and passion for the game, which you don't see from many professional athletes, do we as a church (individually and corporately) have that same passion and excitement for serving Christ?

I believe the Packers will sign him and trade him and move into the future. They may stink this year, but they are building for the future, and that for most sports teams is painful, but I give the management credit for sticking to their guns, thus far.

When you think about yourself and your faith, your role in the church, what will you do, what will you be for Jesus?

Church Business

I thought we had a great start to the future of FBC last night. There were many people who were willing to share thoughts and ideas. It is so important for us to communicate and know we our on the same team. So, great job to all!

There were so many comments, majority were positive and we need to build on that and on that momentum and passion which we have for one another because of Christ. There is a lot of work to do, but there always is. The road ahead will have stretches of unbroken perfectly smooth paved roads, while other roads will be rocky, with wild bends and curves and detours, but the final destination remains the same. We will rely on one another and we will make it and we will as Paul said, "fight the good fight, finish the race and keep the faith!"

I am excited about the future possibilities God has for us.

New Life

1. Announcing the birth of Micah Lynn Barnum. She was born on July 17, 2008 at 3:25 pm. Weighing in at 7 pounds 2 ounces. Mandy and Micah, and Damon are all doing well.

1. No mistake, we have a tie for number 1. Also at just about the same time I was praying with a new gentlemen to the church to accept Jesus as His Lord and Savior. Lots of tears and lots of joy.
   

Now that is a good day!!

QUICK HITTERS

• I usually blog late at night, but am trying to stop that, and as a result, have not blogged at all this week, so go figure.
  
• Too many late nights, makes for a tired guy in the a.m., so one of my goals for the coming weeks and maybe life time is to start to go to sleep earlier. That's not easy for me, but one I think is becoming necessary.
• 
  
• Got my new car on Monday. YAHOO!! It has that wonderful new car smell, can't get enough of inhaling that smell. Actually there is just the right amount of new car smell, not too overpowering. It's fun to drive my new Toyota Corolla. If your nice, maybe I'll give you a ride.
• 
  
• Zachary had a 104 degree temperature on Monday. Wow! That is high. He ended up being diagnosed with strep throat. He's feeling better, but still has stomach pain and pain in his legs and arms. Keep him in prayer.
• 
  
• Joshua made it back to play in two all star games, and they won the 10 and under district tournament in Alec, beating Marion 6-2. Now we go to North Manchester (75 miles one way) to play in the semi-state tournament. It's great for the kids, but tough on time and mileage.
• 
  
• I'll post separately about a couple of church related things . . . including my take on Brett Favre and the church.
  

More pics

Joshua on a water slide, this one was one of the boys favorites.


Pillar was loud and okay, didn't know as much about them. The boys were not into them.


David Crowder Band at work. David is in the pinkish shirt. They were good.


Tobymac at work. Super high energy and loudness. It was AWESOME!! Toby is in the middle with the bandana white t-shirt on.

Pictures

Joshua with funky hair after getting soaked and spiking his hair from a water roller coaster ride.

Zachary enjoying bumper cars, one of his favorites. Avoid getting hit and hit others.

Zachary after a little wild water slide wondering which way is up.

Joshua likes to be warm when he sleeps, but wearing a sweatshirt with hood on is downright weird. That's my boy!

Kings Island News

Didn't blog last night, as we were bushed. It was a great day at Boomerang Bay, the Kings Island water park. It rained for about 30 minutes, then cleared up and the rest of the day was great, the sun came out and my back actually got burned, the rest of me browned. We enjoyed every water ride available, even Zachary who is not a roller coaster kid, loved every water ride, even the faster ones. The only one we didn't go on was the Tasmanian Typhoon (too long of a line).

We brought lunch, ate our lunch and went back on the rides. One downer was the fact that any man who has rivets, those little holes in bathing suits on your back end, cannot go down 3 water rides, my suit had 3 rivets. Otherwise, it was great.

After the water park we went to the amusement park side and went on more rides, took in a Christian rock group "Pillar." Rode on more rides, Joshua loved Congo Falls, since you get totally drenched. He loved that part of it. You get the wettest watching from the bridge. We went and saw David Crowder band which was fun, then we ate dinner, the boys were ready to fall asleep, but Tobymac was coming and there was no way I was going to miss that. They perked up and I told them, they would not sit down, and for 1 hour and 25 minutes, you stood, jumped, waved your arms and enjoyed an intense and exciting performance by Toby. The boys know most of the songs, so they were into that big time.

Then it was time to head back to the hotel, even though they now wanted more rides, but the park was closing in 20 minutes, so we let them get wet on the bridge to Congo Falls, then to the hotel.

The boys slept in this morning. We were going to go to church, but they did not wake up until just after 9 a.m. They needed the sleep, grumps are no fun on vacation.

The next blog will have some pictures from the vacation.

PS - we also saw and heard Skillet on Friday night, along with Jeremy Camp, but the boys were too tired for Casting Crown, but we will be seeing them August 16, along with Mandisa, Skillet and Tobymac. Check out World Pulse Festival in South Bend, it's a great way to end the summer break!

Vacation News

We started out a little late, 7:45 a.m. departure, but had a long and full day at the park.

Everyone had a great time. We rode rollercoasters (the mild ones), went on lots of roller coaster rides which involve water, Joshua got majorly soaked and loved it.

We took in a little of Skillet and Jeremy Camp, but did not stay for Casting Crowns, as we will see them in August. Saturday will be spent at the water park, Boomerang Bay. I'll try to post a few pictures as well.

Time for night night, as everyone else is sleeping already.

Have a great Sunday!

Exchange and Transformation

In talking with Alan Erwin, he needs to find homes for 3 new Exchange Students this year. They are all boys, Rami from Lebanon is 15, Asim, 16, from Pakistan, and Jannik is 16 and is from Germany.

This is a great opportunity to learn more about someone else's culture, view of life and spiritual life. While you cannot evangelize, conversations about the spiritual life can occur. It can be a time where you share your Christian faith, home and life with another young person, which changes their life and even the world.

Here is some info. about each one.

Rami wants to become a teacher and likes biology and math. He is very good in distance running and debate. He also likes chess and academic competitions and playing basketball with friends.
His English skills are good and he is anxious to send an e-mail to his new family. He lives with parents and 2 older sisters.

Asim plans a career in mechanical engineering, likes physics and math. He plays guitar, and enjoys writing music for his band. He enjoys many kinds of music. His friends call him “diverse and cool”. He plays the sport of Cricket, but wants to learn others while here. He lives with his parents and younger sister and has excellent English skills!

Jannik will be a in the 11^th grade. A 5’10” basketball player, he plays on a team, but says that he is not the strongest player they have. He also likes to ski, play football and soccer, tennis and volleyball. He wants to become an engineer after college. His favorite classes are math, history, and computer science. He helps the family fix any computer problems they have. He lives with his parents and sister and has good English skills.

Who can host? Just about any family, single adult or single parent over the age of 25.

Are there girls who need homes also? YES! There are girls and boys from several other countries.

What does it cost? These students have money for personal needs. What you spend on them is up to you.

You feed them as any member of the family; they pay for school expenses, snacks with friends, and clothes.

Where do they sleep? They can share a room, but not a bed. A separate room is not necessary.

What if there are problems? Aspect provides trained International Coordinators (IC’s) to prepare you for this adventure and to be with you if there are problems. Occasionally a student must be moved, but not often.

To host one of these boys, or other students from other countries for just the fall, or for the school year, contact Alan Erwin (724-9234). Host families are needed soon for arrival in about a month.

There is a$50 per month tax credit on Federal taxes, and Aspect will give a one-time $50 donation to a non-profit group if the host family belongs to that organization.

All Star Game 1

Joshua's all star team started off with a tough first inning. Our pitcher walked the first two batters and they both scored, with no balls hit out of the infield. It didn't look good for the home team. We scored three runs in our half of the inning . . . walks will kill you every time. In the second inning we held Tri-Central-1 without a run, then we scored 9 runs to break the game open. We won 13-2 in a 4 inning game. The next game is Saturday night, but we will be gone, hopefully we'll win our next two games and be ready for the finals on Monday night. We just need to win one more game to guarantee a spot at next weekends semi-state tournament.

Post 300 + 1

Didn't realize I hit post number 300 on the last one.

Yahoo!TM Let's celebrate! that makes this post 301

Doctoral Update

I received an email yesterday from my first reader telling me the second reader has read my project and they want to proceed to the Oral Defense (now the nerves begin).

We are try to schedule it the week of July 21, however, I have learned my first reader, Dr. David Larsen will be lecturing across the country for a few weeks, beginning that week. So, we are looking to August or early September in order to mesh schedules for me (the most flexible), the two readers and the director of the doctoral program. Keep me in prayer as I begin to reread my project and read up on some other material.

Holy and UnHoly Communion

Today I went to the nursing home to give Joyce T. communion and to visit with her. She mentioned her roommate, a 5 year resident wanted communion with us. No problem! So, after Joyce and I visit, the roommate comes over as 2 aides come into the room to make her bed. This woman rudely, and that is being nice, tells them to leave since we need quiet for prayer and communion. I'm trying to apologize to the aides with my shoulders and eyes. Eventually we take communion and I offer a prayer which includes forgiveness for the words we use. Not sure if there was a connection. It was not the best way to enter into communion. . . actually it felt kind of sinful. . . that was the unholy part.

At the same time, Joyce asked one of the aides who was last to rush out if she wanted to have communion with us. A wonderful act of grace by a woman who can't figure out why God has not taken her, yet. The aide responds, she is not right with God, and it would not be appropriate for her to take communion when her relationship with God is impure and not right. That act of not taking communion was a wonderful admission, a breath of fresh air, and a moment of holiness before an all forgiving and loving God. Just part of the day!

This incident made me ponder over how many people have I led away from Christ because of my actions, words and attitudes. God, forgive me, forgive us for our lack of care and compassion and our indifference to one another, especially to You, Lord . . . cleanse us to have that pure heart, that holy heart You so desire in us so that all others will see You through us.

YOU'VE GOTTA READ THIS!!

YOU WON'T BELIEVE THIS STORY. . . well you will because of the world we live in, but it is still unbelievable . . .

Here it is and here is, and click on the title for the link to the CBC (Canada) web site.

COURT QUASHES DAD'S GROUNDING OF 12 YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER

A father plans to appeal after a Quebec court ruled that he didn't have the right to punish his 12-ear-old daughter by barring her from a school trip.

Quebec Superior Court Judge Suzanne Tessier ruled Friday that the girl should be allowed to attend the three-day trip within Quebec this week.

The father's lawyer, Kim Beaudoin, speaks to CBC Newsworld about the case.The father's lawyer, Kim Beaudoin, speaks to CBC Newsworld about the case. (CBC)Initially, the father forbade his daughter from going online after the Grade 6 student posted photos on a dating site, the Globe and Mail reported in its Thursday edition.

The girl's parents are divorced, and after she had an alleged row with her stepmother, her father barred her from going on a school trip to mark the class's graduation from elementary school, the newspaper reported.

"When he said, 'OK, it's final. You're not going,' she smacked the door, left and went to live with her mother," the father's lawyer, Kim Beaudoin, told CBC News.

Last Wednesday, the father received a motion petitioning the court to overturn the punishment.

'This will only lead to more poor behaviour and will encourage other children who do not like their parents to do the same thing.'

Two days later, the judge ruled the punishment was too severe because the girl had already been sufficiently disciplined, Beaudoin said.

Beaudoin said the judge also said there was no reason for the punishment to stand, since the girl was now living with her mother, even though the father has custody.

Beaudoin said the father, who has four children, was "devastated," especially since the ruling came days before Father's Day.

But the judge's decision was not just a case of a child going to court to get out of trouble, said Miriam Grassby, a Quebec family lawyer who has spoken with the various attorneys involved.

Under Quebec family law, it is not uncommon for a child in a high-conflict situation between two parents to have an attorney appointed to protect his or her best interests, as was the case here, Grassby said.

"In Quebec, no matter who has custody, we have joint parental authority," Grassby told CBC News on Thursday. "There are issues of discipline where both parents have to agree, and if they don't, we will have a place" to resolve the issue in court.

The attorney representing the child had been chosen and agreed to by both parents, she noted.

"The court is there to be an objective third party, and these children who are in these high-conflict situations need the protection of the court," Grassby said.

"I think we could presume the judge had good judgment in the fact that she read the statements and found out what both parents were saying, and that the child was punished at least once for that, and this was excessive punishment."

While Beaudoin said the case is a first for her, she doubts it will trigger a flood of similar claims.

"Usually children have lots of respect for their parents and they wouldn't go there," said Beaudoin.

She said the judge stressed that the case was an exception. "But for a field trip, I'm thinking this is a big exception," she said. (END OF ARTICLE)

Can you imagine this? The girl posted pictures of herself on a dating service. Did anyone remind the judge this girl is only 12. How many male predators has she put in jail? Has she ever watched Stone Phillips on Dateline? She deserved more than what dad was trying to teach her. Of course, since I don't have any girls it's hard to say, but I know I would be more protective because I know the male species.

So, this is an exception? An exception for what? Where is the simple respect for a parent's authority to discipline their child? What has that girl learned through all of this? It's a scary world out there folks, and all the more reason to show the love of Jesus to those around us.

Indiana Jones

The church that came up with the idea for the One Prayer series, is presently doing a series they do every year, called "At the movies." They seek to take current movies and talk about the spiritual dynamics within them. They are presently doing a series on Indiana Jones. Below are pictures of what they did to transform the church . . .

As guests approach the church, a military vehicle with ammo crates appears to have “broken” through a mural spray painted by a local graffiti artist . . .



A waterfall constructed in one corner of the lobby


The church entrance covered like cobwebs . . .


Between the auditorium doors rests a large “stone” skull that breathes fog.


A third corner has converted a coffee bar into a foreign marketplace.



There were more pictures, but you get the idea of what they are doing. Now, does all this decorating and hard work, done over a 4 day period lead people to Christ? NO!! So, why go through all this work and expense? Imagine how many more people in their area were more willing to come to church and hear the message of redemption they desparately need to hear. How many more people saw the church a little different because the church was willing to be a little different, to be a little more bold. It's not for everyone, but it is one way one church seeks to be relevant so that nonbelievers hear the message in a nonconfrontational manner.

Sunday Night Reflections

I am exhausted! It was a long week and a long night last night as I felt myself wrestling with God about where I was going with this weeks sermon. I am working on only 2 hours sleep and feel I could lay down and be out to sleep.

I liked the flow of worship, I didn't like the many people who were gone for the holidays. I've noticed that even when we have 280 people, the main floor looks empty.

I struggled with the sermon all week, knowing God wanted me to talk about passionate followers. It was getting to the message which was difficult. The words were not coming. Hopefully I was able to bring the point home that God wants us to be passionate about Jesus, and there is a difference between believing in Jesus and following Jesus.

Tonights worship featured Perry Noble's one prayer for the church is 'make us dangerous.' He spoke about 3 points, to walk with Jesus, listen to Jesus and believe in Jesus. It was an excellent sermon.

Sadly, there are only about 25-30 people attending Sunday evening worship. It is depressing and at times disheartening to see less than 10% of our Sunday morning attendance at our Sunday evening worship. Any thoughts, suggestions would be helpful.

Independence Day Autographs

I love history . . . and I love America!

Thought I'd share a little of both as we move beyond our 4th of July celebration weekend!

We live in a a day and age where we almost have to defend our patriotism. I'm certainly not suggesting that America is above reproach. Far from it. But a few years ago I did extensive research for a sermon series on our spiritual heritage. And I walked away with a renewed sense of destiny. There is so much revisionist history out there that we tend to forget that a lot of our Founding Fathers were motivated by their faith in Christ.

Just thought I'd share some backstory about some of the fifty-six signers of the Declaration of Independence. Most Americans know next to nothing about these fifty-six heroes who pledged their lives, fortunes and sacred honor to the cause of freedom.

John Witherspoon was an ordained minister and authored several books of sermons, as well as editing America's first family Bible published in 1791.

Charles Thomson served as Secretary of Congress and was a Biblical scholar. He helped edit the first American translation of the Greek Septuagint into English.

Charles Carroll, the last of the fifty-six signers to pass away at the age of 95 in 1832, wrote out his declaration of faith at the age of eighty-nine ~ On the mercy of my Redeemer I rely for my salvation, and on His merits; not on the works I have done in obedience to His precepts.

Another Founding Father, Benjamin Rush, is considered the "Father of American Medicine." He personally trained three thousand medical students. Dr. Rush also founded "The First Day Society" which was the precursor to the Sunday School movement, as well as founding America's first Bible society. It was Benjamin Rush who said the Constitution was "as much the work of Divine Providence as any of the miracles recorded in the Old and New Testament were the effects of divine power."

Francis Hopkinson was a church music director and edited one of the first hymnals printed in America in 1767. He also set 150 psalms to music. Roger Sherman is the only Founding Father to sign all four of America's Founding documents: the Articles of Association in 1774, the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the Articles of Confederation in 1778, and the U.S. Constitution in 1787.

Roger Sherman was also a theologian. He wrote a personal creed that was adopted by his church:

I believe that there is one only living and true God, existing in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, the same in substance, equal in power and glory. That the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are a revelation from God, and a complete rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy Him.

I could share story after story, but the bottom line is this: many, if not most, of our Founding Fathers were motivated by their Faith in Christ. They wrote sermons and creeds and hymns. They founded Bible Societies and Sunday Schools. They served God's purposes in their own generation.

By the way, five signers were captured and tortured during the Revolutionary War. Twelve signers had their homes ransacked and burned. Two signers lost sons to the war they declared. Two signers had sons become prisoners of war. And nine signers fought in the war and died from wounds or hardships of war.

Hope that adds a dimension of gratitude to our recent 4th of July celebrations!

HEM Jeans

I read an interesting blog about purchasing jeans. This blog is written by a woman. The Blog is called ---- Church of the Customer Blog

Below is the story, you can link to it from HERE ~

A tale of two stores

Unless you are Heidi Klum, two of the most dreaded shopping experiences for women can be buying bathing suits or jeans.

So with a masochist's zeal, I ventured out recently to two specialty stores to buy both items; one sells only jeans, the other only bathing suits. Each featured an impressive selection of high-end inventory.

One expertly alleviated my dread. The other enhanced it.

One is building a strong word-of-mouth foundation. The other is probably not growing by referrals.

For jeans, a friend referred me to Hem, a "jean bar" in downtown Austin. My friend said Hem's personal service was unmatched. Boy was she right. Loree (one of Hem's owners) had me try on at least 20 pairs of jeans to assess my body type before settling on final selections. Her knowledge of jeans was remarkable, including contradicting what I heard on an Oprah show that back pockets on curvy-hipped women make your butt look bigger.

Loree was brimming with confident knowledge, and she shared these tidbits:

• Wash dark jeans with a capful of white vinegar the first time. It sets the color and keeps them from fading.
• Hang your jeans to dry instead of drying them in the dryer. They will last longer.
• Get smoke or other smells out of jeans by putting them in the freezer overnight.

Because of Loree's attention to the buying process, I bought two pairs of jeans confident I will look great in them. That will be my rational and emotional foundation to a strong referral.

Then it was time for a bathing suit. Through Google, I found a specialty store in Austin. Bathing suits only. The selection was huuuuge. Racks and racks of styles and colors. Daunting, certainly, exacerbated by the store's young employees who spent more time chatting with each at the register than helping me or other dread-stricken women. I found two suits but who knows if they are the right ones for me. Zilcho referral.

When it comes to luxury items, there's an inverse relationship between price and service. The higher the price, the higher the expectation for hand-holding during the purchase.

Hem understands the model. In fact, a week after I picked up my tailored jeans, I received this in the mail. Nice!

Michael now speaking ~ Why include this on my blog? I checked out Joe's and Kasil jeans. They cost around $190 a pair. I won't spend that much on a suit, no less more than $15 on jeans, less if available. BUT the point is the HEM understands who they are serving. It's not about themselves and standing and chatting. They know their product and are experts.

For the church . . . how well do we know our mission? Our Product? Our customers?

Telling Sheriff Shaq . . . NO!

I love what the County Sheriff did in Phoenix. Shaquille O'Neal was made a deputy, but in light of his comments in a rap song about Kobe Bryant, the sheriff is taking away his ceremonial badge. GOOD for the sheriff for standing up for what is right and not giving into superstardom!

The article is below ~

PHOENIX -- Shaquille O'Neal will lose his special deputy's badge in Maricopa County because of language he used in a rap video that mocks former teammate Kobe Bryant.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said the Phoenix Suns center's use of a racially derogatory word and other foul language left him no choice. Arpaio made Shaq a special deputy in 2006 and promoted him to colonel of his largely ceremonial posse later that year.

"I want his two badges back," Arpaio told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "Because if any one of my deputies did something like this, they're fired. I don't condone this type of racial conduct."

Shaq was seen in a video posted on the celebrity news and gossip Web site TMZ.com rapping that "Kobe couldn't do without me." O'Neal skewers the Lakers' star, with whom he won three straight NBA titles from 2000-2002 while with Los Angeles, for not being able to win a championship without him.

"I was freestyling. That's all. It was all done in fun. Nothing serious whatsoever," O'Neal told ESPN.com Monday. A call to the Suns on Tuesday seeking comment from O'Neal was referred to his public relations firm, which didn't immediately respond.

Arpaio, who describes himself as "America's Toughest Sheriff" and is best known for feeding jail inmates green bologna, clothing them in pink underwear, and making them work on chain gangs, said he didn't expect his actions would teach Shaq a lesson. But he hoped he learns that as a role model who wants to someday be a full-time sheriff, he needs to know his words matter.

"Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I don't think that either conduct should be out there publicly, even if media wasn't there," Arpaio said.

O'Neal previously served as a reserve officer with the Miami Beach Police Department while playing for the Miami Heat. He also volunteered with the Tempe Police Department after being traded to the Suns in February.

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press

Conversations

Today I had 3 great conversations (God situations) with people I am trying to lead into church. Sometimes we don't realize how these contacts make a difference with others. I'll try to recap quickly ~

• 1. My car salesman and I were talking more about church than about getting my new car. He apologized for not being in church, but said I would see more of him. Didn't expect this to happen when we first met, yet, God has very specific plans. We need to move with God's direction.
• This leads to the very simple thought / question . . . are we connected to God, so we can follow His leading?
• 2. I received a call from my banker who wanted to talk about her health, her need for prayer, and a desire to give to the church, notwithstanding our bank account. After talking on the phone, I asked her if I could pray for her, I could tell she was tearful in the end. Debbie really made the first contact, but now we are tag teaming her. So . . . we are working on the car salesman and banker.
• 3. Then we are at baseball all star practice today and I guy I met through football whose son is also on the team is having back surgery on Thursday. I told him I'd be there for him, he tells me he's a little anxious about it, so after shaking hands, I gave him a hug, he's much bigger than me, and simply said a prayer for him. Afterwards, I told him whatever he needs we'll be there . . . pick up his son for practice, food, whatever.
  
  It's interesting that no other man he mentioned his surgery to offered to pray or offered to pick up his son. Not that I am better, but that is what the church should be about.

So, it was a good day of contacts with people who are just outside the walls of the church, but moving ever so closer to the church.

Going back to the initial question . . . who are you having spiritual conversations with? Who needs to know about Christ through the way you are living your life?

New Car Buying Adventure

Well, we've settled on a car . . . in fact, we ordered a car . . . in fact, we don't have the car, we've seen the car, we've sat in the car, but we don't have the car. Ready for the story . . . ?

There are not many Toyota Corolla XLE's out in the marketplace. That is the one we selected and are working through Toyota of Muncie. I sat at the computer with the salesman, Matt, and the sales manager, Scott. After awhile I learned the codes and was able to use the computer and search for the specs we wanted for cars within 300 miles.

Next, they have a vehicle trader employee whose job it is to trade their vehicles for vehicles at other dealerships. A trade was consummated and our car was coming from Wisconsin. Muncie sent out 2 cars for the one. A driver returned on Thursday night from Wisconsin and we were to pick it up on Friday. That's when the fun started.

First, the salesman, Matt, couldn't find the car. It was not entered into the computer and was parked in a corner he didn't see. Then he found the car, called us and said it would be cleaned, detailed, and ready to go. YAHOO!!

We got to the dealership and talked to Matt for a few minutes, got a cup of Starbuck's (YES) and waited for the car to be driven around to the front. One of the detailers noticed something and told Matt, there was a cigarette burn on the floor under the drivers car mat. Matt was fuming. I had to calm him down. The sales manager asked what we wanted to do, after talking about it, they were going to throw in some heavy duty car mats, good enough. He also saw a coffee stain, so they were to have that cleaned.

The car was brought back and Matt noticed a pen mark on the drivers seat, and a stain on the headrest, back it went for cleaning. After it came back, we were talking and we noticed more stain marks on different areas, plus we discussed the fact that the car had 747 miles on it. Far more than the 300 or so we expected. The joy was fading and Matt was fuming.

Matt and Scott spoke, then spoke to the General Manager. Eventually, he came out and spoke to us. For Debbie and I the warm fuzzies were gone, the new car smell was gone. The other dealer probably used that car for their managers to drive, but didn't tell our dealer about that.

Toyota folks were wonderful. They didn't seem upset with us, not that we did anything wrong, but I do know some places would have tried to push us into the car. They didn't. The general manager knew we were doing a trade in and Debbie mentioned it as well, so he gave us a 2008 Corolla to drive until they get our new car in.

When we left, Scott virtually hugged me. I think they are so used to people who would become furious and rip into them over this. We never did, in fact, we felt kind of guilty for not taking the car since the dealer now has it, and will have to sell it, but it will now be cleaned and in good shape.

Overall, our experience was positive. We were disappointed, but never angry. Nobody at Muncie tried to rip us off, they were helpful and willing to work with us. In the end, we told them order a new car, we're not going to another dealer, we're here and staying here. I think they appreciated our attitude . . . which led to their approach.

As I told Matt, the cool part of it all is that he and his wife came to church last week, and this week his wife brought her mom. What adds to that is that she and her mom are both Catholic.

Anyways, that's our saga, hopefully we have a new car soon and new attenders from Muncie . . . and if not, at least we opened the eyes of Matt's wife, Sarah, to new possibilities she did not know about before . . . she assumed all Baptists were jumping up and rolling down the aisles, playing with snakes and shouting . . . She enjoyed the worship experience and found it refreshing.

I'll keep you posted.

Cool Outreach Event

Tougher Than Hell Motorcycle Rally
Posted: 17 Jun 2008 09:13 AM CDT

Guts Church (Tulsa, OK) had their 8th annual Tougher Than Hell Motorcycle Rally this past weekend. A 2008 Custom Harley Deluxe and a 2008 Ford Mustang were given away. And over 1,500 bikers rode a 120 mile poker run. Afterwards, ’70s rock group Bad Company performed, and fireworks capped off the night.

It may seem far from your typical church event, but at the end of the night hundreds of bikers dedicated their lives to Christ. And over $300,000 was raised to provide starving kids with clean water and food.

Finger Lickin' Fallin' off the bone ribs

I bought some pork ribs on sale and decided to try out a new recipe for oven baked BBQ ribs. They were some of the best fallin' off the bones finger lickin' lip smackin' ribs I've ever made. Just about as good as any restaurant. I was duly impressed with myself!!

Just thought I'd share my evening cooking adventure.

Also made a pot of chili (I call it poor man's chili). It has lots of kidney and black beans which are good for Zachary, filled with lots of fiber, add lots of hot sauce, some tomato sauce, meat, spices and it's as good as anything out on the street.

A successful evening of cooking.

Little Things . . . they Mean Everything

I read about a pastor from N.Y. who wrote the following ~

I went to McDonalds recently . . . because I got a coupon in an Amazon.com order for a free Southern Style Chicken Sandwich. I ordered my sandwich, a small fry and a small soda. The total came to $3.47 - I was a happy camper. I can’t remember the last time I ate lunch for under $3.50! McDonalds Southern Style Chicken Sandwich

About two bites into my ‘Chick-Fil-A-look-a-like’ sandwich I glanced at the receipt. And that’s when I noticed it:

Eat-In Tax . . . 0.25

I was a charged a QUARTER for eating my meal in the restaurant where I ordered it. I was no longer a happy camper.

Now, before you think this must be a 'New York City' thing, I want you to know that this happened outside NYC . . . in a standard suburban McDonalds.

The issue was not the actual 25 cents . . . .The issue was not 'tax' as I don't mind paying any legitimate tax (render under Caesar and all that). . . The issue was that McDonald's was charging me a hidden fee to eat the meal I purchased from them on their premises.

Here's the point: The issue wasn't the quarter but the feeling the quarter caused. It left a bad impression on me that I’ve been living with for several days now. Over a mere 25 cents, McDonald's left me feeling bad about the entire experience (and overall the chicken sandwich was pretty good).

In 1988, I heard bestselling author Harvey Mackay speak and he said -

Little things don’t mean a lot - they mean everything!

I've lived with that quote for almost two decades! In this case, one little thing at a fast-food restaurant left a huge negative impression on me."

So the question for us at FBC is this ~ ~ ~

What are the little things we are doing at which may be leaving negative impressions on our guests or regular attenders?

* Are we being stingy with printed materials?
* Are we skipping the 'little things' in worship and not telling people when we are about to pray or when its time to sit down?
* Are we assuming everyone knows what to do and where everything is? I'm thinking of the children's time, it will be announced for now on.
* Are there funky odors in the bathrooms that a 25-cent (okay 99 cent) deodorizer would solve?
* Are there lights burned out in the children’s area or somewhere else?
* Are the labels on the envelopes we mail out more than a little crooked? (Harvey Mackay is in the envelope biz)
* Are we giving our guests a 25 cent greeting, while giving our old buddies a $5 greeting?

You get the picture. Let me remind you again ~

Little things don’t mean a lot, they mean everything!

What changes do you/we/I need to make this week that will remove negative impressions and leave people saying 'Wow!' when they leave your church on Sunday?

Joshua's Debut

Tonight Joshua had the opportunity to pitch. It was the first time he has ever pitched. He's always wanted to pitch, but never has. He entered the game in the 2nd inning and ended up giving up an infield hit, he made an error after picking up a ground ball, and between all that he struck out the other three batters. In the next inning, he gave up an infield hit, threw a runner out at first, struck a player out and got another ground ball out. An impressive debut. His team finished in 2nd place. A good job!!

Joshua also made the all-star team for 10 year olds. So, he is excited about that. Good for the boy. We celebrated with DQ.

The Tiger E(A)ffect

Did you see the US Open Golf tournament yesterday? Tiger Woods is amazing. He needed to make a 15 foot putt to force a tie and go t oa Monday playoff and he made the putt. In fact the guy who was winning (who is ranked 158th in the world, Tiger is 1) watched it in the clubhouse and said "I expected him to make it." Someone then added, "well, he's Tiger Woods."

How amazing to have people expect you to make it because you have proven yourself already. When Woods was asked about his bad start to the day, he shrugged it off and said, he knew if he could play even par he would win. He was one off from even, and he would have won.

Imagine the affect Woods will have playing this guy (Rocco Mediate) who has never won a major championship, competing head to head against a guy who has 13 majors. The effect of Woods certainly has an affect on his competition.

Woods relishes the pressure, simply because he does not see it as pressure, and plays right through it. He practices and practices and practices. Recall the video on the final Sunday of the spiritual discipline series about Woods.

Think about how dedicated we are to our spiritual lives and how the pressure of life should draw us even closer to God.

Church invite

On Saturday I was talking to a car salesman, looking at cars and talking to the sales manager, we were talking about religion, they knew I was a pastor, and the salesman and I spoke at length about faith, marriage, etc. I invited him to church, and how cool to see him and his wife walk into church yesterday morning.

It's not always easy to walk into a church for the first time, but glad they came.

Last week I had 3 significant conversation about Jesus with other people. That's not as much as I would like, but hopefully them make an impact. One of them I mentioned earlier is the banker. She said she will come to church, so I am looking for her to come and will find more reason to get to the bank. Maybe I'll need to get a crisp, clean $100 bill.

So . . . who are you talking to about Jesus?
Are you talking to anyone about who Jesus is in your life?

Sunday Reflections

I really enjoyed and more than that, felt the power from our first two worship songs yesterday. Good job, Doug and the praise team.

I also liked the opening prelude video. It was something different, whose theme was very basic, "WORSHIP THE LORD." Let me know your thoughts on it.

Worship seemed to run smoothly even with my $100 offer. It really is amazing to think God does not want us to live lives filled with guilt, but wants us to be redeemed and experience His grace and live that way, being grace bearers who make a difference.

We had a good Father's Day, we went to Texas Roadhouse for a great lunch, enjoyed our time together, and told one another why we love them. It was fun to do. It was also fun to stick Zachary, and then Joshua's heads into their bowls of salad. The boys loved it, it was silly and not the way mom and dad normally act when out for a meal.

Remember to make a difference in the world in the name of Jesus.

Doctoral Reply

It's amazing how fast the turnaround was. They received my dissertation on Monday and today I had a response from my first and main reader. I was not sure I wanted to open it and read it. Below is the correspondence from Dr. Larsen,

"Your initial draft is in hand - I love it! You have done a great job! There are of course matters we want to discuss in the oral defense. Dale, the form editor, will have some suggestions for your final draft; we will need to talk about the length. Thanks, by the way, for the reference list. We will now wait for Dr. Wayne Johnson's reaction - we will be patient because he has done very few of these. But you should be hearing from us fairly soon. Again, praise God. I am very pleased with what you have done. Yours as ever in Christ who is our hope, David L. Larsen Isa 54:10"

WOW! I couldn't believe what I was reading. He was writing about my writing. How cool and praise God. I know there will be corrections and I was about 110 pages too long, but some of the appendecies can be cut. For now ... a big deep sigh of relief.

Blogging issues

For some reason the blogs are not posting in the morning. They are all coming in late. I'll try to check on the reason, sorry.

Fill 'Er up (Part 2)

This may not make us feel better, but some gas prices from around the world are ~

Sierra Leone $18.43/gallon
Norway $10.37
Turkey $10.14
Netherlands $10.11
Germany $9.20
Italy $8.78
England $8.56
Israel $7.95
Spain $7.54

down to some pretty lows . . . Anyone willing to move?

Indonesia $2.46/ gallon
Mexico $2.35
Brunei $1.48
Egypt $1.21
Kuwait $.79
Iran $.42
Nigeria $.38
Venezuela $.19

Major difference between North and South ~

N. Korea $2.69
S. Korea $7.38

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline_usage_and_pricing

Fill 'er up

I remember the days when we used to go to Martin's gas station, and my dad would say 'fill 'er up with ethyl.' Oh for those good 'ol days of $.299 per gallon.

A headline in today's Indy Star said by August gas could be $4.15 . . . oops, they were wrong, by June 12 it was $4.199 (don't forget that 9/10 of a penny). One year ago, gas was an incredibly high $3.079.

So, what are you going to do different?

How should the church cope with higher gas prices?

How do you think it will impact the church?

Old Posts

Somehow I realized these posts from the other day did not make it on the blog. So here they are in one blog.


Doctoral project
I recieved an email from Trinity, they received my box with my project in it. Yahoo!! Now Dr. Larsen has the pleasure of reading 'til he drops.
Posted by Pastor Michael at 10:00 PM 0 comments Links to this post

Conversations
I had to stop at the bank, we bank in Anderson, a carry over from Dearborn. Most everyone at the bank branch knows us, mostly Debbie. She has spoken about church to one of the tellers and today I sat with her for about 30 minutes and talked about church, why go, issues of forgiveness, etc. A great conversation, and I am hoping she will come this Sunday.

It's great to have these types of conversations, when someone feels free to ask, and I can give an intelligent enough response that they can understand. God is really awesome the way He works!! We just need to allow Him to work through us.
Posted by Pastor Michael at 9:58 PM 0 comments Links to this post

Sunday Reflections
I was really moved by the video we watched in the evening service. Ed Young was brutally blunt, and I loved it. His one prayer for the church was for the church "to wake up!" I wish everyone in the morning service could see it. He spoke to me as well as anyone about waking up from our spiritual slumber. He went so far as to proclaim if you don't tithe and serve in the church, he does not consider you a member of the church, "you are just taking up dust on the church rolls." That is an in your face comment. Anyone who wants to watch it, even in a Sunday School class, is welcome to borrow it.

The message was about 27 minutes long.It's always fun doing child dedications, hoping the little ones don't scream and cry. It's amazing the great responsibility God gives to people to parent children. I am awestruck when I look at Joshua and Zachary and see how they are growing.

We had fun at the swim party at the Dickey's. They put on quite a spread, we had lots of fun, eating and splashing and just hanging out in the heat.

Baseball Games

Quite a night at the ball yard. Joshua's team won 5-0. Joshua was walked once and struck out once. The time he walked, he tried to score from 3rd on a passed ball, but was out at home. His coach was not happy since he told him not to go. A good learning tool!!

Actually two of the coaches made mistakes and had runners thrown out in the game.

In Zachary's game he was 3 for 3. All singles, he did well to hit the ball. He's getting there. He really had to run hard to beat out one of the hits. He then over-ran second base and was heartbroken since it was in the last inning, and they lost 9-6.

I told him it was a good learning tool. He made a mistake and he'll probably never overrun 2nd or 3rd again. It made me think about my mistakes. . . how many times have I learned from them, or have I repeated them over and over again?

How about you, are you learning from your mistakes, or making them again and again?

Why Mosquito Bites Itch!!

Zachary asked me that question, so with a little Internet research, here you go -

"Did you know that it's only female mosquitoes that bite you? They eat mostly nectar, but when it's time to make eggs and lay them, they need to eat protein (aka - your blood). When the mosquito stabs her needle-like mouthparts through the skin of her victim, she injects her saliva, teeming with digestive enzymes and anticoagulants to help her drink more quickly. Your body sees that as an enemy and produces histamine to ward off infection. That little pink bump left on your skin is an allergic reaction to the mosquito's saliva. (Hence, it itches because it is a foreign body invading our bodies.

FYI!!

Doctoral project

I recieved an email from Trinity, they received my box with my project in it. Yahoo!! Now Dr. Larsen has the pleasure of reading 'til he drops.

Conversations

I had to stop at the bank, we bank in Anderson, a carry over from Dearborn. Most everyone at the bank branch knows us, mostly Debbie. She has spoken about church to one of the tellers and today I sat with her for about 30 minutes and talked about church, why go, issues of forgiveness, etc. A great conversation, and I am hoping she will come this Sunday.

It's great to have these types of conversations, when someone feels free to ask, and I can give an intelligent enough response that they can understand. God is really awesome the way He works!! We just need to allow Him to work through us.

Sunday Reflections

I was really moved by the video we watched in the evening service. Ed Young was brutally blunt, and I loved it. His one prayer for the church was for the church "to wake up!" I wish everyone in the morning service could see it. He spoke to me as well as anyone about waking up from our spiritual slumber. He went so far as to proclaim if you don't tithe and serve in the church, he does not consider you a member of the church, "you are just taking up dust on the church rolls." That is an in your face comment. Anyone who wants to watch it, even in a Sunday School class, is welcome to borrow it. The message was about 27 minutes long.

It's always fun doing child dedications, hoping the little ones don't scream and cry. It's amazing the great responsibility God gives to people to parent children. I am awestruck when I look at Joshua and Zachary and see how they are growing.

We had fun at the swim party at the Dickey's. They put on quite a spread, we had lots of fun, eating and splashing and just hanging out in the heat.

Zachary's Doctor

Zachary had his 3 month pediatric endocrinologist appointment today. All went well. He's growing normally, no abnormalities . . . just an active and as he says "energetic" young boy.

Praise God!!

It's a reminder to count our blessings. To look around us and see how very much we are blessed. It's too easy to dwell on the negatives, on what is not good, but there is so much good right in front of us and God seeks to bless us more and more, but we must be ready and connected to Him to fully experience what He desires to give to us.

Special Delivery

I mailed my project this afternoon. A huge relief, and 2 weeks not to worry about it, until the email comes and I have to get back to work.

For now, it feels great to be done . . . good or bad.

ball game

Hey since it's so late, why not one more post.

Joshua tried a new batting stance and did really well. He had a bunt hit, a perfect bunt.

He struck out, but he fouled off five pitches in a row. A great at bat.

Then he got hit by a pitch on his foot.

He was happy about the game. They won, too, 9-2.

FINI'

Not sure what language fini' is in, I know it is not Greek or Hebrew, but I know it means finished. I'm done. It took forever to format and reformat my dissertation, and there was only one very minor mistake which meant recopying one page. Otherwise, all 359 pages plus additions is ready to go. It will be in the mail tomorrow.

Thanks for your prayers. They came in great. Now to wait to hear what the readers have to say. At least for 2-3 weeks, I won't worry. Supposedly, my reader will get back to me in that time frame.

Well, it is now 3:45 a.m., I am tired, but feel good!!!!!

Time to go home and go nite nite for a few minutes.

Rudeness

Had someone dump a lot, and I mean a lot of grass by one of our evergreens in the back part of the lot. After the rain, it really stunk. We moved it and dumped it on someone else's land (NOT!).

But how rude someone had to be, and most likely a neighbor somewhere behind did it. It would have killed a lot of grass in the back. Sometimes I just don't get people. I think I'll put up a sign saying, "This is a no grass dumping zone!"

Weekend Worship

Remember this Sunday I'll be representing all women in talking to us men folk about what you want us to know.

So . . . what more do I need to know so that all the men will be in the know!!

Writing Update

Still not sent in, but that is okay with the doctoral program. Hopefully tomorrow will be the day. I had some major evening glitches with margins and some stuff that is way over my head regarding the page set up, etc. Fortunately, Debbie understands more than I do, and she greatly helped out.

Writing and Writing

Well, I finished the main part of the paper, exactly 200 pages, adding in the appendeces will make it closer to 350. I am hoping to get it in the mail tomorrow.

Ball game blues

After a wow game last week, the Eagles have been flying pretty low. Another loss tonight, 5 walks one error and only one hit in one inning led to their demise, plus some poor hitting. In fact, I would call it no hitting at all. They lost 6-3. That's two losses in a row to teams they could beat.

One player on Joshua's team struck out without swinging and his dad grounded him for 3 weeks. You know, as much as I want Joshua to hit the ball and be a star, this is getting a little ridiculous. That boy is not a star, and even if he is, he's really just a kid wanting to try and play ball and have fun and do well.

I know I put pressure on the boys at times, I know what they can do better than they do, but if they ever don't want to play, that's okay with me, too. Just go out, do your best and have fun, win or lose.

One last note for the night

I mentioned I had a great encouragement at night, also had one in the morning, after worship. It is so nice to be encouraged.

I also had two people in the same family encourge me in separate emails during the week.

THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!

Writing and Writing

Well, I think I am about there. I am estimating I will mail the project in to Trinity on Tuesday. My best estimates are a total of 335 pages. Hopefully I have not been too wordy. After sending it in I will receive word within 3 weeks about the next steps. Either a major rewrite or revisions, but with the approval to move into the next step which would be my oral defense of what I have worked on and the theology backing it.

Pray for the latter to occur over the summer, which would give us a short trip to Chicago, see family, hang out a little, hopefully celebrate a little, then back home.

Sunday Reflections

I am sitting and typing while Joshua is drumming. Whose idea was this anyway . . .?

Anyway, people seemed moved this morning by all the songs. It seemed like that perfect blending of newer and older songs; especially after Shout to the North.

Talking about our legacies can be powerful. Look at the legacy Christ left for us to follow. That makes communion more powerful.

I am glad we were able to get the video from the song Legacy working this morning. The more we use technology the more it can seem like a curse, but there is so much good that can come from it.

Tonight was another issue as the download for worship didn't work. It said it was a corrupted file. Oh what a joy. It will be worked out before the middle of the week.

I had a nice compliment this evening, it's always great to feel encouragement from others. I don't think we realize the power of encouragement until we get it, then it moves us to want to do even better. So, thank you brother, for the words of grace, love and encouragement.

Time to put the boys in bed, then onto the doctorate. Needs to be in the mail by Tuesday.

Blessings and go make a difference this week!!!