Reflections

Christmas is over and it is time to take a breather. It has been a wild month but a fruitful month at that. At our Christmas Eve service, we broke all record attendance with almost 180 in attendance. We had people all over the place and we had to bring out more chairs just to fit everybody in. It shows that people are truly hungry for something this time of year. I pray that seeds were planted and hopefully we will see some of those faces this Sunday at church.

As far as the Jones family, we had a great Christmas as well. I love watching the kids open their presents. It takes me back to the magic of it all when I was kid. Jen even surprised me this year with a new t.v. (Score!) I want to thank everyone for their gifts and cards to our family this Christmas, it is highly appreciated and we feel so blessed to be a part of such a great church. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas as well and looking forward to the New Year.

Christmas Craziness

I have to apologize that I have not blogged as much as I want lately. Things have gotten really crazy as of late. We wrapped up the adult musical "Imagine Christmas" this past week with four nights in a row including our dress rehearsal. I was so proud of all those that particpating in this great event. We have lots of talent in our church and it was neat to see that talent used for God's glory.

We also had our Santa outreach that Saturday and due to the snow that turn out wasn't as great as expected. Needless to say we had some families that came through our church door that might have never came if it wasn't for the event. We gave away bags of candy along with the Christmas story of Jesus.

This week we are gearing up for Christmas Eve service. I'm planning on doing this a little different this year then past. It will still be a wonderful time with family and celebrating our Lord's birth.

Remember in all the busyness of the season, don't forget to put Christ first. He is the reason for this season!

Sick Kids

This has been a wild week for the Jones family. We have had sick kids all week. Sunday night we had to take Olivia to the hospital as she had the flu and was not getting enough liquids in her body. Caleb has also been sick with the flu as well. Thankfully Ethan has avoided it. (I'm praying that he continues to avoid it.) Jennifer has missed church now for four weeks because of one of our kids having a bad cold or flu. YUCK! Anyways, I hope we are getting over all of this. Sure would like to see my wife in church soon.

Thanksgiving Weekend

I hope everybody had a wonderful Thanksgiving. For our family we headed to Des Moines, ate some good food. On Friday Jen and I decided to be crazy and go shopping. Our first stop was Toys R Us and that place was a mad house. We ended up turning around and leaving. The rest of the day wasn't too bad. Jen and I ended the day by celebrating her birthday at Olive Garden. All and all it was a great weekend. I hope everybody else had a great Thanksgiving weekend as well.

Having some fun with our heroes series. Here is a great video we did last Sunday.

Having fun with our new series on "Heroes of the Bible." We are diving into some of the characters of the Bible. This Sunday we covered Elijah. When I take a look at Elijah he can almost seem like a super-prophet with all the miracles he did. It is amazing that he was fed by ravens, multiplied food, raised the dead and even called fire down from heaven. But these miracles do not make Elijah a hero. What makes Elijah a hero is found in James 5:17. James tells us that Elijah was a man just like us. He was man just like us that understood how to pray. James 5:16 tells us that Elijah prayed powerful and effective prayers. The point is, we can pray powerful and effective prayers, just like Elijah. All of us can be used by God in incredible ways like Elijah if we learn the power of prayer. If you need a miracle today, don't underestimate the power of prayer!

Fun Fest

Last night was our first Fall Fun Fest with the Giant Haystack and I got to be honest because I really didn't know what to expect. At 5:00 there were only a handful of people and I got really nervous. Thankfully about ten to fifteen after we had a decent crowd. I think everybody had fun and we gave away lots of prizes and candy. Also had a good time talking with some families that do not attend our church. Definitely think we will try it again next year with some modifications and additions to the night. Thanks to everyone that helped out with the outreach, couldn't of done it without you!

Happy Birthday Olivia

This has been a month full of birthdays! Sunday was Olivia's 8th birthday. My little girl is growing up so fast. We had a slumber party Friday Night with three other girls and Jen took the girls to Libbi Lue at Jordan Creek Mall in Des Moines. I think I heard the Chicken Song a hundred times Friday and Saturday. Time goes by so fast, so remember to cherish those special moments with your kids while you have them!

Why Money?

We just got through with our Missions Convention yesterday and I feel that I need to address an issue that was brought up at church in the middle of the service of "Why Money?" Mark Oberbeck who is our Iowa Youth Director was talking about Speed the Light which is a missions organization that raises money for missionaries so that they can have vehicles, sound equipment and other tools to effectively preach the gospel in other nations. The question was basically why do we need to talk about money or can't there be other ways of helping? There are other ways we can help our missionaries, first of all by praying for our missionaries. Many missionaries will tell you that they covet our prayers while they are on the missions field. Another way is going on a missions trip ourselves and helping the missionaries with projects that they may have. About six years ago, I went to Peru and helped build a Teen Challenge Building for a church. It was an awesome experience. The third way is by giving. The fact of the matter is, it takes money to live and to have the tools necessary to do your job. For example, if our missionaries didn't have vehicles they could not reach some of the far reaching areas and villages in their nations. Our missionaries are 100% supported by the local churches. Just as we need a home to live in and food on our tables, so do missionaries. Many of the places that they live are very poor regions and the people there cannot support them. It is the local churches job to do that. These missionaries have given up their lives to the call of going over seas and reaching areas that we simply cannot reach. They will be honored in heaven because of their call and we need to honor them now on earth. Missionaries should be our heroes! I am not ashamed as your pastor to ask for money to help missionaries. We are obeying the command of Jesus to "Go into all the world and preach the gospel." Jesus said that He would come back here on earth after the Gospel has been spread to the ends of the earth. Think about that for a moment. The only thing that is holding Jesus from coming back and taking us home is His love for people who have not heard His message yet. This should show us, His concern for other nations and those who still need to be reached. One of our core values at Community Hope is "Missions Minded." If we are missions minded, God will bless. I know this, because I've seen it time and time again. Let's be about the priorities of Jesus and have a heart to reach our world with the love of God.

Missions Weekend

This Sunday is our annual Missions Convention. I am really excited as this year as we are having Mark Oberbeck who is our Iowa Youth Director speaking in the morning service. I have known Mark for years and I know he is very passionate about Missions. In the evening we are having missionary Brad Tucker speaking who is a missionary to Africa. We are also having the ministry team from Evangel University in Springfield, MO to come and lead worship and do a special drama for us. This is an exciting time for us as a church because Community Hope was built on Missions. I want us to be a church that Prays for Missions, Gives to Missions and Go and be Missions ourselves. Please be in prayer for this powerful weekend!

Truth or Snare

Wrapped up our series yesterday on the mind. I felt it was a good three weeks on study on how we must renew our minds in Christ. Yesterday we talked about the lies that Satan throws at us. Here are the three most common lies.

1. Lies about yourself- My self-worth comes from what I do and what others think.
2. Lies about the meaning of life- The meaning of life is about how much I can accumulate.
3. Lies about God- Many believe lies about God- here are a few lies that people believe;
- I am saved by what I do
- God is out to get me lie
- What I've done is too bad for God to forgive.

Satan throws traps for us all the time. Remember that Satan is the father of lies. The way we defeat the lies is by the truth of God's Word. Hebrews 4:12 says that the Word is the discerner of our thoughts. In other words, when we have these lies enter our minds we must judge that thought by God's Word. What does the truth have to say? If it's not according to the Word, then it is a lie. Don't be caught in the snare of lies that Satan throws at us. Be free by the truth of God's Word.

Breaking 250

This last Thursday I started meeting with my coaching group in Des Moines on how to break the 250 barrier. I'm really excited about meeting with this group of guys once a month. This past meeting most of our time was spent on why we lead the way we do. I was reminded once again that my past has been pleasing people and many times I lead to please. This is all right at times but dangerous in other times. My focus needs to be pleasing God and what God wants. Especially when it comes to church, many people have their own ideas on how the church should run. This is ok but we must remember that God is the one who leads and we must always listen to His voice and the leading of the Holy Spirit. This should be our main priority. Looking forward to the next six months with these guys and seeing how God moves in our churches.

Here is the video for all those that missed it yesterday. We talked about mental strongholds that can hold us captive. I believe that fear and worry can be huge mental strongholds in our lives. I hope you enjoy!

Today is Ethan's birthday! He is officially two years old today. Ethan loves music so naturally we got him a little guitar. I think Ethan is going to be our future worship leader. He loves music, especially the Wiggles. We will have a party for him on Sunday with the family so I'm sure there will be lots of presents. The picture we took here was when we were at the Omaha Zoo. Love the pic of the bear behind him. Pretty cool! Happy Birthday Big Guy!

Sunday Reflections

Sunday was a great day for us as a church as we had 147 in attendance! Praise God!!! The last few weeks we have seen several new faces and commitments to Christ. Yesterday we had many college students from Grinnell and their families. I guess it was parents week at the school. It was awesome to meet some the parents. We had people all the way from Washington to Connecticut. It is pretty cool to think that a church in a small town like Montezuma would have people from all over the United States in it. It is amazing to me how God continues to work in His church. The church is definitely an awesome thing to be a part of!

Computer Crash

So here it is.......I am preparing my sermon on the mind and I am comparing the mind to a computer. Our relationship with our computers can be a love/hate relationship. Now my sermon was already done when on Saturday my computer decides to crash. (By the way, this is the second time!) Now I love using real life illustrations but this is a little ridiculous. I don't know if God is trying to teach me patience or if I should cast out the demons in my computer. Oh well, you have to have a sense of humor in times like these because if you don't, the little things can definitely drive you crazy.

All in the Mind!

This Sunday I am preaching on "It's all the mind." I want to take a few weeks to talk about mindsets and re-thinking our thinking. We may or may not realize that our thinking has a lot to do with the way we live each day. God wants to challenge our thoughts and get us to start thinking according to His Word. Looking forward to the next few weeks.

Work Nights have begun

Those coming to church this Sunday will notice that our men have been working hard all week. We are in the process of putting a sidewalk between the two buildings that we own. Found out we really needed one a few Sunday's ago when our toilets went out during Sunday service. (By the way, you ever noticed that when things go out they choose to go out on Sunday! What's up with that!) We had some elderly people who had a hard time walking on the rock to get to the other building to use the restroom so a sidewalk is definitely needed. For those who want to know where we are currently at on the new building- We are a little over $14,000 in our match fund. Our goal is $20,000 by the end of the year, we are way on our way.

Last Sunday

Wanted to blog real quickly about last Sunday. We finished our series on God at the Grand Ole Opry. I had a blast the last three weeks playing some familar country songs and talking about the spiritual meaning of them. This past Sunday we talked about the Three Wooden Crosses by Randy Travis. I believe that God has called each of us to live the way of the cross. Remember that Jesus taught the cross and lived the cross before He ever went to the cross. It's the lifestyle He has called us to. I enjoyed sharing the video of the reunion of my sister and nephew. What an example of forgiveness. As many of you know, my sister and her son Josh hadn't seen each other in almost 20 years. But because of Nashville Star, my sister got to be reunited with her son. Josh is now touring all over the United States. His song "Rock and Roll in Pensacola" should be on the Hawk Country station this January. I got to see Josh last Sunday and had a good time catching up. Every time I see him it reminds me of God's grace and forgiveness. Let us all remember to live the way of the cross.

E2 Conference

Just got back late last night from this years E2 conference in Des Moines. Man was it AWESOME! This years speaker was Mark Batterson from National Community Church in Washington D.C. Mark is one of those pioneers in church planting and re-thinking church. I got the chance to hang out with him for just a bit yesterday and he really motivated me to do some big things for God. I want to encourage everyone to check out his blog at markbatterson.com and his church on the web at theaterchurch.com. He also has a book out called "In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day." It's a great read for anyone who wants to step out of their comfort zones and do something great for the kingdom.

As I reflect with my time at the conference and my time with Mark, God put a few things on my heart. First of all I never want our church to be in defense mode but rather offense mode. Jesus played offense. It can be easy for us to say we have enough people and we like the church the way it is but this is how churches die. Defense mode is when a church is constantly fixing problems and they get stuck in the way things are. We must be constantly looking at ways that we can reach more people and expand God's kingdom. That means that things may look differently then they did let's say six months to a year ago. Let's not get comfortable in our church. Let us not be the church that says, "We've always done it this way!" Let's keep investing and let us keep inviting those that need to hear about God's love. There are many people in our community and county that have yet heard the true gospel. Let's play offense and expand the kingdom!

Last Church Planting Meeting

Last Thursday I spent the day in Iowa City for our last church planters meeting. Starting next month the District is changing the structure of our small groups. I will definately miss meeting together with this group of guys. I've always took something away from our meetings together. I thought I would share with you the topic of our last discussion.

Attractive Attitudes and Atmospheres in the church

1. Serve with humility
2. Endorse God's plan for abundant life
3. Place a high value on individuals
4. Set an example of excellence- From worship, preaching and facilities.
5. Proclaim that God is faithful
6. Communicate the life giving nature of God

These are attitudes and atmospheres that people are attracted too. I've been in a lot of churches where people come in and leave feeling beat up by the preacher. My goal is that CH will be a place where people can be encouraged and know that with God's help they can have the victory. That's the type of church I want to be a part of.

Homosexual Marriage

I picked up a Des Monies Register yesterday and found an article on the debate of homosexual marriage in Iowa. As you know, a couple weeks ago a judge ruled that it was unconstitutional for the state of Iowa to prohibit homosexual marriages. I thought I would share with you all a statement made by Tom Jacobs who is our new superintendent for the Assemblies of God. Here is the statement he made concerning these events:

Last week a "marriage" between two homosexual males made the headlines in Iowa and throughout the nation. As a spiritual leader, you will be asked to make a statement about this development. We need to work together to make sure we are prepared for such opportunities. The following is information that I sent out to our credentialed ministers in Iowa. Hope it's helpful.

You have undoubtedly heard about the egregious action by a local judge in the Des Moines area, finding the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) passed by the Iowa legislature several years ago, as unconstitutional. In light of his judgment and the “homosexual marriage” which took place I its aftermath, I wanted to attempt to equip you with some tools you might find helpful.
First, if you are asked to make a statement before the media, you may find these “talking points” helpful (I used them yesterday when I spoke with our local NBC affiliate). These statements came from the Alliance Defense Fund and the Iowa Family Policy Center, located here in Des Moines.

Special interest groups should not trump what’s in the best interest of Iowa families and children. Who’s more important: our children or special interest groups?
Last week’s decision is an example of why marriage in Iowa must be protected by a state marriage amendment.The opponents of marriage are not trying to redefine marriage, they’re trying to eliminate it.

Nine years ago, Iowa voters clearly expressed their desire to protect marriage in the state through their elected and accountable representatives.

Now, some of those elected representatives have thwarted the will of the people to constitutionally protect marriage between one man and one woman.

The will of the people should not be trumped by a special interest group bent on using the courts to destroy marriage.

We’re all in trouble if special interests become more important than strong families.

Second, some time ago, the Executive Board of Administration issued a statement supporting the Federal Marriage Amendment which was before Congress. This statement clearly addresses the stance of the Assemblies of God on the issue of homosexual marriage. You may find it helpful:

Homosexual Marriage Statement
The Assemblies of God is deeply concerned about the attack on biblical, moral values in our nation, especially the aggressive attempt of the pro-homosexual lobby to redefine marriage. The Bible teaches marriage is God-ordained and is to be a life-long commitment between one man and one woman. (Matthew 19:4-5).
God’s design for marriage goes back to mankind’s beginning. The family, as God’s means of propagating His creation, grows out of this primary human relationship. The consistent sexual ideal of the Bible is abstinence for those outside of monogamous heterosexual marriage and faithfulness for those inside such a marriage. There is absolutely no affirmation of homosexual activity found anywhere in Scripture. However, there is abundant evidence that homosexual behavior, along with illicit heterosexual behavior, is immoral and comes under the judgment of God.
The church believes, in the light of biblical teaching, that the growing cultural acceptance of homosexual identity and behavior is symptomatic of a broader spiritual disorder that threatens the family, the government and the church.
Third, you may want to access more information and tools from the Iowa Family Policy Center at www.ifpc.org.

Bless the Broken Road

Looking forward to this Sunday as we continue our series on God and the Grand Ole Opry. I thought the band did a great job last Sunday on "Jesus take the Wheel." This week we will be exploring the song "Bless the Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts. We will be looking into the life of Joseph and how God was able to bless his broken road and how God can bless our broken roads as well. See you Sunday and invite someone you know!

Great Weekend

What a great weekend we had at Community Hope. To start things off we had our annual Softball game on Saturday night. Sad to say that we lost our first game which meant we lost the trophy from last year. Oh well, still had a blast and came back and won our second game. We kicked off the Fall with our Round Up Sunday and went back to two services. We had 143 in attendance which is a great start to the Fall. Sunday Night was the picnic and probably the greatest memory of the picnic is showed in this picture. Tammy Winburn lost her Mothers Ring in a volleyball match. We had what seemed to be at least 15 or more people looking for the ring. We were all on our hands and knees at one point looking through the grass. The award went to Cassidy Hubbard for finding the ring. Way to go Cassidy! All in all it was great weekend and I'm loooking forward to what God is going to do this Fall at CH!

I'm in the middle of TD Jakes book called "Reposition Yourself" This a great read for anyone who is looking to advance themselves spiritually, financially and as a leader. Jakes writes a lot differently then he preaches. I am amazed on how intelligent the guy is. I was really moved last night by his chapter on "Launching Yourself Toward Your Highest Goals." Jakes uses an illustration of a bow an arrow and quotes the scripture in Psalms 127:3-5. He talks about the three stages we must go through in order to reach our goals. Here they are:

1. Reservation- Before the arrows are even put in the bow, they are in reservation. Reservation is the process of waiting and the process of preparation before your goals can be accomplished. Many times, we are not ready or manage the future God has for us and so we must be in preparation for the future. Reservation can be difficult because we usually want thing and want them now. But God says, "Wait and Get Ready!"

2. Retraction- In order for an arrow to be released, the bow must be retracted as far back as possible. The further you pull back the farther the arrow goes. Retraction is the stage of bending and even going backwards before you move forward. Setbacks are not always a bad thing, affliction is not always a bad thing. Sometimes we must be pulled back to the point of breaking before God can release and use us. God can use our troubles for His good. Think of Martin Luther King Jr or Nelson Mandela. These great men went through their fair share of trouble but God used their trouble to turn two nations around and to think a different way. Think of the story of Joseph. Through Joseph's affliction, he was used by God to be second in command of all of Egypt and he was able to feed the people of God. Let us look at our troubles in a different light and let God use them for His good.

3. Release- This is the stage that God releases us to reach the goals and dreams He had in mind for us. This is the victory that God has in mind for all of us.

This three things were very encouraging to me and I hope an encouragement to you also! Next time you see a bow and arrow, remember these three stages that we must go through to achieve what God has in mind.

Compass for Discipleship

This Sunday we kick off our new Sunday School year and I'm more excited then ever about the great classes we have to offer. Here's the list and make sure you find a class for you!

Marriage and Parenting

Come discover with other what it means to have a great marriage and how to raise godly children!

Current Events and Prophecy

Discussion on the current events of today and how they apply to scripture

Adult Bible Class

This semester we will be talking about Abraham the great man of faith and also taking a look at women in the Bible!

Make sure you check these great classes out and remember Sunday School starts at 9:30 a.m! We will also be utilizing the new building for many of our classes.

Looking forward to our new series on September 9th called "God @ the Grand Ole Opry. We will be taking a look at three popular country music songs such as "Jesus take the Wheel" by Carrie Underwood and "Bless the Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts and discussing the spiritual meaning of the songs. This a great opportunity to invite those that may not attend church. I heard a staggering statistic that said 60% of Americans get their theology about God from music and movies. Most of the time, the church preaches against these things but I believe it is time that we start speaking to our culture in ways that they understand. There are thousands of Americans that has heard "Jesus take the Wheel" yet they have never set foot in a church. My prayer is that people will really understand what Jesus take the Wheel means. Let us use this opportunity and sermon series to reach out to those that need to hear this the most.

Keeping Under the Chuppah

We had a great Sunday yesterday as God's presence was so incredibly strong. I talked about the parallels of the Jewish Wedding to God's relationship to man according to Exodus 19 and 20. I think we miss so much sometimes in the scriptures not really understand the Jewish context. We tend to think Western but the Jews were great at using illustrations to get their point across. The Jewish Wedding is a great example. The Jewish bride and groom are married under the chuppah. The chuppah represents the glory of God that rests upon the marriage. The chuppah is there when they recite their vows and it is then moved over the bed when the bride and groom consummate the marriage. The point being that God rests above the marriage. Marriage is a representation of God to the world. It is interesting how our culture has tried to take marriage out of the chuppah. Satan has attacked the marriage and has brought something counterfeit. Satan is constantly trying to break up marriages and get people to settle for less. Satan has also taken sex which is supposed to be holy and pure and has made it dirty and has plastered it all over for everyone to see. It is our job to protect what God has made holy. Whether your single or married we all can take a stand and say, "I will not settle for the counterfeit but I will stay under the chuppah, God's plan for relationships."

Whirlwind

Well, I'm officially back from vacation and it has been a crazy week. I haven't had much time to blog with all that is going on. My uncle passed away on Monday so we had to drive to Des Moines to do the funeral. God keeps using me to speak to my family. Many of them do not know the Lord so I thank God for every time I get to speak into their lives.

On a positive note, I also have a wedding this week as well. The wedding is a Hawaiian theme so this is the first wedding that I've done that I get to wear a Hawaiian shirt and lei! What is really cool is the unity candle is Toucan Sam ( The parrot from Fruit Loops!) I love it!

Fishing Trip

Well, here it is. A whole week in Canada and yes Jen caught more fish then me. I only caught one fish the whole time. Oh well, it was beautiful there and we had a good time on the water. Jen caught a 33 inch Northern in the picture. With her is her Uncle from Olkahoma. Jen didn't wan't to touch the fish so he had to help her.

Vacation

Jen and I will be gone this Sunday as we will be headed to Canada with her Aunt and Uncle to do some fishing. I'm not a very good fisherman so I'm hoping my luck will change in another country. Pastor Keaton will be preaching Sunday so make sure you give him all your support.

God Moment

Sunday was one of those God-Moments. I was preaching in Revelations 2 where Jesus talks to the church about loosing its first love. The church has all the right head knowledge but their hearts had went a drift. Christ was calling them back to their first love which was Him. I used the illustration of Mount Everest and how only 1-8 people actually make it trying to climb the mountain. What is interesting is that most of the people that have died, have died climbing down the mountain instead of up. The illustration and point was that we have to be very careful when we get in a spiritually low place. There are some serious dangers in our spiritual lives if we drift from the things that are so important.

After the service, I had a woman come up to me in tears. She was visiting from Youngstown, OH (Which I'm very familiar of since we used to live in Cleveland.) She had family and friends at the Lake and decided to come to church that morning. In tears, she opened up her Bible to Revelations chapter 2. There in Revelation 2 was two obituaries of two young men. She went on to explain that these two men had died trying to climb Mount Everest and she was very close to them both. She has kept their obituaries in her Bible ever since and they were bookmarked in the passage I read that Sunday morning. WOW!

I'm not for sure what God was trying to say to this woman, but I know that God was trying to say something to her. I believe it wasn't coincidence that she happened to come to Montezuma, IA all the way from Ohio to hear about the First Love and the illustration of the mountain. God was obviously trying to say something. This was definitely one of those God-Moments that makes you say Wow!

Bait of Satan

Last night we started our video series on the "Bait of Satan." This curriculum is so important for any church to go through. So many people find themselves in offenses in the church and some people even leave the church because of offense. Jesus said that in the last days, many will be offended. I have seen this countless of times in my ministry. John Bevere lays it out so well on what our response should be in dealing with offense. I want to encourage anyone and everyone to attend this important teaching. We are meeting at 6 p.m. every Sunday Night.

10 YEARS

Today is Jen and I's 10th anniversary! Hard to believe its been 10 years since we've been married. We will be leaving tomorrow and headed to Des Moines for a little anniversary trip. Looking forward to getting away and spending some quality time together.

Reflections

This past Sunday it was two years since Jennifer and I accepted the position to be the new lead pastors of Community Hope. It is hard to believe that two years is already gone. When I think of the two years I think of the great times we have had to share with one another. This past week I was told of two pastor acquaintances that I know who have resigned from their pastorate to take other churches. These pastors started about the same time we came to Community Hope. As I reflected on that, my heart was stirred even more to stay and reach the community of Montezuma and the county of Powesheik. I stand on the dream that I know that God spoke in my heart over a year ago that Community Hope would a church that would reach the lost and be an example for other rural areas. I stand on these principles that I will not waiver on:

1. We will be Kingdom Focused
2. We will be Missions Minded
3. Reach every generation
4. Relevant to our culture
5. Every person can minister

These five essentials are so important for us as a church to move forward. I look forward to the years ahead serving this great church.

What a great week we had at Sports Camp! Here are some of the pics I promised. Make sure you come this Sunday for our special awards ceremony. The kids will be singing the songs they learned plus we will show a video of the week.

Sports Camp

Sports Camp is officially underway! We've had a great couple of days so far. Yesterday we had 44 kids and today we had 54. Thanks to all those who are helping out and making it a great week so far. I will try to post some pictures if I can.

Planted Seeds

Yesterday I got the chance to slip away and go to Des Moines to celebrate my bests friends accomplishment of being recruited to the Des Moines Fire Department. My buddy and I have been best best friends since kindergarten. While I was there I got to see some old friends from high school. One of these friends I had worked on and witnessed too about Jesus the four years in school. Sometimes it just seemed like a dead end. A couple years ago I saw him for the first time and I could tell that he was searching for something but had not yet crossed that line of faith. I once again was given the opportunity to share with Him about God's love. Well yesterday at the party my old friend came up to me and told me I would never believe that he had become a believer and was actively involved in a church. He and his wife had also been baptized together as well! He is even serving in his church's VBS this week. WE SERVE AN AWESOME GOD! My point is sometimes we may not see the fruit for our witness at the time but the seed has been planted in those that we share. I wasn't the one that harvested the fruit of my friend but I was able to plant the seed years ago in his life. How rewarding it is to see the seed grow and have someone come to faith in Christ.

Power of the Spirit

Yesterday we wrapped up our series on "Help Wanted". Yesterday was one of those challenging messages I believe for some of our people. We covered Acts 2 and the day of Pentecost. Three things happened on the day of Pentecost.

1. Given a new language
2. Given boldness
3. Given a heart to share with other people

I believe that God's Holy Spirit will do the same three things in our lives as well. When someone is filled with God's power they will receive a new language, they will be given boldness and they will be given a heart to share with other people. One of the things that stands out to me in this passage is it says that when the followers were filled with the Holy Spirit, the crowd that had gathered and witnessed this were "amazed and perplexed". I believe that Holy Spirit is amazing and perplexing at times. Our God is a supernatural God and will do supernatural things. We cannot fit God into our image and try to explain everything there is about Him and what He can do. The power of the Holy Spirit is a supernatural gift and is given to those who seek it. It is available so that we can receive empowerment from on high. This Thursday we will be giving opportunities for those who would like to receive this gift. Come for a time of worship and seeking God. I believe it will be a wonderful time in God's presence.

Camping Idea

Last weekend I took my family camping to Iowa Lake. We had a great time with the kids at the beach and also took a paddle boat on the lake. While we were there I noticed that the lake does a lot of family activities. One of the activities is they show an outdoor movie for the campers. They have built an outdoor theater screen and campers can bring their blankets and lawn chairs and watch a movie in the evening. As I was there, this thought came to me.....What if we built an outdoor theater behind our church? We can host family movie nights for the community and show some good wholesome movies. I presented this to some of our team members on Monday Night and they thought it was a good idea and are looking at plans on how we can build the screen. Let me know your thoughts, do you think Family Movie Nights would go well in the community?

Only True Church?

I don't know how many of you read the newspapers or watch the news but last week the Pope came out with a pretty bold statement. Here is the quote from MSN.com:

"In the latest document — formulated as five questions and answers — the Vatican seeks to set the record straight on Vatican II’s ecumenical intent, saying some contemporary theological interpretation had been “erroneous or ambiguous” and had prompted confusion and doubt.
It restates key sections of a 2000 document the pope wrote when he was prefect of the congregation, “Dominus Iesus,” which set off a firestorm of criticism among Protestant and other Christian denominations because it said they were not true churches but merely ecclesial communities and therefore did not have the “means of salvation.”
In the new document and an accompanying commentary, which were released as the pope vacations here in Italy’s Dolomite mountains, the Vatican repeated that position.
“Christ ‘established here on earth’ only one church,” the document said. The other communities “cannot be called ‘churches’ in the proper sense” because they do not have apostolic succession — the ability to trace their bishops back to Christ’s original apostles."

Basically this statement is saying that the Catholic church is the only true church and all other churches are not the "means of salvation." This is a pretty bold and scary statement from the Catholic church. First of all, no church can bring salvation to anyone. Only Jesus Christ can do that. It is not faith in a church but faith in Jesus that brings true salvation. Jesus clearly said, "I am the way, the truth and life, no one comes to the Father except through me." Jesus did not say, the Catholic church was the way, the truth and the life. When you take a look at the Catholic church there are many doctrinal errors that are outside the Word of God. First of all, they believe in a purgatory (place where people go after they die and the saints basically pray them into heaven.) They also believe in praying to other saints besides in the Name of Jesus. Many Catholics pray to Mary as if she was a god. Thirdly, the Catholic church has established the Apacrapha books that are added to the Bible. Scripture clearly tells us to not add or subtract to the Word. Scripture tells us that in the last days, many will try to deceive us from believing the true truth of Jesus Christ.

I believe that we need to stay away from groups that claim to put your faith in their church and their particular teachings. Jesus never put His faith in institutions but rather simple faith in Him.

If you missed this past Sunday, we started a new series called "Help Wanted." We are talking about how we can receive guidance from the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is such a vital part of our walk with God. Without Him, we could not do it. Jesus said it was to "our advantage that the Helper would come." Over the next few weeks we will be talking about how the Holy Spirit can help us with our walk with God. I am excited to see what God is going to do in the coming weeks!

Conflict Resolution

Spent all day yesterday in Des Moines for District Meetings. The District has appointed me as a part of a Church Health Team. It is pretty exciting to think and strategize how we can plant new churches and revitalize others. While we were there Glenn Reynolds did a teaching session on conflict management. It was really good so I wanted to share some of the points that he made.

There is a good way to handle conflict and then there is a bad way to handle conflict. If conflict is handled in a bad way it can result in 1) Damage to individuals 2) Loss of personnel 3) Damage to organizational trust 4) Loss of learning opportunity 5) Root of bitterness. These are five costs of poor conflict resolution. If conflict is handled the right way then; 1) Surface key issues and tensions 2)Build relational currency 3) Produce new and creative ideas 4) Cause organizations to re-evaluate and clarify goals and mission. 5) Allows for experiential learning. I have been on both sides of conflict and believe me, I would rather be on the healthy side then the unhealthy side of conflict.

So how do we resolve conflict? One way is use the triangle of Satisfaction. On the top of the triangle is the "What?". What is the tip of the iceberg? What is the conflict about? After you deal with the what, we then need to deal with the "Why?". Why did this conflict happen? Is there any Psychological or Emotional Issues behind this? One District Leader met with a board member who gave all his pastors a hard time. Each pastor ended up leaving the church because of this particular board member. Finally, a District official asked the board member if he ever met a pastor that he actually liked. The board member replied, "Yes, one and that pastor molested me when I was a child." The "Why?" behind why that board member was so mean to all his pastors was because of something that happened to him as a child and to this day he could not trust any pastor. Usually in conflict, there is an issue behind the issue. We need to discover the "Why?" of conflict. The final stage is the "How?". How do we resolve this issue or heal the past? In other words, how can we move forward? Is there issues that we need to deal with in our past? Do we need to go and ask for forgiveness to someone? Do we need to forgive the past? Conflict is not resolved unless we move forward from it.

I hope this helps anyone with dealing with issues of conflict. Conflict affects our marriages, our family and our churches. If we know how to deal with conflict when it comes, it will be a lot less painful when it happens.

Community 4th of July Service

Today we had our community service on the lawn of the courthouse. It is truly amazing that all the churches in our area can get together and worship, especially on the court house lawn of all places. What incredible freedom we have here in the United States. There are many nations that surround us that do not have the freedom to worship as we do. I know there are a lot of things wrong with our nation, but let us also be thankful for the things that we have. I am thankful for the right to go to church, play worship music in the great outdoors, and hear the Word of God preached without being scared of the government coming and arresting us or even killing us. Praise be to God! Let us be thankful for the freedom's God has given us.

Looking to be used

I was standing in Casey's yesterday talking to one of the members in our church when a gentlemen came in with no shirt, shoes and socks. He was buying some cigarettes and you could tell he was pretty distraught. He went on to say that he just got out of jail and was told he had to walk home with no shoes. (His home was about 20 miles away.) I told him that I was a pastor of the church right across the street that I could find him a shirt. I was able to take him to the church, find a shirt that was exactly his size but no shoes. I then called Virgil Scott who is in charge of our food bank and clothing shelter and he happened to be home and said he had some shoes his size as well. What was the best part of all was I was able to pray for this gentlemen and then invite him to our Celebrate Recovery ministry. I don't know if he will come or not, but I was able to plant the seed.

What do you think?

This has been passed on to me by several people in our church and I wondered if anyone had thoughts on it.
National ID Cards/REAL ID Act & Prophecy in the News
"A few weeks ago I heard something from a televised Christian news channel that sent me reeling. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, so I spent a few minutes one morning verifying the information. My husband shook his head at me when I told him about my findings… he had known about it for some time. Where have I been? Hmmm, have you been in the dark with me?The House and the Senate are debating immigration bills that include provisions broadening the uses of REAL ID cards and licenses, which do not exist yet. Both bills create a national employment eligibility verification system, which would use REAL ID cards for identification and eligibility. The Senate bill forbids the use of non REAL ID cards in the verification system after 2013. Both bills permit the DHS Secretary to prohibit the use of certain documents for employment verification. This would give the DHS Secretary the power to mandate the use of national ID card,such as REAL ID card, as the sole acceptable document for employment eligibility in the US. The US Congress has passed the REAL ID Act of 2005 which mandates federal requirements for driver’s licenses and state compliance by May 2008. If the Department of Homeland Security Secretary doesn’t grant a state an extension to meet the certification requirements, then by May 11, 2008 if your state hasn’t met the requirements—you will not be entering a courthouse, onto a plane, receiving federal benefits such as SS or Medicare. Do you get the idea of where this may be heading? DHS contemplates using the REAL ID system as part of its Federal border security program and would like to know how States could incorporate long-range radio frequency identification (RFID) technology into the REAL ID card so that it could be used as part of the Western HemisphereTravel Initiative. What does the next 5 years hold? Will we be “chipped” or have some sort of bar-code for a scanner to “read us” just to have the liberty to hold a job or drive a car? What else? Come quickly Lord, Jesus!

We know what the Bible says about end times and that everyone will be forced to take the mark on the head or arm. Could this be the mark the Bible prophecy's about? We do know for sure that Jesus is going to return soon. All the signs are here so let's be prepared.

Sunday

Another Sunday in the books! We had more in the early service then the second service which was different from most Sundays. I think everybody wanted to get to the races. I finished our series today on the "Sickness Within". I finished by talking about envy. Envy is one of those things we don't talk about much yet we deal with it all the time. At least I know I do. I've really had to search my own heart this week as there are times that I can become envious of other pastors or churches. It is easy to look at others and play the compare game or the what if game. God has shown me in the Word to learn to be content with "Who I am" and "What He has given me." Along with celebrating the successes of others that I envy, I believe that envy can loose its grip on our hearts. I hope this series has been a help to all to clear our hearts of some of the junk that clogs it up so quickly.

Indy Cars

Friday I took Caleb to the track in Newton to see the Indy Cars. Thanks to the Bushong family for the tickets and Victor for showing us around. I was amazed on how loud those cars can get. I think Caleb thought it was pretty cool but possibly a little too loud for him. I should have brought him some ear plugs. The top speed while we were there was 182 miles an hour. I can't imagine going that fast! Probaby the best part was we were able to go down to where the cars have their pit stop. It was pretty cool to see the cars up close. I've never been a racing fan it was awesome to see the look on Caleb's face as he got to see some real racing cars for the first time. It was good day all and all.

Scary Thought

I've been thinking about a post from my friend Glenn Reynold's blog; here is what he says'
"Most Christians are a major tragedy away from giving up on their faith. I think it's true. Here's an even scarier thought--Many Christians are a minor inconvenience away from giving up their faith, or at least their church. If something goes wrong in a relationship, if the worship music isn't right, if someone doesn't call them back then they can easily give up church altogether. How do we build more commitment into the hearts of people?"

Good thought! It seems that some people tend to give up on their faith or church because of simple inconveniences. I think Satan sometimes works in the small ways more then the big ways. He knows that if he can get a person offended, busy, or away from the Word and prayer, he has a great advantage of getting people to slip from their faith. As a pastor, I've seen this far too many times. As my friend Glenn said in his blog, "How do we build more commitment in the hearts of people?"

Van Ministry

Today we start our new van ministry to the community. We will start out by offering rides from Monte to Grinnell for those who may need rides for medical appointments once month. This has been a need in our community as many people here do not have the transportation to get to a larger city. We are praying that God will use this to touch people by meeting their physical needs. If you take a look at scripture, you will notice that this is how Jesus often ministered. Jesus often met the needs physically before He met the needs spiritually. For example, Jesus healed the sick, turned water into wine and fed the 5,000. Jesus understood that if you want to touch the heart you must meet the outside physical needs first. As a body, let's look for ways to meet the physical needs of the people around us and as we do this, we will pray that their hearts will be open to the spiritual need as well.

Happy Fathers Day

Yesterday was Father's Day so the family and I went to IA City to celebrate by eating lunch at the Olive Garden and going to the mall. My kids got me a shirt that says coolest dad on it, pretty cool! All in all it was a great day to spend with the family. I hope all you dads out there had a great day as well.

The sickness of Greed

Continuing our series on the sickness within, and my message Sunday was on Greed. We often don't think of greed as being a sickness but Jesus identified it as an issue of the heart. In fact, Jesus taught more about money and possessions then He did faith. I often wonder why people get upset when you talk about money in church when Jesus sure talked about it a whole bunch. Money and possessions can easily consume us. So what is the cure for greed? Naturally it should be giving. Sunday I used the illustration of the cantaloupe. God has given us all cantaloupe. (Some large piles, some medium, and some small.) The pile of cantaloupe doesn't matter, what matters is what you are doing with it. God says to give a portion of your cantaloupe back to Him. Scripture calls it the tithe. (10% of the increase.) God is always a God of firsts in the Bible. (Firstborn, First fruits, etc.) God says give to Him first. In other words don't eat the cantaloupe which is rightfully His. Adam and Eve ran into this problem in the Garden of Eden. They ate of the fruit that God said was His. Because of their sin, Adam and Eve were cursed. When we eat of the fruit that God has given us, we are throwing away the seeds of blessing that God wants to pour out on our lives. When we decide to give God our firsts, we are scattering seeds of blessings on our lives. Time and time again, the Bible promises us that if we give, God will take care of us. Malachi tells us that we will not have enough room to receive the blessings that God has if we give to Him first. So the question for all of us is, what are we doing with the cantaloupe that God has given us. Are we being greedy and holding it dear to our hearts, or our we giving back a portion that is rightfully Gods? When we give, greed's grip lets go and we set ourselves up for the blessings of God.

Church Planting

We had our church planting meeting once again in Iowa City today. Pastor Keaton got to be there for the first time which I was really excited about. Today we talked about Self-Awareness leadership. This was really good for me as we talked about how God can you a crisis in our ministry and use it to shape us and our church. To be honest, I'm not to fond of crisis' and I especially hate conflict. (I usually run from it.) What is amazing though is through a crisis situation, we grow closer to God and rely on Him more. Isn't that what God wants from us as leaders? I'm amazed that it is usually a crisis situation that ministry emerges and God births something new if I'm relying on Him and not myself. So instead of running, I need to embrace and let God do what He needs to do. This only happens through prayer and servanthood. It is through this process that God usually works on our character and shapes us to be more like Him. This is the ultimate goal of every leader.

Caleb turns 6

Wow, I can't believe my buddy boy is turning six today. Time seems to fly. I will never forget the moment the doctor told us that we had a boy. A lot of emotions that day. First of all, Caleb's middle name is Donald after my dad. My dad wouldn't be more prouder of having a Jones boy. I was the last one in the family to carry on the name. ( I know that sounds weird since there are so many Jones' but in my family blood line, I was the last one.) Now we have Caleb and Ethan! Tonight we will be having a birthday party with lots of Disney Cars stuff. It will be a lot of fun!

Celebrate Recovery

It's almost been a year that God birthed Celebrate Recovery in our church. I will have to say, it's been a roller coaster since we started. I will never forget the conversation I had with the leader of the Celebrate Recovery leader in Des Moines when he told me that it was going to be a spiritual battle. Boy was he right! I was encouraged last night not by the numbers but by the Spirit. There always seems to be a sweet Spirit in Celebrate Recovery. Props goes to Fawnda Roberts for sharing her experiences this week. It was really encouraging. Who knows what God is going to do in the following months with CR, but I know God is not finished.

New Look

Our bulletin will be getting a new look in the upcoming weeks. The ones we had have currently run out and it has been two years since the first design. The colors on this is wrong but will be our normal blue and white. My friend Rich Greene designed the cover for us and I think it looks awesome. I love the different generations on the cover, really fits us well.

Sickness Within

Started a new sermon series last week called "The sickness within." I'm really excited about dealing with some of the issues that come from the heart. Proverbs tells us to guard our hearts with all diligence because out of it flows the issues of life." Last week I talked about guilt and how guilt says, "I owe you." The only way we can heal guilt is through confession. Not only are we to confess to God, but also the person that we owe. Our relationship with God hinges on our relationships with others. I think we tend to forget that at times. Over the next few weeks I will be dealing with anger, greed and jealousy. Looking forward to cleaning our hearts out for the next few weeks!

Back from Disney

We are back from seven straight days at Disney World. It was truly a incredible time. Jen or I had never been there so it was neat to experience the whole thing together and with the two oldest. What I find amazing about Disney is there care for the customer. When Jen and I arrived at the airport, Disney actually took our bags straight to the hotel so we didn't have to carry them. They transported us everywhere from park to park and when it was time to leave we checked our baggage in the motel and they gave us our bordering passes right there so we didn't have to do it at the airport. Pretty cool! My short time there got me thinking about the church as well. What if the church showed this kind of hospitality? What if the church showed this kind of kindness to strangers when they showed up on a Sunday? The Bible is full of commands for us to show hospitality to those outside and inside the church. As God's people, the church should be known as a place where people can come and feel welcomed. I know the church isn't Disney World, but I believe it should have the same reputation of caring and taking care of those that come inside.

Headed to Disney World

I'm going to be taking a blogging vacation for the next week as I will be taking my family to Florida to Disney World. I can't wait to spend some time with kids this week. Please pray for us as we are gone!

Simons Building

Today we voted on the purchased of the Simon's building right next to ours. I am amazed with the unity of this church week in and week out. The church voted 72-0 on purchasing the building. The building is the exact same size that we currently have so it doubles our space plus we can finally have adequate space for youth and Sunday School. God is definitely awesome and moving here in Montezuma!

Two Services

Well we officially kicked off our two services this past Sunday. I would have to say that things went smoother then I thought. The transition between Sunday School and first service wasn't so bad. Our numbers were a little low yesterday. This past weekend was prom for our Montezuma kids so I'm not for sure if that had anything to do with it. God was still good as Daren Mathes gave his testimony on how his faith has stayed strong this past year even through many trials. I think Daren is a good example of someone like Job in the Bible. Daren has been through a lot yet he has never cursed God through it all.

Daren's testimony made me think that we need to hear more testimonies in our church. Testimonies build us up and strengthen us as the body of Christ. If you have a testimony sometime, don't be afraid to share it. God may use you to help someone us out when they are in need.

Easter Weekend

What fabulous weekend we had this Easter. Even in the freezing cold, our Easter Egg Hunt was a huge success. Over 190 children attended our Egg Hunt this year. Way to go Pastor Keaton for all your hard work. I expect to get some pictures up soon on the website so everyone can see.

Easter services were a huge blessing as well as had 169 people attend between our two services. Pray that seeds were planted in people's heart this weekend as the Word of God came forth. Thanks to everyone who volunteered and made this weekend a great one!

http://www.archive.org/download/CommunityHopeEvangelism101/Evangelism101m.mpg

Here is the video we did Sunday on how not to do evangelism. Hope you enjoy for those that missed.

Easter is coming

Gearing up for Easter weekend and I'm really excited to see what God is going to do. We are trying several things to reach more people this year.

- Every person in Montezuma will get an invite card in the mail to our Easter Services
- Easter Egg Hunt will be held this Saturday. We are hiding over 8,000 eggs!
- Two week newspaper ad plus local tv spots.
- We put a banner outside the church about Easter as people drive by Highway 63 everyday.

Let's pray and believe God for a great harvest this Easter!

We are gearing up for our 2nd Egg Hunt for the community. We are wanting to hide 8000 eggs this year at the School field and as you know 8000 eggs means lots of candy. One of the businesses in town gave me a call yesterday and said that they wanted to donate not just some of the candy but ALL OF THE CANDY! Isn't God awesome! We can now use the money that we would have used for candy for prizes. God amazes me every day.

Walk across the room

I am reading a book right now by Bill Hybels called, "Walk across the room." It is a book on sharing your faith in simple ways. It is amazing if we just ask the Holy Spirit to use us, how He will. There are tons of opportunities for us to share our faith or God's love to someone if we are just open and listening to His voice. God has given me the opportunity this week to share God's love with my own family. As many of you know my cousin lost her husband on Saturday to a car accident. He was in his late twenties and has left behind four little children. My family is not Christian and through this tragic event, God gave has given me the opportunity to share my testimony and faith. Even though I don't believe it was God's will for my cousins husband to die so young, I do believe that God uses every opportunity to draw people to Him. I pray for God's wisdom as I conduct the services this Friday and that people will be drawn to Him.

Church Planting

I spent all my day last Thursday in Iowa City with the church planters in Iowa. My friend Rich Greene is looking at doing something out of the box which I'm really excited about. They are looking at purchasing a building in North Liberty and converting it to a box theater where bands can come and play. There is currently a larger theater in Iowa City that holds 1000 people but some bands can't fill the space. So the idea is to build something smaller. The space would have a coffee house and an auditorium that would seat 300 or so. The church would own the theater and be able to have church there on Sunday's. Jesus did something similar in the New Testament. If you read the scriptures you will find that Jesus spent most of His time in the marketplace not in the synagogues. Instead of trying to get people to go to church, the church needs to go to them. Rich is doing exactly that by this idea. People from all over the city would walk through their doors that normally would not go to church. Absolutely awesome!

THE NAME

It was great to be back in gear on Sunday and have church once again. You seem to be missing something during the week without it. Yesterday we continued our series on temptation and how to defeat the enemy. We cannot forget that one of the tools that God has given us is the power of the Name. Jesus' Name is the only name that is above everything in heaven and earth. Jesus gave us the "power of attorney" to use that name before He went back to heaven. the power of attorney simply gives a person the right to act on someones behalf. This is exactly what Jesus did. Jesus said that in my Name, you will cast out demons, heal the sick and even be protected if deadly things come upon you. Peter and John understood the power in Acts 3 when the crippled man was healed. It was by the Name of Jesus that the man stood up and walked for the first time. Let us remember that when we are faced with temptation and attacks from the enemy, that Jesus has given us the right to use His Name. His Name has the power over anything that may be thrown at us.

Icy Weekend

What can I say but this has been a crazy weekend. We lost power on Saturday around 10:30 a.m. and we are yet to have power. I am currently staying at the church with my family because there is heat and power there. (I love my job but this gives living at the church a whole new meaning.) One of things I hated most about this weekend is canceling church. This is twice this year that we've had to cancel. I hate missing the presence of God and the people of God the most. For now its just me and the family hanging out and playing monopoly. Hoping to get the power on soon so we can get back to normal life!

Happy Reunion

The last few weeks have pretty crazy. As many of you know Josh came home Saturday night to do a free concert at his old high school in Martensdale. Nashville Star got a hold of my sister and said they wanted to do a reunion with him and his mom. All I can say is God is good as we got to see Josh for the first time in a long time. I was thankful to the Nashville Star staff as they were very gracious to us and giving us time to spend with Josh. You can see some of the footage Thursday Night at 9 p.m. on the USA Network. God is good and I'm especially happy for my sister.

http://www.archive.org/download/CommunityHopePauseWars/Pause_Wars.mpg

For those that missed the video on Sunday I decided to post in on the blog. Hope you enjoy and may the force be with you.

Leading

I was reading Craig Groschell's blog the other day about why some churches make it and some don't. Here is what it said:

Some church plants make it. Some don’t.
Some ministries grow and reach people for Christ. Some slowly die.
Some student ministries explode. Others implode.
I’ve often wondered why. What’s the difference? While only God can sort out the details, I’ve noticed one phrase that leaders of struggling ministries often repeat. If a leader says this phrase too many times, worse yet, believes it, the ministry or organization will likely struggle or fade away. I call it the “phrase of death.” What is this deadly combination of words?
“The people won’t…”
Here is what someone might say:
“The people won’t bring their lost friends.”
“The people won’t tithe?”
“The people won’t get into small groups.”
“The people won’t serve.”
“The people don’t care about the poor.”
“The people won’t come to the prayer meeting.”
“The people won’t do what I want them to do.”

There’s a fine line between asking someone to do something and leading them to do something. If we just ask a crowd of people to do something, they probably won’t. But if we lead them, chances are much better they will.

8 Responses to “The People Won't

Perhaps we should concentrate of or better yet begin to state these words “I will…”
• I will go• I will give• I will create a small group• I will serve that small group• I will care about the poor• I will pray for all• I will do what others won’t do

Perhaps the answer lies in what each of us “Will Do” not so much in what we say … the scripture does teach that we are to let our light so shine that they see our “good works” and glorify our father which is in heaven.

Crazy Ride and Nashville Star

Well just an update on what is happening with my nephew Josh and Nashville Star. My sister got a call last night from someone from the show and Josh wants to see her. He is coming in this weekend and he is going to do a free concert in Martensdale High School on Saturday night. They want the whole family there for a sort of reunion and its all going to be taped. It will be a late night on Saturday and then get up to preach on Sunday but I want to be there for my sister. My prayer is that this will be a new beginning and fresh start for my sister who hasn't seen her son in over fifteen or so years.

Yesterday our ladies wrapped over 80 valentine plates full of cookies and cupcakes for absentees and prospects for our church. I was amazed by all the plates that were made! I had the chance to deliver a few of them last night and I know everyone was truly grateful. It's amazing what a little plate of cookies can do. We prayed before we delivered the plates that when the people take a bite of cookies they would be reminded of God's love for them.

For those that watched Nashville Star last night, you heard Josh's song that was written for his mom which is my sister. Lots of emotions running last night since it's been ten years or more since I've seen Josh. I know Josh has been hurt by a lot of things in the past and it's really too bad. Divorce can be an ugly thing and Josh does not know the entire story. I know his mom dearly loves him and would like nothing more to connect with him. None of our family has known for years where he has been until all of a sudden he shows up on t.v. This really reminds me of the power of forgiveness and the words of Jesus. We all make mistakes and none of us are perfect and so I'm glad for the forgiveness of Jesus and I'm glad that I can then offer that forgiveness to others. My prayer is that someday Josh will come around and really want to connect with his true mom. I know that our side of the family would want nothing more then to accept him back no matter if he is a Nashville Star or not.

Turning 30

This Saturday I officially turn 30. I remember when I was kid 30 seemed really old but now since I'm turning 30 it doesn't seem so bad. I guess my twenty-something years are over and for awhile I had a hard time with that but now I'm coming to grips with it. Jesus was thirty when He started His official ministry and David was thirty when he became king. My prayer is that the next few years will be a year of getting to know God more, growing more in wisdom and faith and being used by God in a great more powerful way!

This Sunday we are starting a new series called "Pause." We will be dealing with how to fight temptation and the devil. Sometimes I think we take the devil and temptation too lightly. Jesus has called us to defeat temptation and He has showed how we can stand over the devil. Over the next four weeks we will be learning how to do just that and learn to pause before we give into temptation and the devil. Make sure you plan to attend church the next four weeks!

Celebrating 3 Years

We had a great service Sunday. I can't believe it has been three years since Community Hope started as an official church. Gary Smith started out talking about how it doesn't matter how we start the race but how we finish! I am thankful for Gary and his family for starting Community Hope. Cary Vankampen spoke next about the first days of him coming as the launch pastor. Cary told how the Lord spoke to his heart that Community Hope would be unlike any other church but to let God lead and for him to get out of the way. Cary and I spoke on the same scripture verse in the book of Matthew. Cary and I had not spoke to each other about what we are going to say. God's Spirit was trying to tell all of us the same things.

1. Jesus went to the people/ To be the church, we must go to the people!
2. Jesus had compassion/ Jesus had compassion for the sick and hurting
3. Jesus told us to pray for laborers into the harvest/ Word in the verse is send out which means eject. We need to eject out of our comfort zones and go spread the message of the kingdom.

I am so thankful for Mike and Ann Emheiser who was there to lead us in worship Sunday. Ann gave her testimony of how she had not played the piano since they left. It was very moving and powerful way to end the service. I am thankful for three years of ministry at Community Hope, but I am even more thankful the years and the things to come!