Vacation

Jen and I will heading off on Saturday to celebrate our 11th anniversary. We will be going on a seven day cruise to the Caribbean. We have never done any thing like this before so it should be fun. By the way, no kids, just the wife and I! John Bushong will wrap up our series on the "New You" on Sunday. I can't wait to listen to the podcast and watch the last video. Who knows what Jason will end up looking like? I will try to post some pics of the beautiful sites if I can, I am not for sure if Internet will be available to us or not. I will see everybody in a couple weeks!

No one stands alone

I was reading in John Burkes book "No perfect people allowed" and he said that they have statement they use quite often in their church which is "No one stands alone." In other words, their congregation is trained to know if they see someone standing alone in the parking lot, foyer, or sanctuary, to go and stand with them and engage them in a conversation. As I was thinking on this statement I thought of how powerful it would be if we would embrace this same statement. I know that we are known as a friendly church but my concern is that we can easily just be friendly to those we know and are close too. It is very uncomfortable when a person walks into the church for the first time and doesn't know anyone. Jen and I have friends in Des Moines who were looking for a new church. We told them about a church that we know and seems to have a great reputation. I know the pastor personally and he is a great leader and a great teacher. The church even has outstanding worship. When we talked to the couple after Sunday services they made it clear that they probably wouldn't be back. Their decision was not based on how nice the building was, how great the worship was or even how good the preaching. In fact, they enjoyed the service aspect. But what made their decision not to come back was that no one was friendly. They said the greeter greeted them at the door but other then that, no one said a word to them. In other words, they were in a room full of people yet they felt all alone. This is an eye opener for me as a leader. I can be the greatest preacher and we can have the greatest worship, but if someone feels alone, they are not going to come back. That is why all of us need to embrace this value. Next time you see someone standing alone or even sitting alone in our church, make the move towards them and engage in conversation. If they have kids, tell them about our children's ministry and help them where they need to go. Let no one at Community Hope stand alone!

I just bought a Wii

I was at Walmart tonight and in the video game section noticed that they just got in some Nintendo Wii's. If you are video game junky (like myself) you know that these systems are hard to get. I thought it would be great to give one of these systems away for the 7 project night but didn't know if we could get a hold of one. I went ahead and picked one up for our grand prize. Now the temptation is to open it up and just play once.

Dead to sin

We continued our message series on the "New You" yesterday at church. We continued this idea with the topic, "In Christ, I am dead to sin." Sin is something we often don't like to discuss. We often get very uncomfortable when we start talking about particular sins as well. The truth is, sin is there and it must be dealt with. If we don't deal with it, it will easily master us. Paul says in Romans 5 and 6 that when we are "In Christ" we are no longer enslaved to sin. You and I can have the power over sin when we are "In Christ." Before we came to know Christ we were "In Adam." Because of the first sin, every generation has to deal with sin. The results of sin is death and condemnation. The good news is God didn't leave us "In Adam." Because of what Christ did on the cross, we can move from "In Adam" to "In Christ." When we make this move, we are immersed the Bible says into Christ's death and resurrection. In other words our sin is crucified at the cross and we are given new life through the resurrection. In other words, I am not the same person that I once was. Because of what Christ did, Romans says that now we have been given the power to be dead to sin but alive to God. This is powerful news for each of us. "In Christ" I am no longer a slave to whatever it is that is holding me down. There are many Christians today that are under the bondage of sin. It's not God's will that we live this way. It's God's will that we have victory over sin. This does not mean that we will never be tempted to sin or sin does not exist, but "In Christ" I can have the victory over it. In order for us to do this, we must believe that God has given us the power. Believe who you are "In Christ." Believe that "In Christ" you are dead to sin but alive to God.

Men's Shooting

Went to Big Springs today with our men and shot some clay pigeons. I've got to say, me with a gun can be quite scary. I've only shot a few times and that is only at pop cans. I was highly impressed with the facility at Big Springs. It hard to believe we have such a place right here in Monte. I had a great time with the guys and I didn't do so bad for my first time. I even hit a few! We will see how I feel tomorrow as I'm feeling the affects of the kick back on my gun. ( I see a big bruise coming.) Thanks to Royce for putting this event together. He even grilled hamburgers and brat burgers for us after we were all done. Yum!!! It is always good to fellowship with other men.

Share your faith

I was really challenged this past Sunday by Daren's testimony of sharing his faith with his boss and co-worker. Earlier that week he told me that he felt God was leading him to ask them if they wanted to receive Christ but he didn't know what to say. My advice was simply to open your mouth as the scripture says and allow the Holy Spirit to speak for you. When he came up to me early Sunday morning and told me that he led both of them to Christ, I was so excited that God had used him in this way. I knew God wanted him to share this with the whole church. I love Daren's challenge to each and every one of us to try to win one person to Christ in the next few months. If everyone could win one, God could do some awesome things in our community. Daren shared last night that his boss and co-worker are asking questions and have a hunger to get to know Christ more. I gave him some materials last night and a Bible to help. Let us all be bold and look for the divine opportunities to share our faith with those around us. Believe the promise that if you open your mouth, the Holy Spirit will speak for you. Let's go and share our faith!

7 Project

As many of you know the 7 project is coming to Monte on September 10th. It is also coming to Tri-County on the 8th, BGM on the 9th. For those who are not familiar with 7 I thought I would give you a run down.

Heath Adamson is the 7 project director. He will come to the school on the 10th and give a school assembly. He will talk about character issues like bullying, peer pressure or drugs. Heath is a Christian and what he will do is invite the kids back to an evening rally where he will share his faith story. The evening rally will also be at the school and this is where we will have an evangelistic event. He will give a simple salvation message and call kids to receive Christ. The 7 has had some unbelievable results. Thousands of kids have been saved all across Iowa through this event. This is an incredible opportunity for us as a community to see kids won to Christ.

I would like you all to be in prayer for this event in the following weeks. Please pray that God would open the hearts of the students and teachers of our community. Let's believe that souls will be won through the 7 project.

Bold Prayers

This past Sunday we continued to talked about who we are "In Christ." I find it amazing all the scriptures that talk about who are "In Him." I think it is important that we begin to see ourselves as God sees us. As we begin to see ourselves as God sees us, it will allow us to live as children of God and as children we are then heirs and co-heirs with Christ. Ephesians and Hebrews tells us that as children of God we have every right to go to God with boldness and confidence that we can come to Him by faith and ask anything in our time of need. I was reading this morning from 1 Samuel 7 and even David had this type of relationship with God. David prayed some pretty bold prayers. He didn't always get everything he prayed for, but he prayed with a boldness. He knew that God was All-Powerful and was capable of doing anything. This week here are some bold prayers I am praying for our church:

1. God, double our church in the next year, not for numbers sake but to expand Your kingdom.
2. God, let every person in our church find a ministry so that they can be used by You.
3. Bless our finances so we can do more for Your Kingdom
4. God, use the 7 project to reach our school and community for You.
5. Continue to give us a spirit of unity so we can be a reflection of You to those outside our church.

These are just a few bold prayers I have been praying. What bold prayers are you praying? Feel free to post a comment on the blog.

New You Video

If you are interested in seeing part one of our video from last week Vic has posted it on our website. Just go to the media section and click on the link. Can't wait for part 2 this week!

What do you do?

As a pastor I don't know how many times I have been asked this question. "What do you do all week?" To be honest, every week is a little different. Every week I have a to write my sermon, make my outline and powerpoint. This takes a bulk of my time as writing the message for Sunday is my number one priority. I also have to write a Bible Study for Thursday night as well but other projects usually differ. Here is an example of what this week looked like:

Monday: Follow up and review from Sunday, hospital visits, getting ready for finance meeting. In the evening we had our finance meeting that starts 6:30 p.m. and lasts until around 9 p.m.

Tuesday: This is my study and writing day. I try to spend most of my day studying, praying and writing my message. Tuesday nights we usually have our team meeting with our worship leader and children's/kids pastor.

Wednesday: I wrap up and finish my message for Sunday. I also work on projects this day and schedule meetings. This week I had three meetings with different people on Wednesday.

Thursday: In the morning I write my Bible Study for Thursday night. Getting ready to get back into the book of 1 Corinthians. I also wrap up my projects (This week would include the 7 project, Back to School Outreach and Missions items.) This particular week we had a member have surgery so I will go to the hospital and pray and sit with the family. I also put together my powerpoint and write the outline that is inserted in the bulletin for Sunday on Thursday. I also email any new bulletin items so that the bulletin can be put together.

Friday: This is my day off to spend with the family.

Saturday: I usually head to the church for a few hours, make sure we are Sunday ready and study my sermon.

Sunday: I'm usually at the church between 6:30-7:00 a.m. We have the two services with Sunday School in between. I am physically and mentally exhausted after Sunday service. I don't know if I'm the only pastor that feels this way but after church, I crash.

This is a typical week for me. Every week looks a little different but I hope this gives everyone an idea of what I do.

It is Good to Pray

I spent a good portion of this morning in prayer and I've got to say to is good to pray. There is something about prayer that allows you to release your burdens and just give them to God. I always feel so much better after spending time with God and I always feel so much worse when I don't. When I don't pray I feel spiritually drained. Prayer allows my spiritual tank to be refueled. Here are some tips when you pray:

1. Find a place with no distractions- I find that I need to find a place where I am away from the phone and when I am at home behind a closed door so I will not be interrupted.

2. Have a Bible with you- I sometimes read the scriptures out loud when I pray. This allows the Word to speak to me in a personal way.

3. Be vulnerable to God- In other words, be yourself. You don't have to pray in the King James language. God wants us to come to Him as we are and share whatever is on our heart.

4. Take time to listen- This is hard because our minds are constantly filled with thoughts but I find it good to sometimes just be still and allow God's Spirit to speak to me.

Sunday Reflections

Here are some thoughts from Sunday:

- I thought the worship team did a great job with the song "I know who I am" by Israel Houghton. Our worship team is going through some huge transitions right now and they are doing a great job using the talent they have.

- I enjoyed Jerry Minner and Brenda Smith's special music. I am excited to add some specials to our services. I had one gentlemen I took to lunch tell me that out of our whole service, he enjoyed their song the most.

- Our first video of the "New You" was a home run. Vanna Bushong is AMAZING with video editing. Thanks to Derek, Amber, Katy and of course Jason for being a part of this video series.

- Our attendance was really low considering all the promo work we did for this series. We are definitely feeling the affects of summer.

- It was great to preach this Sunday after having two Sundays of not being in the pulpit.

- I am totally excited about recording our messages now on Sunday. After church I went home and listened to the CD of the message. ( I know that may sound weird but I am constantly reviewing my self)

Officially Podcasting

Today we recorded our first message and we are up in running with our podcast. It sounds really good besides the worship song in the end. You can listen on our website or subscribe with I-Tunes. I am totally pumped about using this as an outreach tool. Make sure you tell everyone you know!

We are starting our new sermon series on Sunday called the "New You." We will be talking about who we are "In Christ." I am really excited about this series as we will be having special videos that will go along with each message. I will try to post the videos if the files are not too large.

Keep Shining!

I was over to my friends house Sunday in Des Moines and he shared some exciting news about a friend we both had in high school. My friend recently gave his heart to the Lord and got baptized and I just found out that he is now a deacon in the church and even leading Bible studies. What is so cool about this is in high school he didn't want anything to do with God. I remember praying for him and inviting him to church. Now almost thirteen years later he is serving God and his church. Almost five years ago I ran into him and he told me that I made an impact on him in high school and that he was searching. I had no idea that I had made an impact during those years but something was working on his heart. My point is, don't give up on those you are praying for and those you are witnessing too. You never know when their heart will open. Keep shining your light and continue to be salt. It could be a week, a month or even years before you see fruit but remember that your witness does count and you are making a difference!

Website

Our website is officially up and running. You can check it out at www.communityhope.org. I encourage everyone to use this as an outreach tool. If someone isn't quite ready to walk through our doors they can check us out on the web. They will even be able to listen to the messages if they would like. Thanks again to Victor Bushong for his hard work on this project.

Happy 4th

Celebrated the 4th yesterday in Des Moines with a parade, bbq and fireworks. Always fun getting with the family. Today was Monte's 4th activities. We walked in the parade and handed out candy as a church. It seemed like there were more people this year then years past. Thinking maybe we should do something on the square afterwards as well. Tomorrow is the community service with all the other churches. It is always neat to get together with the other churches and celebrate not only our freedom as a nation but our freedom in Christ. See you at the courthouse!

Kids Crusade

We finished our Transformers Kids Crusade last night. Pastor Keaton did a great job teaching transforming truths of the Bible to the kids each night. We wrapped up with an offering contest between two teams of the autobots and the decepticons. I was representing the decepticons and Pastor Keaton was representing the autobots. Whoever lost the offering contest got slimed at the end of the week. As you can see, I lost and got slimed. This was the first year my team lost. It was all worth a good cause though and the kids had lots of fun seeing me covered in slime. Pretty disgusting to get off though.

Question of Discipleship

I just got done reading Perry Noble's blog on "The question of discipleship?" This is a great article and I encourage everyone to read it. Perry's blog is on my blog list so just click the link. I have had the question thrown at me many times about how Community Hope disciples people. This is a very difficult question and I like Perry's insight to this question. Let me know what you think.