Night at the food pantry

We took our our teens last night to the food pantry to stock some food and hang some clothes. We have been talking about what angers God over the last few weeks and I thought this would be a great idea to actually put actions to our faith. One of the things I believe more and more is that our kids need to start being the church instead of just coming to church. We need to find opportunities for them to be used by God. It may not seem like much to just stock some food but it is an opportunity to for them to go outside their comfort zone and know that they can make a difference. We had lots of fun and I know Virgil, the food pantry coordinator was blessed by us being there.

I hate flat tires

OK, so since I live on a gravel road I have had more flat tires then anyones business. This week coming to church I had a flat tire, got a newer tire and had it replaced and three days later my newer tire is now flat. Jen has been dropping me off at the office as I haven't had the time to go and get it fixed just yet. You would think that with all today's technology that they would have come up with an indestructible tire by now. If they ever do, I will be the first buy.

Weekend thoughts

We had another great weekend, here are a few things things that went on:

-Saturday we had our "Fall Fun for Food" kids event. My wife did a great job organizing this event as the kids had a blast decorating gourds, cupcakes, coloring pages, spitting pumpkin seeds and playing pumpkin soccer. We had a lots of guests and some good help as well that made this event a success.

-Sunday we started our new series on "Heaven." We took a look at the John 14 and dissected it verse by verse. I had a lot of fun with this message and if you missed it you can check it out on the podcast at www.communityhope.org

- We also launched our new "Crown Club" ministry for 50's plus group. Thanks to Pastor Jim Snare who has done a great job leading this new ministry. They watched a video together and ate some "Hobo Stew." Very interesting, but I've got to say it wasn't so bad.

It was another great weekend, I can't believe next week is November already. Times surely flies when you are having fun.

We start a new sermon series this Sunday on "Heaven." I can't say enough about what a great opportunity this will be to invite someone in the following weeks. We will be discussing these issues when it comes to heaven:

1. Truth about heaven

2. What is heaven like?

3. Truth about hell

4. What about the resurrection?

Make sure you come the following weeks and make sure you bring someone with you.

Olivia turns nine

I can't believe my baby girl turns nine today. It seems like yesterday that we brought her home from the hospital. We are having a family party tonight and girl sleep over on Thursday night. (Please pray for me.) Lots of fun and activity this week.

Weekend Reflections

We wrapped up our Missions Weekend tonight and here are some thoughts:

- Saturday night we had some great Mexican food and the Meadowlarks Ministry did a great job sharing in song and testimony of what God is doing in Mexico. What is neat about Meadowlarks is they are from our area and it is neat to partner with someone who has been called to Missions that is so close to home.

-Sunday morning we had the Women's Teen Challenge and I don't think there was a dry eye in the building. If you went to one service and missed the other you missed out on some of the girls testimonies. It was great to hear what God is doing in some of these ladies lives. One lady had only been there four days while another was getting ready to graduate from the program. It is exciting that we have a program like Teen Challenge to help ladies with addictions and hurts and to have a place of refuge for them.

- Sunday night we concluded with Paul York. Paul was a missionary child and missionary himself for many years. He now teaches at Central Bible College and is teaching students to go and be missionaries themselves. I was really blessed by Paul as he challenged us from God's Word for the purpose of Missions. I was reminded that Missions starts at home and each of us can reach someone and disciple them for God's Kingdom.

It was a great weekend and we were truly blessed as a church to have all these ministries represented. One of our core values is Missions Minded. Let's continue to be Missions Minded as a church and do what we can to reach our community and reach our world with the good news of Jesus Christ.

Missions Weekend

This weekend is always a great weekend for us as a church as it is our annual missions weekend. This year we are doing a few things different as we are adding a Missions Dinner on Saturday night with a Mexican theme. The Meadowlarks ministry will be back with us and ministering in song and testimony. Bring some pinto beans and rice as they will be taking these things back to Mexico. On Sunday morning we have the women's Teen Challenge sharing with us and on Sunday night we have a dynamic speaker in Paul York sharing on Missions is a central theme in the Bible. This will be an awesome weekend so make plans now to attend.

Catalyst thoughts

As promised, here are some take aways that I received from Catalyst. For those that don't know Catalyst a young leaders conference that is held every year on Atlanta GA. John Maxwell was the one who actually started Catalyst almost 10 years ago but it has now developed into its own thing. Lots of great leaders spoke and lots of great information. Here are few things I wanted to share:

Andy Stanley on leadership: Moral Authority is the best authority. In order to be a great leader I must have character and lead by example. That includes in the area of forgiveness, family and finances.

Jim Collins from Good to Great: So much good information from Collins that it would take forever to explain. My main take away is as a leader I need to have the right people on my team. Jim calls it the bus. We need to find the right who's before the whats. He also nailed it when he talked about focusing on one big thing. The big thing is; 'what are we passionate about', 'what can we do better then anyone else', and 'what are our resources to fund it?' Good stuff from Collins

Steven Futrick from Elevation Church: Steve is 26 years old and is pastoring a church of 3500. This guy blew the top as he preached from 1 Kings 18 about the small cloud that Elijah saw. He talked about staying with your dream and being faithful in the process until you see it come to pass.

Craig Groeschel: I have never seen Craig so passionate. Craig talked about the "It Factor" and why some churches have it and why some loose it. The difference comes from those who try to build God's church from those who try to build their own church. Craig challenged us to pray two prayers that I have begun to pray: 1. God stretch me 2. God ruin me

Dave Ramsey: Dave talked about the ememies of unity. I didn't know Dave Ramsey was such a great spiritual leader. I love what Dave said about the state of our economy. We must realize that fear is a spirit. What is going on in our country right now is a spirit of fear. This fear is not from God. As believers we should not panic. If we have done things God's way from the beginning there shouldn't be any problem.

Billy and Franklin Graham: Billy Graham could not be there due to his health but Franklin spoke and talked about the power of the Gospel. I thought his word was good as in today's culture in church we can get caught up in all the trivial things of the worship service but we must realize that it is only the Gospel that can change lives. We must not be ashamed to preach this message. It is the power of God and salvation to all who believe.

There were a few other workshops but these are the highlights. Like I said in an earlier post, God really shook me last week and I am seeking Him for a specific word for us as a church in the coming year. I am thankful for all these great leaders and their investment to speak into our lives this past week.

Browns win!

What a day yesterday! I found my ipod which I have been missing since last April. I thought it got stolen when I was in Des Moines. It happened to be in a bag in my office when I purchased a print cartridge awhile back. WhooHoooo! To the end the day off my Cleveland Browns were featured on Monday Night Football. It has been five years since the Browns have been on Monday night and they faced off the undefeated NY Giants. No one gave them a chance including myself. What a game! The Browns pulled it off with great offense from Derek Anderson and Braylon Edwards. There may still be a season left. Go Browns!

Myths Conclusion

We wrapped up our series yesterday on "Mindset Myths Busted." We wrapped it up with a talk on the myths of sex. Our culture today is filled with different mindsets on sex. If we fill our mind with these myths it will lead us to the wrong actions. Our big idea for the message was "What we do today affects our tomorrow." We may not realize it but our actions today do affect our tomorrow, especially when it comes to our sexuality. Satan is the author of lies and wants to believe in the myths of sex. David is a great example of one who gave into the myths when he slept with Bathsheba. David tried to cover up his shame but David found out that there are always consequences for our actions. David ended up loosing his kingdom for a time and the baby Bathsheba was carrying died. Thankfully in the story of David, he repented and God gave him back his kingdom and a son. The point is, when we give into the myths we will always regret it later. There are three commitments that we need to make as believers when it comes to this important subject:

1. Honor God- Put God first before any relationship
2. Honor the other person- If you love the other person then honor them by waiting to have sex until marriage. If you are married, then honor your spouse by being faithful.
3. Honor you- Don't settle for less then God's best! Too many ladies settle for some jerk who treats them like an object instead of a person. YOU ARE BETTER THAN THAT!

Don't give into the myths of sex. Know if you do things God's way there is always blessings involved.

Back from Atlanta

Just got back last night around eleven. It is good to be back home and with the family. Catalyst was awesome. It was great to be with other pastors and build some relationships with these guys. Sometimes pastoring can be a bit lonely so it was good to share ideas and stories. I don't think I have laughed that much in a long time. I will post over the next few days some of the workshops what I learned. God definately rocked my world this week and I am excited to share some of my thoughts. For now it is time to study for tomorrow.

Headed to Catalyst

I will be gone all this week as I am headed to Atlanta for Catalyst with a bunch of pastors from Iowa. I know it will be a great week and I'm looking forward to some learning and spending some time with a great bunch of guys. Please pray for safety on my trip and I will post when I get back.

Supernatural

We talked about the supernatural today in church. The Myth we busted is 'God doesn't need or do the supernatural today.' We went back to the 30's when Morris Plotts came to Montezuma. I hope to get the video posted on either here or the website. Morris Plotts is known for his tent revival meetings around this area. When he came to Monte he was imprisoned for 30 days for being a public nuisance to the community. When Morris left it was said that he put a curse over the town. The myth of the curse has been busted because seventy four years later Community Hope is a thriving church in Montezuma. GOD IS BIGGER THEN OUR THOUGHTS AND IMAGINATIONS! One of the ways that God often works is through the supernatural. Many of the old tent revivals were known for supernatural occurrences. What about today? Does God want to work the supernatural today? I believe so and as we approach these last days I believe we will see more and more of the supernatural. The supernatural is simply something that we cannot do ourselves and can only come from God. In the Bible there is a pattern of supernatural things that happened. I believe that these things can happen for us today. What are they?

1. Power of the Spirit with a supernatural language given as evidence- Acts 2
2. Healing
3. Signs and Wonders
4. Gifts of the Holy Spirit-1 Corinthians 12

These things are not given for theatrical sensations but they are given to glorify God so that people can be drawn to Him. That is always the purpose of the supernatural. If you need the supernatural, don't limit God to what He can do. Know that He is the same today as He was in the Bible. Go to Him for your needs and believe that He is a supernatural God!

E2

Just got back from E2 last night in Des Moines. Once a year our District hold meetings for area pastors and it is always good to get together and get refreshed in the Lord. This years speaker was Denny Curran from River of Life AG in Cold Springs MN. Denny was very encouraging because Denny is a pastor in a community of only 3000 people. Denny has been used by God to do some incredible things in this small town. Since he has been there, his church has grown to over 600 people. That is not only the incredible thing about his ministry. His church has planted five other churches in other small towns. Denny is doing big things in a small community. God really challenged me the last two days to think outside the box. I know God has already done some incredible things in our church but I really feel that God is not done. I feel in my heart that the best is yet to come and seeing what God has done in Denny's church encourages me to know God can do it here too!