Are you ready for some football?

I'm getting excited for this years NFL season. I watched a little pre-season ball last night after Bible Study. Of coarse my favorite team is the Cleveland Browns. What is funny is I was never a football fan until we lived in Cleveland for a few years. I decided to start watching the Browns so I would have a conversation starter with some of our people. (Everybody was a Brown fan) What can I say, but I got hooked. I love football! Looking forward to crashing after church and watching some games on Sunday. Go Browns!

Doing what is right

I was reading in my devotion time this morning from 1 Kings 22 and I wanted to share with everyone a few things I got from this story. It is a story of a man who does what is right even when it is not popular. Here you have a story of two kings wanting to go to war because one feels a neighboring country belongs to him. Jehoshaphat king of Judah is very smart in saying, "We should inquire of God before we go to battle." The problem was the prophets that were chosen to speak for the Lord were prophets who didn't listen to God but listened to man. They wanted to make the kings happy. They gave a favorable report to the kings that if they went to war they would surely win. Thankfully there was one prophet who didn't listen to people but God. His name was Micaiah. Micaiah had a reputation of not always listening to people. Ahab didn't even want him called upon because he knew of this. I love what Micaiah says in verse fourteen, "As the Lord lives, what the Lord says to me that I will speak." Micaiah was not concerned about what others thought. He was more concerned about what God thought. Micaiah spoke God's Word even though it was very unpopular.

There are times in life in ministry where I must speak what is unpopular. Whether that is speaking against sin or standing up for things I know that are unpopular. What is important is, is that I hear from God. I cannot be a people pleaser in my life. My tendency is to want to make everyone happy. Reality is, this is impossible. The same can be said for all of us. We must all realize that God's Word always comes first in our lives. Don't always listen to people's opinion or do what everyone else is doing. This can sometimes be unpopular with your family, co-workers and friends. But we must remember that God will bless when we do what He says.

Work Nights

We are back to work nights once again here at that church. Our new building is almost completed as all we have to do at this point is paint, stain and put in flooring. It is really cool to really see the end in mind. Just over one year ago this building opened up to us as a concrete building, garage doors and all. Now it is being used for Sunday School, fellowships and eventually our new youth ministry. We saw the miracle of God providing the $80,000 in just one year to pay this building completely off. God is surely amazing. I want to encourage you to be a part of putting the last pieces of this building together by joining us at our work nights. Our next one is this Wednesday starting at 5:30 p.m. Get there when you can and we will give you your own paint brush. Pretty cool huh?

Sunday Reflections

Here are some thoughts from yesterday:

- It was great to get back in the pulpit. I really missed not preaching for three weeks.
- Started our series yesterday called "Move." My prayer over the next few weeks if for us to get out of our comfort zones and do something on purpose for God.
- My wife is now teaching children's church. She really has a gift in this area as we did kids stuff for the first eight years of ministry. Who knows, maybe we will see the return of Giggles the Clown?
- I have had a lot of comments about worship during the second service. God's presence was truly among us.
- Change of plans with the Back to School 7 Rally. Pastor Keaton made his return and did a great job filling in for the 7 team. We gave away a whole lot of Action Boxes. Now it is up to our teens to win their school for Christ. It is really cool to get together with other churches and team together so Christ can be exalted.

My timeline

This past Tuesday I was in Des Moines for a meeting with area pastors. For the next twelve months I will be learning about leadership and pastoring headed up by Tom Jacobs our District Superintendent. This past meeting we talking about how our past experiences affect how we lead today. This was an exercise I had already went through once with the breaking the 250 barrier group last Spring but it was good to once again see how my past affects how I lead today. I have been very blessed with a lot of good things in my life. I've had some hard times as a teenager and have had a season of lows in ministry but yet I have seen how God takes those things and molds us into the people He wants us to be. I have also learned that I hate conflict because of my past and I tend to be a people pleaser. I JUST WANT EVERYBODY TO LOVE ME! I know that is impossible in ministry and I know God calls us to do things that not everyone will agree on. For example, God called Moses into the promise land and all his followers except for two said it couldn't be done. One of things I am learning is I have to be confident in myself and my leadership and what God is calling me to do and how to lead this church. If I am confident in this and I obey what God is telling me, He will do the rest. If you have never done a life assessment, I challenge you to do so sometime. Just start with your birth and start writing in the highs in your life and the lows in your life. It will reveal a lot about why you are the way you are.

First day of school

Today the kids are back in school. It is amazing how fast the summers go. Both our kids were pretty excited about going back. Olivia had her backpack packed all up on Monday. It seems to get easier and easier dropping them off. Jennifer didn't even cry this year which was a first. It is hard to believe that Olivia is now in third grade and Caleb is in first. Time goes so quickly! I'm just reminded how I need to cherish each moment with my kids because I know some day they will be gone and living their own lives.

Starting this Sunday we begin our new series called "Move". It has been three weeks since I've preached and I'm a little pumped about getting back in the pulpit. I'm very excited about this series as I really feel that these are messages God has laid upon my heart for us as a church. God is calling us to get up and move!

Farewell to a Friend

Today was Pastor Keaton's last Sunday with us and it was definitely a Sunday filled with a lot of emotion. I thought Keaton did an excellent job with his message just sharing from his heart what it means to have intimacy with God. The thing that stuck out the most is how we need to start seeking God's face more then His hand. As we begin to seek God's face, His hand will come naturally. I totally lost it at the end of the first service as I saw my daughter Olivia crying as she will miss Keaton dearly. Keaton will be missed by us all and we appreciate all he has done for us the last two years.

Prodigal Friendly Church

I was reminded once again this week by an article by Dary Northup why it is important that we should be a prodigal friendly church. You may know the story from Luke 15 where the young son runs away from home and ends up spending his inheritance. This son finally comes to his senses and decides to come home thinking that he will work for his father as a servant. To his surprise, his father welcomes him with open arms but yet his elder brother would not even acknowledge him as a brother. We must remember that Jesus was talking to the religious leaders of his day. They were the picture of the elder brother. This spirit of the elder brother is still amongst us today. It is important that as a church we do not allow this spirit amongst us. We must be a church that welcomes all no matter what their spiritual background is. Here are five things Dary Northup says is a important to a prodigal friendly church.

1. Appreciate diversity- from clothing, hairstyles, etc. Sometimes as Christians we get a cookie-cutter mindset of what a Christian is to look like.

2. Respect the spiritual journey of every person in the room- The church should be a safe place to ask questions, to disagree and to share opinions. We are all on a different journey with our walk with God.

3. Trust the Holy Spirit to lead people in lifestyle changes- Remember that we are not called to be the Holy Spirit in a persons life. When we try to clean a person up, it just brings confusion.

4. Church must understand the differences between absolutes, cultural expectations and preferences. Some Christians try to make our preferences Biblical absolutes then they are not. When churches place cultural expectations or personal preferences on a prodigal or the unchurched it places an undue burden that they may not be able to carry.

5. Prays for an authentic move of God in people in every church service- There are no gimmicks in the world that can compete with God's Spirit moving in the heart of a person. The prodigal friendly church prays for that move of the Spirit in people's lives.

Let us not have a spirit of the elder brother but continue to be a church that welcomes people and allows God to move in their lives.

Focus

Back in the office today and my prayer for today is "Lord, help me to focus." Being gone for seven days on a cruise and looking out at the beautiful ocean and now I'm looking out my window and seeing LP tanks. Quite a difference! In all seriousness, I have a lot to focus on right now. Please be in prayer for the following:

1. The future of our children's and youth ministries
2. Seven Project is just around the corner is so is our Back to School Rally
3. Wisdom and guidance for the direction of our church
4. Find and recruit new leaders for ministry

I know God is in control of it all but my prayer is that I can be the vessel that He can work through to see it all accomplished.

We're Back!

Just got back late last night from our trip. It was a great time of relaxing and enjoy God's creation. The service on the cruise was amazing and the islands were beautiful. I will have to say it is good to be back and see our kids. Seven days a way from them was a little hard. Here are some pics of the scenery.

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!