Enjoying the Ride

Ordination Sunday

2008-07-01T09:05:00.002-04:00

As I prepared for my ordination, it was not something that I was looking forward to. To put it honestly, my attitude was bad. My thought process went something like this, I am already serving, I have no doubt God has called me, that is evident in my life, why?

As the weekend approached something amazing happened. Friday night as I talked with my Grandpa, Dad and Dad in law :), they reminded me of the awesome responsibility of reaching and equipping people. Saturday at the ordination Dave and Chris asked how I came to this place in my life and what the ordination process meant to me personally. As I reflected on this question that night and experienced the services I realized the benefit for me.

The benefit for me is a resolve to continue doing what God has burdened me as leader to do. To fish for men and disciple others to do the same. As you look at the scripture everything points to Christ. Christ first and last words to His disciples give us His plan for our lives. His first, Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men. Fishing for men is his desire for our following of Him. His last words were to train others to follow him by fishing for men.

Our church will seek to fish for men in the best way possible. It is our desire to equip and train people to reach those in our community and around the world with Christ's gospel.

Was the ordination process worth it? YES.

Baptism Service

2008-06-24T08:11:00.003-04:00

Sorry it has been so long since the last blog. I am going to attempt to begin communication through the blog again. Sunday was great day as we baptized several people. One of the things that was communicated during the service was that in scripture the one who was the spiritual mentor often times baptised the individual. You see the disciples baptising those they led to Christ as well as Philip baptising the Ethiopian Eunuch. It was great watching as fathers baptized children and a couple being baptized together. Wouldn't it be great next time if we had several people baptize those they led to Christ.

100%

2008-04-14T09:14:00.003-04:00

Last night after a meeting I was watching Motocross X -treme. If you don't know what that is, you are missing out. Men on motorcycles do outrageous tricks while riding 250 lb dirt bikes. The only way they are to do these tricks is by committing 100% to the trick. If they give less than 100% they are eating dirt.

It made me think of Sunday mornings talk, am I giving 100%? In my life all too often I want to commit 1/2 way, it results in not completing what God's best is for me. I wonder how outrageous our lives would be if we were willing to live and commit 100% of our time, energy and talents to God's kingdom work. Are you willing to give 100%?

CHOOSE JOY

2008-03-31T12:39:00.002-04:00

This week we started are series entitled "CHOOSE JOY." Why title it this way. During a rough point in my life I lost my joy. I couldn't see anything but struggles, problems and difficulties. People around me criticized and leadership was lacking. I went to applebee's with a friend, Laurie Watkins, and she set me straight. She helped to see that life will be full of times like this but it doesn't have to rob us of joy. As I sat and listened I realized that no one could rob me of my joy except myself. She said over and over, you must CHOOSE JOY. As I walked away I remember thinking to myself, I want joy and I am not going to let any person or thing rob me of my joy. My joy will come from who I am in Christ and His pleasure of my life. As you go through you week, do not rob your joy but CHOOSE JOY.

Dinner Conversation

2008-03-17T19:16:00.002-04:00

Tonight as we were eating dinner, the subject of what are our goals in life came up. As we talked we got answers ranging from being a vet, missionary, pilot or professional athlete. We shared what had to be done to accomplish these goals.
Then the question was asked, if others looked at your actions what would they say are your goals? What a challenging questions. Often times we can say the right things , but if we were judged by our actions and motives it would look much different. As you go through the week, ask yourself, How do my actions show who I am?

Holiness?

2008-03-13T08:51:00.002-04:00

What is holiness? This question is one that haunts me. God tells us to be holy for he holy. I am not sure we grasp the reality of His holiness. When scripture tells us of individuals who have seen God in His holiness, one thing is always the same. These individuals walk away radically changed. Isaiah is willing to spread God's plan despite opposition. Paul is blinded and radically changes his lifestyle and serves Christ with His life.

This Sunday we are going to take a look at Isaiah 6. This is Isaiah's vision of heaven. Hopefully we will walk away changed never to be the same again. Hope to see you Sunday.

Love the Snow?

2008-03-05T11:08:00.003-05:00

This morning as I was shoveling the snow, I had time to think. First I was upset because many of my neighbors had snow blowers and I was stuck with my shovel. Then as I was continuing to dwell on my situation a verse came to mind, "REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS". My response was that Christ never encountered ice and snow in the Midwest, so He would understand.

A little while later as I was driving to the office I noticed a brother and sister playing in the snow. My mind went back to the times as a I kid I would sled at my grandparents farm. Joy came to me. As I thought about that I realized that the snow and ice were not the robbers of my joy, but it was me. The snow is great, unless I have to endure and work to remove it.

How often is my joy robbed because I have to endure and work at life. Remember rejoice in the Lord always, even if you have to shovel the snow.

Where Would Christ Be?

2008-02-28T14:19:00.002-05:00

Have you ever thought about where Christ spent the majority of His time? Scripture gives us snapshots of His life. It let's us know the priorities and mission He came to fulfill. I believe it is also important to understand the places that he went and the significance that it held in the culture.

We see Christ at the well. A place where individuals went in the course of their daily lives. We see Christ at the fields, the place where many worked and socialized. We see him overlooking the city, a place where people went to reflect. While he was at many places, it seems a lot of his time was spent in a place where the people he was trying to reach lived life. It appears Christ went with the purpose of connecting with them in order to fulfill His mission.

Ask yourself, if Christ were to come to our culture today, where would we find Him spending most of His time? Are we spending time investing in those places for His mission?

Playing Games

2008-02-21T13:53:00.002-05:00

This passed week I watched the movie Rudy on DVD. A great story of an average athlete with a huge heart for the game of football. His grades did not allow him to go to Notre Dame for the first two years of his college life. Instead he was able to be a part of the grounds crew. During work he reinacted the game from the previous day, just like it was happening to him.

I wonder how many of us in our lives pretend our spiritual lives. We relish in the accomplishments of those we know or our church but are just pretending like we are part of the action. This Sunday we will be looking at the church of Sardis who just pretended to be church.

Are you a part of the action or are you just living in a fantasy world? Don't just go through the action but live the life God intended. Remember it is not what we do for Christ but who we are in Christ. We serve because we know Him not the other way around.

PS - Somebody got on me this morning since I haven't blogged since January. I will try to do this more often. Thanks for reading

Have You Left Your Love?

2008-01-30T20:53:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday I gave a talk, does our church have what it takes to survive? Now that it is the middle of the week, late on a Wedensday night, I wonder have I lived out what I talked about? Our first love ought to be our love for God that penetrates us and gives us a love for others. All to often thoughout my week I find myself taking care of "business", solving problems, writing emails, preparing talks and forgetting that our love involves others.

As I thought about the church of Ephesus I wonder if they like, me have gone through their week not giving others the priority. Walking past those in need, ignoring the pain of the cashier in the checkout line, ignoring spending time with God because of the things that seem "more important." As we go through the rest of the week, ask yourself the question, "HAVE YOU LEFT YOUR LOVE?

Survivor Calvary

2008-01-22T14:05:00.000-05:00

I am excited about the upcoming series. Churches have come and gone, been vibrant, cold, influential, abrasive, name almost any adjective and it has been used to describe a church. The question I tend to ask is, "are we pleasing God?"

This series will look at what God says he can't stand in a church. If you about these churches, some of them were at one time great churches, with the best leadership of that time. Yet, they did not follow what God though important. As we look at this series, look at your life. Will God allow us to survive for years to come.

This Sunday we will look at the first church, have you lost the love of you life?

Christmas Relief

2007-12-28T09:35:00.000-05:00

Christmas relief, or is it. As I sit in my office this morning thinking of the past couple of weeks. There is in one sense a relief. The Christmas shopping is done, the presents aer unwrapped, the goodies are baked (and eaten), families have returned home, and life is getting back to normal. In the business of the season there is relief.

On the other hand, I sit hear and think about all that has to be done, what the next year will bring and the emails, bills, letters and tasks that have to be completed and begin the normal day to day all over again.

As I think of Christ life, Christmas, his birth was the starting point of his earthly ministry. From that point on he made it his business to do His fathers business. As I look at the next year, I want to resolve to do my Fathers (Gods) business. All to often we get wrapped up in life and forget why we are here.

I want to encourage you, no matter how tough life seems, resolve to handle life according to God's word (God's way). He gives us His words so that we do not have to wonder what or how to life life. If we can begin to live life this way we can truly experience Christmas relief.

Christmas Lights

2007-12-25T16:29:00.001-05:00

Last night as we went home from the Christmas Eve service the only place opened was Burger King. After huge disappointment (the milkshake machine was broken) we made our way back to our house. We had opened our presence Christmas Eve morning so, for us the majority of the Christmas festivities were over.

As we put the kids to bed, Tammie and I turned on the Christmas lights in the house. As I sat there enjoying the lights and the quiet, I was reminded that Jesus is the light of the world. He came to world that desperately needed Him. He was truly the light in the dark world.

Through the rest of the Christmas season, as you see the lights on the Christmas Tree, the neighbors yard or the clearance rack at Walmart, remember the light that came.

It doesn't stop. He told us that we are now lights that reflect Christ. He was the one who provided light in darkness and now he has allowed us to be the light. As you see the Christmas light, first be reminded of the light of the world but also remember you are a light that reflects Christ.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND REMEMBER THE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2007-12-17T14:52:00.000-05:00

Do you find yourself wondering what is so Merry about Christmas. This week I have spent hours trying to find the perfect gift for my sons (in case they read this, I can't tell you what it is). Individuals at the store are frantically scurrying trying to find the last gift and you better not get in their way or you may regret it. The clerks at the store are so overworked they are anything but friendly.

When I go to the mall I love to look at people, almost everyone who you talk to wishes you a Merry Christmas. As watched this take place at every store I began to laugh, what a joke. They were saying Merry Christmas but their actions and attitudes are not.

As someone who is connected to Christ, are we portraying a Merry Christmas. When people look to us, do they see the excitement that comes as a result of realizing we are celebrating the birth Christ. As you go through the holiday season, mean what you say.

Have a MERRY CHRISTMAS

The Way

2007-12-12T13:43:00.000-05:00

I am reading in a book titled Unfreezing Moves. This book has challenged my thinking regarding how I view our church and how the early church functioned. In Acts 9:2 it refers to those belonging to "The Way".
The early church was known to the world as those belonging to "The Way." It is evident that these early believers were not known for their large buildings, their elaborate worship services or even their phenomenal programs. The were known by those belonging to "The Way."
For these early believers, they were known by the way they lived their life. The cause the early believers lived for, was using their life and breath to connect people with Christ. They realized that getting together was for the purpose of preparing and encouraging each other to live lives that would reach others.
All to often we rely on our smooth presentation, our large buildings and programs, forgetting God's plan is for each of us to connect others with Christ as we are on "The Way." Would others say of you, "the belong to The Way."

Stressmas

2007-11-25T09:58:00.000-05:00

Christmas used to be about relaxing, family get together and the simple story of Jesus Birth. Now we have X-box 360, Wii, Ipods, the office party, and the myriad of other "official actions" that must be done during the month of December. With all of these tasks, stress is inevitable. On Sunday mornings we are going to look at what the Bible says about various heart issues that cause stress in our lives.

We would love for you to join us as we take a look at "Stressmas"

JOURNEY

2007-11-20T20:41:00.000-05:00

Life often seems like a journey. You move from one destination to the other. It is full of great places and times and hard moments. Wherever you are you are moving toward something. Our journey has brought us to Van Wert, OH. It is amazing that each step of the journey has prepared us for this moment. Little did we know that we would be able to teach such an awesome group of people.
Several weeks ago, I got an email from a friend, it said "enjoy the ride." That statement has stuck with me. God says "I know the plans I have for you", He knows each step of the journey. If he knows each step of my journey, I am confident I can enjoy the ride. Though the journey may be hard, may be exciting, may be easy or may be overwhelming, I know I can enjoy the ride.
It is God's desire not only for us to connect with Him on our journey, He knows we need to connect with others. It is my desire that this can be a place that allows us to dialogue about life, church, theology, books or whatever. Just Remember

"ENJOY THE RIDE"