We are in the midst of presenting a really fun and encouraging dinner theater at our church. I attended the dress rehearsal on Wednesday since I am helping with the youth. It was hilarious. The message comes through clearly along with some great humor.

I am impressed with each of the actors and how quickly they put this together. Staying in character, and for some, changing characters quickly, is done with real finesse. Of course, we couldn’t put this on without the incredible skill of Mike Sisson, our director. This year he recruited the able assistance of his wife, M.E.

My wife, Ronda, is serving food three nights and loving it. She said that everyone is having a blast being involved. Saturday evening is our turn to attend and be served.

I am so proud of our church. Lots of people have pitched in behind the scenes to make this successful. We have a great message to present. Why not make it fun and relevant to our community.

Merry Christmas!

Two great events

Wow, two great weekend events in a row at our church. Last weekend Paul Reid from Ireland taught a helpful and inspiring seminar on connecting with our culture, then gave an encouraging talk on Sunday morning helping us restore our spiritual passion. Check out Paul’s teachings on mp3 at www.zionchapel.org. I was impressed with how Paul connected with our people and made himself available to them. He is a fun and wise leader.

Checking in at the Fall Festival

Then this weekend the Fall Festival got rave reviews. I went with Jason, my son-in-law, and three of my grandkids. They loved it. Fun games related to Bible stories, a real fire truck water hose to put out the “fiery furnace”, fabulous weather, and lots and lots of candy! What more would a kid of any age want? We had a record turnout with many coming from outside our church. Thanks to all who gave their time to show God’s love to others.

Gavin the fireman

Yesterday we followed up with our October Sunday theme of “Fighting Darkness – Are you afraid of the dark?” (Actually I was, even as an adult.) Some of our very creative people helped us with props and video that is bringing the powerful message home – Jesus came to deliver us from the dominion of darkness. Next week: “What lies beneath?”

What an adventure. God is changing lives, and we get to be part of it.

Washington Pastors Briefing

Ronda and I had an amazing time in Washington, D.C. recently. We were guests of Wallbuilders, a ministry of David Barton which emphasizes the Christian heritage of America and promotes biblical values in government. A group of 60 pastors and spouses enjoyed a private tour of the Capitol and a briefing the next day with a number of congressmen. Our expectations were definitely exceeded.

David Barton is amazing. He loves God, apparently has a photographic memory, and is quite a historian. We heard fascinating, defining stories of our nation’s founders that aren’t commonly told anymore.

David Barton

The leaders who addressed us spoke with conviction and from a biblical basis. We became aware of just how gridlocked our political system is, though there are many godly people trying to make a difference. In God we trust, really.

Nice digs in the Library of Congress

As we approach November, there is such urgency for Christian to vote their conscience. May God help us elect godly and capable people to lead our nation.

God is renewing us.

I sense a renewed spirit stirring in our church, especially since my recent memory loss event during a Sunday service. God is using whatever the Enemy meant for evil for our good and His glory. But it is essential for us to understand and cultivate this renewal if it is to have any lasting effect among us.

Three words keep resounding in my spirit: militancy, urgency, and intimacy. I think these words represent what the Spirit is saying to our church.

Militancy is the response to warfare. C.S. Lewis said that our enemy loves two equal but opposite attitudes toward him. We can either consume all our time and energy focusing on him, or we can ignore him and get lulled to sleep while he cleans up on us. A militant spirit creates vigilance, resistance, and victory over whatever scheme comes our way.

Urgency is the response to significance. When something is very important, we take on a sense of urgency about it. Eternity, the souls of people, the needs of our community and world, and the Good News all carry with them the sense of urgency that is inherent in God’s Kingdom.

Intimacy is the response to God. Without intimacy with God, militancy and urgency take on a cold, impersonal quality. Getting ever closer to God is not only a safeguard; it is the source of delight, purpose, and perseverance in life. God’s love and power are generously poured out on those who are intimate with him.

We just started a new worship and prayer meeting each Thursday 6:30-7:30 pm in the auditorium. Join us as we stir up militancy, urgency, and intimacy in our church. And seek intimacy with God daily. His great future lies before us. Don’t miss it.

Cruisin' to Glory, 2010 Edition

What a fantastic car show we had Sunday! Our annual Cruisin’ to Glory featured beautiful weather, our first outdoor service under the sun, and more vehicle entries than last year. I heard so many people, especially those who brought cars to display, express how much they enjoyed the event.
Our outdoor stage with one of our Red Bags

Our open-air service started with some great worship and inspiring stories of a physical healing and a life transformed. Our theme was Restoration, which means returning something to its original condition. Our lot was full of restored vehicles, and our church is full of restored lives – only God can accomplish that.

Even the little men love cars.

Activities abounded for everyone. The competition tent attracted both men and women vying for prizes by setting spark plugs and identifying automotive fluids, among others. The kids enjoyed a helicopter candy drop, face painting, bubbles, and a real fire truck with an 85-foot ladder. There was also a smoke house to train kids how to escape a flaming building and a demonstration of how firemen extricate people from a car. Plus the youth served up some great food.

Candy from heaven??

While I didn’t have a car to enter, the picture of my 1966 GTO did make the fan-shaped bulletin. Why did I ever get rid of that car??

But the best part for me was hearing that two people picked up Red Bags, signifying that they made commitments to follow Christ. More lives restored – awesome!

My Sunday Memory Loss

Last Sunday’s event during our morning service will go down as one that no one in attendance will soon forget, though I can’t remember it myself!

I was about 15 minutes into my teaching when I had a serious memory loss. While I didn’t lose my ability to function, I couldn’t figure out where I was in my notes. I started repeating myself, finally stopping to pray, then asking Pastor Jim to come up to help me. After several minutes of discussion, they prayed for me and ushered me off the stage.

My first vague memory of the event is in my office about 30 minutes afterward, answering questions but not remembering the date, my teaching topic, or what I did the day before. I was taken to Goshen Hospital where my memory gradually returned until I remembered everything except for the event itself. (Watching it later on the DVD was a bit weird but answered a lot of my questions as to how I acted. I was so proud to see our leaders doing such an awesome job of leading and caring for the church the remainder of the service.)

I spent the night at the hospital, and was given a battery of exams the next day, including an MRI and echocardiogram. Everything came back with good reports, so I was sent home Monday evening.

Grandkid therapy is the best!

Ice cream is a great healer.

While at first it was feared I had a mini-stroke, the doctors concluded that I had Transient Global Amnesia (TGA). Fortunately, these are rare and benign events that typically don’t recur nor indicate any other malady or danger. The main characteristic is the person is unable to form new memory. Whatever they do during the episode is forgotten in a few minutes. After a couple hours it is over, and memory is restored except for anything that transpired during the TGA. The cause of them is not clear.

Today I’m fine, except for some raw emotions and tiring more easily, which are typical aftereffects. I have assumed a reduced schedule for a while until I get back to full strength.

Pastor Jim called a church-wide prayer meeting for last Wednesday which was very dynamic and well attended. God is already using my experience to rally the church and give us more passion for Him and the future of our church. We are determined not to let the Enemy distract us from God’s future for me or the church.

While this ranks right at the top of the list of scary events for me, I am super grateful to God and our church for the outpouring of love, care, and support I received.

Thanks to each of you who prayed for me, sent cards, and expressed your appreciation. Let's go after all God has for us to extend His Kingdom!

I have been enjoying a few weeks of very welcome vacation. Ronda and I spent the first week in beautiful Vancouver, Canada, where we had the warmest weather they had in years. We hiked, biked, ate great food, and enjoyed the awesome scenery – mountains, coast, and parks.

We started out in the town of Victoria on Vancouver Island. What a quaint and relaxing city to kick back in. Our bed and breakfast was the best with great hosts and very nice accommodations. Butchart Gardens with high tea was a delightful part of our visit to Victoria.

High tea at Butchart Gardens - lovely!

On our way to the city of Vancouver we visited Whistler, the mountain village site of last winter’s Olympics. A highlight was dinner on Whistler Mountain after a 20-minute gondola ride to the top. While the food was not the greatest, the site was breathtaking. And we ate with a local couple who told us all about the Olympics and life in the village. (The gal is 68 and still skies downhill at over 60 miles per hour!!)

Dinner at the top of the world - Whistler Mountain

Vancouver city was a great stop for four days. Since we took up biking recently, we decided to tour the city by renting bikes. We got to see a lot of the local sites over a couple days while exercising off some of the delicious calories we consumed.

Biking in Vancouver – notice the jaunty angle of my biking helmet

Beautiful Vancouver

Time at home has involved some work projects on our house and several days at our own Elkhart County 4-H Fair, where I helped in our Kiwanis concessions, took in the fair activities, and kept up with our family, which is heavily involved in the Fair.

After this extended time off, I am eager to get back to work. My time has been restful, encouraging, and even challenging as God taught me some important lessons. And all this in the middle of a very warm and sunny Indiana summer.

It's a Great Day to Be Alive

“I am so excited about our church – about what is happening and where we are headed.”

I have heard something like this from a number of people over the last few months. And it’s both awesome and humbling to realize God is the reason for the excitement. There is such a strong sense that he is at work in our ministries, meetings, and everyday lives.

While we have great people doing really important stuff, the reason that there is such momentum is that God is in what they are doing and blessing the outcome. They are living their lives in God and enjoying the fruit of such a dynamic relationship. People are getting set free from bad lifestyle choices, lost people are being found, and others are finding brand new ways that God is making a difference through them.

So while we are in the midst of summer with different ones on vacation each weekend, I am eager to see what God has in store next. Let’s get rejuvenated, build some great family memories, grow our relationship to Jesus in new ways, and look for more God moments every day.

God’s Kingdom isn’t boring, because he isn’t boring. What a great day to be alive!

The Dad Concept

While working on my Father’s Day talk, I was thinking of all the different situations people face with dads. While some see Dad as a really great, loving guy, many struggle with the very concept. A history of anger, abuse, or abandonment can really mess with someone’s feelings toward dad. Then that gets attributed to God, making him the great ogre in the sky. I think that’s an epic failure.

If the person struggling with dad is a guy, chances are he will be a dad sometime. Then the fun begins. Unless he gets the idea of father sorted out, he may not do real well trying to be one.

So now I have my assignment. I really want to help men get dad right. But it’s going to take some work. I think it best starts with God. If we get the father who is in heaven right, we can be a better father who is on earth. The Bible gives us a lot of material on God as the best father we can imagine. And he offers his Holy Spirit to help us grasp it and heal us where we’ve been messed up.

In order to be a good dad we need a good dad. God can be that. And he provides people with skin on to make up for lost dads.

God has helped me big time by showing me what he is really like and giving me some great role models of dad. I want to be one of those examples.

How about you? What’s your dad concept? Let God improve it. And connect with a father who is on earth. Make it a better Father’s Day.

In Over Your Head

All week I have been thinking about how awesome our youth worship band did last Sunday. Due to a scheduling glitch, our regular worship leader was not going to be there. So we decided to ask the youth band to step up and lead. And lead they did! With a little practice and some great coaching from Emily, Jason and Rosanne, Gabi and her group led us all into God's wonderful presence.

I have to admit I was a little hesitant when we first considered the idea of giving the youth full responsibility for worship. I really like to stretch people and help them move to the next level. But at the same time I never want to throw people out into deep water before they are ready. Well, in this case, they were ready. I'm guessing these guys even impressed themselves with how well they did.

As I look back, God has often put me in situations that were way over my head. It made me depend more on him. And it made me really grateful when he came through. I discovered that he had prepared me better than I had first imagined.

Maybe you feel like you are in over your head. Trust God, get some good coaching and see what God does. You will be amazed.

The Start

I thought I would start a blog as a way to connect with people and share some of my passion and experiences. God is doing some really great things in our church. I’m excited about where we are and where God is taking us.

For example, the Red Bag ministry is going super. In case you aren’t familiar, this is one way we help people become followers of Jesus. They pick up a red bag off the platform after the service, which includes a booklet, Bible, and other helpful info. Someone unpacks it for them and gets to pray with them as they commit their life to Christ. We’ve been doing this for only seven Sundays, and each Sunday but one someone picked up a bag. Wow.

I am in awe of God that we are seeing so many people come to Jesus in our church. This has been my longing for years. I’m also thrilled that we have a great follow-up plan to connect with them and disciple them after they start following Christ.

I can’t wait to see more of what God will do. Expect great things from him in your life, too.