Connection Place

End of a season

2011-06-03T10:32:00.000-05:00

Dear friends and followers, I will be discontinuing this public blog effective immediately. It has been an honor and privilege to share my random thought here, so thanks for your faithfulness.

Take care-

TEMPTATION

2011-02-07T09:38:00.003-06:00

I looked at a pack of cigarettes today. Not a confession, nor is there shame attached, but for some reason as I passed the cigarette case at my local grocery store I noticed the type used to smoke. Now, I have not smoked in twenty-one (21) years. I do not miss it although I had a multiple-pack-per-day life-controlling habit prior to my deliverance. This morning the pack just caught my attention and then I walked away with a “What was that?” rattling around in my brain.

I know exactly what it was. I know that the enemy of our souls is not creative. I know that he will use ANYTHING that has worked before to see if we (I) will fall for it again. The Word calls them ‘strongholds’ and warns us to guard against anyone or anything that can take us captive. After all, Jesus came to set captives FREE! John 8:36 says “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” That, my friends, is a promise.

So what so we do when we are tempted? Not IF, but WHEN. I think the best thing to do is walk away. That works for the physical proximity of the temptation, but the thoughts that begin to crop are are usually the deeper issue. I believe that one of our greatest playgrounds are our minds. BUT, we do have the power to take each thought captive and compare it to the TRUTH of God’s word. I heard Pastor Dan quote Billy Sunday once, saying: “One reason sin flourishes is that it is treated like a cream puff instead of a rattlesnake." How true.

Today, I will walk away and think on what is true when tempted. Care to join me?

Take care-

FANS

2011-01-23T19:36:00.000-06:00

This morning I posted the following on Facebook: “I wish people were as excited to win their neighbors and coworkers for Christ as they are about this game. The results today are unpredictable but we know Who wins in the end.” Which brought forth some great comments. I love the conversations that a random post can create using Social Networking.

Living and working on the border of Wisconsin and Illinois, I see a great number of devoted fans for both the Packers and the Bears. The tension of today’s playoff game has been building for a couple of weeks now as the line-up began to take shape. It is quite a rivalry between the fans of these two teams. Although, I have never seen as many fully-devoted fans as Packer fans. Coming is all ages, shapes and sizes, I have observed eighty-year-old women grocery shopping in green and gold jerseys. Fans… passionate and loyal… rarely meek about ‘their’ team.

I can’t help but think about how the followers of Christ could change the world if, even 4 months out of the year, we would passionately talk about ‘our’ Jesus and His transformational love as if He were our FAVORITE. If we could just set aside our inhibitions to boldly talk about how our lives have changed by knowing Him with people who have yet to meet or commit to following Him.

Just sayin’...

FREEDOM

2011-01-22T10:22:00.001-06:00

“So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.” John 8:36 is the way that we end our readings in FREEDOM SEEKERS ministry meetings. We BELIEVE that there. We also see it being walked out in everyday life. During 2010 our goal was to work through the Twelves Steps with the people who attended. The leadership team knew that it was a tough goal to accomplish when we set it in January, but we also warned them to expect miracles and life change if they fully engaged in the process.

Throughout the months we watched many people begin to look at the depth of the toll that their life-controlling habits had taken and we even watched some take responsibility for the roles that they played in many of the sideways situations of their lives. We also watched people grow faint and fall off the path. Many were deeply challenged and resisted that God had change and freedom in store for them. Our attendance greatly plummeted from an average of 30-35 to 15-20 in a weekly basis. Yet, as leaders, we chose to stay the course.

And...VICTORY! We saw those who toughed it out gain great freedom. In fact, six members celebrated one year of continuous abstinence from the behavior that brought them to Freedom Seekers in the first place! Many others are well on their way to the same anniversary. All have reported to experience varied levels emotional freedom from the baggage that lingers after years of addiction. My husband Jim and I, in our combined 49 years of recovery can testify that we have never been involved in a recovery group where such a large number of members work through all twelve steps and have as many members celebrate a year ‘clean’.

So we celebrate and say “LOOK WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE!” Congratulations to M, B, S, V and J. Also to our amazing Leadership Team for a job WELL DONE!

YOKED

2010-12-20T07:40:00.000-06:00

It is my personal opinion that marriage is the hardest thing a person can do in life. Harder than parenting as kids eventually grow up and the relationship changes (they leave the nest). You see, you take two people with God’s gift of free will and yoke them together and by God’s grace there are moments of harmony. Similar to an old fashioned three-legged race, the participants frequently fight against the yoke that binds them together but occasionally experience the rhythm necessary to move forward.

Even biblical tales of marriage include challenge:

Adam & Eve (Genesis 3:12 - “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit…”)
Abraham & Sarah (Genesis 12:11-13 - “I know what a beautiful woman you are. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well…”)
Then Abraham’s son Isaac & Rebekah (Genesis 26:6,7 - “So Isaac stayed in Gerar. When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” because he was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” He thought, “The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful.”)

OK, just to be fair I am sure that wives have done some less-than-stellar things too, they just weren’t written about as much in the Bible.

I believe that the problem begins before the wedding dress is purchased or the hall reserved. First, couples tend to RUSH IN. There are a few factors to this… we believe Mr./Miss. Right is a limited time offer, we DO buy the book by its cover, we figure that we can ‘work out the details later’, or in the far back recesses of our brains we figure that we can always get out later if it turns out to be a train wreck. This is one of the reasons the divorce rate in almost equal between Christians and those who claim no religious affiliation. It is the human nature. God says "Be still and know that I am God" in Psalm 46 because He knows that waiting and trusting are not in our nature. We tend to trust ourselves first just hoping that it will work out. When we consider something as serious as the life-time commitment of marriage before God, stand back, observe and wait is not our usual route.

Feel free to toss in your comments and check back with my next post as I continue the discussion about this.

Take care-

SETBACK

2010-12-16T10:13:00.000-06:00

We all have them. Seldom do we speak of them. When we do speak of them it makes others uncomfortable right along with us. Today a group of us moved a friend’s belongings into storage. He experienced a setback. This one cost him his freedom.

How many times is that what happens to us? Sometimes not literally our freedom, but we mess up and it costs us BIG TIME. Is this not the reason that Christ came to walk with man on earth? Hebrews 4:15 states “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet He did not sin.” We relate to Jesus better when we realize that He came as man. He had the experiences we had growing up (except the video games and action figures due to cultural differences). He wore a diaper, learned to crawl, skinned his knees and went through puberty. HE ‘took on flesh’ and ALL that entails.

Yet He did not sin. That does not say that He was not tempted. He chose differently. His focus was SO on God that He didn’t turn from God’s BEST for Him. We battle. We justify. We wrestle. Sometimes we walk away VICTORIOUS, without sin. Sometimes we don’t. EVERY DAY our Spirit (which is perfect and made whole through the indwelling Holy Spirit) and our souls (our thoughts and emotions) battle. Sometimes we realize this, sometimes we act surprised by this.

But provision has been made: “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” (Hebrews 4:16). God, who is never surprised by our set-backs and failures has made provision for them AND for us to have the power to pick ourselves up and get back on track. Even more so, to help us to not mess up in the first place.

Run to Him regularly. He LOVES to reveal Himself to you. He even wrote a book about it.

Take care-

RELATIONAL

2010-12-14T14:29:00.000-06:00

One of the KFA values in that we are RELATIONAL. Few need to have that word defined as we are all wired for this. Some more, some less… but inside each of us there is a place reserved for the ‘warm fuzzies’ of community.

Today in our staff devotional time, rather than spend time teaching our team about how to be relational I asked them about what they saw the characteristics of the value to be. They spoke of meeting emotional needs as well as felt needs, listening, sharing, give and take as well as having a sense of being involved in something bigger than one’s self. After hearing this I asked them to think BIGGER and we looked at ways that KFA can be relational with our community. Many of the answers we in support of events that we already do as outreach as well as some good ideas for future planning.

After speaking of the changes in culture that prevent those who are far from a relationship with Jesus from coming INSIDE the walls of a church we spoke about ways that we can take the church to the city. I love the hearts of those whom I serve with. They are leaders and visionaries.

I read from Dan Kimball’s “They Like Jesus But Not the Church” with regard to how emergent generations see the church/organized religion as too legalistic and uncaring. I presented them with the new drawing of an unbeliever’s journey to God and spoke about the fact that while Jesus’ finished work of the Cross bridges the chasm of sin and gets people to heaven, that WE are the assigned bridge builders that get people to the work of the cross… or even a realization that they NEED the work of the cross.

Our neighbors watch us. They know how we spend our time and money. They know what we love. Let’s be intentional about building bridges toward a journey with Christ for them.

Take care-

SURVIVAL

2010-12-08T08:45:00.000-06:00

I had the responsibility to be the bearer of bad news… again. This time it was with our Freedom Seekers group as I announced that one of our own has fallen back in to old behavior and lost his life in the battle between life-controlling sin and life.

The news was quite shocking to Jim and I when we received it last week. The meeting prior to his passing we had spent our time in a practical conversation about how to ‘make it’ through the holidays. Many times people who are newly in recovery are unprepared to face the stress of holiday gatherings with the social pressures that come with them. As a result, we have annually committed the meeting the week of Thanksgiving to preparation for the potential challenges and pitfalls that our group faces.

Financial stress, the pressures social drinking and drug use and the dynamics of the family all add to the stress for this crowd. Many times they are facing the decision to walk away from temptation of old behaviors for the first time while at the same time they long to reconnect with their families in order to show their ‘changed self.’ Sometimes the pressures are too great.

So, in our teaching to equip them with tools to make it through we include the following practical survival techniques:

Have phone numbers: many times they just need to talk about the pressure
Make an exit plan: know when you are going to leave before you go
Have your own transportation: this way they are free to leave when ready
Watch the crowd: if the party becomes uncomfortable, leave
Don’t plan to resolve a life’s worth of ‘family stuff’ over turkey: this NEVER works
Discuss your plan with your partner BEFORE you go: saves on having to argue your case in the middle of things
Don’t let anyone, no matter how well-meaning talk you out of your plan

We also have our group share what they are most looking forward to. For most it is that they are going to experience their family while being sober for the first time in years. There is a healthy sense of pride and accomplishment that goes with that. That is what our friend was planning to do. We are grateful that happened before he met Jesus face to face.

INVISIBLE

2010-12-06T06:40:00.000-06:00

I grew up like a lot of kids. Maybe not like you, but many kids like me made every effort to be invisible. We went to great lengths to not ‘make waves.’ To be ‘seen and not heard’ was even a big risk to us. For me, home was a dangerous place. I believe my parents did their best, but it was not very high on the charts.

The best news is that I lived. I used various coping mechanisms the escape and numb the pain for many years. I believe they reserved my sanity. More than that, I believe that God pulled me through because His plan was not for me to be invisible. Instead, in the midst of my abuse He clearly called me, as I remember it, to ‘be a leader in the church.’ Twenty-three years ago He saved me from my most self-destructive habits as well as my sin.

With the help of others I began to recover and serve as a way to give back and spread the Good News. That service has placed me in some of the finest institutions: jails, prisons, half-way houses, mental institutions, detox units in hospitals and, of course churches. In these places I have tried to serve while remaining invisible. It has been fairly easy to do, but now God has changed that practice for me.

In Matthew 5:15,16 it says “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Recently I am made aware that I am safe enough not to have to be invisible. Instead I need to step out and take a few more risks. This is challenging, but my obedience pleases my Father in Heaven. So, in big ways and small ways I will begin to practice this. And yes, beginning to blog again has been part of that. Thanks for joining me on another great adventure sponsored by God.

GENEROSITY

2010-12-05T17:20:00.000-06:00

This past Wednesday afternoon I received a message from a KFAer who works at a local foster care agency. She express that they were in need of gifts for some of the children under their care. My initial response (in my head) was that I was not sure that, based on her timeframe that we could find small groups to cover the need… BUT, I wanted to do all I could to say “YES” before I had to say “no”. So, I emailed all of our small group leaders to test that waters of willingness. Our leaders are so AWESOME that by the time I left my desk that night I had almost enough inquiries to fill the need!

Today many of us met in the KFA North Commons for a Potato Bar lunch to benefit “Speed the Light”, an Assemblies ministry for youth to support missionaries. It was a loaded potato for a donation. Not only was it great to see KFAers turn out to support this event, but also to see the fellowship go on long after the last chili and cheese had been ladled out.

We are blessed with some of the most generous, caring givers in our fellowship. I believe it makes God smile when people use their gifts to bless others.

SMARTER

2010-11-30T16:16:00.000-06:00

Last night at Freedom Seekers we did something that I love to do. Since I was running group I decided it would be Q&A night, which I quietly call “Stump the Pastor.” This format gives the group a chance to ask questions about God, recovery, relationships, etc. and receive answers/feedback from the Freedom Seekers leadership team.

By the end of the night some of the questions we had answered included questions about prayer (Do I pray to God or Jesus or does it matter?), sleep (I keep waking up at the same time every night… does this mean anything?), recovery (How long will I do these 12 steps before I see change in my life?), suicide (Do people who commit suicide go straight to hell?) and relationships (How do I re-connect with my spouse?).

The feedback was good. Our people, who have know the pleasures of the world and the heartbreak of living far from God, had the opportunity to study about the veil in the Temple being torn from top to bottom at the moment of Christ’s death and what that symbolizes. They also studied the three types of baptisms in the bible (John’s, Jesus’ and the Holy Spirit’s) while at the same time hearing practical, relevant answers to their ‘real life’ questions. It was a great night. I think we all left feeling just a little bit smarter.

REST IN PEACE

2010-11-28T18:39:00.000-06:00

Today Jim and I stood in line to file past the casket of a friend’s father. Most of the people in the crowded room were strangers to me although there were KFAers in the mix. When we reached the family I was blessed by the warm reception of the sisters of the deceased man. Each of them wept in my arms and mentioned the great comfort and connection that they felt with me after the hours that we had recently spent together in the hospital. I, too, acknowledged my connection with them. We had been together in one of the most intimate moments a person could share.

I can’t help but think of what a blessing it is to be with people as their worlds are changing and their hearts are breaking. It is certainly not for everyone. Sometimes it goes against every comfortable fiber of my being to walk into these situations, yet it is such a privilege to listen and pray and drop a pearl of wisdom into the depth of their brokenness and pain. It is a ‘called’ place. It is a task that only the Comforter can walk me through. I can only submit and bravely move in with steps guided by a gracious God.

At times like this I reflect on PEACE. Jesus said “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid,” John 14:27. This peace is available to us all, regardless of the situations or circumstances of our lives and in it we find REST.

Take care-

SERVICE

2010-11-26T08:49:00.000-06:00

One of the lessons I learned early in my journey with Christ was that gratitude is an action word. The often repeated phrase began “My gratitude SPEAKS when I care and when I share with others…” The biblical counterpart to that is when Christ said that leaders are to be servants as He washed the feet of the twelve… even the one He KNEW would betray Him. and then said, “Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.” (John 13:17)

Most people, regardless of where they are in their journey with Christ (including those who don’t yet know Him) want to do good deeds. We see this when people who say they are opposed to ‘organized religion’ will roll up their sleeves on a church project if the benefit is for the community. Regardless if the motive is to glorify God, the outcome still does.

But today is “BLACK FRIDAY” so America has now flipped the focus from what we HAVE to what we WANT NEXT. So to all those who stayed up or camped out all night in freezing temperatures, I want to personally thank you for doing your part to stimulate the economy. Please try to glorify God in the long lines of harried shoppers.

Take care-

PERSPECTIVE

2010-11-25T06:56:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was a life-changing day. As I was packing up my laptop and heading to pick up the last of my holiday meal fixin’s my text notification rang on my phone. “It is a matter of time now” was what I heard from my dear friend who, along with her extended family have been sitting bedside while her stepfather was succumbing to his cancer battle. While the family knew of the diagnosis and what the end result would be, it is always “too soon” to say goodbye.

On the way home the next call my husband, Jim. He had been laid off from his job of 7 years. This was not breaking news as the company had been facing financial issues and had already laid off (‘furlough’ is the new buzz word for this) the majority of the staff.

Now that I am less numb, I guess that I am facing the reality that everything here is temporary. This is not new information, just something that I occasionally “choose not to look at” from my comfortable spot. Yet the Word that is hidden in my heart says: “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” (2 Corinthians 4:18 - NLT) It sounds like an instruction to be very intentional about our focus. Now I read for the context of the verse and this is what precedes it: “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! “

OK, so if I believe God’s Word is true and without error, the question remains, “What am I going to do with this.” I’ll keep you posted.

Take care-

Back at it...

2009-09-29T08:25:00.000-05:00

A special thanks to my new friend Tony for subscribing to my blog... which I have not added to since JANUARY. It has just seemed like 'one more thing on the pile.'

Recently I checked out the blogs of others and was pleasantly surprised to see that blogs have gotten shorter over time. Rather than a journal entry they are looking more like TWITTER posts. For my non-Twitter friends that means 140 characters or less. I needed to RE-THINK my technique.

So, this is my plan: I am going to do what I can, when I can. Might not sound like I am aiming very high, but with my wiring, I know what will work.

Now, off to live a life that inspires great blogs...

Take care-

BHAGG

2009-01-01T10:59:00.000-06:00

au⋅da⋅cious [aw-dey-shuhs]

1.	extremely bold or daring; recklessly brave; fearless: an audacious explorer.

2.	extremely original; without restriction to prior ideas; highly inventive: an audacious vision of the city's bright future.

3.	recklessly bold in defiance of convention, propriety, law, or the like; insolent; brazen.

4.	lively; unrestrained; uninhibited: an audacious interpretation of her role.

Jim and I once had a pastor encourage us to set a "BHAGG" based on what God was speaking into our hearts. He later defined BHAGG as a Big Hairy Audacious God-Sized Goal and then further encouraged us to BELIEVE GOD for the fulfillment of His promise. This was great inspiration for us as we had already seen God do BIG things in our lives. Jim and I both have been set free from addictions that threatened to destroy us, so we both have come to know God's nature when it comes to causing the miraculous.

A couple of weeks ago I lead our staff devotions (the Pastoral Staff has a rotation where one of us present a devo. to the whole KFA staff one morning every week) and I asked the staff to get with God and ask Him about His goals for their lives for 2009. I then instructed them to commit to one of the goals and to share it with someone who would hold them accountable to doing their part to fulfill the goal. Since that morning some have shared that they know just where God is directing them while others are still listening for that 'still, small voice' to reveal the plan.

For me, the biggest challenge is not putting a lid on the plans. I KNOW how much I can do. I know what my capabilities are. My hope is that I can give God's plans right back to God because, as I have said before "God is FULLY responsible for the life that is TOTALLY SURRENDERED to Him."

With that in mind, what is God birthing into your life for 2009? Is it to lay things down or pick things up? Is it to finally surrender yourself to His good, perfect and pleasing will? Has He revealed a dream to you in days gone by that you have doubted because it seemed like an impossible feat? I think that everyone is closer to knowing what "IT" is that they will let themselves admit. I dare you to go for it!

Word

2008-11-29T16:31:00.000-06:00

This morning I sent an email to about 100 people from KFA encouraging them to add The Daily Bible to their Christmas 'wish list' in preparation to begin reading it January 1st. Many have responded with great excitement as they look forward to being in the Word daily with a structured study.

Many have tried other study guides but this unique Bible Devotional is arranged in chronological order. One example of this is that psalms are inserted into the exact place in the story where the author would have written them. The Gospels are also harmonized so that all accounts are read at the same time. The commentary/narration, written by F. LaGard Smith ties the reading of each day into a seamless epic that spans events from creation to the apolocalypse.

It was twelve years ago that my mentor suggested that I purchase a copy of this Bible and establish a pattern of studying it daily. This habit has been life changing for me and since God's Word does not return void I expect that the same will happen for all who study it.

So, if you are reading this and did not get my email from this morning, please also consider joining us in reading The Daily Bible in 2009. You might also share this with others in your circle of influence.

Take care-

BUSY

2008-10-31T07:57:00.000-05:00

As I reflect on the past 5 weeks, since I last blogged I think of the list of activities, meetings and appointments I have experienced. I find it hard to believe that I have not downloaded any of them in writing! So, I will touch on a few to bring you up to speed:

Meeting with Jeanette Stevenson, a certified Life Coach that I have know since my MWA Counseling days where she rented an office from MWA. Jeanette is looking for ways to connect with KFA.

Vision casting with Joan Stanich as we begin to plan what 2009 will look like for The New View and then Joan and I shared that vision with The Pulse Team to have so much enthusiasm build. I LOVE casting vision!

I have been blessed to work with (mentor) 4 women over the past 2 years that have really begun to experience the fullness of total surrender to the Lord. One of which just emailed me from her new home (in another state) to tell me that her life has completely turned the corner that she has been praying about. God is so faithful.

Employment Workshop with Sarah White was well attended. God worked both during the workshop and on individuals following that time together to change hearts and confirm callings.

FIREPROOF: two girlfriends went with me to view the movie FIREPROOF in the process of planning to bring it and the study "Fireproof You Marriage" to couples small groups in the spring! More to be announced...

ONE MONTH TO LIVE: What a great series. We have heard many great testimonies about life-change that happened during the study. More than anything I must say that KFA is BLESSED with two great communicators and Senior Pastors!

Conferences:
GROUP LIFE conference at Willow. Saw leaders John Burke (Soul Revolution), Mark Batterson (In a Pit with a Lion..., Wild Goose Chase) and Bill Donahue among many others. Sat with THOUSANDS who share my heart for life-giving relationships through small groups. This year I went looking for confirmation for the plans that have been placed in my heart for our people at KFA.

EXODUS INTERNATIONAL Regional Conference at Green Lake Conference Center. Lisa McAlpine went with to help get an eye for deliverence ministry at KFA. We found ourselves in the midst of individuals who have struggled (past and present) with same-sex attraction as well as spouses, friends and family members who have millions of unanswered questions and tons of compassion. The leaders did a great job and speaker KATHY KOCK, Ph.D. (www.celebratekids.com) was OUTSTANDING. Look for Dr. Kathy in 2009 as we plan to invite her with a message for students and families. Her book "Finding Authentic Hope and Wholeness" (Moody Publishers) will be in The Bread Store next week.

Planning for 2009: I am SO excited to see how the vision shapes up. Pastor Bob and I are working together to focus on Family ministry. The New View has big plans. Small groups are booming. Assimilation and Discipleship are combining for LaunchPoint- the process for Christian growth at KFA.

Now you see why busy was a good title. My list only begins to scratch the surface of what it has looked like. I am so grateful that God has me on this great adventure!

Take care-

See you...

2008-09-24T13:48:00.001-05:00

This morning I went with my son Ben to his school for 'See You at the Pole', a student-initiated, student organized, and student-led event. That means this is all about students meeting at their school flagpole to pray—for their school, friends teachers, government, and their nation. See You at the Pole™ is not a demonstration, political rally, nor a stand for or against anything. It was really great to be there. Ben began to prepare for the events today by attending a rally last night at IBC where some of the local youth pastors taught the students how to conduct themselves at SYATP, a worship band played and we prayed for the school we would be at. As you know, middle-schoolers can get silly... as we prayed the repeated part of the prayer by almost ever student was "God, let more people show up..." There were about 15 kids in the Lance School prayer group.

THIS MORNING when we arrived many of the students from the rally were already there. We joked and joined the semi-circle around the flag pole. Then more people showed up. About thirty students and 3 parents (including me). It was interesting to hear what the on-lookers were saying although some of their comments would not be acceptable to repeat. Mostly though, as the crowd built there was just a great deal of noise.

Here are a few examples of my experience:

At one point I was aware of a boy standing just behind me peering in. I let go of the hand I was holding and invited him to join us. He set down his backpack and took both hands to complete the circle. After about 2 minutes he leaned over and asked "Are you guys praying or something?" He stayed for about 2 more minutes and excused himself.

Shortly after that I overheard someone behind me say "Oh man! I was supposed to be doing THAT!" Again I dropped my neighbor's hand and made eye-contact with the girl that had made that statement and she left her friends and joined in.

I noticed a school employee over my shoulder and invited her into the circle. She took both Ben's hand and mine and stood with us while many students prayed before she excused herself.

During prayer two girls walked past and one loudly said to the other "I don't know WHAT they're praying for... but I know the are PRAYING!"

What a great morning. I was so impressed by the students who bravely stood up for their Christian beliefs in front of their school body. I saw many gifted leaders and evangelists boldly proclaiming their love for Christ. These kids are the future of the church... and our future looks BRIGHT!

Being There

2008-09-20T16:37:00.000-05:00

The power of multiples has again become evident in my life. I say 'again' because this recurring theme has always shattered my illusions of self-sufficiency. As David states in Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:If one falls down,his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up."

During the past month I have been working to set up the Challenge Groups for KFA's "One Month to Live" campaign. It has been both the greatest joy and biggest challenge I have faced this year. I LOVE that a greater number than I expected have decided to connect through small group life for the six weeks of the campaign. However three weeks ago my assistant Peggy had to to begin a personal leave to care for her mother as she has had some medical issues. Here, two would be better than one.

Earlier this week the pastoral staff and their spouses attended the Innovate08 Conference at Granger Community Church in Granger, IN. We took the two church vans due to the number of people going. Things went well through Chicago but shortly after crossing the Indiana state line the tread on one of the tires of the vans came off and flew into traffic behind us. Just so happened it was the van that Jim and I were in AND it just so happened that it happened 15 minutes from my parent's house. When we discovered that the van's emergency tools to change the tire were not up to the task I chose to call my parents for help. You know that call that begins "DAD... you're not going to believe this..." In a matter of time he and my Mom arrived with the appropriate tools for the job and soon we were on our way.

Just before leaving my office earlier that very same day my cell phone rang. As I answered the phone I noticed that it was one of my friends on the other end of the call. Having just had "a day" herself she called to confess that she was tempted to fall into an old sin pattern. She was reaching out because she knows the power of multiples. She knew that public confession would take all of the power out of the temptation. Later, I called her to follow-up while we were sitting on the side of the highway. She had been able to resist the urges that temporarily had her in their grip.

We are called to be there for each other. "Rescue the perishing; don't hesitate to step in and help. If you say, "Hey, that's none of my business," will that get you off the hook? Someone is watching you closely, you now—Someone not impressed with weak excuses." is what Proverbs 24:11-12 says in The Message Bible. I think that is what bring the Kingdom of Heaven to earth looks like. How about you?

Take care-

Rich

2008-09-09T08:15:00.000-05:00

Between 2003 and early 2008 the cost or rice, a staple food for billions worldwide has doubled. With an American worldview one might think that even with the doubling of the price that rice is still an inexpensive grain. But if you take it out of the 'rich American' perspective this makes for a global hunger crisis. In early 2008 Economists reported that 2.6 billion people live on $2 a day or less. They spend approximately 50 percent of their income on food. Thus a person living on $2 a day spends $1 a day on food. When food prices go up by 100 percent, s/he must spend $2.00 a day on food or purchase less food. The result is s/he purchases less food, leading to increased hunger, and has much less left over for other necessities such as housing.

My time in Thailand earlier this year gave me an opportunity to see what abject poverty really looks like. During our time in the Northern mountains of Thailand we visited refugee camps where people had fled Burma (now called Myanmar) with only the clothes on their backs and after a period of time in Thailand still only owned those clothes. In Pattaya we also experienced women and children begging in the streets. This was all a huge reality check about just how much 'stuff' we have in America. Some of us have so much 'stuff' that we have rental units outside of our home just to hold the overflow. In fact the business of storing 'stuff' is a huge industry in America.

Rob Bell states in his NOOMA video "Rich" that the money that Americans spend on ice cream in one year equals the amount of money that it would take to provide clean drinking water to THE REST OF THE WORLD that has that need! Ponder that. We ARE rich.

FANTASY and FOOTBALL and FANATIC

2008-09-06T12:09:00.000-05:00

From WIKIPEDIA:

Traits of FANTASY
The identifying traits of fantasy are the inclusion of fantastic elements in a self-coherent (internally consistent) setting. Within such a structure, any location of the fantastical element is possible: it may be hidden in, or leak into the apparently real world setting, it may draw the characters into a world with such elements, or it may occur entirely in a fantasy world setting, where such elements are part of the world. Within a given work, the elements must not only obey rules, but for plot reasons, must also contain limits to allow both the heroes and the villains means to fight; magical elements must come with prices, or the story would become unstructured.

Football
The word given to a number of similar team sports, all of which involve (to varying degrees) kicking a ball. The most popular of these sports world-wide is also known as "soccer" and most commonly just "football".

And finally:

Fanatic
Fanaticism is an emotion of being filled with excessive, uncritical zeal, particularly for an extreme religious or political cause or in some cases sports, or with an obsessive enthusiasm for a pastime or hobby.

"A fanatic is one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject."
-Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

I understand these definitions more now than ever as I am currently on my first FANTASY FOOTBALL LEAGUE. Enough said?

Take care-

Water Baptisms

2008-08-30T20:36:00.000-05:00

What a day!!! Last Sunday a crowd of approximately 200 friends, family and church attenders showed up at Lake Andrea to celebrate the water baptisms of an undetermined number of Christ followers. Turns out that 72, yes I said 72 people decided to make a public statement to the crowd that was there with us in addition to anyone else who cared to watch.

Someone later told me that they were approaching the picnic areas and saw a BIG tent with a few people in it and a SMALL tent that was surrounded by a crowd. Their guess was that we had the BIG tent. Much to their surprise and pleasure we were in the SMALL tent.

I had planned to teach the brief message about baptism but my heart was also in calling the friends and family that attended to examine their hopelessness and need for a Savior. A young woman who had come to support a friend accepted Christ on the spot... AND THEN WAS BAPTIZED! How exciting!

I was also blessed to baptize Joya, my friend Ellen's daughter among the people who ended up with Pastor Bob and I. What a great moment... probably only second to marrying Dave and Ellen last year. These experiences leave me (almost) speechless.

We have great stories and some good photos. I look forward to seeing the edited video which will be available on our website as soon as possible.

Take care-

Friday

2008-08-23T06:39:00.000-05:00

Friday is MY day, most of the time. I spend the first part with the Lord in some time of community. I pray and read His Word then I do my best to LISTEN to what He shares with me. I have to be disciplined to stay still and also not to give that time away in the midst of my busy schedule (especially when the boys are not in school). Next is home management time. This might include housecleaning, bill-paying and grocery shopping, or not. THEN come one of my FAVORITE weekly activities: SMALL GROUP.

SMALL GROUP: after 21 years of group life I need to say that each group I have belonged to is better in a different way than the group before. Much of that has to do with the group God places me in but it also has to do with my transformation. As I have grown in maturity so have my reactions to bringing people closely into my life. Let me just add now that I am grateful for that change!

We currently have a group that ROCKS! We have men that cry and bare their souls and women who are not afraid to be seen. What a blessing! The past two weeks our group has been just amazing! Thanks groupies for giving HIM your all and then sharing it with us.

Take care-

Rules and Relationship

2008-08-18T20:39:00.000-05:00

This week during my quiet time I have been lead to take a look at my closest relationships. It is amazing what God will lead me to when I humble myself and ask Him. Having been a study of relationships, psychology, group life and the like for many years has not exempted me from needing to do a relational tune-up from time to time. The timing is where God comes in. This exercise is not the result of hitting the relationship wall with someone as much as it is the 'still, small voice' guiding me to take a good look at how things are (a bit of a personal inventory of sorts).

Many have heard the profound statement "rules without relationship lead to rebellion." Romans 5:20 states "All that passing laws against sin did was produce more lawbreakers." This was the way of the Old Testament. It was hard work to get righteous before Christ came to walk among us! All of the sacrificing and isolation as atonement took so much time and effort. Sometimes even for healthy, normal bodily functions. The book of Leviticus lays out all of the rules and the remedies for straying from them. While not an easy read, certainly a chance to grow your gratitude.

I thank God for the gift of Jesus! In John 3:16,17 we learn"This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted." My personal commentary on this is that God longed to be in relationship with us more than He valued even a generation of rule-followers; therefore He made a new way (a new and everlasting covenant) with the fallen mankind. Jesus endured the cross so that we could boldly approach God. We have no need of translators or interpreters, no need for someone to communicate on our behalf. No, we can speak directly to our Heavenly Father. We can seek Him and ask Him... AND He has given us His Spirit as a guide.

So, in my life that Guide has brought me to look at my relationships. Do I expect people to play by MY rules? How do I place myself under the real or perceived rules of others. Do my children see me as a relational parent or the judge of their behavior? Do I reward people based on their willingness to follow my rules? Oh, the list goes on. So now you know what I am looking at. Where are you being lead? Do you hear Him? Will you follow?

Take care-

So this is connected?

2008-08-13T17:41:00.001-05:00

As I am still working to get my new Blackberry fully connected, synced (sunk?), and working I think about how communication and the ways that we connect have changed in the past 40 years (my lifetime).

Let's see... we once had phones with CORDS that connected the handset to the base of the phone. On the first one I remember you also had to dial (with a rotary dial) to make your call until the invention of the 'push button' phone. THEN we had cordless phones. I know, still do. These cordless phones had a telescoping metal antenna at least 2 feet long (created by the same being that invented the light saber I think). As technology advanced the phone antenna shrunk.

Then the cellular phone:
The one on the left was attached to a base that lived in a bag. No texting, no browser, not even a camera! Hugely expensive to purchase and to use with little to no reception. Someone had to be IMPORTANT to use this phone.

Then 'IT' happened. We became a mobile society. Now we call, text, email, browse, film, take photos and work from our cell phones while we Twitter and visit our Facebook pages hourly. Technology has virtually eliminated our need to meet face-to-face with each other. In fact we don't even use full words anymore. I will never forget the first time I read an emails with this written in it: "ROTFLOL"... I had NO idea. I am much better now. Partially because I am a techie who 'gets' how these things work rather easily but also because I have children. I HAVE to keep up with things as they quickly change or my kids might be able to pass me by.

So anyway, since God designed us to be in community (and set the Trinity as the perfect example) I believe that this lack of face-to-face encounter with those we are 'connected with' comes at a high cost. We fall out of the habit of being in the presence of other and most importantly we lose the discipline of getting into the presence of God. In all cases we have even begun to lose our social skills. When was the last time that someone began texing or took a phone call during time that you were sharing with them? How much more do we do that with God?

Sorry Oprah, but He IS a jealous God. He LONGS to connect with us. He longs for us to DESIRE Him... and we are wired to worship Him. It is we who take on other gods and idols in HIS place with HIS time. Connecting with (loving) God and others are the greatest two commandments... how amazing then, once we get past the first few awkward moments just how great both feel.

The challenge is to turn off the business-as-usual of the day and fill up on community.

Take care-

Brush with Fame

2008-08-11T05:34:00.000-05:00

My weekly phone call with my mom began with a twist yesterday. "Your dad reminded me to tell you that he's a celebrity." As my mind began to process the sentence my mouth took the bait, "Really, how is that?" She went on to tell me how dad and his buddy were out to lunch when the Obama/Bayh tour stopped by the northern Indiana Schoop's restaurant that they frequent.

Seems that this was more of a thrill than I thought as I Googled to find news interviews and photos. In the midst of rumors and speculation about running mates it appears that they decided to shake what one reporter called 'blue-collar hands' on their whirlwind tour of the state.

My dad, a dyed-in-the-wool Democrat was not fond of 'his' party's candidate prior to this brush with fame. In fact he preferred the Republican candidate so he was wrestling with skipping the vote completely (probably for the first time in all of his 55+ voting years). But now he has a new perspective about placing his new-found friend in the Oval Office.

It all makes me think about labels. Democrat, Republican, white-collar, blue-collar even Christian and 'lost'. It is certainly an 'us' and 'them' culture that we live in where we label our differences as quickly possible. I am reminded that Paul instructs the Galatians that " There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." So let's love God and each other looking at our similarities rather than our differences.

Take care-