Sin

In the book I am reading "Static" there is an illustration of how a missionary related sin the Japanese culture. It was discovered that "shame" best illustrated what the Bible says sin is. In other words, the Biblical concept of sin was translated into not only the language, but the culture as well.

This got me thinking about how we look at sin in our culture. The concept is pretty much lost on our postmodern society. If we need to retranslate the word and reapply it to our culture without watering down the Biblical concept, what does that look like?

The book focuses on Luke 4:18 as the reason Jesus came. Certainly not the only thing Jesus says about why He came, but this passage is significant in giving us a broader context to understand that Jesus came to do more than forgive sin.

As I began thinking about how to apply this, these thoughts came to mind.

Jesus came to free us from social stigma, religious legalism, and personal shame. That freedom provides a way for us to reconnect with God.

Look at the interractions between Jesus and people and the things that He said. This is a summary of those things in a context I think that people can grasp. I would love to hear other thoughts on this. I'll unpack this statement and the ramifications of it in upcoming posts. For now, let it soak in and pray about how we communicate the concept of sin in our culture today.

Happy Halloween!

I never thought I would hear myself say that. I have always hated that we give a day to Satan. This morning God brought a thought to my mind. Satan's going down (literally too!)! Take a look at these passages and celebrate what will happen to Satan: Mark 3:27, John 12:31, John 16:11, Matthew 25:41.

Rejoice that Jesus has come to release us from bondage and to truly set us free (See John 8:36 and Romans 6:22)! Happy Halloween.

Two Minute Tuesday - Connecting People

We must never forget that ministry to New Believers is all about connecting people.

Our first priority is connecting people to Christ. We are Christ with skin on to many who we encounter. We must live, act, and speak in a way that draws people to Him. When people come to the Fresh Start table, we need to look at them as someone who is connecting with Christ. We become the water, so to speak, in helping the seed that has been planted to grow. Without water, the seed will die. If we don't connect with them, they are more than likely to not remain connected with Christ.

Our second priority is to connect people to others. We must connect with them first. Our connection with them needs to lead them toward their next steps in their growth. If we don't connect with them, they are likely to drift and perhaps not connect at all.

It is significant and important what we do. The time and effort is well worth it. Whenever someone takes the next step in their journey, you should rejoice that God used you in that process. Keep it up, and take time to celebrate what God is doing through you and through the church!

Ministry 101 - It Really is All About Jesus

As a pastor, it is easy to get caught up in the day to day events of work, and before long it can become just like any other job. This can happen on the weekend too. You can get so focused on what needs to be done that you miss what God is doing. This is especially true if you have ADD and are task oriented, both of which, I am convinced, are very common among pastors.

When you read the title of this post, you probably said something like "DUH!" But before you think the topic is too simple to write about, hang on a minute.

How is your personal devotional life? What book of the Bible are you studying and what are you learning, not just what book are you reading. For me, it is Isaiah chapter 59, and God is showing me that He is always faithful, and that His purposes will be fulfilled with me or without me, and it will go much better for me if it is with me. I am also reading the book "Static" which is challenging the way I think about terms such as Kingdom, Repent, Sin, Salvation. It is taking me back to Scripture which to me is a good book.

How is your spiritual life with you spouse? I have to be honest here and say that that is a weak area in my life, but I have set some goals that will help me grow here. Paige and I have a great marriage, and we both love the Lord. How much better will it be when we are loving Him together more?!

Where are your thoughts most of the day during the week? Are they looking forward to your day off, or on projects outside of the church? I think we all struggle with this at times. We need to make sure that our prayer life challenges us daily to focus on Christ and His purposes for us and the church we serve.

What do you think about on the weekend? Are you thinking about who is playing in the game that afternoon, or what's for lunch, or...? The weekend isn't a time to let down on your prayers, it is the time to crank it up a notch because that is when Satan will attack the hardest. Every pastor, I am sure, has had a day that he just didn't want to get out of bed and do anything, that's just being human. It's in those moments that we draw on Scripture and prayer and rely on God's strength and power. It is usually those days when you can see God work clearly.

If we continually focus on who Jesus is, and the many reasons He came, it is much easier to live every moment serving Him. The tasks are purpose driven (not just a book title!) and God will bless you! Of course it also means that Satan will attack harder in a greater variety of ways, but the Holy Spirit will empower you to overcome!

It really is all about Jesus. We must expend every effort to grow in Him and encourage others to grow in Him as well. We live this out by loving others, especially the unlovely, and encouraging others to love as well.

Weekend Stuff

I want my Friday back! Friday is my day off and last week I had planned to finish a project I had been working on in the shop. I got some time, but not what I had planned. I was also planning a great date night (It's a great way to cap off a day off!). All the plans changed because Paige was sick. The world stops turning when she is sick. When the mom/wife is down, everything shuts down! The upside is that I got to take care of her for the day and evening. That's a switch, and I hated that she was sick, but it was nice to take care of her because she always takes such great care of me! Still, I wish I could have the day back, especially date night :-)!

The weekend was great. We had a church picnic Saturday and then between setup at 2 and 10pm, had time off (No Sat. service). Sunday was cool. I got to check out the kids areas and service was great. Best of all, two first time decisions for Christ! We also had two people checking out the possibility of serving with our New Believers Team. God is so GOOD! I also got to talk with someone who was getting a divorce, and at the hearing they decided to reconcile! What an answer to prayer!

In the afternoon, Paige made chicken and dumplings and we had family lunch. It's about the only time we get to spend time as a whole family and it is a highlight of my week. We always have extra "family" that the boys bring and that's always a blessing too.

If you haven't checked out http://swerve.lifechurch.tv/ you should! In this week's Swerve Lab, they asked my question about new believers. I am anxious to get to know what other churches are doing to minister to new believers and if there are others who focus on this ministry area that I can connect with.

Mixed sports week! Colorado lost the series :-(, USC lost to Oregon :-(, ASU beat Cal :-), the Raiders lost :-), my DVR missed the last 2 laps of the NASCAR race :-(. This week ASU plays Oregon, Colts play the Patriots, and the Suns kick off the NBA season!

Two Minute Tuesday - on Thursday

I can't believe that it's Thursday already. This week flew by! It was a great week.

One of the best days of the week was Wednesday. I took the day to "withdraw" to study and pray. I haven't done that for a while, and I will be making it a point to do this regularly.

Usually when I do this, God challenges me personally in my spiritual life and gives me vision and ideas for ministry. This day was different. God has been "disturbing me" (Thanks Craig G. for putting it that way!) lately and this was a good day to hear from Him. The thing is, instead of answers, I got more questions. I felt as if God was leading me through questions instead of answers.

I have been reading a book called "Static" which has really been challenging me, and yesterday I read through "Reveal". The combination of the two books, what I'm reading in Isaiah, and things God is challenging me with all came together to create some powerful questions for myself, my personal ministry, and my ministry at Palm Valley Church.

Here's a sample: It sounds like an easy question, but why did Jesus come? Simple, He came to save the lost right? Not so fast! Is that what Scripture really says? Is the meaning of what it says the same meaning those who were there understood? Is the meaning what we attach to it today in a post-modern society? Is the meaning universal?

Once we understand why Jesus came, the next question is: Are we communicating that message to people today, in our culture, in a way that they can understand and grap hold of? If they grap hold of Christ, are we really helping them take their next steps, or are we just teaching "important" stuff?

I thought I had the answers, until yesterday. Thanks for disturbing me God! Now my prayer is that God unfolds the answers clearly, quickly, and in a way that I can transfer to others what I learn.

Ministry 101 - Beware the Migratory Flock!

I'm sure it is more noticeable in small towns, but beware the migratory flock! I remember in my first full-time ministry, we lived in a small town. I saw this phenomenon cycle through our church a couple of times while I was there. There was a group of about 50 who moved from church to church. In churches running 100 to 200, this is a big swing! If you've been in ministry for a while, you know what I'm talking about.

The migratory flock is a group of "well meaning Christians" who begin attending a church because "the Holy Spirit is present here." It begins with one or two, then they begin coming in groups. You get so excited to see that God is growing the church as numbers begin to swell. It lasts anywhere from several weeks to a few months, but eventually it ends.

These people come and praise what God is doing. Some may begin to serve, and some may give. Until... something happens. You can't put a finger on what it is, but usually it is when the unspoken leader is offended by something said, or doesn't like the way something is being done. It may be because you won't do what they want.

As quickly as they came, they are gone. They move together to another church in the community where the "Holy Spirit is present." They have apparently determined that the Holy Spirit is no longer at the church you are at. Don't worry, if you are there long enough they (presumably because of the Holy Spirit) will be back. When they leave, they usually leave a damaged church in their wake. In the time that it takes a church to recover from their impact is usually how long it takes for the Holy Spirit to make His rounds to the various churches in the community.

Sound crazy? It's not. I've seen it with my own eyes. If you don't recognize it when it hits your church, you may get caught in the wake of damage left behind.

How do you prevent it from happening where you are?
1. Pray constantly that you will be led by the Holy Spirit.
2. Stay Biblical. Don't get caught in the hype of the moment or by current fads.
3. Start people who come from other churches out serving in simple areas like greeting. If they are willing to serve anywhere, in any situation, and stick with it, you'll see their heart. If they want to be in leadership right away and are unwilling to serve where needed, or want to put conditions on their service, you'll know there is a problem.
4. Don't make large changes in leadership positions all at once. This is one reason annual elections for all the leadership in the church is a bad idea.
5. Pray constantly for God's protection and wisdom. Discernment is a great tool here!
6. It's God's church! It is the bride of Christ! Care for it and defend it from predators (In God's strength!).
7. Love the people. If you focus on the numbers without caring for the people the numbers represent, you'll get blindsided!
8. Talk with other pastors in your community. Isolation is a welcome mat for disaster.
9. They are harder to spot in large churches, but if you are communicating with others and within your own team, you will learn who the leaders are and can watch for them.
10. Focus on people who don't know Jesus instead of the already churched! Healthy, effective churches tend minimize the stay or even repel these people. Besides, if you are reaching the lost and raising leaders from within, you won't "need" what these people "bring" to the church.

Going All The Way - Craig Groeschel

Craig's got another book out and it's about marriage. It's very timely as we go through this marriage series. His other books are great, so I imagine this will be too!

Here's the summary from Amazon:
“Going all the way” used to mean getting what you want from the opposite sex now…and paying for it later.It’s time to redefine. Smart advice for a new generation about love, sex, and happily ever after.You’ve seen marriages fail time and again. Even relationships you thought were bullet proof don’t last. Once promising couples dissolve in the acid of selfishness, conflict, or unfaithfulness… or fade away to a cold, gray lovelessness. No wonder that for our generation, “getting what you want” is often a substitute for love, and disillusionment about marriage is the new normal. So what do you do if you want a marriage that doesn’t just survive, but thrives? That doesn’t just begin romantically but ends magnificently? Answer: You do something different.Whether you’re thinking ahead to marriage, are about to be wed, or have been married for a while and want to make changes, this book can help. Going All the Way will guide you through the choices and commitments you need to make now in order to build a strong and vibrant relationship that will go the distance. In a world where going all the way means putting yourself first, author Craig Groeschel will show you how, by putting God first, you can build a soul-enriching, lifelong relationship.With practical, candid discussions about sex, first dates, integrity, forgiveness, and communication, Craig will help you prepare for and experience a relationship that gives fresh, hope-filled meaning to “going all the way” with the one you love.

Make sure you get a copy, I will!

Weekend Review - WOW!

It's easy to say that around here, but wow, what a weekend!

Greg did a great job explaining the concept of covenant in general, and especially as it relates to marriage.

Paige and I couldn't help but to have a good laugh at the thought of cutting the animals in half (not the act, but the memory the thought produced). When Dr. Mont Smith taught us covenant in Bible college he was explaining this part and how Abram was sawing the animals in half (It was really funny, but you had to be there). The logistics of cutting a heifer in half in that day must have been something to see! The significance of the event certainly isn't funny, it is seriously powerful and a matter of life and death.

We were gone last week and seeing the way the two runners were used was great.

Derrick did a great job with the music. The acoustics were a nice touch.

Fresh Start Class was small, but it was great because of who was there. Great discussion, especially afterward.

Diane Maloney has a great heart for God and for Fresh Start!!! I can't tell you what a blessing it is to serve new believers with her as the coordinator for our coaches. She and Mike love Jesus and it shows!

We had at least three first time decisions for Christ after the third service today! God continues to bless Palm Valley Church with new believers and the responsibility for their care and growth is humbling to say the least!

I put it on the line today, so our student ministries team needs to rock! I challenged an 8th grade girl to try out the youth service. I told her that if she hated it I would take her family (of 5) to lunch. I have every confidence that she won't be able to collect!

A big thank you to whoever normally brings the generator on the weekends! As a portable church we need extra power to run all the equipment that we use. Since the building isn't wired for what we do, we bring the power in. We have a big diesel powered generator on it's own trailer. I hauled it this weekend. Not a big deal, but someone does it every week. I appreciate that. I'm sure the kids do too because of what we are able to do because we have it!

Our check-in teams love Jesus! I know that several of our check-in people are going through some really tough life issues right now, yet they are faithful in serving. Check-in is an important role as we serve and protect the kids who come. Thank you!

Just some quick thoughts, but it's so great to be at a church where God's presence is evident!

Isaiah - NLT

I confess, I love the Bible! I love to read it, I love to study it, and I love to help others fall in love with it too! I use several different versions. I typically use the New American Standard for in depth study, but for my daily reading I now use the New Living Translation. I love the way it reads and uses current conversational language to express God's Word. Because I use different translations, and even paraphrases like the Message, I see Scripture as new each time I read it. Couple that with the fact that the Holy Spirit opens my eyes to see things He wants to grow me through as I am ready for them and the Bible is truly a living document. I am loving studying through Isaiah in my personal study time right now. I am gaining new insights every day. I'm sorry I can't take the time to blog about everything I see or am learning, but here is some things that caught my eye today as I looked at chapter 53:

1. We have a part and God has a part in leading people to Him (v1). We need to share the message, and God will reveal His saving power. It's so true that Christianity is always one generation from extinction. I know God won't let that happen, but think about the significance of the need for us to share God with others. We also need to remember that it isn't up to us whether someone accepts Christ or not. That is God's part. We just need to be faithful with our part.

2. It is talking about Christ, but do we care about the despised in our society? If we are to see Christ in "the least of these" than are we ignoring Christ when we turn our backs on those in need?

3. In spite of the fact that we are selfish and follow our own path, Jesus came and carried the weight of our sin and guilt. It's quaint to refer to Romans "while we were still sinners", but we need to truly acknowledge our personal desires instead of following God's desires.

4. Jesus should be honored because He "exposed himself to death" on our behalf.

5. God loves us so much!!!

Two Minute Tuesday

Do you really love people? Do you live out 1 Corinthians 13 or is it a quaint poetic passage to pull out when you talk about marriage?

These are questions that I have had to re-ask myself in the past couple of weeks. Sometimes the people we encounter are "unlovely" and "difficult". I'll be honest in saying that I struggle sometimes in loving these people. God is really nailing me on this right now. I've been praying hard and studying and asking God to change my heart and to help me serve these people as I serve anyone else. I have been asking Him to create in me a desire to serve "the least of these". I don't want to do a program, and I don't want to do an event, I want to truly desire to make a lifestyle change and see God use me in some way in this area.

I share this personal struggle and challenge you, as we seek to connect people to Christ through our New Believer's ministry we need to exude the love of Christ. Often, people are drawn to Christ in their most desparate of times. We need to not only tell them about the next thing we want them to do, we need to minister to their needs!

Catalyst 07

Catalyst 07 - Summary notes

Andy Stanley:

Andy spoke from John 13:1-17 about being the most powerful person in the room.
All of us as leaders, teachers, parents, pastors, will be the most powerful person in the room.
Andy used the story of Jesus washing the disciple’s feet to show that you need to use that power to influence those in your room. Jesus did it by showing that true leadership requires service to those who serve you.
Jesus shed the symbols of His authority.
It should be an act of 1st response, not something you have to think about and plan.
Leverage the power for the sake of others so that it reverberates.
Leaders wield power – like it or not!
Don’t shrink back from the power and authority, honor God with it!
Follow “we” (leadership by committee or board) doesn’t work.
George Washington was a great leader because he was willing to give up his power.
Great leadership is determined the moment you have the power – what will you do with it – serve you, or serve Him?

Patrick Lencioni:

Patrick spoke about the “Job Misery” triangle – Three signs of a miserable job:

Anonymity – Everyone needs to be known. How can the most important thing in my life not be important to my manager? If you don’t take an interest in people, we shouldn’t be a manager.
Irreverence – Make a difference in someone’s life. It matters! It needs to matter! Have others tell you something you don’t know about their co-worker. Encourage people to get to know each other, not just serve together. We need to see the relevance of what we do. Teo books recommended: Daniel Harken – Coaching Leaders. Dream Manager – I need to check them out.
Immeasurement – You need to measure for yourself how you are doing. Find things that you can quantify. You need feedback – what do you do and how well do you do it?

Management is ministry!

UnChristian:

Panel discussion about the book. Christian terms aren’t understood in today’s culture! How will we present Christ to a culture – like speaking a foreign language. Haven’t read the book, but need to!

Shane Claiborne:

Without a doubt the most talked about speaker! I personally didn’t agree with a lot of what he said. The one thing he said that I appreciated was that we need to surround ourselves with people like we want to become. For me, I want to become more gentle and patient, so I need to surround myself with people who exude those qualities and learn from them.

Francis Chan:

I think he challenged me the most about my spiritual life and I need to wrestle with some of what he had to say.
What part of the body are you? I don’t want to be the appendix – doesn’t do anything and if it explodes it can kill us.
Do you really love the church?
Do you really love the people in it?
Galatians 5 – God set me apart at birth
Jeremiah 1:4, 7, 17 – God is in control!
1 Corinthians 16:13 – Stand firm, act like men, be strong
This is war!
Look at the church at Laodacia
I once was blind – I still am!
“If Jesus had a church in Simi Valley, mine would be bigger”
Put your money where your mouth is! Building an amphitheatre instead of a large building so they can use more money for ministry

Sunday Adelaja:

1,000 converts per month! In the Ukraine.
7 spheres of influence
How has God called you to engage?
Feb. 8th pray! – New book – Church Shift
When he couldn’t reach the people he thought we was to reach, he began serving the poor. Ultimately, he has reached all the people (spheres of influence).

Rick Warren:

God will bless His agenda not mine!
Jesus’ focus was on the Kingdom – 157 times
Jesus reigns in His Kingdom – Heaven, Earth, within you
If you want Jesus to come sooner, tell others about Him!
The church is Jesus’ bride – love the bride!
Create culture, don’t change it!
God turned Moses’ stick into the rod of God
When God asks a question, it isn’t for His benefit!
When God does a miracle it is a parable of truth
The stick represented Moses’ identity – throw it down
The five biggest problems in the world – Spiritual emptiness, corrupt leaders, poverty, pandemic diseases, illiteracy
Surrender you stick to God and he will make it alive
Whenever you pick it up it will die
It’s all about surrender!
What is in my hand? – Talent, background, experience – SHAPE?
Questions from God – what did you do with my Son? What did you do with what I gave you?
We need to be stewards of influence and affluence
Dangerous surrender!
The purpose of influence is so that you can speak up for those who don’t have influence!

John C. Maxwell:

What do you get a guy who has everything? A camel!

The things you are sure of become more sure
Trust God more and yourself less
Intentionally add value to people every day
Stay focused on what you do really well
Putting yourself 1st is the greatest sin of leadership
Don’t worry about reaping, just sow!
You’re either adding to or subtracting from people
You have to value people – Jesus did and set the example!
You must make yourself more valuable – you can’t give what you don’t have!
You have to know and value what others value – connect and care!
You must do what God values – pray over people!

Craig Groeschel:

We believe God exists, but live like He doesn’t
Ministry – Believe He exists but do ministry as though He doesn’t!
He told the illustration of the bar that burned and the owner sued the pastor and one – the owner believed in prayer, the pastor didn’t
Isaiah 29:13-14 – Heart is far from Me, wonder upon wonder
Hybels – The way I was doing the work of God was destroying the work of God in me!
Full-time pastor, part-time follower of Christ
We start believing that our effort is better than God’s power
Wrong mindset – If I do good, God has to bless me
If I blame myself for the decline, I might take credit for the increase – this is sin!
We wrongly believe that our private life doesn’t affect our public ministry
We feel that we must please people more than we must please God
We need God to disturb us!
I pray so little
I want things when others have nothing
The crowd that had done nothing, the least of these are who we need to minister to
Francis Drake – Disturb us Lord!

Dave Ramsey:

There are 800+ Scriptures about money and investing
It is not my money; I am just a manager for the Lord of Hosts!
A steward is a manager of God’s stuff
Prosperity is having the money to do God’s will in your life
What could the people of God do for the Kingdom of God if they were debt free?

Erwin McManus:

Ecclesiastes 1:9-10 - Solomon was wrong! – There is something new under the sun
Isaiah 53 - Jesus isn’t all we need – God created us with needs – soul cravings
Be human!

Other Thoughts:

If you’re asked to speak in front of over 11,000 people, be prepared!
If you’re asked to speak on leadership, speak on leadership!
It’s great to learn together!
It’s great to come back to a loving wife (I already knew that J!)!

Real Men Wear Kilts!

Vacation is over and I'll be back in the office tomorrow. Mixed emotions! It was really good to be away, but at the same time, I can't wait to get back!

Saturday, Paige and I spent time with my mom and oldest sister Deb at the Highland Games in Ventura, CA. I came real close to buying a kilt. I've always wanted one, but it's just not a priority and they're expensive! While the USA is my nation, Scotland is my heritage and I love history, especially that of my family. We learned that we actually descended from the Vikings before marrying in to Scotland. We discovered that Paige has Scottish blood as well.

We had a great time watching the strength games. They couldn't do the caber toss because it was too wet and would have been dangerous, but we got to see everything else. We even got to see sheep dogs at work. It was really amazing to watch the power under control that these dogs have.

I'm not done yet, but I have been reading the book "Static" and it is really challenging me with some things I didn't know about some cultural issues related to the Gospel. I love Biblical history and exploring the historical/cultural aspects of stories and words. This book is challenging by views on evangelism and how we not only lead people to Christ, but how we take them through the next steps. I'll write more on that once I'm finished.

Catalyst & Vacation Thoughts

I am on vacation this week :-)! Paige is off of school for fall break this week and next, so I took this week off so that we could spend some time together. I'll be back at it next Monday, but I am really enjoying the time off. I actually slept in one day!

We are going to CA to spend some time with family and especially my mom. I can't wait to see her. I wish she lived with us, but my oldest sister has that privilege right now. On Saturday we are going to the Highland Games. I'll blog about that next week, and no I won't be wearing a kilt!

This past week I had the opportunity to go to the Catalyst conference in Atlanta. I can honestly say that I learned something from each of the speakers, though more from some than others. I'll blog about that more next week. Overall, the challenge to me was multi-faceted.

1. Are you willing to lead like Jesus and show your leadership by laying everything aside to serve in even the most meanial of tasks?

2. Do you really love Jesus? Enough to do whatever He asks of you and not shrink back from any of it?

3. Do you love the church and people you serve? If you don't, leave the church or get out of ministry.

More later, but those are some things I am praying through right now. I'm also reading a really great book that I discovered at the converence that is challenging my views on evangelism and how the Gospel relates to culture. I hope to finish it this weekend.

More later!

2 Minute Tuesday

I am so hung over from the joy of the weekend! Seeing 48 people get baptized, and people coming to Christ, it could only have been better if more people came, or if Jesus came! Several of the names I recognized as people our Fresh Start Team has been connecting with. It is so cool to see the results of their service!

Diane, Christina, Susan, Larry, Trish, Connie, I am so proud to serve with you all. Your heart for New Believers shines through and the results are evident!!!

This weekend we will be having the Fresh Start Class on Saturday night at 5 and on Sunday morning at 10. We need to make sure that we contact all those who recently made decisions. I will also be sending out a letter invited those who were baptized, or considering baptism, to attend. Let's pray for big classes of people taking the next step in their journey of faith.

I also want to remind you to stay focused and diligent in your daily walk with Christ. Make sure that you are spending time with Jesus every day by studying the Bible and praying.

Our purpose is to lead new and returning believers to take the next step in their spiritual journey. As we do this, we lead them toward maturity in Christ.

By the way, who do you know that loves to meet people and loves to see people grow in their faith? These are the people we want to talk to about joining the team!

Baptism - Portable Church

So, how does a portable church do baptism? Here are a couple of pictures. It was a lot of worthwhile effort. If you think this is cool, you should check out the pics of the baptism at Newspring!

Weekend Reflections - OFF THE HOOK!

Every Pastor has moments in ministry that they will never forget. This weekend one of those moments happened to me.

As we continued the "UnCertainty" series, Greg really hit it on "How do I survive a down market" what a timely message! In the middle of the message was a video of Daniel's trip to Vision, Haiti. What a cool name for a town! We're going to help build a church building there (God already is building the church!).

To see how others live is a great way to remind ourselves how blessed we are, even in a down market. To many in the world, a down market would be several steps up from where they are at daily.

The best way to survive a down market is to focus on Christ. What better way to do that than baptism! We baptized 48 people this weekend! I am so sore! Praise God! That's not even the best part!

I began this entry writing about moments you never forget. Sunday morning that happened. As I asked one man if he had accepted Jesus Christ to be his Lord and Savior he replied matter of factly, NO! Here I am, standing in the baptism pool, this husband and wife are there to be baptized together, and he says that he hasn't accepted Jesus. What would you do?

I asked, are you making that decision now, giving your life to Him, and obeying Him in baptism? To this he said yes! Right there in the pool he accepted Christ to be his savior. How cool is that! People really cheered. Of all the people that were baptized, including Greg's oldest son, this is the one I will remember. People were following Christ by being baptized, some had been following Him for several years, but hadn't taken this step. For them, this was the next step in their journey. Here was a man going all in. Not just being baptized, but totally giving his life to Christ in that moment. His journey began Sunday. Afterward, I said happy birthday. A birthday that I will never forget.