God's Family in Action - A True Story of Love

I want to share a story with you about something that happened in God's family in the past couple of weeks.

I got a frantic email from a friend in the church who does foster care. He had just gotten a call that a young girl and boy were on their way to his home. No advanced warning, just that they were on the way. They were coming with nothing. He was worried about having clothes for them and wanted to know if I knew someone who could help.

I made two phone calls and wow, what an amazing response! Word spread quickly and people were firing detail questions back that I had no idea needed to be answered (that's a man for you!). They wanted to know sizes and if they needed shoes, etc. Within an hour I had clothes with more on the way. Others were waiting on standby with more clothes because we weren't sure how long the kids would be staying and how much would be needed.

I am happy to say that the kids have gone to be with others, and the needs were more than met! One child was so excited and surprised when told that he could keep the clothes.

The family who cared for these kids is new to Palm Valley Church and are so grateful for how the church responded. I assured them that this is how God's family functions. We care for one another and meet needs as they arise and as God provides.

I get teary just thinking about it. I am so proud to be a part of this family. Watching it care for others is such a testimony to the world around us. Palm Valley Church, a big thank you from the family you helped, and from me as one of your pastors. Thank you for being the hands and feet of Jesus! These kids, going through crisis, got to experience the love of Jesus first hand!

Turning the Corner

I didn't want to get my hopes up and speak to soon, but my headaches and other symptoms are nearly gone!!! Praise God! I still have an occasional twinge or brief headache, but it goes away. I am so glad that I'm nearly done with this. I've been doing well since Sunday. I know that's only 2 1/2 days, but that's huge compared to how the past few weeks have been.

Thank you to all who have been praying for me. I am so thankful for the many who have prayed and continued to ask how I am doing. God is certainly being gracious to me.

17 Hour Day - Priceless!

Yesterday was a really long day! 17 hours! Now that's a long Sunday! My body hurt so bad at one point I used some ice from an ice chest and went and hid for a few minutes to ice down my back. There was virtually no down time. I didn't get my afternoon nap (oh, so important). Paige brought my pain meds in the nick of time. Today it took me an hour and a half to deal with the pain enough to get out of bed so that I could take some meds. I still can hardly move. You know what? I would do it again in a heart beat!!! Here's why:

- 15 people made commitments or re-commitments for Christ this weekend
- At least 3 1st time decisions for Christ
- 450 volunteers at our Volunteer Appreciation Event (I wish they were all there!)
- Volunteers who served at the volunteer appreciation event (especially Gary and Val!)
- A staff who have the heart of service

I could go on and on, but the point is, there are a lot of amazing people at Palm Valley Church who love God and serve Him gladly! I am so privileged to get to serve along side them. That's why I would gladly do another 17 hour day, and face up to my physical struggles just to tell them thank you, because they so deserve it! I was glad to see nearly everyone whom I directly serve with at the event. I am so appreciative of the time they give back to God. Some of our volunteers serve with much more pain and more hardship than I can imagine. That is such an encouragement and challenge to me!

Together, we are leading people to become fully devoted followers of Christ. I will serve long days and endure any amount of pain to serve with these people to accomplish this purpose!

Thank You!

Turning Churches - Changing Direction

I was finishing reading Doing Church as a Team by Wayne Cordeiro this morning and one point he made got me thinking. Was was talking about turning churches, or changing direction.

I was thinking that we need to remember that when a church is new, and small, it is easier to turn quickly. Like a speed boat, there isn't much in the water, so it can turn in a short radius. It's also like a recently planted plant. It can be transplanted without too much effort because the roots haven't grown deep or spread to far.

An older church, or larger church, takes more time and effort to turn. Like a large ship may take miles to turn around, or a plant that has had time to develop deep roots, or has spread them wide. More care needs to be taken in making this turn. I'm certainly not saying the turn shouldn't be made! If a turn or change in direction is what's best for the church in better enabling it to accomplish it's vision and purpose, then whatever the cost, it needs to be turned! I'm just saying that you need to remember that it isn't a speedboat any more, and it will take more time and effort to make the change.

Just some thoughts.

Ordination

In today's reading, we read about the ordination of Aaron and his sons (See Leviticus 8:1-36). Ordination is setting someone apart for serving the Lord. This passage shows the significance of their ordination as the representatives of Israel before God. It was a reminder of my own ordination in May of 1986 (Though thankfully, I didn't have to go through the process Aaron and his sons did).

Before I get into my ordination, let me make a side note that I do not believe someone needs to be ordained in order to serve God!

Ordination was important to me because for me it signified the completion of a transformation God was doing in my life. He is still transforming me into His likeness, but this was different.

I had been focused on what I wanted in life and was believing that it was what God wanted too because He was blessing what I was doing. I came to a point though, that I realized that I needed to be doing what God wanted me to do. I needed to fulfill His purposes in my life.

The transformation began when I got on my knees and asked God what He wanted and told Him that I was willing to do whatever He asked of me. Be careful when you make that kind of commitment to the Lord! The answer to that prayer is what led me into ministry. I know that He has called me to serve Him with my whole life. That doesn't necessarily mean that I must always be a full time pastor, in fact, many of my years in ministry I have been unpaid by the churches I have served. What it means is that I listen to God's voice and serve Him as He directs. Sometimes, that is an area where I wouldn't choose on my own, but He always blesses my obedience.

While ordination isn't necessary for many, it was necessary for me, not organizationally, but personally. As I mentioned, my ordination simbolized the completion of a huge transition in my life. The people at my ordination were mentors, family, and friends, and most importantly, my wife Paige. One of the pastors at my ordination was my father-in-law and I will treasure that always. He has been a mentor to me in many ways and I will always be grateful for the late night discussion of issues and Scripture that I was struggling with (even before Paige and I started dating!).

So for me, my ordination is a source of pride. Not to set me apart from those not ordained, but as a testimony and reminder to myself that I chose to obey God in a significant way in my life. I made a commitment to the Lord and I followed through on it, and so did He was He molded and shaped me during that time.

As far as ministry goes, there are many pastors who are not ordained (even on our staff) who I admire and respect, and aspire to attain some of their character traits. We are all being obedient to Christ as He has called us, and that's what matters! We are daily being transformed into the image of Christ. Again, for many, ordination is not important, but for me it was, and today's passage was a reminder to me of the great work God has done in my life.

Hawaii Pictures

Here are a few of the cool things we saw in Hawaii:





Here is my bride Paige on the whale watching cruise.

Way too many whales to count! Harder than I thought to photograph. It seems they won't hold still for anyone!


I've always wanted to see the Arizona memorial. As a history buff and an AZ native, I was really looking forward to this experience, and I was not disappointed!
The Missouri was very cool! To see where the treaty was signed to end the war was amazing. It was kind of weird to see the big guns and cruise missiles on the same ship.
This wasn't the biggest wave we saw, but this guy was shooting the curl the whole time we were there (more than one wave of course!).

Connecting Point - 2

After leading the New Believer Growth Group using the new Connecting Point material, here are some observations:

- Overall the group is going great. The discussion and involvment is terrific!
- On future videos I need to slow down! I can tell that I have been a little worried about video length and timing. Also, this is the first video teaching series I have done on this level, so I was a little nervous in the first videos.
- More fill-in's during the video to stay on track and stay focused.
- It will be better when it isn't just me doing the teaching.
- It's really weird watching yourself teach on video and then discussing it.
- So far, the timing has been great. The video length has been right at 20 minutes, which is at the long end of the 15-20 minute window we wanted, but the material for the first couple of weeks warrents it (The Bible and the Gospel).
- I can't wait for the next sessions.
- It's really going to be great when this is finalized and more people can lead it.
- I think that I'll have a better picture once someone else teaches the material.

Stay tuned!

Not Enough Time!

I hear it all the time. I'm occasionally guilty of it myself, but quite honestly, the phrase, "I don't have enough time" is pretty lame! We all have the same amount of time. We all have 168 hours per week (OK, Pastor Ryan can probably say that it's actually something like 168 1/4 hours and 38 seconds or something like that, but for the rest of us it's 168!). I here, "I don't have time to commit to that" or "We're just too busy to join a home team" or I don't have time to study the Bible every day."

The bottom line, is that we have all the time we need to accomplish what God wants us to accomplish in our lives. We have enough time to fulfill His purposes in our lives. There are so many things in this world that eat time. Kids, school, sports, hobbies, shopping, work, volunteering, sleep, eating, are all time killers. They are not bad in and of themselves, and some are necessary.

The real question is the issue of "First Fruits." God has been teaching me a lot about this concept lately. The first and best of everything we have or do belongs to God. This includes our time! I firmly believe what I have heard many times, that we have enough time for what is important to us. I have found over the years that this is so true! It means that sometimes we have to say no to things that seem important for things that truly are!

One example in our lives as parents with two athletic boys, was limiting their sports activities. This was often hard. The parent pride factor would often rear it's ugly head. We wanted our kids to excel and to be "multi-sport talents." The thing is, games and practices eat time. They begin to interfere with our ability to be involved with home teams (our own educational goals and desires can have the same impact). We decided when the boys were young that they could only play one sport at a time. There were some occasions when sports would overlap by a couple of weeks, but in general, they weren't playing two sports at a time. This prevented us from running around like chickens... (at least to much). It also helped us maintain control of our weekly schedule.

So what's really important? What needs to be a priority above all else? I can't determine that for you, sorry! For us, God comes first! That's easy to say, I know, and applying it is sometimes difficult, and we constantly have to work at it (sometimes we still don't get it right!). Here's some of our priorities that come before anything else:

Daily devotions - Paige and I read the Bible together at the breakfast table nearly every day. The days we don't is because we didn't get up in time. In other words, we didn't make it a priority that day! Afterward, I take some time for my own devotions so that I can pray and journal (Mornings are the best time of my day for spending time focused on God).

Church - You might say that's easy for you because it's your job to be there. That's true, but even when it wasn't my job, and even if it weren't, it would still be a priority. Church is where the body of Christ gathers, why wouldn't I want to be a part of that? For Paige, serving is important so attending one, and serving one is a priority for her.

Home Team - I'll be honest here and say that sometimes I don't feel like going, but I'm always glad that I did! We need to do life with other believers. I lead a group for new believers (pouring into others), and attend one led by someone else (my brother-in-law Steve). I need both. It's important that we lead people toward maturity in Christ, and it's important that we continue to grow to become more like Christ.

Date Night - It's essential that I take time to focus on Paige and my marriage. Sometimes our date night gets trumped, but we find ways to spend time during the week and we don't let that happen very often.

Sunday Lunch - With Caleb away at school and Josh working varied hours, this is a time that we connect as a family. We don't accept many invitations to things on Sunday afternoons because this is a priority. Occasionally someone can't be there, but we try to make this a weekly priority. Lunch is usually around 3, but it is still lunch!

After these things come everthing else. I would love to take some classes, but there's no time, because other things have higher priority.

How do you make sure you have enough time to do what God has called you to? What do you not do that you want to do because of how you prioritize your time?

Headaches - Perspective

Instead of me writing about DCAT, check out Greg's blog (http://www.gregrohlinger.com/), he does a great job summarizing the conference. I was looking at my notes, and boy are they scattered!

Since I fell and hit my head (OK smashed my head) against the front door in the condo in Hawaii I have had multiple symptoms like a concussion. I finally went to the Dr. this morning. They're going to run a CT Scan, but we have a good idea of what the results will be.

Because I have had concussions before, the Dr. said that it doesn't take much of a blow to the head to set off symptoms. The headaches and other symptoms could last anywhere from another week to a few months. Not what I wanted to hear! It's really depressing to think that I may have to endure these added challenges for some time. Sometimes life is hard enough.

Honestly, I wasn't happy with God after my Dr. appointment! Just what I need, more physical challenges. No, my faith hasn't weakened, and I trust that He has a purpose in this, but right now that's hard to see, and a little hard to deal with. Truly, His grace is sufficient for me, and I have no doubt that He loves me, but I am human, and have human emotions. I hate headaches, and the foginess (and dizzyness if I move to quick) and inability to focus (beyond normal, and the increased sleepiness (beyond normal), and nausea is frustrating! Especially, since I am in a busy season right now. As usual (and more so), I will be trusting God to get me through each day.

Amazingly, I have gotten a ton done so far this week and the kickoff of the New Believer Growth Group went well. It certainly isn't stopping me, but it is slowing me a bit. Prayers are much appreciated!

When I got back to the office after seeing the Dr., I had a voicemail that a young teen we had been praying for had died of the cancer he was fighting. Boy, does that put things in perspective! Things can always be worse!

This young man had such a great spirit. I had the privilege of baptizing he and his mom not too long ago. The family asked about getting some New Believer Bibles to hand out to those who come to the memorial. How cool is that! What a powerful testimony he had, and his legacy will be in putting God's Word, the Words of Life into the hands of many who don't know Him!

Headache?! Who cares! "Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world!" I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!"

Hawaii - Part 2

I'll post about the conference itself in another post (or a few), but I wanted to share about the rest of the trip itself.

After my last post on Wednesday, we were headed over for the opening session of the conference when I fell down the last few stairs in the condo we stayed in and my head tried to open the door. Front doors don't open outward, which would have been really helpful. To make a long story short, I'll have to look at my notes because I have no idea what happened Wednesday night! I still have a headache and a little brain fog, so if it's still there tomorrow I will go to see the Dr. (It wouldn't be my first concussion, and I wouldn't be surprised if it isn't my last).

The conference was amazing and challenging (more later). The site was beautiful. After dinner Thursday, Paige and I took a walk along the shoreline looking at the critters in the tide pools and watched a beautiful sunset (I think sunsets in AZ are better, but this one was nice). The place wasn't as important as the person I was with! After 24 years of marriage, I love Paige more and more every day!!! She is my best friend and we had such a great week together. I am so grateful that she was able to go to this conference with me. It was cool to see her taking notes on what God was teaching her too.

The passages in the Bible reading this week were so fun! God is so great!

Friday night we got to go to Cheeseburger in Paradise in Waikiki. It was so cool! If you know me, you know I love a good burger. The juice was running down my arm! That's a good burger! We picked up some t-shirts for the boys (and us) and headed to the airport for a midnight flight.

What should have been a 51/2 hour flight took 11 hours! After about an hour of flight time we had to return to Hawaii because of a medical emergency on the plain. It was a God thing that we were on the flight. Adrienne (who is a nurse) was called into action. Greg was able to spend some time with a hurting family and pray with them. The rest of the staff (those who were awake) were all praying (individually and as couples). We finally landed in Phoenix at 1:40 AZ time.

No sleep and a lot going on, but Greg's messege was powerful! I know of at least 4 first time decisions this weekend! What a great way to finish off the week. Oh yah, the Giants shocked everyone (except Brent) by beating the Patriots.

I hope to get some good sleep tonight. It's going to be a crazy busy week, but that's a good thing because it's all kingdom stuff and lives are being changed because of it!