Good Morning...

I hope your weekend was great and you got a lot of you time. We had a great time at the Renewal weekend.

At the weekend, the speaker said something that really got me thinking. He said that as Pastors, we need to do our best to make sure that our kids don't grow up as Pastors Kids. We all know the type...getting all of the attention at church, always as the example for the other teens yada yada yada...he was not worried about what the church thought about his kids or what they thought they should be like. I think that most churches dont have a true grasp on what they do to PK's...they really put a lot of pressure on kids...I know...I was there. I pray that when I have kids that I will have the same courage that this family did and let my kids be kids and tell them not to do things because mom and dad says they are wrong rather than the church thinks the pastors family shouldnt be doing something.

What do you think are some ways to be a pastor and not raise a PK?



Show me your glory.

Going away...

Sarah and I are about to leave for the Indiana North District's first annual Youth Pastor and Spouse renewal weekend. It is in Ft. Wayne and we will having a good time with other YP's from the district...we need to get away. Have a great weekend...



Show me your glory.

!$@# #%&^

I have found it interesting, ever since I went to college right up to this day, that even those that claim to be Christians use curse words. Growing up, I was RARELY around anyone who was a Christian and heard them use those words. Then in college, I had teachers use them in class...I heard leaders on campus use them and the list goes on and on. There was even a "person" in my church who is the town crier about the passage in Ephesians on unwholesome talk that cursed in the course of our conversation over a meal a couple of times. So taking away what the Bible has to say, I think that there is a deeper issue here than using a few words here or there. I think as Americans, we are under the impression that we can say what we want to and we dont care who hears us or what it means to others. Using words like that almost make me think that people just do not have enough control over themselves to not say things like that. It usually happens when they are upset...usually. So is using "cuss" words wrong? I mean, even when I went to a southern state to try out for a job there, the pastor used the other word for poop and thought nothing of it really. So am I just one of those old men who sit around on the porch mumbling under my breath about this? Maybe...but maybe...we could all use a little more self-control.

Show me your glory.

Questions...

Adam and Eve did it.
Abraham did.
Isaac did it.
Jacob did it.
David did it.

Those are a who's who list of the heroes of our faith right? So how is it that God continually blessed them time after time after time when they messed up and sinned as we do? Abraham lied about Sarah... and Jacob decieved his father after God told Rebekah that Jacob would be blessed rather than Esau so did God ordain Jacob's lying? Does God bless those who sin? Does he bless who he is going to bless and it really doesnt matter what they do?

Now, I know that these guys were faithful and all that accompanies being a hero of the faith...but I can't help but wonder...why does God bless these guys and not others? Should we take it with a "Come what may" attitude? I am not saying that I want to be rich or that I want to be a King or father of many nations or whatever...but I was under the impression...tell me if you were too...that those who were sinning would not be blessed by God. Any one else think that? I mean, look in Genesis...these guys didnt stop and pray after they had committed the sin...they just went on and some gave excuses but for the most part they all went away with more than what they had before the act occured. Just wondering what you thought...puzzled in plymouth.



Show me your glory.

Change Change Change

At our last board meeting, we were discussing the changes in churches. The board gave the overall feeling that they wanted to change but when they asked what they needed to change, they didnt want to change it! It didnt make much sense. I came to one conclusion...the church as a whole, has made church/going to church not a priority. The kids have sports, band, and a scad of other extra stuff that they do. Adults have the same problem. I dont have a problem with people having family events and stuff that they must go to, but when it is on a regular basis...church just has not become a priority. Maybe I am being old-fashioned...I could be...but the church is something that Jesus established and I think that if he was passionate about it, we should be too. I understand if people are not able to come to church but when they are choosing other things over church that is where my beef is. More to come on change...



Show my your glory.

LONG Weekend

Boy oh boy...what a weekend...with the 5th overnighter in about 16 months (I know I am crazy)...I am whipped! Ever since Logos5, it seems like there is a battle to do anything for God...is it because we are reading the Bible? Quite possibly...but who knows...all I know is that God is great and that he is still all-knowing, all-powerful, all-loving...you get the drift. Just keep us in your prayers...being a pastor and a pastor's wife is not easy! Keep Sarah in your prayers as she is still in orientation at her new job. We have put such a great emphasis on reading the Bible and have forgotten to keep up our prayer life too.

Sorry for the erratic post but that is my life right now...

Show me your glory.

Post #100

As I have been reading the One Year Bible, it has started in Genesis and I have caught a number of times an interesting thing. Noah got drunk after he was the only person to be found righteous in all the earth. Abraham, whose faith gave him righteousness and was told he was going to have descendants too many to count, lied twice about Sarah being his sister...and the list goes on and on with different pillars of the faith messing up. That is not the interesting thing to me though...it is that there seems to be no consequences for their actions. Yes, I know that they offered sacrifices back then for the forgiveness of sins, but do they offer those sacrifices after these events? Unless I missed it, I dont think they did. God continued to bless them. So saying all that to say this...are we sometimes too hard on others and maybe ourselves when we mess up? I know that we live in a different time and that we have the Holy Spirit to convict and the like. But, do we fully understand the words that Jesus spoke to Peter when you said whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven? What do you think that means? Have the Boomers grown up too legalistic and is it being passed down to the following generations? Will the legalism of the Boomers cause the generations that follow to swing to far to the liberal side?

What do you think?


Show me your glory.

Life is busy

Life is really busy. I knew being a youth pastor made life busy and you will always have something to do...however, I am trying to cope with the time spent away from Sarah as she is starting her new job. She has to work 4 days in a row, a couple of 8 hour days and then two 12 hour days...on the days she works 12 hours, I see her for like 15 minutes and I am still trying to get used to that.

I am also trying to get used to our dog...he likes to go outside and use the grass quite a bit. It is just a good thing that he doesnt use toilet paper or we would be in trouble!


Keep me in your prayers, we have an overnighter friday...but the Speds are coming so it should be all good!


Show me your glory.

Good morning...

It has been a crazy week! Here is a few pics of what is new in my life...The first one is our new Boston Terrier, Lex...he is crazy! The second one is the one year Bible that I talked about a few days ago, day seven and I am still going strong...the last one is the fitness place that we recieved membership to. I, for the first time in...who knows, worked out for like 4 days this week! Pray that God will keep me motivated.


Have a spectacular Sunday....



Show me your glory.

The furniture is here!

Well, it seemed like forever and almost like we werent going to get our new furniture...but it came yesterday! It is awesome...and sooooo comfortable! God deserves so much praise because this is all because of Him...Have a great hump day.


Show me your glory.

Day 3 of 2006

Today, will be a good day. We are getting our new furniture today between 1-3pm! Hurray...then today starts the official "Lose some weight, Kong" work-out session. See, at Logos5, they had a game every night and the last night, out of 2,500 people, they chose me and one of my teens. He was beginning the game and said of myself, mind you in front of 2,500 people, "In this corner, King Kong and his kid..." 'Nuff said...

This is day 3 of read the Bible in a year...I am 3 for 3...ask me in a week how that is going...for real, ask me...

I will put some pics of the furniture up when it comes...hope you have a great day


Show me your glory.

Logos5 and my ring

Hey...well I made it through my first BIG event as a Youth Pastor...I didn't know if I was going to but I made it. There were definitely things that made me question if I could do this and affect the lives of these kids. In the end though, at least 10 of the students made recommittments to Christ! Thats what it is all about.

About my wedding ring, I had lost it while playing in a massive snow mound in the parking lot of Chuck E. Cheese a couple of weeks ago. Then, Sarah and I went last Tuesday and prayed that God would help us find it and Sarah took five steps out of her Jeep and walked right up to it! It was laying on the parking lot, with scratches but who really cares, we got it fixed. It was a miracle that meant so much to Sarah and me. God is amazing.

More about Logos5 to come...

Show me your Glory!