Jellyland Update 10.20.09

Hey everyone!  I hope things are going well for you and that you know that you are loved by those around you and that God loves you!  Here's an update:


10.  It has been nearly a month since my Grandpa Andy passed away.  While there are days that are getting better, there are still times when I think about him while holding Kate and am deeply saddened.  I think this is something that will probably never go away.  Grandpa lived a good life.  He knew he was loved.  Grandma Martha took great care of him and he had some amazing kids. 

9.  It has turned to Fall and I LOVE it...It is almost like we skipped fall and went straight to Winter.  I love Fall/Winter for many things which include: swiss miss hot chocolate, hoodies, snow, IU basketball, tuesday night basketball, the leaves changing color, being able to see your breath, post-season baseball, and the holidays where you get to see your family and friends.  It IS the most wonderful time of the year!

8.  I am uber excited about getting to go to Anderson this weekend for a bit.  I miss my Sped boys.  I wish I were closer to them or they were closer to me.  I get to spend some quality time with mom and she gets to see Kate too!  There is just something about spending time with your closest friends...it is like wearing your favorite sweatshirt and stretching after a long nap...there is nothing like it!

7.  I worked out a few weeks ago with a personal trainer and have been doing the workouts 3-4 times a week.  I love it and finally have the "want to" to go work out.  Plus, tuesday night basketball started so I will get some exercise there too!

6.  Sarah and I joined Sam's Club yesterday.  I think that this is a right of passage for parents.  There were a ton of parents with their kids in there.  We bought our first (of MANY) cans of formula last night...OUCH!  Seriously, does it need to be THAT expensive?  I mean come on...seriously!?!?

5.  Our Wednesday night bible study is going really well.  We have been studying James and the kids, while at times don't seem to be paying much attention, are surprising me with how much they are retaining...that is God's work not mine.  One of them described it as a competitive Bible study because we give out Gold stars for certain answers.  :) Imagine that...something I am in charge of being labeled competitive...

4.  I am SO SICK AND TIRED of hearing about the H1N1 flu.  Seriously, I hate paranoia and all that it brings.  If you get the stinking virus, take the medicine.  If you don't, good for you.  Seriously, wash your hands in public, don't drink after others, don't sit near people that appear to be sick...I mean really?

3.  Sarah is MAKING me get a flu shot.  I don't ever remember getting one and I don't get sick...hardly ever.  What sealed the deal after weeks and weeks of pleading and begging to my stonewalled face and spirit was when Sarah said, "Get it for our daughter this year because she is too young to get it for herself."  So that is the plan, get it this year and never have to worry about it (until we have another kid RIGHT BEFORE FLU SEASON HITS) again!

2.  I just got done listening to Perry Noble's message at Unleash '09 and he was talking about the church and how it needs to reach out.  His first point was that the church must be willing to embrace change.  He knocked it out of the park when he said that if people would value the church and it's mission as much as they value their money we will begin to change.  He said that when the stock markets crashed and burnt that people were saying we need to do something else with the money...well, how long has your church been in decline and crashing around you yet we fail to change the things we need to change to bring about the things that Christ wants for His church??? hmmm...Is it worth it???

1.  Kate is doing really well.  She is up to 8lbs as of yesterday.  On track.  She is cooing and kicking her feet like crazy.  I just love being a Dad and know how much I love her and can't imagine how much God loves me to send His son to die so that I could have a relationship with Him.  Wow!  Anyways, her eyes are still blue and her hair is still red...that is what sarah calls her, Red...among many other things! 

May you know that God loves you deeply and passionately and wants the best for your life today and will give you the strength to live today (Ez. 36:26). 

It's almost time...

time to get out the Hoosiers DVD...Hoosier Hysteria is this Friday night
 and IU's first exhibition game is November 4th! 

Jellyland Update October

There have been a lot of things going on lately.  Too many if you ask me.  Things are swirling around with new life and all that entails.  Things are swirling around with the ending of life and all the emotions that comes with that.  Here is an update of life as I know it:


10.  I recently joined a Madden league here in town.  I love being able to get out and do something that is with people that are not attending Shiloh.  Sometimes as ministers, we get caught living in circles that only include the people that go to the church we are at.  This league is a great "out" for me.  Plus, I love playing Madden and putting a whoopin' on some foo's...I won my last game 42-6. 


9.  Basketball started last Tuesday night!  I hate running but I will run if it is playing basketball.  I tend to get more active in the winter months because of Tuesday nights alone...

8.  Kate is doing really good.  She is changing so fast.  The level of attention has changed in a matter of days.  She just will sit there and watch you...there are no words to express the emotions that you feel when you are holding your kid and you look down and they are looking straight into your eyes.  I love being a Dad.

7.  We laid my Grandpa Christian to rest two weeks ago today.  It feels like forever ago.  It doesn't seem real either.  Being around family and saying our goodbyes to Grandpa really made me think about where I was in life and if what I held dear and important were as dear and important as I thought they were.  It made me miss being around family and people you knew had your back. 

6.  This past weekend, the girls and I took a quick trip to Nashville to see the cousins from South Carolina that we go vacationing with each June and Sarah's Mom.  It was a great time.  Too quick.  We went to the Old Spaghetti Factory...I was one happy man! 

5.  Our fall Kick-Off went well.  We had some gross times with happy shakes, steal the bacon in what turned out to be essentially puke, some great worship with Terry and Trevor and a lot of the students responding to the message. 

4.  I love this weather!  I just love being able to throw on a hoodie and flip flops.  My favorite time of year is when it is cold.  Sorry for all of you who hate the cold.  I think if I lived in Florida I would come to Indiana for the Winter!  haha

3.  IU basketball is getting ready to start and I can't wait.  The Yankees are in the ALCS in baseball and I am hoping that they win a World Series for the first time since 2000.  The Colts have won 13 regular season games in a row, that is 3 months and a week of football and are looking amazing.  My sports world is in a good spot right now.  :)

2.  The youth group had a company design cards for us that were discount cards back in April.  We started selling them in May and the kids weren't selling them.  We had a ton of cards left so we had to do a contest for an iPod touch and that picked up the selling a little bit.  What is it with fundraisers that make me want to puke?!  Or is it that kids today don't want to work for what they get, generally speaking?  I don't know but I don't have an long term plans for fund raising after this!

1.  Did I mention that I love being a Dad?  Kate is such a blessing and I am so proud and amazed at her mother.  Sarah has dealt with all of this really well considering it is her first time.  She hasn't put Kate in bubble wrap yet or a giant bubble so that is a win.  Kate is learning slowly to sleep throughout the Colts games so that when IU season rolls around all the yelling should be soothing to her ears!  I watched the Colts game last night with her on my chest/lap and Sarah snoozing in the lounge chair.  Not too much to yell at last night but she did get startled a few times.  I have to thank God for blessing me with a wife of infinite worth and a beautiful child that is loved so much by her dad and mom that it is disgusting!


Have a great day...

October Newsletter article

As I write this, my Grandpa Christian is nearing the end of this life.  Over the last few days I have had time to go over the memories and times that we shared together.  Those times are priceless.  I have not lost any immediate family up to this point and I have been blessed, I know that.  As I was thinking through those memories, I just started thinking about my impact and what I am doing with my life.  Sometimes we think that we are doing the most important things and we get so busy with them that we have not a lot of time for anything else. Being away from family, because of the ministry, is tough and not a lot of people that aren't in some sort of ministry can understand.  We can't just go across town or down the road and see our parents or brothers and sisters.  God has given all of us so many blessings in this life.  Many times over what we deserve because we all deserve death.  However, I cannot think of a better blessing than to have a parent or in this case, a grandparent that has model the life of Christ as my Grandpa Andy has.  I remember sitting on the arm of his chair as a young kid and eating "Grandpa Cakes" and everything in the world was right at that moment in time.  Over the years, he has supported me and encouraged me whenever I was able to be around him.  I know that he prayed for me and thought of me often.  He had a rough life to start out with and struggled like many of us do.  However, in those memories that I have, I don't think about where he worked or how nice his house was or even how much money he made.  I am thankful for little moments that we had together that made me go after the heart of Christ even more.  I am grateful that Christ died to make it possible for us all to be forgiven and to one day, after this life is over, spend eternity with our family and walk the streets of Heaven with no limping, no walker, no pain.  I hope that I become half the man that he was.  I hope that I live up to his name.  Just as I hope that each day, my words, actions and thoughts help me become more like Christ.  That I can live up to Christs' name. Help us all to love God with everything we have and to love those around us as we walk this earth.  Don't let today slip away without showing someone Christs love.

"There's a peace I've come to know
though my heart and flesh may fail.
There's an anchor for my soul, and I can say, "It is well"! 

Through tear filled eyes,
Pastor Andy

Encouraging words for Monday morning!

'For here's what I'm going to do: I'm going to take you out of these countries, gather you from all over, and bring you back to your own land. I'll pour pure water over you and scrub you clean. I'll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I'll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that's God-willed, not self-willed. I'll put my Spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what I tell you and live by my commands. You'll once again live in the land I gave your ancestors. You'll be my people! I'll be your God!
Ezekiel 36:26 (The Message)

Jellyland update 9.21.09

Hey everyone...it has been a crazy and hectic few weeks. Enjoy...

10.  The delivery came and not much went as planned.  We went in Wednesday night at 730p and they started Sarah on some medicine to help things along.  It started contractions but not much else.  The following day the contractions stopped and they said we would try again Thursday night.  Sarah decided to take some medicine to help her sleep at around 1130p and her water broke at 1245am on Friday the 4th.  They started with the Petocin but not a lot of movement was happening.  Around 430-5am Sarah's contractions were getting crazy strong but the baby's heart rate was dropping each time...so...that meant a C-section.  Baby Kate was born at 6:11am Friday September 4th! 

9.  Sarah is doing really good.  She is not in much pain (unless she over does it...she is a Jellison remember!).  Everything is going as it should.  We went for Kate's 1 week check and they said that they thought she had a heart murmur so we had to take her for a EKG last Wednesday.  That really scared us and put us on edge.  We found out last Thursday that it was so small that they couldn't see it!  It will heal up on its own.  Praise God for that.

8.  Sleep has been the biggest hurdle thus far.  In the hospital over those two days Sarah got 4 hours out of 48...I got 5-6 out of 48!  Kate came home and had her days and nights messed up.  Things are getting better now.  It is just an adjustment.  But well worth it.


7.  On Wednesday nights starting last week we have started a bible study.  No frills, no illustrations, no games.  Just us and the bible.  It went really well last week and I am super excited about it and getting these kids in the word and applying it to their lives and mine!

6.  We have been blessed to have so many of our family and friends to come and visit us and Kate.  We had the mom's for the first two weeks and that was such a huge help.  My brother Kerry has been up twice already to see Kate and you can tell how much he is excited to see her and be a part of her life.  We are blessed to have such great families and friends.

5.  We had our kick off last night for the youth group.  It was NASTY.  I made a "stew" of old ragu sauce, vanilla pudding, pistachio pudding, chocolate pudding, rolled oats, marshmallows, peanuts, crackers, syrup, salad dressing, lard and flour and the kids played steal the bacon in it.  It was disgusting.  We had some gross food comps too. The Happy shakes were sick...but worth it...
  I will post some pics as soon as I get them.  We had a hair challenge...my hair and some others for one of our student leaders hair.  I still have my hair.  :)  It was a great time.  Terry and Trevor did a great job with the worship and 24 kids responded to making God's heart their heart (Ez. 36:26)! 

4.  Going into parenthood, I was just unsure what it would be like.  There are so many unknowns.  But you know what?  It has been so easy and natural.  The diaper changing has been interesting.  I have already been peed on.  It is an amazing time that I am not taking for granted.  There is something so Godly about waking up in the morning, getting out of your bed and seeing your wife and baby laying side by side (with the baby in the bassinet of course)...laying the same direction  and both covered up!  I love my little family!

3.  I have 19 things so far on my bucket list.  I will post it once I get to like 25 or something.  Watch for that soon. 

2.  Football season started and I am loving it.  The Patriots, Steelers, Titans, and Chargers all lose this week...now we just need to Colts to win tonight and it will be a perfect week 2.  I am a little concerned with the Colts after last week.  Just wondering what they will play like on a week by week basis.  That's why they play the games!

1.  Yesterday morning, we were woken up (again..after being up 2-3 times with Kate) by a phone call saying that my Grandpa Andy had suffered a heart attack.  We drove over to Ohio and were there for a while.  When we got there he was pretty drugged up and not responding to much.  By the time we left, he was squeezing our hands and responded to questions.  Mom called this morning and said that the ventilator is out and he is talking and doing much better.  He did have congestive heart failure and they are not sure what kind of damage was done as of yet.  But he is doing better and we are going over Thursday with Kate so he can see her.

  We left here at 7am got there at 10am stayed until 1230p...left to come home got here at 330pm...started setting up for the youth kick-off at 4p and from 5-8p held the kick off...it was an insane day filled with tears and uncertainty and some kids committing to allowing God to give them forgiveness and a new start. Talk about the full range of emotions...

Friday's Fave Five

Hey...I am borrowing this idea from a friend.  I am going to TRY to post five of my favorite things from this past week each and every Friday.  Here it goes:


5.  Leading worship.  Since I taught myself to play the guitar, I have loved each and every time I get to lead worship (save the one time when I couldn't remember how Agnus Dei went in the Sunday A.M. service..lol).  What hit me this past Sunday night...was the impact of having live worship in the youth has accomplished.  There are at least 4 students that are playing instruments along with me on Sunday nights and sometimes on Sunday mornings!  It is crazy how God works sometimes. 

4.  The MLB Network.  Seriously, I love baseball.  I love watching it and taking a nap.  Watching it and being captivated by each pitch come October.  The MLB Network has enhanced the viewing experience.  Instead of having to pay hundreds of dollars to have a TV package that shows every MLB game, this network takes you live to games to see things that are happening.  I have watched a no-hitter and a couple of walk-off hits this season.  The insight into the game that they give is priceless and amazing! 

3.  My students.  This past Wednesday we played a game called Buzz/Fizz...it is a counting game where you replace multiples of 5 with the word buzz and multiples of 7 with the word fizz.  Our group couldn't do it...I couldn't stop laughing and we will definitely do this again.  I love the group of kids we have.  They are so unique and I feel blessed to have them in my life.

2.  Music.  The new Mat Kearney and  Needtobreathe album's are amazing and remind me how blessed we are as a civilization to have such ability to play instruments that make such beautiful noises.  And...the ability to sing.  To make a joyful noise...I just love music...making it, listening to it...feeling it!  There is not much more satisfying than rolling the windows down, opening my sunroof and jamming away to some great tunes. 

1.  Sarah.  I am so glad that I have found the love of my life.  Watching her go through this whole experience of being unable to conceive, then seeing the relief/excitement/shock/love in her eyes when we found out she was pregnant, to watching her be such an amazing woman under this stress has made my love grow so much deeper than before.  There is a song that goes, "and I thought I loved you then..." and I am so thankful that God has given me the chance to live this life with the most wonderful friend and wife that I could have ever found.  I can't believe that I get to wake up each day and find her right there beside me.  Our child is already blessed to have Sarah as their mother.  She is a Proverbs 31 kind of wife! 

 "A good woman is hard to find, and worth far more than diamonds. Her husband trusts her without reserve, and never has reason to regret it. " -Proverbs 31:10,(The Message)

Encouragement for a Friday Morning...

For who do you know that really knows you, knows your heart? And even if they did, is there anything they would discover in you that you could take credit for? Isn't everything you have and everything you are sheer gifts from God? So what's the point of all this comparing and competing? You already have all you need. You already have more access to God than you can handle.

-I Corinthians 4:7-8

Jellyland update 8.25.09

Hey everyone!  Thought I'd give you an update on this beautiful Tuesday morning.  I hope this finds you strong in your faith as we all learn to lean.


10.  I am loving the "Summer" of 09.  It hasn't really been hot at all.  I am ready for the cool breezes and leaf changing of Fall and the bone-chilling, snow falling coldness of Winter.  I know people really don't like the Winter but just think how boring it would be if the weather was the same all year round?  I mean, it would be like Florida.  I guess I'll have to retire somewhere else. 


9.  Sarah watched HG TV a lot.  So that means I get to watch it too.  I have grown accustomed to shows about people buying their first house or getting a new one and I've come to one conclusion:  People are crazy.  It is funny to see how people walk into a room and within 3-5 seconds have made up their minds about the room.  I can't stand it when people go in and say something about the paint or wallpaper and let that be a deciding factor.  That is like a lot of us who make some of our decisions based on absurd guidelines or standards.  I am just saying...


8.  Someone updated their status on Facebook the other day in the morning and said something about how frustrating life is and the usual tag lines that go with those words.  Then later on in the day, the same person said that things worked out and that God was good.  It made me kinda feel guilty because I do the same thing.  I am reminded of the southern Gospel song (I know right...childhood memories are like Jiffy mix...they just seem to stick around) that goes "the God of the good times, is still God in the bad times" and how human we are to doubt and sulk and stomp around when things are going wrong.  (read my blog from yesterday for more about that)

7.  As I am compiling my bucket list,  a wave of sadness I guess you could call it, swept over me.  If I could map out all the places that I have been over my 27 years of existence on this planet, my map wouldn't be that big.  The middle of Indiana from Anderson to Plymouth would be covered with lines.  I have been to New York, Washington D.C., along the eastern seaboard but much past Indiana to the West and the lines are few (Arkansas is as far west as I have ever been).  That is sad.  I am trying to talk Sarah into renting an RV-type thing and taking a road trip out west...however, it would take some BA Baracus type sedatives for Sarah to let me drive her and the kiddos in something like that!  :)  A man's gotta try right?

6.  Speaking of bucket lists...what is on your bucket list?  Do you even have one?  I don't know why this has come to the forefront but I find myself thinking about this list more and more often.  It is probably because I want Baby Jelly to see some incredible things when she gets here.  But what is on your list? I've only got one thing for sure on my list so far.  Help a brother out!

5.  I am not a parent yet...so though...but not yet.  It is frustrating to see parents with young kids (3-5) out in public like the scene yesterday in a local establishment.  This lady was speaking VERY loudly to her son.  She didn't do it once or twice...it was like every two or three minutes yelling about this or that.  It drove me bonkers.  Her's why:  trying to reason with a toddler seems like trying to reason with our two Boston Terriers.  They understand some things but you can't get into deep conversations as to why they shouldn't throw food and hit the old guy in the next booth.  Oh, my kids will behave...Sarah was already practicing her mean face during lunch yesterday, and there will be times when I get frustrated with them and try to reason with them...but Lex and Flash are dogs...so I treat them like a dog...a child is a child and we should treat them like a child and not an adult.  I know, I am not a parent...I know I know...but we can all have our pet peeves can't we?

4.  Football season is just days away...I am ready for some gridiron goodness.  I am also ready for Sports Illustrated to send me my Madden 10 game already!  There is a new store here in Plymouth that is going to have a Madden league.  Dude...I played in some leagues during my days at IWU but nothing since.  This is one happy fella'!  I need some male bonding over a good game of Madden.  I know, I am a geek...but I fully embrace my Geekness.  Deal with it...

3.  Images have more power over us than we know.  Point in hand, since Sarah has been pregnant, and since Sarah watching any show that deals with cake (seriously, you should see our DVR) every time she watches a show I will hear at least once, "OH...I want some cake."  Has she went and made any? Nope...every time we get near the cake isle I say something and she doesnt want it then.  However, if I get my way, last night during the "Andy, I am in bed and I can't get comfortable and fall asleep so you can't sleep either" stage of our evening, she was watching a show about Rice Krispy treats...and I think we (and by we I mean me) just might be scoring some ooey gooey marshmallowy goodness today.  But seriously, we must be careful what goes before our eyes...it has more power than we think.

2.  So every year we have a youth kick-off.  Every year I challenge the kids to get a certain number.  Each year I have some unsuspecting target that I get to offer up their hair for mine.  This year, things kind of spiraled.  At first it was my hair for one of the student leaders hair...simple.  Now it has turned into a gigantic hair affair.  It is the students hair vs. my hair, another sponsor hair and 'stache, another students hair AND eyebrows (I always try to get people's eyebrows...lol) and finally another sponsors CHEST HAIR!  Seriously...Sarah is super worried because she rags on how big my head is all the time...we've measured our heads and I do have a large melon (25 inches! Size 8 fitted hat) and she thinks I am going to look crazy...I will keep you updated...it is September 20th...pics to follow!

1.  Finally, baby update.  Sarah has had some issues with some blood pressure and them thinking she has pre-ecclampsia.  We went to the hospital sunday morning and missed church because the Dr. wanted her to come in and get monitored.  The BP went down and everything looks fine.  She is having some contractions here and there but nothing steady whatsoever.  We are taking long walks and doing our part.  Pray for her comfort the last few days as she is uber-uncomfortable right now and sleeping is an adventure.  Baby Jelly is due this Thursday (August 27th) so hopefully we have some new family pics soon!


"Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life." -Eph. 6:13-16 (The Message)

September Newsletter article

Do you smell that?

I am different. Some maybe even think I am weird. I am picky about the food I eat and I like certain drinks in certain glasses. Weird, I know, but that is who I am. We all have weird things that we do or don't do. One of the semi-weird things that I do is burn candles. I don't know many guys that like to burn candles as much as I do. I really enjoy this one candle that is cinnamon and clove scented, it sets off a festival in my nose! It is a package of awesomeness that is rarely matched aromatically. In my office, I have a candle burner with four different candles that I rotate. So what you ask? Well there are two things I want to remind you of.


One, whenever I leave a certain candle burning in the office for an extended period of time, after a while I can no longer smell it. If I pull the candle up to my nose, then the scent is there. But overall, the scent is missing even though the candle is burning. How many times in our lives do we just do things because that is the way we've always done them? I mean random things like cook a certain food or watch a certain news channel. Things we do without even really thinking about why we are doing them. Things that we don't miss until we can't do them anymore. I love traditions. I love having the warmth of the familiar in my life. I love even more knowing why we do what we do. More importantly, what it means for me to take part in this tradition or that act. It is of vital importance to, as Hebrews 10:25 says, to "not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing..." However, it seems to me that a lot of Christians have become Spiritual Bulimics. They come sunday mornings, maybe sunday night, definitely not Wednesdays and get their fill of everything God. They serve, teach a class, fill this spot or attend a bible study and then do nothing to advance their relationship with God the other days. They binge on the spiritual and starve themselves the rest of the week. This should not be so. Being a follower of Christ is a daily thing. Jesus said that we must take up our cross DAILY. Sunday morning for too long has been seen as the "filling station" to get you through the week. It should be seen as the celebration station where we come together and share our victories and our defeats. Our joys and our sorrows. Each day we should seek the strength for that day.

Secondly, every candle smells different. II Corinthians 2 talks about how we are all a fragrance to God. So, what do you smell like? Now I know that there are times in everyone's life that we go through tough spells. Times where things just aren't going right and there is no light at the end of the tunnel. We all will have our bad days. However, for some it seems like they are having a bad month or year or ... What I am saying is that we simply need to be aware of how we are "smelling". How do we react when things don't go our way? How do we respond to those tough days? How do we relate to those around us when we aren't in the best of moods? We only get today once. There are no do-overs. So if you are a mother...be the best mother and wife and daughter and sister that you can be today. If you are a father...be the best father, husband or son that you can be today. No one else can fill those roles for you. You will be the only father, husband, wife or mother to who God has gifted you with. Don't come out smelling like a black licorice candle when you could smell like...well...roses!

"Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." Abraham Lincoln

Baby update

Hey everyone...


We went to the Dr. yesterday for Sarah's week 38 appointment.  The heartbeat sounded great and Sarah hasn't been feeling too bad.  However, Sarah's blood pressure was higher than it has been throughout the pregnancy.  She has been having headaches and some swelling.  The Dr was worried a little about it being preeclampsia.  So that is causing some major concern for Sarah.  She just wants everything to be good and for baby and herself to be healthy.  We are trusting God that He is in control and it would be silly to stop trusting Him now after He has brought us to where we are now! 

"Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far has the LORD helped us."  I Samuel 7:12

How do you build a church?

So I got to thinking yesterday about this.  How do we build a church?  Christ's Church?  I know there are some people who have come to the conclusion that you can live a life that causes you to become more like Christ every day without being involved in a group of "Christians".  I believe that everyone needs to be involved with a group of believers, urging each other on towards shared goals and lifting each other up through Scripture, music and fellowship.  I believe that when people are not in a group that has the same shared goals, our priorities get out of whack and we start moving away from the model of Christ and start losing communion with His spirit.  You can feel free to disagree with me but that is not what this post is about.  That was just to say this:  I think that the Church is worth it.  The Church has its flaws.  The Church , or any "church", has never wronged anyone.  As Rob Bell said, "Churches don't wrong people.  People wrong people".  So with that said, how do we build a church?  How do we attract those who need Christ to come into our group or any group of believers? 

Is it with guilt?  Do we go after them and tell them that if they don't "turn" that they'll "burn"?  I've heard that one.

Is it with our services?  Does that bring people in?  Can they just not wait to worship together with other believers and feel God's presence? 

Is it with our small groups?  Do we grow our churches through spending personal time with people in small groups, house groups, pods, or whatever the new buzz word is?

Is it with more church plants?  Do we grow the larger Church by creating new churches that are more flexible and thus able to do the things that are reaching new generations of believers who have for decades been leaving the church?  The numbers are staggering. 

Is it with mega-churches?  Online services? 


I don't know exactly what works for you.  However, I have this uneasiness in my spirit that the church ,as it stands today, is too rigid and its traditions too powerful that it is causing us not to be able to reach today's young generations.  Church members who "pay the bills" feel threatened if things change and they feel as though they might get pushed out.  Is that biblical?  Isn't being apart of the body about sharing what Christ did, and is doing in us , with those around us?  Change is scary.  Taking risks and failing are heart wrenching.  Still, if we are not trying to do things that reach those who don't know love, who don't know Christ, who don't know the warmth and love that a community of believers can offer...whats more heart wrenching?  Being comfortable now...and watching those people get bitter and move farther away from love?  Or sacrificing some of our ways and opinions and traditions for the sake of reaching a base of people who need to know that they are loved by Jesus?  I vote for number two.  But maybe that is just me.

What is your church doing?

Jellyland update 8.07.09

Hey everyone!  I hope this letter finds you well and counting your blessings.  Not a ton of stuff has happened since the last installment of Jellyland update.  But I had a nagging need to update so here goes:


10.  I love fishing.  We took the youth group fishing last Wednesday and had a blast.  It is always better when you go fishing and actually catch some fish!  I caught a couple nice bass and a few other fish.  It is fun until you get them up on shore and have to take them off.  I hate getting stuck by those spiky fins.  But then again, if someone had a piece of metal in my lip, I probably wouldn't go quietly either.

9.  Our softball season ended last Saturday in grand fashion.  We were down by 3 heading into the last inning where we scored 2 runs, got two outs then had a man on second when one of our guys hit a two run home run!  We led by 1 heading into the bottom of the inning.  We quickly got two outs, they got a runner on and we got two strikes on the next guy.   Now if you hit a two strike pitch foul in our league you are out, the guy hits it down the line and it HITS THE LINE!  They score two runs and win the game.  Wow...it is no fun to lose but I would rather have lost that way than most other ways.  It was a fun season.

8.  We go for our baby "birthing" class tomorrow.  I will probably have a few new life experiences to share with you!  :)

7.  Due to some oddities in the schedule, I have been able to preach a lot more on Sunday mornings lately and I am loving it!  There is just something about being able to speak into peoples lives and have God speak through me that revs my engine!  Is it weird that I almost find the giving of a sermon fun?  If so, I am weird! 

6.  I am ready for some fantasy football!  It is my second favorite fantasy sport to play (I only have two of them so...).  If you want to join in on the action, there are a couple of leagues to join.  One, the Monsters of the Ministry league on Facebook.  The second is the Indiana North Youth Leaders league on Yahoo.  Or the third league is for all my old friends who used to play in the Cabbage Bowl on New Years Day forever ago, it is on Yahoo as well.  Let me know soon if you are interested.  Spots are filling up fast.

5.  I think my favorite TV show is Big Brother.  I love the dynamics of the game and watching the different people interact is incredible.  It makes me wonder a lot about how we take things and actions by others in real life.  To constantly know that you are being watched changes people in the house and they can't be who they are in real life.  Plus, I like to root for anything...I am just that competitive.  Any other Big Brother fans out there?

4.  I am curious today.  Who reads my updates?  However, I don't know who they are.  Would you do me a favor and comment me if you read this...just this one time...I am just curious who is reading my ramblings.  Thanks.

3.  Do you go through musical stages?  I find that throughout the years, my taste for types of music has changed.  Growing up, it was strictly Southern Gospel with a slim dose of country (thats why I can sing most every Garth Brooks song).  The first non country song I can remember liking was Bon Jovi's "I'll Be There For You" and Bryan Adams (thanks Kerry).  Then the 90's hit...from Boyz II Men, Mariah Carey (before she went all nasty), and others to the explosion of Christian Contempory...DC TALK (SPEDS 4 LIFE), Audio Adreniline and Third Day.  Then came my season of Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong and Josh Groban (thanks IWU and Jones).  Then during college John Mayer hit me hard, I liked a lot more diverse music than before.  Then after college ended and I started playing guitar, I tend to favor music that has a strong guitar influence to it.  NOW, being married to Sarah, and her taking control of the air waves, country music has started to fill my brain cavity.  Not the George Strait/Toby (Goatman) Keith/Kenny Chesney country.  The Sugarland, Taylor Swift and Darius "Hootie" Rucker type country.  The stories are where you are at and if you can get past one of the most annoying instruments in the world (the steel guitar) it is some good stuff.  Anyways, how about you...do you go through stages? Does it change monthly, yearly, seasonally?

2.  We feel very blessed to have so many family and friends support us with the 4 showers that we've had.  We know that you will all continue to pray for us and baby jelly in the coming days and months.  Pray that she says daddy before mommy for me will ya?  Just kidding...pray for health and wisdom...for happiness and safety...for wishes granted and dreams realized.  20 days to go...maybe less because:

1.  Sarah is about to POP!  She had three people tell her yesterday that she doesn't even really know, that she won't make it to the August 27th due date.  She is going to go sooner...she wants it, I want it and the Blueberry Festival Blueberry Donut makers want it!  Thats right, if she comes earlier, we can DEFINITELY make the Blueberry Festival over Labor Day weekend.  If you've never been, you are missing quite possibly Indiana's best fireworks display, wonderful food...crap booths (I mean craft booths) galore...and did I mention Blueberry donuts?!  Anyways, we have everything we need to get started with baby other than a years supply of diapers.  :)  We can't wait! 

Some pics from the summer

Jellyland Update 7.17.09

Hey all...how are things with you? I pray that all who read this are blessed by God in all your dealings. The past few weeks have been busy and growth filled (I'll explain later). It is nearing the end of July and it has been hard to remember a year that has gone faster than this one while at the same time been filled with tough, life-altering decisions and events. Well here goes a half-year update.

1. Since finding out that Sarah was pregnant on Christmas day, it has been a whirlwind of doctor appointments, planning, baby showers and hearing all the bad stories. It is crazy and somewhat irrational of the numerous people who love to tell an emotional pregnant woman all their horror stories about pregnancy. Still, even though seasoned parents love to say "enjoy this..." or "get this while you can..." we are so ready to be parents and tackle whatever comes our way with Baby Jelly.

2. Having a few really close pastor friends leave the district has really given me a new perspective and a lot of other good relationships. Over the past year and a half, since they have left, I have really gotten to know other youth pastors in this district. While it was hard to see them go, God has really used this time to help me reach out and make new connections with people who I never was that close with. I am greatful for the friendships that have come over the last 18 months.

3. Getting past the leases and getting new cars has lightened the load on our minds. We are both loving our cars. I miss my truck now and then but I love my Equinox. Sarah loves the heftiness of her Freestyle and will "hopefully" get stuck a lot less than the 5-10 times she got stuck with her car this past winter! :)

4. Senior High Camp went well. We had one teen who's been coming regularly for about a year now accept Christ so that makes it all worth it. It was very different doing it this year without Ben and Amanda/Brian and Matt. It was good to get to know Ryan Nelson more and have Uriah there with me too. It was a good week and I loved hanging out with the other youth pastors, it was so different than last year (see #2).

5. Missions Week 09 was good. I was disappointed in the number of kids who showed up (5) but very proud of all the work that they accomplished. I couldn't have asked for 5 kids to work harder than these kids worked all week. Thanks to Bobby and Anna for helping and all the other people that did their parts.

6. Softball has been good this year (save for one evening when we played a certain team) after having my season cut short last year because of my broken finger. I love softball and it is a good relief and time to spend with the guys in our church.

7. There have been some great relationship building moments in the past few months. It seems as though God is pushing me into these times with ease! Even though they have been tough to go through, getting on the other side has been a huge payoff.

8. We once again had a great time in South Carolina this year. There were considerably less people but it was good to just chill and relax and unthaw from the goings on of every day life. I love spending time with the SC family and just the laid back demeanor that we had this year. Can't wait for vacations in the future!

9. Things have been hectic this summer. We've had something going on every weekend from May 23 until August 8th! Different things have been fun and some things have been flat out tiring. It was good to see some family on July 4th at my family's baby shower. I wish we could have seen a few others but it was a holiday weekend and we didn't have any other time to do it on. Getting to go to Jon and April's the Friday before was a great thing. We got to spend time with them and the Blairs, other Wallaces and Charlie. It always does me well to be around SPEDS.

10. Last but not least, Sarah is doing really well. She hasn't had any sickness with the baby (yet). We've been blessed to have a "quiet" pregnancy if there is one. Things have gone by the book and we thank God that everything seems to be progressing the way it needs to be. Here's the new update: we went on Wednesday to the Dr. and Sarah is measuring larger than normal which could mean a few things. 1. We have a big baby coming (sarah was 9 pounds...I was 9 lbs 11 oz. !) or 2. they have our date wrong and we get to meet Baby Jelly sooner. Who knows....I am just hoping that Baby Katherine waits until after next saturday when we have our birthing class!

We can't wait! May you be blessed and know that God loves you...Oh how He loves you!

i am in the library wadding through my thoughts and trying to get a sermon for sunday am and 4 messages for missions week next week!

Update from Jellyland July edition

Hey all...life is/was/and will be crazy for a while. Things are going...that is about the extent of my describing where we are right now. Staying afloat and taking it one minute at a time. Here is what's being going on lately:


10. Softball season is about half over. It has been a good year. the extra baby weight has been felt and dually noted. I love softball...

9. Watching the Lakers win a championship was a much needed break from my sports year. After clawing through a 6-25 season by my IU Hoosiers, I needed something really good in the world of sports to happen. It was good seeing Kobe change from being a diva to being a great leader and teammate.

8. I have been listening to a lot more country music lately than I'd like to admit. I don't know what it is...if I am getting older and the songs resonate with me more...or that Sarah turns to the stations that play country music every time we get in the car...or what...anyways...whatever it is...

7. Vacation was good...it took me a while to thaw out...but it happened for a while. I love being with our Carolina family and being able to spend time with my momma was an added bonus. Seeing a 4 foot shark eat a fish 20 feet away from me only served to validate my fear of sharks...i don't care who makes jokes about it...sharks ARE SCARY!!!

6. Sarah is doing so well. There haven't been big issues and she hasn't been sick. God has blessed us with that. We had her families baby shower in May and the district youth pastors wives had one during camp. We have one this saturday with my mom and my family. Then in august the church is throwing one for Sarah. Continue to pray for health and saftey for sarah and baby jelly.

5. I backed into a light pole with my car right before vacation. It cost us our deductible but the repairs cost over $4000! I was kicking myself for a good long while. Accendidents do happen. Just not to me! :)

4. The baby's room is finally done being painted. We just have to organize and get everything set up. Sarah is 32 weeks this Friday! It is crazy to think that NEXT month I will be a Dad to a baby girl! Wow...

3. Sr. High Camp ended last Friday night. It was a good week. A lot of good things happened in the lives of the students of this district. God has blessed this district with a great bunch of Men and Women of high character and talent. It is great to be a part of that.

2. Missions Week starts this Sunday night. We will be having a church work day, doing a free car wash while giving out free wiper fluid and free ice pops...going to the eye glass factory in upland, going door to door collecting food for the Bread of Life food pantry and going to a local nursing home one morning to play games with the residence. then at night we'll have a "rally" where we'll worship and have a devo and then we all stay at the church! Fun week.

1. We are busy. We have a shower this weekend. Missions week next week...a wedding next saturday...my annual district conference the following saturday...then a guys night out for our church to a SilverHawks game the following monday and then taking the youth group to the Indiana Dunes that Tuesday! Before you know it, I'll be posting pics of Baby Jelly!


I hope this finds you doing well. That you are trusting God for everything He is and that you are not! That you know that you are loved....deeply and unconditionally. That God is in control. May God make your cup run over!

July Newletter article

Oh be careful little mouth...

Life for the Jellison household has been emotional lately. Sarah has said numerous times, "You try being pregnant". With no response from me until recently when I started replying, "You try being a husband to a pregnant woman". There seems to be a lot of emotions circulating not just for us but for a lot of people lately. There are different issues and things that need to be resolved and instead of brainstorming and figuring out ways to resolve them people have been blamestorming around. It does few people any good to complain and gripe about things without bring a solution to the table. Listen to what Paul says in Romans 14:6-9 (The Message):

"What's important in all this is that if you keep a holy day, keep it for God's sake; if you eat meat, eat it to the glory of God and thank God for prime rib; if you're a vegetarian, eat vegetables to the glory of God and thank God for broccoli. None of us are permitted to insist on our own way in these matters. It's God we are answerable to—all the way from life to death and everything in between—not each other. That's why Jesus lived and died and then lived again: so that he could be our Master across the entire range of life and death, and free us from the petty tyrannies of each other."

We are all so persistent in letting others know how we feel and making sure that our opinions are known. However, that is "unChristian". Again in Romans 14:10-12 (The Message)

So where does that leave you when you criticize a brother? And where does that leave you when you condescend to a sister? I'd say it leaves you looking pretty silly—or worse. Eventually, we're all going to end up kneeling side by side in the place of judgment, facing God. Your critical and condescending ways aren't going to improve your position there one bit.

Goethe puts it best in this quote:

Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you will help them become what they are capable of.

We can use our freedoms, given to us by all those who fought and gave their lives and fought and came home, to uplift and help those around us become better people. Or we can use those freedoms to tear down others and hurt them.

Life and death. Encouragement or disdain. Your freedoms are just that. Yours. You have to use them as Christ told us to and Love those around you just as much as you love yourself.

I will leave you with this verse that it may be true of us all as we strive to love each other better:

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
-Phil. 4:8

Supporting vs. Not Supporting

Caution: The next few paragraphs will be filled with the ventings of a man who is about to head off for vacation and has had his fill. Just thought I'd give a warning before you read it all and found that out. :)


So there I was. Stretching and warming up for a church league softball game (with very few people on our team that actually go to our church, 3-5 depending on what you consider "going to church means") and I hear someone with family members on our team and that claim Shiloh as their home church say, "Well I don't support the youth group." Now, I know that when you are in leadership and in any place of power, you will have people that don't like you. They have this reason or that reason or you get that or you don't do this. This is one of those people. I don't ever remember doing anything at all to this person or her family and they just don't like me. I'm ok with that. However, what I am not ok with is her statement. Here's why:

Youth ministry has changed. It isn't just a bible study for teens anymore and maybe an outing here or there. It HAS to have something fun. It cannot be something boring and 1980's because these kids don't do boring and they weren't even born in the 80's! Seriously? I HATE when I hear that parents are keeping their kids from going to youth group because they THINK____________ (you feel in the blank). Here's the thing, some youth leaders or youth pastors even might have tainted the view of a generation. They think that youth group is all fun and games and their kids are just going because it is fun and their friends are there. Ask a student about youth group and what happened and they will tell you all the fun things. They won't tell you about their "God experience" that they will rely on 10 years down the road when they remember that and have something to stand on. They won't talk about the bonds of being together with other people who have the same goal (to look, act and become more like Christ every day). They won't tell you about the worship that is what they were made for. They won't tell you about the messages about honoring your parents, watching the words you say, watching the places and music and movies that you watch, giving respect to everyone around them, staying pure sexually, or the message about how much Jesus loves them and wants them to spend eternity with Him rather than apart from Him. They won't tell you that!

When this topic comes up I hear, "well that is just how parents are" or "we just have to deal with it because it isn't going to change". I am FED up with that! For someone to say that they don't support the youth group just makes me grit my teeth. Not just my group, all groups. All the youth pastors and youth leaders out there trying to make a difference in the lives of the teens. Here's the kicker:

If we are on God's side, trying to do what He's called us to do and bring these kids closer to looking and acting and being more like Christ. If we are preaching from the Bible and giving them solid truths. If we are telling them that whats most important is loving God with everything and loving everyone around you like you love yourself...and someone says that they don't support that, guess what? They are on the enemies side! They are a tool of the enemy of my God! They are helping Satan. Do you know what those people are called in the Bible? Demons!

I will leave it at that.

On the road again...

The great poet Robert Frost talked about two roads and which one to choose in his poem "The Road Not Taken". I got to thinking about all the choices we make each and every single day. Some, seem small and trivial. Others, large and heavy. We make decisions what to wear, where to go, how we'll spend our money, who our friends are, what to eat and when to go to bed. Other times we decide which car to buy, what to name our first child, whether or not to look for another job or when we'll buy a house. I preached a message to our graduating seniors this past sunday and I told them that wherever you end up will be determined by what road you are on.
You see, you can't end up somewhere, even if you had good intentions and good planning if you are not on that road. Our choices and decisions generally determine what road we are on. Circumstances and other people sometimes cause us to go down a different path but most of the time it is a daily journey that leads us and brings us to where we are today.
So, where are you? What is happening in your life that brings you passion and joy? How is Christ reflecting off of you? Can others see Him in your daily words and actions? Or is that light reflecting dimly to those around you? It is a daily process that leads us to look, to act and to become more like Christ. We must choose daily to make other peoples problems our problems. To come along the sick, the hurting and the oppressed and just be with them. It isn't someone elses job or something we should do because that would be nosy. It is the Church's job to be Christs' hands and feet. To accept all people but let them know that Christ loves them too much to let them stay on the path that they were on.
Where is your path leading? What choices do you think about that you haven't made in the past but should have made? Here's the kicker, we still have time. We have time to make a new choice. Start down a new path. One that leads to our lives reflecting the forgiveness, the grace, the mercy and the love of Christ daily to those around us.
Don't expect your path to lead somewhere where the road you're on isn't headed.