Daring to Dream

I hope they never grow up

2009-03-07T21:26:00.003-05:00

My youngest two are at that really fun age right now. Isabel is 4 will be 5 in Nov. Ebeth is 2 and will be 3 in July. I have always thought I would want my children to grow up quickly and be in dependant and not need that much care. In fact I have heard that guys want there kids to grow up quicker and women don't want their kids to grow up that fast. I gotta tell you I am having a lot of fun. They are so precious and just melt my heart. Regularly they will say or do something that is just amazing or just surprising for there age. Ebeth is so articulate and wiser than her age. Isabel just continues to go against all the odds with her struggles. She is so amazing.

I have always been someone that looks ahead to tomorrow sometimes at the sacrifice of the day. I tend to wish time away all to often to get to something in the future. I pray that I continue to soak up as much as I can with these two little ones. I guess it is such a huge deal to me with Ebeth in particular because in the 5 children we do have she is the only one that we have had the chance to fully enjoy the first 3 years of her life. When Hailey Austin and Tawna came to live with us they were 3, 5, and 7. Isabel had so many struggles and surgeries it was hard to simply just enjoy the time we had. She was and continues to be regularly in casts and other things that have tended to rob her of these early moments of life. With Ebeth we get to cram all our young child enjoyment into one.

I am totally in love with all my kids. There is nothing I look forward to more at the end of a day than to come home and have them great me at the door with a "Daddy!" "Daddy's home!" Thank you Lord for all of the gifts you give big and small. Thank you for the struggles that come our way...because they force me to rely on you and cry out to you with greater passion. God I see you in my children and ask you to continue to grow them, mold them, and shape them into Godly men and women after your own heart. Thanks God! Amen... What little joys and big joys does God bring into your life? Blessings, Your Dreaming Pastor

Prayer & Crying out to Jesus

2009-03-05T22:14:00.003-05:00

God has really been convicting my heart lately about prayer. He has reminded me how important it is and that I don't spend enough time talking to Him. Recently Isabel and her surgeries has had me on my knees. I recall about 6-7 nights in a row I would find myself in her room at her bedside late at night just praying for her...crying out to Jesus to protect her and provide for her. I remember last week we we got news of yet another surgery just breaking into tears and crying our to Jesus. I emailed a friend and asked him to pray for me and he did. It seems lately God has put me in some positions that my only response has been to pray about it. Even though they have been difficult circumstances i have realized that God has been drawing me nearer.

I would say in the past few months I have encountered more people who are struggling with illness, surgeries, loss of jobs, loved ones, pending surgeries, legal issues, financial troubles, broken relationships, marriages that are falling apart...the list goes on and on. My only response has been prayer. Not only in suggesting it to them but also falling on my knees and crying out to Jesus for them. There have been circumstances at church that continue to be an opportunity for me to go to God because I have no control over them. In all these cases I have found God pursuing me to talk with him more...to gather people together to cry out to Him and pray. He wants us to ask Him to heal our world, our country, our communities, our church, our families, our own lives. How has God been pursuing you to talk with Him more.

Maybe for you the pain you are feeling is God asking you to turn to Him for trust and faith. Maybe your struggle or hurt is a chance to cry out to Jesus in a way that you haven't in a long time. I encourage you to take the opportunity to turn your thoughts and concerns upward and to look at your life and honestly evaluate your circumstances. It could be God trying to get your attention. God may not move in our life in a big way or in the way we need Him to or He intends to if we are not on our knees crying out to him. Let's go to Him today. Lord, I thank you for the challenges you bring into my life, for drawing me closer to you. Thank you for wanting in on my life and seeking control. Thank you for not letting me go and being wrapped up in my own little world. Thank you that you are someone I can go to who has all the power I need for living. You are an awesome and faithful God. Amen... Blessings, Your Dreaming Pastor

My trip to UMCOR Sager Brown in Baldwin, LA

2009-02-21T21:17:00.002-05:00

Just got back at 3AM this morning from a great mission trip. We went to a mission campus about 3 hrs south east of New Orleans, LA. It is called the Sager Brown center. There is a huge building on the campus called the Depot. It is basically a huge warehouse that collects the many donations from churches and groups around the nation. They gather flood buckets, health kits, and school kits all designed to go to places both in the U.S. and to other countries where there are struggling people. While we were there we filled a huge container truck full of health and school kits that was headed for the Sudan. Afterward we gathered around and prayed over the shipment. It was a humbling experience. It was overwhelming to realize that we were packing and organizing the very kits that many of our churches had been donating. What a great reality check to actually see how those things are processed and where they were actually going.

Another part of the Sager Brown mission is to help local people rehab their houses after disasters such as Hurricane Ike and many others. Many people are at poverty level and don't have the means to help themselves so we show up and help them with general repairs. I hung doors, replaced stairs, hung gutters, replaced ceiling tile, and many other odd jobs. The other half of our group drywalled and entire house! What a blessing! It was a blast and a moving experience to meet the home owner and be able to help them.

All this is good but the best part of the trip is all the relationships you develop. We went with 4 others from our church, Old Fort UMC and also met up with a group of 11 from another UM church in Ohio. We were not the only ones there however. There were groups from N.C. Illinois, Indiana, and other places. I sure got to meet some super people. I was also able to deepen some good relationships with the folk I traveled with from our church. I think it is on these trips where we really get to know someone at a deeper level and it is a special time for all those that get to go. I sense that the 5 of us from OFC built a greater bond with one another simply by walking with each other (and riding in the same vehicle for over 40hrs too) on this journey.

While there I met a man who I worked on a house with during the week. We got to talking about other mission trips we had been on and I told him about a trip I took to Belize. He lit up and quickly said he had gone there too. In a few moments we realized that he had followed my team a week later and worked on the exact same project that I had. It was amazing. I had never met him before but yet we were eternally connected. The best part of all was that he said he and his wife returned to the church we were building years later and it was finished. He has pictures of it and everything. God sure is amazing in how he works. I know this was no small coincidence but a divine appointment with God. I met some really cool people this week and will always remember them and our conversations.

I feel like I have grow and been pulled out of yet another comfort zone. I can sense God working on my heart and revealing things I wouldn't normally have seen had I not gone. I encourage anyone and everyone to take a chance to go somewhere with a group of people and help others in some way in the name of Jesus. A mission trip is definitely a growth opportunity! It is something I will always remember and will soon plan to return to.

Isabel has succesful surgery!

2009-01-21T22:09:00.002-05:00

Just got back from the hospital. We are holding up at my moms house in Dayton for the night. All went well. Isabel had some work done on her left hand. She has pins in her thumb and another separation of one of her digits. Should look great when the cast comes off in the next month. God has answered our prayers once again. He is so faithful. I can honestly say I never doubted. Not even when the surgery went on for an extra hour and a half longer then we had expected. God is awesome. Isabel is doing well. She is a little dopey and sleeping right now.

Something amazing happened at the Children's hospital. Then again every time we are at Cincy Children's Hospital God does something miraculous. I was getting some prescriptions filled for Isabel at their pharmacy when a young lady behind me in line asked me a question. She looked at me with red eyes that had obviously been producing tears recently and said, "I know this is going to sound weird but, do you pray?" Stunned with passion in my heart I quickly responded,"absolutely yes!" She then asked, "would you pray for my husband and my daughter Isabel?" I was stunned. Not only did God place me in this situation to be there to pray for her but she also had a daughter named Isabel...WOW! I put my arm around her right there in the waiting area in the Pharmacy and told her that God was good and that I was a pastor and I too had a daughter named Isabel and that I would absolutely pray with her. I heard an A-men from someone else in line that was overhearing our conversation. It was a real God moment. I prayed for her and for her family out loud right there in front of everyone. It was awesome.

How many of us would have the courage to ask a stranger to pray for us as Megan did? How many of us would believe God to be so faithful that He would bring us exactly who we need in a moment like that and cry out to them? I can't say that I have done something like that before. How amazing is it that God put me right there in that moment, a pastor with a daughter named Isabel who was having surgery as well, so Megan could have me pray for her. It was like God was using me as His Angel, or to literally be the hands and feet and heart of Jesus in that moment for her. God is so amazing. God is so good! You will never know when God might want to use you. Keep your eyes open He is always at work! Thanks for all your prayers. Not only did Isabel do well but I was able to help someone in need. I beleive it was because my family and I were surrounded by your prayers...thanks for all your faithfullness. Blessings, Your Dreaming Pastor

It has been some time...

2009-01-14T19:00:00.004-05:00

Well, "I'm back!" So many things have happened since I last wrote on my blog. We celebrated an incredible Christmas, started the new year, The Buckeyes lost yet another BCS game, and the Lions actually went 0-16! The miracle season. Many people doubted they could do it by I never gave up the faith that they could have the perfect season.

Anyways...God continues to remain faithful even when I worry and waiver. He is doing so many good things in my life and at our church. He continues to love on and guide our family in our many struggles (not that mine are any worse than yours). Next week is Isabel's next surgery. It will be a pretty extensive hand surgery and I am making arrangements to be there for this one. It is just so hard to not be there when she is going through these things. I count it a blessing to be in the situation that I am in to be able to take time away to tend to these family issues. My kids and Erin are so important to me. E-Beth continues to grow and develop and is now repeating just about everything anyone says. That is both a good thing and a bad thing. She is all over the place and is becoming quite sassy and mean at times. She tells us no and shouts and yells sometimes. then again that is about the only way to communicate in our household. No one can hear you unless you yell.

Christmas was a real blessing and an extremely restful time away from it all. It was surely needed. That doesn't mean we didn't have our struggles and frustrations with family. Christmas day was far from perfect yet through it all God remained faithful. He is so good. A good friend reminded me today that it had been awhile since I had last blogged. She even told me the exact date of my last entry. I had been thinking about it from time to time and needed a "kick in the butt". I really do believe it was God speaking to get me back in the swing of things. So, no profound thoughts just some updates on what God has been doing and the various crazy adventures of a family of 7 that is often out of control. I hope this latest entry finds you well. I pray that in this new year We all grow closer to our Lord and that we become better in serving Him. Thanks Lord for all you do. Blessings, Your Dreaming Pastor

A steady reminder to stay the course

2008-12-11T20:07:00.003-05:00

I will always remember the moment I realized I was meant to be a pastor. As a child the pastor of our church was a good man that my family really looked up to. I often watched him preach or serve over communion and other things during worship wondering if that was something I could some day do. It's funny how simple and seemingly pleasant his job appeared to be (man was I off). I mean after all pastors only work 1 day a week right...at least that is the running joke out there amongst parishioners in churches all over the states. The further along I get in ministry the more I realize just how difficult this job really is. Something that one of my colleagues told me once, has stuck with me all these years. He told me, "John being a staff member in the local church is the one job that everyone at some point in time thinks they can do." Think about it, we don't walk into a bank and think we can be a teller. We don't get on an airplane and think we can do a better job flying the plane then the pilot. However, when it comes to church probably everyone of us has thought I could do this, or in some cases I even have a better idea of how to lead a church than the pastor.

Being a pastor is a challenge and while it is rewarding it can be a painful & lonely experience. You quickly find that everyone has an opinion on how you are doing and they have an opinion on how the church should run. And they feel free to share that opinion with anyone and everyone who will listen except for you. Sadly, 95% of those opinions only exist to represent our own personal wants and desires... while the pastor is responsible not for making individuals happy but to lead and entire Body of Christ in the way that God wants it. Throw into that mix being in a small town and you quickly realize that you are a regular source of conversation and criticism. This is why you see pastors dropping out of the ministry and pastors kids never stepping into a church the rest of their life because of the hurtful things they witness. There are times where being a greeter at Wal-Mart seems like a great job.

The struggle for any leader boils down to this...do I try and make everyone happy and be a people pleaser (which by the way is impossible). Or do I stick with being True to who Christ has called me to be and called the church to be. I bet you can guess where I fall in my convictions on this one. Still though it doesn't make all the hurtful things you hear said about you any easier. I mean pastors are human. But every once in awhile God will throw you a bone. He will give you a nugget. God will remind you why you do what you do. He will remind you why it is worth all the criticism and hard choices to stay the course and keep leading with truth and conviction. I had one of those moments today.

I was in a counseling session with a gentleman who had been attending our church off and on for the last year or so. During the conversation it was evident and apparent that God was working on his heart. He did not have much of a church background at all but God was definitely doing something in his life. He said that because of his experience in worship on Sunday God was doing something new in his life and he could sense it. To make a long story short he gave his life to Christ right there in my office! After a long conversation and prayer he left. I found myself overwhelmed with tears and sobbing uncontrollably. In that brief but powerful moment I was gently reminded by God why it is I do what I do. Why it is I take the criticism. Why it is that I stay the course even when people want to jump ship or throw others under the buss. Because people matter to God and each of us needs Jesus Christ! That's why I do what I do.

Thanks God for the reminder that all the pain, difficulty, and challenges are not for nothing. I will stay the course, and remain faithful and true to who you called me to be. I will continue to do what it is I do for your Kingdom no matter how difficult it is. Because in the end people's lives are at stake and that cause alone is worth all the criticism in the world.

When has there been a time where you have felt like bailing...where the struggle doesn't seem worth it...where the criticism is overwhelming you. Maybe God wants you to stay right where you are and trust that he is in control and has a plan for why you are doing what you are doing... for why you are going through what you are going through. A good friend shared this verse with me today that I will cherish in my heart forever. John 13:7 Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."
I encourage you to stay the course and to endure the criticism or the struggle because Jesus is about to do a miracle through your faithfulness. May God walk with you and bless your life abundantly! Blessings, Your Dreaming Pastor

When fear takes over...

2008-11-30T15:43:00.002-05:00

It was 5AM and we heard a little knock on our bedroom door. Usually that is not a good sign and involves kids sick or vomiting and such. Of course when I answered it was Austin and he had just thrown up. Now normally this wouldn't have been that big of a deal. However, we have just finished a 4 week stint where chicken pox, stomach, and kidney stones have made there way through our house. The last person got the stomach flu just last week and we thought we were done. Then Austin gets sick again.

After I cleaned up the mess, there I was laying in bed not able to fall back asleep for a few minutes before going off to church to preach the Sunday sermon. Fear of the unknown was running wild in my heart. "Who would get it next, would it run through our entire house again, will Erin get sick, will I miss work, this is the busy season at church, we can't go through this again?" On and on I laid there in fear of what was to come. The thing was I had no control whatsoever over these circumstances. I had no answer to these questions and no ability to stop this thing from spreading. All I could do was fret & worry! Then I thought to myself...give it to God. Give Jesus my fears and trust him with the results. So I prayed and talked to God. I shared with him my concern and my fear. He reminded me how trustworthy He is. I admit to you that as I write this I still have some fear and concern with the sickness stuff and also with some other things going on in life right now. this trusting God thing is hard especially when you have little or no control over the issue that concerns you.

This Christmas season I am reminded that each person that wound up at the manger the night Jesus was born started with or experienced along the way a sense of fear. The only person in that stable that night without fear was the bay, Jesus. Jesus came to answer our fears and to give us faith. It is our faith in Christ that sustains us and allows us to put our fear in a healthy place. When we fear man or this world we wind up making ourselves sick with worry and it controls us. When we give our fear over to God it turns to faith, belief, and often peace. Jesus came to be our Wonderful Counselor, our Mighty God, Our Everlasting Father, and our Prince of Peace. In all of these names we have received specific gifts from Him. Gifts that sustain us through life and deal with our fears. This Christmas let's take our fears to God and discover an renewed faith in our creator. Blessings, Your Dreaming Pastor

Thanksgiving & remembering RMH

2008-11-18T21:21:00.002-05:00

Well, my favorite Holiday of the year is coming in a little over a week. I love Thanksgiving and the 3 F's. Food, football, and family... & not necessarily in that order. I just really love the whole focus of being thankful and looking back over my life in the previous year to see all that God has done. No matter how difficult things have been or how bad the struggles are I always find myself with an outpouring of thanksgiving for God's providential nature. He is my great provider and sustainer.

Today I was working on a sermon and just thinking back through the years and how God has been so good to our family and it reminded me of Thanksgiving 4 years ago. Isabel was about 2 weeks old and was just out of her first skull surgery to release the pressure on her brain. She was at the Children's Medical Center in Cincinnati, OH. A we all gathered very briefly at my folks house in Dayton that day to celebrate Thanksgiving. It was especially hard...but I think my heart was more thankful then it had ever been before. God had provided a refuge for us during this difficult and trying time at the Ronald McDonald House across the street from the hospital. It was such a blessing and a surprise. We had no idea how we were going to live from day to day while Isabel stayed at the hospital and the RMH provided our every need with food, shelter, friendship. They gave our family free passes to the zoo and to the Aquarium.

I will never forget the kindness of people as they came in to serve lunch and dinners to us. It was such a refreshing thing to get a hot meal and have it not cost us a thing. From time to time in the past few years we have returned to serve meals and what a blessing it is to help those families that are now struggling as we once were. I found myself today thinking about the possibility to taking my family down there on Wednesday before Thanksgiving to serve a meal. We will already be down there that morning because Isabel has a follow up appointment with her hand surgeon. I called and left a message there...chances are good that another group has already signed up to serve a meal that day but I am hoping that if needed we can be there as a family to serve those in need.

I will always remember one lunch in particular. Out of all the groups that served us there were usually a lot of people helping to serve. This particular time there was just a husband wife and some older children. I asked them what group they were with and thanked them for feeding us. They told us they were not from a group but in fact years ago were residents at the RMH receiving help themselves. They pointed to one of their sons who was helping to serve and told us his story and his struggles. He looked at me and told me something I will never forget. He said, "years ago we were served...today it is our turn to serve." In that moment I longed for the day I would be able to return with my family and realize "our time to serve."

Since then we have been down there with church when we lived in Dayton and served...I am still looking forward to the chance for just my family to go and return the favor and give those that are hurting some inspiration as we get a chance to tell Isabel's story. God thank you for all the times you have provided for us over the years. Thank you for the trials, struggles, and tears. You have made yourself entirely visible to me and those memories sustain me even today whenever doubt/fear/concern in life tries to creep in. You are truly an awesome God and worthy of my utter thanks and gratitude.

What are you thankful for? In what way shape or form is it, "your turn to serve?" Keep your eyes open. You never know what God is up to in your life and in those lives around you. Blessings, Your Dreaming Pastor

Just a wild season of life

2008-11-14T07:57:00.003-05:00

Man I sure have neglected this Blog thing...but then again the past month has just been nutty. We have dealt with three different cases of Chicken Pox and still have two in our house left who have not had them yet. The presidential election threw many of us off for a few days. Last week I discovered that I had another kidney stone...(this is starting to get a little ridiculous). I had one several year ago and then another back in May. Can you believe that MAY! And here I have another one. So I would up in the hospital again and this time elected for surgery to have it removed. Thankfully it was successful and today all is well. I still can't shake this cold that I've had for over a week now. We still have not finished our 40 Days of Community small group yet because every other week we are sick or others can't make it. To top it all off some of the strangest things and conversations have been taking place at church. I can't explain it other than to say that God is always good and I feel blessed more than ever.

Funny though even as I write this Erin has been up all night getting sick and more than likely we will not be able to have Isabel's B-day party on Saturday as we had planned...what a bummer! Things haven't gotten any better with Hailey either as her issues continue to show them self more frequently and escalate more quickly. There are some important decisions coming in the near future for her and for our family. I know though, that God is good and that we are blessed. I am standing here this morning in the middle of all this funk swirling around me and all of a sudden I just felt blessed. It was as if God was reaching through the fog of life just to place his hand on my shoulder as a reminder that he is there and still in control. During all of these things I know he has never once taken his hand off of us or turned his back to us. On the contrary I have sensed his presence even more as I have today. I am thankful for the circumstances that God uses to make us more away of his love but I gotta tell you I look forward to more of a "normal" life here very quickly. Sounds funny to even use that word. After all what is "normal" for us. Oh well I thought I would finally check in and give a shout to everyone out there. Keep up your prayers for our family. We certainly covet them. Blessings, Your Dreaming Pastor

Politics as usual?

2008-11-06T10:59:00.003-05:00

As you know I try to avoid politics from the pulpit and try not to delve into it on my blog. However, when you elect a new president that tends to be a pretty big deal. It would seem that a large majority of the nation is celebrating today with the land slide that was for Obama. And then there are those who woke up on Wednesday morning with shock. I admit that I would be in the latter group rather than in the former. I will say this however, I really didn't feel that excited about either candidate. I just voted for the one I personally thought would do less harm. It's kind of like watching your two little children play with scissors. While its not a good thing for either one you hope that the one capable of doing less harm winds up with them. Not sure if that made sense? Anyways there are many out there that do not share my views and that is OK. That's why I don't feel there is much room for politics in the local church, because all it does is tend to polarize people that otherwise could come together in perfect unity to serve Jesus Christ.

What will be interesting to watch over the next four years is what will happen with our government now that there is a majority in the House, the Senate, and the president... all democratic. I know all of us are looking at the financial crisis and the pending meltdown and wonder how a new government will respond. I am as well. Though I regularly support the Republican ticket I readily admit that I am not pleased at all with the way Bush handled things. Sure there are others to blame but he turned his back too many times when he should have faced the music. There are a laundry list of things I don't like about Obama, but if he can get the nation back on its feet than I will have to concede my appreciation to him in the coming years. Keep in mind it has taken me several days to be ready to even talk about this topic but I am hoping my thoughts are starting to settle.

One other thing I am reminded of...it really didn't matter if it was McCain or Obama in charge of our nation. The truth is God is still the head cheese around these parts...at least that is how I have experienced him. God hasn't fallen off his throne and ultimately no matter who is president they still have to answer to him. No matter who governs us ultimately God is still our one true King. So I am not going to do a Barbara Streisand on you like she did when Bush was elected. (You remember she vowed to leave the US and find a deserted Island somewhere to live on)... many are still willing to take her up on the offer. lol lol... What I will do is offer Obama and our government my prayers as I always have before and wish their leadership well into the next four years and trust as I always have that God is still ultimately in control. Blessings, Your Dreaming Pastor

What a great party!

2008-10-27T21:29:00.003-04:00

Sunday we had our 3rd annual harvest party after the Old Fort Halloween parade. Basically we set up a bunch of cool games, free food, bonfires, and hayrides for the community and everyone comes out and has a blast! So many lives were touched and so many people walked away feeling blessed. I had a chance to meet so many new families and faces. Several folks were new in our church that morning and came out that afternoon. One lady in particular told me that she was not sure when the last time was that she had been in church...her family was gathered around her at the fire and they all joked that they were shocked that she came. God is so good.

I praise him for Kerry W. and all the hard work she put into this party. I thank him for all of the faithful volunteers that show up anytime we need some help with anything at the church. I was so excited to see several new faces serving people. There were folk who have started attending on a regular basis stepping right up and serving. In fact one of my friends who hasn't attended in some time at OFC even came out and he spent the entire day helping people out. At the end of the day he thanked me for asking him to help serve. Imagine that someone thanking me for putting him to work all day long...for free!!! Only Jesus Christ can have that kind of impact. Only Jesus can cause people to display the kindness they did with their servant hood and with their sacrifices of time and money. So many people came up to me and others and asked if they could help. You could feel the love of Christ in the air...it was palpable!

I pray that at OFC our love for each other grows...I pray that our love grows so much that we can do nothing else but let it spill out into the community and all those around us like it did on Sunday. After all that is what church is all about....sharing the love of Christ and having a blast doing it. I am praying tonight for the people of Old Fort Church. I am praying for their commitment and passion to continue to grow for Jesus Christ, for reaching people for him, and for putting forth vital ministry projects that change lives.

I am so encouraged at people's generosity and a renewed passion to step up and serve others. Our teens are stepping up and creating their own outreach projects in the community. Small groups are starting ministries to college students. College students are getting deeper involved in the life of our church. Small groups are praying over ministries to nursing homes and revitalizing our pastoral care ministry. A group of people are partnering with Old Fort Elementary school to put together an after school program. We are going to Baldwin, LA to the Sager Brown center in February on a week long stateside mission project and we are praying that 10 people will go with Bret Fry and I. God is so good. How is he touching your heart? How is he changing your life? How is he causing you to grow more in love with Him, with others, and with those who do not know Jesus. God is moving at OFC and I am so thankful for being a part of it! Blessings, Your Dreaming Pastor

In Christ, death always leads to life

2008-10-22T14:25:00.003-04:00

Yesterday we all said goodbye to a dear friend and a father to the faith. Jim Ritter for many of us was a spiritual father. His life challenged all of us to consider the gift and the responsibilities of following Jesus Christ as our savior and lord. What an incredible time this celebration service was. That's right, we did not have a funeral service...we had a celebration of life. The interesting thing is that it turned out to be more about Jesus' life than it did Ritter's. But then again, if we live our life right then everything we do ought to point others to focus on Jesus and not ourselves. It was quite simple yesterday we simply couldn't talk about Jim without talking about his best friend Jesus. God glorified Himself yesterday for all to see and Jim made that possible.

Don't get me wrong we have rightfully shed some tears...I readily admit that I have, as have many of you. But our tears are quickly replaced with the joy we had of knowing Jim and that challenge that his life has given to our own. I know Jim and if he was here he would want his death to help us once again find life in Christ. After all when you know Jesus, death is always followed by resurrection...death is always followed by new life. It's no wonder that I find myself a day later, after the celebration, experiencing something new in my heart. I feel closer to God. I sense a greater desire and commitment in my heart. My passion for reaching people for Jesus has grown. My life today is a witness to the fact that Jim did not die in vain, without impact, without making a difference. Ritter's life and death has shaped me and molded me even a day after we said goodbye and I know I am not the only one.

Just last night our washing machine repair man showed up to fix our washer (it was a miracle in and of itself and a story for another time). Before he left he had made a comment that led me to believe he was struggling in his life. I was fresh from the celebration that day and found my heart spurred on to ask this guy about his life. Something was telling me to pass the love of Christ onto this man...(I think Jim was nudging me even from heaven). Anyway I asked if he was married and all of a sudden the flood gates opened and "Tom" and I spent the next 40 some minutes talking in my kitchen about his life and his struggles. By the end of the night I had prayed for him and for his wife and let him know that he mattered to me and mattered to God. I am not sure what will come of it, if anything atall, but I do know he experienced the love of Christ from me.

I believe people spur us on, in their life and in their death. Ritter did that for me. I am thankful that his life didn't end in death but that he is living forever in eternity. I am thankful that in his death I continue to find new life. I pray and hope that you too can find the same. Thanks Ritter for who you were, who you are, and who you will continue to be in all of our hearts!
Blessings,
Your Dreaming Pastor

Money series at OFC in November

2008-10-15T12:05:00.002-04:00

Who is your banker? This is a question that when asked most of us would respond with an answer like: Fifth 3rd, Key, UM Credit Union, Old Fort banking, etc... While this might be true we easily forget that our ultimate banker is Jesus. Within the last few months we have all been witnesses to a scary dose of reality that our “Trust” cannot merely be in humans and our financial security and investments cannot rest merely on the ideas of the world. We need something greater than ourselves to love us, guide us, and be in control of our fiscal lives. When it comes to our finances we assume we are in control on our own. Because of this attitude things have gotten out of control with remarkable results…

∙We are a society drowning in debt.
∙We are mired in relationships that are broken over finances.
∙We have FEAR of our financial future that influences our fiscal decisions.
∙We are lost, lonely, and losing the personal financial battle.

We are desperate for answers, we want a change, and we long for abundance. In November we are going to find the answers, we are going to seek change, and we will discover an abundance that is beyond our imagination. For 4 weeks on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings we are going to look at God’s principals for our fiscal lives.
You will learn how generosity leads to prosperity…

“Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. The generous will prosper and those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.” -Proverbs 11:24-25

You will learn how our control gets in the way, and ultimately how we can change from deficient thinking to abundance thinking…

“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do, I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!” -Malachi 3:10

You will hear first hand accounts of how people learned to trust God with their fiscal lives and the blessings and freedom that followed. I invite you to discover with me, The Road to Financial Freedom. Here is your part in this.

1. Don’t miss a single sermon in this series Nov. 2- Nov. 23rd. You can hear them
online or pick up the CD if you miss.

2. Attend the 4 week Wednesday night study with Pastor John starting Nov. 5th at
6:15PM.

3. Set aside your attitudes that the church shouldn’t talk about money. Almost half
of Jesus teachings were on money & possessions. If Jesus thought it was an
important topic than your pastor should think it is too, and so should you.

4. Pray for me as I prepare the messages, pray for people’s hearts to be open, and
pray for the courage to make important decisions.

5. Lastly, your friends and family desperately need financial hope and freedom in
their life. Invite them to come with you and be a part of changing their lives.

When it is all said and done, when someone asks you who you bank with. You can say, “my banker is Jesus Christ. My trust, my investments, my finances are in his hands.” This sounds freeing to me, how about you? I am looking forward to what God will do in the month of November.
Blessings,
Your Dreaming Pastor

The power to kill

2008-10-13T09:21:00.003-04:00

It doesn't take a loaded gun, knife, rope, or our fists. The power to kill can simply come from our words to others. In one brief moment we can destroy someones life with the words we can use. We can tare down, destroy, and leave a wake of carnage that no amount of explosive can provide. Words are deadly weapons that we think about more after we let them fly than we do before we open our mouths. I have learned this truth several times, the hard way, over the years. But our words don't have to be these things.

The opposite is true as well. Our words can actually be a bit of heaven here on earth for people. They can lift people up, give confidence, and provide a sense of value and self worth like nothing else. We can build someone up like a mason adding the next layer of brick to a building. We can strengthen someones life like the steel worker adding another brace for support. Each of us has the ability to grow people by affirming their value and worth. With the simple concept of appreciation we can raise a persons value. When we celebrate them and give thanks for them, when we point out the good things we see them doing, all these things add value to their life.

Let's commit to encouragement. Too often, at least in my own life, it is so easy to point out people's faults and weaknesses. Instead, what would it look like if we decided that we were going to look for the best in people and point it out when we see them doing good, or making a difference, or helping someone grow? It is a decision and a choice on our part. It takes a lot of work and strong focus. Mainly though, it takes a heart for people and a belief that in God's eyes and our own, that all people matter. Do you value other people as much as you should? If you are like me it is not that we intentionally look past others we are just simply too caught up in our own lives to notice others. When we grow in Christ that means we are also growing in the things that Christ is interested in. You will discover that people, and their value and worth are at the center of what Jesus focuses on. He desires that we have that same focus. Let's be encourager's together. In community with you, Your Dreaming Pastor

Have you won lately?

2008-10-09T08:17:00.003-04:00

...you know what I am talking about. That moment when you know you are right and that you are carrying the proper and healthy perspective in this whole thing. Knowing that the person you are about to talk to doesn't have the right idea and needs some of your wisdom. So you engage them in conversation and the entire time your working your strategy to WIN the conversation, the argument, the disagreement, or whatever it is.

I was struck by the first line of my morning devotion from Rick Warren. He said, "stop trying to win arguments." Wow! that hit me right between the eyes. This is one of those things that I don't recognize that I am necessarily doing but now look back and wonder how many times has this been my motivation? Another phrase quickly kicked into my mind after reading this line. "You can win an argument and still wind up losing." "You can be right right in the end but still be wrong in the long run." This is never more true than in marriage. I can't tell you how many times I have "won" a conversation or argument with Erin...or proved that I was right and in the end I still lose and lose big time. Guys, you know what I am talking about.

The point here is the goal of a conversation isn't to win, or even to make sure we got our point across....but it is to add value and love to the other persons life. If we live with a Godly perspective this is our major motive, and a pure one at that. All other motivations are self serving and can even be manipulative to try and get a favorable outcome for us. Without love and God's direction our conversations can sound more like the Presidential debate than a healthy exchange of God's love and grace. God knows, we don't need another one of those debates. I am really taking a look at my life, my conversational style, and evaluating my motives when I engage in conversation. Too often my goal is to get my point across, to try and steer that person in a direction I want them to go rather than just listening and lovingly responding to their concerns and needs. What a smack in the head...Lord forgive me.

In the long run I sense that the major fix here is to do more listening than talking when it comes to these moments. When we give others the freedom and create the environment for them to share without having to give our thoughts/perspective/ or fix-all solutions we are more hospitable and less hostile. I am learning everyday how helpful and how hurtful my communication can be. Our words, our tone, our nonverbal communication all create a package that either gives people the freedom to be who they are. Or it suggests that we are in a competition with them to try and win at all costs the conversation and argument that lays before us. The Bible tells us to, "let there be real harmony" between us in our lives and conversations. The problem isn't usually with them but with me. How abut you?
In Community with you,
Your Dreaming Pastor

R. E. S. P. E. C. T. just a little bit...

2008-10-07T08:14:00.002-04:00

How well do we show respect to others? Great question. Let me start by asking another question. Is showing respect to others, another way to share our love with them? Ultimately yes because as Rick Warren puts it in our daily devotional, it is a way to see people through God's eyes. When we see people in that way we look beyond our own irritable, judging, self focused eyes. So often we demand so much from others in attitude and behavior that we ourselves don't even expect from our own life. We are quick to judge others when we hope others will not judge us. We are slow to have patience with others when we hope they will have patience with us. We lack the energy of understanding others only to hope that someone will understand us. When we respect people we open our hearts to the grace of God and see others in the light of God. We see others and can have compassion not matter what they are doing or saying.

One statement I read today really hit home with me...the most difficult relationships to offer respect to are those that are closest to us. How true this is in my life and family. I look at our household and we say and act in ways towards one another that we would never do with anyone else out in the real world. I get so irritated and frustrated with my kids. I display it openly and in some cases go way over the top with my frustrations. With anyone else I would take a deep breathe sit down and talk peacefully with them or in some cases just get past it on my own. My kids act and speak to us in ways that I have never seen them act towards anyone else. We often ask our kids why they don't say this or do that in front of other adults. There is so much truth to this. Why is it so hard to act with respect toward those that we are closest to? Maybe its because we see these people everyday. Maybe I can have patience once or twice with someone and forget about it, but if I am with someone all week it just gets to be too much and I just let loose.

I was on a two week mission trip to Belize one year...I traveled with a group from our church that at the time I was serving as minister of outreach and mission. I got along great with the folk we traveled with and never had gotten frustrated with any of them before. About a week into our trip some of us were getting a little chippy towards each other until at one point we were visibly and verbally annoyed with one another. It was a reminder to me that this love thing...this respect thing is easy when you only have to show it a few times. But when you are confronted with the need to respond this way several times a day for a period of several days it really wears on you. I would attribute this to the fact of our human nature. This is why everyday we have an obligation to continue to become more and more like Christ. To take on His character and Holiness and to shed our sinful habits.

I am praying that God will continue to mold and shape me....that He will create a greater awareness of when I am tripping up with my family in the area of respect. I pray and ask Him to help me with my patience and expectations of people and others. I hope and desire for His love to continue to grow in my heart so that my capacity to love others beyond myself will grow as well. How about you...what are you praying about?
In Community with You,
Your Dreaming Pastor

How is our commitment?

2008-10-06T09:00:00.002-04:00

I was reminded in my devotional this morning that our commitment to Jesus means being committed to others. I wonder how many of us have a deep commitment to some folk outside of our immediate family. Some of us are in a small group and some are not. These small groups at first glance look like a huge commitment to something else on our calendar...but it is much bigger than that. Our participation is a commitment to others and to deeper relationships. Now we can be in a group and not have any deep commitments. So, this means taking the chance and the risk of going deeper in our commitment with a few folk in our groups. Building and nurturing relationships of love and accountability.

This is why our participation in these groups is so important. Just by being there we are making a statement that we are committed to the people of God and to several individuals. We are saying that this group of people matter's more than all the other busy things on our schedules. Setting aside time for small group means setting aside time to nurture relationships. In the long run we grow closer to God and closer to others and together become changed for the better in Jesus Christ. Where are your significant relationships? Where is your commitment to a small group? Maybe it is time to take that first step and get in a group. Maybe it is time to take that second step and reach across the Isle to someone in your group and go deeper with them in commitment. God has brought these people into your life for a reason and a purpose. To change you and for you to change them. Awesome!
In Community with you,
Your Dreaming Pastor

I walked out of church today!

2008-10-05T21:12:00.002-04:00

Well this weekend my dad, my son, and I took our annual trip up north to take in a Lions game. What a great time we have doing this...it is so good to spend this time with my dad and I know Austin will have memories to last a lifetime. Our pattern over the last few years is to head up on Saturday and goof around Michigan for a few hours and then head to the hotel just south of Detroit for the night. Then we get up early Sunday morning and head into downtown Detroit and find a place to park. We walk around a little bit and Austin and I toss a football. Then we head to church at a United Methodist church right next to the ballpark for worship. The service starts at 10AM and is over in time for us to head to the game.

Last year we had an OK experience at this church. It has a very traditional downtown church facade. It is extremely old and the congregation sadly has dwindled over the years to around 60 people. The service itself was very traditional and was OK at best. This year however it was quit and interesting experience. The person leading the liturgy was slow and deliberate...it was kind of awkward. They took 20 minutes just for announcements and made all first time visitors stand up while everyone else claps. During the prayer time the pastor proceeded to tell us all we should get out and vote...and then it came...he stood there and basically told us who to vote for and how this was the most important election in history. He told us that we should talk to our "white" friends and let them know that it is OK for them to vote for a "black man" for president. I think I felt my jaw hitting the floor. I leaned over and asked my dad if I heard him correctly because I was so shocked. My dad confirmed it and I was really upset. So upset I leaned over to my dad and Austin and said we are leaving. We walked out and stood there for awhile on the street corner and talked.

I can't tell you how distasteful it is to me that a pastor would use the God given gift of the pulpit and a congregation that He's entrusted them with for political purposes. I was reminded of Jeremiah Wright and his political slant when he teaches. I mean, in these cases does the pastor believe that everyone in their congregation is of the same political persuasion? It is my personal experience especially today that partisanship from the pulpit is inflammatory at best, and takes the focus from Jesus at its worst. Secondly, my dad looked at me and asked if I thought this guy was suggesting that if a "white" person didn't vote for and African American president that they were racist? I told him that I hadn't thought of it before like that...but part of what he said rang true. It just disgusted me...For me I realize that politics is such a fiery issue that when it comes up most people are so passionate that all other focus is lost. Especially on what matters most and that is Christ. That is why I never bring it up from the pulpit on Sunday's because we have both Democrats and Republicans coming to our church and I don't what people to lose there focus, Jesus. I also want people to feel welcome no matter what their political views are. Safe to say I didn't feel welcome at that church.

However, God spoke to my heart to go back in and worship Him. After all as I looked at my dad as we figured out what to do I said, "I just want to worship this morning." So, that is exactly what we did. We went back inside and sat through the rest of the service. Then it got even more interesting. The pastor's sermon was all about how much their church and other churches in Detroit had been dying...how Detroit had been dying and changing for the worse. The pastor talked about a revitalization committee who was created to figure out how to grow the church. Their big idea is to have a "bring a friend" Sunday in November to build their church. His sermon was awful and slow....very little reference to scripture and never really mentioned God or Jesus but once or twice. Part of his commentary was once again against a political party and by the time he was done he and his church had clearly answered why they were dying. Everything that they were and everything that they were doing was the reason they were dying and yet they couldn't see it. It was really, really sad. A bipartisan church, with a bipartisan pastor who sounded like he prepared his sermon that morning...(at one moment during his sermon he joked that he did!) They wanted to grow but yet couldn't see that the reason they weren't, was staring them right in the face.

I feel sorry for them and am praying for them. This moment did a couple of things for me. First and foremost it reminded me that no matter what church it is...how bad it is...and how off center it is from Jesus I can still worship God. Worshiping God has little to do with the pastor, church, or service and everything to do with our heart. I learned a great lesson going back in that church and had a great lesson to teach Austin. No matter how bad it is we should always give God our worship and love. I am so glad I did and even though the experience was ridiculous I still felt connected to God and refreshed in a new way. This moment also reminded me of my duties as a pastor and how not to carry out those duties. God challenged me to stick with the things he has placed on my heart for the local church...the continued need for change and evaluation that is crucial not only for a churches survival but so that it thrives into he future. I pray that God continues to place me into circumstances where my comfort zones are challenges so that in the end I come out better and more certain of His plans for my life and the local churches he places me in as pastor. I was also reminded of the great responsibility I have been given in my preaching. It would be so easy to use the pulpit for my own purposes, as I witnessed this day. I know that every Sunday I need to take very seriously what I say and be certain that my words are not mine but God's. God is good... despite our attempts to mess everything up. Blessings, Your Dreaming Pastor

Do I have any Friends?

2008-10-02T09:08:00.003-04:00

We live in a relationally starved culture today. Most of us are just skimming through the relational jungle never really landing in deep and intimate conversations that matter in the long run. We stay on the surface and just breeze right past the real needs, hurts, and issues that many of us are carrying and facing. How many of us have true friendships? The running joke in our house is that I don't really have any friends. We always laugh about that because I give Erin a hard time for talking on the phone countless times to the same person or visiting someone two or three times a week, all day. She simply remarks, "just because I have friends and you don't, don't give me a hard time." That always brings a laugh from both of us. I just think I am not as invested as much in my friends as Erin is. Just don't make time for it.

It got me to thinking though. How many friends do I have that do not have a church home or are far from God? After all God wants to use our relationships and those people that he has brought into our life to help them grow closer to him. If I don't know anyone that doesn't know God how will I ever be able to help people who are far from God find him? I think that this is one of the reasons I love coaching my kids teams so much. Not only does it give me a chance to spend time with my kids but it gives me an avenue to build relationships with folk I normally wouldn't know. It gives me an "in" into peoples lives. Coaching tears down walls and barriers and builds instant relationship. For an introverted guy like me that is huge! I just hope and pray that these families see the love that I have for Jesus in the way I love their kids and them.

Everyday there are chances and opportunities for me to love and build relationships with folk who don't know God. I am asking myself today how often I take the opportunity to do just that. As you walk through your day today take a moment with everyone you come across to plant a seed of love. You never know what God will do to water it and how it might just grow in their life. In Community with you,
Your Dreaming Pastor

How well do we accept others?

2008-10-01T13:58:00.002-04:00

I have been reminded that Christ has accepted me despite my flaws, selfishness, and desire to do my own thing. In so many ways throughout my life I have gone away from what Christ would want from me yet he accepts me and loves me despite those flaws. That is Good News! However the bad news is that I don't necessarily treat others the way that Christ has treated me. I am not always as openly accepting of others. I tend to be somewhat judgemental and opinionated when it comes to others. For most of us this is true to some degree. We do this both with folk that are inside the church and especially with those who are outside the church.

The sad thing is that acceptance of others is one way that we show the love of Christ and the love that we want to have for them. I need to do a better job of learning to love people no matter who they are and what it is they do. I am not loving their actions or in actions. I am simply choosing to love them as part of god's creation. After all, every person who has walked this earth is part of God's creation. When I have hatred or show ill feelings toward anyone, I am basically telling god that He messed up and I don't love what he made. I would assume God is offended by such activity.

This 40 day journey of community that we are on has taught me one huge thing. I have a long way to go in learning to fully love people. There is a lot of work God wants to do in me show His love to all people. What am I doing today, this week, this month to show and share the love of Christ with others? One of the ways is to learn to be more accepting and to save my judgements for myself. God is bringing people into my life everyday so that I might be the conduit of His love. Am I living up to His purpose for me...are you? In Community with you, Your Dreaming Pastor

Financial Fear or a chance for Faith...

2008-09-30T08:42:00.002-04:00

Wow...what a couple of years it has been in the financial market. We have experienced record high gas prices, reduced home values, diminishing mutual fund markets, and now what seems to be total financial turmoil in the market. I would say the word "fear" could describe where many Americans are today. Yesterday my dad called us to give us some advice that he and my mother have taken themselves. He recommended that we withdraw a sum of money form the bank and keep some cash on hand just as a precautionary measure. That conversation really got me to thinking. What if... ?

I think Satan uses that stuff all the time to get us distracted from God's purposes, plan, and ultimate care for our life. Sometimes in these moments I find myself in mental panic mode as I desperately try to fix the problem by dwelling on it and worrying about it... as if that actually accomplishes something. As my dad and I continued to discus the financial state of the economy and what kind of effects that it might have on us he said something profound. My dad said, "Jesus is my real banker so there is no use worrying about this." That really struck me hard. I found myself immediately agreeing with that statement. That in the end if I have faithfully turned my life over to God including my finances than Jesus would faithful and deal with this mess for me. What do I really have to worry about? I have the God of the universe who died on the cross for me and lives in me. Will He fall off His throne during the nations financial crisis? Absolutely not! Why would I even think that? Well, because that is what Satan wants.

Now keep in mind Erin and I are paying attention to our personal finances...God expects us to. We are eliminating all spending on "extras" right now. We have somewhat of a spending freeze in our house. However one thing that we will not stop is our tithing. Erin and I have been able to work towards, with God's help, giving well over a tithe. We have learned to stay faithful and now in a time of crisis is when our faith is needed more than ever. I want to ask you a question...who is your banker? Let that set in for a moment. Is your ultimate banker Jesus Christ. Have you given over everything in your life to Him? Do you trust Him with your whole life including your finances? If you have and you learn to be faithful with what you have then no matter what, God will be faithful to you. That doesn't mean you won't struggle or even go through financial hardship. What it does mean is that you have Jesus who will walk with you through the struggles and lift you up in your time of need.

In these moments I am learning to lean even further into God and my relationship with Christ. In the end my banker is not 5th 3rd or the United Methodist Credit Union. It is Christ. So in the end I have nothing to fear, rather I have every reason to have faith. How about you?
In Community with you,
Your Dreaming Pastor

How much do I really care?

2008-09-29T08:48:00.002-04:00

Last week on Tuesday night we held a Prayer/Praise service at church. It was a powerful night filled withe presence of the Holy Spirit. We prayed about several things. We lifted up our church, community, nation, and world. However in each case the subject matter was similar. We prayed for God's presence and opportunity in each of those places. What would it look like if we prayed for God's opportunity in our friends, family, and community? ...A prayer that asks God to soften hearts, open souls, and prepare people to be receptive to the love of Christ. I started thinking about that in my own life and evaluating it for our church body. Then Rick Warren in my devotional today hit me between the eyes.

Before we ever have this kind of prayer life we have to ask our selves this. Do I really care? Do I really care about others lives and where they will spend eternity. Or am I mostly consumed with myself, my family, my issues, my work, my struggles. Love is the key that unlocks these kinds of prayers. Do I really love others, does my heart long to see people make decisions for Jesus? Each of us needs to examine our own hearts and seek God's forgiveness bu then very quickly start praying for and loving on others. God will create a "burden" in your heart for others if you let Him. that just means that you begin to care for others and the direction their life is taking. God will use you but you have to decide to love...you have to decide to care...you have to decide to ask God to "Use you".

It all really boils down to love. Do we have love that goes beyond feelings and good intentions for others. Or do we have real authentic love that we are giving people a part of ourselves. Are we interested in pouring our lives out, sacrificing our lives so that others might live? That is after all what Jesus did for us. If we ask God to change people's life and we make ourselves available to be His agents of change than God will move and do a new thing. What does your prayer life look like? Do you really care? If so what are you willing to do about it? These are questions I am wrestling with and I challenge you to do the same. In community with you, Your Dreaming Pastor

Maybe Sister Sledge got it right???

2008-09-25T08:31:00.004-04:00

"We are family...all brothers, sisters, and me!" Family is an amazing thing. There is such an unwavering commitment to those in our families. We would do almost any thing to see our family members succeed in life. Take for example recently my fathers commitment to me. I needed his help with a major decision I was going to make. Only this decision was in Loudonville, OH. It was just under a 2 hour drive for me and a 3 hour drive for my dad. He was not going to benefit one bit from helping me out. He was getting nothing out of this for himself and he even was going to have to pay for his own gas and rearrange his schedule that day. He did all of that. What a commitment on his part. That wasn't the half of it though...

I arrived to the spot in Loudonville well before my dad got there. I assessed the situation and realized that I had made a huge mistake and error in judgement. What I was looking for was not what I saw when I got there. I had to call my dad on the phone and tell him not to bother coming the rest of the way. However he was already in the neighborhood. He had driven three hours for nothing...and now had to drive back home for three hours for nothing. I felt terrible and sick to my stomach that my dad did all this for nothing. However he was very gracious and told me not to worry about it a hundred times. The truth is that he didn't do all that for nothing that day...he did it for his son.

The truth is when you are family no request or need is out of reach. Family always tends to rally around one another in times of need. Sadly though many people did not grow up in this kind of family atmosphere as I have. Some of you have lived through broken models with broken relationships, and ultimately broken hearts. The Goodnews however is that God wants to provide you with a Spiritual family in Christian community. Being in a small group is less about studying good things and getting lots of knowledge then it is about building deep relationships and creating a spiritual family that has one another's back.

We all need a spiritual family...that's what the local church is. A community of believers that want to be our family. However it is not just enough to attend worship on Sunday's. We need to get to know a smaller group of people and learn to love one another. These then are the people that we will grow in family love with and go to bat for each other. These are the people we might drive 6 hours for, wait in a hospital waiting room with, help them clean up in their home after a disaster strikes. They are your family. Do you have a spiritual family? If not, you only have your self to blame. All you have to do is try a small group. It's up to you. Your family awaits...and maybe you too can sing, "We are family...all my brothers, sisters, and me."
In Community with you,
Your Dreaming Pastor

I'm all out of love

2008-09-24T09:15:00.002-04:00

I think that too often Air Supply has gotten it right. Aren't there times where we think we have reached our capacity to love. Maybe someone did something to us or we have tried and tried to show love to another and it just doesn't seem to get the right response. There are times where I feel like I may not be able to love any more than I am loving, or worse I may not want to love anymore. Love is one of those things that doesn't come naturally. It is a decision of the heart that takes a lot of work and focus on a regular basis. In fact God commands us to love and to respond in love in all moments with all people. That in and of it self seems overwhelming.

I was confronted with a truth today that I have thought of before but not necessarily in these terms. Did you know that God will increase our capacity to love just by His presence? All we have to do is ask Him to, and lean into His guidance and instruction. The Bible clearly states this in
2 Peter 1:3
Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God.

In other words when you invite Jesus into your life you have opened your heart to a power source that goes well beyond your own personal capacity. You have been given the love of Christ and therefor will never run out of love for others. In fact a sign that you have given your life over to Christ is that your love for other believers is growing, along with your love for anyone for that matter. For some of us that means we need to ask if we have ever invited Christ into our life and turned the reigns over to Him. For people like me it is a sobering reminder that I have not loved fully in the way that I am capable of loving. Today my prayer is that I would realize the capacity God has given me to love. I am asking God to fully open up the valves of love in me that I have spent most of my life ignoring or closing off. To often I walk past opportunities to love others in the church, at home, out in day to day life. I want to share God's Good news and I can simply do that my loving others more. What would it look like if everyone decided to love out of their capacity in Christ more? It would be radical!
In community with you,
Your Dreaming Pastor

How do you show that you love God?

2008-09-23T12:26:00.005-04:00

I was reminded of something today while in my daily devotional from 40 Days of Community. We show our love for God by loving others. This doesn't mean just having positive feelings for them or how much we do for others but hinges on how much we give of ourselves to others. This really hit me right between the eyes. How much of myself do I really give to others? Everyday I am surrounded by people that God has placed in my path for me to love them...give them some of me and ultimately then, some of God. How often do I take the opportunity to do that? Instead I usually look at people as objects or tools to have my needs met whether it is the postal worker, shop owner, customer service person on the other end of the phone. I want to open my eyes more to the opportunities God sends my way.

You might think well you are a pastor and leading this 40 days thing so you should be feeling that way. That's not the reason. I really, really want to learn how to love people more. Each and everyone of us can do this. Who are the 5-10 people in our life right now that we know who we don't necessarily have a close relationship with but see each other in passing (work, store, school, ECA's). What would it look like if we started to take opportunities to give them part of our lives? We could love them more! What am I waiting for? What are you waiting for?

I think we can easily make the mistake of claiming we know and love God but in our actions we have nothing to prove this. It is not possible to love God and not have a willingness to love his creation. You can't claim to love one and not the other. Look at what the scripture says in Ephesians 5:2
Be full of love for others, following the example of Christ who loved you and gave himself to God as a sacrifice to take away your sins.

I am asking myself and all who read this today...how can we be more of a vehicle of God's love. If we are willing to be stretched, God will use us to change the world and we will do it together. God is doing new things in my heart this 40 Days. I pray he is for you as well!
In Community with you,
Your Dreaming Pastor