Thanks to Jim Replogle for the design and hard work on laying out the shed as well as building the trusses! And then thanks to Frank Potvin, Aaron Johnston, Robert Smith, and Dick Todd for the hard work today to get the shed under roof! Also thanks for Ronnie Foreman for allowing me to use his truck and trailer so that we could get the materials yesterday and transport them to the site today. (We didn't want to chance leaving the lumber on site over night!)

With the addition of doors and a lock, the shed will be able to begin housing things like the lawn mower and snow blower! YEAH!

An interesting question to ponder...

Just started reading a book that I am not sure about... but eager to read to see what it is really about. The title caught my eye and I bought it. Reading the prologue, I had to work hard not to judge the author as a flaming liberal with an agenda going in a different direction than I want to go... but I continued reading because it is sometimes good to read books that go against the grain. They either stretch you or they cause you to be more settled on your perspectives. I assume some of both will happen.

In the book, the author asks a question that I think is worth considering.... "What kind of God did Jesus reveal?"

Part of why I think that is a good question, is that it forces us to look at Jesus' teachings, life, and ministry for HIS understanding of God. Too often, we are guided by OUR understanding of who God is, which sometimes is not the God that Jesus reveals!

103 Years Young....

What a surprise it was today to have 103 year old Aunt Mattie join us in worship at 9 a.m. I told her that I would love nothing more than to run out to buy her a birthday cake to celebrate her 103 birthday, if she felt up to coming to worship.... and lo and behold, she came!

It was fun to celebrate someone her age and still so full of life!

Happy 103rd Birthday, Aunt Mattie! And many more!

Two Highlights of the day...

Two highlights of my day, as I work from Virginia... 1. talking to 103 year old Aunt Mattie... who was enjoying her birthday celebrations today!

And my pastoral visit with our BVSer (Brethren Volunteer Service worker), Janice Miller who is serving an 8 month assignment at the Valley Brethren and Mennonite Crossroads facility. Janice almost surprised me and was nearly gone when I arrived. I wanted to surprise her and drop in totally unexpected... but when I arrived, I was told she had just left. Lucky for me, she had driven to the hill top to lock one of the buildings before leaving, so I was able to walk over to the lane she was driving down and pretend to be a hitch hiker. It was fun to briefly catch up and hear how her summer is going. She sends her greetings to all!

The pictured buildings are all part of the facility that is gathering up and relocating historic Church of the Brethren and Mennonite buildings in the area to create a neat historic destination!

An interesting sign...

A friend just sent me an email telling me the wording she saw on a sign in West Virginia...

Godisnowhere

Now read it again!

What does it say?

God is no where or God is now here?

Actually it says both, but what did you see?

Lots of times in life, this is the delimema we face.... and it is a matter of where we look and how we look at the situation... whether we see God in a situation or not. He is there ALWAYS... just a matter of how we view the situation as to whether we see him or not!

God is now HERE!

The way it should be and it warms my heart!

Seeing some neat things this week! And they just warm my heart! Too cool!

Had two conversations this week that make me smile and smile and smile! One came the other night about 8 p.m. from a friend who has begun developing a deep love for reading the Bible. He was trying to understand something and just couldn't get it, but was really wanting to get it... so, he called me to ask some questions. We talked a while and he saw the passage in a whole new light. It was so neat to hear his exclamations of joy!

The other happened at the coffee shop, learned that another friend recently purchase a bible and he and his wife have embarked on a journey of reading it together....so cool! He was excited to tell me! I was really excited to hear it!

Nothing has deepened my relationship with Jesus more than developing a discipline of regular reading the Bible. I call it DBR... Daily Bible Reading! It's like sitting next to Jesus!

I love to see others catch that excitement in their lives as well! YEAH!

What's the purpose?

Some folks have asked me what's the purpose of the Saturday 5:35 p.m. worship gathering that will be launching this fall.

Well, here it is...

1. to allow us to reach out to more people so that we can share Jesus' love with them and equip them to share his love with others. Reaching out to more people happens simply by adding another time slot and a different day (now if you have to work on Sunday, you have a place you can worship on Saturday!); and it happens by making space especially in our Sunday 10:30 gathering (it is getting to the proverbial 80% capacity and then it looks full).

We don't really have much choice right now, if we want to keep growing, but to add another time slot. I am committed to not building onto our facility until we have it paid for and when your worship space gets near 80% capacity being full, then it starts to not be appealing to people. So, adding another gathering is the way to go! Since I can't see adding one later in the day on Sunday and I really don't want to monkey with the starting times of the two we have. Saturday early evening is the best option.

I am excited about this option and am praying that God will make it successful as we reach out to our community with Jesus' love, peace, and grace!

Progress....

Today, Aaron, Frank and Jim began work on the deck of a new storage shed at the Ministry Center! It is much needed! We have so little storage, it will be good to have a place to put things. It will also be good to have our lawn mower on site, so that it doesn't have to be transported each week when the lovely grass needs to be mowed. Thanks Jim, Frank, and Aaron for your work today!

It is so neat to see all the progress we have made since a little over 2 years ago, when we didn't even own a building... and now we are about to own two! Thanks be to God!

5:35

Lots of people are asking the significance of the 5:35 starting time of our coming this fall... Saturday night Worship Gathering at Community of Joy!

And the truth is .... it doesn't have any biblical significance that I am aware of! At least that is not why I chose 5:35.

There are reasons why I chose it, though....

1. it communicates "edgy", outside the box, unique, different, not the standard! And I think that is one of the things I want to communicate with this worship gathering. It is a place for those who aren't in church already to come and connect with God.

2. It is kinda like the 4.99 or 9.99 price deals... not quite 5 or 10. 5:35 feels later than 5:30 and for Saturday night, I want people to be able to enjoy most of the day, yet have time to come to worship. I also want to be sure to be done by 7 p.m. This will allow people to still have things they can do on Sat. nights and it will allow space for CoJ fellowship events at 7:30.

3. I think 5:35 is easier to remember than 5 or 5:30! Mainly because it is not a normal starting time. Most things start on the half hour or quarter hour... not at times like 5:35. Auctioneer Doug Marshall has been starting his acutions for some years now at odd times like 1:17 or 5:17 .... and I've noticed that this is easier to remember; so we will see. Besides, I heard yesterday that there was some study out that says this is a proven fact that odd times are easier to remember. Hope it works!

I am getting excited about our new worship gathering... lots of work to yet do! Like establish the first day.

I am also a bit apprehensive about the sacrifices it will take. Already as a pastor, my family and I sacrifice lots of out of town family events on the weekends and hardly get the opportunity that most get to just take off and go for a weekend. This will be more restricting yet! But I am willing to make that sacrifice for the kingdom! I am willing (don't really struggle with it) to miss the evening hunt on the first day, and each Saturday of the gun deer season. I have talked with Leadership Team about this and we have an understanding regarding flexibility with the Saturday worship gathering.

So, this fall, we will step out and see what God does in and through us! It will be an awesome journey!

Father's Day....

It was a great Father's Day Weekend... started last night with my girls taking me to one of the best eateries in town... Cactus Taverna! Then to the City Park to take pictures. Had fun finding different places to snap a shot.

Today, worship was awesome... two great gatherings! Nice to have the band The Dry Leaf Project at the second gathering!

Then we had lunch at our place with Dad and Mom... all 6 of us enjoyed a nice meal and a rare reality... both girls home at the same time... AWESOME!

An interesting find...

I've lived on the Eastern Shore most of my life and I know that there are lots of wonderful things that I have never experienced. But not for long.... in the next two months, I will experience many of them and so can you!

A friend of mine works with a group that got a neat idea from Australia and they modified it for here on DelMarVa! They call it Host Our Coast. They created a contest to employ someone to spend the summer traveling around delmarva and blog, snap photos, and produce a youtube video a day about the experience. The winner got $10,000 and the summer's free lodging in a brand new furnished condo on the bay in OC! (If I didn't have a job or family and was younger, I might have tried out!)

Anyways, you can follow along @ www.hostourcoast.com.

The Dry Leaf Project... this Sunday

Thanks to Amanda Yu, we will get to hear/ see The Dry Leaf Project @ Community of Joy on Sunday for our 10:30 worship gathering. They will lead us in worship singing. Currenlty they are on tour and coming our way. Don't miss it!

IF... WHY... AS IF?

Was struck by Paul's response to a question he asks in Colossians 2. (Colossians 2 was part of yesterday's DBR and 3 is today's) The question comes in 2 and the response in 3.

The question is powerful on it's own... "IF with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the universe, WHY do you live AS IF you still belonged to the world?" 2:20

The response... "As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." 3:12-17.

So, IF you have given your life to following Jesus, then WHY do you still live AS IF you belonged to the world? A challenge for each of us! The challenge is to live AS IF you belong to Jesus!

A thought on blessing....

When God blessed Abraham, he said that he was blessing Abraham to be a blessing to the world. We too, are blessed by God to be a blessing to the world! That is why we are doing our Blessing Our Community Teams at Community of Joy!

Today, I read a thought on blessing... "Blessing means 'the tangible touch of God'. To share a program or a book or a principle doesn't require you to know God. But to give the blessing of God to people you must be immersed in him. Jesus said it this way: 'Apart from me you can do nothing.'" (The Tangible Kingdom Primer by Hugh Halter and Matt Smay) I love the idea of being the tangible touch of God.... I say all the time that we are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus!

Besides the many blessing teams that are working at blessing our community, we are forming an exploration team that will seek ways to bless Pinehurst Elementary School (our neighborhood school). And we are always eager to hear of new ideas of ways we can be a blessing.

Our blessing our community teams are the tangible touch of God! AWESOME!

A Change in My Prayer....

I have been praying that God would allow us to see a certain number of people in average worship attendance this year. But one of my friends says she will not pray that way. So, today, she told me what she is praying and I think I will change my prayers to what she is praying... I like it better than a specific number... because the number I chose is too small for God! And we don't want God to stop at that number anyways!

Here's the new prayer... God, we are trusting you to fill our ministry center with people who are eager to know you, love you and serve you by being the hands and feet of Jesus in our community and world.

I like that better!

Three More Members....

A month ago, we baptized 3 persons and took in 8 by re-affirmation of faith. Today we took in 3 more by re-affirmation! So awesome...

Walt came to CoJ as a result of his grandson Whit's persistent invitations and hasn't skipped a beat since. Karen told Walt long ago that if he ever found a church he was comfortable in.. she would come with him. And Patrick was attracted to us when we did our homeless outreach.

Welcome aboard, Walt, Karen, and Patrick!

More beauty....

A Great Day Showcasing God's World...

Today was a great day at the Hazel Outdoor Discovery Center in Eden, MD for our National Get Outdoors Day celebration and the unveiling of the new Hazel Outdoor Discovery Center. Lots of children got to experience God's world and it's beauty... It is such an honor to be on the Board of Directors of the Hazel Foundation that is helping give form to the vision and legacy of Mr. Richard Hazel.

Listening to/ for God....

That will be our topic this weekend at Community of Joy... It is sometimes hard to hear God's still small voice because we don't want to hear it.

In today's DBR (Daily Bible Reading) from Philippians 2, Paul writes , "I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I may be cheered by news of you. I have no one like him who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. All of them are seeking their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ."

I find that it is so easy for me/ us to seek our own interest. To be about the things that matter to me/us. And when we do that, it is easy to let the interests of Jesus take a back seat or even fall off the radar completely. And when that happens... it seems that we can't hear God or feel God's presence. But I also find that when I/we put the interests of Jesus at the center of our lives, we begin to be aware of God's guiding presence and blessing in our lives and we can even hear God's still small voice whispering to us!

The challenge for me and us is to allow the interests of Jesus to be our interests and when they are, we will experience a closeness to God that is amazing!

Grace and Peace,

The Apostle Paul begins his letters with a greeting of Grace and Peace AND he ends most of them with the same greeting!

Grace and Peace... two realities that we and our world needs.

All of us are constantly in need of God's grace in our lives. Unmerited love - grace! No matter what we have done or where we have been... loved, accepted, valued by God - grace! No matter what our thoughts or actions... grace! God's grace is a gift to each of us and it is good to be reminded of that gift in our lives!

Our World is in need of God's peace... and as we experience God's grace in our lives, the potential for God's peace becomes a deeper reality! The two go hand in hand.... Grace and Peace! As recipients of God's grace, we can be agents of God's peace. Valuing others regardless of their perspective or actions.... peace! Seeking the well being of others - even those who desire to harm us or dislike us.... peace! God's peace is a gift to each of us and our world... and it is good to be reminded of that gift in our lives too!

Grace and Peace! Grace and Peace to you! Grace and Peace to our world!

O Give Thanks to the Lord....

Psalm 136 begins... "O Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, his steadfast love endures forever. O give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever. O give thanks to the Lord of lords for his steadfast love endures forever: who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures forever....

And then it goes on to recount the creation of the world and the many mighty acts of God throughout history. After each recounting, the psalmist usese the phrase... "for his steadfast love endures forever."

This psalm says well what I am feeling these days in relation to what God is doing at Community of Joy! It has been a long journey of ups and downs for us. Sharon and I came here in October of 1999 to a much smaller congregation with very little money, but a huge faith in God's call and a desire to join God in building a congregation that would impact our community with Christ's love. In May of 2007, God opened at door that has transformed who we are as a congregation and has made a huge impact on my life and the life of Community of Joy! In May of 2007, at a low point in our life, God provided a ministry center.... and the rest is history! "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, his steadfast love endures forever!"

Just the other day, I was thinking, that if God had not done what he did 2 years ago, there probably would not still be a Community of Joy Church and I doubt that I would still be pastoring!

It is truly amazing to look back at who we were just 2 years ago and where we were headed and compare that to who we are now and where we are now headed! "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, his steadfast love endures forever!"

It is good to look back at the places where we have been and especially to remember the places we encountered God so profoundly and to give thanks! It reminds us that God journey's with us and that God is faithful!

It is also good to remind ourselves that when God leads us to take a BIG step of faith, incredible things happen when we take that step. I don't know what the future holds, but I am sure that God will ask us to take many more BIG steps of faith and that when we do... amazing things will happen.

On Sunday morning in the 10:30 worship gathering, I was overwhelmed with gratitude for the gifts of God and the place he has taken us. I can't imagine being any other place! Sharon and I remain commited to giving our lives away in ministry here in this place! In fact, I said to someone recently that we want to be here when we are turned out to pasture... and they joked about that being the reason, I have worked so hard to get a good stand of grass established in what was once brambles and briars! Not really, but you must admit that the new lawn of the ministry center is sure a living methaphor of what God is doing in our midst. O Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, his steadfast love endures forever!

The pictures tell the story of the porgression of the lot!

If you want a good read of all that God has done in the past two years... go back in my blog to May 2007 and see!

God's Beautiful and Intricate Creation....

Yesterday, as I was putting my lunch dishes in the sink... I noticed some motion out on the neighbor's hedge. Upon further investigation, the hedge was blooming and the butterflies were loving it. I grabbed my camera and headed out to snap some pictures.

Isn't it amazing how beautiful and uniquely different God made things?! Look at the patterns and the designs... WOW!

Relationships matter....

Yesterday was a great day for a picnic on our new lawn... and did we ever enjoy it... The weather was awesome, the food was delicious and the relationship building was helpful! We really do want Community of Joy to be a place where relationships matter!