Off Day...

Not a day off... but an off day! Don't really know why... but it was!

Even my daughter told me after the first service that I "better plan my sermon better." I made a slight adjustment, but not sure it was significantly better....

It's tough week in and week out to bat 1000....

I want to do better than I did today... and don't want to get into the mindset that there is always next week.

I am confident though, that God can use even my bad efforts for good!

Hard workers...

What an incredible bunch of hard workers we have at Community of Joy! Today we had 11 people working outside and three working inside as well as the praise team practicing!

We accomplished a lot on the outside... the wilderness is almost tamed!!!! By my count we took 9 loads of brush away with 5 of them being both trailer and truck load. It's great to be part of a group of people who aren't afraid to jump in and work hard!

Rhythm

After reading Genesis 1-2:25 last week... I am struck by the rhythm of life that God models there. And how regular the rhythm is... day and night, day and night, day and night. At the end of each day... a look back at the day's work and a proclaimation of it being good! Day and night... no mention of artificial lights or working at night. Day and night... good... day and night... good... for 6 days that was the rhythm and then another important element of a balanced life... REST! Rest is an important part of a balanced life! It is an important part of a great lifesong! But so is work! Rest and Work in balance!

Another important thing about rhythm is a time with God. I've been so glad to get back in the habit of a DAILY time set aside to read the Bible, reflect, journal, and pray! It is an essential element in a balanced life with God!

It was so exciting last night to hear how this element is making a difference in the lives of those in the small group! Looking forward to great things!

Just gotta keep some balance in life and that can happen!

What a good meeting tonight!

Tonight we had a good overview meeting for our time of serving our brothers on the street through our emergency shelter. Great turnout! Great information! Great opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus! Really looking forward to it!

Thanks Walt!

For the help with spelling!

FAR from Tabernacle to Temple and beyond...

In the last 6 months, the church that I serve as Pastor has made a move from years of operating in Tabernacle mode to a new way of operating in Temple mode. Let me explain... as you follow the children of Israel in the Old Testament, you see that while they wandered toward the promised land, they had a mobile structure called the Tabernacle where they worshipped God. For the 8 years that Sharon and I have pastored Community of Joy, we have been in Tabernacle mode... always setting up and tearing down each week and not having a permanent location that was ours. Now on July 22 of this year, we opened the doors of our new ministry center which is the opening of a new mode of operation... the Temple Mode. A permanent place which does not require the constant set up and tear down... it has other requirements...

I am grateful for the Tabernacle years because in those years, we developed some attitudes and practices that have taken us FAR... and will take us FAR in the years to come.

These attitudes and practices are:

F- Flexibility --- we are a very flexible bunch of people... able to punt when needed.

A- Adaptable --- we are a very adaptable bunch of people too! When a challenge arises... we don't quickly throw up our hands in despair or resignation, we seek God's direction and start brainstorming ways to surmount the challenge.

R -- Relational --- we ARE a place where relationships matter! And I pray that we will always be that! One way we will work at this value is through small groups... it is my hope that everyone will be part of a small group... so they can experience the blessing of supportive community!

With these three attitudes, we will go FAR in 2008 and beyond!

What an AWESOME blessing....

Today was a GREAT day at Community of Joy! We had a good amount of energy for our second worship gathering and for our Annual Congregational Forum... our only business meeting for the year. We were just transitioning from the Forum to the meal... when a young man walked in the door and approached Louise Mahan handing her an envelope and asking her to give it to someone in administration. She came to give me the envelope which had nothing written on the front. I opened it and inside was a check written to Community of Joy building fund for $1,200.

What a touching gesture! I quickly announced to the congregation, that you never know what blessings are ahead when you say yes to God... and told them about the gift! Totally Awesome!! At that moment, Joy led us in singing the doxology... "Praise God from whom all blessings flow...!"

Indeed praise God from whom all blessings flow and thank you, to the giver for allowing God to use you to bless others!

It's 3:30 a.m. and the door bell rings...

What do you do when the door bell rings at 3:30 a.m.?

That's what happened to us this morning! I tell you it jolted me out of bed!

AWESOME small group....

We have the makings of an AWESOME small group @ 7 on Thursday nights @ the Ministry Center! Last night we had 11 people who are eager to develope a discipline of daily bible reading and journaling and sharing what they are learning.

I am pumped up about it!

My long term hope is that a few of these people will agree to be leaders of other small groups in the future and that by year end... we will have many people with a discipline of daily bible reading and journaling.

I've been using this process for nearly 8 years and it has transformed my walk with God! It is the process we are using as a small group as we read daily and journal and then each week we will share insights and discuss our learnings as well as pray for one another!

You see, I believe that our relationship with God should permeate our whole life and this process will help us apply our learnings in our life ... it's not just about learning more, but being transformed!

What a week...

Ever had one of THOSE weeks, that you wish would not have been? Well, that's the kind of week, that I've had! It started out great on Monday a.m. as I was helping with the Handicapped Hunt at Assateague Island... but it all went down hill from their.

I can't say more... but it has been a very emotionally draining week and I am exhausted!

I am looking forward to tonight's new small group bible study at the Ministry Center.

What a memorable day!

Yesterday morning, I found myself volunteering on Assateague Island for a managed Sika deer hunt. The hunt was in the campground area and was for handicapped hunters! Most of them in wheel-chairs! There were 18 hunters and most of them had a person who assisted them. It was a gorgeous day and the sika deer were everywhere... I saw more yesterday than I have seen all year.

The rewarding part was being able to help hunters experience the great outdoors in a place and manner that they rarely get to do! These guys and one gal... deserve a lot of credit for all that they did! It's challenging enough to hunt assateague without those extra limitations. One 15 year old girl, Tiffany, has spina bifida and she was able to shoot THREE sika deer with her cross bow! It was so neat to see her having such a blast... I actually got to recover two of her deer. Obviously she couldn't go in the marsh to get it, so I did! I helped another guy drag one of his out and even field dressed it.

I am grateful for programs like the NWTF's Wheeling Sportsman that put on such a hunt so that these guys and gal could have the experience. And I am grateful to have been able to help out!

New Years Resolutions....

Today's paper says that most New Year's Resolutions will be broken by February! Many of us know that this is true! But many of us still make resolutions each year.

I'm not much on resolutions, because I like to follow through on things I commit to and have always found that the resolutions that I made in the past don't stay around long into the new year! Therefore, it has been many years since I have made resolutions.

I know that resolutions are only as good as the plan you put into place to execute them. And I know that they won't produce miracles, but they can work, if a plan is put into place and that plan is worked so that they become an important part of the way we live life. When something is really important to us, we tend to find the resources to do it, have it, see it...!

This Sunday, I will be offering a Simple Resolution that could not only change the course of your life, but could change the world we live in. And it is relatively simple to achieve, in fact I will offer a method for almost guaranteeing that you do!

January 1... A New Day in a New Year after a sleepless night!

After minimal sleep... the kids were sluggish before breakfast... but after donuts, sausage, and fruit, they came alive enough to clean up and ready the ministry center for the next activity.

More New Years Eve...

At New Years, the youth made a pyramid and I snaped a pic... After a movie, many took cat naps... They even caught me in a nap...

Happy 2008!

Last night was a new years eve to remember... Sharon and I spent the night with Belinda Valliere chaperoning the youth lock-in. Not much sleep to be had... a cat nap here and there. Good food, good connections, lots of fun!

Here are some pics.... four square, guitar hero competitions, indo board, movies, games, and thanks to Belinda... LOTS of neat ambiance!