It is the MOST FUN....

Tested out my theory tonight at the Potvin Picnic.... Corn Hole is a BLAST! And it is a MAGNET! It was the RAGE! Looking forward to having two sets to use for our Pork Roast on Sept. 21 and for the youth to use anytime AND to take a few guys and the games to go to a grassy area at SU and just start playing... it will definitely draw some folks in... Can't wait to get the CoJ logo that is on our sign on the boards... after they are painted in CoJ colors!

Kudos to Jim Replogle... who did a GREAT job making the boards.... they are AWESOME... THANKS Jim!

According to the American Corn Hole Association, we were playing somewhat wrong. The only bags that count are the ones that land on the boards WITHOUT hoping off the ground. IF it hops off the ground first and then lays on the board... the bag should be removed from play BEFORE the next bag is thrown. The other thing some of us were doing wrong tonight is that there is a pitchers box on either side of the platform and the pitches MUST be thrown from that area... NOT behind the boards. We'll get it right soon! Don't want to be violating the American Corn Hole Association Rules!

SO EXCITED!!!!

I am getting so EXCITED about our second Pork Fest where we invite our neighbors to join us for a time of FUN, FOOD, and FELLOWSHIP. This year it will be Sept. 21 @ our ministry center.

What has me so excited is the ways we are trying to make this year different from last year... none of this (we've always done it this way, stuff here!!!) This year we are hoping to have a classic car or custom car cruise in (still working out details on this one). AND we WILL be having a Corn Hole game.... our very own! Never heard of Corn Hole... you don't know what you are missing... here is a link to the game... Another link... to explain the game for those of you who are out of the loop!

Can't wait!

Chasing the Wild Goose....

Couldn't resist reading a little of Mark Batterson's not yet out book... Wild Goose Chase. So, I am reading a chapter a day or at least that is the plan as it stands right now...

From chapter one... here is the quote that caught my attention. "You cannot simultaneously live by faith and be bored. Faith and boredom are antithetical."

I have long said that most of what we, in the church do, is stuff that we can do ourselves without the help of God...and that makes us bored! It only gets exciting when we attempt to do something that we can not do, were it not for God's intervention and then the boredom goes away....

That's kinda what happened to us a year ago at Community of Joy, when we bought our ministry center... it was definitely something that we could not do without God's intervention and the journey has been nothing close to boring!

It's Goose Season....

Not yet... but it soon will be!

I was offered the opportunity to receive two free copies of Mark Batterson's new (not yet out, but on Aug. 19) book, Wild Goose Chase and blog a review of the book before August 19. The books just came today... I've been anxiously awaiting them and will move it to the top of my "MUST READ" list... actually I will take one on vacation next week. With today being the 13th and getting ready for vacation and the 19th just 6 days away, I am choosing to post a few helpful "one liners" from the book and will blog more about it at a later date.

Here is a summary and bio on Mark as well....

Most of us have no idea where we’re going most of the time. Perfect. “Celtic Christians had a name for the Holy Spirit–An Geadh-Glas, or ‘the Wild Goose.’ The name hints at mystery. Much like a wild goose, the Spirit of God cannot be tracked or tamed. An element of danger, an air of unpredictability surround Him. And while the name may sound a little sacrilegious, I cannot think of a better description of what it’s like to follow the Spirit through life. I think the Celtic Christians were on to something….Most of us will have no idea where we are going most of the time. And I know that is unsettling. But circumstantial uncertainty also goes by another name: Adventure.” --from the introduction.

Author Bio:
Mark Batterson is the lead pastor of Washington, DC’s National Community Church, widely recognized as one of America’s most innovative churches. NCC meets in movie theaters at metro stops throughout the city, as well as in a church-owned coffee house near Union Station. More than seventy percent of NCC’ers are single twentysomethings who live or work on Capitol Hill. Mark is the author of the best-selling In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day and a widely read blogger (www.markbatterson.com). He lives on Capitol Hill with his wife, Lora, and their three children.

One-liners...

"Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death."

"Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention."

"Stop repeating the past and start creating the future."

"Stop playing not to loose and start playing to win"

" Quit putting eight foot ceilings on what God can do."

I am sure I will blog more later... as Mark is some one that I really appreciate as an author, pastor, and blogger. I read his blog daily, have read his first book twice (In a pit with a lion on a snowy day-- HIGHLY recommend it by the way!), and have attended his church twice at their Coffee Shop location in D.C.!

A Recommendation....

Last night, I tried something that I have been wanting to try for a long while. I have heard nothing but raves for the product and wanted to try them myself. The problem was that every time I went to the one store that locally sells them, I couldn't find them. So, with some help from the producer, who happens to be a guy I graduated from High School with, I picked up three packs yesterday at Save A Lot Food Store on Cypress St... the ONLY place that carries them in Salisbury.

And WOW... they were GREAT! I even enticed Sharon and Caroline to try a bite (their noses were turned up at first!) but not after they ate the bite... both said they were GOOD! So, now I will be taking several packs with us camping in PA in a few weeks when we go. Always like to share something special from the shore with our PA friends... and this year it will be....

Chesapeake Bay Crab Brats.... Totally AWESOME!

Look for them in the frozen section that is open on the top.

Way of Life or Part of life....

Here's something I've been thinking about lately... Is Jesus a way of life or a part of life for you?

For me, I want him to be a way of life... that would make him part of ALL of my life. As a part of life, that would make him just that... a part of life. There would be other parts that didn't include him. And I want him to be part of ALL of my life... so, for me he is my way of life.

What about you?

Surely....

God smiles when his children work together! Not only that, but I was sure smiling last week when we joined Bethany Lutheran Church and Beacon of Light Church to pull off a VBS that none of us could have pulled off alone! And the cool thing is that this will be one of many cooperative ventures. Pastor Sharon, was approached by some leaders of Bethany about what might be our next joint venture. My smile just gets bigger!

Having a great time in Indy....

Just heard from Frank... he called to tell me that they arrived. I told him he was 2 days late in that news... I had already heard. Of course he knew that I had heard. He was calling to say that they are having a good time! Sounds like they are pulling weeds and preparing an urban garden for residents near the church... sounds like a great thing! Tonight they will hear about our church's work in Sudan from two folks who have spent years of their lives there working and are now the pastors at the church in Indy. Anxious to hear more!

What a great opportunity....

Sharon told me that she was talking to some folks at Bethany Lutheran last night and for the last two years they didn't have much of a VBS and last year it was cancelled due to lack of help and participation. NOT so this year! What a blessing it has been to have three churches working together to plant seeds in nearly 70 kids lives. There is lots of energy and excitement! What a great change from last year. This way of working together has allowed us to be part of something a whole lot bigger than it would have been if we tried to pull a VBS of by ourselves.

And what a great job the folks from CoJ are doing with our piece. Thanks to each of you! Special thanks to Tracey Townsend for guiding this effort!

Surely God smiles when churches work together! We are NOT competition!

And they are there!

Got a call from Emma around 10:30, as I was heading out to the Walker Funeral.... they arrived safely in Indianapolis!

Now, I hope they have a GREAT week there! These workcamps can be so transformative! May it be so for each of the participants!

And they are off....

Woke Emma up today at 3:15 a.m. to meet the rest of the jr. highers that are going to Indy at the ministry center at 4:15. After loading their things in the Green Hill CoB van, we had a prayer and they hit the road. They wanted to leave by 4:30... my cell phone said it was 4:28! That's spectacular considering there were 6 youth who have rarely seen that time of the day before!

They will go to Indianapolis for a work camp there... the leader is the same one that led our very first jr. high work camp when Caroline and that group went... and the assistant leader in this one was a youth leader at the first one we went too also. That was Chicago, then and Indy now!

Energy @ VBS....

Lots of energy at our VBS! Three churches are working together in making this year's VBS a HUGE success! 67 children were in attendance last night. Here are some pics....

This says it all....AWESOME!!!!!!

Passages was Great!

Last night was the first Passages: Conversations with God event... it was very meaningful. We will be doing it each Wednesday night @ 7:15... but NOT this coming Wednesday due to Vacation Bible School.

We met in the sanctuary in a circle with low lighting and a worship center in the middle of the circle. We began with introductions and then moved to a musical meditation and praying the "Jesus Prayer"... Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner." Then we read/listened 3 times a passage of Scripture from Luke 10. And we asked 5 questions of that experience. That was followed by a lenghthy conversation about the scripture and the work of God. Then we shared prayer needs and prayed together. It was really neat!

My hopes for this gathering are to provide a place where we can slow down and get away from the hectic pace of life for a period of time inorder to connect with God in a deeper way. I also hope to expose us to a variety of spiritual disciplines and practices. Further, I wanted to test out a possible idea for "the sermon time" in a new worship gathering that I would like to launch this fall.... My intent was to use this time to engage the scriputres in a way that they truely become the Living Word of God in our lives not an object to analyze and study, but a way to hear from God. Time will tell, but if last night was any indication, this will prove to be a meanigful way to connect with God!

She didn't, but it would be like her....

My mother in law, Anna Cobb, died tonight about 8:30 p.m. after a life well lived and in a very peaceful way with her three daughters and many of the grandchildren close by.

My daughter Emma is at Camp Mardela's outdoor adventure camp until friday night, and was to leave town for a work camp on Wednesday. Caroline has band camp all next week. Micah and Janna, and Whit, two other grandchildren and a grandchild-in-law had a church league softball tournament on Sat... Micah is the team manager. I know that Mom didn't plan it so as not to interrupt the activities of her grandchildren but if she could have, she would have... that's just the kind of awesome grandmother she was... ALWAYS wanting her children and grandchildren to experience it all and never wanting to hold them back!

I thank God for the priviledge of being part of the family for 20 of her 92 years! She was a wonderful mother, grandmother, great grandmother and mother-in-law!