Pens Hockey

So...the Pens play in about 10 minutes...they are down 2-0 in the series and need to win tonight...come on guys let's go...

New Life

Something pretty cool happened this afternoon around 2:00. A baby whitetail was born in our backyard and the mother left the baby to rest under our playset. It was a cute little fawn. The boys loved watching the baby roam around the backyard calling for it's mother. Two hours later mom came back and mom and baby headed off for home...wherever that may be. Not something that happens everyday in Bethel Park. I guess that's part of the reason we love living where we do...you're close enough to everything yet things like this happen in your backyard. We've seen deer, turkeys, rabbits, hawks, groundhogs and other wildlife on a regular basis. We are blessed and this was just another reminder of the beauty and miracle of God's creation.

Quick - Slow - Slow

We read in the book of James: "My dear brothers, take note of this: "Everyone should be slow to listen, quick to speak and quick to become angry." Well not really...what we really read is:

James 1:19- "My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry." Quick - Slow - Slow

This is a passage of scripture that I taught about in worship a few weeks back. Since that time it has been following me around and appearing frequently in just about everything I do. Why is it when I preach on something I have to practice what I preach? Because God is all about developing character and fruit in our lives. He will never let us stay the way we are but continue to develop us as we move through life. I have been working hard as of late to work on my listening skills. It's amazing what you learn from others when you actually be quiet long enough to listen to them. I've learned that you can actually help others better when you listen more and talk less.

God is teaching me patience with the third part of the verse that talks about being slow to get angry. Take time to think through things before you react...that is the lesson that I'm learning this week. How bout you....??? How is God working in your life? Leave a comment

Building A Future

Recently we brought back our Teen Leadership team after a hiatus. This time we decided to do things a little differently. I decided to look for those students that not only had leadership potential but had a real heart for others. Lots of times we build our Leadership teams based on popularity and not necessarily what God looks for in a leader. Often times in scripture we see God choosing people that we would never think of. I believe I've found a team of students who are not only special but who are capable of leading this ministry to the next level. They have a real heart for God and real heart for others. I am excited to see what God is going to do as we move forward this year. They have certainly made ministry fun and brought a whole new excitement to things. It is my honor and pleasure to serve alongside Doug, Alex, Matt, Sean, Megan, Alex, Sarah and Brea. I also have a great core of adult leaders who make my job so easy and are a blast to work with. Jim, Sandi, Jay, Mike, Eliot, Gina, Bob, Jerri, Bev, Chris and Randy. Together with these brothers and sisters we are Building A Future a future that will hopefully make an impact on this community for Christ. It is my prayer that we can continue to grow together and reach the lost for Jesus Christ. Thank you my friends....

New Movie

Went this afternoon and saw the new Narnia movie "Prince Caspian" with the Children's Ministry. Good movie...go and check it out. Thanks to the teens for helping out...(Matt, Alex, Doug, Megan, Sarah, Paige and Lizzie)

Something New

So...our church is moving forward with launching a Saturday night service for the Fall of 2008. We're not trying to jump on board with churches that have been doing this for years but provide another venue from which we can share the good news of Jesus Christ with those in our community. The struggle can be trying to put to much time and effort in the design and look of the service and not enough into the actual plan for reaching and building up those who attend. There are so many different models and ways to structure a service that you can get caught up in the rat race of trying to be like everyone else. My goal is that we would find what is unique to our church and community and use that as a basis for moving forward. With relevant and biblical preaching as well as music that draws us closer to God I believe we will have a positive impact on our community and bring new life to our church. This is and has always been a passion of mine. It's exciting to see our Leadership Team embrace the service and put the heart and soul into making it a reality. Please pray for us as we continue to seek God's guidance as we move forward. We don't want this to be just another program but an opportunity to draw people into the presence of God. What are your thoughts on the whole Saturday night concept? Do you have any suggestions for messages or things that would help you with your walk with Christ? Go ahead and leave a comment.

Beautiful Day

So today I met up with two of my brother in laws for a round of golf at Lindenwood. It was an absolutely beautiful day. The sun was shining and we had a good time laughing at each other and enjoying the great game of golf. We stopped at Max and Erma's for lunch afterward and talked about life and ministry. Jake and Joe are way beyond their years when it comes to their faith and ministry insights. I learned some valuable life lessons as I sat and listened to their perspective on things. It was nice to slow the pace of life down today and spend time hanging with some pretty awesome brothers in Christ. I need to set aside time for more of these relationship building opportunities. How bout you? When was the last time you stepped out of your daily routine to enjoy the company of others? I think we all need these times....what a Beautiful Day. Praise God for His goodness and grace!!

Thanks Jake and Joe...we'll see you up on your turf real soon.

Transitions

Have you ever noticed that our lives are in constant transition? Well at least mine is. Seems like every time you turn around it's time to head in a new direction. We are currently seeking a new music pastor for our church....the search has been hard and still continues. I find myself juggling 50 different things each day that are totally unrelated. I guess that's just part of the uniqueness of my job.

Take today for instance...it's only been 3 hours at work but I've already sent correspondence to folks about the music search, Saturday night service launch for the fall, had staff meeting, chased a squirrel around the church sanctuary, checked up on the guys installing new windows in the church, filled out a marriage licence, worked on our upcoming road trip for the youth, spent some time on Facebook catching up with the teens and college kids, scheduled a round of golf tomorrow with said college kids...and the day is not even half over. For me each day is made up of Life Lessons and Transitions. Constantly learning and moving from one thing to the next. I love what I do because I'm always doing something new. Sometimes I wish things would just fall into place but I know that's not how God works...he has a plan and we need to get in step with it.

Let's see how the rest of the day shakes out...

The Beginning of a New Era

I actually decided to step out and begin my first blog. Be sure to check out what's going on as I attempt to write each day about the things going on in my life. You'll probably find yourself mentioned a time or two as we travel together through this thing called life.