Thanksgiving recap

Here is my recap of Thanksgiving (my favorite holiday). To start off my parents came in town to celebrate the holiday with us. It was a great blessing having them here. We enjoyed every minute we got to spend together. Gretchen cooked like crazy and the food was awesome. I got to deep fry another turkey. I would like to say that this one was the best so far. We watched some football. Jeff, Jody and the kids came over (the stuffing was probably the best I have ever had). Rob Signs brought his Texas Fire Crackers and some desserts that were just incredible. One day someone will be able to get the secret recipes out of him. The day after thanksgiving Gretchen and Jody loaded up to go shopping at 4am. I slept. I had to take dad and mom to the airport. We did some things around the house then we went to the REV/Norco game. Saturday was putting up the Christmas lights outside (I have to quit adding things) and doing some chores. In the midst of that I took a break to take the girls (each with a friend) to see a movie of their choice. Me, Malory and her friend went to see Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. It was absolutely an awesome movie. I would highly recommend it. All of this put together made this Thanksgiving a GREAT one!!

I'm Baaaaaaack

Okay, now everyone can leave me alone about not putting up a post in over two months. It was not intentional, I just had a lot on my plate. Since I last wrote the following things have happened.

• We finished Walk Thru the Bible
• Completed another 24/7 prayer week
• Gretchen and I celebrated our 20th anniversary in Las Vegas (had an absolute awesome time)
• Led a SS conference in San Diego
• Traveled to Texas to preach the ordination service for my great friend Jeff Ritter
• Led another SS conference in Eugene Oregon
• Hosted Team Impact
• Took a little breather
• Harvest Festival (although Rhonda did the work)
• Started 3 new Bible Fellowship Classes
• Spent some time sighting in my rifle for my hunting trip which starts tomorrow

As you can see it was a crazy two and half months. Of course the highlight of all this was Gretchen and I celebrating 20 years of marriage. God truly blessed me by giving Gretchen to me! Here is to as many years as God allows (hopefully many, many, many more)!!!

As I write this, I am less than 12 hours away from leaving for Montana. For me an Elk and Mule Deer hunt in Montana is a chance of a lifetime. I am sure you will hear more about this in the days to come.

Next Friday is Malory's 11 birthday. I am going to have to celebrate a day late because I do not return until Saturday. I am glad that I have a daughter who understands (don't you Mal Mal)!

Okay, so I am back. If I write this and no one responds, I am going to be disappointed.

Two teenagers - how did that happen?

MARISSA IS 13!!!!!!!!!!! I am not quite when or how this has happened. I remember all to well the day she was born. Now she is a teenager and a very beautiful, smart, talented, caring, giving (I could go on) one at that.. I looked in the mirror this morning and there were more gray hairs than yesterday. I swear this is true. I just did not see this coming. Next thing I know...never mind, I would rather dig a hole in the sand and not watch what happens next. Of course I can't do that. I enjoy watching my kids grow up. As they grow up our relationship matures. I am anxious for each new day with all three of my girls and the challenges and rewards that they present. Of course if my girls read this, you can stop getting older any time.

Walk Thru the Bible

You do not want to miss this

Walk Thru the Bible is coming this Sunday. I know that many have never attended a Walk Thru the Bible Seminar. I can promise you, if you attend it will be one of the best things you will ever do. I am posting a video that will give a better definition of what will happen at the seminar. Our seminar leader (who is not the leader on the video) will be speaking in both services this Sunday and will give us great taste of what will happen if you choose to stay for the rest. If you have children in the 1st - 6th grade you will want them to be a part of this great event. SEE YOU SUNDAY!!!!

It's the most wonderful time of the year

The official start of College football 2007 started yesterday. I love college football. It is by far my favorite sport. I enjoy watching any game at any time. Of course my favorite team is the Colorado Buffaloes. I grew up in Boulder watching the games. We had season tickets and every home game during the fall I got to go to several games each season. I remember one game in particular when after the game I was able to go into the locker room and meet the players. I was all of about 10 years old. I will never forget that - it made me a lifetime (not a fairweather) fan. I cheer for them when they are good and when they are bad. Last year they did not give me too much to cheer about. I hope this season is different. Regardless of the outcome I will pull for them all season long. I am anxious to see what this season has in store. MY SATURDAY'S ARE FULL UNTILL JANUARY!!!!

A new series in Bible Fellowship starts Sunday

This Sunday in our married adult ministry our classes will begin a new quarter of curriculum. To some this may not be a big deal, but to me I am anxious for it to get here. Let me explain why.

I have always enjoyed new things (buildings, clothes, sporting equiment, books, etc). It is not that I do not like old things, it is just exciting when something new comes along. Don't get me wrong, I take care of old things and have a difficult time letting things go that sometimes should just be thrown away. Case in point, the black shoes that I am wearing today are 6 years old. I love these shoes. I like the way they fit and how comfortable they are. When I wear them my feet do not hurt at the end of the day. I have a new pair of black shoes that are not as comfortable and do not feel as good as my old ones. With that being said, the shoes that I am wearing today are getting so worn out that when I wear them, my back hurts (the heal is almost worn off on one side). So I know that I just need to throw them out and get some inserts for my new shoes and make the switch.


I have enjoyed the last 13 weeks in Bible Fellowship as my class has been going through a study in the minor prophets but I am thoroughly looking at the study in Matthew that begins this Sunday. It will bring a new set of challenges weekly from the riches of God's all sufficient and all relevant Word. How good can it get.

Going to lunch with the girls

One of the things I really enjoy is going to school to eat lunch with the girls at school. I began doing this when Meagan started school and it is something that I continue to try and do. Sometimes I am better at doing this than other times, but I really do try to make this a regular thing with the girls. School started a couple weeks back and I had not yet had lunch with any of them. That changed today when I took Malory lunch. It is great watching them get excited to see me at lunch. To my knowledge they have never gotten embarrassed by having me there (I hope that never changes). If you are reading this I would like to encourage you to take a few minutes and go eat lunch with your kids while they are at school. It is a great bonding time that is valuable beyond compare.

Early morning appointment with the green family

I am up early this morning because of an appointment with the Green Family. The appointment is at 6:52 in Yucaipa and I am going with my great friend David. The appointment hopefully will take no more than 4 hours. At the end of the appointment we will either be happy or very sad. I have been on several of these appointments with David and he usually comes away feeling very good. I, on the other hand, come back feeling not quite as good. The factors that determine how good we will feel are too many to mention. I am hoping that it is not too rough for me today. Either way I have never wanted to stop my appointments with the Green Family. They always leave me with the feeling that I want to go back for more.

The numbers are in

The numbers are in from last week. We had 1760 in attendance. I am thrilled with what God did through our efforts. This is the second highest total for attendance on any Sunday during the summer months in THREE YEARS. Yes you read that right. Only two other times did we go past that number in the three years. I really believe that sets the stage up for a great fall. If you read this blog it would be great to hear some of your experiences (good and bad) from this past week. Post some comments that will help encourage others for now and the future!!!!

Thoughts from Sunday

Yesterday was our In-N-Out day. I do not know yet exactly what our numbers were, but from observations, we were up. To me the most exciting thing was seeing quite a few people who visited classes for the first time. I talked to one person who asked me how people were getting tickets to get the free In-N-Out. I told her that she needed to attend a Bible Fellowship Class. I went later on to distribute tickets and found her and her husband in a class. This was her first time in one of our Bible Fellowship Classes. To me that made the day well worth the effort. I am personally considering the day a great success!!! I am just praying that it helps us build some great momentum going into this fall. God is doing some great things right here among us. I have prayed for a movement of God among us! I pray this is it!!!

IMMANUEL IS THE PLACE TO BE ON SUNDAY'S!!!

Let's get the word out fast!!!!

Big Bear Lake in the dark

Last night I went fly fishing with my good friend Aaron at Big Bear Lake. We did not get to the lake until 6:30pm and fished until just after dark in our float tubes. It was very interesting fishing in the dark out on the water in my float tube. I have fished in the dark before but from the shore. When he first told me what he wanted to do, I was a little anxious, but when it began to get darker it did not bother me. Thanks to modern technology, I was able to call Gretchen from the middle of the lake (okay so it was really only 100 yards away from shore). It was just a great experience that I will definitely do again. Hopefully next time the results will be better.

Be a part of what God is doing at Immanuel

This Sunday is our In-N-Out 2007 Sunday. Everyone who attends a Bible Fellowship class will receive a free In-N-Out burger. To me this Sunday is all about getting excited with what is happening at Immanuel. It really is not about coming to church to get a cheeseburger. During the summer I have seen some initial signs of revival among us. I hear about people who are inviting their friends to church. Last week we had two classes that had a total of 14 visitors attending (we had a total of 97 visitors registered in Bible Fellowship). Our preschool ministry has grown 10% over the same time last year. Our Married Adult Ministry is averaging close to 10% above where we were last summer. I truly believe that our Bible Fellowship Ministry is right on the verge of some great things. The question I am asking is - WHO WOULD NOT WANT TO BE A PART OF WHAT GOD IS DOING RIGHT HERE AT IMMANUEL!!!!!

SO GO INVITE SOME FRIENDS AND HAVE A GREAT BURGER ON US!!!!!!

She's a senior in high school

Today I dropped Meagan off at school for the first day of her senior year. I cannot express how very proud I am of what she has accomplished. It is the beginning of the end to this stage of her life.

If someone would have told me that this day would arrive right after she was born and was struggling for life itself, I am not sure I would have believed them. Last night as I was putting her to bed and praying for her, I told her how I was so very proud of her.

I am just praying that this year goes by slow (sorry Meg's). I will try my best to help her make it the best senior year ever!!!!

I LOVE YOU MEAGAN ASHLEY

DAD

Coming your way this fall

I just got done writing my article for the Good News Newsletter that will be coming out in the next few weeks. It highlights some things coming to our church this fall. I will say that this has been an incredible summer and it is not over yet. I really believe that it has set the stage for what could be one of our best fall seasons ever. I am going to put the letter in this post - because I am not sure who reads or receives the newsletter.

We have a very exciting fall coming our way! There are several events that you will not want to miss but I want to take this time to highlight three of them.

The first event coming our way is our In-N-Out 2007 attendance promotion on August 19. Everyone attending a Bible Fellowship Class on that day will receive a free In-N-Out burger with chips and a drink. Our goal on that day is to have 2,007 people in attendance in our Bible Fellowship Ministry. With some work, this goal is very possible.

I am praying that you will get into the spirit of this event by getting your class to invite people to attend. I just believe that if we put our best effort forward God will reward our work!

The second event is our Walk Thru the Bible Seminar, Sunday, September 9. This conference will change your life and the lives you touch forever. Using hand motions, catch phrases, and group review, you’ll understand the Old Testament like never before. It will rekindle your desire to read the Bible and pray daily. You will be amazed at what you will accomplish:

1. Grasp the special messages and meanings of Old Testament characters, themes, places, and events.
2. Integrate your knowledge of all 39 books, 929 chapters, and 23,214 verses.
   Meet key Bible characters up close and personal.
3. Trace major geographical movements on a giant map made up of the people attending the seminar.

This seminar is designed for you and everyone in your department/class!

• Adults, teenagers, and children
• Mature believers who want to keep learning and growing in their faith
• New believers who want a foundation on which to build a lifetime of Bible learning
• Those searching to discover the depth of God’s love for them
  

You can begin registering for this event which will take place Sunday, September 9 by calling the church office or in the pavilion beginning Sunday, August 5 or online at www.ibchighland.org. Cost for the event is $15 for each person with a $50 family maximum. Everyone who attends the AM services on September 9 will get a free preview. The seminar will start at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 9. Please call the church office or come by the pavilion for more information.


The third event is 24/7 Prayer Week and takes place September 16-23. This is a time when we come together as a church family and pray in an uninterrupted chain for one whole week. I believe that through this ministry change has begun to happen in the life of our church. Sign ups will take place through our Married Adult Bible Fellowship Ministry. You will not want to miss out on this very powerful experience.


I am really anxious to see how God uses these events to grow our church spiritually and numerically.

Growing Together,


Mark Rush

As you can see we have a busy month and a half ahead of us. Let's all pray that we will see people transformed through what God is going to do in our midst.

10 Step Summer Recovery Plan

Here is a 10 step plan to get your members back into regular attendance. We all know that people are here, there and everywhere during summer and sometimes it is more difficult than we think for them to get back into the routine of regular attendance. So here you go:

1. Prayer
2. Set goals
3. Evaluate current leadership status
4. Enlist a FAITH team/participate weekly in Reaching IOU
5. Contact every member enrolled
6. Invite every member and prospect to In-N-Out 2007
7. Plan an end of summer fellowship for all members and prospects
8. Decorate room
9. Give people a project and a purpose
10. Celebrate

What is takes to grow

The other day I was thinking about what it was going to take to get my grass to grow a little better than it had. I mean I had fertilized and watered it and it still was not growing quite like I thought it should. So I decided to look into things. From that I determined that I had over fertilized a little and that I was still not quite watering enough.

My course of action was as follows.

1. Mow and fertilize (lightly) right before I went on vacation
2. Increase the watering cycle
3. Go two weeks without mowing

The result is that my yard is finally looking like I think it could.

The application to church is this.

1. The grass will not get green on its own
2. We have to work the land
3. We have to be willing to do whatever it takes to see our friends, relatives, neighbors, co-workers and acquaintances like God sees them - saved or lost - and then desire to share with them the hope that exists for them
4. Trust God for the results.

Good Morning

I am looking forward to today!!! I guess I am so anxious that I can't sleep. I woke up shortly before 3 and my mind began to kick into gear. I tried to convince myself that I needed to go back to sleep, but that did not work. This is a good thing. I am now anxious to see what God is going to do today. I guess I am just anxious to find out what God is up to today.

Vacation

Well, we are back from Yellowstone. I will have to say that is was truly an awesome time. I believe we made some lifetime memories together. Here is a quick breakdown of the trip.

1. 2,500+ miles
2. Wildlife seen - Elk, Deer, Buffalo, Pelican, Heron, Trout, Bald Eagles (with their Eaglets), Red Tailed Hawk, Kite, etc...
3. Gysers including an eruption of Old Faithful
4. Grand Teton Mountain Range
5. Cabela's Retail Store in Lehi, Utah

Too much more to list. Those were just some of the highlights. We really had a fun time together making memories as a family. We are already planning the next Rush Family vacation for 2008.

I'll be seeing you

Today we leave to go camping in Yellowstone Park. The plan is to take two days to get there. We are excited and anxious for some family time. I believe camping is something that brings families closer. Seven days in a camper, four days in a car, you can't get much closer than that! I will be praying for Immanuel this Sunday. I pray that God will continue to pour out a great blessing this weekend. When we return ,I hope to hear that it was an awesome day. When I get back I will give a synopsis of our adventure.

SEE YOU NEXT WEEK!!!

Dodgers and Uncle Tommy

Yesterday we got the chance to go to the Dodgers game. Gretchen's uncle from Maine is in town and he wanted to go. It had been a while since we had gone to a game. So, we purchased tickets and headed down to Chavez Ravine (AKA Dodgers Stadium) to watch one of my favorite teams (the Dodgers) play the Atlanta Braves. This is her uncle's first time to California. Needless to say he was in awe. I can not count the number of times he said, "I can't believe I am in California watching a Dodgers game." We even got him to cheer for the Dodgers about midway through (one of his favorite teams is the Braves). I guess he just got caught up in the moment (sorry Jeff). Of course this is from a guy who occasionally gets to go to Fenway to watch the Sox.

He will leave Thursday with great memories and a desire to come back for more. What can I say, living in SoCal has advantages.

What to do

I have been a part of the Immanuel family for 7 years now (I officially celebrated that last week). I can truly say that it has been AWESOME. Sure there have been some down times, but those all pale in comparison to the UP times. I also know that Immanuel can improve. We can become better and we certainly have more people to reach. I wrote an earlier post which was a recap of staff retreat and I would like to take a few posts to follow up on what was accomplished so we can begin to transfer the principles into the DNA of the church.

The first principle is that of Attraction. This principle is really simple. It is fulfilled through us working together to win the lost in our community, the IE, state and world. It is what we do (individually and corporately) to tell others the great message of the gospel? This is the ministry to the largest segment of population in the entire world - the lost. It is our mandate from God to GO and make disciples.

I would say that the church has a lot of hooks out there to Attract people. We just had one last night - The Patriotic Musical. We have many others coming our way in the very near future (VBS, Game Wagon, Team Impact, etc). We also have a large Attraction event each week in the form of our worship service. Most people will attend church if we just ask them. All of these events are individuals working along side the church to reach a lost world.

It does not stop there however, we are to be individuals who take the great commission seriously. This means that we are to be outward in our focus and evangelistic in daily tasks. You might be saying, well I go to church and all I know is people who go to church. Hog wash!!! We all know lost people. They might be the people who check us out at the grocery store, people at the coffee shop, waiters and waitresses, just to name a few.

So the task is really simple. Pray and ask for Help from God. Help in the following ways.

1. Boldness to share (your testimony, an invitation to church, the gospel)
2. Open eyes to see the lost world
3. The remembrance of what it was like to be lost
4. Divine opportunities
5. Obedience

Let's all become aggressive and get out there and together help win this world to Christ.

Apology to Marissa

I am sorry that I did not put a post in about the loss of another of our family members. Ginger Rush (Marissa's Teddy Bear Hamster) passed away on Father's Day. I seriously did not mean to leave it out. I got a call from home before church started that morning and drove straight home to hug a broken hearted girl. She was a great pet for Marissa for almost 2 years. Hamster's do not live much past that because of their metabolism. Marissa learned a lot taking care of Ginger. She learned responsibility. She learned that something else depended on her in a very important way. I will say that Marissa loved Ginger the way a great pet owner loves a pet.

While Ginger is gone - she will never be forgotten. I am sure that we will all remember her and that Marissa will always cherish the memories of ONE GREAT HAMSTER!!!

A Sense of Accomplishment

We are leaving next week for vacation/camping in Yellowstone (thanks to Buddy and Mary Camp for loaning us their trailer). I have been thinking about it for some time now. I am anxious to get out in God's great outdoors and see His majesty.

Part of the deal of borrowing the trailer was that I needed to install a trailer brake controller on our Trailblazer. In my past, I used to do things like that all the time. Did I say in the PAST!!!! Well, I went and bought the controller and googled information about how to install it. I got home and began the installation and could not find the wire loom that was supposed to be pre-installed by the manufacturer. Soooooo, I went back to Google and found a better article. To make a long story short - I FOUND IT!! I finished the installation and voila - so far so good.

STEP 1 complete towards our journey. The next step is now to go and hook up the trailer and make sure that everything else works. I will keep you posted.

When God Shows Off

After yesterday I feel as though I need to say something. Sunday's at Immanuel keep getting better and better. I serisously mean that. Just when I think it can not get any better, God shows up and makes me eat my words. Here is what I mean.

Yesterday started out pretty normal when Ray and I got the privilege to make coffee for our Bible Fellowship Groups (this is our weekly service ritual). Then the staff gathered for an awesome time of prayer. There are a lot of hurting people within our congregation and we get the privilege every Sunday to lift some of them up in prayer. Then people started showing up for Bible Fellowship at 7:45. I was able to go into the service before teaching my class at 9:00 and say hello to some people who I had not seen since the week before. Then I went and taught my class, which is growing and always an incerdible blessing!!! We had an awesome time discussing the book of Habakkuk (we are in the minor prophets right now). As soon as Bible Fellowship was over we went to the 10:40 service and God continued to show off. The praise time was great and pastor's message was fantastic. As if that were not enough, we had a class fellowship at both our house and our great friends, John and Teresa's house, after church. We ate our house and swam at theirs. It was a great time. The day was capped off with last night's service. The praise time was again great and Doug preached a great message.

All this makes me anxious to see how God is going to show off again next week!!!

Seeting our focus

I just got back from our staff retreat yesterday. Of course I am not too sure why we call it staff retreat because it is more like a staff planning conference. This year the goal was to reset our focus. To really clarify what Immanuel is to be about. We have a great purpose statement.

Glorifying God by introducing Jesus Christ as Lord to as many people possible, using the most effective means, leading them to be imitators of Christ, making a positive difference as a community of believers, in this generation and the next.

It was agreed that our purpose is good, but that we need to boil it down to some specific tasks the church should do in order to accomplish the ultimate goal of Glorifying God. So here are the four specific tasks.

1. Attract people to church
2. Connect them to the body
3. Grow them up in Christ
4. Empower and equip them to SERVE

Now comes our task of really developing that and communicating it to everyone.....

Me Church

Check This Out..

Father's Day and Going to Church

Tomorrow is Father's Day. I am going to enjoy the day by going to church. Some father's choose to set the day aside and have "their" time (sometimes this includes not coming to church). It is my prayer that this Sunday we see many father's doing the right thing and leading their families to worship!

I had the privilege of growing up in a home where my dad made sure that every Sunday we were in church. There were very few excuses for missing church that he would ever allow. As a father it is my responsibility to be the pace setter in my family and make sure they see me worshiping in and out of church.

Some might say that this is religion. I say it is biblical (Do not forsake the assembling together). Going to church energizes and equips me for the work that God has called me to perform for Him.

So... See all you fathers in church this Sunday!!! Let's celebrate and worship our Heavenly Father together!!!

Proud to be a Partner

I have been on staff at Immanuel for seven years (actually it will be seven on the 23rd of this month). I realized very early (actually before I came on staff) that Immanuel was a church which was built on obedience to the Great Commission and God's Word. The reputation of Immanuel in the community and beyond was a well known fact. After coming to Immanuel I realized that this was the case because the Pastor is obedient to the Word of God.

As I am sure many of you know, our pastor spoke the final word at this years Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in San Antonio (when it is in the archived file I will post the link). I watched the entire sermon and was prouder than ever to partner along side a pastor who knows what it means to be obedient to God's Word. I am sure that there were those who disagreed with him; however, if they did then they clearly are in disagreement with God's Word and with God Himself.

It is my prayer that as a church we lay aside any complacency and pursue exactly what God's Word tells us. We are to GO. I also pray that this concept again seeks into the very DNA of our church body. We have the best news in the world and we should refuse to be silent. Get excited Immanuel because God is moving us forward!!!!

They Call it Baseball

After dinner tonight Marissa asked if we could go and play catch. So we went out to the front to do just that. It did not take too much time before we had a crowd of about 10 kids outside. Marissa asked if we could play baseball, after a little thought I gave in. We played 3 innings of sandlot ball.

WHAT A BLAST. My team consisted of 3 girls and me. The other team had 3 boys and 2 girls. Needless to say we had a great time. The kids batted, pitched and played themselves silly (of course I include myself in that group). The game ended in a 2 - 2 tie. I guess I am just going to have to give in again so we can finish what we started.

Alright kids - bring it on....

Recap for the Weekend

As weekends go, I thought that this last weekend was a great one. It started out Friday morning with Gretchen and I going on a mid day date. We went to Ocean's 13 (4 stars out of 5) then went to Chili's in Redlands for lunch. After almost 20 years of marriage I still enjoy going on date's with my wife. We just enjoy each others company - so it is always great to get some one-on-one time with each other.

You can read my post about my Saturday morning and afternoon. Saturday evening we went with David, Lisa, Jerry and Judy to the Cherry Festival. WHAT A BLAST (5 out of 5 stars). We had great food and fun just walking around and spending time together.

SUNDAY was great. Our Bible Fellowship Ministry seemed to go really great. We launced a new ladies department (S.O.S. Single on Sunday). Thanks to Norma, Sallie, Brande and Amee it was a great success. Then we had a meeting with our Blended Families Department to discuss how to launch a new department by the end of summer. I will keep you posted on how that goes. It really looks like more than a department will come of that meeting.

My own class was GREAT!!! The lesson really spoke to me (before, during and after). I really felt the class begin to gel together. GOOD TIMES ARE AHEAD.

Saturday but Sunday is Coming

It was a typical Saturday. Typical for when Upward is in session that is. We got up and went to the game. Team Lightning played against the Bulldogs (arguably the best team in the 3rd and 4th grade division - of course I am not sure how I know that since we do not keep score). Needless to say, it was.... Well, on to the next practice to get ready for next week.

Then we came home and I got to do one of the things I like most. YARD WORK! I am serious about that. I love working in and around my yard. To me it is therapy. It is one of the most relaxing things I get to do. You may be right, I may be crazy (Thanks Billy Joel). Then I got to clean up the garage. Enough said about that. After that I washed my golf clubs.....

The rest of the afternoon was pretty relaxing as we chilled out and got ready to head out to Beaumont for the Cherry Festival with our best friends David and Lisa. I will let you all know about that later.

Tomorrow is church. I am anxious about what will happen then. I pray that people will come ready to get charged up to take the message of the gospel out into our community and world.

SEE YOU THERE!!!!

Getting Ready for Summer

Summer is almost here. Meagan and Marissa have only 5 days of school left. Malory has to go one extra week. I am anxious for them to get out. I remember very well how excited I was when I knew school was going to be out. No more homework or tests for three months (of course now it is more like two months). Just a time to relax and recuperate from a busy 9 months.

I am looking forward to this summer. As a family we have some fun things planned. We have Gretchen's uncle flying all the way in from Maine to spend a week with us. He has never been to California so we are going to take him to Disneyland, the San Diego Zoo, the beach and whatever else we can do in the short time he is here.

Right after that we are going on a camping trip to Yellowstone. I think I was 5 when I went the first time and have not been back since. The same goes for Gretchen. The girls have never been so, (thanks to Buddy and Mary Camp) we are loading up the trailer and going for 5 fun filled days in Yellowstone. WE ARE PUMPED!!!!

After we get back there are a lot of church things happening. Camps, VBS, youth group outings and much more to keep us busy. Did I say this was a time to relax????

Launching Pads

I have been doing some reading and thinking about how our Married Adult Bible Fellowship Groups function. After some consideration I think they basically function two ways.

1. Holding Tanks
2. Launching Pads

Holding tanks are just that. They hold people with little thought to fulfilling the great commission. Every once in a while they might give something out, but for the most part they are content with just keeping the same people in the same place.

Launching pads are places where the great commission is aggressively promoted and lived out. These are place where it is a natural occurrence to invite friends, find a place of service, reach out to the lost, etc.. Launching pads are exciting! They are places where growth (spiritual and numerical) occur naturally.

I guess the question that I am asking is - what kind of department are you a part of?

Take a Stand

By now I am sure that everyone knows that Dr. Falwell passed away today. I remember watching the The Old Time Gospel Hour as a kid growing up. I used to love watching it and listening to Dr. Falwell preach. I also remember when he began the Moral Majority. It was that which shaped the face of conservatism in the United States. He is contributed for the renewal of moral values and the voting in of Ronald Reagan (arguably the greatest president we have had in our short history as a country). He is also know for making polarizing statements. He was just one of those guys that you either loved or hated, respected or loathed. There was no middle ground when it came to feelings about him.

That is what drew me to attend Liberty University for two years (the place where I met my AWESOME wife - thanks Dr. Falwell). During my time at Liberty I saw Dr. Falwell as a guy with undying passion for people. I remember meeting him personally and then seeing him later, where he remembered me by name. When he was not traveling, I remember him being on campus a lot. I remember him sitting in the cafeteria eating with students. He attended ball games. He joked with students. I remember racing him in my car down a street in Lynchburg and getting to the stop sign (after him of course), only to see him smile and wave at me.

Many people say that he hated people opposed to his views, but what he hated was sin. I do not believe that he hated people at all. In our country that is a taboo thing. What our society says is that to love someone, you must also be willing to love the sin that they are in.

I got home tonight and watched CNN (I am not usually a CNN watcher) and Larry King was on recapping his history with Jerry. For the most part it was not all that bad. After that Anderson Cooper came on an interviewed a guy who was full of hate. He used all kinds of hateful words and basked in the fact that Dr. Falwell had passed away. At first I was pretty mad, but as I write this, I almost laugh because that was totally fitting. Dr. Falwell would have loved that.

The one thing I gleaned from my time at Liberty was that you need to take a stand. Take a stand when things are not popular. Take a stand when when it would be easier to cave. Say what you want about Dr. Falwell, but I say that he was a man who was dedicated to Christ and His kingdom, his family and his church.

24/7 Update

This week has been our 24/7 prayer emphasis at church. It has been great to see the number of people who have committed to one hour alone with God in prayer.

This morning I went in with one thing in mind and then God changed my plan. I brought my Ipod with me to listen to some music while I was there. One of the albums on my ipod is the Passion of the Christ Soundtrack. I played that and then read the account in Matthew. Needless to say it was pretty powerful. I was extremely tired when I read about the disciples not being able to stay awake for one hour in prayer. How fitting. I made it through the hour without falling asleep, but I realize that there are many times in my life when I have fallen asleep spiritually. Another thing that hit me, was the denial by Peter. I really sympathized with Peter because I too would have done the exact same thing. I would have, because I do now. Not with my words but with my actions

All of this brought to a fresh realization of the love Christ has for me. I cannot believe He has involve me into His plan. Certainly I do not deserve that love. The question then becomes, how can I ever hide that love from others.

Hummingbirds

I have always been amazed by birds in general. My grandfather was a bird watcher. I can remember going to his house as a kid and seeing him with his bird books and binoculars. I guess it is because of that, that I became a bird lover. They all simply amaze me, however, the Hummingbird is the one that really catches my attention. They are truly one of God's great creatures. This past weekend I bought a Hummingbird feeder and set it up on the back patio. I told the girls about it, which made them excited too.

Well, I set it up on Saturday and of course expected the little birds to show up immediately. After all, I knew they would come, because it is in the genetic makeup of our family. When they had not shown up by Saturday night, I was a little discouraged. I looked several times on Sunday afternoon and nothing. By that time, I was thinking I had done something wrong, put it in the wrong spot, etc. So last night we all went to church (Lord's Supper night - always a GREAT TIME), and I had to stop by the store on the way home. I knew when I got home that the first thing I was going to do was to check out the feeder.

When I got home, the girls with great excitement told me that one showed up (Malory was the first one the sight the magnificent creature). At first I was like, don't play that cruel joke on me, then I went outside and sure enough a hummingbird was there (a second one showed up a little later) partaking of the sweet nectar. SUCCESS at last. I am going to Barnes and Noble today to get a book on Hummingbirds so we can identify exactly what type of Hummingbirds we have.

If anyone knows which Hummingbird breeds (do you call them breeds???) grace this area??? If you do let me know.

One Down

Well, our (Team Lightning that is) first Upward Soccer game is in the books. WHAT A BLAST. I had no idea this would be that much fun. The kids were just awesome!!! It went by so fast that I am not sure what all happened.

One thing I did see was a ton of people that I have never seen on the church property. My prayer is that through the fun of sports that many will come to Christ!

Here's to a fun a season.

Upward and Outward

This Saturday we start Upward Soccer games. By we I mean that I am coaching Malory's team this season. At first there were many reservations. I have never played soccer, let alone coached it before, so when asked to do this I was not so sure. Never the less, I am doing it, and having a great time. Last night was our team's second practice and it went GREAT. Upward is a great program that will literally bring hundreds of people to the church who are not connected to Immanuel.

This week in staff meeting we talked a lot about being outward focused. To me that means we are purposeful on reaching those people who are outside the church. Those who are willing to make Christ Lord of their life. I was in a meeting once where someone disagreed with that, saying that our purpose was to build up the body. I guess to me the formula is very simple. You do both. You build up the body so the body goes forth.

Upward is that ministry which accomplishes just that. It gets the church body going forth. My prayer is that we adopt that same mentality church wide. Pastor encouraged people yesterday at our National Day of Prayer meeting to look at lost people as though they were our closest friends, relatives and neighbors. When we do, it gives an urgency in telling those who are lost about Christ.

So let's all go out there!!!! That is where the lost are!!!!

Field Trips

What kid in school does not like a field trip? I know that when I was in school (mannnnny years ago) that it really did not matter where we went on a field trip - it was always a blast. What really mattered was that for a single day, I did not have to sit in class. Some things over the years have changed, but I am still a sucker for a field trip. Since becoming a dad I have gone on several field trips with my daughters and all of them have been great. Whether it is going to the pumpkin patch, a mission in california, the zoo, a play, etc it is as great this time as it was when I was growing up.

This Thursday I got to go to the Peterson Automotive Museum and the La Brea Tar Pits with Marissa. It was GREAT!!! I have always wanted to see the Tar Pits. I had never heard of the Auto Museum but being a car lover I was totally game. However, the greatest part of the day was getting to go with Marissa. We ate a sack lunch together and walked around and even sat by each other on the bus. She was not embarrased to have me around and it was a great time.

I hope I get to go on a few more before the kids get out of school....

Milk and Cereal

This morning I woke up and ate some Milk and Cereal... How fitting because last night I was given the opportunity to speak at our Young Adult worship service called "Milk and Cereal". It was great (not me - the whole experience). They have an awesome Praise and Worship time. There was a great group of Yound Adults there. Some I knew, while others I have never seen before in my life.

While I was there I began to realize something. There are many who are telling us that this generation is beyond hope. They supposedly don't enjoy church, are wishy washy, non-committal and selfish. What I see in this generation is a group of young adults willing to come and worship and listen to God's Word at 8:30pm, and in a local theater no less. I saw them praise God with passion and respond to the message. I caught their excitement and saw their optimism.

If you doubt what I am telling you then I would encourage you to go check it out. They are welcoming group (even to a 40 year old). They meet at the Krikorian Theaters in Redlands at 8:30pm each Wednesday night. I even heard last night that next week (May 2) Pastor Rob will be the speaker.

Anthony Vines, keep up the awesome job!!!!!!!!

Family Videos

Gretchen is getting ready to head to Texas with a good friend of hers - for some serious girl time. As part of her trip preparation she is gathering our family videos. Her mom has one of those VHS/8MM to DVD recorders, so she is taking them so she can transfer them to DVD's. Much better format that should allow us to enjoy them for years to come.

Last night Meagan had put one of the old VHS tapes in to watch (this has become a favorite hobby of Meagan's as of late). I heard what was going on and went in to watch what turned out to be Marissa's 1st birthday party.

I thought to myself - how time flies!!!! Where did the years go? This all seemed to happen to me without my permission. When did we ever consent to letting our girls grow up. I must have missed out on that vote. It was one of those - if I knew then, what I know now - moments.

Knowing (and seeing last night) what I know now - I would have video taped every moment of their lives. I mean I would have set it up like the Truman show, so I would have documented, visual evidence of everything they have done.

So.... I am getting an additional battery for my camcorder and a Sam's Club pack of 8MM tapes. GIRLS WATCH OUT - YOUR DAD IS ON A FAMILY VIDEO MISSION!!!!!!!!

24/7

May 6 - 13 we will be having another 24/7 prayer week at church. This will be the fourth one I have participated in here at Immanuel. This is just an awesome time for the church to come together as one unit to pray without ceasing.

Little Prayer, Little Power
More Prayer, More Power
Much Prayer, Much Power

We will be encouraging people to pray for specific things during the week, but to me the biggest prayer is for God to change me!!!

My biggest challenge in life is not those around me - it is me. I was reading a book recently that states that the biggest leadership challenge everyone faces is themselves. HOW TRUE IS THAT!!!

Let's all come together for 168 straight hours and get on our knees before a Holy God and ask Him to change us, mold us and create in us what He wants us to be!!!

See Ya There

Inviting...

Here are six key elements to making you Bible Fellowship class more inviting.

1. Invigorate
2. Incorporate
3. Intercede
4. Invest
5. Invite
6. Involve

Sunday we will be hearing from the guy who came up with these six key elements. I hope to see a lot of people there!!!!!

Greatness Determined

After spending time with some of the greatest people this side of heaven I was able to see some qualities that make these people who they are:

1. Great dependence upon the sovereignty of God.
2. Great dependence upon the power of prayer.
3. Great dependence upon the sufficiency of God's Word.
4. Great dependence upon the Holy Spirit.
5. Great dependence upon the love of Christ working through them.

I made this note in my journal.

Why do people in the church of America have conflict over the methods of our worship service when there are people who would love to have what we have week in and week out.

While spending time with these people, someone made the statement that A Restful Soul is One's Greatest Asset.

I pray that the American church gains a restful soul - a soul that finds contentment in Christ and Christ alone.

Beyond Measure

My first entry while in Poland is titled Beyond Measure. I was on the plane on the way here and was listening to the Jeremy Camp song titled "Beyond Measure." It basically states that he feels blessed beyond measure. That is exactly how I feel. Beyond my salvation I cannot believe I have been blessed so greatly by God. I have the greatest wife in the world. The greatest 18, 12 and 10 year old girls that a dad could ever ask for. I do not deserve this life - that is why it is called being blessed beyond measure.....

Thank you LORD!!!!

Dancing....

Okay, I have to admit that I am a fan of Dancing with the Stars. We have watched it faithfully for the last two seasons and were excited for season 4 to get here. That being said, imagine my excitement when a friend asked if Gretchen and I wanted to attend a live taping with him and his wife. I said yes and then two days later we were off to Hollywood. I will be quick to admit that I am not a huge fan of the whole Hollywood scene - but on Monday night I will admit I had a total blast.

We arrived in Hollywood about 3 hours before the line started forming (right beside the white pole - this is an inside joke for Gretchen). We passed the time just spending time with each other and have an all around great time.

Because we were there so early we were 14, 15, 16 and 17th positions in line. Guaranteed seating! We got in and sat down in seats in the balcony that were big enough for the likes of the extremely thin Hollywood types - but that did not curb our enthusiasm. The MC guy got us all going and then Billy Ray Cyrus came to the balcony and spent some time shaking hands and greeting the "regular people". HE WAS THE ONLY STAR THAT I SAW DOING THAT (I am beginning a vote for Billy Ray campaign).

The show was awesome (I think I got a workout just watching the camera guy maneuver his way around to get the good shots). We cheered and laughed during the entire show. I got Cheryl to wave to us, a personal thumbs up from Bruno, an I am not worthy bow from Billy Ray, and toooooo many memories.

DEFINITELY SOMETHING I WOULD DO AGAIN!!!!!

Great Force for Good

I just got done reading an article from a friend who is a Minister of Education in Austin (David Proctor) and he wrote that there reasons Bible Fellowship Ministry (of course his church still calls it Sunday School) is a great force for good.

1. Bible Fellowship does its work every week of the year
2. Bible Fellowship is for everyone
3. Bible Fellowship is organized for outreach, nurture and ministry
4. Bible Fellowship has the Bible as its textbook
5. Bible Fellowship is church-centered

How about that for some focus!

Let's all keep pushing to make Immanuel the best Bible Fellowship Ministry in the country!!!!

So Long Cuddles

Last night started out like a typical Wednesday night. We all came home after being at church and it was time for the girls to get ready for bed. The standard procedure is that they get ready and then I go through some strange rituals (another story for another post). The end result is that I put them to bed and pray with them.

Last night all was going according to plan until I heard a frantic cry from Malory which was followed by Marissa running down the hall stating that Cuddles (Malory's hamster) had died. Of course I had to play dad and veterinarian to confirm the diagnosis. Sure enough Cuddles had breathed her last.

Malory was very upset (as well as were the rest of us). This after all was her first pet. I remember many of my pets meeting the same fate - so I could sympathize. I just felt really bad for her and stayed with her until she fell asleep. I remember my dad doing the same with me (many times). I am sure this is not the last time this will happen.

Tonight when I get home we are going to have a small little service to memorialize cuddles. I am sure that will put closure to this issue. Here are some things I remember cuddles for:

1. Putting a smile on Malory's face
2. Watching Malory's friends light up when they came to visit
3. Small in stature - big in bite
4. Malory learning responsibility

I am sure many of you can sympathize with Malory (and me for that matter). I will let you know how the memorial service goes.

How did this happen

How did I become a pac 10 fan? I say that with saying that I have been and will always be a Colorado Buffalo Fan. The problem with that this time of year is that they rarely make it to the dance in the first place.

I grew up in Big 8 (now the big 12) territory. Going to CU football and basketball games were a huge part my life then. I will admit that I was also closet Texas Longhorn (I guess I just thought their uniforms were pretty cool - burnt orange - hook 'em horns).

With that being said this year I find myself cheering for USC and UCLA to go all the way in this years tournament. I truly would enjoy an all LA final game, of course I would cheer for USC to win it all.

I just cannot imagine how I got to this point. I feel like a total trader.

I am in serious need of help. Of course all would heal if CU would get a clue and put a valid team on the court.

HELP!!!!

Just Wondering

Final Four time... I love all sports (seriously I will watch anything related to sports - even curling). My favorite sports are HS and College Football (followed closely by professional football), NASCAR, Hunting, Fishing (yes I consider them sports) and the Final Four. Notice that I did not say College Basketball was one of my favorites. I enjoy a good College B-Ball game, but I really do not get involved until the Final Four tournament comes around. I really look forward to this years tournament because I think the mix of teams is very good (a lot of teams could take it). I really never pull for the Cinderella team mainly because I did not know many of them existed until the tournament. This year I really like numerous teams. Kansas, Texas, Carolina and USC are teams that I would like to see go for a while.

I am curious to know who you see taking it all the way (no this is not a pool).

Equipped for Excellence

What exactly does it mean to do something with excellence? Booker T. Washington said that Excellence is doing a common thing is an uncommon way. I think in terms of giving 100%, not holding anything back.

With that being said, is it not true that we are to be equipped for excellence? We should each pursue excellence in regards to all that we do for Christ. We should also pursue this as a church. Pastor recently preached a sermon on a Sunday night entitled “Equipped for Excellence”. If you did not get a chance to hear it – PURCHASE THE CD! It presented what we are to be doing as a church in the area of our Bible Fellowship Ministry. It is a great resource.

Another great resource, which promotes excellence in our Bible Fellowship Minsitry, comes our way every spring. Equipped for Excellence is a great conference to attend if you are working (or wanting to work) in our Bible Fellowship Ministry. At the conference you will hear from some of the greatest trainers in the nation in regards to Bible Fellowship Ministry. I have attended for the last 7 years and have always been extremely blessed!

You can get information about the conference on their website www.equippedforexcellence.org or by calling the Education office. If you register by March 25 the conference is free! I really hope to see many Immanuel Bible Fellowship Leaders in attendance on that day.

Welcome

Welcome! I am glad you chose to visit. As the weeks pass, more posts will be available for you to view. Please let me know what you think.

Onward to 2000

I hope this will become a constant source of encouragement for those of you who desire to take your department/class beyond where it is right now. I read a great article that listed ways to make what we do a 7 day a week strategy. It has to become that in order for us to all acheive the goal that has been set before us. I am anxious as to what you do to make this happen already. I will include a link to the article for you to check it out yourselves.

http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/article_main_page/0%2C1703%2CA%25253D162375%252526M%25253D200839%2C00.html?

I hope to hear from some of you soon.

Wednesday

Wednesday is Lost day. I mean the TV series of course. I hate feeling lost. It is a horrible experience. Of course I am one of those guys who will not stop and ask for directions. I will wonder aimlessly for hours. I try to prevent this by getting as much information about my destination before hand. I google maps and go over the route in my mind in an OCD way before I ever leave. This prevents most of the problems, however, there are there times when the directions are wrong and I get lost. I wonder how many people are going through life exactly the same way. They think they have it all figured out - heading the right direction. To them they even feel as though they are not lost. How sad that must be.