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.