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.