tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331280932012-01-24T16:48:04.758-05:00Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.comBlogger6601100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-57912864269041325192012-01-24T16:48:00.000-05:002012-01-24T16:48:04.769-05:00Once again I had a Monday slip by without posting my musings. Here goes on a Tuesday.<br /><br />Sunday was a good day. We finally had enough snow to completely cover the grass. Winter has been different in our part of the world this year. We had some great discussion in my Sunday School class. Our small group on Sunday night was encouraging, fun and enlightening. I love that group of people. <br /><br />Sunday was part 3 of the series "Yes Lord ...". We need to say Yes Lord regardless of the cost. The cost could safety. There are no guarantees with regard to physical safety. Look at Jesus. Look at the early disciples. Look at what is happening to followers of Christ today in many countries. Saying Yes Lord will cost you your convenience. This is a guarantee. If you are seeking a convenient faith, this is not it. Saying Yes Lord may cost you popularity. What matters more to you, being popular with the world or obedient to Christ? There can be many different cost to saying Yes Lord. So we need to say yes without even knowing the cost. You will not always know the cost of following Christ ahead of time. Can you do this?<br /><br />The solution to our needing to say Yes Lord regardless of the cost is to kneel before the Father. In humility and recognizing who is in control. We are the servants, we are not the served. Too often we have gotten this one backwards in the American church. Part of the solution is to pray for strength. You are going to need it and your own strength will not be enough if you are really living in "Yes Lord ..." mode. The solution is to surrender yourself and your will. This might be the most difficult thing you will ever surrender. Have you given your will to Christ, or are you still trying to get him to do your will? The solution boils down to you saying yes to Christ, to his will and his way.<br /><br />What has your answer been? What will you do from on? Is there something that is more than you are willing to give?<br /><br />Our prayer needs to be "Father I am sick of living in between. Sick of being an up and down follower. I am weary of trying to do it on my own and in my own strength. I am tired of this mediocrity. I am sick of being halfway to where I ought to be in my relationship with you. I want to go further, I want to grow in intimacy with you. I want to quit struggling with small things. I want to quit holding onto things from the past. I want to live victorious and joyful."<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-5791286426904132519?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-81306577162736344392012-01-16T15:06:00.000-05:002012-01-16T15:06:02.331-05:00Yesterday was week 2 in our series "Yes Lord ..." We were still in Matthew 9:27-31 and Ephesians 3:14-21. Asking the questions "Who do you believe in? and What/who are you saying yes to?"<br /><br />The need we examined was what Paul prayed for the church in Ephesus. The need is for more power. There is a point in life where you realize you cannot do it in your own power alone. You need more power, not self acquired strength, but the power of Christ through the Holy Spirit. Another need is that we don't want to admit our need. Sometimes it is because of pride, or shame, or lack of knowledge, or poor examples or just feeling lost. Whatever the reasons, we don't like to admit our need. Another need we face is that of crisis. That point when you recognize your need, you realize your own inadequacy to meet the need and you are desperate for change.<br /><br />The action needed is for you to humble yourself. Before God you kneel, either literally or figuratively to confess and request. A sign seen in a textile mill read, "When your thread becomes tangled, call the foreman." A young woman was new on the job. Her thread became tangled and she thought, I'll just straighten this out myself." She tried, but the situation only worsened. Finally she called the foreman. "I did the best I could," she said. "No you didn't. To do the best, you should have called me." We often fail to humble ourselves and call on Christ. We are not doing our best when it is just in our own strength and wisdom. The action is we need to cry out to God. Pray. Pray. Pray some more. This is not a casual 'let's get it over with' prayer. This is the humbled, broken prayer of admitting your need and desire for God and his power. John Flavel said, "They that know God will be humble and they that know themselves cannot be proud."<br /><br />The results are that we are dependent on God. We cry out for his power, his cleansing, his filling and his power. Then we obey and leave the circumstances up to him. The result is you will be changed. In your spirit, in your attitude, in your vision and in your living there will be changes. If there is no change then something is missing. There must be a change. If you claim you don't need to change or live any differently then why did you need to cry out to God in the first place? Too often we cry out to God and ask him to change things without being willing to be changed. The result is a life surrendered to Christ. This surrender is not to your own desires, not to what our cultures expects, or to anything else but it is being surrendered to Christ and his will.<br /><br />What is your crisis? What are you crying out for? How are you now living?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-8130657716273634439?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-49675094569975360032012-01-10T08:32:00.000-05:002012-01-10T08:32:01.169-05:00some more good things from 2011:<br /><br /> We started small groups this year at church. The small group that my wife and I lead and host is a great group. They are all young adults and they put up with us. We have great times of study and discussion we also have great times of laughing and sharing while we eat together. We have between 10 and 22 attend. It is also cool to realize that all but a couple of them have begun attending in the 6 years we have been here.<br /><br /> Our oldest daughter was married this year. She is an wonderful follower of Christ and it was so great to watch her relationship with such a great guy. He loves the Lord. I know this because the first time we met him my wife said I have one question for you, "Do you love Jesus?". His answer was, and still is, yes. He is a great guy, my daughter really loves him and he loves her and treats her well. He is even learning to handle it when our whole clan gets together, which now that he has joined us is up to 15. The wedding was beautiful and fun, and the bride was even more beautiful. I have had the privilege to give away my two daughters to great young men, and to see my son marry a great young lady as well. I am a blessed man.<br /><br /> This year the Lord directed me in my study, and my preaching, to really focus on living out what I claim to believe. It has been some of the most challenging, and motivating, study and preaching I have ever done. There were many times that I was literally overwhelmed as I prepared to preach and a few times I was overwhelmed while trying to preach these messages. I am really excited by what God is leading me into this year.<br /><br /> This year something was added to my coaching volleyball. We had a team dinner nearly every week this season once we started playing real games. Sometimes we had a couple of them. Jody and I hosted most of them. Okay, Jody did most of the work but they were at our house so I figure I some credit, don't I? These turned out to be great times of bonding. Jody and I learned a lot listening to them tell stories on each other. I can honestly say that we love these girls. The dinners were actually the girl's idea, and it was a great one. Looking forward to do it again next season and even expanding it. In fact Jody and I miss them so much we are going to have a few dinners in the off season.<br /><br /> Jody and I were able to take a nearly 2 week vacation. A wonderful couple in our church allowed us to use their trailer. I helped him set it up at campground nearby. We had an awesome lot with plenty of shade that had a great view of the lake. We just 20 or 30 yards from the lake. We spent nearly the whole time reading, fishing, sleeping, occasionally playing card games or eating. We had several campfires at night. It was a wonderfully relaxing time and one of the highlights of the year.<br /><br /> We were able to have 4 of our grandkids for a week this summer. This was while their mom went to Ethiopia to bring back their newly adopted brother and their dad was working at a camp. Then we added the other 2 grandkids for 3 days. So for a few days we had 6 grandkids staying with us. It was great! They are, and were, great. I will admit we slept well the first couple of days after they went back to their parents, but we loved it.<br /><br />What good things are you thankful for from 2011?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-4967509456997536003?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-82999919673677599032012-01-09T10:40:00.000-05:002012-01-09T10:40:20.595-05:00We had a very good day yesterday. We were back to full schedule and that added some energy to the building and the day. Had some good discussion in my Sunday School class and we had a great time in our small group last night. It had been 3 weeks since our small group met and it was great to be with them again, even though we were down in numbers, I love that group. Worship went well and I love the new song that was introduced and especially so because it matches the theme of the sermon series I began yesterday.<br /><br />The new series is entitled "Yes Lord ..." The focus is on our belief and then living what we claim to believe in our everydays. The foundation scripture is Matthew 9:27-31 and Ephesians 3:14-21 and a bunch of others throughout the series. Augustine said, "Faith is to believe what we do not see, and the reward of faith is to see what we believe." I love this explanation, or definition, of faith by Philip Yancey, "Believing in advance in something that will only seem logical when seen in reverse." Look at the picture in the passage of Matthew 9:27-31. Two blind men following Jesus, asking for mercy from him. They would have had to really work to follow him, after all they were blind. They plea to him was for mercy, they understood who he was and what mattered most. Then when Jesus confronted them about their belief in him and his abilities they answered "Yes Lord". (thus the title of the series, and you thought I was creative)<br /><br />The need seemed obvious, they were blind. They had more needs than just the obvious, as do people today. Theirs was a lack of physical vision, they had the spiritual vision. Today most of us are the opposite of these two men. We often don't see... needs, hurts and potential. God will meet needs, heal hurts and he has great plans for you. Jeremiah 29:11 says, "...plans to give you hope and a future". What are you seeing around you? What are you seeing in you? What aren't we seeing?<br /><br />The request was for mercy. The implication may have been for the physical healing, but they requested mercy. Mercy is much bigger than any one need. Mercy is much broader than a single area. Mercy is something we all need. What are you asking for? Our requests tell a lot about our priorities.<br /><br />The question Jesus asked was not "what do you want me to do for you?" His question was, "Do you believe I am able?" So do you believe he is able? This a key question and the answer is even more important. How are you answering this question? Not just with your words, but how are you answering it as evidenced by how you are living?<br /><br />Do you believe he is able to provide for the burdens you are carrying today? Yes Lord needs to be more than a slogan, it needs to be more than the words in a song, it needs to be how we live.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-8299991967367759903?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-10757493628173225072012-01-03T10:39:00.000-05:002012-01-03T10:39:31.442-05:00I began some reflections on 2011 a couple of days ago with some good things, so I will list some not so good things as well.<br /><br /><br />Not so good things:<br /> <br /> I didn't lose the weight I hoped to in 2011.<br /><br /> I am grieving with several families who lost loved ones this past year. Especially the Haines/Summersett families in the loss of Nicki. A 29 year old wife and mother of 2 little ones. She was one of my youngest daughter's best friends when I pastored in their town. She was a strong believer and is rejoicing with Jesus now. However, the human grief is difficult.<br /><br /> The bulging discs in my back didn't get better this year. However, I am learning to live with them and determined not to let it impact me if I can help it.<br /><br /> Our church grew, but not nearly as much as I would have liked. I am speaking of spiritual growth and numerical growth. The spiritual growth can be difficult to measure but there are ways. Don't get me wrong there was growth in the spiritual area, I would just like to see a lot more tangible results from the growth. In fact is there much spiritual growth if there is no tangible evidence?<br /><br /> Our community is still grieving and in limbo over 3 young brothers who disappeared more than a year ago. Praying for answers.<br /><br /> Grieving over some marriages that ended this year. My heart aches for the couples and for the children involved.<br /><br />There are more good things to reflect on and I will share some more in the coming days.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-1075749362817322507?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-89196019863204172182012-01-02T12:33:00.000-05:002012-01-02T12:33:22.313-05:00Yesterday was another very good day. It was cool to begin a new year in worship together with our church family. Many came and worshiped with us even though they had had a short than usual night. We also had a wedding in the evening of New Year's Eve, a first for me. We even had visitors on New Year's Day. There was a good spirit in the service and the congregation seemed to be very attentive and engaged with the message. I was battling as I preached, my back was killing me. I was sitting with an ice pack on it during worship until I got up to preach. I only had a couple of spasms while I was preaching. Got home and laid down and rested the back for a few hours then Jody and I went to a funeral home for visitation for the father of a man in our church.<br /><br />Yesterday's message was in I Samuel 17, the story of David and Goliath and focused on attacking our giants. We must focus on God first. David had such confidence in attacking Goliath because his focus was on God. He remembered how God had helped him in the past and he recognized that this battle belonged to the Lord. Focus on God first remembering that he is risen, he is living, he has called you and he will deliver you. You must also acknowledge your giants. Don't pretend you have none. Ignoring the giants doesn't make them go away, in fact it simply makes them bolder. You need to depend on the right power. Your own strength or stuff won't win. Look at David trying on King Saul's armor, it didn't fit and the power wasn't in the stuff but in the Savior. Pray for the power and for the ability to recognize the difference between self-reliance and confidence in God. You must use what God provides. Sometimes it is simple and we assume it can't be used of God. David didn't use Saul's armor, instead he got some stones and used the sling he already had in his possession. We often waste a lot of time and energy seeking what God has already provided. What do you already have that God wants you to use for his glory? You need to realize that when you attack your giants in God's strength others will be encouraged to attack their own giants. When David went after Goliath the rest of the Israelite army, who had been withdrawing in fear, charged forward and won a great victory. They did this after seeing David's faith and obedience.<br /><br />Will you be David for your family, or church, this year? What giants are in your life? Are you going to attack them or continue to hide from them?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-8919601986320417218?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-46387788463600246322012-01-01T22:39:00.000-05:002012-01-01T22:39:34.088-05:00As the new year has begun I find myself doing some reflecting the year that just ended.<br /><br />Good things:<br /> Grandchild #7 arrived in July. A 5 year old boy that my son and daughter-in-law adopted from Ethiopia. He makes 5 for them, their house is full of joy, and sometimes noise. I am enjoying getting to know him.<br /> A new son-in-law arrived in October. Our oldest daughter was married in October. It was a fun wedding with a beautiful bride. Very proud of her for doing it right and waiting for the one God had for her. I am blessed with 2 great sons-in-law and a great daughter-in-law.<br /> Found out that grandchild #8 is on the way and she is scheduled to arrive in early February to our youngest daughter and son-in-law. She will be their 3rd. I feel the need to reveal that their son is fervently praying that the baby will be a boy. In the face of scientific evidence he said "but Jesus can change that if he wants to, can't he?". Gotta love that kind of faith.<br /> My volleyball team had a very good season and after graduating 6 very good seniors last year no one outside of our team expected much from us this year. They were a real joy to coach.<br /> We had a great outdoor baptism service with our church this summer. Great testimonies and wonderful time of fellowship with our picnic that followed.<br /> A new prayer group started. The focus of this group is praying for our local schools. I am very encouraged by this group. One reason I am excited is that someone else asked to start the group. They approached my wife and asked if we would help get the group going.<br /> Jody and I celebrated our 36th wedding anniversary this year. I love her more today than the day I married her. <br /><br /><br />I will add some more things in the next few days. Hope you some great things to reflect on from 2011.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-4638778846360024632?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-78618580714104786932011-12-27T10:01:00.000-05:002011-12-27T10:01:51.115-05:00Since yesterday was considered a holiday and I was out of town enjoying Christmas with all my kids and grandkids I will do my musings today. Christmas was wonderful. Our grandkids, and their parents, came to our house for a couple of days before Christmas, then all of us went to my son and daughter in law's for Christmas evening and Monday. We had a great time playing games, laughing, exchanging gifts, enjoying each other's company and eating. This was the first Christmas for our adopted grandson and our new son in law. Both survived relatively unscathed. We didn't allow the new son in law to see us at our uncut best until after he said "I do". Too late to change your mind now, you are one of us.<br /><br />I enjoyed worship so much on Christmas morning. The atmosphere was great. People responded well, they hung around a long time sharing with each other after worship, attendance was decent, and best of all there were several who commitments to Christ. Now that is a very merry Christmas.<br /><br />Sunday was the last of the series on the names of Christ from Isaiah 9:6. The focus this week was on the Mighty God. I got a little fired up while preaching this one. What a great realization the God is Mighty. He is Mighty to save. In Luke 2:11 the shepherds were told that "a Savior" had been born for them and all the people. In John 3:16 we are told that God gave his one and only son that we might be saved. Christ is mighty to save, we need to confess, accept and live this out. Christ is Mighty to sanctify as well. I Thessalonians 5:23-24. He sent the Holy Spirit to be our comforter, guide, strength and sanctifier. You must confess, surrender and continue to live this each day. The surrender is ours, the strength to live it is His. The surrender must be sacrificial. This cannot be casual. It is a total giving of all we are and all we have and all we will have to Christ for his will. This is nearly always something that we realize the need for when we try to conquer struggles in our life and realize we are incapable of doing in our own strength and wisdom. It is often called a crisis moment, I don't really care what you call it, I just want see believers take this step of maturity and growth. Christ is mighty to sustain us in all areas of our life. He will finish his will, he will guide you and he will give you the courage to persevere. God is still God, no matter what you are facing. Christ is mighty to share. He shared his all with us, we are called to share him with our world.<br /><br />What are doing with Jesus? Are you still trying to live in your own might? What will you do next?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-7861858071410478693?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-24887993105255162792011-12-19T16:29:00.000-05:002011-12-19T16:29:13.298-05:00Yesterday was an outstanding day. Last night was our annual Dessert Theatre. We have a musical progam, usually with drama, the place is decorated up in extra ways and there are tons (at least it seems like it) of delicious desserts for all to enjoy. This year our children did a Christmas musical entitled Joyland. The 49 children involved did a great job. We had nearly a full house and people had a great time. The pastoral staff, spouses and fiance' provided breakfast for the church as our Christmas gift to the church body. Everyone seemed to have a great time. Our attendance in worship was outstanding as well. The only negative on the day was that the giving was the lowest it has been in many weeks. Overall it was a memorable day with many good contacts, great fellowship and most importantly the "good news of great great joy" was presented to many people.<br /><br />The message was number three on the names and roles of Jesus from Isaiah 9:6. This week we examined the name and role of "Everlasting Father". This can be a difficult one for many people because their relationship with their earthly father is not great. We are in a crisis mode in our country in the area of fathers, because too many of them are either absent physically or do not have a healthy relationship with their children. This often creates struggles for people in their relationship with Christ. Scott J. Larson has written "A whole new mission field has developed in America: Fathering fatherless kids." I don't think churches, or followers of Christ, are doing much in this mission field.<br /><br />When it comes to the Everlasting Father remember: many things are temporary God is eternal. How many things in your life have been around for 5 years, or 10, 25 or more? God is still God and he is eternal. Remember Dad is not leaving, he is the Everlasting Father. Look at Joshua 1:5, Deuteronomy 31:5 and Hebrews 13:5. With all of the planned obsolescence (are you impressed that I have know that word?) in our society it is awesome to know that God is still God and he is sticking around. He is not leaving you, he is not forsaking you. He is everlasting and available to you. Remember his love is everlasting. His love is not conditional, partial or temporary. Remember, his plan for you is eternal. He created you and has plans for you and he is not looking to replace you. He desires to spend eternity with you. Remember, he desires to be Dad. A close, intimate, personal and loving relationship with you. Not a distant, disappearing or uncaring person, but your Dad. The one who comforts, protects, confronts, cares, motivates and loves you. Becoming a father (for us humans) is biological, but becoming a Dad is relational. The Everlasting Father desires to be Dad.<br /><br />How is your relationship with the Everlasting Father? Are you allowing him to have that role in your life? Are you doing anything for the fatherless around you?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-2488799310525516279?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-87918282523128246582011-12-17T14:03:00.000-05:002011-12-17T14:03:01.252-05:00This week has been a long and difficult one. I was gone Friday afternoon until Sunday morning. I was with 4 great college friends for our annual weekend get together. It was a great time as usual, I got up early Sunday and drove back home for Sunday's worship. I learned of the death of a 41 who was the father of a couple of former teens and then a couple of other happenings that were not good. Then on Monday I drove a couple of hours to attend the funeral of a 29 year wife and mother of 2 toddlers. She was my youngest daughter's best friend while I pastored in that town some years ago. She was at our house often and my daughter was at her house often. Her parents were great workers in the church. I just knew it was one I needed to attend. The service was how a believer's service should be, but it was still difficult and I am brokenhearted for her parents, grandparents, husband and children. Then on Wednesday I attended the visitation for the 41 year old Dad and tried to express comfort his teenage children. This was not an easy week, I guess that contributed to me not posting anything about Sunday until now.<br /><br />Sunday was a difficult (as stated above) but good day. I continued the Christmas series on the names of Christ from Isaiah 9:6. This week we looked at the name, and role of, Prince of Peace. The Prince of Peace relieves fears. In Luke 1:29-30 the angel said to Mary "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God." There are well over 300 times in scripture that we are told to not be afraid or fear not. The name and role of Prince of Peace is so powerful and very much needed by all of us. Relieving fears doesn't mean that Christ will always take away what prompted our fears, but he will relieve us of the fear. If we allow him to he will relieve our fear. The Prince of Peace gives us a source of courage. The Prince of Peace gives us the ability to shine through the chaos. Think about this, light has its greatest impact in the darkest times. When things are bright light doesn't stand out, it is in the dark that light has it's greatest attraction. The Prince of Peace will comfort and carry you when needed. Great confidence should come with this knowledge. Too often we want to be comforted and carried even when we don't need it. Remember, we need to be confronted at times and comforted at others. A problem exists when we get those confused. The Prince of Peace should be shared with others. This is not someone for us to keep to ourselves. The declaration from the angels to the shepherds in Luke 2 was "good news of great joy will be for all the people." Notice it is for "all the people" which means we are to share this information and experience. This peace, and certainly the Prince of Peace, is not to be hoarded, but shared.<br /><br />Do you recognize the Prince of Peace? Do you live in the knowledge that you have him available to you? Do you regularly share this knowledge with others?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-8791828252312824658?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-10052574300979271402011-12-07T18:00:00.000-05:002011-12-07T18:00:20.406-05:00It has been a hectic few days. We discovered a lot of water in our basement on Friday. Evidently a main drain tile that goes right by our home clogged and then broke. With all the rain we have had recently the ground was saturated and had to go somewhere, it was literally coming up through the floor in a few places. Our neighbor got it worse than we did. Spent several hours on Friday and Saturday getting the water out, getting any loose rugs out and then shopvaccing it out of the carpet and pad in the other areas. One of our young moms from church and our small group helped us for quite a while on Friday. By Sunday it was obvious that the carpet and pad were ruined. So on Monday 3 guys helped me move everything, then get the carpet up and out and then all of the padding. It was then obvious that all the carpet tack strips were ruined as well as all of the baseboard wooden trim. So I kind of forgot to post my Monday Musings on Monday.<br /><br />Sunday was a good day, in spite of our basement issues. Began a Christmas series of messages on the names of Jesus. Took part in a special tree lighting service in our town sponsored by Hospice. It is to honor and remember loved ones who have died. Our small group met at the church since the kids couldn't play in the basement and the smell wasn't the greatest from all the water.<br /><br />Worship went well even though the band was missing a guitar and bass. Attendance was good in spite of many, many people being out with illness. The series is focusing on Isaiah 9:6 and Luke 1 and 2. Looking mainly, but not exclusively, at the names given in Isaiah 9:6. This week we looked at "Wonderful Counselor". The Hebrew word translated wonderful comes from a word meaning miraculous. I love that picture of Jesus as our "miraculous counselor". Isn't that cool? One author said that the Bible gives 256 names to the Lord. I haven't gone through and counted to fact check that stat, but I know the names are given to represent His different roles. In the iconic Christmas movie, "A Wonderful Life" Clarence (George Bailey's guardian angel) says to George: "Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives and when he isn't around, he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?" No life has impacted our world as much as Jesus has. What is missing if He is not in your life? Who is this Wonderful Counselor?<br /><br />The Wonderful Counselor is the one who guides. He guides through the Word. We often miss this guidance because we don't read the Bible and therefore don't know his guidance. He guides through the Holy Spirit. He guides by the example of how he lived when he walked the earth. The Wonderful Counselor is the one who cares. I mean really cares. This care results in compassion. A feeling that impacts not just the emotions but one's actions. He cares and feels what you go through. The Wonderful Counselor is the one who understands. He listens, he knows and he understands what you are going through. Being understood is a powerful thing. The Wonderful Counselor is the one who intercedes. Look at Hebrews 7:25; Romans 8:26 and Isaiah 53:12. He stands in your place, as he did on the cross. He stands between you and temptation. He goes before you. He translates what you try to say into what you mean as you pray. The Wonderful Counselor is the one to follow.<br /><br />Not having the Wonderful Counselor in your life would leave "an awful hole" wouldn't it? Are you trying to fulfill the Wonderful Counselor's roles yourself? How is that working for you? How as the Wonderful Counselor impacted your life? Are you sharing the Wonderful Counselor with those around you so they are impacted by him as well?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-1005257430097927140?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-85211752057046789572011-11-28T11:19:00.000-05:002011-11-28T11:19:48.869-05:00Yesterday was another very good day. We had a good time in worship and our attendance was outstanding. We had a carryin dinner after worship and then a wedding shower for a couple who is getting married on New Year's Eve. Then a couple of hours after that we began the decorating of the church and we had so many people come and help and the place is looking great. It was a long day, especially when I was battling a nasty cold, but it was a very good day.<br /><br />I concluded, at least I think I concluded, the series of messages entitled "Not A Fan". It has been a very good series. I have been challenged so much in my study for this series and am extremely burdened for the people in our church to move from fans to followers of Christ in all areas of their lives.<br /><br />This week we looked further into the meaning of being a follower of Christ and that to be a follower means that we follow 'no matter what'. We must be careful not to exchange personal interests for the sake of following Christ. Luke 9:23-24 has been our foundation in this series and we also examined Luke 9:57-62 and Psalms 106:19-20. To follow Jesus to do whatever he asks means that Jesus has top priority. Jesus is not looking for those with divided loyalties. What is dividing your attention with Jesus? This means letting go of everything else. Our total focus is to be Jesus and we can't do that if we are still gripping other things. What do you need to let go of so that you can hold onto Jesus? This means being exclusive with Jesus. No flirting with anything else. This means focusing forward. It is difficult to go forward while staring backward. <br /><br />To really follow we must accept Christ's forgiveness. Jesus has invited you to follow with full knowledge of your past. Why are you still hung up on your past? Let God change you. Maybe the number one reason people have given me through the years for not following accepting Jesus has been that they want to clean themselves up first. They want to fix themselves then they will accept and follow Jesus. They are believing the lie that you must clean up your act before you can follow Jesus. Jesus has invited you to follow just as you are and then he will cleanse you and mold you into his image.<br /><br />To follow means taking some action. Following is not passive, it is active. Following is not a spectating it is acting. It is not enough to think about it, learn about it and sing about it, you must actually follow with your life. Why not now? What are you waiting on? What are you still trying to understand? What are you still trying to fix. Why not now?<br /><br />Fan or follower? Which one describes you today?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-8521175205704678957?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-9307804043293521862011-11-21T12:08:00.000-05:002011-11-21T12:08:49.576-05:00Yesterday was a difficult day with many good parts in it. The biggest difficult thing was that I did not feel good at all. Started feeling it on Thursday and just kept getting worse. Some kind of cold, or something, that sapped my energy and really attacked my throat. Since I speak on Sundays this made for a difficult day and I had a funeral Sunday afternoon as well. So I went from Sunday School to Worship to the Funeral to our small group that evening. By the time those were all finished there was little voice left. Another difficult thing is that we were having some sound issues while I was preaching and that is always annoying and distracting. There were many good things in the day as well. Some great conversations. I love our small group. A lot of people stepped up and ministered to the family through the funeral and funeral dinner. We had the best attendance we have had in a while and I heard from some people about how they are applying lessons from recent messages.<br /><br />Yesterday's message was number 6 in the series "Not A Fan". I think it is the next to last message in the series, but you never know it could be extended. We were in our foundation scripture Luke 9:23-24 and this week we were also in Luke 9:57-62. The focus this week on the act of following. Every week of this series has been about moving from being a fan of Christ to being a follower, but this week we looked the act of following. Often we agree with things intellectually and even emotionally but we act on the issue. We looked at two aspects of following. In Luke 9:57 someone told Jesus "I will follow you wherever you go." That is an awesome statement. But it can be a boast too many times instead of a truth. So the question to those who say "I will follow wherever ..." is okay how about over there? In other words let's get specific. We can boast of following until it becomes personal and specific. I will follow Jesus anywhere, doesn't mean much until I follow him somewhere. For many this statement as an exception attached. What we really mean is I will follow Jesus anywhere except ... Where is your exception? How about at work? Or at school? What about at home? What about to a foreign country or another state? Following Jesus means going where he goes, wherever he goes. <br /><br />This requires you to surrender everything. Not some, not just what is convenient and just surrendering things you don't really want anyway. It means your most prized possession, your best abilities and even your place to live. To follow Jesus wherever means saying no to somethings so you can say yes to Jesus. What would you need to say no to in order to follow Jesus? Living close to your family? Or having a newer vehicle? Or having name brand clothes? Or being able to be with family at holidays? <br /><br />The idea of following Jesus closely is captured well in an old Jewish blessing. It is a blessing that would be given to students of a Rabbi. It said "May you be covered in his dust." I love that picture. Following close enough to have the dust they create cover you. I think that is the picture in Acts 4 when others saw the courage of Peter and John and realized "they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus." Jesus was all over Peter and John. I want to live so that people see Jesus all over me.<br /><br />We need to be willing to follow Jesus wherever and whenever. So how about now? Will you follow him now? Many people feel good about their current fan relationship with Jesus because one day they intend to go all in for Christ. Just not now, or I will after ... What is you "not now because"?<br /><br />Are you following? Now? Everywhere?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-930780404329352186?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-67258250860919441982011-11-14T10:51:00.000-05:002011-11-14T10:51:01.387-05:00It has been a while since I got this done on a Monday morning. Yesterday was of special note because it marked our 6th year anniversary in this church, so we have begun our 7th year. It was a good day.<br /><br />The message was #5 in the series "Not A Fan". The focus was on Christ's call, in Luke 9:23-24, to "take up his cross daily". If this were a marketing strategy it would not be a very good one. Most marketing strategies focus more on comfort, this call is for anything but comfort. Those who heard Jesus make this call had a much different understanding of the cross than we do today. They knew it as a Roman method of execution that was despised. They understood that the cross represented humiliation. For us we need to be reminded that we are called to humbly follow Christ, making nothing of ourselves. They understood the cross represented suffering. There is no comfortable way to carry a cross. Vance Havner said, "We need men of the cross, with the message of the cross, bearing the marks of the cross." They understood that the cross represented death. Death of ourselves, the end of us and the beginning of Christ living in you.<br /><br />Jesus' slogan could be come and die. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, "The figure of the Crucified invalidates all thought which takes success for its standard." Being call to carry the cross is not a feel good image. We have dressed up the cross, we have made it stylish in jewelry and stained glass, but the cross of Christ is not stylish. George MacLeod said, "Jesus was crucified, not in a cathedral between two candles, but on a cross between two thieves." We are by nature comfort seekers. This is the opposite of a cross bearer. Kyle Idleman says we have developed a "Snuggie Theology". This is a comfort seeking, it must feel good if it is God's will type of theology. This is opposite of Christ's call and example.<br /><br />Through my 28+ years of ministry I have done many funerals, I have been by bedsides as some have taken their last breath and this has given me a unique understanding of death and it's impact. This sounds odd, but I have noticed that the dead don't seem concerned with style, or status or what others think. When you lose your life your priorities certainly change. Christ has called us to give our life for him, in surrender and sacrifice. So we should live without the concerns that seem to weigh down so many people in our society.<br /><br />Dying to self and surrendering your life to Christ leads to discovering true life. It seems to be backwards but it is true. We are all carrying something. For some you are already answering Christ's call and carrying the cross as you follow him. Some are carrying hurts, some are carrying fears, some are carrying your own sins, some are carrying your stuff and dreams. To be able to carry the cross you must lay down the other stuff. You cannot carry all of your stuff and the cross. To carry the cross you must let go of all the other stuff. What are you carrying? Are you willing to pick up the cross? Will you let go of all your stuff? <br /><br />Are you a fan, or a follower?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-6725825086091944198?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-56005180158784421542011-11-09T10:21:00.000-05:002011-11-09T10:21:48.891-05:00Sunday was a very good day. We had a spirit in worship. We had people responding to the message and prayer around the altar. We had good attendance. We had a good small group on Sunday evening. It was a very good day. I am very encouraged by the words I am hearing and the actions I am seeing from people as they wrestle with the question of whether they are a fan or a follower of Christ?<br /><br />This week was message #4 in the series "Not A Fan" from Luke 9:23-24. This week we examined the fact that to be a follower of Christ you must deny yourself. This goes against the teaching and example of our culture. I knew someone who weighed about twice what they should who told me "I would do anything to lose weight, except eat less." A lot of people attempt to follow Jesus in the same way. They say they will do anything, give up anything, to follow Jesus "except..." What is your except?<br /><br />Matthew 19:16-22 tells of a rich young man who desired to follow Jesus until Jesus asked him to give everything up. Verse 22 is one of saddest in all of scripture, "When he heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth." Contrast that with Matthew 13:44 and the man who got rid of everything to gain a great treasure, it is says "in his joy he went and sold all he had". The one who kept what he had was sad and the one who gave it up was joyful.<br /><br />Denying self requires obedience to God's Word and will. Complete obedience, not 'I will except ...' type of obedience. Where are you trying to make an exception in your obedience to Christ? Denying self requires sacrifice and surrender. The rich young man was faced with the choice of keeping his stuff or following Jesus. To follow Jesus will require you to walk away from a different path. One of the clearest testimonies of your commitment to Christ is when you sacrificially deny yourself.<br /><br />There are no exceptions to this denial of self. Fans will try to follow Jesus without denying themselves anything. They will compartmentalize areas in their life. As Kyle Idleman said, "Jesus doesn't give us the option of selective commitment." You are either committed to him or you are not.<br /><br />The Bible describes a follower as a slave. Note what that means. A slave has no possessions, they all belong to the owner or master. A slave has no rights, the master has them all. A slave has on personal identity, their identity is in the master. Following Jesus means he is your master and Lord. Your identity is not in your name, your family, your employment or possessions. Rather your identity is in Christ.<br /><br />Calling Jesus Lord requires you to be his slave/servant. This is a choice to deny self and serve completely at the discretion of your Lord. That is a great definition of a follower.<br /><br />Are you denying yourself anything? Are you a fan, or a follower?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-5600518015878442154?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-16614591548675720732011-11-03T10:14:00.000-04:002011-11-03T10:14:34.522-04:00Wow, is it Thursday already? I guess I am a bit behind this week. Sunday was a good day. I was not feeling good at all, it hit me about 5 or 6 on Saturday evening. Dizzy and a crazy headache with some stomach issues. Went to bed before 8. Made it through the morning with God's help and then crashed for the rest of the day.<br /><br />Picked back up with the series "Not A Fan" after a Sunday off (see previous post). This was message #3 in the series. The focus was on Jesus' call for us to "come after me" in Luke 9:23. The call for a passionate pursuit of our relationship with Christ. The passionate pursuit of an intimate relationship with Christ. Passionate pursuit of someone we love will lead to do some crazy things, think of some of the crazy things you have done in the past while pursuing someone you love. Do you have any crazy stories of your pursuit of following Jesus? We should have many of them if we are truly followers of his. Things that look crazy to the fans who are not really following.<br /><br />This type of pursuit means intimacy. Not a casual relationship. Not a weekend only thing, but a day by day, moment by moment, with each breath type of relationship. That is what Jesus was saying when he said "come after me". Count Nikolaus von Zinzendorf described his pursuit of Christ this way, "I have but one passion; it is He, He only."<br /><br />This means getting carried away. Fans will never get carried away in their pursuit of Christ. Followers will do some crazy things for Christ, fans will always play it safe. We need to be mindful not to confuse familiarity with intimacy. In a continuing relationship familiarity is inescapable, while intimacy on the hand requires you to deliberately seek it and work for it. Familiarity can produce some comfort and ease, Intimacy seeks for deep understanding.<br /><br />This means going all in. Fans worry that if they go all in for Christ they may miss out on something else. Fans want pleasure with the risk of pain. Fans want to cohabitate with Jesus, but they don't want to commit to him with their lives. Fans say they will follow as long as Christ doesn't ask too much of them. In Matthew 13:44 a man found a great treasure in a field, "then in his joy he went and sold all he had and bout that field." Notice his attitude while he gave everything he had for the treasure. The scripture says "in his joy". How joyful are you when Christ asks you for everything?<br /><br />To have this type of passion and joy, or to recapture this type of passion you need to repent of your apathy so that you can passionately pursue your relationship with Christ. If you have lost this type of passion, as evidenced by your actions not your words, then repent and begin doing what is needed to rekindle that passion. Return to your first love.<br /><br />How is your pursuit? Are you attempting to cohabitate with Christ instead of committing your life to him? Are you a fan or a follower?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-1661459154867572073?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-86097860320672181792011-10-25T10:37:00.000-04:002011-10-25T10:37:19.948-04:00My musings are different today, because I was not at my church on Sunday. My daughter oldest daughter got married on Saturday and we visited a good friends church on Sunday. It was a great weekend. The wedding went well. My daughter was beautiful. I was able to give her away to great young man who loves Jesus. I was honored to do most of the ceremony. My son began the ceremony then handed it off to me after I gave her away. Amazingly I made through the whole thing without crying. During the prayer I came close to losing it. 3 of my grandsons were ushers. 1 grandson was supposed to be a ring bearer, he made in rehearsal but not so much for the wedding. 2 granddaughters were flowergirls. The 7 year was in the height of her glory and did wonderful. The 1 and 1/2 year hesitated, went half way and then I picked her up and carried her the rest of the way while escorting my daughter down the aisle. My youngest daughter and daughter in law were bridesmaids. My already son in law sang a solo and did great. So you can see it was a family affair which is exactly what my daughter wanted.<br /><br />My challenge to the couple was from Romans 15:5-7. It was obvious early in their relationship that this would be a divided relationship. She loves Notre Dame football, he bleeds blue and gold for Michigan. She is an avid Colts fan and he says "Bear Down" for the Chicago Bears. She roots for the Pacers and he cheers for the Bulls. But the saving grace, and what helped ease him into the family is that they are both big Cubs fans. Thus my challenge was that they live with a spirit of unity in their marriage. Not in sports, but in their life. The sports are fun and sometimes more important to us than it should be, it is not vital or eternal. The unity starts with their personal relationship with Christ and must continue in their relationship with each other. I challenged them keep the big picture in mind when they have disagreements, and they will. The big picture is the relationship with Christ and their marriage for a lifetime. I challenged to have one heart and stayed united in their relationship. Voice their differences and work them out with the goal to be united. To be accepting of their differences and to work on being unified because they put the needs of the other first.<br /><br />It was a real joy to have the best position in the house as they shared their vows, exchanged rings, lit the unity candle and spoke with each other during the song. To be able to pray over them for the first time as married couple. To pronounce them husband and wife. To have the honor introducing them for the first time as Mr. and Mrs. All of these things were so much fun and a real joy. I am blessed that each of my children have married such wonderful people and they all love the Lord.<br /><br />The reception was a blast. Great times of catching up and sharing with family and friends. Getting to know my daughter's inlaws was a real blessing as well. Then on Sunday morning to attend the church of one of my former staff members. He planted the church a couple of years ago and it is doing great. To hear him preach, to see the people being reached and to sense the excitement in the place was a real treat. We spent some time with great friends and then we brought 2 grandkids home with us for a few days.<br /><br />It was a special weekend. I was reminded many times that I am blessed way beyond what I deserve.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-8609786032067218179?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-32075300446180692432011-10-17T11:20:00.000-04:002011-10-17T11:20:53.226-04:00Yesterday was another good day. Had good discussion in our Sunday School class, a good worship service and another great time with our small group Sunday evening. I had my 6 year pastoral review with the District Superintendent and church board earlier in the week and they unanimously extended our call for another 4 years. I love moving past those things.<br /><br />We had good attendance again Sunday and we even were able to record the message on video. It is very simple and the lighting isn't the best but we finally got it recorded. <br /><br />Sunday was part 2 of the series "Not A Fan". As we examine our relationship with Jesus to see if we are really a follower or just a fan. We are using Luke 9:23-24 as the foundation for the series. Last week asked some questions to define the relationship. This week we asked "who can become a follower?" Jesus answers that question in verse 23 when he says "If anyone would come after me. ..." Anyone can become a follower if they choose to follow Jesus. Anyone is welcome to become a follower. But, who is anyone? In our culture many things are advertised as being all inclusive, or available to anyone, but then you notice there is an asterisk attached to invitation. When you read the fine print you realize that it really isn't available to anyone. Jesus said anyone, and there is no asterisk attached. One way people could tell Jesus meant anyone, was by looking at who he had following him. Peter, Matthew and other were not the type of followers you would normally put on the front of your advertising brochure. In Acts 4:13 the religious elite noted that Peter and John were "unschooled, ordinary men".<br /><br />The invitation is for anyone which means there are no qualifications. No qualifications means there are no excuses. Getting rid of the barriers that keep people from following means there are no legitimate excuses. What excuse have you been hiding behind recently?<br /><br />Following Jesus is available to anyone, but it means everything. A follower will follow Jesus everywhere. Wherever he calls you to go. It may be right where you are, but a follower will go wherever he calls you to go. A follower will follow Jesus anytime. Not just when it is convenient for us, but whenever he calls. We are not to show Jesus our calendar and tell we have a little time on Thursday. We are to lay our calendar, our life, out before him and ask him fill it. A follower will follow Jesus no matter what.<br /><br />Anyone means you. Are you ready to follow? Are you willing to follow? Will you follow?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-3207530044618069243?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-88836025522637619312011-10-10T11:45:00.000-04:002011-10-10T11:45:00.820-04:00It has been a couple of weeks since I posted. I wasn't gone, just busy and get anything posted. Yesterday was a very good day. The weather was gorgeous. The spirit in worship was good. Our small group was good as usual. Attendance wasn't great but that was one of the few things that didn't go well.<br /><br />I began a new series of messages yesterday. The series entitled "Not A Fan" and that title comes directly from Kyle Idleman's outstanding book by the same title. I highly recommend the book. The series, and book, are book answering the question "Are you a fan, or a follower of Jesus?" Jesus is not, and never has been looking for fans. He wants followers. The scripture foundation is Luke 9:23-24. The message yesterday was all about defining our relationship with Jesus Christ. It was about examining our relationship with Christ to determine whether we are just fans, or if we are followers. We are defining a fan as "an enthusiastic admirer". Some characteristics of fans are that they cheer for Jesus, they wear witness wear and cross jewelry. Fans are great admirers of Jesus. Fans can find the scripture reference the pastor gives faster than most people in the worship service. Fans make donations to the cause of Christ. Fans attend church as long as it doesn't interfere with anything else they have scheduled. In our culture it is a real possibility for our church to become a place full of fans. We come, sit down and open the program. We applaud at certain times, we fill in the blanks for the sermon and sing a little and then we leave somehow thinking this was all done for us. As we leave we evaluate the sermon, the song selections and the performance of all involved and give it a grade. Then we come back and do it again the next Sunday if we attend. You need to realize the truth that Jesus has never cared about having fans. He wants followers.<br /><br />We examined 3 questions to define our relationship with Christ. 1) Why are you here? Not the philosophical question of why do we exist, but why do we attend church and claim to follow Christ? What is your honest answer? If it is because your parents are making you, then I applaud your parents. It could be to pacify your spouse, to help your business, to see your friends, or it could be to glorify Christ and worship him. In John 6 Jesus addresses some of the reasons people showed up. In verse 2 he said many followed him to see the next miracle. In verse 66 he said many left him when defined their relationship with him. Then in verses 67-69, Jesus asked the 12 if they wanted to leave also. Peter answered for the group and said that Christ had, and was, the answer and that Jesus was "Holy One of God". That is the reason to be here.<br /><br />2) Is it personal? Have you made it your own? There is a danger that you can become a fan and actually create a faith that is not your own. You can fool yourself into believing that you have faith when it is really your parents, or your spouse, or your friends, or your Pastor's faith and not your own. Look at Luke 9:23-24. They are very personal verses. Deny yourself, carry your carry, lose your life and follow Jesus to save your life. You cannot do this through someone else's faith. This is about your relationship with Christ, not someone elses.<br /><br />3) Are you all in? Being a follower of Christ requires complete commitment. Meaning you will do whatever, whenever and wherever Jesus asks. Absolute commitment is a struggle for us. We would prefer to customize our Christianity. We want to follow Jesus our way. We want to pick and choose which parts of Christ's call we will follow. That might work on Twitter, but with Jesus. Following Christ is not a multiple choice test. There is only one answer.<br /><br />Are you a fan or a follower?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-8883602552263761931?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-68988668306356374042011-09-13T09:55:00.000-04:002011-09-13T09:55:01.105-04:00(Back to the story after the Anniversary post and long break from posting.)<br /><br />We arrived in North Carolina in late July or early August (can’t quite remember which is driving me nuts). As we moved in, as I began my job and as we found a church, we discovered “we really aren’t in Kansas anymore”. One of the first evidences of that was … as I got close to our home in Greensboro, North Carolina I pulled into a Wendy’s and went to the drive through. I quickly gave my order and there was a long pause, then the voice in the box said (should be read with a heavy southern accent) “Could you repeat that please?”. We moved in and I began my job at a Building and Supply company while still applying for teaching jobs. <br /><br />We were definitely fish out of our normal waters. Our lack of accent made us stand and we were learning that there were phrases that we didn’t understand and to most people we were considered foreigners. We were adjusting to a southern summer. The heat and humidity in July and August were brutal. At work at the Building and Supply company I spent a lot of time outdoors in the lumberyard, but the worst was when semi loads of fiberglass insulation arrived and I had to unload it in that heat and humidity. I had to wear long sleeves because of the fiberglass so that made it doubly miserable.<br /><br />We were enjoying our church but even there we felt a little like foreigners with many of the people. We got very involved and worked mainly with the teens. My brother was the pastor there when we arrived and it was great to have family around. Jody was adjusting to a new culture. She was home with a toddler and was pregnant so it was not an easy adjustment. She also did not adjust to the language differences very well. I was hearing the phrases and the accents all day so I adjust rather quickly and our son sounded like a southerner in no time. We were living in a townhouse apartment with little furniture, but it had a pool which was a plus. <br /><br />Through my work I met a man who was an Assistant Superintendent at a large nearby school district. He liked me and told to call a certain man and tell him that this guy told me to call and make an appointment for an interview. I was amazed at how quickly it happened but since school had already started I didn’t hold out much hope. I was asked if I was willing to teach Special Education and coach. I had some experience from a couple of other jobs with teens with physical and mental handicaps so I said sure I was willing. A teacher quit 6 weeks into the school year, that should have been a clue to me as to how difficult that position was, and I was offered the job. I jumped at it and began my teaching career.<br /><br />My first hint at the uniqueness of the position was that my classroom did not have entrance from inside the school. You had to go outside the building to come through the door to my room. There was no plan for the subjects for the school year and I would be teaching science and math to a large group of 7th, 8th, and 9th graders with special needs in an inner city school. So I jumped in full force and starting teaching. I was excited to be teaching and got a position as the Assistant Junior Varsity boys basketball coach at the High School.<br /><br />The pay period was once a month and when I began meant that it would be 6 weeks before my first check. I continued to work at the Building and Supply place on weekends and a few evenings so we could have a little food and pay our rent. When that first check arrived we were ready to celebrate but …<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-6898866830635637404?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-29542752232807019712011-09-12T14:24:00.000-04:002011-09-12T14:24:58.207-04:00We had a great day yesterday. There was a tremendous spirit in whole worship service. I was privileged to dedicate a precious baby. We had a moving video reminder of the events from 10 years ago. We had a very good attendance. We had a fun small group meeting last night.<br /><br />The message was from Malachi 3:16-18 with focus on the part of verse 16 "A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence ...". There have been many tributes to those who lost their lives on 9/11 and many of them had a scrolling list of those who died. I reminded everyone that there are many lists in our lives. There are Christmas lists, to-do lists, honey do lists, waiting lists, call back lists, and many more. But the most important list is God's list of those who have answered his call to repentance and have accepted his forgiveness and salvation. <br /><br />The scriptures reminds that God claims his own. It is a powerful thing to be claimed. To be identified with those you love and who love you. To recognize God's call and hear him say that you are his child. These are powerful things. In this passage we see that God shares that you can identify those who belong to him because they serve the Lord. Raising your hand, filling out a card, reciting a prayer are beginning steps but service is the real mark of identity. To get on God's list we need to fear and honor the Lord, and then serve him with our lives.<br /><br />You need to realize that God is calling you, that he desire to claim you as his child and that he has a plan for you.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-2954275223280701971?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-67912435601984593222011-09-05T10:04:00.000-04:002011-09-05T10:04:28.309-04:00Yesterday was another good day. We surprisingly good attendance for Labor Day weekend, thanks mainly to one family having a mini reunion. The spirit in the service was good and the congregation seemed very engaged in the whole service. <br /><br />The sermon was from Romans 5:20-6:4 and asked the question "Where is the increase?" According to this scripture you have two choices for something to increase in your life, sin or grace. Which do suppose God wants to see increase in your life?<br /><br />Sin is missing the mark, missing the goal that God has laid out for you, it is living for self instead of by God' Word and Will. This is obviously not God's desire. But there are those who would use the logic that God loves to forgive and man loves to sin so to make God happy we should sin more so God will be happy. Lousy logic and certainly against scripture. Evidently some were asking the question of Paul. His answer, "by no means!", he answered with emphasis.<br /><br />Grace, we cannot produce grace, this comes from God to us. It is unmerited , we don't deserve it and can't earn it. G.W. Knight said, "When a person works an eight-hour day and receives a fair day's pay for his time, that is a wage. When a person competes withan an opponent and receives a trophy for his performance, that is a prize. When a person receives appropriate recognition for his long service or high achievements, that is an award. But when a person is not capable of earning a wage, can win no prize, and deserves no award -- yet receives such a gift anyway -- that is a good picture of God's unmerited favor. This is what we mean when we talk about the grace of God." To have grace increase in our life means dying to sin and self. A crucifying of ourselves and our sin, a choice you must make for yourself. It means living in grace through the power of the Holy Spirit. This is not possible on our own power. This means living according to God's Word. Not our word, but God's Word must be our guide. Not what feels good to us, but what is right according to God's Word. This means living a new life. Accepting God's forgiveness and salvation means we need to live differently, a new life as Romans 6:4 says. It is a contradiction to claim to accept and follow Christ and then live as you did before you followed Christ. We are to live for Christ not for self, which means we differently once we choose to follow Christ.<br /><br />What is increasing in your life? What needs to increase?<br /><br />Here's hoping you have a terrific holiday. Enjoy some rest, some special time with Christ, some family time and something off the grill.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-6791243560198459322?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-34737425952609381532011-08-30T16:32:00.000-04:002011-08-30T16:32:15.430-04:00Sunday was a very good day. Our new Associate Pastor began his ministry with us and he was put right to work as a drummer in worship and helping with the Baptism service in the afternoon. We had good spirit in our worship. There was 1 at the altar. Our annual outdoor Baptism service went very well in the afternoon. We had decent attendance, especially considering that we were just over a week away from school starting.<br /><br />The message was the final (at least I think it was the final one) in the series "Why This Waste?" from Matthew 26:6-13. The key question this week was "What breaks you?". That answer to that question is important because you must be broken in order to pour out everything for Christ. When are broken there is nothing to be held back, we pour it all out for Christ. There is the breaking that takes place from our own wrong choices, from the poor choices of others that impact us and there is the breaking that comes from God. Psalm 51:17, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God you will not despise." Brokenness makes pouring much more likely. Too often we want to just sprinkle ourselves out for Christ. A little here, a little there and we want to control where we go and how we are used by Christ. Brokenness makes refunds impossible. You have seen the signs in stores "You break it you bought it", it is similar with Christ. If you allow yourself to be broken for Christ you have bought in completely. If you give all of yourself, if you are really poured out, there is no chance for a refund and nothing can be held in reserve. What are you holding back in your service for Christ? This type of broken living is impossible to ignore. In verse 13 of Matthew 26 Jesus said, "...wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told..." John 12:3 tells about this incident "...And the house was filled with the fragrance...". Everyone who was near were aware of what she had done for Christ. Pouring yourself out for Christ in brokenness will have an eternal impact.<br /><br />Are you being poured out for Christ? If not, why not? Will you allow yourself to be broken so you can be used for Christ?<br /><br />Our Baptism service was so good. Three were baptized, they shared their story and followed Christ in baptism. We had a lot of people in attendance. The weather was perfect. The picnic after the baptisms was great, people hang around for a couple of hours talking and eating. Kids were swimming and there was even a fishing pole that made an appearance. It was a very good day.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-3473742595260938153?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-7283868463503162692011-08-27T07:37:00.000-04:002011-08-27T07:37:02.224-04:00What do you wish wasn’t true in your life? Is it something about someone else? Then pray about what you can do to help them or about the situation without condemning. Then pray for them. Pray that God would bless them, that he would show himself in a powerful way to them and that they would be obedient to God’s will. Is it something about you? Then pray about your choices. Do something different to change it if possible. If it is something from your past then recognize the forgiveness Jesus has already offered you. Believe he forgives and live in this forgiveness. Then use the experience to help someone else. Remember, God never wastes a hurt. <br />We must be careful not to spend too much time, focus and energy on this aspect of life. The issue to understand what we can, and often should, do about things we wish weren’t true. There is so much we can do to make changes in us and the world around us. But sitting around bemoaning what we wish was not true is not beneficial to anyone and will only make you and those around you feel miserable. Evaluate honestly and then constructively make changes that God shows you in his Word and through prayer.<br />Let’s move forward and let God work in and through us to change us and our world.<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-728386846350316269?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-3491784544812682062011-08-23T07:47:00.001-04:002011-08-23T07:48:41.829-04:00Sunday was another good day. The spirit in our worship was very good, some youth coming on their own, a good time in small group and a fun surprise for a couple's 25th wedding anniversary. Also, the vote was very strong for us to purchase a second parsonage for our youth pastor, so we are getting a phenomenal deal after looking for 3 years. Our new Associate Pastor will arrive this week and be on the job next Sunday.<br /><br />Sunday was the 5th sermon in the series "Why This Waste?" from Matthew 26:6-13. The key question this week was "What offends/upsets you?" When the woman poured out the expensive perfume on Jesus others (the disciples) were upset and offended at what she did. It illustrates the old Ben Franklin quote, "Anger is never without a reason, but seldom a good one." In my 28+ years of ministry I have heard some interesting tales of what upsets people. Your answer to this question shows your priorities. After all you are not likely to get too upset at anything that isn't important to you. Does what you get upset at reflect what you claim are your highest priorities? The reason behind what you get upset is important to understand as well.<br /><br />We need to follow Jesus' lead in this area. What upset Jesus? Look back through scripture and see what Jesus got upset about, that would include what he cried over. Does your answer to the question match what upset Jesus? We need to re-evaluate what we are sensitive about. One study says "90% of the friction of daily life is caused by the wrong tone of voice." A lady came to Billy Sunday to rationalize her angry outbursts. "There's nothing wrong with losing my temper, I blow up and then it's all over." Billy Sunday replied, "So does a shotgun, and look at the damage it leaves behind." The spotlight in this area is that we need to show the world Jesus in this matter, they don't need to see anymore selfish actions by those who claim to follow Christ.<br /><br />What offends/upsets you? What are you sensitive about? Are these in line with the actions of Jesus?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-349178454481268206?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-74277936854884846382011-08-15T12:35:00.000-04:002011-08-15T12:35:19.179-04:00Yesterday was another good day. God is doing some great things in the lives of a few people and I am excited to see what will happen next. We had a good spirit in our whole worship service, there were a couple of people at the altar really seeking God's will, our small group had a great time of sharing, we have more new people attending and our new Associate begins in 2 weeks. Our attendance was not good yesterday but it wasn't terrible.<br /><br />I continued the series "Why This Waste?" from Matthew 26:6-13. The key was that you need to choose who you will please. Which means the key question is "Who are choosing to please with your life?" This matters because this choice will impact your actions. Who you feel the need to please will greatly influence what you do and what you don't do. Are you living to please Christ or others? In this passage the woman was solely focused on Christ. We need to follow this pattern. Her actions were for Christ. She obviously was not focused on what others would think of what she was doing for Christ. If she had been worried about the other people's reaction she would have sprinkled a little and watched the reaction. Instead she poured it all out. We all must realize that you cannot please everyone. This doesn't mean you should try to make others mad, or that you should be concerned with the feelings of others. It means that you focus on Christ and his will and let him care for you no matter what others think. Live with the knowledge that pleasing Christ will have eternal impact. Too often we choose to go for the momentary impact. The impact that matters most is what will be eternal. Look at Jesus' statement about her actions. He said that she did will told wherever the gospel shared. That is a pretty big impact and that makes a difference in eternity. If we obey Jesus' call we will please Christ.<br /><br />Whose reaction are you most concerned with? Are you focusing on Christ's pleasure or pleasing others? Look at your actions and ask who you are trying to please by what you are doing? You might be surprised by the answers.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-7427793685488484638?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-34900560119692479682011-08-13T17:09:00.000-04:002011-08-13T17:09:17.591-04:00Who are you trying to please? This is a great question. Don't answer it too quickly. Think through your personal relationships, your work, your friends, your family, your neighbors and especially your relationship with Christ. In those areas and relationships, who are you trying to please?<br /><br />This question is a key to my sermon for tomorrow morning. This is another message in the series "Why This Waste?" from Matthew 26:6-13.<br /><br />The answer to this question, 'Who are you trying to please?', impacts how you live. It impacts your actions in each of the above areas and relationships. You really need to be aware of who you are trying to please.<br /><br />Join us tomorrow morning at The Naz in Morenci. Worship begins at 10:30 am. It will be uplifting, challenging, fun, thought provoking and relevant. The coffee will be ready and casual is always the norm.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-3490056011969247968?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-26065701980867681732011-08-11T10:57:00.000-04:002011-08-11T10:57:15.118-04:00Yesterday was the beginning of another volleyball season. It is my 4th as varsity coach at our local high school following 1 year as the JV coach. It is has been a wild and fun ride so far. I have enjoyed it tremendously and love working super youth who work really hard. They crack me up often and they frustrate often as well. I have learned a lot in the few years. This will be a really different season this year. Last year 6 Senior graduated who were freshmen my first season. Yesterday was the first time I have coached without any of those 6 playing for me. It seemed a little odd. They will be missed, but I am really excited for this season. We have a lot of adjusting to do in many people playing different roles this year. But that is the fun of coaching, trying to figure all of that out and get them to believe and work together. <br /><br />I am really looking forward to this year and if our first practice was any indication this is a group that really wants to learn, to work hard and play together as a team. I was encouraged by much of what I saw. It may be a little rocky at the beginning as we all adjust to the changes and the fact that 2 players are currently out with illness and injury. One will be back in 2 weeks, we hope, and the other not for another 6 weeks it appears. So we will dig in and work really hard in the mean time.<br /><br />This is a very busy time of the year for me as volleyball begins and we head into fall programming at church. Also, I have a new Associate who will begin at the end of August. It is a time of year where most days start earlier and end later than normal. Well, I am not sure about that because I am not sure what normal is, outside of a setting on a clothes dryer that is.<br /><br />So here is to busy schedules, here is to new roles, here is to working great kids, here is to seeing God doing great things, here is to another season of life and here is to enjoying life. Here we go again...<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-2606570198086768173?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-57377802174838036052011-08-09T08:35:00.000-04:002011-08-09T08:35:34.059-04:00(I am going out of order in the Love Story because today is our 36th wedding anniversary.)<br /><br />36 years ago today I stood holding Jody’s hands and pledged my undying love for her and vowed to be her husband for life. I realize now that I didn’t have much of a clue as to what that really meant nor how much work is involved in making a marriage work and last. I don’t regret it all and am more in love with her today than I was that day in Michigan 36 years ago. <br /><br />She is the love of my life. She is more beautiful today than she even was on our wedding day and she really good that day. But the beauty today is not just physically but I see the physical beauty, the spiritual beauty and the beauty of her character. Wow! I see her through eyes filled with 36 years of memories. Not all of the memories are good moment, but that are memories of us facing everything together.<br /><br />36 years later we have 3 children, 2 wonderful kids in law and soon to be 3 kids in law. I couldn’t have hoped for anything more in my kids. We have 7 terrific grandkids, and #8 is on the way. I could never imagine the joy of being a grandparent, but I love it. I cannot adequately express my joy in the way our kids have turned out and the choices they are making. They love the Lord and are serving him. They are great people of character. They don’t mind having us around and talk with us often. I am very proud of my children, their spouses and the grandkids. <br /><br />I could not imagine 36 years where we would be today. I imagined me teaching school and coaching basketball. I would not have imagined starting in education and now having pastored for over 28 years.<br /><br />We have buried 3 parents and 2 grandparents. We have moved more times than I care to remember. We have lived in 8 states and have traveled to Kenya (we would go back in a heart beat). We have lived in apartments, a couple of trailers, a couple of parsonages and few other homes. Through it all we were together.<br /><br />So today I wish very Happy Anniversary to my bride. We are together, off on a brief getaway. I can’t wait to see what the next phase our life will be, I don’t pretend know where we will be, but I know who I will be with.<br /><br />I love you, honey.<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-5737780217483803605?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-55968638459232050772011-08-08T13:09:00.000-04:002011-08-08T13:09:57.257-04:00Yesterday was a very good day. There was a good spirit in our worship service, we had a good small group last evening, there were people at the altar and our attendance was good for the first Sunday in August. We had some spontaneous testimonies following our prayer time that were very encouraging.<br /><br />I continued the sermon series "Why This Waste?", using Matthew 26:6-13 as our foundation scripture. We looked at the fact that the actions by the woman who poured the whole jar of perfume on Jesus was considered risky or unwise by most who observed her actions. This was considered risky, but it was by the world's standards but not risky by Jesus' standards. John Gardner wrote, "One of the reasons people stop growing and learning is that they become less and less willing to risk failure." You cannot discover new oceans unless you go far enough to lose sight of the shore. It appears that she put her future at risk. This perfume was worth a year's wages, it could have been her retirement plan, or at least a major part of it. It could have helped her to be comfortable in the future. But that is not promised to us as we follow Christ, nor should it be our goal. We are called to obey not be comfortable. To obey not wait for everything to become clear to us. Ed Stetzer & Thom Rainer say, in their book "Transformational Church", that many people "try to take a 'don't rock the boat' approach. They think that if we all remain very still in the boat, it won't turn over. But it also won't go anywhere." Obeying Christ's call on your life involves risking it all. After all that is what he did and we are called to follow him. Hudson Taylor said, "Unless there is an element of risk in our exploits for God, there is no need for faith."<br /><br />It is a fact that we are called to risk it all, but we must realize that this risk for Christ is worth it. Look at the eternal reward and notice that Jesus praised the woman when she poured it all out for him. This type of risk will impact the future. What are you doing that will make a difference for eternity? A ship wrecked off the New England coast many years ago. A young member of the Coast Guard rescue crew assessed the situation and said "We can't go out. We might make it back." A grizzled old member of the guard replied, "We have to go out. We don't have to come back."<br /><br />What are you risking for Christ and his call? What are you doing to make a difference in eternity? Are you trying to stay safe in service to Christ, or are you risking it all for the sake of the call?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-5596863845923205077?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-42458815820110562712011-08-07T08:14:00.000-04:002011-08-07T08:14:00.293-04:00(I know it has been a while but the Love Story really is continuing.)<br /><br />The goal was reached, I was a college graduate. Now what? I began the process of trying to find a teaching job and that led to … a move half way across the country to North Carolina. My brother and his family were living there and told me that there were jobs available. I looked hard, filled out numerous applications and had a few interviews but there were no teaching jobs in P.E. with a business minor that I could find. After what seemed like a long period of searching we decided that we were ready for a complete change of location. So I made a solo trip to North Carolina to search for work. I didn’t find any teaching jobs but I did find a job and we decided to go for it. The job was at place called Moore’s Building and Supply, my role was mainly as a “yard dog”. That meant I did whatever was needed, including loading and unloading everything in the lumberyard that was outdoors and stocking most items that were inside. I found us an apartment and we prepared to move from Kansas to North Carolina.<br /><br />This move was not met with happiness by my in-laws, especially my mother-in-law. Not only was I taking their daughter (their baby) halfway across the country but I was taking our son, their grand child, along as well. (I must insert, now that I have 7 grandkids and have #8 on the way I understand this emotion much better. At the time I was not very sensitive to this issue. Plus we were already about 12 hours from my parents while we lived in Kansas.)<br /><br />So we packed up our few belongings that were worth moving and prepared to make a big move. Just after we made the decision to move we got some exciting and complicating news. Jody was pregnant. So we were now expecting our second child and doubts began to creep in about the wisdom of this move. But we forged ahead anyway.<br /><br />The day came for the move, with our U-haul trailer behind our car and our 2 year strapped in the back we headed east. What were we thinking?!? We were thinking that we were ready for a fresh start after the struggle of the last few years of me finishing college. As we attempted to say good bye to everyone it was a tough day. My father in law had tears in eyes as smiled, hugged us and wished us the best. My mother-in-law had tears in her eyes but couldn’t bring herself to speak to me. She hugged Jody and Todd and then we got in the car and started a whole new chapter in our lives.<br /><br />We arrived in North Carolina in late July or early August (can’t quite remember which is driving me nuts). As we moved in, as I began my job and as we found a church, we discovered “we really aren’t in Kansas anymore”. One of the first evidences of that was …<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-4245881582011056271?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-80144680125242753682011-08-06T14:59:00.000-04:002011-08-06T14:59:29.206-04:00The last few days, actually the last few weeks, I have become overwhelmed by the situations many people find themselves in and from the choices others are making. The weight of the burdens is impossible to describe. I have been a pastor long enough to know that some of what I am feeling just comes with the territory of being a pastor. But I must confess that after 28+ years of ministry I believe this is the heaviest burdens I ever recall carrying. The great news is that I serve a God who can handle anything I bring to him and that he calls me to hand my burdens over to him. My prayer life is certainly growing through all of these burdens. <br /><br />Part of the overwhelming is that Chist is really working on me about me. He is showing me areas that need refining, areas that need to be removed and areas in which I need to move into. This is exciting, scary and necessary. Again this is impacting my prayer life in a positive way.<br /><br />So I am overwhelmed but intriqued to see what God is going to do.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-8014468012524275368?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-31400377415585672172011-08-02T14:18:00.000-04:002011-08-02T14:18:19.958-04:00Sunday was a very good day in the midst of a lot of turmoil. There is, and has been, a lot going on in many people's lives. A lot of big things going on. Worship Sunday morning was intertwined with one of those big things. My wife stepped in to lead worship since our worship leader made an emergency overnight trip to see and care for adult children who had an accident. The spirit in worship was powerful right from the beginning. I am convinced it was because so many people have been in extra prayer this week for all of the big things going on, at least the ones they are aware of, and our hearts were already ready to hear from God.<br /><br />We had a very special and powerful prayer time early in our worship. We had 2 people in attendance who we had recently been praying for who had been in a coma. These were separate situations where the coma's were for entirely different reasons. It was time to rejoice, gain confidence in the power for prayer and to keep remembering them as they recover.<br /><br />Our attendance was reasonable, partly because we also had a child dedication. I love baby/child dedications.<br /><br />The sermon was #2 in the series "Why This Waste?", using Matthew 26:6-13 as the foundation. Last week we looked at "the facts" from this passage and asked everyone to examine the facts in their own life. Is Jesus present: Are you giving him your best, completely and irrevocably? Are you holding out for a refund promise in case things don't go the way you think they should?<br /><br />This week we also looked at this incident from John 12, especially the phrase in verse 3, "...and the house was filled with the fragrance...", asking what is your life filled with and what is your fragrance?<br /><br />The Filling: There must be an infilling in order to be full. What have you chosen to be filled with? We need to be filled with Christ and his Holy Spirit. You will be filled with whatever you immerse yourself in, or nothing at all. What you are filled with becomes obvious when the vessel is squeezed and especially when it is broken. What came out the last time you were squeezed or broken by circumstances.<br /><br />The Fragrance: What aroma are you sharing as you live? Is it the aroma of Christ, or the aroma of your own desires? Is it the fragrance of our loving Lord, or the smell of self? Does it attract others to Christ, or repel them from him? Is your fragrance one of service or of demand? Do you seek to serve others in the name of Jesus, or do you expect others to notice your needs and serve you? <br /><br />Remember: Pouring yourself out for Christ will often be misunderstood. Pour yourself out anyway. Great service is done and great things accomplished when ...<br /> You Care more than others think is wise;<br /> You Risk more than others think is safe;<br /> You Dream more than others think is practical and<br /> You Expect more than others think is possible.<br /><br />What are you filled with? What are you leaving behind?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-3140037741558567217?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-53114168902953303822011-07-25T21:37:00.000-04:002011-07-25T21:37:08.272-04:00Wow, I didn't realize how long it had been since I posted. I was gone for a couple of the weeks, but am back now. So here goes...<br /><br />Yesterday was a difficult day for me. A lot of little things didn't go so well as we headed into worship and then our attendance was terrible. I don't know if it was the heat or the low attendance but the atmosphere just seemed really flat. I had a really hard time getting past that atmosphere.<br /><br />Began a new sermon series yesterday from Matthew 26:6-13 and entitled "Why This Waste?" Have you ever asked that question, or heard someone else ask you that question? How would you define "waste"? Here are a few ways to define waste: an excess of something; something not being used or being used for the wrong purpose; something useful being tossed aside or ignored.<br /><br />To help lay the foundation for this series we examined the facts of the incident described in Matthew 26:6-13. The facts are Jesus was present. This is the most important fact of this situation and it is the most important fact of your life as well. Is Jesus present in your life? If not, don't worry about the rest, get connected to Jesus first, ask Him into your heart and life. Another fact is that someone poured out their best for Christ. This gift was irrevocable. She couldn't take it back once she poured it out. The vessel holding the perfume was likely broken so it could be poured out which means the vessel could no longer be used for it's previous use. The contents were given completely to Christ. Nothing was held back. Also, there was no chance for a refund from what she gave up. I think this is a reason many of us don't our all to Christ, we are looking for the promise of a refund. You know, just in case things don't go as we imgagined they would go. Jesus called the disciples and said "follow me", he didn't promise where that would lead. The last fact we examined was that this giving, actually this way of living, was mis understood. If you are only willing to serve Christ in ways that will be understood by everyone then you will not serve.<br /><br />What are the facts in your life right now? Is Jesus present in your life? Are you giving Christ your best, irrevocably and completely? Are you holding out for a refund promise in case your service for Christ doesn't go your way?<br /><br />What will you do with these facts?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-5311416890295330382?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-63439986803002927872011-07-01T20:50:00.000-04:002011-07-01T20:50:56.811-04:00On Monday my wife and I drove half way and handed 6 of our grandkids back to their parents. We had grandkids with us for a week and now we are recovering. That is why my musings didn't get posted on Monday. The next 3 days were met with one interruption after another, including a huge electrical surge that messed with all kinds of things at Church. The electrical problem took 24 hours to get fixed then we had to assess what we lost. Fortunately we "only" lost 2 A/C units. Given what could have happened and what a neighbor lost I feel fortunate. So here goes the musings, late but still coming at ya.<br /><br />We helped our attendance by having 6 grandkids with us on Sunday. Our attendance was reasonable for a late June Sunday. My message on Sunday was entitled "Do You Accept this Charge?" from I Kings 2:1-3. In the old days you would sometimes answer the phone only to hear an operator tell you that someone was calling you long distance and wanted to reverse the charges. (That seems like a really long time ago, doesn't it?) If you responded in affirmative you were accepting the call and the costs. The Charge in I Kings was of King David imparted wisdom to his son Solomon and challenging him. We all have the choice of whether to accept this charge from God's Word. First David gave Solomon a couple of reminders. First, "be strong". Not in your own strength, but in the strength of the Lord and the Holy Spirit. Also he reminded him to show yourself to be a man, a man of God. We need to live as men and women of God if we make that claim. Not the world's definition, but God's definition. Quit trying to impress the world according to their definitions and show yourself to be who God created and called you to be. <br /><br />The Charge: "Observe what the Lord your God requires". There is a right and wrong, and it is not based on how you feel. To live this way requires you to walk in God's way. Not yours, better yet, make his ways your ways and make walking in God's way your natural walk. Also, keep God's decrees, his commands, laws and requirements. This can only be done if you know God's Word, know God's ways and know God's will. If you know the Word, you will know God's ways and if you know the Word and God's ways his will become obvious for you. So, do it! It is time for us to follow Jesus. it is time to walk in his ways and quit trying to explain why our sin is the exception to God's word, ways and will. Then remember that God will be faithful to do his part. He always has been and always will be.<br /><br />What will you do with this charge? Will you accept the charge and the call that comes with it? Will you pay the price?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-6343998680300292787?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-62042929226161257082011-06-21T10:23:00.000-04:002011-06-21T10:23:08.500-04:00Sunday was Father's Day. That seems to usually be a difficult day at church and this year was for sure. Unfortunately Father's Day is usually a low attendance Sunday, this year our lowest in several weeks. Father's Day is usually a day that many people who serve don't, and this was true again. I don't get the thinking that on Father's Day let's honor Dad by doing anything but worship together. But then my Dad, Grandpa and Great Grandpa all were God first men, I have a very blessed heritage.<br /><br />Sunday was tough during singing because the atmosphere was very flat. Don't know if it was the lower attendance, or what but it was definitely off. I was touched by the words of our first song in particular as we sang that God's grace is enough. I really needed that reminder on Sunday and it helped get my mind back on track.<br /><br />The message was "What Are You Stuck On?" from Acts 27:27-44 and we gave a small can of WD-40 to all the fathers. It is easy to get stuck and we usually think of getting stuck as a negative thing. However, there are positive things on which we should be stuck. We examined how to get unstuck when we are stuck on the wrong things. First, evaluate where you are, in verses 27-29, and 39 we see that they evaluated. Of course to evaluate properly you need to know where you should be. Then you need to cut ties to the wrong people, places or things, verse 40. You cannot get to the right place while still tied to the wrong. What do you need to cut out of your life today. Then you must listen to the truth. In verses 31, and 33-36 they listened to the truth Paul had received from God.<br /><br />To get stuck where you should be also requires listening to the truth. In verses 23-26 Paul heard from God. You also need to get some strength. In this passage they ate some food as well as took in God's Word to be strengthened. For all of us we need to be in the Word, in prayer and serving to be strengthened. We also need to encourage one another. Our exercise is in our service, this is in and out of the church wherever we are at that time. Then we must run straight to God. I love how it is worded in verse 40 that after cutting the anchors loose they raised the sail and "made for the beach". Run to God and his will with as much strength as you have and God will guide and pull you as well. Then you need to jump in and go for it just like they did in verses 43-44. Where are you stuck today?<br /><br />In the afternoon I took some of our teens to our District campground for the beginning of Senior High camp. I love seeing the excitement and anticipation on the faces of kids going to camp.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-6204292922616125708?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-38547323772394657852011-06-13T00:44:00.000-04:002011-06-13T00:44:35.167-04:00It is technically monday morning, but it is 20 minutes after midnight and I haven't gone to bed yet. I have an all day event that begins early tomorrow so I am posting tonight. Today was a great day. Good friends spent Saturday evening with us and shared their story in worship today.<br /><br />My friend is 2 months past having a kidney transplant. Yesterday he shared his story with our congregation during worship. It was a powerful time and a powerful story. He shared so much more than just about his transplant. He shared how God really got a hold of him during the crisis. He was open about how he was angry with God and made some bad choices during that time. He shared how everything came crashing down on him and how his wife and children were Jesus to him during that time. He shared how the process of rebuilding his relationship with Jesus was going and how his marriage is now growing even stronger.<br /><br />At 38 years of age to be told you are in end stage kidney failure and would have to be on dialysis 12 hours a week unless he could get a kidney transplant. Imagine how difficult that news and reality would be? It took nearly 2 years to have the kidney transplant. There were several people who began testing to be a donor and failed somewhere along the process. A friend told him at the beginning of the donor search that God had told her she was going to be his donor. As it turns it she was, it just took a long time for the hospital to get around to her and then it took 6 months for her to become approved and the transplant to be scheduled.<br /><br />His is a story of playing a character of having it all together. When his facade was revealed he felt more broken than failing kidneys ever made him feel. He is now well physically thanks to a selfless sacrifice of a friend. He is now well spiritually thanks to a loving, gracious, second chance giving God. He is now well in his marriage thanks to a loving God, a spirit-filled, loving wife. He is now seeking to make a difference in this world with the second chances he has been granted.<br /><br />What are you doing with your second chances? What are you doing to make a difference in your world? What do you need to completely surrender to God? What do you need to get honest with yourself and God about?<br /><br />In the afternoon we went to the graduation open house of one of my volleyball players, those are always fun. In the evening our small group came to our house. We had a lot of laugh as we ate together. We had a good time in our Bible study and sharing together. I love our small group. It was a very good day.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-3854732377239465785?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-46189142062705466182011-06-10T11:07:00.000-04:002011-06-10T11:07:35.965-04:00This past weekend my wife and I traveled 600+ miles west to participate in one of our niece's wedding. I had the privilege of doing the wedding and my wife helped a lot with decorations and other things. As the minister for a wedding I get a unique view of everything. I get to see people's reactions and I get to see the couple's interaction up close and personal. That includes hearing comments they mutter to each other between phases of the ceremony. <br /><br />It is impossible to do the wedding of a relative and not have your mind race through past events and images. In my mind I went back to her toddler days, of times together at the lake, of seeing her as a teenager, of some birthday parties, of seeing her work at a daycare and now seeing her as a bride. What a joy to see the growth and participate in this life changing moment.<br /><br />We made through everything involved in a wedding. They are married and on their honeymoon. In a few days they will begin to adjust to their life together. The prayer is that it is a lifetime together. <br /><br />It was great to spend a little time with my Dad and stepmom. It was great to see some other relatives and old friends. It was a long trip, over 1,600 miles driven, and a couple of long days in preparation and completion of the wedding in between the travel. <br /><br />I arrived home to broken A/C units at church and a bunch of other stuff. I had a church board meeting in the evening of my first day back. Talk about hitting the ground running.<br /><br />It was great to be a part of this momentous event, it was good to be away for a little while, but I think we need some time to catch our breath from being away.<br /><br />Here's to a special couple and their new life together from their great uncle. No really I am a great uncle. Technically, because the bride is my great niece, and literally just because I am, or at least I was for a weekend.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-4618914206270546618?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-74820611843828888782011-05-31T09:06:00.000-04:002011-05-31T09:06:23.034-04:00Had a great Holiday yesterday. Slept in a little, did a lot of yard work with my beautiful wife. Went to an open house for one of our graduates. Grilled some great hamburgers. Loved the sunshine. Didn't set foot in the church building. The only thing that would have made it better was if the grandkids and kids would have been here.<br /><br />Sunday was a very good day, until the storms Sunday night. Our cable is still out, and some people's power is still out. Lots of trees down, but as far as I know no one in our community was hurt in the storm.<br /><br />Sunday we enjoyed a very good time of singing during worship. Had a great time of discussion as we looked in the God's Word in my Sunday School class. Our attendance for worship was outstanding. The message stayed with the theme "It's Not Over", although this was the last sermon with that title. We examined Romans 5:1-8 and the big thought was that no matter what you are facing it's not over because you have hope. Verses 1 and 2, tell us that we can have hope in the glory of God. When was the last time you thought about the glory of God? About just how awesome and majestic God is? Given that God loves you and gave his son for you should give you hope. We are also supposed to rejoice in this hope. What made you rejoice this past week? In Philippians 4:4 we are told to "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" We can have hope in our sufferings, in fact we are to rejoice in them. That seems counterintuitive, to rejoice when we suffer. The hope we can have in suffering is in what that suffering produces. Verses 3-4 tells us that suffering produces perseverance in us, that perseverance produces character in us and the character produces hope. How do you think about your own sufferings? When was the last time you were hopeful in your suffering? I won't even bother to ask you when you last rejoiced in your suffering, because for 98% of us the answer would be not sure that I have done this. I am encouraged to hopeful when I read verse 5 and reminded that hope does not disappoint. Hope in the Lord never disappoints. When we are disappointed in something we hoped for, it was not from the Lord. Therefore, our hope must be in the Lord, not ourselves, others or circumstances. We can be hopeful in God, in his Word and will. We can ultimately be have hope in salvation through Jesus Christ. Verses 6 through 8 remind us that he loves us and gave himself for us. That is worthy of hope!<br /><br />No matter what you are facing, no matter what you are fearing, no matter what you have endured, there is reason to hope. Jeremiah 29:11 encourages us through the words, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." So this week, if you are in any turmoil and are tempted to give up or think that it cannot, or will not change remember that you have hope!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-7482061184382888878?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-58518106988274358162011-05-23T11:02:00.000-04:002011-05-23T11:02:39.184-04:00Yesterday was an even bigger contrast of very good and no so good than last Sunday. The very good was that it was graduation day for our local high school. This class had very special meaning for me as I had been involved with coaching 6 of them in volleyball all through high school. There were several others in this class that I had gotten to know fairly well. I am very proud of them, and though I will miss them when next season and school year begin, I am excited to see what the future holds for them. We have 4 from our church who are graduating this year and they are quality young persons who will do well and make a difference in the world. We had a great time with our small group last night. I really love that group. Our worship attendance continued the run of good numbers.<br /><br />The not so good was my sermon, especially my delivery of the sermon. Wow, that may be the worst I have done in my 5 1/2 years here. To those who were in attendance and awake I apologize. I stayed with the theme of "It's Not Over", appropriate I thought given the prediction that the rapture was going to happen on Saturday and that it was the day we honored our high school graduates. We examined Matthew 17:1-8. This is where Jesus took Peter, James and John up on a mountain with him. Jesus was transfigured and Moses and Elijah appeared as well. Peter wanted to build shelters for them all and it would seem he wanted to stay on the mountain. <br /><br />In realizing that we are not done with living or our call we looked at what this passage showed us about what we are created and called to do and what we are not created or called to do. We were not created to hide from the world. It is true that we need times of retreat and refreshment, but we are not to live our life in hiding from the evil world. Why would God want to remove the light from the world? We were not created to build shelters for Christ, or try to protect him. He doesn't need our protection. We were created and called to focus on Christ first and foremost. Verse 8 says "When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus." That is the way to live. Start with Christ. Focusing on Christ will lead us to the priorities of Christ. When we do anything else we will begin to focus on us instead of him. Where is your focus? We were created and called to spend time with Christ and have our thoughts on Christ. Jesus invited Peter, James and John to join him and he is still inviting us today. We were created and called to touch and teach the world for Christ. Verse 7 says "But Jesus came and touched them, 'Get up,' he said. 'Don't be afraid.'" In Matthew 28:16-20 Jesus gave us the instructions that as we go in the world we are reach others, teaching them to obey all that Christ taught us. Our focus, our time and our thoughts are to be on Christ, which will lead us to reach the lost/world. <br /><br />Where are you living? Is it where Christ as called you? Where is your focus? Is it on Christ and his will? Who are you touching? Who are you teaching? Is it beyond yourself and your holy huddle?<br /><br />Here's hoping you do a better job of presenting Christ's truth to those around you this week than I did yesterday.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-5851810698827435816?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-32721595863128320472011-05-16T09:28:00.000-04:002011-05-16T09:28:47.718-04:00Yesterday was a mixture of good and not so good. The weather was terrible, rainy and the temperature dropped into the low 40's, it is the middle of May already. I was missing my wife who is taking care of grandchildren for a few days. My son and daughter in law got to see their son for the first time yesterday. They have their court date for the adoption tomorrow. Their first visit with him went well, I can't wait to meet him. We had a good attendance even though we were missing several mostly regular attenders. Their were a few who came to the altar in response to the message. Our small group was the lowest attendance we have ever had, but we had a great time talking and sharing. So you can see, it was a good and not so good day.<br /><br />I continued the theme we began on Easter of "It's Not Over". We looked at Romans 7:1-6. There is a statue of Christopher Columbus in Spain. One of the unique features of the statue is a lion destroying one of the Latin words that had been part of Spain's motto for centuries. The motto had been "Ne Plus Ultra", which means "No More Beyond" because they thought they had reached the ends of the earth. The Lion is tearing away the word "Ne" or "No" so that it then read "...More Beyond". That holds true for our walk with Christ, there is more beyond wherever we are today. <br /><br />In taking the next steps to go beyond where we are we need to die to sin. Die to it's habits and rules. These will hold you hostage when you don't choose to die to them. Death releases you from all of this, that is only logical but so often live as if still tied to it. We die to our self and sin so that we can belong to another, Jesus Christ. You cannot belong to another (Christ) while you are still living with someone else. Too often we try to embrace Christ and all that he has for us without letting go of our sin and our past. We try to live a new life without dying to the old life. In this death we find freedom, freedom truly comes in the release from sin. This then allows us to be filled with the Holy Spirit. There is no room for the Holy Spirit in a life that is filled with sin and self. This death to sin and self allows us to live as Christ. If we have chosen to follow Christ that means we have chosen to live like him. That means we must die to living life our way. Is your living modeled after Christ? This must be more than joining the club. In joining a club we usually only live for the club when the club meets, not all of the time. In following Christ we must live for him all the time, it must become who we are, not what we join.<br /><br />To whom do you belong? What are you embracing? Are you trying to hold onto something in addition to Christ?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-3272159586312832047?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-30192811998424259632011-05-14T19:20:00.002-04:002011-05-14T19:20:27.049-04:00The end of my college time began to come into focus and that created a choice for Jody and I. It involved a major choice for us, … the choice was to continue at the pace I was on and finish 2 more years or really load up on hours and finish in 1 more year. Complicating the decision was the fact that I was working full time, 4-12 Monday through Thursday and 8-4 on Saturdays and we had a 1 year old son. I had been taking classes 4 years and had sat out one year when our son was born. I had been taking a full load, but the minimum for full time (12 or 13 hours) and had changed majors once.<br /><br />After much talking, calculating and praying we made the decision to go for and try to finish in a year. So, that summer I took 8 or 10 hours I can’t remember for sure. Then in the fall I took 17 ½ hours, then I took 6 hours during January term (does anybody remember those?) and then in the spring I did my student teaching plus some other required teaching class. I am tired just typing this and remembering. I was a lot younger then and we made it. It was a strain physically between the classes, the studying and working 40 hours a week. It was a strain spiritually because of the fatigue and I wasn’t always wise in taking the time I needed for my relationship with Christ. It was a strain on our marriage as you can imagine for all the things I have already mentioned. We made it a priority to take advantage of any free time that I did have to spend it together. At times it was as a family and we made sure we had a few times that were just Jody and I.<br /><br />It was a long, tough year but I still think back to that year often. I grew a lot that year. To pull it off, and to reach the goal of graduating college was tremendous. Then to know that I was doing this for my son as well added to feeling of accomplishment. Jody and I took some time, talked it out, prayed and agreed to go for it knowing it would not be easy made the completion of the goal all that much sweeter.<br /><br />I don’t remember anything that was said at my graduation except that they called my name. shook my hand, congratulated me and gave me the evidence that I was a college graduate. It was great to know that Jody and I did it together, I got the degree but she was just as much a part of it as I was and I have never taken that for granted. It was also great that my parents could be there for that moment. I am sure that there were times when they doubted that I would ever get this far, especially during some trying high school times. My Dad was smiling proudly and my Mom was smiling and crying proudly as well. My son didn’t have a clue what was going on, but he did know that everyone sure seemed to be happy.<br /><br />The goal was reached, I was a college graduate. Now what? I began the process of trying to find a teaching job and that led to …<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-3019281199842425963?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-88553996983121581912011-05-12T11:16:00.000-04:002011-05-13T16:24:38.528-04:00Change seems to be the norm for us and change was soon in the air again. This time it involved …<br />Job changes for both Jody and I. She went to work at the college in an office. We found a good place for T. (our son) to go when I was in class or working. She really enjoyed this new job. I went from my job as a night time school custodian to working as a supervisor at a juvenile detention facility. My job was a lot closer, so less miles to drive and it involved working with youth. At about this time we also got a different place to live. We found a nice 2 bedroom townhouse apartment near the college. This was a very nice change from our 3 ½ room duplex and we were able to get away from the roaches also. Although we soon discover we had exchanged one critter for another, this time it was mice. But the apartment brought in an exterminator and helped with the problem. In the meantime I became quite proficient at setting and emptying mouse traps.<br /><br />My job was working with teens that were in trouble with the law and were sentenced to our facility. It was a lock-up facility that came with barbed wire topped fencing around the yard. This was one of the best things that happened to me in preparation for becoming a teacher and then later a pastor. It helped me to look past the surface a person and to see behind the curtain of who they really were and what had contributed to them being who they were and how they were acting. I came to the conclusion that a lot of people shouldn’t be parents and in fact I thought maybe people should have to pass a test before they would be allowed to have any children.<br /><br />I saw parents tell kids that they were no longer their children. I saw parents take a swing at their own kids in front of supervisors. I saw parents dump all of their kids belongings on the steps of our facility. I saw the hurt in the eyes of some tough kids when these things happened. I saw that some tough kids weren’t so tough after all. I talked with kids who thought it was okay that their dad beat them up. I saw kids who believed their parents didn’t love them or care about them. When I first started the job I had trouble sleeping because of all that I saw and heard. My I eyes are filling with tears as I type this remembering some of those faces and situations.<br /><br />Wow, I wasn’t quite ready for the emotions that just hit as I recounted that time. In many ways that job has shaped much of my life. I was a teacher and a coach (still doing that one), I was a youth pastor, I taught and coached at a college and I am now a senior pastor but am still working with teens. In my 28 years of ministry I have coached kids or teens for at least half of those years and as a senior pastor I have done some youth ministry several times over those years. That job at the juvenile detention facility has continued to motivate me to look beyond the first impression, especially of kids and teens. I pray that I am able to communicate to the teens at my church and the girls in my volleyball program that I really care about them. That no matter what else is happening in their lives they have someone who cares, who prays for them and will listen to them no matter what. I don’t think I do a very good job of that communication at times, but I keep working at it because they are worth it.<br /><br />The end of my college time began to come into focus and that created a choice for Jody and I. It involved a major choice for us, …<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-8855399698312158191?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-92032101245328715762011-05-10T10:39:00.000-04:002011-05-10T10:39:34.939-04:00Sunday was a good day. I got to celebrate another Mother's Day with my awesome wife, my youngest and her two beautiful kids were with us as well. Any day with the grandkids is a very good day. We were missing a lot of people on Sunday. We were even missing our drummer who was there to practice but got a fire call before the service started, such is the risk with volunteer fire personnel. One of our teens sang a special in song, love seeing them serving. Our attendance was not bad considering all who were gone and we had some who were back since visiting on Easter. <br /><br />I continued the theme "It's Not Over" that began on Easter. That title is especially appropriate for Mother's Day. Mothers are still mom no how old the children become or how long the distance may be between them.<br /><br />We looked at Ruth 1:1-18 and the message had application for moms but was for all of us in the example of Naomi and Ruth. There are 3 key areas that we see here in the example and that is the heart, the head and the hands. The heart is obvious in verses 9-10 and 14. The heart embraces, there is a holding on and clinging to that is desperate. There is a I won't let go of what we embrace. What are you embracing today? The heart sees the potential in someone or something. This is where "yes you can" lives. The head evaluates, see verses 11-14. An evaluation of the good and the potential harm, the evaluation can be difficult at times because of the overwhelming care that is felt for a person or project. The head chooses the path to take. There must be a combining of the head and heart, otherwise our choices will ride the roller coaster of emotions that crashes regularly. Without the heart involved in the choices we will ignore the concerns of others. In these choices prayer must be a regular choice as we embrace and evaluate. The hands represent the act, the doing, literally the living it out, you can see this clearly in verses 16-18. I don't remember my mom's thoughts, but I remember many of her actions. People will not remember you for your thoughts but for your actions. We need to think as we act but if all we do is think and plan we will have no impact on people. Too often we think it but never do it. Too often we feel it but don't move on it. I am broken lately by our lack of action. Our actions reveal our true thoughts and feelings. Words are powerful, but words without action are nothing more than a novel. They might make a great read but there is no lasting impact or change.<br /><br />What are you embracing/feeling? What are your plans? What will you do?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-9203210124532871576?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-81272321402804594632011-05-05T08:09:00.000-04:002011-05-05T08:09:55.714-04:00I woke up early this morning and couldn't go back to sleep. So I came out to the family room, prayed for several people, started the coffee, fired up the computer and now I have Mike and Mike on for my listening pleasure as well. <br /><br />*I am hopeful that we have finally turned the corner and spring is here. There is just something wrong with having your heat on in May and people bundling up to mow their lawn.<br /><br />*I am burdened to see the church be the church in working together to reach the lost and care for people.<br /><br />*I don't think I have ever had a period of ministry as confusing as this time.<br /><br />*I am blessed in more ways than I can possibly list, but I will list some...My beautiful wife of over 35 years...Children who are passionately serving the Lord and helping people...I have a place to sleep, clothes to wear, food to eat and a care to drive...6 (soon to be 7) grandchildren who bring me great joy...I get to coach some of the greatest high school girls around...I am forgiven...Grace is grace...I get to preach God's Word every week...I have a great heritage...<br /><br />*I don't understand people who claim to be followers of Christ but don't serve.<br /><br />*What's up with baseball this year? Cleveland and Kansas City lead their division, Jeter can't hit, the Dodgers can't make payroll, and Liriano throws a no hitter with a 9+ E.R.A.?<br /><br />*I am desperate to see people passionate about following Christ. <br /><br />*I am weary of casual Christians. In fact I believe the term "casual Christian" is an oxymoron.<br /><br />*I love good coffee.<br /><br />*I hear birds singing this morning, the sun is shining and I really hope I can turn off the furnace today.<br /><br />*I need to get moving into the day.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-8127232140280459463?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-14622697875805816292011-05-03T09:29:00.002-04:002011-05-03T09:29:41.578-04:00He was growing, we were learning and things were going well. So of course that meant it was time to shake things up. So we …moved 3 states away. We didn’t do this just to shake things up. The schools around us were not going to recognize more than one semester worth of my hours. That would mean adding 1 year to my college time and by working full time I was already taking a little slower path to graduation. So we moved. The thought was that I would graduate with my education degree and then go to Seminary for a Masters degree in some type of ministry. Jody’s brother and his family had moved to work at the MNU (at that time it was MANC) the previous year. So we moved out there and actually moved her parents out at the same time. I drove the truck loaded with our meager possessions and all of her parents stuff. She and her sister drove their parents big Buick and had our son as well and off we went.<br /><br />On the way the truck broke down. So U-Haul repaired it, but it added at least 3 hours to our trip so we stopped and got a couple of motel rooms. The next morning we took off and got into our new community the next afternoon. We unloaded our stuff into a little duplex that we rented sight unseen. Jody’s brother and sister in law found it for us and it fit our financial situation. There were 2 small bedrooms, a bathroom and a combined kitchen/living room. We soon discovered that we had freeloaders as well in the form of thousands of roaches. Home sweet home. We bombed the uninvited roaches out, but we battled them the whole time we lived there. I enrolled in a full load at college, got a job as night time school custodian at an elementary school and we were living the dream. Jody began to watch a couple of other children which kept her at home with our son and added a little extra money.<br /><br />Our first Christmas in our new place was probably the most depressing and one of the most memorable of our lives. At Thanksgiving we drove back to my parents and had a great time with the exception that the heater in our car went out. With a 7 month baby in the car that is a real problem. So we drove back in my Mom’s car while my Dad tried to get our heater fixed. The idea was that they would bring our car to us at Christmas and drive theirs back home. The problem was that about an hour into my parents trip out to see us at Christmas the heater went out again. Then on Christmas Eve the little wall space heater in our duplex went out. Then to top it off, we were flat broke. We bought our son 1 present for Christmas, not he noticed or remembered but it was devastating to me. We didn’t have any money to get each other a present either, we each had something vital that we needed at that time and had to purchase so we called those a present trying to fool ourselves. My parents brought some presents and Jody’s family gave some presents, but it was a tough Christmas emotionally for this young husband and father.<br /><br />As tough as that Christmas was it was also a great lesson in what really matters. Keeping Christ front and center, family and helping others are what Christmas is all about. We eventually got the heater in the car fixed. My Dad got the landlord to get our space heater fixed before Christmas morning (hey, don’t mess with grandparents who see a grandchild who might suffer). We had a nice visit with my parents, we had a good time with Jody’s family and our son enjoyed the present we got him.<br /><br />Change seems to be the norm for us and change was soon in the air again. This time it involved...<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-1462269787580581629?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-72697576368793047002011-05-02T15:45:00.000-04:002011-05-02T15:45:21.062-04:00Yesterday was a very interesting day. I realized toward the end of last week that I seem to struggle with my message every year the Sunday after Easter and I kept that tradition going this year. As expected our attendance was below Easter Sunday, but it was a reasonable number. We did have a few visitors from Easter Sunday return to worship with us, that is always encouraging. We had a very good number of teens in worship again this week, that really encourages me.<br /><br />The message was once again entitled "It's Not Over", it actually looks like this is developing into a series of messages. There was a song that was popular some years ago that had a line it that said, "this is the song that never ends" (sing along if you would like). It is possible that this is the sermon that (almost) never ends. We looked at Acts 1:7-11 and Acts 2. When Jesus rose from the grave he spent a few weeks with the disciples and other followers and this is at the end of that time. He reminded his disciples that the mission is not over, he gave them a game plan and then he was taken from them, this time by the Father. The appropriate question, then and now, is "Now What?".<br /><br />In answering this question, the first point from this passage is Don't Just Stand There. Verse 11 of Acts 1 the disciples were asked, "why do you stand here looking into the sky?". Jesus went up in the clouds and the disciples were just standing there looking up. Remember that Jesus had just given them some marching orders that matched the Great Commission from Matthew 28:18-20. Instead of getting to work on the call of Christ, they were just standing there looking up. It seems to me that too many of us are standing around. That is not what we have been called to do. Then we need to get the power. Not our own power, that is never enough for the mission Christ has given us. We need the power of the Holy Spirit that Christ promised. We need to surrender ourselves completely, give God permission to cleanse anything and everything that is not following his will and be filled with the Holy Spirit. We need to do God's will. This will is the same for all of us in the big picture, see the Great Commission. However we all have different parts of service in fulfilling this call. One body, but many parts. Lastly, we are do it boldly. Look at the disciples after receiving the power of the Holy Spirit. They did not live passively, they lived with compassionate boldness. We cannot do this in our own power and we cannot do this if we only clump together with others who believe and look like us. <br /><br />What are you doing? Whose power are you living in? What will you do now? It's not over, so let's get to it!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-7269757636879304700?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-60104138291624285912011-04-26T13:11:00.002-04:002011-04-26T13:11:35.492-04:00(Sorry it has been a while since posted about the Love Story, so for anyone who is still paying attention I apologize. I will try to keep this going more regularly.)<br /><br />The next morning dawned and I realized that I was now a father. What?! Now what? That was a brand new feeling to awaken as a father. To be honest I was feeling the glow of fatherhood but not the real pressure of being a father yet. That began to grow with each passing day and especially when Jody and our little guy came home. One of the enduring memories of that time was how I kept looking at him and remarking that “he is a little person”. I had been around babies, and even had 2 nephews, but now I was really paying attention. This was so much more than a baby, this was a whole person. This is about the time that the pressure began to build.<br /><br />With the realization that our baby was a real, whole person he was just a miniature version at the moment. That realization began to produce thoughts of providing for him and all the questions about the future. I went through this phase with each of our children, but it was most pronounced with our first.<br /><br />We went through all of the normal first time parenting stuff. Wishing the baby would sleep longer then worrying because he slept so long. Wondering what every sniffle or cough meant. We were sure that everything he did was remarkable, and it actually was because he was our child. We had to learn that to go anywhere now meant several extra minutes packing up and that a lot more space was needed for all the stuff. Jody seemed like a natural at this mothering thing. The biggest regret we had at this time was having a 2 story apartment, those steps got a workout. <br /><br />My parents lived within a half mile of us and that was cool. I just realized that this was the only time they ever lived in the same town with any of their grandkids. Several years later we lived 30 minutes away, but this was a special time for all of us. Not only did we live close, we were attending and active in the church my Dad was pastoring so they saw us, more importantly their grandson, at all the services. Now that I have had that experience for a couple of brief periods of time as a Pastor I realize how much that means.<br /><br />He was growing, we were learning and things were going well. So of course that meant it was time to shake things up. So we …<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-6010413829162428591?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-70097674434998771642011-04-25T11:39:00.000-04:002011-04-25T11:39:57.082-04:00Yesterday was a very good. Easter is always good and this one had some extra special elements to it, and one disappointing one. The first special part was doing the dedication for baby Drew. He was in ICU for 10 days or so, most of those in a coma and on a ventilator. He was in the hospital another 7 days after getting off the ventilator. He was very sick and some of the prognosis(es) were not encouraging. People really rallied in prayer and he is doing great. His doctor called it "miraculous" and one of the nurses just said "Wow!" upon seeing the turn around. This was a very few dry eyes dedication, including yours truly. I love baby dedications, but this one was extra special.<br /><br />Another special part was the conclusion of the service. While the worship team sang "Jesus Paid It All" 8 of teens and a sponsor painted a 5 panels that turned out to be Christ's blood stained face, hands and feet. The congregation was on their feet as they finished, it was a powerful moment.<br /><br />The attendance was good, it was the largest Easter attendance in my 6 Easters here. That was encouraging. In that number was a few of my former volleyball players, it was great to see them. A mother and daughter attended who said it was the first time they had ever been in a church service and are planning to come back this Sunday. That is awesome, and way to go to the person who reached out to their neighbor and invited them.<br /><br />The message was entitled "It's Not Over". I told about the Cal vs. Stanford football game that finished with a last second kick off return that won the game as the band came on the field. Everyone thought that game was over since the kick off happened with 4 seconds remaining, but it wasn't over. I told of a couple who divorced after a few years and then God got hold of his heart and his life was changed. They ended up remarrying each other and served the Lord for many years. It looked like it was over with the divorce, but it wasn't over. Then came to Christ dying on the cross and it looked like it was over, but on that first Easter he rose again and it's not over. No matter what you are facing, no matter what your past is, not matter your economic or physical condition, it's not over. There is hope in Christ.<br /><br />We examined Matthew 28:5-10, 16-20. The scripture reminds to not be afraid. We are paralyzed and kept from living for Christ when we choose to live by fear instead of faith. We need to remember that Christ is here and that he has risen. We don't go looking for him in the cemetery and we don't flowers to the tomb, because he is alive and he is with us. In all of this you need to remember that no matter what, it's not over. We are reminded to go and tell others about Jesus. In fact this passage says that we are to go quickly and tell them. We are not to tell them quickly, but we are to quickly. Too often we go very slowly, if at all, and if get to others we tell them quickly and quietly. They need to know that no matter what they have done it's not over. We must also come to grips with the fact that we have told the truth. No more excuses. It's not over.<br /><br />What are you fearful of trying? It's not over. What has you paralyzed? It's not over. What have you been slow to do that you know you should do? It's not over.<br /><br />The disappointing part of yesterday was that I don't know if anyone made a decision for Christ. That is always the hope and prayer, and no one responded in the service or to the insert they could have filled out. But, it's not over, so I will keep praying for the word that they heard to take hold.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-7009767443499877164?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-91090598947110656582011-04-18T13:58:00.000-04:002011-04-18T13:58:03.534-04:00Yesterday was an outstanding day, in fact the whole weekend was tremendous. Powerful spirit throughout our worship service. I was able to share a tremendous praise with the congregation as an 11 month old who had been in ICU for 10 days was improving rapidly. He had been on a ventilator the entire time and was now off of it. We showed a picture of him without all the tubes and wires. We had called people to specific times of prayer on Thursday and Friday and Saturday we got the news. We celebrated! Our children came during worship to a special song waving palm branches. There were 34 children who paraded through and that wasn't all the children. It was great.<br /><br />We had a great time of prayer during the service with the altars nearly full as people brought requests and praises. It was a powerful time. Our singing had extra juice in light of the praises and the children. Our attendance was very good which added to the excitement. A couple of people shared very uplifting observations from our District Assembly and Missions Convention.<br /><br />The message looked at what we should say and what we should do in light of who Jesus is and what He has done and is doing. We examined Matthew 21:7-11 and Psalm 118:25-29. We have to start with "Lord save us, and Hosanna". Everything starts with our relationship with Christ. Hosanna is a phrase of praise and especially connected to salvation. We need to say "You are my God". This is personal and it needs to become personal. We need to make it a relationship not just a fact. This is part of our testimony. We need to be saying "Thank You" a lot more than we do. We need to do to the Lord so much more and to each other as well. Thank you is a powerful phrase. It changes our attitude when we say it and when it is said to us. We have so much to thank God for, in fact we should be thanking him always. An attitude of gratitude changes the world, and it grows churches.<br /><br />What should we do? Beyond our words, in our walk we need to "Praise Him" in fact we need to be shouting this praise. We need to quit being shy about Praising the Lord. Scripture tells us that if we don't praise Him even the rocks will cry out. I want to stay at least one step ahead of the rocks. We should do everything in the name of the Lord. Your work, your family, your friends and all you do and are should be in the name of the Lord. Not in your name, but in the Lord's name. Which means we need to do many things differently. We should lay everything down before the Lord. On Palm Sunday the people laid their cloaks, in essence their identities down before the Lord. We need to be in the parade of celebration for the Lord, in fact we should be leading the parade. Wouldn't it be awesome if we all "paraded" into worship next Sunday? We should not only say thank you, we should be thankful. Be thankful in all things. Not that all things are good, but God is good and God is still God in all things. Our thankfulness is about Him not our circumstances or our stuff.<br /><br />What are you saying? What are you doing? What needs to change?<br /><br />On Friday evening I was one of the sponors for our youth lock in. This was an all night event with 75 teens in attendance. We did a survivor theme and I did survive. The kids were great, but my wife and I had not done an all nighter for quite a while. I am being reminded of why I haven't done that in a while. But our youth are worth it. We had great people who helped, 12 adults helped and 7 stayed for all 12 hours, these are awesome people. Gotta go, it may be time for a nap.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-9109059894711065658?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-44528649940062459662011-04-15T12:36:00.000-04:002011-04-15T12:36:59.662-04:00Every year we have something called Missions Convention and Assembly. These are annual events on the District in which our church is located. Most denominations have something like with slightly differing names. Often these necessary, but real beneficial events. This year however the necessary became the powerful, meaningful and very beneficial event.<br /><br />The first service was a great missions service. The music was powerful and very moving. The missionaries who shared were so real and God used them in a powerful way. Than continued into the next morning when the Missions Convention kicked off the "business" portion. The music was not my styler but again the missionaries were so good as they shared. I really liked that he was wearing jeans and she kicked her shoes off when she spoke. They are my kind of people. The reports were very good as well.<br /><br />That evening was our District's annual Ordination service. There were 8 being ordained and 1 who was beging recognized as they moved from another denomination. The music was not so good but the message was great and the prayers and installations for those being ordained was very meaningful. The only thing that it kept it from being a grand slam was that I had to wear a suit and tie.<br /><br />The next morning was the business side of our Assembly and that went pretty well. We concluded everything by having a concert of prayer. This was a very powerful time and God really spoke, at least he did to me.<br /><br />I left this necessary event encouraged and really feeling like I had some things to keep wrestling with which is a good thing. It is not often that I have left District Assembly feeling this way, so I am rejoicing in all that took place at this necessary and powerful event.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-4452864994006245966?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-52549657745926848522011-03-28T10:03:00.000-04:002011-03-28T10:03:29.415-04:00Yesterday was a very good day. Weather was bright and sunny but we still had winter temperatures, I declared yesterday to be the last Sunday we have to wear winter coats. Hey, somebody had to do it. We had to do a fair amount of scrambling early to fill in for people who couldn't be there, or some areas where no one knew who was supposed to do something and several people stepped up to fill in. We had reasonable attendance and had a lot of teens in worship which really encouraged me. Our small group last night was really good, even though we were missing some people. The sharing and fellowship that is taking place is tremendous.<br /><br />The message yesterday was "Grace or Goodness?" from Ephesians 2:1-10. I had a tough week last week. I was hurting, I realized that I really had some brokenness and some nasty junk in my life that shouldn't be there. Finally the pain was enough that I surrendered and went to the dentist. Turns out I had a broken and abscessed tooth. What did you think I was talking about? Actually my tooth gave a pretty good picture of grace. You see the abscess and pain was my own fault. When I went to the dentist he didn't give me what I deserved, instead he removed the problem. In a way he showed me grace, albeit it came with a bill which is where the illustration breaks down, but you get the picture. (BTW, abscessed teeth and subsequent removals, I am not a fan of them.) God doesn't treat us as we deserve he exercises grace with us.<br /><br />The message could be stated in 11 letters, 3 spaces and 4 words "It is by grace". Since I am a pastor I used a lot more letters, spaces and words to deliver the message. However, the message really is summed up with "It is by grace". That is a pretty motto to live by. It is by grace that you are saved. Not by anything else! Not by anything else!! Not by anything else!!! You can't earn it and you aren't good enough for it. It is by grace that you are to live. Showing grace to others and realizing that we are here by grace. This realization produces true thankfulness. We are to be alive in this grace, not just existing but alive. We are to be alive as Christ is alive. The life of a follower of Christ is to be an exciting experience. The last thing we should be is boring. Is Christ boring? Was Jesus boring when he walked this earth? It is by grace that we are to serve. We were created and designed to serve others. it is literally contrary to God's design for us not to be serving others.<br /><br />11 letters, 3 spaces, 4 words ... It is by grace.<br /><br />Is grace obvious in your life? Are you alive and serving in this grace?<br /><br />11 letters, 3 spaces, 4 words to live by ... It is by grace.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-5254965774592684852?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-74219942260575309192011-03-24T19:29:00.000-04:002011-03-24T19:29:09.664-04:00The next morning dawned and I realized that I was now a father. What?! Now what? That was a brand new feeling to awaken as a father. It was a good feeling but it was not complete until Jody and our son came home. It took a lot longer than planned due to the emergency C-section. They were in the hospital for a week. Then life changed, forever and it changed in such an awesome way that I could never adequately describe but it has been a tremendous ride.<br /><br />I remember holding my son in those first few days after he was home and just being in awe. In fact I said to Jody several times “this is a little person”. In the past any baby I had held was just a baby. But this was our baby and we were responsible for him and he wasn’t just a baby he was a person. A person I was responsible for and a person who had already captured heart and mind. I had a lot to learn about babies, about being a father and about being the husband of a mother. Until that point I was the husband of my wife, now I was the husband of the mother of my child.<br /><br />Days at work couldn’t go fast enough now, I wanted to get home and be with my family. I wanted to see how much he had grown that day. It seemed that some days he grew a bunch while I was at work. I wanted to get home and hear about all that he had done that day. One of the things I learned about being the husband of the mother of my child was that she might not always want to replay the entire day for me as soon as I walked in the door. We were learning this parenting thing and this being a family thing one experience at a time. When you take your child and home from the hospital they send a lot of things home with you. There are some care items, some things that you used while you were there, any plants or balloons that were in the room and a bill. However, they do send an instructional manual on raising your child home with you. <br /><br />Instead of a parenting manual you are left to trial and error, to the latest book you buy, to the advice from many observers and to the example you had from your own parents. The trial and error continues to this day, the latest book’s pages have yellowed, the observers will always have advice, but for me the most valuable was the example of my own parents. I was fortunate in the parents I was blessed with and there was much to be learned from their examples. Something worked in the last nearly 34 years, we have 3 great children, 2 terrific kids in law (who we just consider as our kids) and 6 terrific grandchildren. All of this started from a date one spring night in college.<br /><br />A baby means change, but there was even more change about to come …<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-7421994226057530919?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-45986391436188610062011-03-24T14:18:00.000-04:002011-03-24T14:18:50.984-04:00The past few weeks have been very busy and a lot of fun. Anyone who knows me well knows that I love sports and that basketball was my love growing up and I still love to watch it. So it is no surprise that I am a big fan of the month of March. With the NCAA tournament known as March Madness, filling out brackets, watching game, after game, after game and talking about all the games I watched with other hoop heads. But there is more to March, especially this March.<br /><br />High School basketball has their end of season tournament in March. This year our local High School's girls team went on a great run to the final four teams in the state. Another school near us had their boys team win the regional championship and one of our youth is on that team. Then there is the fact that 3 of my grandkids played basketball in the UpWards league where they live. They were each playing at a different age level so that was 3 different teams.<br /><br />So this year March Madness has added significance for me. I watch and cheer the NCAA games for the thrill of watching high level basketball. I enjoy basketball and I enjoy trying to predict who will win. But the joy of cheering the NCAA games is not really personal, at least not for me. Cheering the high school games and my grandkids is very personal. You see 8 of the 10 girls on our high school team played volleyball for me, that made it very personal. I really know those girls and I care about them beyond wins and losses. I was invested in them as I cheered, it was very personal. The boys team in the area that had one of our youth on the team was personal because I know him at a different level than just sports. My grandkids are always personal for me. I love cheering them on in anything.<br /><br />I guess what I am attempting to say in this post is that this March I have had a great reminder of the true joy of cheering on others. I took great joy in watching our girls team make their great run in the tournament this year. They gave me great joy, but part of that joy was the fact that I was cheering. There is greater joy when you are invested. Why do I always have joy seeing my grandkids do anything? Because I am invested in them. If you just watch something, there is little joy. The real joy is in the cheering, it is in the participation and the personal investment.<br /><br />How about your church? Any joy for you there? If so, I will guess that you are participating, that you are cheering and personally invested. If not, then I feel sure that you are not cheering, you are not participating and you probably are not personally invested. Give it a try, cheer for someone and see what happens.<br /><br />As for this March, I say thank you to my grandkids for putting up with my cheering. For the local teams thanks for the joy you provided me as I cheered for you. It was fun to see you win, but it has more rewarding to invested in your lives. Be assured that I will continue to cheer for you, even though the season may be over.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-4598639143618861006?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-91381514772161477892011-03-21T12:03:00.000-04:002011-03-21T12:03:20.194-04:00Yesterday was a good day. There was a very good spirit in worship from the beginning. People were very late arriving and many missed the beginning of the service and still the spirit was strong. My wife filled in and led worship. That in itself was an answer to prayer given how she was feeling on Saturday night. We had good attendance again this Sunday, March looks like it may be a good month for our attendance. Our Sunday night small groups are doing very well in the connections taking place and the attendance as well.<br /><br />Yesterday's message was from Isaiah 40:27-31. Verse 27 asks why we complain, and it is true that most of us seem to complain often. We so often think that God is not paying attention to us and our problems. We all need to look at our complaints. We also need to listen to what God is really saying. Verse 28 confronts this need, "Do you not know? Have you not heard?" Who are you listening to? There is a lot of competing noise and many voices for us to listen to in our world. Tuning into to the wrong source can seriously derail our life. God always speaks clearly, through his Word and his Spirit. He doesn't stutter and he doesn't try to confuse us. He desires for us to hear and follow his Word. <br /><br />We need to learn that God does not tire out or wear out. We do, he doesn't. So don't live as if you have to reserve God's power and resources. We need to learn that he understands better than we can imagine. We get confused, he does not. We need to learn that God loves to give strength. Who needs the strength? Those who are weary. Do you qualify? God provides power. Who needs the power? Those who are weak. Do you qualify?<br /><br />Then we need to live it. We need to get unstuck from our spot in the middle. Mark Hall and Casting Crowns has a great song titled "Somewhere in the Middle". Too many of us are living in this middle ground instead on the front edge of God's plan for us. We need to live in hope, and that hope needs to be in the Lord. The Lord is the only true source of hope. Hope does not come from our plans, or our power. We need to live renewed, not just refreshed but really renewed. Complete renewal is possible in Christ. We need to soar as we live. God's design and desire is for you to soar. We are to soar without the worry of conserving our strength. He will provide the strength for us and his strength does not run out. Keep walking in the footsteps of Jesus. You don't need to become faint no matter what you face. <br /><br />Do you know? You have heard, after all you just read it on this blog. Which of these truths do you need to learn and apply? Are you listening? How then will you live?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-9138151477216147789?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-69174324756754462372011-03-15T09:49:00.002-04:002011-03-15T09:49:18.352-04:00A funny moment was when Jody asked the doctor … if she was going to get any pain drugs if they went ahead with the C-section. When the doctor told her yes, she quickly answered do it. After 15 hours of labor her feelings were understandable. After signing the consent for surgery I kissed Jody and left for the waiting room. I called my parents to let them know what was happening and sat down to pray and wait. I had been very concerned about the health of our baby during the last couple months of the pregnancy. One of the places I regularly visited in my job was a facility for severely injured children. Many who were born with the problems with which they now lived. As a result of seeing the impact of birth defects up close and personal, I was concerned. This emergency in the delivery only heightened my concerns.<br /><br />My mom showed up soon after I called and waited with me. My dad was a pastor and I called right as a service was beginning so he was not able to be at the hospital, but I knew he and the church were praying. My mom didn’t say much, but her presence and touch meant so much to me. My eyes are tearing up as I remember those moments. <br /><br />After what seemed like a couple of hours, but was less than one hour, the doctor arrived to tell me we had a baby boy. My reaction was to search the doctor’s face for any sign of trouble, knowing my concerns he quickly added, “10 fingers, 10 toes, and everything is in the right place and working”. Then I smiled and heaved a huge sigh of relief, I turned and gave my mom a huge hug. A few minutes later I met my son for the first time and double checked to make sure the doctor counted correctly. I then went to a pay phone (that’s right a pay phone, can you even find one of those today?) and began making the calls to family. After several more minutes I was allowed back to see Jody. We enjoyed a few moments of joy over the healthy gift we had just been introduced to and we didn’t say a lot. Some of that was because she was exhausted and under the influence of drugs and some of it was the relief that both she and the baby were okay.<br /><br />By the time I finally got back to our place that night it was 21 hours after Jody woke up with her water breaking. We had thrown the bedding in the washer before we left for the hospital. I looked at the bed with no sheets or blankets on it and just plopped down on it. I believe it took me about a nanosecond to fall asleep. But I went to sleep with a smile on my face. I knew I was blessed. I had a wife I loved and adored. I had a healthy son. I had loving and supportive family around me. I knew the forgiveness of my Savior. I slept well that night.<br /><br />The next morning dawned and I realized that I was now a father. What?! Now what?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-6917432475675446237?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-71348181407382275232011-03-14T11:54:00.000-04:002011-03-14T11:54:02.642-04:00The Sunday when we move the clocks ahead one hour is traditionally a low attendance day. We were not terrible but we were 20% below the previous Sunday. I am aware of some who missed because they forgot to change their clocks and I suspect that there are others. People did seem a bit sluggish as we began worship and that seemed to carry over as we sang. There was good fellowship when the service was finished.<br /><br />The messaged continued the series "Breaking Bondages" but it was not the message I had worked on all week. I was continually checked in my spirit as prepared the message. That continued Saturday evening, so I put it away, prayed and went to bed. Sunday morning that check was still there so I began to look another direction and everything opened up. So I followed that leading and trusted that it was the Lord.<br /><br />The focus of the message was on our tendency to pretend. I compared it to fantasy sports. I love playing fantasy sports, especially baseball. I have been in the same fantasy league for something like 12 years. Four of those years I traveled 11 hours one way to get to the draft, so you could say I am committed. Maybe you believe I should be committed. The point is that I enjoy it, but I know it is only fantasy. I never confuse running my fantasy team with real major league baseball. However, I see many people who seem to be playing fantasy Christianity. They pretend to have it together when the truth is their life is not following Christ's Word or will. <br /><br />We must recognize things that we are pretending to control, but that are actually controlling us. Why do we pretend? We do it to look good. I Samuel 16:7 "...Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." Too often we are more concerned about our spiritual appearance than the true condition of our heart. We pretend to fool ourselves. We also do it to fool God. Would you really want to give your life to any god that you could really fool? The old Grocho Marks line comes to mind, "I refuse to be a member of any group who would have me as a member." We must also recognize that pretending doesn't change the truth. Even if we convince someone else, or ourselves, the truth is still the truth. Fantasy is fun, but it is not real. Fantasy is fun in many areas, but fantasy faith is devastating.<br /><br />Fortunately healing is possible. Ask Jesus to examine you and your motives. Confess, an unburdening of your heart and mind. Jesus is listening, he already knows any area in which you are pretending but is waiting to hear from you. Believe in Christ's forgiveness. Don't fall for the lie that says what you are covering with your pretending is bigger than Christ can, or will, forgive. Then walk like Jesus walks. I John 1:9-2:6 speaks to these points. We must follow his walk and his way. If not then we are just pretending. The consequences of me not winning in my fantasy league is the ridicule of the others in the league. The consequences of continuing to pretend spiritually are eternal.<br /><br />What are you pretending is okay? Will you walk the way Jesus walks?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-7134818140738227523?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-60602044517333391472011-03-10T10:41:00.002-05:002011-03-10T10:41:31.300-05:00After several months we began to reevaluate our decision about sitting out of school. So we … began to realize that our plan to receive state benefits for me to finish college was not all that we had been led to believe. We started exploring other options which led us to move to community in which my Dad and Mom were pastoring. This was not where I had grown up as they moved to this state and city shortly after I started college. I had lived there the summer after my freshman year. <br />Another issue at this point was that Jody was expecting our first child. So we loaded up a small trailer and headed east. Some friends from the new area came and helped us load things and he towed the trailer. Jody was about 7 months pregnant by this time. The plan was to enroll in a state school for a lot less money and finish my degree.<br /><br />I got a job with a Lutheran organization that did a lot of social work in the city. My role was to recruit, train, and organize people to visit the many nursing homes and similar facilities in the county. I was also to visit with people in the homes as much as possible. I really enjoyed the job and the people I worked with in this organization. I learned a lot in my visiting of some very special people. I am smiling as I remember some of those people.<br /><br />Our son was born less than 3 months after we made the move. It was exciting and scary. We did not have health insurance so we tried to save a little and even arranged a personal loan to cover the costs ahead of time. Then the unexpected happened. Jody’s 15 hour labor turned into an emergency c-section. He had the umbilical cord wrapped around his shoulder and kept clamping down on it with his arm. That messed with his heart rate and some other stuff. After several of these incidents the doctor said they needed to get the baby out quick before something bad happened. <br /><br />I was scared as this was being described to me. I remember the pressure I felt as we had to make a decision. I remember signing the permission for surgery literally over Jody, as the doctor was on one side of the bed and I was on the other. 15 hours earlier Jody woke me up yelling “I think my water broke!” (Sometime I will describe that scene and the next few minutes. Good thing there was no video of us.) Now I am being told that my wife and baby are in trouble and I am signing permission for a surgery while being told all of the possible complications.<br /><br />A funny moment was when Jody asked the doctor …<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-6060204451733339147?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-3590524018045876072011-03-07T11:12:00.000-05:002011-03-07T11:12:08.848-05:00Here's hoping that the snow we received Saturday night is the last we have to deal with and that we can get on with Spring. The slick conditions Sunday morning did not hamper attendance in worship. In fact it was the best attendance this calendar year and only 2 other Sundays were higher in the past 12 months.<br /><br />We seemed to engage better well in the singing right from the start of worship. There was an encouraging time of testimonies during one of the songs. People also hung around for quite a while after the service talking with each other, that is a good sign.<br /><br />I continued the series "Breaking Bondages", this time the focus was on what it takes to be free no matter what the bondage. I Corinthians 6:12-20 is our foundational passage of scripture and we examined Romans 6:1-14. We must recognize the price has already been paid for our freedom through Jesus Christ. Andrew Murray said, "God is ready to assume full responsibility for the life wholly yielded to Him." We must recognize when anything other than Christ becomes our master. All the sin nature can do is take, it cannot give and if it appears to give it to manipulate in order to take something else. Recognize what is available in the Holy Spirit. The cleansing and power available through the Holy Spirit. <br /><br />Healing is possible, we need to count/reckon ourselves dead to sin according to Romans 6:11. Quit messing around in areas you know you should avoid. Quit making excuses. Quit believing the lies that say you cannot be free. Let grace be grace in your life. How different would you live if you really lived with the knowledge of grace in all of your life? How different would your church be if you extended God's grace to everyone for whom Jesus died? You, and your body, are a member with Christ, how then should you live? Should you be controlled by pornography, bitterness, drugs, food, alcohol, money or fear knowing that you are members with Christ? It takes surrender of yourself to God, to his will and to the cleansing of the Holy Spirit. True surrender means an emptying of myself so that I can be filled with Christ and the Holy Spirit. D.L. Moody said, "I believe firmly that the moment our hearts are emptied of pride and selfishness and ambition and everything that is contrary to God's law, the Holy Spirit will fill every corner of our hearts. But if we are full of pride and conceit and ambition and the world, there is no room for the Spirit of God. We must be emptied before we can be filled."<br /><br />What, or who, is your master? If is anyone, or anything, other than Christ and his Holy Spirit then something needs to change. What will you do? When?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-359052401804587607?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-2683124693811194252011-03-01T16:19:00.002-05:002011-03-01T16:19:56.949-05:00A memorable Christmas to be sure, there have been others that stand out, but this will one will always be near the top of my Christmas memories, because it was the beginning of a fantastic ride. A big change was coming soon … we were rolling through our first year of marriage. I was a full-time student, part-time shoe salesman, basketball player and we were actively involved in our church. Another thing we faced was a growing college bill. So we made the big decision that I would sit out a year of school while we tried to see if there was anything we could do to either increase our income, get more help with college funds such as grants or lower the college costs.<br /><br />If I did not return to school in the fall then we would have to sell our trailer and move, because “Trailerville” was for students only. Since neither of us would be taking classes we could not stay, but we had until the next semester. It began to look like we would stay in the area, establish our residency in the state and then be eligible for some state grants that would help ease the financial burden of the college costs. <br /><br />We found an apartment and sold our trailer. Since we sold our trailer as furnished we had no furniture as we moved into our apartment. It was a brand new apartment community and we were the first to live in this apartment. We purchased a kitchen table and chairs at a garage sale. We got a used mattress from some friends and we bought a beanbag chair from my brother and sister-in-law. We took our television with us and that was how we furnished our 2 bedroom apartment. We slowly added a couple more pieces of furniture but our bed was a mattress on the floor and our dresser was boxes in the closet. We were young and thought it was great. We celebrated our first anniversary in our new, nearly empty apartment.<br /><br />Jody was working at the college in the business offices and I was selling shoes and furniture at Montgomery Ward’s department store. We were definitely living the high life, or at least we thought it was special. We were involved in youth and children’s ministry at our church and enjoying both of those areas of service.<br /><br />Our apartment was across the street from a Little League baseball park. So on many summer nights we walked across the street and watched kids we didn’t know play baseball. It was cheap entertainment and was good preparation for later in life sitting on bleachers watching our own children play soccer, basketball, volleyball, softball, baseball, football, wrestle, run track and cross country. All we knew at that time was that we didn’t want to be like many of the parents we observed in the stands. They were constantly yelling at their children, or other people’s children and occasionally yelling at the other parents not to mention the words directed toward the umpires. I can proudly say we did not become those parents. We did a lot of cheering at our children’s events but we refused to be one of “those parent(s)” where their own kids wished would not attend their games. <br /><br />After several months we began to reevaluate our decision about sitting out of school. So we …<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-268312469381119425?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-56457884757551569912011-02-28T07:35:00.000-05:002011-02-28T07:35:37.656-05:00Yesterday was an up and down day. Weather cooperated, had a lot of people gone or sick, had some brand new guests in worship, people got engaged in the music it just took them a while, I traveled north last night to be at an early meeting and there was fear of bad weather up here and had some very good conversations at church yesterday.<br /><br />This was the 4th in the series "Breaking Bondages". We looked at the bondage of 'bitterness and unforgiveness' and examined I Corinthians 6:12-20; Hebrews 12:14-15; and Matthew 6:9-15. Bitterness, unforgiveness and the desire for revenge is everywhere. The Bible addresses it often and the world seems to glorify it. Think of how many movies, or even TV shows, are about seeking revenge. In these movies they make a hero out of the person seeking and enacting revenge. In real life there is nothing heroic about bitterness, unforgiveness or revenge.<br /><br />We must recognize that God emphatically says it is wrong. Don't believe it, read Matthew 6:9-15 and Hebrews 12:14-15. Why do we so often ignore this? We must recognize what bitterness/unforgiveness does to us. It devastates you spiritually, how can you embrace God and his will while clutching your bitterness? It will divide the church. It is impossible to work together toward a vision for the church while harboring bitterness? It will defile your relationships. All of your relationships not just with the person you are bitter toward. You can ruin your marriage with bitterness toward someone else, and the same for any of your relationships. It will discourage your emotionally. It will chip away at you and impact how you see and feel about everyone including yourself. It will destroy you physically. Medically bitterness has been linked to many physical problems, not the least of which is ulcers and cardiac disorders. We must recognize that God has a better plan. Receiving, giving and living in forgiveness is God's will for you and your life.<br /><br />Healing is possible. God offers forgiveness. God provides healing. God will give you freedom through a release from this bondage. True forgiveness is hard to extend because it demands that people let go of something they value. They must give up pride, or a sense of justice or the desire for revenge. Look at the sacrifice Christ made for your forgiveness. He gave everything, he gave himself and his life.<br /><br />Is this an issue for you? Do you see/feel the impact? What will you do?<br /><br />Remember, no matter how long you nurse a grudge it won't get better.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-5645788475755156991?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-33153054892923911792011-02-27T08:03:00.000-05:002011-02-27T08:03:36.697-05:00I want to interrupt this series for a day. Well I am not going away from the love story, I am just posting something about the present and interrupting the telling of how we got here. Don't worry I will go back to the place I left you in the story.<br /><br />After 35+ years I still love being with my wife. I mean I really love being with her, no matter where we are and what we are doing. Don't get me wrong there some things I still don't enjoy after all these years, such as shopping or watching the Bachelor. But I love her and being with her so there are times we go shopping together (she will tell you if she is seriously shopping she prefers that I don't come along) and I even watch some HGTV stuff with her. <br /><br />This past week we were able to be together for 4 days away. It wasn't a vacation or getaway. It was a church conference. It was an outstanding conference and it was made even better because we shared it together. I know that is not always possible, but when it is I love it. You see we had nearly 6 hours of travel to and from the conference. That was 12 uninterrupted time together. We talked, we sang a little, we laughed, we dreamed and shared. She slept and read some while I drove, but we were together. I have learned not to take being together for granted. We also ate 3 meals a day together, that doesn't happen at home many days. We walked to and from the convention center together, there are many days at home we don't walk together. We sat in worship services together, we never get to do that at home, because she is not comfortable sitting beside me on the platform while I preach. Go figure.<br /><br />Take time to be together when possible. There are enough things that will prevent it often, so when possible get together. Cherish the little things, that really aren't so little, such as sitting together in worship, taking a walk together, talking while you drive somewhere and enjoying a meal together.<br /><br />Now I will return to the story, thanks for reading.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-3315305489292391179?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-35172662115612808452011-02-21T11:19:00.000-05:002011-02-21T11:19:37.030-05:00Yesterday was a difficult day for me. Our music time in worship was okay, people were sporadic in their engagement during the music. Our attendance was good, not great but good. Jody and I made the decision to take off just after church, we were heading 6 hours south for a conference. Originally we were going to leave Sunday evening and go part way, but with the weather prediction we took off about 1pm. It was already snowing hard and the roads were slick. We made a good choice, we were out of the bad weather in an hour and it got much worse at home. After the snow a quarter inch of ice arrived and knocked out power in many places. More snow is on the way today. We made a very good choice, by the time we arrived at the city of our conference it was 60 degrees here.<br /><br />It was the 3rd part of my series on "Breaking Bondages". This week was on the bondage of food. I know many people don't consider this a big one, but God called gluttony one of the seven deadly sins. I realize that most would not put it in the same category with our other areas of the series such as pornography, drugs, alcohol, bitterness, etc... But it is a really big deal, pun definitely intended.<br /><br />I Corinthians 6:12-20 is our foundation for this series, we also looked at Matthew 5:6, and Proverbs 23:20-21.One stat I found was that 60% of professing Christians are overweight. Obesity is a major problem in the United States, in 1991 only 4 states had obesity rates as high as 15-19% in 2005 only 4 states were in that range all others were higher with many over 30%. We must recognize that this is a spiritual issue, it is clear in the Bible. We need to recognize the difference between need and greed in the area of food. We do not need near as much as eat, when we continue to stuff ourselves that is greed, the Bible calls it gluttony. Gluttony is an ugly word isn't it? One man excused himself saying he was not a glutton, just an explorer of food. We can laugh this one away, but it is still a big issue. A French proverb says, "A glutton is one who digs his grave with his teeth." There are many dangers with this area of bondage. Physically is the most obvious, not just being overweight but eating disorders create many serious physical issues. Emotionally many struggle with this area and it crushes their self esteem and relationships. Spiritually we have trouble justifying our behavior while trying to be obedient to Christ in other areas. Economically we suffer with the amount of food we eat and how often we eat out.<br /><br />Healing is possible. You can control your desires for food, it may take some time but it can be done. Fasting can help return your focus to God and show you how important food has become to you. Remember, you are only to be mastered by Christ. We are to hunger and thrist for righteousness and for more of God. We wise about your eating, not just volume but also in what you eat. Pray about it. Prayer is powerful in healing this area of bondage. If you are praying about it you will have trouble ignoring it. Seek help, don't go it alone. Be accountable, to another person or group.<br /><br />How are you doing in this area? Do you desire to change? What will you do and when will you begin?<br /><br />(I have not been posting this past week. I was sick and am still getting over this virus. I will try to post a couple of times while I am at this conferenc if there is time. Thanks for checking in on my blog.)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-3517266211561280845?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-79651575200250870912011-02-14T11:09:00.000-05:002011-02-14T11:09:58.490-05:00Yesterday was a good day, even though I was not feeling good at all. God did his thing and I did my best to stay out of the way. Maybe I should be feeling poor every Sunday. Our weather has started to warm up, which is encouraging to everyone. Our attendance, though not great, was up considerably from last Sunday. The beginning of our small groups has gotten off to a terrific start now in their third week. <br /><br />The congregation seemed to get engaged in the music early in the service and not lose steam as we went along. That always helps as you get up to preach. Yesterday was the second in a series "Breaking Bondages". On the surface the two messages in this series were "out of order". Yesterday I basically introduced the whole conception of being bound by things that interfere with our relationship with Christ which would seem to be an intro message. Last week I dealt with the bondage of pornography, but I did in that order to get people's attention and then bring the focus back to the central issue of bondage in general.<br /><br />We looked at I Corinthians 6:12-20 and Galatians 5:16-26. I reminded them of this fact, it is everywhere. Things that would steal your focus and commitment to Christ are everywhere. Anything that you allow to take away from your sacrificial devotion to following Christ is hurting your relationship with Christ. ANYTHING!!! Also, the Spirit to lead you in breaking bondages and following Christ is everywhere as well. Do you sense the Spirit on a daily, moment by moment or breath by breath basis? We can because the Holy Spirit provided, and available, for us all the time.<br /><br />We must recognize our tendency to become bound to the wrong things. Anything that is contrary to following Christ is wrong and we need to avoid it, but we have a tendency to be bound by these things. We must recognize that God desires to free us and keep us free from bondage. This is a powerful realization. God wants you to be free from anything that is contrary to him and his will for your life. He loves you, he sent his son Jesus to die for your sins, he desperately wants you to be free. Satan will keep telling you that God doesn't care and can't do anything about whatever is binding you. Satan is a liar. When he lies he is speaking his native language, that is why he sounds so good as he lies. But remember, God loves you, he wants you to be free from this bondage and for you to choose to follow him.<br /><br />Healing is possible. Did that register with you? Healing is possible. Therefore, crucify your desires that are in conflict with God's desires. You make the choice to do this, but God does the work of it. You need to keep submitting yourself, your family, your friends, your work, your desires, your dreams, and all that you are to Christ and his will. To have healing cry out to God. Not a casual mention of your need to be free, but a gut wrenching cry to God. Look at the Psalms to see this repeatedly, start with Psalm 130. Then confess whatever needs to be confessed. Don't be shy about this, God already knows so don't try to hide junk from him. Look at I John 1:9 for the power of confession. Then follow him and his will. In other words act on it. Live it out. Don't just make a mental agreement, starting living in the freedom that Christ makes available to you. This is not lip service, but really doing the work of following Christ. Be a disciple. <br /><br />Do you have any areas of bondage? What are they? What are you going to do about them? Remember, healing is possible and God desperately wants you to be free.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-7965157520025087091?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-13678035422086033732011-02-08T09:30:00.001-05:002011-02-08T09:30:25.486-05:00Next up was our first Christmas as husband and wife. We put up a little tree in our trailer. That Christmas was …one of the most memorable of our 36 as husband and wife. It was memorable since it was our first, but it was also memorable because it was a good Christmas. We were not rolling in money, but that has never been the most important issue about Christmas. We had put up a tree, it was a little tree considering how small the living space was in our trailer. The decorating was minimal given the space and the fact that we had not accumulated the amount of Christmas stuff that we now own. In fact I don’t remember anything about the decorations other than the tree.<br /><br />We were in our little trailer. It was very cold outside and it was not real warm inside. But we were together and we were excited to share this Christmas. I learned something about Jody that Christmas and it has not changed to this day. She gets excited to give and receive presents. She loves seeing your face as you open something she chose for you. She also gets excited to find out what you chose for her. She gets a childlike look on her face as she opens a present. I love that look. When it is something that her grandkids have given her that look is multiplied. I learned that she really doesn’t like to wait to open presents. That has not changed one bit. This year was evidence of her anxiousness to open presents. We went to the city where two of our kids live for Christmas this year and because of schedules we were all getting together a couple of days before Christmas to exchange gifts and celebrate. As we were preparing to go on the trip, I got her present out that I had already wrapped. She got all excited and said we should open each other’s present right then. I said I assumed we would take them with us and open them with everyone. The look of disappointment was profound and humorous. I relented and we prepared to open the present we had gotten each other. (By the way I hit a home run with my present to her this year. I’m just sayin’.) I also learned at that first Christmas that Jody gets so excited about the presents that she can hardly help herself from looking for them ahead of time. I think I have had to hide presents more from her than I ever had to with the kids.<br /><br />We sat down to open our presents. She was working as a nurse’s aide at a Nursing Home, I was a full-time student, playing basketball and working part-time so there were not large purchases made, but that didn’t matter. I don’t honestly remember a single present from that Christmas, but I remember that Christmas. We each chose what we gave with great care. We understood that each gift was truly a sacrifice. We believed that this was the first of many more Christmases. I remember that after opening our presents that we spent some time wondering about the future. Guessing where we would be and what we would be doing in 5 years, in 10 years, in 15 years. I don’t remember going much past 10 or 15 years. Not because we didn’t believe we would last that long, but just because the present was so real, everything so new, that trying to look that far ahead was nearly impossible. We were living moment to moment, hour to hour and day to day. That makes looking too far ahead seem like fantasy.<br /><br />What we knew was that we loved each other. We were together. We were figuring this marriage thing out a day at a time. We were learning that the person we married wasn’t perfect, that is a big revelation. We were learning that we had a lot of flaws. We were learning what it means to depend on God. We were learning what it means to really love someone and be committed to them for life. We didn’t understand it all, but we were enjoying the journey.<br /><br />A memorable Christmas to be sure, there have been others that stand out, but this will one will always be near the top of my Christmas memories, because it was the beginning of a fantastic ride. A big change was coming soon …<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-1367803542208603373?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-8015218067704560842011-02-07T11:09:00.000-05:002011-02-07T11:09:41.747-05:00Yesterday was good in many ways, but very difficult as well. We were missing some of our worship and team and worship band. Our attendance was the lowest it has been for quite a while. It seemed that people did not engage well during the music. It was kind of hit and miss, a couple of songs they connected and a couple of them not at all. I always have trouble trying to figure that out. We had 5 inches, or so, of some come in on Saturday and I imagine some used that as an excuse. I suspect that the topic of my message kept a few away as well.<br /><br />I began a new sermon series entitled "Breaking Bondages". Yesterday was called Porn Sunday. Hundreds of churches across the country, and more around the world, tackled this "elephant in the pew" yesterday. Pornography is major source of bondage for many, many people both in and out of the church. We used I Corinthians 6:12-20 as our scripture foundation. Porn is everywhere. World-wide it is a $57 billion industry and $12 billion in the United States. Daily pornographic search engine requests are 68 million. The average age of first internet pornographic exposure is 11 years old. (Think about some 9-13 year old children you know, so you can put a face to that statistic.)Of those admitting to accessing pornography at work 20% of men and 13% of women. (Women's use of pornography is growing rapidly.) I could go on but hopefully you get the picture.<br /><br />We must recognize that pornography addiction can happen to anyone. If you think it can't happen to you are in trouble. Recognize that you are not strong enough to get over this on your own. Get help. We must quit saying and believing that a little porn is okay. We must be accountable, this is one of the best deterrents. Clean it up, make choices to remove the temptations. Quit blaming everything, and everyone, else and make some changes.<br /><br />Healing is possible. You should only be mastered by Christ, I Corinthians 6:12. Not everything is good or beneficial, even in small doses. Recognize the value of your mind and body. I Corinthians 6:15 and 19. You are literally a temple of the Holy Spirit, don't take that for granted. Flee from sexual immorality, I Corinthians 6:18. Quit messing around in areas you know are tempting. Put filters on the computer, put the computer in an open area, block those channels on the TV and more. Be accountable, get with a group, or a trusted person, who will hold you accountable in the area. Get computer software that monitors your use and sends reports of questionable material to a couple of people. If you are married make sure your spouse is one of these people. Ask for forgiveness and help, from God first and from whomever else you may have hurt. Be in the Word and prayer. This will make a bigger difference than you can imagine. The Center for Bible Engagement discovered an incredible link between the level of Bible reading and immoral behavior. People who read the Bible up to 3 days a week have no significant difference in these behaviors. But when the reading increases to 4 or more days a week the story changes dramatically. The incidence of drunkenness decreased 49%, sex outside of marriage and pornography involvement decreased 51% and gambling decreased 43%.<br /><br />How is your bondage in this area? What will you do to get free, or remain free? Will you help someone else?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-801521806770456084?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-18059431115593951262011-02-03T10:09:00.002-05:002011-02-03T10:09:28.069-05:00We were living in that trailer when we had to spend our first nights apart. It was Thanksgiving and …let me back up a little. Basketball season was underway. I had been practicing for quite a while and we had played a few games. I was dressing for both JV and Varsity games. So between taking a full load of classes, playing basketball and working part-time Jody and I were not seeing a lot of each other. So we were really looking forward to the Thanksgiving break. She had a couple of days off and I was going to have a break from basketball and classes. We were planning on going to her parents for Thanksgiving. All of those plans changed on Wednesday. I got word that I was being put on the travel team for the Varsity Thanksgiving tourney and the team was leaving on Wednesday afternoon. I did not think I was going on this trip, because nothing had been said in any of the practices leading up to this day.<br /><br />When I got word that I was on the travel squad I only had a couple of hours before we left. I had to pack a bag and get a hold of Jody at work. I got a hold of Jody and broke the news to her. Not only was not going to be able to make the trip to her parents for Thanksgiving but we were about to spend our first night apart since the wedding. In fact it would be 3 or 4 nights. To put in perspective, remember that we had no cell phones and no internet with which to communicate. So I got on the team bus and headed off to the tourney in northeastern Indiana and Jody came home to our empty trailer. I guess the trailer wasn’t completely empty because we were dog sitting that weekend.<br /><br />When we got to our destination, we checked into our hotel and then had a brief practice and shoot around in the gym. When I got back to the room I went out to a pay phone (raise your hand if you remember using a pay phone). I used a calling card and dialed the trailer. Jody answered and I discovered that Jody had been through quite the adventure. When she got home from work she decided she would go ahead and take off for her parents that night because a snow storm was headed that way. She packed and loaded the car, grabbed the dog and took off. The storm came in early and it took her an hour to go about 20 miles and it was getting worse with each mile. So she turned around came back to our trailer. When I talked with her she was already snowed in.<br /><br />The next day we had a decent Thanksgiving meal and played a late game that we won. I found the pay phone and called Jody and then I felt terrible. While I had a pretty good meal, she was snowed in with the dog and ate a turkey pot pie. That was a tough night, it was even tougher for Jody. She said recently that if she wouldn’t have had the dog it would have been even worse. We won our game the next night, I made the call home and then on Saturday we lost in the championship. The bus ride home took forever, or so it seemed to me. It was well after midnight when we got back. I stepped off the bus, grabbed my bag and practically ran to our trailer. I wasn’t thinking about how tired I was, or how much snow we had, I just wanted to see my wife. <br /><br />One thing that trip established was a tradition for us. That was that whenever one of us gone over night we talk on the phone. Now it is the cell phone, but even before that was available we called long distance because we wanted to hear each other’s voice. I still love hearing her voice. Email, facebook chats and texting are great, but none of them compares to hearing her voice. <br /><br />Next up was our first Christmas as husband and wife. We put up a little tree in our trailer. That Christmas was …<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-1805943111559395126?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-62310946477935267022011-02-01T10:35:00.000-05:002011-02-01T10:35:15.948-05:00Our trailer had some unique things about it to put it mildly. Such as …now remember this was a 1960 10’x50’ single wide mobile home. We were in a 3 street little trailer park on the then back edge of Olivet Nazarene College (University now) property known as “Trailerville”. The trailers were all very close together. We didn’t have an air conditioner so in the summer when our windows were open and our neighbor’s phone rang we would get up to answer ours. One of the most unique features of the trailer you noticed upon entering and that was the kitchen, since you were standing on the edge of it as you entered. The thing that stood out was the color of the countertops, fridge, stove and sink. The color was a bright (puke) aqua color. It was really difficult on the eyes. If you were around whenever we tried to bake anything in the oven it was quite the experience. I would not let Jody turn the stove on, the reason is that you had to light the oven every time you used it because the pilot light would not work. The method to light the oven was to light a match, turn the oven on, toss the lit match toward the gas, turn your face away quickly and then yell when the flames shot out and burned the hair off your hand. I am a relatively hairy person (with the exception of the top of head) and for the time we lived in that trailer I had no hair on the back of my right hand.<br /><br />Another special feature of our trailer was that it leaned. It tilted away from the entrance. The result of this tilt was that you had to scoop water toward the drain whenever you took a bath or shower. Another impact of this tilt was that when you sat on the toilet your right shoulder would rest against the wall which kept you from having to hold on while doing your business.<br /><br />I mentioned that the bedroom was small. We had a full size mattress (do they even make these any more?). You had to be on the bed to get anything out of the closet. Also, my feet hung over the end of the mattress and sometimes during the night I would unknowingly kick clothes off their hangers.<br /><br />The windows were not energy efficient and in fact they didn’t really close tight at all. In the winter we taped plastic over the windows trying to stay warm and conserve as much heat as possible. One result of this was that you would hear the plastic moving as it tried to hold back the winter wind. You knew the plastic had failed when you began to notice the curtains moving with the wind. That winter I learned about something called heat tape. It is a wonderful thing that you wrap around water pipes and plug in to keep some heat on the pipes and prevent them from freezing. I learned about them when our pipes froze. As I crawled under the trailer I discovered that we already had heat tape on the water pipes, but not being aware of this clever invention I had not plugged it in. Amazingly when it was plugged in the heat tape worked wonderfully.<br /><br />But with all of the uniqueness of the trailer it is still one of the most endearing places we have ever lived. Because it was our first place. Because it was ours. Because we began our married life in that trailer and as we are moving toward anniversary number 36, I realize that we learned a lot in that little trailer. I am not interested in going back there, unless it was sitting on a lot by a lake then I would consider it. But I do think of it often and most of the memories are very good ones. We were living in that trailer when we had to spend our first nights apart. It was Thanksgiving and …<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-6231094647793526702?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-70998448491097251062011-01-31T10:17:00.000-05:002011-01-31T10:17:01.120-05:00Had a great day yesterday. There was a very good spirit throughout the worship service. One of our teens played a special on the piano for the offertory and did a fantastic job. There were 2 teens on the worship team. I love seeing our youth involved in worship leadership. We had a decent attendance. There was some powerful stuff going on in people's hearts and minds during the service. This was evidenced by the prayer time and by people stepping out to counsel someone while worship continued.<br /><br />I concluded the series "Changeover" yesterday. Using Isaiah 43:14-44:5 we have looked at what we need to focus on to be all that God desires of us as individuals and as a church body. Each week we had a challenge and the last 4 weeks we have examined specific disciplines such as reading the Bible, Prayer, Fasting, Giving and committing to a community of believers. This week was a challenge that links all of the disciplines, serving others. The call to serve Christ by serving others. One of the criticisms that God gave to the people in the passage in Isaiah was that they had "not wearied yourselves for me" (43:22). That verse has stuck with me all through my study of this passage and preparation for the messages in this series. Too often we don't put ourselves out on God's behalf. We often weary ourselves over many things don't matter and neglect God.<br /><br />We are to serve others because Jesus showed us how. He was not only an example, but he told us to serve others, John 13:12-15. Jesus looked for opportunities to serve. An opportunity is when we see or hear of a need. This requires us to be seeking to serve. So you must be looking and listening for needs. Matthew 25:14-30 is a great parable about a master giving responsibility to some who worked for him. He went away and came back to check on the results. Two of the three worked hard and brought the master a return on his investment. The third one did nothing with what the master gave him and literally buried it. He then simply handed it back to the master. The master didn't want it returned, he wanted the worker to use it. God has gifted each of us and he is not looking for us to preserve it, but to use what he has provided to serve. What are you doing with what God has provided for you? Notice in this passage that the master gave to each of the workers "according to their ability". The master believed in each of the workers, but the one didn't believe in himself or the master as evidenced by him doing nothing with what was given. Brian C. Houston said, "Great churches are not built on the gifts and talents of a few, but on the sacrifices of many." The issue is not equal gifts but equal sacrifice. This requires no special skills but a willingness to be available.<br /><br />The challenge: Seek to serve others as God shows you needs. Note there is no time limit to this challenge. Are you willing to be available?<br /><br />Last night we began new small groups on Sunday evenings. The reports of the groups has been outstanding. I am really excited about the group Jody and I are leading. It was a great beginning and the future should be great in these groups.<br /><br />Yes, a very good day indeed.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-7099844849109725106?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-68913312515203141752011-01-29T14:18:00.002-05:002011-01-29T14:18:21.947-05:00That first morning (our first in our home) we realized a major difference that we had not talked about, or even thought about, before we got married. You see the alarm clock was on my side of the bed and …there are a couple of things you need to realize about our trailer. We had a full size bed (not queen or king) in the bedroom. It was against a wall at the head and on one side of the mattress. At the foot of the bed was our closet and built in drawers. You had to be on the bed to get into the closet or open the drawers. Therefore, there was only one open side to the bed. That was the side I slept on, (I still sleep on that side 35+ years later) I don’t know exactly how we settle on which side of the bed we would sleep on, but it must have worked. Since my side had the only opening the alarm clock was on my side. We were using the one I had in dorm. So I set it was we went to bed that first night in our home. You need to understand that at that point in my life I needed loud noises to wake up. In fact in the dorm I had to put my alarm clock out of my reach so I had to get out of bed to turn it off. If I could reach it from bed I would smack it off and go right back to sleep. I didn’t use the radio option because that never woke me up, I used the alarm setting. On my clock that sounded a lot like a fog horn and I turned it up all the way.<br /><br />This was not something Jody and I had ever talked about before we got married (I often bring it up in pre-marital counseling now). So the next morning when the alarm went off I didn’t budge at first (remember my side of the bed was the only open side), Jody however flew up, bounced off the wall landed on the open side and shut off the alarm. I began to arouse about then and heard her muttering about how loud the alarm was and I commented that I hadn’t heard it. I got ready and headed to work. That evening we had our first meal together as husband and wife in our own home. As we went to bed that night, Jody said she had already set the alarm. We went to sleep and the next morning I began to wake up, I opened one eyelid just far enough to look at the alarm clock, as I focused on the time I flew out of bed yelling that I had overslept and that commenting that the alarm didn’t go off. Jody said that it went off quite a while ago and when I didn’t get up she assumed that I was going into work later that day.<br /><br />Remember Jody had set the alarm the night before. Her setting was to have the radio come on at a low volume when it was time to get up, that was what she was used doing. I never heard it and certainly didn’t wake up. That night we had a discussion about how the alarm clock needed to be set and how we could come to some compromise since we were miles apart on this issue. We got it worked out. Today we each have an alarm clock, since we now have a bedroom that is bigger than the size of the bed. We still do not wake the same way, but she doesn’t bounce off the wall anymore and I don’t sleep through the alarm.<br /><br />This was the first of many issues that we had to work out in living together as husband and wife. It was really minor by comparison to many other things, but it set the tone that we had to work things out and remember that we were no longer living just for ourselves. Some of the first things we had to work out had to do with just living in our trailer. Our trailer had some unique things about it to put it mildly. Such as …<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-6891331251520314175?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-33459564801567061092011-01-27T11:04:00.000-05:002011-01-27T11:04:06.746-05:00My buddies wanted to pull a prank on us. So they lifted my keys to our trailer and were going to have people help them do stuff to our trailer. They got a little nervous and asked my Dad if the keys they had were to our trailer. My Dad looked at the keys and said, no those to the place they are going on their honeymoon. We had already left and there were no cell phones … when we stopped at Jody’s parents home to pick something up the phone rang and it was my Dad. He told me he had the keys we needed for the honeymoon and we made arrangements to get them. My Dad saved the day, or actually the next few days. <br /><br />So we headed out on our honeymoon. The trip was a few hours long (I don’t recommend traveling that far on your wedding day) and we stopped for supper on the way. We arrived at our place in the evening. We pulled up to the place went inside, opened the garage door and drove in. You see we were at my parents home. They were on vacation in Canada and we had the house to ourselves. Remember me saying we didn’t have any money? So my wedding night was spent in my old room. You can insert your own headlines here. Having a whole house to ourselves was actually pretty cool. Naturally my Mom had made sure the fridge and pantry were well stocked. The next day we actually went to church, in the evening. There was a concert taking place at my Dad’s church and Jody wanted to hear the group. So we snuck in a little late and sat in the back.<br /><br />On Monday we headed to Cincinnati and went to King’s Island. We arrived as they were opening and there was hardly anyone in the park. As a result when we would get off a ride if we liked it we would walk back and be near the front of the line and ride it again. I think we rode the main roller coaster 12 or 13 times among all the other rides as well. Near evening we left King’s Island and drove to Riverfront Stadium. Some friends of my parents had gotten us a parking pass and tickets for some really great seats to see the Reds that night. We drove into a preferred parking spot and then grabbed some food and headed to our seats a little while before the game. We watched a good major league game and then headed back to our honeymoon home. It was a great day and showed who we are for sure.<br /><br />Tuesday was spent in the Springfield, Ohio area and near the house. Then on Wednesday we headed back to Kankakee and our little trailer. We didn’t get much time off work and didn’t have any more money so it was a short honeymoon. The trailer seemed especially small after having a whole house to ourselves. But it was ours and therefore it was special. I went to work Thursday morning and the real world had now invaded our wedding/just married bubble. That first morning we realized a major difference that we had talked about, or even thought about, before we got married. You see the alarm clock was on my side of the bed and …<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-3345956480156706109?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-24196967975376736292011-01-25T09:43:00.002-05:002011-01-25T09:43:51.715-05:00And now for the wedding …August came rushing toward us and that meant the wedding day. All of the last minute stuff was being done, and to be honest I don’t remember a lot of it, not because I wasn’t aware of it but the details don’t compare to the event and the life after. The day of rehearsal was full of greeting people who arrived, setting up the church and cringing at things that were being changed without our consent. Of the guys who stood up with me the only one had seen that summer was my brother. So there was a little bit of catching up that we did when they all arrived. My memory is that rehearsal went relatively smoothly, but I could be blocking some things out. I do remember it took too long and as a pastor now I am a stickler that rehearsals don’t need to be more than 45 minutes once everyone arrives. Everyone understood where they were to be and most agreed on when they were to be in their places.<br /><br />You must understand that given all the things Jody and I desired in the wedding that were changed on us one of the points I refused to budge on was that the wedding would start on time. I wanted people coming down the aisle at the stated time of the wedding. My mother in law had read that the mother of the bride should enter 10 minutes after the stated time. Not sure where she read it, or why someone thought that was right, but it was her firm belief that this was correct. I insisted more firmly that an article didn’t matter to me and that at our wedding we were starting on time. That night the guys and I spent the night at the home of one of Jody’s bridesmaids, we didn’t do anything wild, we did talk a lot about how much life was changing. I was the second of us five of us who was getting married. We realized things would not be the same, but we said we would remain friends. Sound familiar? Well you should know that the five of us are still friends and still keep in touch. We live in 3 different states and all took different career paths, we have 16 children and about that many grandkids. For the past 3 years we have gotten together for a weekend to catch up and deepen our friendships. Sometimes those college dreams live on.<br /><br />The day of the wedding dawned and we made our way to the church. In those days you took almost no pictures ahead of time (I like the pictures ahead of time). In the room where we were getting ready a startling discovery was made, some of the tuxes were missing pieces or were the wrong size. There were phone calls and a hurried trip to the rental store to correct the problems. I don’t know if Jody heard any of this or not. We were ready early and the word was so was Jody and the girls. I was waiting in a little room just off the front of the sanctuary, anxiously waiting. Word came that we were about ready to begin but no one could find Jody’s mom. Remember the issue of when the wedding was to start? That’s right my mother in law was hiding so she could start on her time. My dad got word of this, he said “I’ll be right back. Later I learned that he searched for and found my mother in law. He returned and said, “We are starting now.” I have never learned what my Dad said, he won’t say and she never would either. All I know is we started on time. My Dad rose even higher on my hero list that day.<br /><br />Jody was beautiful. We made it through the wedding. My mom’s nose was red from tears, they were tears of joy. My Dad and Jody’s pastor, Rev. Andree, did the ceremony. Jody’s brother and sister in law sang and we got married. We went had the ritual known as the receiving line (that seemed to go forever), then we went and cut the cake and the reception began. We went back in the sanctuary for pictures and they took so long that by the time we finished everyone had left the reception and the cake was gone. At that point I didn’t really care, I wanted to change get in the car and head to the honeymoon. We changed, got in our car that was covered in drawings and writing from my buddies. We stopped by Jody’s parents home for something and then were on our way.<br /><br />My buddies wanted to pull a prank on us. So they lifted my keys to our trailer and were going to have people help them do stuff to our trailer. They got a little nervous and asked my Dad if the keys they had were to our trailer. My Dad looked at the keys and said, no those to the place they are going on their honeymoon. We had already left and there were no cell phones …<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-2419696797537673629?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-53442416120090480212011-01-24T10:44:00.000-05:002011-01-24T10:44:59.624-05:00Yesterday was another very good day. There was a great spirit in our worship service. The temperature was in the single digits but our attendance was reasonable, in fact it was up in Sunday School. We had all of our worship band members participating yesterday and that always adds during the music and singing part of worship.<br /><br />I preached part 4 of the 5 part series "Changeover" that we are doing to begin this year. Where you focus determines your destination and your destiny. In understanding the need to focus on God's way we have been examining some spiritual disciplines we need upon which we need to focus. We have looked at Bible reading, prayer and fasting with specific challenges for each of them. (see previous posts) This week we looked at sacrificial giving and committing to a community of believers. Isaiah 43:14-44:5 is the foundation for this study with many other scriptures referenced as well. Sacrificial giving is giving from the essential instead of the excess. Sacrificial giving will be felt and will change your lifestyle in some way. Need to give for God's purposes, not just our favorite things. Matthew 6:19-21 reminds us that our hearts follow our money. Malachi 3:6-12 reminds us of the importance of giving to God and accepting his challenge to give. I believe much of our giving needs to be given where we can also serve, because this will increase our joy of giving and multiply our passion as well. John Henry Jowett sais, "Ministry that costs nothing, accomplishes nothing." Showing love requires action, in fact I believe love is sacrificial action. Many people speak of being fearful of sacrifice because of the cost. I am realizing that the greater cost is when we sacrifice God's will, God's plan and His promises for the sake of fear.<br /><br />The challenge: to give sacrificially to God's cause in a place where you can also serve for this year. Then see what happens in your heart, your life and the place where you give and serve.<br /><br />We looked at the need to focus on committing to a community of believers (a church). Hebrews 10:24-25. Martin Luther said, "Apart from the church, salvation is impossible." Not because we are saved through the church but because we can't truly fulfill God's call apart from a community of believers. The great commission (Matt. 28:16-20) tells us that we are to give our lives for the sake of others. Being a part of a church allows us to give where we can be personally impacted and can make a personal impact as well. God's purposes are to be accomplished in relationships/community. William Temple said, "The church is the only cooperative society in the world that exists for the benefit of its non-members." Church is not to be about our comfort but about fulfilling God's call to reach the lost. I have concluded there are three levels of commitment in the church, I have related them to where someone lives. 1) The Motel Patron - this is day to day. They check in and they check out for convenience. They desire the benefits with none of the responsibility. 2) The Renters - this is more month to month, or longer. Usually they stay a little longer and realize they have some responsibility for care, but they have no responsibility if things go wrong. 3) The Owner or Buyer - they are committed financially and in responsibility for a longer period. They understand they need to work at seeing things go as they should for their intended purpose. On which level are you operating?<br /><br />The challenge: move from casual to committed in a church where you will serve.<br /><br />Will you accept the challenges? When? Where?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-5344241612009048021?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-15976329598492265262011-01-23T19:08:00.000-05:002011-01-23T19:08:18.776-05:00Thanksgiving and Christmas were special times this year. They were special because we were able to spend time with all of our kids and grandkids. We have great times whenever we get together. There is always a lot of laughing, teasing, game playing and some story telling. What really makes these events highlights for me is that I don't take for granted getting everyone together. With 3 of us involved in pastoral ministry, with the grandkids getting older and just the busyness of life it is special whenever we are all able to be together.<br /><br />We don't all live near each other, we are 2 to 3 hours apart. We don't have hourly jobs with set hours. So I am extremely grateful whenever we get together.<br /><br />As my birthdays mount and our clan becomes larger our gatherings are all the more special. I am humbled that the kids and grandkids want to get together with us and each other. I have ministered to many families that are not able to get together for a variety of reasons and some that do not deisre to get together.<br /><br />So my highlights included every time we got together and especially at Thanksgiving and Christmas. I loved every minute of those times. The laughs, the sounds of my grandkids, the smiles, the hugs, the food and just being in the presence of people I dearly love and who appear to love me as well.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-1597632959849226526?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-60585846616863931542011-01-22T12:49:00.002-05:002011-01-22T12:49:21.127-05:00The end of the school year rushed upon us and summer was beginning. That led to the final plans for the wedding and a few missteps along the way, such as …I was busy selling shoes and Jody was working at a nursing home. She moved into our trailer and I was rooming at my brother and sister in law’s house. When we were able to be together we were planning the wedding and our lives. We were planning a wedding while being 4 hours away from where the wedding would take place. That caused some problems and made some appointments difficult since both of us worked some on the weekends. One big issue that nearly became a disaster was the blood test. That’s right folks when we got married 35 ½ years ago a blood test was required as part of the marriage license process. Unlike a TV show these could not be done and results returned within an hour. With almost no time to spare we realized this had been missed in the planning process. We had to both take off work and make a quick, unplanned trip to her hometown for the blood test. Tension was very high for that trip and that is all the details I care to share with you.<br /><br />We had the tension of the final plans, dresses and tuxes being fitted. Scrambling to get all the addresses to for the people who were being invited is always interesting, thank goodness for mothers who kept up to date lists. (A trait neither of us has continued, sorry kids.) Planning everyone’s arrival for the rehearsal, wedding and where people might stay while in attendance was an issue I didn’t see coming. Selecting who would be in the wedding party was not a difficult one for me, and I don’t remember it being difficult for Jody either. Given my friends and who was available it worked out well. <br /><br />The planning of the honeymoon was relatively easy. We had almost no money so the plans had to be very simple and very cheap. For those who know us well you will not be surprised at the events we took in on our honeymoon. (That will come in another post.) During this time of planning I remember a time when we were planning and we began to speculate and dream about the future. We were trying to figure out how we were going to make it financially once we were married and school started since I would not be able to keep working full time. We began to talk about “what ifs …” I am smiling as think back on that conversation when we declared that if we could just to the point that we made $10,000 a year we would have it made! My how times have changed. One thing this shows is that the money is never the biggest issue, because things will keep changing. The bigger issue is your relationships, including the relationship with Jesus Christ<br /><br />We got settled and involved in a local church that we decided would be our church. This was an important decision. I realize now that it was also very important that we did not wait to get involved. We started helping with the youth and even in children’s church. The youth involvement has been an ongoing theme for our entire married life it seems.<br /><br />And now for the wedding ...<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-6058584661686393154?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-84594333643783664772011-01-20T15:07:00.000-05:002011-01-20T15:07:43.120-05:00Life, and school, continued as we rushed toward our wedding day. Some highlights of this time were …I was beginning to get more and more playing time on the varsity basketball team and the team was doing very well. Don’t misunderstand, I was a bench player but I was getting minutes in every game now. That spring our team went to Chattanooga, TN and won the National Christian College Championship. In the semifinal game I scored 8 or 10 points (can’t remember for sure) but I sprained my ankle very severely. As soon as I pulled my shoe off after the game it swelled up like I had a grapefruit taped to my ankle. I iced it all night and all the next day. Before the game I had the trainer tape it as tight as possible, it felt like I was wearing a cast. During warm-ups I had trouble jumping and cutting. We won the game by 2 points on the other team’s home floor, I did not play. It was a great weekend to win the championship.<br /><br />The trip to the national championship was the first time Jody and I were apart for more than 2 days since we became engaged. Before I left for the trip she gave we a package with specific instructions. There were different envelopes and each was labeled as to when I was supposed to open them and there were special snacks in the package as well. I enjoyed opening every envelope and reading every note and card. To answer the question, I did not open any of them ahead of the instructions on the envelopes. Surprised? I can exercise self control when needed. I am smiling as I type this remembering that package.<br /><br />With basketball season finished the realization of an upcoming wedding and more importantly life as a married person pressed in on me. We got our rings through Jody’s uncle Keith who owned a jewelry store at that time. I began to look for some type of job that I could work part time during school and full time in the summers. I found the job at Ted’s Shoes in downtown Kankakee, it is no longer in business. Jody really liked the fact that I could get discounts on shoes. I actually enjoyed the job quite a bit. I have a lot of stories about those days, but this story is not about that so I will leave those for some other time.<br /><br />We began to look for a place to live after the wedding. A basketball teammate of mine was selling a trailer. It was located on the college property in what was known as “Trailerville”. (Trailerville is no longer in existence, in fact that land is now a parking lot.) The trailer was a 10 foot by 50 foot trailer. We made the purchase and began our married life with a mortgage. Our payments were $85 a month and we had a lot rental fee that I believe was $15 a month. How would you like to have that for a payment now?<br /><br />The end of the school year rushed upon us and summer was beginning. That led to the final plans for the wedding and a few missteps along the way, such as …<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-8459433364378366477?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-12034674366999989652011-01-18T10:02:00.000-05:002011-01-18T10:02:24.967-05:00I soon discovered that life as an engaged person was somewhat different than just dating. Such as <br />…you spent time planning for an event that you really don’t understand. You check in with each other more often and keep each other more up to date on what you are doing and where you are going. There is also the way other people treat you once you are engaged. After all the congrats and jokes you are now left out of a lot plans because the assumption is that you are busy with your fiancé. There are usually some moments of, “Wait a minute, I am getting married. That is a really big deal. Am I ready for this?” The answer is, yes it is a REALLY BIG deal and no, you are not ready for this.<br /><br />I/we began to learn a big lesson that is true for too many weddings. The lesson was that sometimes your wedding is not really your wedding. I can see many of you nodding your head as you read this and remember your wedding planning. What I mean is that sometimes family members forget that it is your wedding and do more dictating than suggesting. My father in law was fine, my parents were fine but my mother in law seemed to forget that it was supposed to be our wedding and not hers. Jody and I would get together and talk about things we wanted and didn’t want (not things that changed the money issue of the wedding for those who are thinking this was the issue) and then her mom would change those things. Sometimes this happened with a declaration without discussion. I loved my mother in law but we did not do well when it came to wedding planning. During this time I learned another big lesson on wedding planning and your relationship with your fiancé. The lesson was that it is a stressful time and you need to realize it is not personal (unless of course you are being jerk about it all), you need to be as supportive as possible. The thing we kept reminding ourselves was that all that really mattered was that we get married. The rest of it is not life and death.<br /><br />I must insert here that I share much of this with couples that I counsel before doing their weddings. I try to remind them of what really matters while also counseling them to share their feelings with the parents and remind the parents that this is supposed to be their children’s wedding. I also address it at every wedding rehearsal before we get started. I let everyone know that I have been meeting/talking with the couple and they have shared what they want in their wedding. Then I say “If you have other ideas about how their wedding should be done save it for your wedding because this is the wedding of this couple.” That has an interesting impact on rehearsals at times. I will let your imagination go with that image.<br /><br />We actually drew closer during this time. We were learning about each other even in our disagreements. After all, this was who I had chosen to be my mate for life, we better figure out how to handle tension. We weren’t always good at this, and looking back on it now we would handle a lot of it differently but we were committed to each other and that matters more than anything else. <br /><br />Life, and school, continued as we rushed toward our wedding day. Some highlights of this time were …<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-1203467436699998965?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-11901480595240957042011-01-17T11:33:00.000-05:002011-01-17T11:33:40.906-05:00It was very cold yesterday morning, but the sun was shining and God shone through in our worship as well. (Wow, that really is a cheesy statement now that I see it in black and white.) In spite of the cold we has decent attendance and are seeing some new people commit to this being their church. That is always encouraging.<br /><br />We had most of our worship band back this week, only missing one, but we were a short on our vocal team. It seemed that it took the congregation a long time get engaged in worship yesterday. <br /><br />Yesterday I preached part 3 of a 5 part series entitled "Changeover", using Isaiah 43:14-44:5 as the foundation. Looking at what we need to focus on to make the changes needed to do what God desires of us. Last week we looked at the need to read the Bible everyday and pray for others everyday. This week we looked at the spiritual discipline of fasting. This is an often neglected discipline in our country. Fasting is a spiritual discipline which helps us to recapture our hunger for God. In Matthew 6:6 Jesus said, "When you fast..." is a clear message that those who follow Christ are to spend some time fasting. He did not say 'if you fast'. The life of Christ shows a pattern of prayer and fasting. Fasting is abstaining from food to spend more time and focus on God and his will. Not because food is bad, but because God is better. It is saying that having more of the Giver is better than more of the gifts. <br /><br />Fasting is not ...a diet or hunger strike, it is not a substitute for obedience and not a way to make God love you more.<br /><br />Fasting ... exposes your heart, it fans the flames of your hunger for God and it reveals who/what controls you.<br /><br />Lisa Bevere said, "A diet changes how you look. A fast changes how you see."<br /><br />You need to take your physical condition into consideration before fasting. You may need to have food at specific times due to medication or other physical conditions. Be wise in undertaking fasting. <br /><br />There are total fasts that mean only drink water. There are fasts when you only drink fruit or vegetable juices (be careful not to drink ones with a lot of sugar). There are partial fasts where you abstain from meat for example. The point is to deny yourself something and spend that time and effort in more time with God in prayer and reading the Word.<br /><br />The challenge was to fast one meal a day, or one day a week, for the next 6 weeks. Then see what God reveals to you.<br /><br />Will you accept the challenge? What changes do you need to make to meet this challenge?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-1190148059524095704?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-6961846536472371072011-01-15T11:31:00.002-05:002011-01-15T11:31:47.830-05:00The next day arrived and I realized that I should let my parents know that I was now engaged. I hadn’t really thought that part through, so I thought it only fair to let them I was going to get married and that they would have another daughter in law. Now I knew that they really liked Jody so I wasn’t worried about their reaction as far as she was concerned. But I had never done this before, so I was a little nervous, but mainly I was I pumped to tell the news. They were on vacation in Florida staying with some friends and had given me the number in case of emergency. (To my grandchildren, realize this was before cell phones so I couldn’t call them directly.) I considered waiting until they got back home, but I didn’t want to wait and I knew that someone from college would tell their parents who would likely ask my parents about it. Therefore, I concluded that I should call without delay.<br /><br />I placed the call and found out from the friends that they were out on a trip for the day. The only message I left for them was to call me as soon as possible. Evidently that freaked out their friends. So as soon as my parents returned they told them that they needed to call me asap and the friends were all worried. When asked what they thought I had called about, my Dad in usual calm manner simply said, “Either he had an accident with the car or he got engaged.” Very perceptive man, my Dad. Those of you who know my Dad can just see him saying this can’t you? With that mischievous grin dancing across his face. <br /><br />The call came and I shared the news. My parents congratulated me/us. Then asked some practical questions like when the wedding might be, etc… I hadn’t really thought about these questions very much, I was still enjoying the glow of just becoming engaged. At the next basketball practice Coach Wilson called me aside and asked if what he heard was true, was I engaged? I answered yes. He nodded and said “Okay. Do you know when?”. I did not have a good practice that day as I now pondered the practical side of my being engaged.<br /><br />When I met Jody that evening, I said I guess we have to figure some things out. Such as when we would get married, where we would get married and then whatever goes into getting married. I had no clue what was involved in planning a wedding. I often reflect on my ignorance when I sit down with newly engaged couples who have asked me to do their wedding. I sometimes see that stunned look cross the face of one of them and do my best to stifle knowing smile.<br /><br />I soon discovered that life as an engaged person was somewhat different than just dating. Such as …<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-696184653647237107?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-47876920821971519662011-01-14T16:35:00.000-05:002011-01-14T16:35:54.195-05:00I completed my 4th season coaching volleyball at our local high school, first year was as the Junior Varsity(JV) coach and the last three as varsity coach. This was definitely a highlight of my year. This was a very fun group to coach, oh we had some moments, but they are a great group of young ladies.<br /><br />We had a winning record for the first time in a long time and we had some gut wrenching losses. It was a year of some great steps forward, beating a conference leader for the first time and making a great run at the county tourney. One of those gut wrenching losses was in that county tourney. The hardest loss was the final one. It was in the District tourney. It was an amazing match to watch. Both of our teams lost one of our best just before the match. They lost a girl to sickness and we lost one to a torn ACL on the last moment of warmups. That was the last match but it is not the lasting impression of the season for me.<br /><br />I remember we overcame some difficult circumstances in the deaths of a fellow student and of a teammate's niece. I was so proud of them as they faced these tough moments. I remember the 4 hour early practices, the deals they tried to make to lessen some of the work, sometimes they won. I remember some awesome hits, great digs, perfect passes, pinpoint sets, monster blocks and special serves. I remember the laughing, they have some of the best laughs. I remember nicknames, even for me. I remember the hard work they put in. I remember the food at saturday tourneys. I remember some funny falls and moments that just made me shake my head.<br /><br />This year was especially fulfilling because this group of seniors have been with me for all four years of my coaching. I had them on JV my first year, 2 of them have been with me all three years on varsity and the other all six of them have been together again the past two years. I have watched them grow as athletes, as volleyball players, but more importantly in intelligent, beautiful young women who are going to make a real difference in the world. I am so proud of them.<br /><br />Next year will be really different to begin volleyball without any of them. But they have helped turn the program around and their fingerprints will be all over this program for a while. I am looking forward to next year but it will be different.<br /><br />Coaching volleyball with some of the greatest girls anywhere was a definite highlight this past year.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-4787692082197151966?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-88910270186028657612011-01-12T23:31:00.000-05:002011-01-12T23:31:11.117-05:00We returned from Christmas break and things just started moving forward, but not without a faux glitch on the horizon. It looked like a glitch, but sometimes looks can be deceiving. As January began we began talking more and more seriously about the future. We danced around things by asking each other “What if …” questions about our ideas of relationships, marriage, family and more. The “what ifs” got more and more specific and the picture of the desired future started to come into focus. I don’t know exactly when it happened, there were no shooting stars and no writing on the wall, but the time came when I realize this is who I want to spend the rest of my life with. As I held that knowledge I began plotting how to share that truth with Jody. I had decided that it was time to ask her to marry me. I didn’t plan anything elaborate, I just thought I would ask. (I know I have shattered your image of the moment haven’t I?)<br /><br />We were out on a date one night and we were having some more our “what if” discussions. Jody suddenly scooted away from me and declared that she was not talking about the “what ifs” anymore. When I asked why, she replied that she wasn’t going to keep talking about the future any more because I hadn’t asked her the question. My reaction (now remember I already knew that I was going to ask) was to smile and maybe a chuckle escaped my lips. Evidently that was not the reaction she was expecting nor hoping I would give. – Timeout – do you remember the story of my first visit to her house and the fender bender in the snow? Do you remember her reaction to that incident? If not go back and read it. So I felt entitled to my chuckle at that moment. – Time in –<br /><br />Later in the evening, when I had convinced her to get near me again, I asked the question. She said yes! We embraced the moment and then in moments she wanted to go back to campus. That was not what I had imagined, and besides it was way before the dorm curfew. When I asked why she wanted to go back so early she replied with a large smile that it was so she could tell people that we were now engaged. So we returned to campus, walked up to her dorm entrance, she gave me a big hug and kiss and said good night! It was about 10:30!!! She ran inside and I soon heard some squealing. I turned around and headed to my dorm. There was no one to tell, all of my buddies were out on dates. So there I sat, in my dorm freshly engaged and all by myself. It was a pitiful picture.<br /><br />Sometime later the phone in my room rang and it was Jody telling me she loved me and that she was having a blast telling people that we were engaged. Then she hung up and there I sat. Did I mention that I was all alone? Two or three hours later my buddies came in and told them. Unlike at Jody’s dorm there was no squealing. There were congrats,(“Way to go Sundance!” Did I mention that was my nickname in college?) handshakes and some pats on the back. It was all, you know, guy style.<br /><br />The next day arrived and I realized that I should let my parents know that I was now engaged. I hadn’t really thought that part through, so I …<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-8891027018602865761?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-16446094041336029232011-01-12T14:11:00.000-05:002011-01-12T14:11:21.150-05:00As I look back on 2010 the greatest area of personal growth in my spiritual life happened on Tuesdays. I started the year by encourages the church to come and have some special times of prayer on Tuesdays throughout the year. There were 3 specific times announced that people were encouraged to come and pray for a little while or the whole time. They were 6:30-7:30 am, noon-1:00pm and 5:30-6:30pm. We took a room that was being used to store some stuff, cleaned it out and called it the prayer room. Every week I created a Prayer guide with praises and requests from our church, community and around the world. There were papers that people could fill out with additional requests or praises. We announced it every week and made sure the church was open and the room available every Tuesday.<br /><br />What happened was that only a handful of people ever came to pray. After several months I quit announcing it every week but continued to create the prayer guide and I continued to come in at 6:30am every Tuesday that was in town. Somewhere around September it dawned on me that though the church had not responded to this plea for prayer it was changing me. I still don't know if the main reason the Lord prompted me to encourage the church for this special time of prayer was just for me or not. But I do know that it changed me. My prayer life increased several times over this past year.<br /><br />So what was at one point very discouraging and frustrating to me is now a highlight from this past year.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-1644609404133602923?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-12819400582832205242011-01-11T09:30:00.002-05:002011-01-11T09:30:38.680-05:00Our relationship was moving full steam ahead at this point. It was soon to be obvious that this was who I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, but of course there were still a few more adventures before I acted on that fact. Such as …Christmas break which came a few weeks after we got back from Thanksgiving break. We each went our separate way to our own homes. We managed to delay our trips home briefly, but we ended up a few hours from each other. This was a big test. The college life is not real life, you are in such a tight environment, you see each other a lot and there are many things that are more optional than required. This leads to being able to see each other almost at your whim, but life outside of that is not so easy. <br /><br />Our Christmas break was 5 weeks, if memory serves me correctly. This was our first lengthy time away from each other. Now remember we had no cell phones and no email. (Hey I have admitted to being old already) So we were left to letters and long distance phone calls for which you had to pay extra. If you know either my wife or myself you know that the letter thing was not going to happen too much, so that left the phone. I had learned while still in high school that long distance phone calls to girlfriends were expensive and they came out of my pocket.<br /><br />The old saying is that “absence makes the heart grow fonder”. I don’t know if that is always true, but I do know that I was not fond of the absence. What this time did prove to me was that Jody was the person that I loved and that I didn’t want this kind of absence again. What I missed was seeing her and spending time with her, it was all the little things. It wasn’t the dates, it was just the time being near each other. This was a great and painful time. We were able to see each other for a few days during this time and she spent some time at my house and with some of my family. See already knew my brother and his family, because at that time he was living in the town in which we attended college. He liked it because he got some free babysitting out it, well if you don’t count the food I ate whenever we babysat. Come to think of it maybe he would have been money ahead to pay a babysitter.<br /><br />We returned from Christmas break and things just started moving forward, but not without a faux glitch on the horizon. It looked like a glitch, but sometimes looks can be deceiving.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-1281940058283220524?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-30845783580890437442011-01-10T10:44:00.000-05:002011-01-10T10:44:17.409-05:00Yesterday was a hectic day that had some great moments. In fact it was another very good day. The hectic was that we returned to have Sunday School on Sunday mornings so schedules were thrown off and there was a lot of scrambling to be done, mainly by me. I had gotten used to the pattern when Sunday School was not in the morning and I just forgot how different my own schedule was on those mornings. So I was sprinting more than usual.<br /><br />Worship went well. We were missing half of our band. A couple of them were out of town on trips and another got paged for a fire run a little before the service began. People seemed rather lethargic as the service began, but got more engaged as the service continued. I was really moved as watched our worship team leading us and realized that half of them were teens. We nearly always have some teens in our worship teams, but this time it just really touched and encouraged me. God is really doing some great things in our youth ministry. Jody and I had a great conversation with a teen on Saturday who is really seeking to do what God desires. <br /><br />The message was part 2 of a 5 part series (those who know me well are aware that the length of a series is always subject to change). The series is entitled "Changeover", in seeking to know, understand and do the changes God is desiring of us to do his will. Our foundation is Isaiah 43:14-44:5. In review: your focus determines where you will go and how you will live. We are to focus on what God is doing now. We are to focus on God's perception not our selfish perceptions and we are to focus on being ready to follow God's way.<br /><br />To be ready to follow God's way will require that we are following God's disciplines. This week we focused on reading God's Word and prayer. God keeps reminding us of his words. In our foundations passage there are 3 verses that say "this is what the Lord says", and another that asks you to "review" with him. God has already given you the answers in his Word. But we must read the Word to find the answers. You cannot depend solely on someone else teaching them to you. The challenge was to read the Bible everyday and to read all of it within the next 1 or 2 years. Most people who claim to follow Christ rarely read their Bible outside of attending church. That won't cut it. I shared several different Bible reading plans from which people could choose. The bottom line is get in the Word. Start with a little, because I know that the more of the Bible you read the more you will want to read.<br /><br />We also focused on the discipline of prayer. I mean really praying about the needs and concerns in your life and the lives of those everywhere. Prayer is a conversation with God and a conversation is not a monolog (that doesn't look right, is that how it is spelled?). There must be listening as well as talking. We listen as we read the Bible and we listen for his still small voice while we pray. This is a personal and corporate need. The challenge is to pray everyday. How long is not the critical factor in your praying, however the more you pray the more you will want to pray. Some tips that help me: Write it down. I do much better when I write, or type, my pray list. I guess the visual helps cement it for me. Find a spot that is somewhat a regular spot, a chair, a room, a closet, a tree, the spot doesn't matter but it helps to focus you on praying. Find a time for some regular prayer. Without scheduling it you are less likely to continue it. However, don't be limited by your spot or time, but be in an attitude of prayer. Be specific in your prayers, then you can really see God at work. Make sure you are including praises. Share some of your prayers and needs with others. If you say it is only private then it is easier to not do it because no one knows. Pray for others more than yourself, this includes praying around the world. I have also been very encouraged this past year by having a day (or time) each week for some extended prayer. I have dramatically increased my prayer life this past year because of having a time of extended prayer nearly every week.<br /><br />Will you accept the challenges? If so, when? Don't just say yes and leave it. If you say yes then answer the question of when you will begin. Otherwise you are not likely to to actually do it. I am praying for you as you accept the challenges this week.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-3084578358089043744?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-74074090405454026432011-01-07T21:34:00.000-05:002011-01-07T21:34:30.553-05:00In August we did our annual outdoor Baptismal service. We were at a member's home and did the baptizing in their pond. The weather was sunny and hot, in other words beautiful for baptism. We had 4 young people who were baptized. I love outdoor baptisms. There is just something uniquely special about them.<br /><br />We sang a few songs. I shared about the meaning of baptism. Then each of the people shared their personal testimony and reason for getting baptized now. I love hearing the tesitmonies. Often I know most of the testimony, but I always learn something new. I love watching the families of those getting baptized. They go through a series of emotions. Pride, humbled, impressed, encouraged and just plain beaming with joy.<br /><br />I love the expression of each of the people's faces as they walk into the water. It is always mixture of excitement, fear and joy. The fear is rarely deep fear, more of a "How cold is the water?", and "How long will you hold me under?" Then the best part is the look on their faces as they come up out of the water. They are grateful to be up from being under the water and then there is the most awesome picture of joy and accomplishment. I am smiling as I type this and am remembering that day.<br /><br />When we are finished we have a picnic and have some great conversations and fellowship. I also love watching those who were baptized as they are greeted by their family members, and then by others in the church. I enjoy standing back and watching all of this interaction. It is really a picture of intimate fellowship. I don't get to see that often enough so I make sure I don't miss watching it.<br /><br />This was one of the best ministry highlights of the year.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-7407409040545402643?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-83097213001258699682011-01-04T09:25:00.000-05:002011-01-04T09:25:19.906-05:00The day arrived for us to head to her house and we took off from school for the 4 hour drive. It was snowing a lot and the drive became very slow and treacherous. We into the trip we were traveling on an interstate and traffic was inching along at about 15-20 mph. It was slick, cold, snowing and visibility was poor. I saw all the brake lights up ahead of me come on, so I applied my brakes. I did it gently but the car began to slide anyway, I did all the tricks you are supposed to, but the cars in front and to the side of me came to a complete stop and we didn’t until we slowly slid into one of them. I put on the flashers, got out to inspect and talk with the other car. The other drive waved me off and I couldn’t see any damage on either car, but I gave me my information anyway. As I got back into the warm car I was upset. Ticked at myself, the weather, and really irritated that I was going to have to contact the insurance company and my Dad in case the other driver filed a claim. With all of that churning in me I looked over at the girl had fallen in/chosen to love and realized that she was laughing! She was trying hard to conceal it, but I could tell she was chuckling. I asked “Are you laughing?” She tried to deny it, but it is hard to deny you are laughing when you are laughing and tears are running down your cheeks. At that moment I wondered what I had gotten myself into and I was really steamed. Her explanation to me, after apologizing profusely, was that she has a tendency to laugh in times of crisis. I have discovered in the 35+ years of marriage that it is often true. It is not that she doesn’t care. There is just something in her that has to laugh when she someone falls, etc … I still love her, but this took some getting used to.<br /><br />The visit at her house went well, though I was very nervous the whole time. Her mother and I did better during this encounter. I met her Dad and that seemed to go well. That is always a biggie for the guy to meet his girl’s Dad. I have 2 daughters and I looked at every guy with suspicion when I first met them. I also had to pass the test with her sister, brother in law and nephews and a niece. That went very well. The 4 or 5 days went by and we headed back to college. The trip back to college went much better than the trip to her house, the weather was better, there was no accident and thereby there was no laughing at my misfortune.<br /><br />Our relationship was moving full steam ahead at this point. It was soon to be obvious that this was who I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, but of course there were still a few more adventures before I acted on that fact. Such as …<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-8309721300125869968?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-9255034271111874372011-01-03T11:01:00.000-05:002011-01-03T11:01:52.000-05:00Yesterday was another very good day. Our time of music went very well and people really seemed to engage and participate during the singing. There seemed to be a good spirit of expectation and always helps. Our attendance was decent for what is still a holiday Sunday. To put the pastor's frustration into perspective, we had at least 60 people here yesterday who were not in attendance the previous Sunday but our attendance was only 9 more.<br /><br />I began a new message series, "Changeover" using Isaiah 43:14-44:5. The focus this week was on verses 43:18-19 to launch into this series. The series is about a challenge for the year that I will begin making this coming Sunday. For many the beginning of a new year is a time to declare somethings they want to change in their life. We must realize that to see real change we must change. Your circumstances are not the real issue, you are. Perry Noble tweeted "One way to have VICTORY in your future is to stop being a VICTIM to your past."<br /><br />Don't let the past steal your focus or your energy. Don't dwell on your past failures, failure is not final nor is it fatal. Unless you stay there. You must learn from the failure and move on. Don't dwell on past success, there are new battle to be fought and won. You do not win the new battle just because you won the past battle, you must fight the new battle. Telling the enemy that you won the past battle means little in the new battle.<br /><br />Focus is critical, we are not to dwell in the past so where do we focus and why does it matter? Where you focus is where you will go and where you will live. Your focus determines your direction and residence. Focus on what God is doing now. He is doing new things, focus on these. Focus on God's perception not your selfish perceptions. Quite often we see what God is doing and we don't like it because it is not what we wanted him to do. Instead of focusing on God's will we waste time and energy trying to get God to focus on our will. Focus on being ready to follow God's way. To do this requires that we follow God's disciplines, such as reading the Bible, praying, giving sacrificially, serving, fasting and committing to a community of believers.<br /><br />What needs to change for you to live obediently? What changes are you willing to make? When will you begin making the changes?<br /><br />We had a few who came to the altar in response to the challenge. I am really looking forward to laying out the whole challenge over the next four weeks.<br /><br />Here's hoping you have a great new year as you focus on God and his will.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-925503427111187437?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-89869837517677359942011-01-02T22:46:00.000-05:002011-01-02T22:46:07.540-05:00Another great highlight of 2010 was going with my wife to watch the state high school volleyball finals. We went on a Wednesday night and checked into the hotel connected to the arena. The matches started on Thursday afternoon, so we had the morning to go out to breakfast and just relax. The matches were very entertaining and whenever we wanted we could just head back to the room without even going outside. On Friday we had the same schedule. It was very relaxing and great to spend some quality time together. Saturday the matches began at 10 am and we only stayed to watch 2 of the finals and then headed home.<br /><br />This was a highlight because of the time spent with my wife. It was special because she spent time with me watching something that I am more interested in than she is, I am sure. It was a hightlight because it reminded me of how fortunate I am to be able to coach the girls I get to coach on our local high school volleyball team. I saw some very good teams but none that I would rather coach that the young women on my team. I am a very fortunate man.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-8986983751767735994?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-12435727120381121612010-12-31T17:49:00.000-05:002010-12-31T17:49:28.770-05:002010 is nearly over and a little reflection is in order. I recently answered the question "What one word would you use to describe 2010?", my word was "Complicated". There were many ups and downs and confusing things that took place, but as always God was(is) still God and I learned a lot. But I want to take a moment and reflect on some of the high moments.<br /><br />Special experiences - for Christmas 2009 my wife and I wanted to give some different to our grandchildren. So we added an "experience" for each of the 4 oldest. We chose a special experience for each of them that we believed fit their interests and age. It began in January with a night at Chuck E Cheese (or however you spell it). I picked up my 7 year old grandson and we headed out for a special night. When he and I got there we loaded up on tokens and headed to the games. The smile on his face never went away for the rest of the evening. He played a lot, I played a little and loved watching him have fun. We ordered our pizza and went back to the games. We paused long enough for him to devour most of our pizza then back to the games. All along we had some good conversation, lots of laughs and a special memory for me to be sure. When we ran out of tokens, he cashed them in ,we boxed up what was left of the pizza and headed home. The smile still stuck on his little face. It was a night to remember and I hope one of those lifetime memories for both of us.<br /><br />Later in the year my wife picked up our 5 year old granddaughter as they headed out for an evening of shopping and dinner. They shopped, they sang songs, they ate, they laughed and shared some very special moments. The whole time my wife was recounting the experience to me she was either smiling from ear to ear or laughing.<br /><br />Then I picked up my oldest grandson, he was 12 at the time. We went for a round of golf. This wasn't minature golf or even the par 3 course, it was a regular course. It was great. The longer we played the better he did and seeing him improve and make some really nice shots was very cool. He was putting for par on a couple of holes. We had some nice conversation as we rode from shot to shot. I don't honestly remember how I played but I do remember that played with a young man that I am very proud of. I then gave him his choice of places to eat, he claimed not to care where we went until I mentioned Buffalo Wild Wings, then his eyes lit up and he said that was the place. (A kid after his grandpa's heart for sure.) We had a great time eating, and playing trivia. I am smiling as I type this remembering him concentrating on the trivia questions and trying to get the correct answer before me.<br /><br />Then I picked up my 9 year old grandson then next morning and we headed out to go fishing. We stopped to buy some bait and get me an out of state fishing license.Finding a place to fish was quite an experience, we had a some adventures just getting to the lake. When we finally settled on a spot we began throwing bait at the fish. It took a little while and we moved to a few spots around the lake before we found our spot. The big ones were avoiding us, but we caught quite few before we finished. A few times I think the bait was bigger than the fish we pulled in. I took an early lead in catching fish but he came on strong and I believe he beat me by one by the time we finished. Come to think of it, maybe that is why he said he was ready to go. I then gave him his choice of places to eat and he didn't hesitate he knew where he wanted to go. To a Pizza Hut with a big buffet. Smart kid. We had a great time fishing, talking and even eating. I learned a lot about my grandson, about the family and even about myself.<br /><br />My wife and I enjoyed the experiences so much we gave something similar again this Christmas. This time we gave them a couple of options to choose from and we added our youngest grandson to the mix this time, he is a little shy of turning 4. I have a feeling this gift idea will continue for a while. I can truly say that these gifts were a real joy to give.<br /><br />How is this for some hightlights?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-1243572712038112161?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-67457076701292502592010-12-28T09:46:00.002-05:002010-12-28T09:46:25.567-05:00Then the next school year began and something changed. You see while we were apart things changed with the other people in our lives. We began to date again shortly after the school year started. There was a significant weekend fairly early in the semester. The girl from back home came to school for a visit with several other people and we spent quite a bit of time together. She asked me to come back home for a brief visit. I declined and Jody and I went out to a concert the next night. That date did not go well, but it still turned a corner for us, at least in my mind. Whether she knew it or not I had decided to go all in with our relationship and find out where we were really headed. A bad date night was just that, a bad date night. It was not a deal breaker and made me realize that I wanted to make this work.<br /><br />We began to see a lot more of each other. Basketball season began, so my time was much busier. Homecoming was the first time I met Jody’s mom. That moment could have gone better. Then my future mother-in-law took Jody to the Homecoming concert instead of coming to my basketball game. In spite of this we kept dating.<br /><br />In fact the HUGE decision was made that I would go home with Jody for Thanksgiving. I was going to her house, meeting her Dad for the first time, seeing her Mom for the second encounter and I was to meet her sister and family. You could say I was nervous, the reason you could say that is because I was very nervous. Remember, the first encounter with her mom had not gone well and I was pretty sure I was being blamed for that, and now I was to meet Dad, older sister and nephews and a niece. <br /><br />The day arrived for us to head to her house and we took off from school for the 4 hour drive …<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-6745707670129250259?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-42320966938086653892010-12-27T11:01:00.000-05:002010-12-27T11:01:29.172-05:00Yesterday was a very good day. Sometimes the Sunday after Christmas day is a difficult day and more so when it is literally the day after Christmas. We had our challenges yesterday, but people really stepped up and overcame with great attitudes. The great attitudes probably had a lot to do with why they overcame the challenges so well.<br /><br />The first thing that stood out about yesterday was the number of no shows among those who were scheduled to do ministry. Some of them were known for some time, others let us know a day or two before and others, well they just didn't show. But I am so proud of how others stepped up their game to cover this shortfall. Of our normal 6 band members 1 was able to attend, and that was the drummer. That makes for a challenge when it comes to the music side of worship. The worship leader who was filling in, didn't know all of this while planning the service. So he was adjusting on the fly as he arrived. The thought was to just do everything acapella (how do you spell this?). My wife had a CD with background music for several worship songs. They were able to pick out what would work and went for it. The guy running the projectors then had to enter all of these different songs and then run the CD for us. All involved did so without complaining and it went very well. The worship team even came up with an impromptu special number to sing.<br /><br />Our attendance was much better than anticipated and the atmosphere was really one of being a family. It was so much fun to see and hear the sharing going on before and after the service.<br /><br />I concluded my Christmas series and this week we looked at the shepherds, my favorite characters of the Christmas event (with the exception of Jesus of course). The theme through this series is looking at the obedience and courage of the characters in the Christmas story. The shepherds had to overcome many fears to be obedient. That is still true for each of us today. Their call was to check out the signs, see the Savior and accept the Good News. <br /><br />The signs were, and are, all around for all to see. We just need to be paying attention. Paying attention is a key to following Christ. How well are you paying attention to Christ, to His Word and His will? The shepherds overcame their fears and went to see Jesus and tell others about him. Courage is needed to be obedient. This requires you to listen to God and his Word. It requires you to act on his words, Your action is the evidence, or lack thereof, of how well you are listening. Courageous obedience requires you to be looking. You cannot avert your eyes to what God is calling you to see and do. It requires you to share what you hear and see. Following Christ and being selfish are not compatible. It is really interesting to see that obedience amazes those who encounter it. What are people's reactions to how you follow Christ? There is Good News of great joy, do you have it? Are you showing it? Are you sharing it?<br /><br />Here's hoping you had a great Christmas. When we realize the truth of Christmas and accept it for ourselves then Christmas will be great no matter the circumstances.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-4232096693808665389?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-82038914712918387532010-12-22T18:23:00.000-05:002010-12-22T18:23:24.025-05:00The next night came and we doubled with a good friend of mine and his date. My friend drove and we headed toward Chicago. Being the romantic big spender that I am we went to a baseball game. Hey I love baseball and it was a night game in Chicago in early May. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, early May, night time at the ball park should have meant cool weather with the chance that she would need some help staying warm. (I had a plan) Anyway, my buddy got stopped for speeding on the way to the game and talked his way out of the ticket. (Still not sure how he did that) The game was the Chicago White Sox versus the Oakland A’s. It wasn’t the Cubs but this was before Wrigley Field had lights. (Did I mention this story started a long time ago?) We got seats in the first couple of rows down the right field line. Unfortunately it was a pretty warm night, especially for early May, so much for the plan. However, we were seated by a guy who definitely went past his alcohol limit. He decided that my date (wife) was someone he could talk with and share his opinions to and so I was needed after all. While at the game (we got real food after the game) I bought her some peanuts, you can’t go to a baseball game without having some in the shell peanuts. After we were married I found out that she didn’t really like baseball and she really didn’t like peanuts. (So how charming was I that I got her away?)<br /><br />The date went relatively well, at least as well as a date where you take someone to something they don’t like, buy them something they don’t want, get stopped by the cops and sit by a talkative drunk. So since the date had gone so well I figured I would go for a kiss at the end. As I walked her to her dorm we stopped for the obligatory “I had a nice time” statements and decided this was the moment. So…I leaned in and asked her if it was okay if I kissed her. Yes, I asked her! It was either really respectful or really lame. You have to decide for yourself. But before you vote realize that she said yes, which made for a much less awkward moment than leaning in and not knowing if she will return your intention or turn away. I was either scared of being rejected when leaning in or very smart. Only I know for sure.<br /><br />The next day she went back to her guy and I went back to … well I am sure it was really exciting. The school year ended a few days later. She stayed in the area for the summer and I went home to work 2 jobs. I am not sure if we had any contact that summer or not. Without cell phones it would have been up to sending letters, so I if there was contact there couldn’t have been much. Why? Everyone who has ever received a letter (not a birthday card) from me raise your hands. That’s what I thought. Turns out she saw the other guy quite a bit and made some contact with the former girlfriend.<br /><br />Then the next school year began and something changed. You see while we were apart …<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-8203891471291838753?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-12630222364718368022010-12-21T10:12:00.002-05:002010-12-21T10:12:51.508-05:00I am beginning a new series of posts that will tell a story. It is the story of my life with my wife. How we met, dated, chose to love, got engaged and married, and then 35+ years of marriage with 3 children, 2 children who have joined us (daughter and son-in-law) and 6 grandkids and the waiting for a 7th who will join us through adoption. It will tell some of the difficult times and the wonderful times that far outweigh all other times. It will be a story that is not finished. My motivations are to honor my beautiful wife, to remind my children of some stories, to let my grandchildren know a little more about our life together and if it encourages others that would be a bonus.<br /><br />Near the end of my freshman year of college is when I met the beautiful young woman who would become my wife. We actually met while I was on a date with another girl, one who she knew. My date and I had walked several blocks to a restaurant (hey I was a poor college student) and while we were there it began raining. Looking for a way not to walk back to campus in the rain she spotted some girls she knew from our school and asked if we could get a ride. In the process I was introduced and we rode back with them to campus. The relationship (and I use that term loosely) with the girl I had been with ended shortly after this incident. (Wonder if it had anything to do with all that walking) <br /><br />In the meantime I had begun to pay attention to, and frequently notice, that beautiful girl I met while on my date. I liked what I saw, I liked it a lot. I began to find occasions to be near her and talk occasionally. The big problem was that she was regularly dating someone else. But I have always enjoyed challenges so I wasn’t about to give up. I continued to have other dates during this time and also had a girl back home who I had dated exclusively until going to college. We kept in touch occasionally but were both dating other people. <br /><br />In the last couple of weeks of my freshman year I decided to go for it and called her up to ask her out. Her roommate told me she was on a date with that guy and wasn’t in yet. Don’t get the wrong impression, I was not in my dorm room sipping a Dr. Pepper counting the minutes for her to get in from her date. I called after I got in from my date that night. When I finally got a hold of her I asked her out for the next night, actually I guess it was for that night considering the time when I finally got a hold of her. Much to my delight she said yes, actually it might have “okay, whatever”, but no matter the specific words she agreed. <br /><br />The next night came and we …<br /><b></b><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-1263022236471836802?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-5178002969202518132010-12-20T12:08:00.000-05:002010-12-20T12:08:16.404-05:00It has been a while, for any of you who are still checking this blog I am sorry and will begin more (semi)regular postings, if you have given up on me then you won't be reading this so it doesn't matter.<br /><br />Yesterday was another good day, we have had many of them recently. We had some breakfast for those who came early. My wife and my part-time associate made some breakfast items and had them available to everyone. This is something we do every year as a thank you to our congregation, our Christmas gift to them. Several people actually came early, that is impressive with this church. That started things off with a great atmosphere and it carried over into the worship time. There was a very good spirit in our singing, giving and during the message. There was a lot of good sharing and conversation taking taking place before and after the worship time.<br /><br />The message was the 3rd of a 4 part Christmas series "Christmas is about Obedience". Each week we examine a character, or characters, and look at their opportunity for obedience in the Christmas story. This week we looked at the Wisemen and King Herod. The Wisemen were called to search for the Savior and follow directions, which is the same call we have today. Obedience always involves following directions, could this fact be why you often struggle with obedience? I for one do not have the gift of following directions, how about you? All of us get better at following directions as we follow directions. In other words repetition enhances the ability to follow directions. Obedience also means giving. In fact the wisemen showed us that it means giving your best. It means giving from your essentials not your excess. What have you been giving lately? Worship comes from obedience. Disobedience results in false worship, just look at King Herod. He claimed a desire to worship, but he was being disobedient and did not really desire to worship Christ. He was posing, he was pretending, he was putting on a show of worship but was not really worshipping. How obedient have you been in your worship?<br /><br />Our attendance was good and has been for the past 3 weeks. We also have had a real surge in our giving the past 2 months which has been much needed.<br /><br />In the evening a few of us gathered and went to several homes to sing carols, it was very encouraging to be a part of this simple giving last night.<br /><br />I am going to begin a new series of posts later this week entitled "A Love Story". Merry Christmas to all and to all a good day.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-517800296920251813?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-50658368940137991052010-10-07T14:39:00.000-04:002010-10-07T14:39:27.133-04:00Today is the birthday of my wife and my oldest grand daughter. One turns 6 today and the other one has two numbers in her age. Both are beautiful. Both captured my heart. Both have an infectious laugh and their eyes twinkly when they laugh. Both have strong opinions and will stand up for what they believe. Both are caring. Both love to sing. Both make me smile just thinking about them. Both wish they were taller than they are, and sometimes claim to be taller than the tale of the tape declares. Both have older siblings and at times have been spoiled by those same siblings. Both have a heart for God and desire to serve Him. Both are loved by me more than I possibly express.<br /><br />So Happy Birthday to my bride and my first grand daughter. May you sense God's grace in a fresh way today. May you continue to find ways to help others. May you know that you are loved, by God, by me and all of your family. May you continue to sing to the Lord. May you continue to laugh, often and loudly. May you smiles continue to light up whatever room you are in. May know you are a child of the King. May you know that you are special, created by God for special things. May you continue to allow me brag on you for as long as I have the ability to do so.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-5065836894013799105?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-84280477132258783912010-10-04T20:07:00.000-04:002010-10-04T20:07:43.619-04:00What if I really followed Jesus, all the time, in all ways with all I have? What if … What if I really gave Him everything, no strings attached and no exceptions? What if … What if I really believed every word of His Word and quit trying to figure out which parts don’t apply to me? What if … What if I loved liked Jesus does, recklessly, passionately, unconditionally? What if … What if I prayed fervently as if lives depended on it? What if … What if I went where I know God wants me to go? What if … What if I served each person as if I were serving Christ himself? What if … What if I cried as much for the pain in others lives as I cry about my own? What if … What if I preached each message as if it might be my last? What if … What if I led courageously? What if … What if my wife, my kids and grandkids knew that I loved them more than words can ever tell? What if … <br /><br />What would my relationship with Christ look like? What would change in my daily routines? What would I watch, read and say? Where would I be? What would my church look like? What would be different?<br /><br />I don’t know the specific answers to the questions, but I imagine that many things look and be different. So, why not?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-8428047713225878391?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-63106442345228574942010-09-20T11:41:00.000-04:002010-09-20T11:41:10.903-04:00Yesterday was another good day. We made and served breakfast for over 300 people at the local High School yesterday morning. It the day of an annual 5k race to raise money for scholarships in memory of a longtime educator from the community. In an effort serve the community and be good citizens of our community we have made and served breakfast each of the 5 years of this race.<br /><br />We had a good time of worship during the singing, people were very engaged as we sang.<br />The message was a clear presentation of the gospel. The scripture was Acts 4:12 and the message was entitled "What Have You Found?". People are searching for all kind of things, including salvation. What you find depends on where you search. Some common places people are searching for salvation are ... Yourself, this is very popular, just look at the self help section in bookstores. But no matter how hard you look, you will not find salvation in yourself. William Temple said, "The only thing of our very own which we contribute to our salvation is the sin which makes it necessary." People look for it in Stuff. Things will satisfy, but not for long. New stuff will come along and prompt us to be dissatisfied with our current stuff. Things are not the problem, but they are certainly not the solution either. People look for it in whatever Feels Good. That which feels good in the beginning may be destructive for you in the long run. The problem is you can suffer deep damage before you realize that the "feeling" is not the answer. People look for it in whatever is Popular at the moment. Salvation has nothing to do with popularity, remember they crucified Jesus.<br /><br />So we need to recognize the real thing. Salvation is only found in Christ. Salvation is available to you and to everyone. Read John 3:16-17. Salvation has been offered but you must accept it for yourself. Salvation can make ordinary people courageous and extraordinary because of who died for them. Read Acts 4:13.<br /><br />Where have you been looking? What will you do with what you found?<br /><br />Sunday evening I began a new study in my group entitled, "Your God is Too Small". It is a look at what people believe about God. We had a great discussion as we began this study. I am really looking forward to this study.<br /><br />Here's hoping you find what you the truth in your search this week.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-6310644234522857494?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-4963233500013185932010-09-13T10:50:00.000-04:002010-09-13T10:50:42.550-04:00Yesterday was a good day. God is still working through this series "A Celebration of Healing/Recovery". Yesterday was the final part of that series, I always struggle with conclusions for series and yesterday was no different but God is still God.<br /><br />We had several men gone at a retreat and several other regulars gone for a variety of reasons. We had to do some scrambling to fill spots and some we did not know were going to be gone until they didn't show up. We are also without part of our sound system as it is being replaced and has not arrived. We made do and again God is still God and did his thing.<br /><br />We still had a decent attendance and it appears a few new people have decided that we are there home church, that is encouraging. We had some good sharing about our new recovery ministry that begins next week. The people who shared were vulnerable and honest in their testimonies.<br /><br />Principle #8 in the sermon series is "Yield myself to be used by God to bring this Good News to others, both by my example and by my words." The key word in this principle is "yield". Romans 6:11-23 is the foundation for this principle. Yield what? Yield yourself, including your thoughts, body, attitudes, motives, time, stuff, etc... Yield your hurts and pain. Why would you want to hold onto to it? But we often nurture it, and don't recognize that God wants to recycle your pain. When something is recycled it is broken down, refined, reformed and then used as new again. Yield your habits, God can help you overcome them. Holding on to them has not helped has it?<br /><br />How can you yield this stuff? It starts with you offering yourself, habits, and hurts. This is choice, God has given us free will. You must choose. To yield you need to die to sin, self and style. Romans 6:11 says, "count yourself dead to sin". Live as you are dead to sin, self and style. By style I mean the appearance we so often think is what a follower of Christ looks like. Style is not the issue, substance is what matters. Yield by being alive in Christ. Following Christ is the most exciting life anyone can choose. It is a sin to bore people with the Gospel or to be boring as a disciple of Christ. We are literally set free when we yield ourselves to Christ. It is under his control and we are free to just live the life he has for us.<br /><br />Why should I yield, what difference does it make? Yield so you can be an instrument for Christ. An instrument is available to the owner for to follow the intended purpose. The purpose includes sharing the Good News, offering healing to others and to offer love to people dying to be loved. Your purpose includes offering acceptance to those who are lost and to show and share forgiveness. God's forgiveness and yours. All of this is to be shared with others, not kept to ourselves or some select group. Then you will be able to enjoy eternal life and realize the grace of God is for you.<br /><br />Are you yielded? Yes? or No? What is your choice? I pray that you are working the principles in your life.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-496323350001318593?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-66953067787172909952010-09-06T11:59:00.000-04:002010-09-06T11:59:46.792-04:00Yesterday had all the trappings of a holiday weekend. Low attendance and lack of energy, but God still showed up. This was the last getaway for families with kids in school, school begins on Tuesday. We were scrambling in to fill spots in many areas and some we were not able to do.<br /><br />I continued the series "A Celebration of Healing/Recovery". This was week, and principle, number 7. This principle is based on Mark 14:38 and says, "Reserve a daily time with God for self-examination, Bible reading and prayer in order to know God and His will for my life and to gain the power to follow Him." This is a maintenance step. We all realize that growth and maturity is not a smooth ride, but there are usually surges and stumbles. This message was dealing with the stumbles, how see them, how they happen, how to prevent them and how to recover from them. The stumbles are relapses, where we move back toward old habits and hurts. There is actually a pattern to most stumbles and relapses. First is complacency, we start getting comfortable with short term gains. The pain is reduced and we think we can live with the pain since it is reduced. Second is confusion, we start to forget how bad it was before. Third is compromise, we begin to return to the risky situations and the compromise is on. Fourth is the catastrophe, we give in to the old hurts, habits or patterns. We need to realize the relapse did not begin at the catastrophe, it just became obvious there, it began with the complacency.<br /><br />What leads us toward the stumble and relapse? We revert to willpower. Galatians 3:3-5 ..."are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?"... Willpower didn't work before and it won't be enough now. We ignore some of the steps or principles, in other words we get in a hurry. We try to heal without support. This one is huge. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12. We need help, we need God, we need others to make it the victory over our hurts and habits. We need people watching, loving, confronting and guiding us. We also become prideful which leads to a fall. Proverbs 16:18. This is an especially vulnerable position for many of us in an area in which we think we are strong. Because we believe we are strong in an area we often leave it unguarded which leads to it becoming a weak area.<br /><br />So how do I prevent the relapse and recover? Start with evaluation. That seems to be a constant every week, doesn't it? We need to evaluate our physical symptoms. The physical is greatly impacted by hurts and habits, and physical problems and ca lead to poor habits and hurts. Evaluate the emotional. Do a HEART check: Am I Hurting? Am I Exhausted? Am I Angry? Do I Resent anyone? Am I tense? Evaluate your relationships. In past weeks we talked about doing a relational inventory, pull it back out and review it. Evaluate the spiritual. How is relationship with Christ? Do you have a personal relationship with Christ? If you do is it growing? If it is not growing then something is wrong. We need to do evaluations regularly, on the spot, at the end of a day, a week, or a significant event and keep doing it. We also prevent, or recover from a relapse through listening to God and thinking on His Word. This requires us to slow down long enough to hear from Him. Another tremendous prevention and recovery action is prayer. It is how we plug into God's power for our life. I don't care how you pray, but I care deeply that you pray. Stand, sit, lay down, do it out loud, be quiet, walk around, write it down, I don't care, but make sure you pray.<br /><br />Where are you most vulnerable? What are you doing to prevent a relapse? What will you do about it today?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-6695306778717290995?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33128093.post-48488941930063937022010-08-30T11:13:00.000-04:002010-08-30T11:13:05.090-04:00It has been a while since I gave a Monday Morning Musings post. Between getting away for a couple of days, having a couple of funerals and volleyball season starting I just haven't gotten it done. Sorry about that, but here we go again.<br /><br />Yesterday was a very good day. The highlight was our annual outdoor baptism service yesterday afternoon. With the sun blazing we celebrate the baptism of 4 wonderful people. Their testimonies were very moving and encouraging. Being able to be a part of this special day with them was outstanding. I have had the privilege of seeing 2 of them come to faith in Christ and watching all of them grow in their faith in Christ. We then had a great picnic together after the service. The food was good and the fellowship and sharing was great.<br /><br />In the morning our worship was good. Musically we enjoyed great participation and a very good spirit during the service. We had good attendance again this week. Our attendance has been pretty good since I started this series, don't know if the series has anything to do with it or not.<br /><br />This week was principle #6 of the series A Celebration of Healing/Recovery. This principle is "Evaluate all my relationships, offer forgiveness to those who have hurt me and make amends for harm I've done to others except when to do so would harm them or others." This obviously deals with relational repair. We examined Ephesians 4:29-5:2 for this principle. If we live verse 29 out in our relationships we solve many of our issues, it says "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." Wow!<br /><br />Why should I forgive those who have hurt me? Because God has forgiven me, Colossians 3:13. I am forgiven therefore I need to forgive. Because resentment doesn't work. Let me repeat that, resentment doesn't work. At least it doesn't work in having healthy relationships, it works in destroying relationships, Job 5:2 says, Resentment kills a fool, and envy slays the simple." Because I will need forgiveness in the future. That is guaranteed. Check out Mark 11:25. <br /><br />How do I forgive those who hurt me? Reveal your hurt,you can't get past a hurt until you admit it hurt. You can't forgive what you don't own up to. Your options are to repress it, ignore it or confess it. There is no closure to a hurt without disclosure of the hurt. Then you must Release the offender. The word release can often be used in place of forgive. Read through some of the verses on forgiving and see how it reads if you insert the word release. Releasing someone is part of the act of forgiving them. You must forgive them. According Matthew 18:21-22 you don't keep track of the number times you have forgiven them, you just forgive. Forgiveness and trust are not the same thing, but that is subject for another post sometime. Then you must Replace your hurt with God's peace. Colossians 3:15 says, "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, ..." Let God deal with the offender you forgive them so God can bring healing to your heart.<br /><br />You also need to make amends to those you have hurt. Why? Because unresolved relationships are often at the root of our problems. Read Hebrews 12:14-15, great words on this subject. How do I make amends? Make a list of those you have harmed and what you did. That is in case you have trouble remembering and to make it concrete for yourself. Then think about how you would want someone to make amends to you, Luke 6:31. Think through is it the right time? Make sure there is time and it is not when there are other pressing issues, but don't use "not the right time" as an excuse forever. Make sure you have the right attitude? Do it privately, humbly, sincerely and simply say what you did wrong. Don't try to justify it, just assume responsibility. Don't do it to try and get a return apology, do it without expecting anything in return. Then ask is it appropriate? There are some situations where it would be inappropriate to contact the person. Don't contact an old boyfriend or girlfriend after either of you is married. Do not contact someone you had an affair with. You obviously cannot contact someone who is dead. You can write a letter that you never mail. You can talk to an empty chair as if they were there and get it out of you.<br /><br />Then you need to refocus your life. If you continue to resent someone you will begin to resemble that person. So, refocus. Put your heart right, release and forgive. Reach out to God and make sure that relationship is right. Face the world again, don't hide, live as God created you to live.<br /><br />So what will you do?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/33128093-4848894193006393702?l=pastorsview.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Dennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374747438465540668noreply@blogger.com0