New Year

I suppose it is somewhat obligatory to contemplate ourselves, do some self evaluation and make assessments at the first of every year. I do think it is a healthy and worthwhile process with an eye toward improving ourselves, our relationships and our commitments. While the term "resolution" seems to be falling out of favor, I think setting personal goals is a good idea. To make goals toward which we can progress is a positive endeavor.

Something on a kind of reverse thought to self assessment, while we are identifying areas in our lives to make improvements, we ought to also identify areas of our lives that we are doing well. Our introspective views shouldn't just be looking for faults or shortcomings, but areas of our lives in which we are performing well. Often we are our own worst critics, but let me suggest that we also give credit where it is due. Discover and identify the things in our lives we are proud of, do well and feel competent in. It shouldn't be all doom and gloom.

I am inspired by the writer of Hebrews who in 12:1 tells us: "...let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,". What kind of "weight" do I have in my life that is slowing my race? In my case, it is literally some weight that the doctor tells me I must lose in order to restore my health. Losing my health would really slow my race down. What sin are we tolerating in our lives that is costing us the ability to place well in this race of life?

I think it interesting that that verse refers to both physical things and spiritual things that affect the quality of our life. Think of what wears you down. What things prevent you from giving your best energies to your most important relationships? I spoke with a parent recently who admitted that they were feeling worn out from all of the constant running they were doing to keep their kids in several different programs. They felt like they were neglecting other important things that should be getting done but weren't because their time and energy was already used up. Sounds like a "weight" that needs to be laid aside.

What sin "besets" you most often? What would it take to gain total victory over it? Think of what it would mean for your life if you were free from it once and for all. Think of the power of freedom in living free from that negative influence. I speak to many Christian people who want to do things for the Lord, be in ministry and help others but are full of guilt from a sinful condition in their lives. For fear of hypocrisy they are sidelined in the race they are called to run. Why not conquer it? It is possible with God's help.

Well, I hope 2010 goes well and you accomplish your goals. I thought by now we all were supposed to be living the life of the "Jetsons" and in some ways perhaps we are. However, until we are zooming around in personal spacecraft we have to put one foot in front of the other, running our race one day at a time. Pursue God will all your heart and He will help you live the best year of your life in the next 365 days.

Our Full Family Chirstmas

JoLynn and I are especially blessed this year being able for the first time to have our whole family together for Christmas since Scott married Brittani. Last Christmas was our first Christmas without Scott as he and Brittani spent their Christmas with Britanni's family. We haven't had this much excitement for some time. As you can see, everyone is finding something to do, the girls decorated the tree, Brad is catching up on friends home from school and some reading, Scott is busy making history on the Wii by capturing all of the first place finishes on all of the events. We have played lots of games and shared a few stories and as usual, eaten a lot of good food. We did have some outdoor plans which the weather is interfereing with at present, but we will always find a way to improvise. The real truth is, it is fun just being together and what we do is less of a concern than just being able to enjoy each other's company. We hope that everyone has a great Christmas celebration and that all will sense and know the very presence of Jesus with us.

Meaningful Contributions To Others

One of the secrets to making Christmas less commercial and more meaningful is to make meaningful contributions into the lives of others. I dare say that if Christmas has come to be more of a hassle than special, you might want to up your input into the lives of others. The thing that escapes us often is that when it is "all about me" or "my family" or our own little circle, we really can't do enough. We are disappointed and feel oddly that Christmas has diminished in that special quality we love to feel. Include someone outside yourself, your circle or your comfort zone and watch what happens. A wonderful sense of happiness returns to us and we "re-center" somewhere besides our self.

Three really good examples of this recently took place at New Life Assembly. People stepping out to bless others. Terri Springer led and organized a "Simple and Tasteful" L

adies Tea. I wasn't there so I didn't get any pictures to share, but what a great example of making a priority to take out her busy schedule to put together a fellowship opportunity for the women of our church and some of their friends they brought with them. Bless you, Terri!

The men's group recently sponsored a trip to Anchorage to go out on the streets to talk to, pray for and bless whatever person the Lord directed them to. About a dozen men spread out in

downtown Anchorage and each team had a great experience to report. They prayed for healing for one person who was in a wheelchair, they prayed for families that were breaking apart and they also passed out warm hats, gloves and socks to those who needed them.

Then Forrest Nelson and her army of volunteers threw a "Happy Birthday Jesus" party for all the kids and their friends. Over 40 children came to celebrate, dressed up and wearing their "Prince" and "Princess" crowns as children of the King! It was a very special time. Many visitors came and all the children were so excited to be there. What a special time for everyone.

And really, we know it's extra work, expense and time at a really busy time of the year. However, the secret is that it makes a very special time for those involved . The ones to make meaningful contributions into the lives of others don't have to be convinced of the value. Those who think they are too busy or have nothing to give will never know the joy of this special secret. Bless all of you who make it a priority to include others in your lives!

Discover Connect Serve

The board, staff and I have been in a protracted discussion concerning future vision and involvement for our church. We sense there is something new that God may be directing us into. We want to be responsive to this and be bold enough to consider traveling in some new paths that we haven't gone down before.

Part of this process is defining who we are as a church. It takes a lot more time and soul searching that you might think. For example, write a mission statement for yourself. Define yourself and why you are taking up space on the planet. My guess is that it will take you longer than you think. With an organization as varied as a church, there is a lot of thought that needs to be processed. Once you define yourself how do you express that thought in a succinct and memorable way? It is challenging. It is more challenging to do in a group. Try to come up with a mission statement for your marriage and for your family. More minds, more ideas, more opinions.

We offer up this definition and mission statement for discussion: Kenai New Life Assembly of God is a place to, Discover God, Connect with others, and Serve the world. Discover, Connect and Serve. This is the most succinct statement we have yet come up with to communicate who we are. We want our church to be a place of ongoing discovery about God, from salvation to glory we want each time we meet to help people discover something new about the infinite God we love. We also want our church to be a place to connect with other people. Relationships and fellowship cannot be overrated. They are vital to us. We also think our church can connect to other churches and organization in our communities. We believe we can influence our communities in a positive way that makes a difference. Finally, New Life Assembly can be a base from which our members can serve the world. From hands-on local service to world-wide missions support we can be a powerful influence by our service.

Everything we do can fit into one of those three statements. The conversation is on-going and we may change things yet to better communicate who we are, but this is the results so far for our new mission statement. Discover, Connect, Serve. See if you can remember it. More importantly, see if you can make it happen.

Anticipation

My wife and I are trying not to think too much or too often about the fact, all our kids are coming home for Christmas in Kenai this year. Scott and Brittani and Brad will be spending their Christmas break with us. That's a first for us! Only 10 days away as of this writing. We haven't struggled too much with thinking endlessly about them coming yet, we have had plenty to do in the mean time. Take today for instance.

It is Wednesday so I automatically have things on my calendar. I do take the step of arriving at the church and going to the back room to take out the accumulation of "recycling" (it used to be trash) to the borough landfill. There is so much it is blocking the back doors which are a fire exit... so someone better take care of it. So off I go to recycle all this stuff. When I get back to the office I have enough time to answer some email, call our ministry guest for Sunday and give Jean some things to do for me before heading off to the Kenai Chamber of Commerce lunch meeting. I meet some people I know there and meet several for the first time. When I get back, I meet with Ryan to load up the 8 (heavy) boxes full of shoe boxes headed to Fort Yukon to take to the Post Office. We load them up, deliver them at the PO and wait in a fairly long line for our turn. It takes awhile to weigh all the boxes and get them shipped. We notice the church van needs a new windshield wiper so we stop at Napa to get a new set. Finally getting into the office I return phone calls, make some calls and start working on the Christmas Eve service that is coming up too quickly. I then turn my attention to pull together some scriptures and ideas for my Sunday evening message. I work on this for the rest of the afternoon. Then I meet my wife for a quick dinner before church. When we meet for dinner like this, it is rarely a leisurely moment of respite but more often another planning session. My wife has ideas, lots of ideas. So we work through some of them and then it is off to the church to greet everyone and get things together. Soon the foyer and all the rooms are humming with people conversing and kids getting excited. It is an intense time of short conversations and "how-do-you-do's?" I now have a short period of time before we greet everyone as they leave for home. To make use of the time I am catching up on this blog because I haven't posted yet for a week. I also have to make a call to enlist some help for an idea I am working on. When it is all over, we are expecting someone to come over to the house to look at a piece of furniture my wife is selling on Craig's list. I also have to test some dvd's I have been burning as I have been attempting to transfer my VHS tapes over to digital format. Then I am going to fall fast asleep.

So, that's my day, not much room for daydreaming or wishing the kids could get here sooner. In fact if they did I wouldn't be able to see them anyway for all the stuff I am attempting to get done.

This week's blog will no doubt be a hodge podge of different items, it has been a varied week for sure. First of all, this past Sunday, it was a pleasure to make the acquaintance of Andrew Kirya from Uganda. What a gentleman and a fellow brother not only in the Lord, but in the great family of the Assemblies of God. It was an incredibly wonderful feeling to hear him preach the same biblical truths that we believe. Wow, the Assemblies of God is truly a worldwide organization. What a great privilege to meet someone in this life I would normally never have the opportunity to meet until heaven. Just another great reason to anticipate going there!

As many people did, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day. It was the first time ever that JoLynn and I were all alone for this particular holiday. Brad was in Montana with Jo's family and Scott and Brittani were with Brittani's family in the Seattle area. Phone calls and "texts" kept us up on their activities. It helped with not having them home. However, we were not really alone as we were invited to share the day with some wonderful friends. As I surveyed the wonderful food spread out before us on the counter it was an incredible feast! I then thought how many times is this being repeated around our country today? Millions of times! What a blessed nation we are! What abundance and plenty and extravagance we enjoy. Not only food to keep us alive, but delicious, wonderfully prepared meats, vegetables, breads and treats. Not only food, but beautiful place settings and warm homes and wonderful people to share it all with. Thankful? How could we not? God is so gracious and good to us.

As the day wound down, there was the inevitable curiousness of what special "deals" were in the offing for "the day after Thanksgiving shopping". As I perused the ads that also came in abundance I was taken with the feeling of amazement of HOW MUCH STUFF there was advertised that I neither needed nor wanted! Amazing! I did end up going on a special errand on "Black Friday" to one of the big box stores to pick up some things for the church. However, I slept in, took my time to blow the snow off the driveway and then go into town. I was smiling at how relaxed I felt walking up and down the isles not anxious in any way, visiting with lots of people and enjoying myself very much. I was in a fairly short line and out before very long. What a great day.

I am reminded at how God as blessed us in amazing ways, friends, family and the things we both need and enjoy. This week was full of such things and I am thankful to be connected to the family of God, our church family and our family. God is good.

The Turkey Shoot

Today was our men's "Do Something" event, the Turkey Shoot. What a great time. We had 6 guys show up at the church at 6:30 am to cook a HUGE breakfast (eggs, pancakes, sausage, bacon) for 50 men. Heath Fulk gave a great devotion and then everyone headed off to the Snowshoe Gun Club for the shoot.

It was cold. How cold? Well not as cold as it has been but +10 degrees is pretty cold when you are trying to hold as still as possible, like when you are trying to hit your target. Fortunately, the club has a warm up shack with an old fashioned barrel stove which was stoked with firewood and giving off a warm glow. Pies had been donated as prizes for the shoot, but someone had the GREAT idea of putting them on the stove rack to warm them which lead to another great idea to carve them up into pieces so everyone could have a bite which we did, some more than once.

We had shooting skill levels from "needing development" to "right on the dot". Everyone fit right in. There was lots of laughter and good natured fun as each one took their opportunity to shoot for a free turkey to take home for Thanksgiving. Free t-shirts and Cabela's ball caps were additional prizes for those who fared well in the shooting.

Steve Sturman and Dan were the organizers of this great event with lots of men helping to set up, clean up and cook up. We are having so much fun at our "do something" events and hope that all our men who haven't yet tried them will check it out. Monday Men's Meeting is the place it all happens so we invite you come out and be a part of what God is doing in the lives of men.

Some Thoughts On Christian Leadership

Leadership is both an art and a science. Some are "born leaders" while other leaders develop over time. We need to keep in mind that there are many kinds of leadership, not one style will fit every leadership need. Without trying to explain every style of leadership in a blog of all things, let's consider some general ideas about what a Christian leader might aspire to. This would apply at home with your family or on the job where you might work. The same principles apply.

The Christian Leader:

1. It's not "top-down", but "bottom-up".

Matthew 20:25-28 (NKJV)

But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. [26] Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. [27] And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave-- [28] just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

I won't elaborate too much after Jesus states the case so well. The idea is, Christian leaders (husbands, fathers, supervisors, employers, etc.) don't "boss" their people around. They demonstrate what it is they want done with the intent to teach others. Teaching is the key to serving others. Patience is the key to teaching.

2. Not "Lone Ranger", but collaborative leadership.

Who is interested in some "masked man" swooping in to "rescue" the situation and then leave? It might work for westerns but it really doesn't work in life. The Christian leader cares about every person of the organization and what they can contribute to the process. A Christian leader seeks out the contribution of each member.

Romans 12:3-5 (NKJV)

For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. [4] For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, [5] so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

Again, I'm not going to try to improve upon the Apostle Paul, but you might want to study further what he says on this subject: Romans 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12: 14-21

3. Not absent, but present.

It is self-evident, if you aren't there, you can't lead. Now the obvious application to our way of thinking is physically being there. There is a lot of merit to being there in the room when you are leading. More importantly is being there with your mind. How many times are you actually standing in front of someone while they are talking to you, but you are really far away? Being 100% present is a key principle of a Christian leader. Ever talk to someone on the phone while they are surfing the 'net? It's the least satisfying kind of conversation. You know the "ya, uh huh" on the other end of the line is dead and lifeless. They don't hear what you have to say. It's just as bad when you are physically present but not paying attention. Four times the Lord tells us, "...I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Deut.31:6, 8; Joshua 1:5; Heb 13:5). He is 100% present all of the time. We should be too.

4. Not first in line for benefits, not last in line when there is risk.

When there is danger, risk or fear, the Christian leader is first in line to confront it. The Christian leader doesn't hide behind others when there is difficulty ahead. They are the first to meet it. Jesus didn't hide behind the disciples when the pharisees came around. Jesus stood His ground when the legion of Roman soldiers came to arrest Him in the garden and the disciples all fled. Jesus was fearless when there was danger, he protected the innocent. Jesus is the good shepherd, He cares for His sheep. Christian leaders make sure their "sheep" are well cared for before they take care of themselves.

Conversely, when there is benefits to be had, the Christian leader is at the end of the line letting others go before him. God will see the true heart and promote us at His choosing.

Luke 14:8-11 (NKJV)

"When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; [9] and he who invited you and him come and say to you, 'Give place to this man,' and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place. [10] But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, 'Friend, go up higher.' Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you. [11] For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

That's probably way more than enough to chew on. May we model Jesus in our leadership!

Watch this and pray...

This video is something I hope you will watch and let it motivate you to pray. Think about the effect legalized abortion has had on our future. Think about when man in his limited knowledge and inability to know the future tampers with the order that God created. Our judgment is self-created. If you believe what you will see on this video, it may not be too late to repent and turn from our wicked ways as a nation and see God restore us. If not, we have no one to blame but ourselves. Not a guilt trip, but a sobering thought.

Inaugural Post

This is my first post on Blogger. I felt the need to switch as my former blogging service was too limited and hard to work within. So, with a steep learning curve ahead of me, I am going to forge ahead and try on this new blogging service. Hopefully it will serve well and not prevent me from getting to the point - being able to leave some thoughts that will encourage, help, motivate, appreciate and teach or just improve someone's mood for the day.

Bless you for taking the time to read.

Pastor Stephen

Something to Think About...

What implications for ministry might this presentation have? Watch it and think over the role technology might need to play in ministry and church in the present and future. What priority of resources would it take to harness technology to help us spread the gospel to others? Is technology something we should use or is it not necessary? Should we ignore what the world is plugging into and expect them to still come to us? Some thoughts to ponder...

M3 - Ladies Night

Last evening, Monday night our Monday Men's Meeting (M3) hosted a "Ladies Night" with the intent of promoting better communication between men and women. The evening began with a great dinner of a baked potato bar, lots of choice toppings, veggies, salad and beverages. It was all put togehter by our men. I have linked two short videos, one of the men in the kitchen - wow! It was a hive of activity! and another of the tables that were set up to accomodate everyone. I took this video a little too early as it shows a mostly empty room. However, we actually had to set up two more tables and every chair was occupied!

We enjoyed dinner first (always a good idea), then watched a "teaser" of the video seminar on marriage we will promote as a weekend over Valentine's Day which everyone seemed to throughly enjoy. Then, the ladies were given a series of questions to respond to which they did in groups and each group chose a spokes woman. This was a very interesting and enlightening time! Answers to the questions posed were interesting indeed. It was all very positive and the men had designated "scribes" taking down the answers which will be discussed at the next M3 meeting.

There was so much positive energy in the room! Men who want to be better husbands and fathers. Men who want to be better men. Women who want to help those two objectives. The communication that was fostered no doubt will serve us well. This is part of the on-going "quiet revival" I sense God doing among us. Transforming lives, marriages and homes is what revival is all about and that is what is happening. Lots of honesty is going on and a greater openness among our men and men with their wives. We pray that we just let God do what He seems to be doing and not interfere but cooperate.

A Quiet Revival

Lately I have been asked and have asked others what a revival actually is. As is often the case, we sometimes identify everything around a revival as the revival, but miss the actual essenence. At least in my mind, revival incorporates positive life change. I know we think of a lot of celebratory worship, demonstrative encounters with God, a general feeling of excitement and lots and lots of church services sparked by larger than expected attendances. As I said, these external signs are things we often associate with revival but are not revival itself. True revival is about a life changing from sin to set free. People being convicted of their sin, confession of their sin, repentenace of their sin and then empowerment to live apart from sin. That is the essence of what revival really is. When this kind of movement begins to take place on a larger scale, there is often an exuberent response to seeing people's lives changed, thus the celebratory worship, and other outward manifestations.

Because we tend to characterize revival is such ways, we might miss such a "move of God" if it wasn't heralded by music, waving flags and overflow crowds. What if it was, quiet? No special speakers, no worship bands, no "Jericho Marches". Let me challenge our status quo thinking on revival. What if men were gathering together for three hours out of hunger for God instead of staying home and watching Monday Night Football on TV? What if men were risking embarassment to admit their shortcomings spiritually to other men? What if men were being convicted of their sin and confessing that sin and repenting of that sin? What if all of this was done without fanfare, exuberance and demonstrative exhibitions? Could it still be revival? You can be certain the answer is yes. Emphatically yes. What I have just described is exactly what is happening in our M3 men's meetings. It is humbling and amazing to watch happen. Men are responding positively to the challenge to "step up" and lead as spiritual leaders in their homes, to confess their sin and pray for one another. To apply the turths of scripture to their actual lives instead of living a double life.

So far there isn't a lot of attention being generalted outside the circle of M3, but that doesn't lessen the truth that a revival is taking place, a quiet revival. I am enjoying it very much. It is a wonderful experience to pastor a group of men who don't have to be cajoled into attending, or browbeat into being hungry for God. I am mostly just a participant with the group and allowing God to work in my own life as well as the lives of others. It's the real thing. I'm loving it.

Exciting Times!

I had to opportunity to reconnect this past weekend with two former youth group members from the last youth group I pastored some 21 years ago. I hadn't seen them in all that time so it was especially fun and interesting to reconnect again. How did we reconnect? Facebook, how else?

Well, the opportunity came in the form of an invite to join them (they are brothers) in their last fishing expedition for the year. Now, it is cold in October, especially in the morning and especially on the river in the morning. The bite is slower but the prospects of larger fish (we were hunting for rainbow trout) are generally better. So, given the opportunity I thought it would be a great way to see my friends while doing something we all enjoyed.

What a fabulous Alaska day it was! We saw moose, eagles, a spotted seal (yes, in the Kenai River), bears and some extradinary rainbow trout. The temperature never really warmed up above 40 degrees and it was lower most of the day. All in all, it was a great day of reconnecting and seeing the outdoor things we all enjoy seeing.

At the end of the day, we were hoping to see some brown bears we had seen earlier but had run off when the sound of our motor was heard. So, we shut off the motor to float by more silently and take some pictures. This worked well and we were able to see the bears and take a picture or two. The only problem was, we ran aground on a sand bar since we were not under power. I was the only one with boots on so I jumped over the side and began pushing the boat into deeper water. When it was floating again and time for me to jump back on, I don't know how to say this...I missed. Yes, I missed the boat. You hear a lot about missing the boat and I actually did. It was a combination of being very cold all day and not being able to move well, and general clumbsyness I guess. So, I fell into the water was soaked to the waist in about 30 degree temps.

Yes, it was cold. Fortunately the trip to their cabin did not take long and they even had a working dryer there. While I thawed out at the wood stove, my jeans were drying in the dryer. How nice was that? Well, that ended a memorable day, everyone seemed to have had a great time, some of it at my expense. But who could blame them?

09 Kenai Peninsula Minister's Institute

Yesterday, 16 credentialed ministers of the Peninsula Section, plus other church staff and interns, our District Superintendent and the AKSOM leadership team all gathered at Peninsula Christian Center for the 2009 Peninsula Section Minister's Institute. Rev. Mark Zweifel our DYD (District Youth Director) was our presenter on the subject of "Build A Winning Team". I asked Mark to present on this subject as I have watched him do that very thing very well in our district in the 9 short months he has been here.

I observed Mark already demonstrating what he was going to be teaching us before he taught it. Mark has a great gift in pulling people in, building them up and turning them into great leaders. There was a lot of great practical ideas shared as well as the philosophy and mindset of the person who endeavors to build a winning team.

We also were priviledged to host our District Superintendent, Bill Welch and his wife, Dori. Bill shared news from around our District. The diverse challenges and logistics of serving a district as large as the state of Alaska are immense. One of the great needs of our state is to have pastors in many of the villages and small towns off the road system. The lack of employment opportunities, the remoteness, the inability of a very small congregation to support a full time pastor are huge obstacles to overcome. We also need to better resource our camping facillity, Little Beaver Camp. What is the answer? The Lord of the Harvest!

The AKSOM leadership team also shared about the fantastic growth of this equipping and training traveling Bible School. Lattis Campbell shared that his goal was to have 50 students enrolled this year. As of this meeting, there are now over 170 students enrolled. It seems to grow every week. The momentum AKSOM has gained is propelling it to new venues and more students. It is obvious that this has the approval of the Lord on it! After many other attempts to accomplish the same objectives as AKSOM over many years with much smaller results, this seems to be the answer to the unique needs of our immense district.

We ended the day with a great dinner at Froso's. With all of the spouses and ministers, we nearly filled the banquet room. There was lots of happy sounding conversations going all at once as each one enjoyed their dinner. It was a long day, but a good one. It is awesome to be part of a great organization like the Alaska District of the Assemblies of God!

The Destiny of Nations

Psalm 33:12 (NKJV)
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.

Without attempting to sound negative or doomsdayish, I have been keenly aware of how our country is declining in influence and losing its standing in the world. Now I know that America has long had its detractors and enemies, ever since we were a nation it has been so. But this current situation is different. Before, the world needed America. They may not have wanted us, but they did need us. We were the economic engine of properity of the world. American inventiveness, work ethic, honesty and positive attitude simply made us the indespensible nation on the planet. We have been "the arsenal of democracy", the winning element of world wars and the exporter of goods and services. What we are seeing take place daily before our very eyes is the nations of the world coming to the realization that the USA is no longer needed. In fact, we are a weak, bloated, impotent, unwanted weight on the world in the eyes of more and more nations each day. Pathetic tin-horn dictators can swagger and denounce the USA, flex their newly found muscle in defiance of our best interests without any repercussions. Since we need them, for their oil and their immigrants to fill our needs at home, we can't do a thing about it.

It was recently observed that the destiny of nations could be traced to their missionary furvor. In the 19th century, Great Brittian was the bastion of missionary activity. The majority of missionaries were sent from there as well as an enormous amount of resources to build churches, schools and industry. Before Great Brittian was Europe. Following Great Brittian has been America. As each nation in turn once lead, powered by the churches robust support of missions, each nation declined as the church cooled in its interest and support of the Great Commission. In the 20th century, "The American Century", America held the torch for missions high. No other country on earth has ever done as much as has America in the past 100 years. However, the signs of our decline are beginning to show. The church in America despite the number of "mega churches" which are very visible and influential, is in decline. In America it is measured that the net closure of churches annually is 3000 churches. Most of those churches were once lively, vital congregations but eventually lost interest in missions and the Great Commission. They began to decline, young people ceased to replace the elderly and soon there was nothing left to save.

The point of all of this is, from the local church to the health of the nation, missions must be in our blood. The Great Commission must be a focal point for each church to exist. This is true in the macro and micro sense. Our nation needs us to maintain our vitality and support for missions around the world. God gave us the wealth of the world in order to do this. If we turn away from Him to pursue our own interests, if we become inward and selfish with our resouces, overspend and plunge ourselves into debt, God will simply move on to the next nation that will carry out the Great Commission. We will find ourselves the very mission field we once supported. Great Brittian is now more of a mission field than Africa. Fewer people attend church in Brittian than ever before.

Our decline seems to be taking place before our very eyes. The momentum seems to be with Asia. The rise of China first, but looming greatly just behind them is India. The wealth of the world is leaving America, we are the largest (by far) debtor nation on the planet. Our prosperity is but an illusion. I recently read and was warned, that people my age (50) and younger should not count on Social Security when we retire. There won't be any Social Security. What I have paid to the government all of my working life has been squandered. They still keep taking my money but tell me I won't get it back when I need it. What has been our way of life for generations is slipping out of our hands. The answer to this is simply with the individual believer. We must personally have a vital interest in and support of the Great Commission. If we lose interest and support, God will move on to those who will eagerly take our places and experience His blessing on them and in turn their own nation

I encourage you to evaluate your own missionary support and how interested you are in the cause of missions. How keenly do we feel our need to evangelize our neighbor and friends? By no means do anything out of guilt, but out of conviction that the right thing is what we must do. With God's help we can.

What Kind of Time?

I just had a little piece of revelation today. I was pondering two kinds of time mentioned in the scriptures (there are at least three). With my Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words in hand, I did some digging. The more familiar usage to us is Chronos time, or the time that we refer to most often measured in seconds, minutes and hours. What we commonly call "a watch" that we wear on our wrist, used to be called "a chronometer". Read the fine print on the face of a Rolex watch and you will see the words, "superlative chronometer". But I digress. The second kind of time is Kairos time or what we refer to as seasons, ages or eras. Both are time, but counted differently.

God who is ageless and eternal is not subject to Chronos time. He isn't concerned with seconds, minutes and hours as we are. These things are very important to us as we only have a limited supply of them. God on the other hand has a limitless amount, so in reality they really don't apply to Him. We are very conscience of our Chronos time, less conscience of our Kairos time.

So, with this thought in mind, think of this verse of scripture:

2 Peter 3:8 (NKJV)
But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

It's all the same to Him. Being eternal, one in terms of Chronos time is as good as another. However, it doesn't work that way with Kairos time. Consider this verse of scripture:

1 Thes. 5:1 (KJV)
But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.

Interesting that both "times" and "seasons" are the same word, Kairos. It is times and seasons that are most important to God. We might think of it as "at the right time."

This factors in a lot to us. While we are so wrapped up in Chronos time, we tend to think that God is late so often, that God delays unnecessarily. We want answers to prayer now, within minutes, hours or days. God moves in seasons. I know that seems terribly inconvenient to us who are dominated by the clock most of our lives, but God is who He is, I AM.

So if it seems God is constantly showing up late for your need, remember, it is times and seasons, not minutes and hours. Hard to accept, but I am thinking that is the way it is.

As a secondary side note to all of this, a further revelation occurred to me. Wives are a lot like God in this way, much more than husbands. Husbands are very bound to Chronos time. Wives are much more oriented to Kairos time, times and seasons, "when the time is right". So, when a husband asks his wife, "when will you be ready?" or when they drive up to the mall, "when will you be back?" she intuitively understands that we husbands do not relate to Kairos time and gives us Chronos time so we can have something we can understand. The wife will say, "I'll be ready in five minutes." Now she is not telling us an untruth, but since we wouldn't understand it if she said, "when the time is right", or "in season", the answer of 5 minutes conveys the message that she is not ready yet. Remember the day versus a thousand years?, yep, wives also think one is as good as another. Five minutes is as good as half an hour or more. 5 o'clock is as good as 7 o'clock. It is all within the same era or season.

Honestly, I dont' know how theologically sound all of this is, but it sure helps me understand some things better. I hope it helps you, dear reader as well.

What if....God

I have been pondering quite a bit lately about how some people can truly believe there is no God. I cannot conceive how any person who thinks (ah...maybe I've hit on something here) can embrace the idea that everything is a cosmic accident. Aside from theological arguement, which are valid and necessary, but just playing the "what if..." game leads one to see the utter impossibility of life being possible without God.

For instance, what if we just eliminate one thng from the world as we know it? What if there were no gravity? Now I know men and women live in space capsules without it, but think here and now, life would just not be possible. We coudn't drive, things would be a mess to say the least, and there would be no way we could raise children, make dinner or a million other things we take quite for granted that makes life possible. It sounds pretty silly, but really, rivers would cease to be rivers and rain would no longer fall and what would keep the oceans in their place? The more you ponder the problem, the less silly it becomes.

When one thinks of the perfect balance of everything that works together to support life, the complexity of it all leads one quickly to the conclusion, there has to be a God who put this all together so perfectly. An accident? Now that's silly.

Rev. 4:11 (NKJV)
"You are worthy, O Lord,
To receive glory and honor and power;
For You created all things,
And by Your will they exist and were created."

A Bear-ably Nice Day

It was getting on toward the end of summer and the "bite" was on for rainbow trout on the Kenai River. This is positively my favorite time of year on the Kenai Peninsula. I "had" to use my birthday present from the church of a guided fishing trip with Jimmie Jack Guide Service. David Drake was the guide on this spectacular day.

Guide - David Drake, We watched a brown bear eating some salmon early in the day (see the attached video link for a YouTube clip) and we caught a lot of fish, silver salmon, Dolly Varden, Whitefish, and my favorite, rainbow trout. There is something very special about Kenai River rainbow trout. They are (sometimes) huge, they are spectacularly colored and speckled and they leap and fight in and out of the water with a wild frenzy that is addictive to a fisherman. We had such a day. I was blessed to have caught a beautiful specimen near the end of the day, a perfect way to cap off a great experience.

The other aspect of this day that was exciting to watch was being in the boat while Dave, the guide, witnessed to the other client in the boat, a older gentleman named, Jerry. Jerry was pretty resistant to talk much about faith the whole day, but that did not stop or intimidate Dave! Every little bit, Dave would mention Jesus or thank the Lord when we caught a nice fish.

Jerry would not respond most of the time, but through the day, he was softening up. He talked about his religious upbringing and about all of the difficult things he experienced being a soldier in the Viet Nam war. Each time Dave would say something positive about what Jesus meant to him and gave assurance of God's love for Jerry. It was a marvelous thing to watch Dave mix his professional skills as a guide with his personal witness of Jesus. You could tell this was not a special put-on because the pastor was in the boat, but a lifestyle of witnessing about Jesus to everyone he meets.

At the end of the day, Dave was telling Jerry he hoped he could come back again next year to fish with him again. Jerry said that he would need God's help to do it as he is currently battling cancer and has been advised that he may not have that much time. Dave, pulled the boat up to a convenient bank and laid hands on Jerry and prayed for his healing and for Jesus to make Himself known to Jerry.

Wow, what a great day! the personal enjoyment of my favorite fishing and being on the front row of watching someone give a persistent and passionate witness of Jesus to someone who was obviously not used to talking about his faith. Way to go, Dave! Not only for a great day of fishing, but for touching someone with a witness of Jesus!

What Really Matters

I don't kow about you, but I like to think a lot when I am working with my hands. I think about a lot of different things, What will heaven be like? Why does life have to be so hard sometimes? and recently I was thnking about, What really matters?

Maybe it was the fact that I was helping a friend clean out their garage. It was like reliving history as things stored away came out to the light for the first time in a long time. It reminded me of how life changes and things we were once passionate about are now forgotten or ignored. We put so much time and effort into things that we eventually lose interest in. We expend our resources toward things that only matter for a while and then we are off on to other things.

What really matters? My relationship to God. My relationship to my family. My relationship to those I love. When it comes right down to it, it has to be relationships. As I ponder this, I think relationships are on the high priority list wth God as well. He sent His only Son to die on the cross so that I could have relationship with Him. To send your only Son to die in my place tells me that must really matter to God.

I want to streamline my life a little more. Be less cluttered with stuff and more focued on what really matters. I know stuff can make life interesting and I have no problem with that, but neither do I want it to get in the way of the thngs that are most important. I want to love God, my wife, my children, my family, my friends. I want the expenditure of my resources to reflect those priorities. My time, my money, my attention I want to make the greatest impact in those priorities than anywhere else. Hopefully when I go to be wth Jesus there won't be much to haul away to the dump as the things I chose to put my resources into are eternal. I pray that for you too.

Back To School

I did not post last week, my parents were in town and we were out and about doing the activities of summer and visiting loved ones. It was a very busy time, one of those times when it seems like there is a collision of schedules into a very short time frame. One of the significant events was sending our youngest son away to University.

This past Monday was the beginning of school for our public schools. I read many entries on Facebook of parents taking their children to school either for the first time and of course many to a new grade. It begins again. Some have high school seniors, some are sending their children to kindergarten, it is a day of excitement, sadness and emotions.

As JoLynn and I are again, "empty nesters", let me impart some perspective to parents who are somewhere in the middle years of raising children. I know you have heard it before, but do treasure these early years of raising your kids. These are the years they are most dependent upon you for everything and the years they are most impressionable. If in general we raise our children for 18 years before they begin to leave home for school or careers (it does stretch out past 18...) then we have to realize by the time they turn 9 years old, our job is half way done! But it isn't just a math realization. The second half is not equal to the first. Things significantly change after age 9. Our children grow more decidedly indepentdent, they want to make more and more of their own decisions, especially about spending their money and fashions being worn to school. In the second half they begin to develop friends that generally take more of their time, activities that take more of their time and then there comes their ability to drive. Before we are aware enough to catch it, our time with our children slips away and we feel like our home is only where they sleep, eat and shower before they are off again.

I write to share my thoughts with you on this matter so that you can take steps now, set priorities now to help you not fall prey to the tyranny of your children being swept up and away from you before the time is right. Other than the basic dependecies of where they live and eat, it seems like our children are in a functional way leaving home earlier and earlier. A wise parent will see this and help preserve the integrity of the family.

I encourage families to continue to go to church together, to not allow extra-curricular activities interfere with family or church ministries. It is a natural thing for children to begin to want to do other things than go to church as they grow (they also want Snickers candy bars for dinner instead of meat and potatoes) but I encourage parents to hold the line, set the priorities and the agenda and lead your children instead of the other way around.

These child raising years will be the minority years of your life eventually, even though they may represent half your life at this point. Make these years count for your family and for God. Do whatever you can to help shape your child's spiritual future by keeping them close and on track.

Unexpected Sources of Help

I am amazed and yet not amazed at how God comes through. I am amazed because I never know how God will answer our prayers but I am not amazed that God does answer our prayers. I got word to day from my good friend, Pastor Mike Rose who pastors the Juneau Christina Center in our Captiol City. Two years ago they embarked upon a very ambitious vision to build a community youth center. Financially this was going to be and has been a stretch, yet they plunged into the project with everything they had. From personal experience, I know that every project has a low point, a place in the life of the project where all the tanks run dry it seems. Financial tank, emotional tank, energy tank, resource tank, etc. all seem to point to empty at the same time. It is at this point that doubts come in, fears can enter the heart and all your critics seem to have voices louder than those who believe in you. It can be a dark time for a leader, a time when all your friends seem to be somewhere else. It can be a dark time for a church when you wonder if the project will ever get completed and the financial strains will ever ease. A descriptive phrase about times like this, "not my favorite."

Well, Pastor Rose and JCC were at this low point of their project. It was stalled as they were out of cash and that is what was needed to order the last work to be done so they could open the doors. Lots of critics began to wag their tongues, there was no obvious place where help could be found. This past Sunday they made a presentation to their church about what was needed to open the doors and begin this new ministry. Not knowing what to expect they trusted God. There was no obvious sign that what they needed was on its way. If there is anywhere in Alaska that the recession we are experiencing nationally is affecting our state, it is our Capitol.

The outcome of this past Sunday? They received an offering of over $100,000 dollars! One hundred thousand of that offering came from one individual! Who would have known? Who could have predicted? The person who gave the large gift had never done so before. It was a truly unexpected source of help. Wow! Way to go, God!

The point of this? I am amazed at how God works. I am not amazed that He does what He does. That is good for you and I as well. At our low points we can believe for the unexpected. How God will do it, we may never know, that He will do it, we can expect.

Men's Do Something!!

What a time we had! 19 men set out to shoot the rapids on the six mile river on the way to Hope, Alaska. It was an exciting experience, definately one that anyone who is interested should try. Chugach Outdoor Center was the rafting company. Their guides treated us very well and the equipment we used was excellent. The day really started after we were briefed on all the rules and donned all the equipment. We were instructed on how to swim 100 yards down the six mile river to the other side. It was a bit intimidating to plunge into that frigid glacial stream when you are nice and warm and dry. However, that is when you discover how good your gear is. Mine was great, dry as a bone after my swim. At that point we broke into teams to paddle the rafts.

The first river miles are spent learning commands from your guide, "Forward 2", "Left turn", "Back 3", you get the idea. Nervousness rises as you approach the first rapids. You shoot through without a problem. Confidence swells. And so the day goes. Our raft was an exceptionally good team and that helped us out a great deal. There would be several sets of rapids to run and then beautiful periods of drifting with great scenery.

The day climaxes as you enter the "third canyon" which the guide has been building up all day. These rapids are bigger, trickier and more dangerous. Anxiety rises, confidence wanes as the sun that has been warmning you disappears behind the steep canyon walls and the roar of water fills the silence.

The third canyon is a bit more of a challenge, as one rapid in particular caused some problems for two rafts, one of which was ours. Believe it or not, this actually increases the excitement and fun. Such great laughter and team action make it such a great experience.

We all had a great day which was topped off with moose and caribou sausage on the grill. There was a lot of talk about making this an annual event, so if you missed this trip, be ready to pounce on the opportunity when it comes up again next year.

Contradictory Behavior

As a pastor I have seen a lot of contradictory behavior, like someone stealing a Bible from the church. Yeah, I know, that isn't just a cliche, it really has and does (once in awhile) happen. My real hope for anyone who does that is that they actually end up reading it, at least until they get to Exodus 20:15, and then just ask for a Bible which we would gladly give to anyone who asks. Speaking of contradictory behavior, I actually read a news item recently reported by Scripps News Service that took place in St. Lucie, Flordia. A person who was employed as a Weight Watchers Demonstrator (how do you demonstrate that?) was caught shoplifting cupcakes at the local grocery store. How embarassing to make headlines with that! I wonder if they lost their job? I wonder what their excuse might have been?

These things of course are contradictory behaviors, like getting the Diet Coke with your Big Mac and Super Sized french fries. I wonder how many times I am guilty of contradictory behavior? (That's OK, you don't have to tell me.) One thing we do know for sure, is that as Christians we are always under observation for contradictory behavior. Just respond to someone in anything less than a completely patient way and pow, you get nailed as a Hypocrite. Hypocrite is the name for someone who practices contrary behavior frequently.

It's so easy to act contrary to our message, isn't it? Someone just today was telling me about an incident of road rage they got caught in the middle of. Even though they weren't the one driving on the shoulder of the road and making rude gestures, their blood was pumping hard and they were feeling both fear and anger at the same time. Responding correctly sometimes is really tough.

That is why it is a necessity for us to walk in the Spirit all the time. Be Spirit controlled. Be Spirit led. The Bible promises us that if we "Walk in the Spirit", that we "shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16)." So, if you love Jesus, alow Him to help you keep from acting out any contradictory behavior. It may keep you out of the headlines.

Men's Do Something!!

This past Saturday, our Men's Ministry sponsored another Do Something! activity day. Dennis Merkes and Ray Schemanski hosted a King Salmon Derby. We had the best weather - sun, warm, blue skies, good food - brauts and hot links on the grill, lots of boats and equipment and about 20 guys ready to fish. The fishing was great! The catching was a little on the slow side. Tommy Brister hooked a large fish but had to release it. Near the end of the day, Aaron Broyles hooked and landed the derby winning King Salmon on Ray Schemanski's boat. It was great to have a winner after such a long day fishing on the river!

It was a great day, another great Men's Do Something event and everyone had a lot of fun. For a little live video action of the lunch break.

A Preacher's Day Off

I have made a commitment to post to this blog at least once a week to keep it current and worth coming back to. I am a little later than usual as my summer (like yours) really heated up this past week with activity. This past Monday, I had the great privilege to spend the day fishing for halibut with two other Assemblies of God pastors. Pastor Mike Rose from Juneau and Pastor Greg Newell from Homer. What a day the Lord gave us! I have to admit the seas were a little choppy in the morning, by noon, the sun had burned throught the fog and it was warm and calm. Fishing for halibut in t-shirts is a fine thing to do on a day off! I was blessed with two really nice fish, one a "30 pounder" and one in the 60 pound class. It was a great day in several respects, the weather was wonderful as I have already mentioned, we were able to reach our limit of fish easily and with nice sized fish, and most of all, the chance to fellowship with two other preachers who are also great friends is a rare occasion indeed.

Michael Jackson

As perhaps a billion people (media estimate) will watch the memorial service for Michael Jackson today, I wonder how many of them, Christians included will believe he is in heaven. I have not said a lot about this but I have heard much around town, on the television and in conversations.

First of all, let me say that I am not God, I am not the judge of the living or the dead. However, it is my place to warn all that I can to know that there is a heaven, and there is a hell. Sincere faith in Christ for the forgiveness of our sin is the ONLY way to salvation, everything else does not avail us whatsoever when it comes to salvation. This is what we know for sure because the Bible makes this very clear to us.

Unfortunately, many people assume that God thinks and feels the same way we do. That God makes decisions based upon His like or dislike of things or people the way we do. So, if we happen to like Michael Jackson for some reason, well then God must also and since we like him, he must be eligible for heaven. News flash: it doesn't work that way.

We don't go to heaven by majority rule. We can't gain entrance to heaven by the title, "King of Pop". We don't go to heaven by being a nice person. We will not be granted entrance to heaven by doing good things, selling millions of records or being tolerant of every lifestyle or being "cool".

A lot of people want to take charge of God's heaven and become the one who gives permission to enter or not. Do not be deceived, God isn't giving anyone the right to decide who enters His heaven or not, including me. He alone will be the judge and the one who makes the laws we must abide by to enter. So, if you think I have said that Michael Jackson is going to hell, read this again carefully, I haven't said that. If you ask what I think will happen to him, I might say that most of the external evidence I have seen would lead me to believe that Michael Jackson was not a believer in Jesus as his personal savior. I am not God, I do not get to say if Michael makes it or not, I do not see Michael's heart as God does. Despite all of the visual evidence to the contrary, if Michael knew Jesus as his savior and Lord, then I am sure he will be in heaven. However, if he did not, there is not any amount of talent or popularity that can make up for the most important relationship of all.

God is "... not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9) So, the path to heaven was as open to Michael Jackson as it is to anyone else, just like the rest of mankind, we must choose it. I hope that he did. I am glad I have. I hope you do too.

Deadlines

Recently I published an article in the Peninsula Clarion about the power of a deadline. I can get writer's (or preacher's) block and have difficulty finding a subject. But as the deadline draws near, from somewhere within comes creativity, ideas or divine help to meet that deadline. I am not talking about procrastination, that's another topic!

The problem for deadline oriented people is when there is no deadline. Things that are important often don't come with a specific deadline. Like telling your wife or husband or children that you love them. No deadline, great importance. Or having that talk about forgiveness with someone who has wronged you. Or making your peace with God.

Yesterday, two well known celebrities ended their earthly journeys, Farah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. Both dying before their time, both wealthy and popular people. Their deadline for life was the same day. I pray they had met that deadline with their eternity certain by having Jesus as their savior. Someone on my Facebook page remarked, "The King of Pop meets the King of Kings!" Wow, I hope the King of Pop was prepared for that introduction.

Speaking of deadlines, when will we share with our neighbor about their need of Jesus? Hopefully we will do it before their deadline with eternity comes due.

Independence Day

I have in my electronic files an essay concerning the signers of the Declaration of Independence. It is a brief history of their fates following the signing of that foundational document of our country. You may not have ever read their histories, much like the fate of the Lord's disciples, once their moment in history is fulfilled, they quickly fade from view. I did not author this essay but share it with you for some depth of perspecitve concerning this "holiday".

INDEPENDENCE DAY

Have you ever wondered who the men who signed the Declaration of Independence were? What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and plantation owners; they were all men of means and well educated. They signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that if captured, their penalty for signing would be death. By signing, they pledged their lives, their personal fortunes, and their honor to this cause of America becoming a land of freedom and liberty. Have you ever wondered what happened to these 56 men who signed? Five signers were arrested by the British, sentenced as traitors and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in combat while serving in the Continental Army; another had two sons who became prisoners of war. Nine fought and died from combat wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War. Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his trading ships attacked and sunk by the British Navy. He had to sell his home and properties to pay his debts and died in poverty. Thomas McKeam was so hunted by the British that he was forced to move his family constantly. He served in the Continental Congress without pay while his family was kept in hiding. Eventually his possessions were confiscated, and he became penniless. Soldiers sacked and looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton. At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson Jr., reported that the British General Cornwallis had taken over his family’s home for his headquarters. He urged General George Washington to fire upon it with artillery. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt. Francis Lewis had his home razed and properties destroyed. His wife was imprisoned and died within a short time from the appalling conditions of the British prison. John Hart and his 13 children were driven from their home while his wife lay dying as British soldiers attempted to capture them. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. His fields and his gristmill were laid waste. A few weeks after returning home, he died from exhaustion and a broken heart. Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates. Common were such stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These men were not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken gentlemen of means and education. They had wealth and security, but they valued liberty more. Standing tall and unwavering, they pledged: "For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor." Their sacrifice and service gave you and me a free and independent America. The history books do not tell much about what happened to individual people in the Revolutionary War. It wasn't just about fighting the British, we were British subjects at the time. We were fighting our own countrymen and government! Some take our liberties for granted because we didn’t pay, we didn’t sacrifice, we were not deprived. Their pain, sacrifice and deprivations were their gift to us. Their service bought us the freedoms we so enjoy, even if we are ignorant of the struggle that provided them. So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid. Remember freedom is never free! It's time we get the word out that patriotism is not a sin, and the Fourth of July has more to it than beer, picnics, and civic parades. God bless America!