Thursday, July 31, 2008

Rogue River Assembly Of God Heroes: Kathy Q.


The Bible says...HE INHABITS THE PRAISES OF HIS PEOPLE...
That's not just Praising the LORD...He is there when we praise one another...
So, I'm highlighting amazing people in our pews!
This time it's wonderful Kathy Q.
Hey, I rhymed!

This young lady has only been a part of our church for a few years, yet she has been a part of practically every ministry in our church!
She has even begun several ministries...she helped birth the Hospitality Team...she recently began a mentoring ministry!
At the same time She is volunteering for Youth For Christ and the Pregnency Care Center!
I DON'T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT ALL!
I haven't even begun to scratch the surface of all the LORD uses her to do...She helps us in the church office...She helps Pastor Short with the Young at Heart...She sings on the worship team and does special music!!!
WHAT AN AMAZING BLESSING KQ IS TO OUR CHURCH!
I think if she ever had to move away our church would have to shut down...justkiddin...

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Mailer & Car Stickers


















I hope you received my silly little postcard...
If you didn't that means you need your address added to our church master list, PLEASE FILL OUT THE TEAR-OFF...IT'S ALL ABOUT THE TEAR-OFF!!
(the tear-off is on the Sunday bulletin, for those of you who think I just lost my mind)


Also, I ordered these car stickers awhile ago and they haven't been embraced very well. I guess there are some of you who are afraid they will damage your vehicle. I assure you they were specially made for use on vehicles...I put mine on my back window...
I think they are a wonderful way to promote our church...mabye a simple sticker on your car could even create a God-moment to show the gospel!!

Monday, July 28, 2008

The Shack



I just finished reading this book! I have never read anything like it before. I'm going to read it AGAIN AND AGAIN...truly life changing! I thought I would copy and paste all the accolades from http://www.theshackbook.com/ in hopes that you would be convinced to read the book yourself!

When the imagination of a writer and the passion of a theologian cross-fertilize the result is a novel on the order of The Shack. This book has the potential to do for our generation what John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress did for his. It’s that good!
Eugene Peterson, Professor Emeritus Of Spiritual Theology,Regent College, Vancouver, B.C.
If God is all powerful and full of love, why doesn’t He do something about the pain and evil in our world? This book answers that age old question with startling creativity and staggering clarity. By far one of the best books I have ever read.
James Ryle, Author Hippo in the Garden
Wrapped in creative brilliance, The Shack is spiritually profound, theologically enlightening and life impacting. It has my highest recommendation. We are joyfully giving copies away by the case.
Steve Berger, Pastor , Grace Chapel
Riveting, with twists that defy your expectations while teaching powerful theological lessons without patronizing. I was crying by page 100. You cannot read it without your heart becoming involved.
Gayle E. Erwin, Author The Jesus Style
The Shack is a one of a kind invitation to journey to the very heart of God. Through my tears and cheers, I have been indeed transformed by the tender mercy with which William Paul Young opened the veil that too often separated me from God and from myself. With every page, the complicated do’s and don’t that distort a relationship into a religion were washed away as I understood Father, Son, and Holy Ghost for the first time in my life.
Patrick M. Roddy, Emmy Award Winning Producer of ABC News
This book eloquently captures the shift from being highly responsible people in a religious system, to walking in intimacy as we respond to the fragrance of Christ in daily life.
Arthur Burk, Sapphire Leadership Group, Inc.
Finally! A guy-meets-god novel that has literary integrity and spiritual daring. The Shack cuts through the clichés of both religion and bad writing to reveal something compelling and beautiful about life’s integral dance with the divine. This story reads like a prayer—like the best kinds of prayer, filled with sweat and wonder and transparency and surprise. When I read it, I felt like I was fellowshipping with God. If you read one work of fiction this year, let this be it.
Mike Morrell, Zoecarnate.com
Don’t miss this! If there’s a better book out there capturing god’s engaging nature and his ability to crawl into our darkest nightmare with his love, light and healing, I’ve not seen it. For the most ardent believer or newest spiritual seeker, the shack is a must-read.
Wayne Jacobsen, author of So You Don’t Want to Go to Church Anymore
My biggest disappointment with Christian books is that almost all of them seem to say the same things in the same way. Not so with The Shack! It reads like no other book, and tells a story I guarantee you have not heard before. Enjoy the adventure!
Bart Campolo, Founder of Mission Year
An exceptional piece of writing that ushers you directly into the heart and nature of god in the midst of agonizing human suffering. This amazing story will challenge you to consider the person and the plan of god in more expansive terms than you may have ever dreamed.
David Gregory, author of Dinner with a Perfect Stranger
The path to God is paved with questions—sometimes frightening and deeply painful ones. While reading The Shack I realized the questions unfolding in this captivating novel were questions I was carrying deep within me. True freedom is born from facing those things we feel we don’t have the courage or strength to face. The beauty of this book is not that it supplies the reader with easy answers to grueling questions, but that it invites you to come in close to a God of mercy and love, in whom we find hope and healing.
Jim Palmer, author of Divine Nobodies
This book goes beyond being the well written suspenseful page-turner that it is. Since the death of our son Jason the lord has led us to a small number of life-changing books and this one heads the list. When you close the back cover you will be changed.
Dale Lang, (rockcanada.org), father of student killed in Columbine copycat shooting
This is my most favorite book that I have ever read.
Jordyn Foster, 12 years old (Estacada, OR)
You will be captivated by the creativity and imagination of the shack, and before you know it you’ll be experiencing god as never before. William young’s insights are not just captivating, they are biblically faithful and true. Don’t miss this transforming story of grace.
Greg Albrecht, Editor, Plain Truth Magazine
The main story was so complelling the first time through I just couldn’t put it down. The second time through, what I would call the hiddeness of the book just grabbed me. The third time something new and different. When you get it into your hands, I encourage you to read it many times. This is not a one-time read and it will be forever a part of who I am.
Kent Burgess
Your work is a masterpiece! There are tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat. All I can think of is the others that need to read your words and I’m just as convinced that each one that reads it has those who also need your words.
Chyril Walker, Ph.D.
Great book! I totally enjoyed it and found some parts of it needed to be read more than once because the words were so “right on”.
Margie Ulsh, Editor Among Worlds
I can’t begin to tell you how much I appreciated reading The Shack and how much it has meant to my wife and me. We lost a son in an accident years ago and this story brought comfort and healing. I dealt with the questions this book addresses every day and know you could not have written it without dealing with the reality of loss in your own life.
Dave Coleman, retired Hospice Chaplain
I read and wept and slept and read again. I am full of words, inexpressible thoughts, shades and hues of hope and light and joy.
Larry Gillis, pastor/counselor
Do you ever stand by the ocean, just close your eyes and breath deeply, filling your lungs with purity? That’s what The Shack is like. I’ve filled my lungs with clean, fresh air, after choking on the stifling smog of religiosity. At times I had tears in my eyes, and others I was laughing out loud.
Dale Bruneski, corrections counselor (Canada)
To sum up these experiences will take some time, but the gist can be easily described in my thoughts which often repeat its theme while reading The Shack... Feedback overload! System shutdown imminent! Warning! Warning! Reboot!
Jim Hawley, teacher (Taiwan)

Worshipping with MercyMe and CastingCrowns





Last night's concert was trully a night of Worship!
I secretly snapped some pictures of our church (Trudi, Zach, ect.) expressing their hearts of worship...
And my son was sticking out his tongue at the bands...he's already starting to act like me...hee hee
The moment that has stuck in my head was when the Leader of Casting Crowns was sharing his heart and said...We are to be the BODY of Christ NOT the AUDIENCE of Christ!
This is what the LORD has been birthing in our church...America's church acts like an audience: watching the ministry instead of doing the ministry...We are ALL ministers...What's your ministry?

Live Simply Love Generously Care Deeply Speak Kindly and Leave the Rest to GOD

Yesterday I concluded this sermon series...
I don't have my sermon notes with me right now and I have some time for blogging...so, here's some words from memory...

The LORD keeps bringing us back to the subject of SPEAKING KINDLY...
As a matter of fact my very first sermon as pastor of RRAG was entitled...BE AN EXAMPLE FOR THE BELIEVERS IN SPEECH...based on 1 Tim 4:12...I was doing a sermon series entitled OUR MISSION...
I talked about the incredible importance of the greek word for speech: LOGOS...this is the very origin of all creation...IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD...
Do our kind words carry JESUS to the world?

PROVERBS 18: 20&21...A man's moral self shall be filled with the fruit of his mouth; and with the consequence of his words he must be satisfied (whether good or evil). Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it (for death or life)...

I used two illustrations for the power of the tongue...
One...Aesop's fable of the four bulls: because they listened to the lies of the lion they didn't stick TOGETHER and became dinner...
Two...The Snail: a scientist looked at a snails tongue under a miscroscope and found thousands of teeth, this little creature can saw through leaves ect. with comparative ease...
I pray the Holy Spirit open our spiritual eyes to the snail-like toothy tool (the human tongue) sawing through hearts with comparative ease...

It takes children 2 years to learn to speak and adults 50 years to learn to shut up...
Some of us haven't learned after 50 years...
Ask Holly, I haven't learned after 30 years...I hate it when I preach at myself!

Before we speak we should stop & T.H.I.N.K.
T: is what I'm about to say TRUE
H: is it HELPFUL
I: is what is protruding from my face INCONSISTENT with the life of Christ
N: is it even NECESSARY
K: and most importantly...is it KIND

Because the very origin of the spoken word is CHRIST...I shared a few thoughts that EMPOWER us to bring Christ to others...this is the MAIN THING:
1. People LISTEN to those who treat them as FRIENDS
2. Serving gets people's attention, simple acts of kindness
You may want to read Steve Sjogren's book: Conspiracy of Kindness.
3. As we serve, we change the world's perception of Christianity
The Christian has the reputation of being judgmental, uptight...we must change this for that is the Pharisee, not JESUS
4. Doing precedes telling!
5. Focus on planting, not harvesting
God is the only true evangelist! We are not gathering scalps...look for God moments to show Love so the heart may be open to the sharing of the gospel...America has become a hostile environment to the faith so it takes TIME (showing before telling)...

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

I actually did one of those crazy email surveys...

1. What time did you get up this morning? Baby started screaming around 6am
2. Are you happy or grumpy in the morning? Grumpy
3. Last movie you saw? Bella (has a good message but jumps around so much it's hard to watch)
4. What is your favorite TV Show? Gilmore Girls (stop mocking me, the characters are hilarious)
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? String cheese, banana and COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE
6. What is your middle name? Brian
7. What food do you dislike? carrots are gross, I know they help you see good, bla bla bla
8. What is your favorite CD at moment? Freedom, New Breed
9. What kind of car do you drive? Dodge Caravan, what can I say I'm old now with my minivan
10. Favorite sandwich? tomato, have you ever had tomatoes from the garden with white bread and mayo YUM
11. What characteristic do you despise? I can handle most anything except for LIES...I've been praying that the LORD would take away any reactive buttons in me and give me strength for patience...I don't pray for patience cause then God allows lots of circumstances to practice such patience...I pray for strength...1 Peter 5:10
12. Favorite item of clothing? I like my new hawaiin shirt Holly just bought for me out of the blue for no particular reason...she blessed me with that simple act of random kindness
13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Hmmm probably Hawaii cause Holly really wants to go there...me, I'm fine with the Oregon Coast
14. Favorite brand of clothing? MMMM don't care
15. Where would you retire to? the Oregon Coast or Oak Harbor is pretty BUT who am I kidding I will never retire...I'll be preachin till the day I die
16. Favorite birthday? Holly just threw me a fabulous 30th Bday Party...she even made it a Christmas theme cause she know how nuts I am about Christmas...she even set up Christmas trees and nativity scenes
17. Favorite sport to watch? MMMM...I'd rather not...although I've been playing softball, volleyball and tennis lately
18. Furthest place you are sending this? Australia...I have a college friend and navy friend living there
19. What would you like to do if you didn't need to work? BUY A BIG HOUSE AND FILL IT WITH ORPHANS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD...but probably still have to preach it's not my work it's my calling
20. What was your last dream? OH MY I had this horrible dream about the end times the other night...
21. Favorite pastime? reading...I haven't been doing as much of that since NATHANIEL MESFIN came into my life...
22. Are you a morning person or a night person? I used to be a night person NOW I'm NEITHER
23. What is your shoe size? It used to be 13 until I broke my foot...the last few pair of shoes I bought were 14...but I just bought a size 16 NIKE but they run small...
24. Pets? CHEWY my crazy jack russel...Holly and I were so afraid that he would be bad about the new baby BUT he's being AMAZING...He's a whole new dog, it's like getting Mesfin made him grow up...
25. Favorite memory? My Wedding Day was a pretty big moment...Oh and graduating College...Oh and my ordination...OH and TRAVELLING TO ETHIOPIA TO GET MY SON
26. What did you want to be when you were little? BIG SURPRISE...a preacher
27. How old are you today? 30
28. What is your favorite candy? I've been on a STARBURST kick...but I need to stop it cause my belly is big
29. What is your favorite flower? HMMM...I like the color RED so mabye red roses???
30. What day are you looking forward to? Sunday we're going to a Mercy Me and Casting Crowns concert that will be lots of fun OH and my friend Lance is visiting this weekend
31. Eye color? Blue/grey
32. Favorite amusement park ride? the GOLIATH at Magic Mountain
33. What are you listening to right now? nothing, sometimes I rather enjoy the quiet
34. What was the last thing you ate? Rusty just took me to lunch at Tarascos where I had my usual...cheese and onion enchilada and a bean tostada with rice and beans
35. Do you wish on stars? Jaye Rinehart send me this crazy thing, she said: No but I pray a lot...I'm with her
36. If you were a crayon, But I'm not a crayon and I think there's supposed to be more to this question...
37. How is the weather right now? yucky hot...although the last few days haven't been in the hundreds...that's nice
38. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Probably Holly...I don't remember...OH WAIT the Continentals called the church office while Kathy Q. was at the post office...
39. Favorite soft drink? PEPSI, but I've been cutting back on how often and how much
40. Favorite restaurant - RED LOBSTER, but their too expensive and I don't ge to go very often
41. Hair color? brown...But I've noticed the hot sun gives me blondish highlights...who needs a hair dresser
42. What was your favorite toy as a child? I remember climbing trees and playing mario brothers
43. Summer or winter? FALL...what can I say I'm a rebel
44. Hugs or kisses? Hmmm depends on who it's from...If it's Holly or Mesfin KEEP IT COMIN
45. Chocolate or Vanilla? CHOCOLATE...actually vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup is heavenly
46. Coffee or tea? COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEECOFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEECOFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEECOFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEECOFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEECOFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEECOFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEECOFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEECOFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEECOFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEECOFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEECOFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEECOFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE...
47.Do you want your friends to email you back? Yes
48. What is under your bed? my shoes
49. What did you do last night? play with Nathaniel Mesfin Paul West
51. What are you afraid of? God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind...AND JAYE YOU NEVER HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT GROWING OLD ALONE AS LONG AS HOLLY AND I ARE AROUND...IF YOU GET LONELY JUST CALL
52. Salty or sweet? BOTH
53. How many keys on your key ring? 10...I can't believe I just counted for this silly thing...It's getting a little long...I'm amazed if you've read this far...
54. How many years at your current job? 4...will be 5 in Feb. I can't believe it's almost 5 years!
55. Favorite day of the week? Sunday
56. How many towns have you lived in? Rogue River, Kirkland, Oak Harbor, Rogue River
57. Do you make friends easily? Hmmm I try
58. Who named you? My parents SILLY
59. How was your name chosen? I think from the Bible
60. Your favorite quote? Wherever you go Preach the gospel and if necessary use words

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Rogue River Assembly Of God Heroes: Grandma Max


So I've been thinking about ways to blog about our church...ways to help those who visit my blog trying to find out what our church is all about (mabye even perspective members)...
who knows mabye placing stuff out in the blogosphere makes a difference for the kingdom of GOD...
ANYWAY...I was thinking there is no better way to convey what our church is all about (LOVE) then talking about the people of our church...
THE CHURCH is the people not the building...
SO, I'm going to blog once in awhile about some of ROGUE RIVER ASSEMBLY OF GOD's HEROES...
Beginning with: Maxine Peters
(I call her Grandma Max)
This special lady has been a part of our church as long as I can remember...She may be one of those who can say "I changed my pastor's diapers when he was a baby."
She has led our PRAYER CHAIN for so long I wonder if she knows how many years?
FAITHFUL, LOVING, SWEET, KIND, AVAILABLE, ANOINTED PRAYER WARRIOR!!!
I could go on forever about this precious soul!
If you ever get the chance to sit down and talk with this lady, I hope you will ask her to share just some of the MIRACLES that have been reported from our church's PRAYER CHAIN...
Better yet, seek her out and join this vital ministry!

Food Bank


Our food bank hero, George Hunt, told me last week that the cupboards were getting terribly bare... Mabye the LORD is speaking to your heart about helping this vital ministry of our church...

Soak em or not Soak em


Our Children's Director is always tring to find fun ways to reach the kids!
I apprieciate Mrs. Shelli's hard work for our church!
Is the LORD putting it on your heart to help Mrs. Shelli in some way?

Celebration Service 7/20/08

AND WHAT A CELEBRATION IT WAS!

This week was the trial run for the big schedule change...
Sometimes change is hard to embrace BUT this time it was celebrated!!!
We moved our Sunday Evening Prayer and Communion to Sunday Morning 9AM...
It was very well attended and our corporate prayer was very MOVING!!!
That time of prayer seemed to energize our 10am service...and having a baptism in the middle of service definately helped the celebration...EVEN taking a second offering for our sad parking lot didn't slow things down...

Here's my sermon notes:
Mildred, the church gossip, and self-appointed monitor of the church's morals, kept sticking her nose in other people's business. Several members did not approve of her extra curricular activities, but feared her enough to maintain their silence.
She made a mistake however, when she accused Frank, a new member, of being an alcoholic after she saw his old pickup parked in front of the town's only bar one afternoon. She emphatically told Frank (and several others) that everyone seeing it there would know what he was doing.
Frank, a man of few words, stared at her for a moment and just turned andwalked away. He didn't explain, defend, or deny... He said nothing.
Later that evening, Frank quietly parked his pickup in front of Mildred's
house... Walked home... And left it there all night.
Boy, is there a msg in that one or what?!

Today we continue a sermon series entitled:Live Simply Love Generously Care Deeply Speak Kindly Leave the rest to God…Let’s AGAIN dig into CARING DEEPLY
Remember you can visit my blog for review or sign up for a CD in the foyer…
1Peter 5
I believe the LORD lead us to 1 Peter 5 for many reasons…Obviously it contains that well known verse 7…Cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you…
If your taking notes…Today we’re going to take some advice from Peter for Caring Wisely…We can care so deeply that all we ever do is drive everybody around us crazy…I think this 5th chapter in the 1st book of Peter has some great wisdom for developing healthy relationships in the church…

1. Care by example
Peter admonishes the shepherds of the flock, the elders, the leadership, and I dare say it applies to all Christians…to lead by example, not by compulsion, guilt-trips, manipulation…lording over people…pushy!!!
Have you noticed how pushy us Southern Oregonians are!?
My pastor once told me his secret to peace…Don’t give your opinion unless it’s asked…
Some of us don’t know how to have a conversation without expressing every little opinion we have... Some of us don’t even realize that everything out of our mouth is SCOLDING…Is that really our job as Christians?
When you have my sickness…foot in mouth disease…When you don’t think before you speak…you could be unwittingly manipulating, guilt-tripping, scolding, yuck…
It is our job to PRAISE, to ENCOURAGE…HE inhabits the praises of His people…Look for ways to Praise Him and those around you…put away your critical eye and see how fun life can be!
If you see something that needs to change…before you bang someone in the head with the log that’s in your eye…pray about it and live it out yourself…
In case you didn’t get the whole log thing check out Jesus teaching in Matthew 7…
Better yet, let’s all go there…
Care by example and suddenly you discover how abundant life can be without the scolding without the criticalness without the judging…remember that’s not your job…that’s God’s job…

2. Care by going to God first
Please don’t misunderstand me…I don’t want to be guilty of preaching a sermon on caring deeply and act very uncaring…BUT, sometimes we cast our cares all over our friends and family while God is waiting to care for us in prayer…Meanwhile our friends, family, church, pastor is gooified by all our casting…
Did that make sense to you?
God has big shoulders…Go to Him first…then your casting of cares on others is not so gooey cause He’s taken most of the burden first…
By the way gooey is a very mature, theological word!
I want to challenge you this morning…How many times have you gone to a friend, family member, church member, pastor before you went to the LORD in prayer?
How can you care for anyone other than yourself if you do not know how to cast your cares upon the LORD?
I’ve found myself in this predicament…selfish and uncaring, consumed with my own stuff…while the world around me is crying out for love!
This is why I think Peter challenges his readers to humble themselves just before he says to cast cares upon the LORD! It’s amazing how your own problems get worked out while you’re caring deeply for others…

A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of Root beer and he started his journey. When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old man. He was sitting in the park just staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to him and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old man looked hungry, so he offered him a Twinkie. He gratefully accepted it and smiled at him. His smile was so pleasant that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered him a root beer. Again, he smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word. As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the old man, and gave him a hug. He gave him his biggest smile ever. When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?"He replied, "I had lunch with God." And before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? He's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"Meanwhile, the old man, also radiant with joy returned to his home. His son was stunned by the look of peace on his face and he asked, "Dad, what did you do today that made you so happy?" He replied, "I ate Twinkies in the park with God." And, before his son responded, he added, "You know, he's much younger than I expected." Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.

3. Care by His Strength
Have you ever felt burned out, nothing left to give, used, abused…welcome to the ministry
OR wait is that what it’s supposed to be like?
Look at verse 10 of 1 Peter 5 again…But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you…
Stop being surprised by the suffering…Let Jesus perfect, establish, strengthen and settle you
THOSE WORDS BREATHE LIFE TO MY BONES
JESUS PERFECT ESTABLISH STRENGTHEN AND SETTLE YOUR CHURCH
Despite all the suffering in the world, sometimes even because of all the suffering, we are being perfected…Can’t you feel that way down deep?...He’s establishing His Throne…He’s giving the strength it takes to survive it all…and He even promises to settle it all…that great settling day isn’t far away…

I found this great little letter from God on the net at Godswork.org… This is God. Today, as with every day, I will be handling all your problems.Please remember that I do not need your help. If the Devil happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do not attempt to resolve it.
Kindly put it all in the SFJTD box (Something for Jesus to do). It will be addressed in MY time. . .not yours. . .please be patient. Once the matter is placed in the box, do not hold onto it. Do not become impatient and take it back out to see if you can find a solution.
Holding on or removal will delay the resolution of your problem. You must surrender the problem to me for proper resolution. If a situation that you think you can handle arises, please consult me in prayer.Together we will come up with the proper resolution. If you do not receive what you anticipate as proper response from Me.
Remember. . .some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers. Because I do not sleep, there is no need for you to lose any sleep. Rest My Child. . .if you need me, I am but a prayer away.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

We mailed these Announcements today...




If you do not receive one...that means we need your address!!

Monday, July 14, 2008

Rogue River Assembly Of God bulletin July 13







Care Deeply

A cowboy named Bud was overseeing his herd in a remote mountainous pasture in California when suddenly a brand-new BMW advanced out of a dust cloud towards him.
The driver, a man in a suit, dress shoes, sunglasses and tie, leans out the window and asks the cowboy, 'If I tell you exactly how many cows and calves you have in your herd, Will you give me a calf?' Bud looks at the man, obviously a yuppie, then looks at his peacefully grazing herd and calmly answers, 'Sure. Why not?' The yuppie parks his car, whips out his Dell notebook computer, connects it to his Cingular cell phone, and surfs to a NASA page on the Internet, where he calls up a GPS satellite to get an exact fix on his location which he then feeds to another NASA satellite that scans the area in an ultra-high-resolution photo. The young man then opens the digital photo in Adobe Photoshop and exports it to an image processing facility in Hamburg, Germany. Within seconds, he receives an email on his Palm Pilot that the image has been processed and the data stored. He then accesses a database through a connected Excel spreadsheet with email on his Blackberry and, after a few minutes, receives a response. Finally, he prints out a full-color, 150-page report on his hi-Tech Miniaturized HP LaserJet printer and finally turns to the cowboy and says, 'You have exactly 1,586 cows and calves.' 'That's right. Well, I guess you can take one of my calves,' says Bud.
He watches the man select one of the animals and looks on amused as the man stuffs it into the trunk of his car. Then Bud says to the man, 'Hey, if I can tell you exactly what your business is, will you give me back my calf?' The man thinks about it for a second and then says, 'Okay, why not?'
'You're a Televangelist,' says Bud.
'Wow! That's correct,' says the yuppie. 'But how did you guess that?' 'No guessing required,' answered the cowboy.
'You showed up here even though nobody called you.
You want to get paid for an answer I already knew, to a question I never asked.
You tried to show me how much smarter than me you are.
And you don't know a thing about cows.
'This is a herd of sheep --
now give me back my dog.'

Today we continue a sermon series entitled:Live Simply Love Generously Care Deeply Speak Kindly Leave the rest to God…Let’s dig into CARING DEEPLY
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You probably already know this about your pastor…But I’m a pretty EMOTIONAL person…It’s a strength and a weakness…The greatest struggle I’ve had as your pastor is People coming and going, actually I don’t mind the coming part it’s the going part…I was talking with some members of our church just this week who have decided to leave us…It always breaks my heart…Because I care deeply I try to talk them through it without manipulating AND ofcourse it doesn’t ever change their minds BUT it does let them know I love them and will miss them…I think RRAG is the greatest church in the world, I don’t ever want to give up on building a church that is truly all about loving God and loving people…
But I do not want to play the American Consumerism game…So many are going to church to see what they can get out of it…what ministries do you have to meet my needs…instead of going to give and to find ways to minister to…
One pastor said to me…you gotta get used to preaching to the parade…they come thru and sometimes they come around again but their always coming and going…I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to just get used to it because I really do CARE DEEPLY…I think I would rather feel my heart break than feel nothing at all…

Matthew 24:3-14
I know you have heard this time and time again…some of you all your lives growing up in the church…But I truly believe we are living in the last days
Or as verse 8 puts it…the beginning of sorrows
Today I think the Lord wants us to talk about some OBSTACLES TO CARING DEEPLY
Verse 10 of Matthew 24 says that many will be offended, betraying one another, hating one another…
I truly believe the greatest obstacle to the heart being able to CARE DEEPLY is being easily offended or being offended at all!
Once you choose to take up an offense you are only hurting yourself…the bitterness you live with does nothing to heal a relationship or if your feeling vindictive…hurt the other person your offended with…
Being quick to forgive and struggling hard to forget is the only way to live in freedom
Let this truth set you free today!
Verse 12 says because of lawlessness the love of many will grow cold…
Our society preaches unfaithfulness…our society knows nothing of commitment…
It’s like scotch tape
You stick it the first time it stays stuck pretty well…but then if you rip it off what it’s stuck to, some of the stickyness is lost and the more you stick it, the more it doesn’t stick…
Sounds like church hoppin…we’ve lost our stickyness…
My goodness you could use this analogy for every relational difficulty…families have lost their stickyness…marriage has lost it’s stickyness…friendship has lost it’s stickyness…the love of many has grown cold…
So, the obstacles to caring deeply
#1 taking offense
#2 loss of stickyness
Don’t roll your eyes at me…stickyness is a great theological word I just made up
Listen the only way to regain your stickyness, to become a new piece of scotch tape… is to practice commitment, faithfulness, Let the Spirit work his fruit in you…ask and you shall receive
Listen I’ve got the secret to CARING DEEPLY
You wanna hear it?
come back next week I’ll tell ya
Just kiddin
Verse 13…but he who endures to the end shall be saved
ENDURANCE…it’s the only path to real life, a life of abundant love and according to this verse eternal life in heaven…
Again the obstacles to caring deeply
1…taking offense
2…loss of stickyness
3…lack of endurance


This seems like the place most preachers add a good story…
He arrived late one night, on a business trip, so he decided to have dinner in the hotel. As he was finishing his meal, an older couple came in to dine. They were holding hands and had lovely smiles on their faces. They sat three tables from him. He was amazed at the love they showed for one another. It seemed to strike home, all the more, because this was shortly after ending a 20-year marriage and he still had such pain in his heart.
His waiter was also their waiter. As he paid his bill, he inquired as to what their bill was, the waiter informed him, and he gave him the $40 to pay their tab. The waiter asked if he knew them and he told him "No, I just wanted to repay them for the love that they were showing to each other," and then he departed. The next day his business meeting ended two hours before the flight back to Houston. He entered the restaurant to dine prior to his departure. After he had been seated the waiter, from the night before, came up to his table. The waiter said the strangest thing happened after you left the restaurant…When the older couple went to pay for their meal, they were informed that another guest had paid for it. When they inquired as to whom it was, the hostess told them they had never seen the man before, and that he said, "I just wanted to pay them back for the love that they were showing towards each other" and that he already had left the restaurant. The couple were amazed, they looked around, and asked for the bill of two young couples, who were seated together (in their 20's or 30's), paid their bill and departed saying "Love begets Love" to the amazement of the hostess and waiter.
The man smiled and said "That's nice," and ordered his meal. About 45 minutes later, he had finished his meal and was getting ready to head out, his waiter was no where to be found. He waited and waited and finally walked over to the Hostess stand and explained that he needed to pay for his meal and hurry and get to the airport. She smiled and explained that he would not have to pay for his meal. The waiter and hostess felt compelled to pay his bill, she said, due to the joy that was brought to the faces of the elderly couple and the amazement of the young couples from the night before. When he told her that they didn't have to do that, she said with a smile "Love begets Love."
I understand that that’s a sappy story AND the truth is sometimes Love feels like it breaks down and forgets to beget…But, when you CARE DEEPLY despite the obstacles, when you LOVE GENEROUSLY even when the begetting breaks down…that’s real life

Before we close the service with prayer and worship…I want to echo what was preached last Sunday at the Church in the Park…
First of all, if you missed it, you really missed out…thousands gathered to fulfill a beautiful vision of unity…
God is so Cool…How He works everything out…Here I am preaching Caring Deeply and the focus of last week’s service very much compliments what I’m preaching and the vision God has been birthing in our church: everybody’s a minister, everybody needs a ministry…
This year’s focus was discipleship and honoring leaders of small groups or whatever you want to call it… Sunday school, bible studies, home groups, ect…
We have some small group ministry on Wednesday Evenings but, there’s something special and more intimate about Home groups…MABYE God is working in your heart to begin a home group in our church…Please come talk to me about it…
I know what your thinking…I’m not a leader…I would love to help and be a part of it but not the point person…But if everybody says that we never have any home groups…
Listen, don’t complicate it, it can be very easy to lead a home group…and the truth is, it’s better if the leader of a home group isn’t the charismatic leader type…Because it’s about sharing life together…Asking a lot of questions, not knowing all the answers…
So talk to me if God is calling you to jump into home group ministry…It truly is very rewarding if you get over your insecurities and just do it… There are so many great resources out there to help you make a great home group…
Scripture truly does support the need for corporate worship AND gathering in homes, doing all those one anothering things…
It is possible to attend church regularly, just practicing religion and never truly have a relationship with Jesus…That’s why these more intimate settings added to corporate worship can awaken the heart to truly becoming a disciple of Jesus…
Hebrews 10:23-25

Monday, July 7, 2008

Church in the Park





The "Church of the Valley" 4th of July weekend Annual church in the Park was so well attended this year!
I'm not a very good judge of numbers but I'd say thousands of people showed up to demonstrate the power of unity in Worship!
Presbyterians, Pentecostals, Methodists, Baptists...everybody shed their titles and came together as CHRISTIANS!
What a wonderful vision!!!

This years emphasis was discipleship and honoring lay leaders of small groups (or whatever you wanna call it: sunday school, home groups, bible studies...)
We have a small group ministry on Wednesday evenings BUT there's something special and more intimate about HOME GROUPS!
If the LORD is leading you to start a home group in our church please come and talk to me!!!

PS...I saw a birdie in the tree at the church in the park!

Happy 4th of July



I know it's a little late...

Here's my little firecracker...

And some Dara cuties...

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Rooster Crow




Our little town loves it's rooster crow weekend!

We have a parade, car show, rows of unique retail booths, AND SERIOUSLY folks bring their roosters and have a contest to see who's rooster crows the most (I borrowed my neighbor's rooster one year when I was a teen)...

CLS won first prize for their float commemorating 30 years!
(They showed a wonderful power point presentation at church but I couldn't get the picts off the computer to put on my blog)

And...our water bottles were quite a hit for the second year in a row!
(A simple act of kindness like passing out free water bottles on a hot day makes a difference!)
Thanks again to Rusty for taking the lead in my absence...his mule made passing out the bottles easier (that's what they call the machine their in)...