Stork Season!

No, we aren't having any more kids, but it seems everyone around us is!

It started with Derrick and Kim welcoming Jude. Then, Michael and Heidi brought home Harrison. Mike and Jeanette brought home Dani. The latest is Daniel and Violet who just welcomed Riley last night. It looks like there are about 20 at church that are close to delivery as well. It sure is keeping the stork's busy! The score is currently 2 and 2 and Brent and Jessica are expecting too.

It's raining babies!

Congratulations to all!

Vacation Time!

Starting tomorrow, I will be on vacation until July 12th! I am so ready. It will be a combination vacation. We will spend a few days at home (mostly packing to move), and a couple of days out of town. We'll celebrate Paige's birthday on the 4th (along with the rest of the country) here in town.

We aren't taking the boys with us, but we are heading to cool country for a couple of days at the beginning of next week. Sedona has become our favorite escape location. It isn't a long drive, but it is far enough away that we can disconnect. It will be about 90, but that is still 20-25 degrees cooler than here. I can't wait to spend the time alone with Paige just hanging out together, celebrating God's creation.

When we get home, we're going to be doing the first stage of our move back to our Palm Valley house. With my back the way it is, I can't do any woodworking, so we are putting most of my tools and equipment in storage to make more room in the garage. I hope that I can one day get back to my toys! We will do the main move with movers in a couple more weeks.

By the way, today is my sister-in-law Terri's birthday, so happy birthday sis!

Boys to Men

Let me make it clear up front, this post is not about a boy band!

I just wanted to take a moment to say how proud I am of the young men my boys have become! You can never say that you are proud of them enough, nor can you ever tell them that you love them enough, but I try, and not just verbally.

We have been blessed by God to have two amazing sons. We have been fortunate to not have had some of the struggles that many families face, and we are thankful to God for that. Joshua and Caleb both love Jesus, and that is what matters most.

Joshua is wise and caring. He is amazing to watch as he interacts with people. He works at Family Christian Stores and is being trained for management. He has many regular customers. I love the stories he tells about people he meets. I love when he calls to get advise or a recommendation for someone he is helping. He is also a sports nut like me, but even more so (He can rattle off stats of baseball players from the 1920's!). He is so fun to go to a game with because he knows the smallest details about most of the players - of almost any sport! Yes, he's still single and living at home, but I know God has great plans for him. He just took a week off of work to help with kids camp and had a blast. He even painted his head when he got back as a "reward" to the kids. He devours books like no one I know. I love just hanging out with him.

Caleb is creative and deep. His artistic ability constantly astounds me, in any medium, including computer work. He is our thinker. He contemplates what he is learning about God and how he can apply it to his life. He is now a junior at Southwestern College (how time flies). He spends most of his free time working on things for church. He leads the tech ministry for our KidZone. I know God has huge plans for him. He has a lady friend, but we will have to see what God has in store for him. He is a movie buff (as is Joshua), and he is hysterically funny when he recites lines from movies (not just then, but especially then). I wouldn't be surprised to see him become a para-military youth pastor!

Both boys can work on their own cars and have a good grasp on fixing things and using tools (I'm very proud of that fact!). They love hanging out together, which at times we wondered if they wouldn't kill each other before getting to this stage. We are so glad that they have grown together. I used to say that they were the worst of enemies and the best of friends. I am so thankful that the best of friends part has won out! They both are deeply insightful and so fun to talk with. Conversations on family vacations have always been more than entertaining.

I know that they both will carry a legacy of faith into their own families, and know that they will be great dads and husbands.

OK, I think that I have embarrassed them enough!

The Battle Within

God revealed to me this weekend why I struggle so much in one area of my life. For nearly all of my younger years, until I was about thirty, I was focused on succeeding in life to impress my father. It seemed that nothing I could do made him proud, at least he lever expressed it if he was. I went from sport to sport, job to job, trying to be the best so that I would get noticed. I was only successful at a couple of sports, but that didn't do it. I was very successful at just about everything I did in business (primarily in engineering and manufacturing). At about thirty, I realized that I was focused on pleasing the wrong person and began focusing on pleasing God and my wife Paige.

I was meditating on the Apostle Paul's teaching that we must decrease and he must increase in our lives. I realized that even though my desire is to have Christ magnified in my life, I still struggle with a desire to be recognized for achieving and being successful. The Bible teaches that we are to do all things for God's glory and to work hard for him. The battle is apparent when I receive praise for a job well done. One part of my brain says that it's one more success story, while another part is humbly praising God for using me to accomplish His purposes.

I don't even think that it's a pride thing. I don't think that I'm saying look at me, for my glory; I think I am still crying to get noticed in some ways. So, the battle rages on. I want so desperately to be used by God, and it encourages me when people can see that happening, but at the same time I cling to the successes as if they make me matter.

I know that this is brutally honest, but as I embark on a journey to end the war, I would appreciate your prayers. I thought that I had resolved the self-esteem issues some time ago, but obviously not. It's time to resolve this.

Goin' Down Memory Lane

I'm going through my bookshelves and getting rid of a lot of books from my early ministry days and youth pastor days. It brought up a lot of memories, mostly good. I also ran across a three inch notebook filled with a project I did for ONE of my master's degree classes. Looking through it I couldn't believe how much work that was, and that it was only for one class. Looking through it I could easily see how much different we do church here at Palm Valley Church. I'm sure that there are still plenty of churches that function the way the church I analyzed eighteen years ago did, but PVC certainly isn't one of them, and our community is better for it.

I even found some magazines from my Kart racing days with pictures of me at Ontario Motor Speedway where we ran an exhibition for the California 500 Indy car race. Boy does that bring back a lot of memories! That was back in the late 70's - man, I am getting OLD! It was cool to see the picture of my niece Jennifer with her "Lewis Brothers Racing" t-shirt on (she was about 1 - totally cute!). Those were good times, except for the fact that neither God, nor Paige, were in my life at the time.

Ministry to New Believers - Correcting a Mistake

I was wrong. I know that comes as a shock, but I made a mistake this past weekend that I have already taken steps to correct going forward.

This past weekend we had our Fresh Start Class. Usually we off the class on Saturday and on Sunday. In the past, once we added a Saturday night class, we offered the Saturday class every other month. This past fall, we added a second Saturday service. For Fresh Start, we began offering the class two times each month, and on Saturday once per month. This proved too often to have more than one or two in the class, so we went back to once per month with both Saturday and Sunday classes.

With the beginning of summer here, I thought I would pull back the Saturday class and in June and July, only offer the Sunday class. I got an email this last week from someone who attends Saturday night and works on Sundays. She wanted to attend the FS class. The Holy Spirit convicted me. Even though sometimes no one comes to the Saturday night class, we need to offer it every month, especially since we now have two services.

Yesterday I made sure that we added the Saturday classes to the calendar. One major reason we have Saturday services is because some people can't attend on Sunday. If they can't attend on Sunday, then they can't come to a class then either! This is a good lesson to learn. We can't offer things when we want, we need to offer things when they are needed.

From now on, we will offer both the Saturday and Sunday class each month. Lesson learned.

Sheep vs Dogs

Have you ever wondered why God calls us sheep instead of dogs? Think about it. The Bible uses sheep to illustrate people constantly. Why doesn't he use dogs as the metaphor?

Because sheep are dumb! Sheep follow blindly, even though they can see. Hmmm, didn't Jesus talk about seeing, yet not seeing? Sheep need constant attention, are minimally trainable (if at all really), and they smell funny. People are the same. That's why you have to cast vision constantly, model consistently, and equip regularly.

Why not dogs? Dogs are trainable, see things and hear things most don't, and dogs follow wisely. You can equip dogs to do amazing things. Dogs can think and reason (to a point). Once a dog is trained, it remembers what it has been taught.

As much as we want to be like dogs, alas, we are like sheep. God knows this, yet loves us anyway. Praise God!

Summer Time!

Summer is here! OK, not officially, but schools are either out or about to be out, and people are planning vacations to get out of the heat (It’s coming!). As a kid, I loved summer. I loved running through the sprinklers (pools were a rarity in my so-cal neighborhood), playing games with friends. The greatest thing about summer was hanging out with friends. I still love hanging out with friends. Darius mentioned this in his message this last weekend. We need to take the opportunity to focus on relationships this summer. I can’t think of anything better than to focus on my relationships with those I serve with.

On a similar note, who are you building relationships with this summer? Another of my hopes is to get to know more people with cultural and ethnic backgrounds different from my own. I grew up in a very white neighborhood. In fact, I didn’t even know anyone with another cultural or ethnic background until I was an adult. I also hope that we can add some cultural diversity to our team. We live in a diverse area, with people with heritage from all over the world. We need to embrace that, and reach out to those who look different than us. We also need to make sure that when people of various backgrounds come to the Fresh Start Table, they will see that we are diverse as well. That has huge welcoming impact! This isn’t a political thing; it’s a Biblical/cultural thing. Jesus told us to go to “all the world”. The phrase he used actually means to “all the ethnics”. In other words, it means to go to every people group and every culture. We have many cultures and ethnic groups represented here at Palm Valley Church. Let’s start here.

Working Out!

Let me just say that I have never been much a workout fan. I would much rather get exercise having fun, and staring at the wall while walking or running on a treadmill isn't my definition of fun! I have to say though, that today was pretty cool. In physical therapy today, Pablo "pushed" me to do more than I thought I could, and I'm glad. I've committed to pushing through as much pain as I can stand to try to break through to better health. I wasn't sure about my ability to work out today at all because the myofacial pain in my ribs and sternum were up pretty high, but I was able to push through it. I have a couple of specific goals that I am working on, so I just focused on them, and charged ahead.

While working on my lower back and in traction, I was also working on building strength back up in my arms (kind of a funny thought since my arms have never really been very strong). It must have looked like I was on a medieval rack with my lower body strapped to weights on one end, and my arms hanging on to weights at the other, stretching me out (I joked after that I gained 5 inches).

After the traction and weights I thought I was done, but Pablo had other ideas! He put me on a treadmill for ten minutes (he first said 5, but I was surprisingly doing pretty well, so I went 5 more). I was worried about my knees, since they usually scream at me when I do things like that. It felt good to really work my whole body today, it's been a long time.

The big test will be whether or not I can move tomorrow. I hope so, so that I can keep progressing. I'm still unsure if all this is helping my back, but I'm sure trying.

Finally, Good News from a Doctor!

I had a conduction test done last week. If you don't know what that is, it's like volunteering for the electric chair. Josh even told me to make sure they used a wet sponge (See the movie the Green Mile if you don't know what this means). Basically, they connect electrodes to one end of a nerve and give it an electrical charge to determine possible nerve damage. Since I have been having some leg problems that seemed nerve related, this test was needed.

Before getting to the results, here's the latest on the rest of the health front. Surgery on my arm went well, though I was frustrated that I wasn't back to normal after three days (Paige nailed me on that!). The MRI on my lower back showed that it is getting worse. Last time I had a torn disk. Now that disk is beginning to bulge and two more are torn. Blood tests showed suddenly high cholesterol and sugar levels, so I'm on a pill for that and a huge diet change (That I'm hating!). We have three months to get it in line or more drastic measures will be taken. I'm not diabetic, but close. The sudden number jump scared the Dr. enough that he was surprised that I wasn't having chest pains and ordered an immediate EKG. Everything is fine there.

The results are in. While there is some nerve damage, most of the damage that is symptomatic is reversible. Finally, some good news! I began therapy to strengthen my back and now I am doing traction (which feels good during, but not later when the back realizes what's been done to it!). The obvious hope is to avoid surgery, so I am working hard!

As for church, I have had to stop doing set-up and tear-down which is nice, but it's hard dealing with the feeling that I'm not pulling my weight while the rest of our staff is working so hard. My goal is to be able to help out again beginning in August, which is when it really gets hot. Not excited about the heat, but want to be helpful if I can.

My focus this year is to get fixed the things that can be fixed, so my arm may not be my last surgery. My body is falling apart faster as I grow older and I have to shake the idea that I just have to accept it. Some things can't change unless God intervenes (which I would gladly welcome!), but those things that now with better technology and processes possibly can, I want to try and change.

I appreciate all the prayers and encouragement I have gotten to this point. Please keep it up!

One Prayer

One prayer. It sounds so simple. What is your one prayer for the church throughout the world? During the month of June we will be joining 800+ other churches for a four week series called One Prayer. You can learn more about it here http://www.oneprayer.com/.

It's hard to narrow it down to just one. In Jesus' prayer in John 17 he prayed that we would be one, united in our love for God and for one another. It doesn't get any simpler yet so difficult as that. It doesn't get any more important than that either. If the church isn't united in its love for God and its love for each other, how will the world come to know Him? Every prayer then, is a subset of Jesus' prayer for without unity we have nothing.

It's going to be amazing to know that churches all over the world will be joining in this series. It's going to be interesting to see what aspect of this prayer other churches focus on. I can't wait!

Rick Warren

I remember the first time I visited Saddleback church and heard Rick Warren speak. The church was still meeting at a high school. Since that time, I have visited the church a number of times. I used to live about 20-30 minutes from the church. I have seen the church grow in numbers and influence.

Yesterday, I got the chance to hear some new stuff from Rick along with most of our staff. As is often the case, I was really challenged. He was speaking from 2 Corinthians chapter 4. Here are some things that really hit me:

1 - This was actually a quote by Jerry Falwell. Regardless of what you think of Falwell, this rocked me. Paraphrasing, he said that greatness is determined by what it takes to discourage you. I really need to work on this in my life. I get so discouraged over several things, mostly beyond my control. I need to do a better job in this area.
2 - You lose perspective when your're tired. This really applies right now. I haven't slept much since surgery last week and it's really affecting my ability to stay focused and think clearly.
3 - God's pupose is greater than your problems. This is a great reminder! I do the best I can in this area, often pushing myself a little too hard and then paying the price. I mostly think of physical problems here, but life struggles apply greatly. I do better focusing on his purpose over my life problems than I do with my physical problems.
4 - Make time for daily renewal. Divert daily, withdraw weekly, and take time for yearly abandonment. I need to start getting together with some other pastors in my area to encourage and pray for them, and allow them to do the same for me.

Rick always makes you think. There are several other points that I need to reflect on, but these I need to work on.

Theology - Big Words!

I don't often get into heavy theological studies, but I have been drawn to take another look at what I believe about some things. I think we all need to challenge ourselves in this area from time to time. The deep study is good, especially when I often don't go deep in my daily devotions.

So, I've been looking at big words like sacerdotalism, christology, soteriology, and other concepts that often divide churches. I've been spending some time looking at Calvinism and Armenianism especially. I don't fit neatly into either tradition, but always seek to understand the views of both more fully.

The problem comes when we go beyond what is clear to what is not and become dogmatic about what is not. Great theologians have debated some key issues for centuries without clear resolution or agreement. Many would rather fight than to admit that they may not have answers to everything. There are viewpoints that I hold, that I can defend, but I also admit that there are a few passages that I don't have all of the answers to.

It is important to me that we be unified where we can be, and give grace where we can't. This doesn't mean that I don't have conviction about by beliefs, but it does mean that I am not willing to split the church over most of them. The bottom line is, are we doing what Jesus sent us to do? Are we fulfilling the great commission with the great commandment? How we do it doesn't matter nearly as much as whether or not we are doing it!

We don't have to prove each other wrong, but we should challenge each other to continue to grow in their faith, knowledge, and obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ.

Update

OK, it's been too long since I have posted, but not as long as some of my friends and fellow staff members!

Since my last post I had surgery on my arm (doing OK), and we had nearly 2800 people on the weekend at PVC! No the two aren't related other than seeing God work in both situations.

We're nearly finished with the two NBGG groups that Mark and Debbie are leading. Dennis and I had the opportunity to visit last week and the growth is very cool to see! It was great for another staff member to see what's happening with our new believers, they don't always get to see the results like my team does.

We're heading into summer and instead of slowing down, we're cranking it up. June will be interesting with the "One Prayer" series. It will be cool to experience the teaching of some outside of PVC's gifted speakers. It will also be good for Greg to have a long break!

We have some tweaks coming in our New Believer ministry and some expansion plans too. This past weekend we had three potential coaches observing to see if this is where God wants them serving. It's great to see people coming to the table and asking what it takes to serve in this area.

Today I am having a conduction test done to evaluate nerve damage in my lover back and legs. Think of it as volunteering for the electric chair! OK, it's not that bad, but the test hurts, and yes they are electrocuting you in the process. This better help them solve some problems I am having!

Covenant Marriage

For me, I thought all marriages were covenant marriages. According to the state of Arizona, there is a difference, and I am glad. With the high rate of divorce in this country, I am glad that there is at least an attempt by this state to reduce that number.

A covenant marriage is a step beyond a normal wedding. To receive a covenant marriage license, the couple must complete pre-marital counseling (supported by a notarized certification by the clergy or other person doing the counseling). After the marriage, before a couple can divorce, they must go through counseling.

It doesn't prevent divorce, but it will hopefully reduce it. The one thing that I wish they would change, is that right now, anyone can officiate a wedding in AZ. I wish that they would limit that to licensed clergy and officials of the court. I think that would help reduce the divorce rate as well.

Saturday night I will officiate my first covenant marriage. I personally know the couple and am excited for them. I am also proud that they are taking this extra step and giving their marriage a good foundation for success.

Another way to reduce divorce is to eliminate the term from your vocabulary. If you don't view it as an out, then when troubles come, you have no choice but to work things out. That's not easy or popular, if we made divorce more difficult, less couples would take marriage so lightly.

Next!

After God showed up so hugely this weekend, it would be natural to take a break. It would be easy to sit back and reflect on the joy of this past weekend when 136 people went public with their faith by being baptized. But we can't!

Last weekend was one victory in a great war. It was one battle in the epic battle of Christ vs Satan. We got the privilege of witnessing God's power at work, and the evil one was powerless to stop it!

The war rages on. We don't have time to reflect on the battle won, we must prepare for the next one. We must equip as many as we can to stand up to the enemy and be victorious in their everyday lives.

So, what's next? This weekend is the Fresh Start Class. It will be Saturday at 5pm and Sunday at 10am. And so it continues. The preparation for the next battle. Reflection is necessary, and we will spend some time doing that today, but then we must move on. We must prepare for the next one.

As much as we rejoice in 136 baptized this weekend, we need to notice the thousands who are still without a relationship with Jesus Christ. So, we press on. We prepare others for battle. One thing you will notice though, is a bit quicker step, a broader smile on our faces, and a renewed vigor to accomplish the task before us.

Next!

Satan Fails Again

It was last Friday, on my day off, as I was working on some things for the weekend (yeah, sometimes a day off isn't, but when it isn't, it is almost always very worth it!). That's when it started. These thoughts started coming into my head.

First, let me say that I am reading the book Wild at Heart. It's taking me some time to get through because there are several issues that it has raised for me that I thought I had dealt with, but realize that I haven't fully. I know that Caleb loves this book, and now I know why. it's a must read for every man, and young man. Thoughts on the book are for a different post, but if you've read the book you'll understand this post that much more.

The thoughts were powerful. The first one, "what are you good for?" is one that I have had numerous times in my life. It's my Achilles heal and Satan knows it. With many things from my past, and the physical challenges I face, this is a constant challenge. I have battled back by calling it a checkpoint. When it comes, I can re-evaluate what God has done and is doing in my life.

The second thought was, "You don't preach anymore, and you don't sing anymore either. You don't..." It's a battle of pride and I know it. I miss preaching, but I know that there is no way that I could physically preach more than one or two services. My voice is gone, and while there are moments when I can still sing beautifully, I am very inconsistent, and there are ranges that I can no longer hit. That's reality!

The thoughts keep coming. My memory doesn't work the same since my stroke, so how could I help other churches.

I know where these thoughts were coming from, and why. This weekend was baptism, and God was getting ready to do something huge (and he did!). I have heard these thoughts enough that I had a response.

Philippians 1:6 says that God is continuing to shape me into what he wants me to be, and he won't stop until he is finished. That's a promise that I cling to every moment of every day. The other thoughts? Those aren't my role now. God used me to do those things in the past, and I don't know if he'll use them in me again, but what he has me doing now is important because it is what he has called me to for this season in my life. Sure, I hope that I get the opportunity to share what I have learned, and am learning, about working with new and returning believers with other churches, but mostly, I just want to do what I am doing better and better.

The other stuff just doesn't matter any more! As long as I can get out of bed, I will serve him, and if or when I can't, I will still praise his name. He certainly has done a great work in me, and I thank him for not being finished. I don't know what he has planned for me in five or ten years, but for now, I am thrilled to get to do what I am doing.

Satan tried to discourage me. He tried to get me focusing on my past rather than on the present. he tried to get me focused on me, not on Him. It didn't work, the weekend was awesome, and Satan failed...again!

Satan is a Nerd!

I loved the T-shirt a young man was wearing as he got baptized. He was truly standing up for his faith. Satan wasn't happy about what God was doing at Palm Valley Church this weekend. He couldn't be! We are all celebrating what we saw God do this weekend.

So, what did God do? Three weeks ago we had 45 signed up for baptism this weekend. By Friday we had 86. More registered over the weekend so the number grew to 93. That's pretty amazing in itself, but sometimes people don't show up. This weekend God showed up big, and so did the people. In our five services, we baptized 136 people! I was praying for 100 (Oh ye of little faith!).

The stories represented would take months to tell. It was great to see so many that our New Believer Ministry has worked with.

Personally, I am exhausted, and every inch of my body is in pain. I can hardly walk right now, but I would do it again tomorrow if given the opportunity! God gave me the strength to get through the weekend, and I am sure He would get me through another day as well.

It was awesome to get to serve all weekend with Paige! She was terrific (as always). She ran the check-in table and it went so well.

So may of our staff stepped up and went the extra mile this weekend. That's no surprise because that's normal for our staff. A special thanks though to Art (a huge amount of help!), Dennis, Christina, Jillayne, Ryan, Daniel, Brent, and Greg (who preached and baptized even though he wasn't well!).

Along with staff, there were several volunteers who really shined this weekend. Mark, Debbie, Kathy, Eloy, & Don especially.

Many other staff and volunteers helped make this such a special experience. To all, a big Thank you!

God is so good!

Falling Away

Why do people fall away from Christ? And just as important, what draws them back? Lastly, how to we shore them up to prevent them from falling away again.

Some may argue that those who re-commit to Christ, probably weren't Christians to begin with. Their first decision probably wasn't sincere. That's not a call I can make. That's a matter for God to determine their heart. What I do know, is that people with genuine relationships with Christ, sometimes go through tough times and need a Fresh Start with God!

So how do we help them? Do we act as though they never had a relationship with Christ and have them use the same materials and go to the same classes as those accepting Christ for the first time? The more and more that I encounter people truly wanting to re-connect with Christ, I am convinced that they need something different. Something in between the new believer process and plugging them into regular home teams.

What that looks like, I don't know, but God has been impressing upon my heart that there needs to be resources geared to them. So, I am beginning work on that. Next week I will be taking some time for focused prayer and study in this area. Then, I will be meeting with other pastors to brainstorm in this area. I hope that by fall we will have a resource that will bring hope and connection to those re-connecting with God.

85 and Counting!

I can't wait! So far, we have 85 people signed up to get baptized this weekend, and I am sure that number will go higher. We have eight people from one family getting baptized! God is so good. I am so excited that I get to be there to witness this.

Baptizing is one of the greatest blessings a pastor can have. This time, however, I will mostly be on the sidelines. I am sad and excited about that at the same time. It may sound odd, but I have chosen not to be in the water baptizing because of my health. For that I am sad. But I am excited that our newest Pastor Dennis will take my place and be in the water with Pastor Greg baptizing people. I am excited that Dennis will get to enjoy this blessing. He has a great heart and loves people. This will be a special time for him I am sure, and I will enjoy watching that.

As for me, I'll have plenty to do with odds and ends and supporting the Fresh Start table. This is a team effort and it is a huge step in the faith journey of those getting baptized. I hope and pray that our entire church is blessed by this weekend. Everyone has contributed to the growth of these people.

Think about it. Someone invited them. They came and were welcomed. They had a great worship experience and heard the Word of God. They accepted Christ. Our New Believer ministry helped them grow. Our Home Teams help them continue their journey. All the while, their children and youth were being cared for and were learning to love God for themselves. Our office, communications, and tech teams have made resources available to them. Our set-up and tear-down teams created an environment where they could hear the voice of God. Our care teams and other volunteers met their needs and cared for them, as well as equipped them for service. All in all, we all loved them, regardless of their past, their struggles, their appearance, or their means, we all loved them with the love of the Lord. Now they are seeing the fruits of their labors, over 85 getting baptized!

Praise be to the one true, gracious, holy, and loving God!!!

Good, Bad, & Ugly!

The Good:
My niece Christy is getting married this weekend in Texas! Wish I could be there, but I am excited for her.

The Bad:
One of my sisters had some tests yesterday, I hope and pray that they come back negative!

I've had, and continue to have, several Dr. visits right now. The results are that my cholesterol and blood sugar have shot up, so I am on yet another medication, and making some changes in what I eat to get those numbers back line.

Apparently the disc at L5 in my lower back has gotten much worse and is pinching nerves. The pain levels in my back and legs have increased dramatically. The epidurals didn't last long! I am beginning some tests (another MRI among other things - I hate being in that little tube, and I don't care for the open ones much either) and first steps of treatment (fortunately there are a couple things to try before surgery). I was glad to hear that many things are connected, so if we get that fixed, several problems will go away.

The tremors in my hands are worse. So much so that I can barely write (thank God for computers). Hopefully a medicine change will get that back under control.

The Ugly:
I don't look good in shorts right now (like I ever did) because of the nerve damage in my legs. It has cause the hair to fall out, but only in specific areas related to the nerves that are pinched. It is really weird! I am also seeing the Dermatologist today to take care of what she called, "the barnacles of life". So I'll have some healing to do from that.

Saving the Best for Last:
God is so good! I praise him every day and am thankful that I am able to get out of bed. He must still have things for me to do.

It's Raining New Believers!

I got curious. Since Easter, the decisions to accept Christ, re-dedicate lives, and people coming to the Fresh Start table has been off the hook! I ran a report this morning because I was curious to see how many people have made some sort of decision for Christ since Easter (total of 3 weeks). I took out duplicates and those who were just letting us know that they were believers (You'd be surprised at how many I get of those and from those who were just confused when they filled out their card).

The total?

In three weeks we have had 163 decisions! Take a moment to let that sink in.

I have cauliflower ear from talking on the phone so much!

Of those, 68 came to the Fresh Start table. That's an average of 23 people at the Fresh Start table on a weekend! That's people who aren't just saying that they made a decision. These are people saying that they made a decision and that they want to take the next step in their journey!
It wasn't long ago that our average was 4 and I was so excited to see that it had grown to 7!

We had 22 in the Fresh Start Class last weekend, the most ever!

There are 21 people signed up for the New Believer Growth Group! We had to multiply the group, and we are having two groups meeting on two nights of the week. The hosts, Mark and Debbie are going to lead both groups (I don't know who is more excited, me or them!)!

We have 46 people signed up to be baptized, but we just started announcing the date, and I just sent out about 200 letters inviting people to sign up for it.

I know it's a goofy term, but I really am giddy with excitement about all that God is doing here at Palm Valley Church! The fact that I get to be involved in this process is so humbling. The responsibility is as great as the opportunity to touch lives for the kingdom.

Perhaps even better, everyone who attended the last New Believer Growth Group is connected and serving! That means that the process is working. We are able to move people from decision to disciple and have a true impact in their lives. They aren't just going to classes, or joining groups, they are connecting with Christ and others. They are learning to feed themselves and others spiritually.

I am in awe at what the Lord is doing in our midst! I pray that it continues. I pray that we do it better so that we connect more people. I pray that God would send more people to participate in the process and help these people connect. I pray for strength and endurance, and I pray that the Lord will keep the evil one away so that these children of God can grow to maturity.

Praise God!

Treasured or Remembered Thoughts?

I was thinking this morning (always a dangerous moment) about memories. I have always thought the entry in the Bible where it says that, "Mary treasured all these things in her heart."

I was thinking that for us to remember positive events in our lives, we need to "treasure" them in order to embed them into our memory, yet when bad things happen, they go immediately into the recesses of our memory as permanent fixtures.

How many of the hurts in your life do you remember, versus the blessings? How vivid are the details of those events? How many negative versus positive memories do you have?

I hope that you have had more opportunity to treasure memories rather than remember the hurts in your life. It makes me think that I need to be sure to capture each positive moment so that those memories will crowd out the painful ones.

One memory I have treasured in my heart this week was Caleb's 20th birthday. It's hard to believe that we don't have any teenagers in the house, and that our "baby" is now 20! Tuesday, Paige and I drove over to the school (there is no up or down here because we live in a flat valley!) and took him to dinner. Paige even baked him a cake and we ate it at a picnic table at the school without plates or utensils (man style!). It was pretty simple, but it was meaningful time, especially for me.

Because of a TIA (small stroke) that I had several years ago, I have some memory disconnects, so every treasured moment is important to me. I am thankful that Paige is able to remind me of things past.

Anyway, just some thoughts about how we remember or treasure things in our lives. I am thankful that I remember a key time in my life when Jesus finally became someone that I could talk to. I will treasure that day always!

Happy Easter!

No, I'm not confused. I know that we celebrated Easter two weekends ago. But then again, what is Easter? Isn't Easter the day we remember what Jesus did on the cross for us? Don't we celebrate his resurrection?

Shouldn't we be doing that every weekend (every day actually)? Shouldn't our focus be the same? I think that the only real difference between a "normal" weekend and Easter weekend is that so many people come to do their "duty" in coming to church.

The thing is, every weekend there are people who don't normally attend church who come to PVC. We have the same opportunity to show them that Christ loves them and that he is risen. We have that opportunity 52 weekends each year!

We just need a reminder now and then what the weekend is all about. I can't wait for this weekend. Happy Easter!

Job

Have you ever felt like Job? What about Peter?

In Job's case, Satan was convinced that the only reason he worshipped God was because God was blessing Him, so God let Satan test his theory. Job went through all kinds of stuff. I love it when his "friend" comes and says, "curse God and die!"

Jesus told Peter that Satan would, "sift you like wheat" to prove that his faith wasn't genuine.

I have to admit that sometimes I feel like these guys. In the past few weeks I have been waiting for one of my friends to tell me to curse God and die. Since that hasn't happened, I'm thinking that things aren't as bad as I think they are, and that I'm not under attack to that extreme.

Things certainly haven't been easy, but I know whom I have believed in, and know that he is able, and proves faithful, and powerful enough to accomplish his purposes.

When I really compare what Job and Peter went through, I know that I haven't faced anything that compares (praise God for that!). But still, in my world, sometimes the challenges seem overwhelming. The best thing about it is that I know that God loves me, and cares for me, and won't let anything happen to me that doesn't fit into his plan.

One thing that God has been impressing upon me lately is that I need to more fully trust him, and rely on his power. I need to give him complete control and live in expectation of what he has yet to accomplish in my life. God is great, and Philippians 1:6 reminds me that he is still at work in my life.

So, when I start to feel like Job, or like Peter, he reminds me that my life is nothing like theirs, and I praise him for that!

Just some random thoughts today!

Really Tough Week!

For a week that was supposed to let me focus on getting some good rest, it was one of the most stressful weeks in a long time!

It's no real story that with all of my medical issues, I am having some nerve problems in my legs which is making the hair fall out (great for girls, but lousy for a hairy guy!), and I have a lump in my arm that needs to be removed (no worries).

The big surprise was that the big medical stress this week was for Paige. Here's the story. Last fall and winter, she had a few episodes of numbness in her face and arms. We went to the Dr. and he had her get an MRI. They found a pineal cyst and sent her to a neurologist. After a second MRI two months later for comparison, and an EEG, we got the news that the cyst is a little over an inch long, and the neurologist didn't like what he saw (Thursday), so he sent her for a second opinion with a neurosurgeon (Friday). The fact that they got her in so quickly added to the concern.

We had many people all over the country praying, which we really appreciated!

The appointment could only have been better of the cyst had vanished! Unfortunately, it is still there and she will have to get regular MRI's and watch for symptoms to make sure that she doesn't have future problems with the cyst. The good news is that the problems she was having are most likely a variation on her migraines that she regularly gets (in this case that's very good news!).

We never doubted that God was in control and that he would give us the strength to face whatever the outcome, but our humanness was filled with worry of the unknown.

It was a huge scare for us, and she will have to live with this cyst, but prayerfully it will never be an issue. Thanks for the prayers!

Long Time No Post!

OK, I just realized how long it has been since my last post. I would attribute that to three reasons:



1. I have been crazy busy. Between the carnival, Easter, video shoots, New Believer Growth Group, curriculum... I just haven't had time.

2. I have been burnt out! With the focus on curriculum and video shoots the past few weeks, along with everything else. I just am out of energy. I took Wednesday through Saturday this week (it was nice to not be there tonight, but I missed it) to rest and recharge. It hasn't been all that restful, which I'll do a separate post on, but today was nice!

3. With everything else and some medical stuff added on, blogging just hasn't made it very high on the priority list.


That said:

1. For pics of the carnival you can go to Greg's blog or to You-Tube and search for palmvalleychurch and watch the carnival video that Mike did.


2. Easter was awesome! God was very present. 38 people indicated that they had accepted Christ or were re-dedicating their lives to Him. There were 17 first time decisions! The Kid Zone "Zooplosion" set-up is very cool! We had something like 75+ families visit for the first time. Many came because they were invited by friends, or because of the mailer (way to go Julie!).

3. I just finished the first New Believer Growth Group using the new Connecting Point video based curriculum. It was cool, and it's going to be really good, but it was weird watching myself on video and then leading the discussion. The next session will be led by one of our Fresh Start coaches (Mark) and I am anxious to get feedback from him, then we'll make changes and to the final material.

That's enough for now.

Holy Moment

There are moments in life when God shows you what He's been up to. He shows you that is has been working through you and others around you. Today I got to see how He has been working through the people at Palm Valley Church. Today we had a pre-Easter carnival which included rides, free food, bounce houses, and 30,000 Easter eggs with several thousand being dropped from a helicopter (I'll post pics as soon as I get them). It was very cool that I got to be in the helicopter dropping the eggs!

It was really fun riding in the helicopter, but that wasn't the holy moment. It was a beautiful day, and the view was spectacular, but that wasn't it either. We were able to fly over the church property and that was really cool, but that wasn't it either.

We were dropping the eggs on the football field at the high school where we meet. Our plan was to have all of the people in the bleachers during the drop, then come onto the field to collect eggs. As we approached the field in the helicopter I could see people in the stands on the other side of the field. I figured that it was probably too hard to get the people to go to the one side, so they decided to let them sit on either side.

When we swung around and started across the field I could see why there were people on the other side. The stands were nearly full on both sides, and people were standing along the fence. WOW! Such a holy moment to realize that God had brought all of those people, more than I had imagined would be there. It was such a special moment to see the hand of God in action.

I found out later that over 260 families who came didn't attend PVC! What a God thing! That was our purpose for the event. We wanted to introduce people to PVC, invite them to Easter services, and show them that church could be fun. We also wanted to show them that PVC really did care about them and their children.

The people came because people from Palm Valley invited them! In just the little that I was there, I met several people who were with the PVC'ers who brought them. That was really cool!

By the way, Adrienne rocks! I don't know many people who work as hard as she does! In addition to all of the other ministry she does, she led this event. It was outstanding! Once I was on the ground and back to the campus, I heard so many people commenting about how great it was and how much fun they were having. Thanks Adrienne!

Anyway, praise God! I can't wait to see what He does on Easter (as if He hasn't done enough already!)!

Route 66 - Biblical Culture

In today's reading there were several things that stood out, but one passage struck me as odd.

In Numbers 6:9-12 it is talking about the Nazirite vow. It is a serious commitment to the Lord. This passage begins bu saying, "If someone falls dead beside them..." How weird is that! What kind of place do you have to be living in where people just fall dead beside you? Talk about culture shock! I can't even imagine what that is like. I am sure that there are places, even in our world today, where this happens, and the people don't think that much about it, but it has never happened anyplace I have been. That would totally freak me out!

Further in the passage it says that if this happens, the days of their vow before this event don't count, and they have to start all over again. Imagine if this is the last day of your vow! Some vows were as short as 30 days, and they are to the Lord, but a long vow what ever commitment was made, that could be really tough! Imagine Lent (if you follow that) for an extended period of time.

A weird as this is, we take to take from it how serious it is to make a vow to God. We need to fulfill it at any cost, no matter how long it takes. If we commit to doing something for a number of consecutive days, and something interrupts those days (no matter what it is, even someones death), then you need to start over. Always fulfill your vows to God!

Two Minute Tuesday

How are you doing on your Route 66 daily reading? If you are behind, either make it a priority and catch up, or skip to today's reading and get going! It is so important to be in God's Word every day. How can you lead others toward Christ if you aren't drawing closer to Him yourself?

If we are going to "Lead people to become fully devoted followers of Christ", don't we need to be fully devoted to Him ourselves? Doesn't being fully devoted to Him include spending time with Him, learning more about Him, and becoming more like Him?

I encourage you to spend time every day with God through His Word. I also want to encourage you to start journaling. We are using the SOAP method and it makes journaling so easy!

I made a commitment to start journaling at the beginning of the year when we started the Route 66 focus. I have never been one to journal, but I have come to love it. I love writing down what God is speaking to me through His Word and the Holy Spirit. I will be honest and say that I have missed a day or two hear and there, weekends are tough for me! But, I pick it right back up and don't let myself feel guilty for what I have missed, I just press on to become more consistent.

I challeng you to get into God's Word, expect to hear from Him every day, and journal what He is teaching you so that you can look back and reflect on it and celebrate!