Failures and Triumphs: They are all a part of life.

I have not done so well on my commitment to blog three times a week. Sure there are always valid reasons. There has been a great deal of work for me lately and I have been putting in longer hours than I should, but still these are excuses.

I have learned that life is full of successes and failures. They will come for us all however, what we do with them is what matters.

For instance I could give up. I blogged three times the first week of my commitment and now I have gone two full weeks without touching my blog. So I could say, "The commitment was wrong I underestimated how much was going on in ministry and life and I shouldn't make commitments to blog when there are so many more tangible ministries I am in." Then I could allow my failure to cause me to give up on the commitment I made.

Or, I could stay the course. Even though I have missed my goal and I am seemingly behind, I could pick up where I left off and keep on going.

It's like being in a race and being behind but still doing your best to finish. A few weeks back I was watching the winter Olympics and the cross country skiing was on. They were showing the finish of the race and talking about the dramatic battle for the gold. The discussion continued long after the medals had been decided. As we continued to watch the goal line stretch a racer came around the corner and with a dramatic burst of adrenaline he pushed hard to overtake the racer in front of him. He battled down the stretch to edge him out of 32cd place.

As he collapsed from exhaustion I laughed and thought, "32cd place or 33rd place, does it really matter." But now I realize it does. It was his personal best that counted, his time to shine, his defining moment.

In life we aren't always in a race but Paul says we should always be racing, striving for the prize.  The only competition is against yourself, it doesn't matter if you fall behind as long as you keep going and finish strong.

So if you experience failure remember when I am weak, then I am strong, and keep on running.

A New Year a New Direction (Part Three: The Church)

A new direction in the church.

Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of
three strands is not quickly broken. Ecc 4:12

This year we are also planning some changes in the Sunday School
department. I am personally stoked about the upcomming SS retreat
march 12-13. Were we are doing training in the 3Dimentional Sunday
School. A healthy SS should invite, connect, and discover. It should
be both fun and inspiring.

God is amazing and has been doing amazing things at Happy Hill. I look
forward to see what comes next.

Ps. I'm also already getting excited about vacation bible school. And
yes I do plan to ride a horse.

Sent from my iPhone

A New Year A New Direction (Part Two: My Personal Life)

New direction for my personal life.

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15-16.

I am currently preaching a sermon series on being intentional in life, living by decision instead of default. To be perfectly honest I came up with the idea for this sermon series more than a year ago, but for a couple of reasons I didn't start until this year. The main reason is because I have never been comfortable preaching about something that I have failed to get grasp of in my own life. The other reason is that I wanted to do more research on the topic.  However, in the interim I have gained at least a moderate grasp on being intentional in life. Layney and I started with our finances, that was a tough one for me but it has been a real blessing. We have also focused on being intentional in our relationships, work, joy, spiritual growth, and health. Some have needed more work than others, but all have been a blessing in our lives. (for example I've lost over 60 lbs.)

For more information on being intentional join us on Sunday morning or
check out http://www.theintentionallife.com/
Sent from my iPhone

A New Year and a New Direction (Part One: This Blog)

1 God is our refuge and strength,

an ever-present help in trouble.

2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way

and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

3 though its waters roar and foam

and the mountains quake with their surging.

7 The LORD Almighty is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Psalms 46:1-3, 7

2010  has been a hard year already for many people that I know.  In the last four weeks at Happy Hill we have lost two dearly loved church members.  While we know they are sharing eternity now with our Lord our hearts are still aching.  Yet still there are many more losses that our members have elt on a personal level.  I admit even Layney and I have experienced several deep personal losses in the past couple of months.  But even when times are hard and it seems the world is falling down around you, God is your refuge and strenth.  By leaning on Him you can get through any challenge. 

A new direction for this blog.

This year I planned several changes for this blog, however the hardships I mentioned above got in the way.  but now it is time to get started. 

While evaluating this blog and where I should take it this year I thought about all of the blogs I like to read.  Usually they are leadership blogs focused on encourageing and helping pastor's.  As a young pastor I need as much help as I can get.  So I thought about my own audience and asked what is the best thing I can share with you. 

God has instilled in me a desire to lead people to have a better life, by the practical application of God's word, helping them draw closer to God, and by sharing the wisdom God has given me through my experinces and by listening to His voice.  That is parially why I am a pastor, and the fact that I am called. 

With that desire in mind I thought it would be good to adjust slightly how I think about this blog.  So here are some changes you can look forward to. 

• I Plan to post more frequently.  My initial goal will be three times a week; sometimes they will be long sometimes short, sometimes they will be in a devotional style like I have done before and sometimes they will just be informative of what is going on for me. 
• I am going to be more candid in my posts.  Previously because I allways want to put my best foot forward I would not post a blog unless I had worked on it for a long time, reviewed it twice, and usually had my wife read it for grammer and spelling.  But since I am planning to post more often I will have to just post thoughts.
• I am going to do my best to share my passions, God's word, any wisdom I have, and lead us all (me included) to living better lives through Christ. 
• I want his blog to be relevant to where you are, and what you want to hear about, so for that reason I am listing my email address in my profile description.  I also get an email from every comment on here so please feel free to ask questions and make comments. 

My sincere hope is that you will enjoy and get a lot out of my blog this year.  I look forward to hearing your feedback. 

Cleaning Up the Outside

I think one of the biggest problems in the church is that we have become too focused on cleaning up the outside of a person and in turn have forgotten the inside. Like the Pharisees, the church that focuses on teaching people how to clean up their lives (usually in the south than means “don’t drink, smoke, chew, or go with women who do”) instead of preaching Jesus Christ, misses the mark and can cost people their eternal salvation. (Matt 23:15, 27-28, 33)

Jesus teaches that we should not focus on cleaning up the outside, but should preach the message that can lead a man to Christ so the inside may be cleaned then the outside will follow.

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.” Matt 23:25-26

Where is your heart this week? Does the outside of your cup reflect the inside, or is it a false front?

Let Jesus reign in you and he will take care of the cleaning. I had a friend tell me once that when he received Jesus Christ. Then Jesus changed his “want to.” After that changing his life was easy he didn’t “want to” do the things he used to do anymore. Let Jesus change your “want to” today.

The Wings of the King

In Matthew 23 Jesus gives the Pharisees and teachers of the law one of the harshest beatings recorded in scripture. As I read this passage this morning I kept thinking, man He is FIRED UP!!

But then, after all that; then you see what Jesus heart is really like.

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.” Matt 23:37.

As wretched, worthless, arrogant, selfish, and sinful, as they were; Jesus still loved them. Under the hen’s wing is a place of protection, a place of warmth, and a place of love. Jesus wanted to shelter and hold Israel close, but they rejected him. As much as the King of Kings wanted to shelter, guide, and love his people their selfish ambition kept them away. They rejected his love because they wanted it their way and for their glory.

How often have I failed to come into the master’s wings, when he has offered them for protection? Why do I ever choose my way over His?

Jesus loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life, but how often do you choose to do things your way instead of his.

Vacation Bible School 2009

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matt 19:14


Just some thoughts about Vacation Bible School

• This year VBS was AWSOME!!!

• It has taken me far too long to post this blog, but to be honest I have been crazy busy.

Why was VBS Incredible?

• We had a train station in the sanctuary.
• We had a cave in the fellowship hall.
• We had more kids present than at any event since I have been pastor here.
• God moved, nuff said.

• July 5, we had 4 baptisms in our evening service as a result of VBS this year. Did you catch that? 4 children crossing over from death to life because of VBS. God is Awsome and it never gets old seeing him work.

• Check out the Pictures here if the slide show isn’t working. Happy Hill VBS 2009