What If Jesus Said No?

What if Jesus said NO to the Father's plan. What if He didn't go to the cross and take our place? What if He chose not to come and redeem us? What if He decided not to give grace freely? What if He decided not to love us?

God doesn't know how to abandon His people. It goes against His very nature. God is love and God is a giving, gracious God.

And all He expects in return is for us to replicate that in our lives, in a daily way of living. So what do we do?

Many have chosen to do exactly the opposite of what God calls us, His children and His body, to do when faced with adversity:

• When things don't go our way, we quit serving, we quit giving, we quit attending.

• When we get uncomfortable we leave, we push back and some even come out swinging.

• When we get offended we go to other people and complain about it and wonder why it won't get better or get resolved. (God calls this gossip)
  

Do I always agree with the way things are being done? NO! And I go talk to the people who are involved and we come to some kind of agreement/understanding SO THAT the message of the Gospel of my God will NOT be hindered. But some have chosen to make excuses and leave the body holding a very full bag. And the appearance is, from my standpoint, that those folks don't care about the impact it has on those still trying to stand in the gap and fight.

Here's some cold, hard facts about the wake left when people quit on God and leave:

• Ministry still has to continue. That means that the remaining servants are stretched thin. This could lead to burn-out on many levels.
• If we don't have the people to do the ministry, we CAN'T do the ministry so we'll have no choice but to kill certain things until such time as we have the people.
  
• The overall impact on the community is minimized with every person that leaves. That means less hands and feet to go into the community and share the gospel.
• A sense of abandonment is left hanging around when people won't attempt to walk through their concerns.
  
• The 'buzz' in the church no longer is what God is up to, but it becomes what has happened to God's church?
• When you leave the body, it's much like amputation. Not only does the body suffer from not having the limb, but the one who is now detached is 'cut off' from the feeding, the healing, the nurturing and caring of the rest of the body.
  

Yeah, I'm pretty frustrated - actually really ticked off! (The words I'd like to use will get me in more trouble than this post will, so I'll clean up my language!)

Like it or not, if you are someone who is 'stepping away' from ministry, you're playing right into Satan's hands. He's loving it. And God is weeping.

Yes, I get that things aren't the same here. Bill is gone and lots of things are different.
But, did you ever stop to think that your leaving also adds to the problem?

I challenge you to spend time in focused prayer for the next few days. Ask God if He really intends you to abandon the body of Christ. Ask God if amputation is part of His plan. And I challenge you to join us on Wednesday, December 15th in the Worship Center as we, as a body, continue to seek God's will in prayer.

Ask God if your time of serving Him in this body is actually, completely over. I don't want to hear anyone tell me again, "I'll just wait until the next pastor gets here and then I'll come back." WOW! Way to doubt that God can still work here...

How about we just get over our little pity party and get back in the will of God?

Preach It!

Romans 15 talks about the calling to preach the gospel where Christ is not known (v. 20). I love the way that Paul presents it here simply because he is working so hard to bring the gospel to anyone who hasn't heard it.

ANYONE!

He doesn't go and look for people like him to share the gospel with the lost...

He doesn't go to 'safe places' to share the gospel with the lost...

He doesn't go TO CHURCH to share the gospel with the lost...

He doesn't wait to go through a 'class' on the 4 spiritual laws, the Roman road, etc. in order to share the gospel with the lost...

Those that don't know Christ are not just in some distant, far away land. They aren't just in another part of the state or the country.

The lost are right next door to you and me. The lost are in our own families in some cases. The lost work right beside you in the office. The lost are right beside you in the classroom. In other words...the lost are RIGHT HERE! And you and I need to be sharing the gospel with them wherever they are!

You don't need any special training to share YOUR story with someone:

• You need to be convinced of your relationship with Christ.
• You need to have an understanding of the Word of God that impacted your life.
• You need to have the courage to share that story with anyone who needs to hear it.

Notice what I didn't say. You don't have to be 'well read' or use big words; you don't have to know the Word inside out, forwards and backwards; you don't have to wait for someone to send you out. You simply have to be WILLING to SHARE your encounter with the Living Christ.

In other words, don't be afraid to PREACH IT wherever it needs to be shared. Let God sort out those who will hear and those who won't. You can't save them anyway. All you can do is LEAD them to an encounter with a God who loves them.

The question is are you willing to do this one, simple thing? PREACH IT!

Have a great and happy Thanksgiving!

WHAT Do You Believe?

If someone were to ask you, "What do you believe?", could you answer it?

Would your answer point to Jesus and His power in your life?

Would your LIFE back up your words?

John 14:23 simply says, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to Him and make our home with Him."

So think about that for just a minute:
1. If we truly love God, we will do what He says, what His Word says, what the Holy Spirit prompts us to do. That means we'll be influenced by Him in all our decisions, in all of our choices and it will show in our actions. Hmmmmm.....

2. If we truly love God, then HE makes His home in us. If that is true, then our lives are a direct reflection of His power, His passion, His mission, His purpose and His love, grace, mercy, conviction - ALL of who God is. Hmmmmm......

So, church, do our lives reflect any of this? Or do we look just like the world, and at times worse than the world?

Pastor, does your life reflect this? Or do you look the part on Sunday and on group night, but the rest of the week you just blend in with the crowd?

Fathers, does the way you shepherd and lead your home reflect the kind of father figure God is to us? Or are you lost in the cultures idea of what parenting, leading in the home should be?

What about you? If someone were to ask you what you believe, would your life be able to back it up - without words?

IF we believe in God and believe He IS who He says He is, then our lives HAVE TO be a direct reflection of that belief. Anything less is nothing short of hypocrisy.

On my face before an amazing God!

Hell Population Growing!

It's no secret that Satan will do whatever he can to move people AWAY from God and closer to an eternal destiny in hell. That's his job and he will stop at nothing to make it happen. Absolutely NOTHING!

That includes tearing couple apart, families apart, relationships apart - and even churches. In fact, he loves to destroy churches for a number of reasons:
1. So that the church will be ineffective in all that it does.
2. So that the community that watches to see what a church looks like will be discouraged. This way people can say, "Why would I want to be a part of that?".
3. So that the name of Christ will be nothing more than words that mean virtually nothing.

Well...guess what's happening to church all across the country right now. And it's happening here in Pocatello as well. When we, the church folk, get all up in arms about how church should be or how it should 'look', then Satan wins. We start fighting with each other, blaming each other, not talking to each other, avoiding the conflicts, and so much more. And all the while Satan sits on his butt laughing and cheering as we give him exactly what he wants - a divided, broken and selfish church.

The worst part? We've not led anyone to meet Jesus personally. Not one. That includes me. And there have been numerous people who have needed to hear about Jesus but didn't because we were too busy with OUR church and not HIS church. We've just added to the population of hell.

ENOUGH! Put on your big boy and big girl pants and deal with the junk you need to FACE TO FACE with the person you have an issue with. Forgive each other. Seek God's forgiveness. And then get on with the ministry that you and this church have been called to - to seek and save the lost, feed the poor, care for the widow and orphans! That's the Bible's directive - not mans!

I am choosing to move forward with what I know God is calling ME to do. What about you? Can you deal with your junk and move forward? Are you willing to let go?
Here's the deal - we're going to asked what we did with His Son when we face God in the end. If that were today, how would you like the answer you know you'd have to give?

Culture Shift for Churches

If you don't move to meet the needs of the culture you're trying to reach, your church will be, oh what's that word I'm looking for....oh yeah - DEAD!

You cannot continue to do the same ministry the same way you've done for 3, 5 or more years and expect to get different results each time. (That's the definition of insanity, remember?)

Churches that refuse to adjust their ministry to meet the needs of the community they serve will never be relevant to that community. You will be nothing more than brick and mortar. That really helps people meet Jesus, doesn't it?

CHURCHES, that means that you'll need to be training your people to DO the ministry that is right in front of you. You'll need to provide people opportunities to BE Jesus once you EQUIP them to.

Don't change the MESSAGE - but you'll need to change the METHOD! (Not new, just a good reminder for us all!)

Marvelous?

It's been a while since I've posted...been kind of busy and weird around here. But it feels like God is getting me back to the place I need to be in order to be all that He designed me to be.

As I was reading today in Zechariah, I was truly hit with so much that it brought me to tears. In chapter 8 God is reminding the people about what it will be like when the streets of Jerusalem are filled with people, with kids laughing and playing...all seems like it will be well. But then he asks this question in verse 6 - "It may seem marvelous to the remnant of this people at that time, but will it be marvelous to me?" declares the Lord Almighty."

I couldn't speak. All I could do was weep. Not exactly sure why.

I do know that it feels like this is where we've been living as a church, and at times where I feel like I've been leading from. It might seem like things are well, that things are going good. But what does that look like to God? Is it really 'good enough' for the things God has called me and/or the church to? Would God call what we're doing or where we're going marvelous?

To be blunt, I would have to say no.

What we see as marvelous is only what we can understand with our eyes. God's ways and plans are so much higher than ours - and yet we manage to shut Him out when we think we've got it all figured out or it 'feels like' things are good!

Especially now in our transition, I'm discovering that I've got to take time to truly seek God's heart. It can be real easy to become complacent in the ministry because it feels 'marvelous' (just heard Billy Crystal in my head!). And that's when Satan comes after us with a vengeance. We're weak, distracted with how great things are, perhaps caught up in the 'success' of the moment - all prime times for attack.

But if we're not careful we will miss out on the GREAT things, the marvelous things that God has for us. As I process all of this, I'm looking at the ministry to which I've been called and asking this question - is this my very best for God? Would God look at this and say "Marvelous"?

To be blunt, I would have to say no. I need to always be striving for more with God. I cannot afford to slow down and enjoy the view. Got to keep pressing on toward the prize...

What about you? Is your ministry or your walk marvelous in your eyes? Would God agree?

See ya in church...and in the blogs more often.

Praying For Our Church Leaders

When was the last time you prayed for your pastor, worship leader, childrens pastor, student pastor, leadership team member...?

Are you 'at odds' with a member of your leadership in your church? "How can I pray for them when...They've hurt me so I can't pray for them because..." How often have you even thought that, let alone DID it?

Let's be honest - there are times when we just don't feel like praying for our church leaders. And the only reason is because WE can't get over something. They don't know how we feel unless we tell them...they don't know they've 'wronged us' unless we say something...they can't read minds!

If you/we harbor bitterness, strife, anxiety, frustration in our hearts and DON'T confess it to God, our prayers are like Port-a-Johns - they're full of it!

I don't think God will hear prayers when our hearts are bitter. Until we give it to Him and then go to the person, we are 'full of it' and our prayers are like dung!

So, have you prayed today? Have you confessed and repented where need be?

Hey, if my life's gonna be a mess I at least should challenge others to join me on the journey, right?

Praying WITH you for our churches and leaders!

Where Will You Lead From?

We've all had those days where we wonder if we are leading from the right place, let alone leading at all!

It seems things don't 'fit' like they should. We speak - but no one seems to be listening. We go - but no one seems to be following. We do - but it feels like we're doing it alone.

It hit me this week as I returned home to my parents place for the first time since my dad passed away in January of this year - if I'm leading how God has called me to lead, and I'm following His Word for my direction, then all of that stuff I just spewed shouldn't matter!

As a leader, we simply need to lead with integrity, passion, conviction, purpose and A WHOLE LOT OF JESUS! I watched my dad lead this way. He was an expert at removing the 'emotion' of the situation, focusing on the actual need, proposing possible solutions and then moving folks to come to an agreement. In ALL of it, He was constantly listening for God, seeking wisdom from His Word and surrounding himself with people of integrity, character and wisdom. THAT'S where he led from.

There's a bit of chaos in my life right now and my nature is to get after it, fix it, put it in order and move on. But, I've been listening to my dad in my heart. I've begun to understand more of the life he lived and modeled for us boys, and later for our families. It was leading from a place of reflection, gathering, processing and then action. He never really 'reacted'. He was always prepared for whatever came, because he spent so much time with God getting to know Him and live for Him. THAT is the place I want to lead from. THAT is the heart I desire to have.

I want to make my dad proud - no surprise there. But I want to honor my Father in Heaven more.

Where do you lead from?

Weekend Recap

WOW! What an incredible weekend here at FBC and in our community.
Because the holiday was on Sunday this year, we moved our services to Saturday evening and had one energetic and challenging service!
On top of that, we had the joy of introducing our interim pastor, Bob McQuaid and his wife, Bobbie. They joined us last week and will be here until we can find our next Senior Pastor. Great people who love God and want to see God's church be what He intended it to be. They are, to quote him from Saturday, "Pumped Up" to be here.

Service on Saturday was full of challenges from Joshua 24 on how to truly live a devoted life. Lots of great feedback. Had some really helpful feedback from a divorcee that will help to shape my 'frustrations' with things in the future. Thank you!

Then we had the joy of serving our community on Sunday in the 4th of July parade and hang out at the park with the community. Here's a quick rundown:

• Had over 120 volunteers show up to paint faces, serve hot dogs, man the fun jump and hand out water as folks gathered for the parade.
• Even though the crowd was thinner than usual, the energy and excitement was WAY HIGH!
• Loved the look on people's faces as the float with the praise team rolled up and they saw it was from a CHURCH! Folks pointed at our signs, smiled and started clapping and dancing to the music. It was fun to watch their reaction!
• Found out from the hot dog team we served over 800 dogs! That's equal to what was serve last year with a bigger crowd. Hmmmmm.
• It was easy to spot our volunteers this year as they all sported the new VOLUNTEER shirt. Kind of hard to miss in the crowd.
• Our interim pastor and his wife, Bob and Bobbie, jumped right into the fray and served. They were having a blast!
• MANY of our volunteers this year were first timers. Love this group!

What does God have next for us? Where will he lead us to serve? The BEST way to find out is to make sure you're HERE EACH WEEK!

This weekend will be Bob's first weekend in the pulpit, so DON'T MISS IT!

One Prayer Update

We're a little more than half way through the OnePrayer series and it's been an exciting, fun and Spirit-filled ride so far!
Here's a snippet of what's been happening so far:

• Several people have had some incredible times of prayer throughout. Many have seen God move in ways they weren't looking for and watched as God went above and beyond what they were seeking in prayer.
• Our giving (tithes/offerings) for the month of June has been steady and is running ahead of last years June. We saw a great response Sunday for the call to be the church for 2 families - one in the church and one part of the community - that were behind on rent and in danger of being evicted. WOW! In a 'down economy' we're seeing resources become available to bless others. Kingdom work, people!
• There was mention Sunday of 2 service projects in town that groups could participate in and serve others. As of this note, one home will be mostly taken care of by Tuesday evening (tonight). And here's the really cool part: the family that initiated the work has only been attending for a few months. They just wanted to give back, to serve God and this fit right in with their passion to do so! WOW!
  
• Got a call from one of our college students who is going to join them tonight to finish up what they can and invite others to join her!
  

Waiting to hear from many of you who have seen God move in this series. I know that some have had some good, life-changing conversations with folks about the messages and how that is impacting people's lives. We have truly been blessed in this series, and technology has helped us to introduce the church to what we can do with it. LOVE that part!

OnePrayer is all about serving, sharing and giving. Have you found your niche yet? Has your group found a place to be involved in service? You don't have to wait for the church to 'tell you' what is available. Many of you know of needs. GO MAKE IT HAPPEN FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD! Be prepared to be blessed...be prepared to be a blessing!

Love this place!

Leaders Make Tough Calls

Finished up Ezra, and it doesn't end on a happy note. The people were disobedient and lived - out in the open - in sin. Ezra saw this, was distraught over it and received some tough but accurate counsel on what to do.

The book ends with families, to not too fine a point on it, being separated. They had intermarried, against God's direction, from other tribes of the land they occupied. They went DIRECTLY against God. I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound like the smart thing to do!

As a result, the men were instructed to "Separate yourselves from the people's around you and from your foreign wives." (10:11) WOW! That's a really tough decision. In short, God told these men to leave their families - all because of SIN! Is that fair? Is this the kind of God we serve?

It's not a question of fair - it's a matter of justice. God is a JUST God. God is a JEALOUS God. God is truly a LOVING God. All He desires is the VERY BEST for His people. When your kids are disobedient, you deal with them, right? You don't look the other way and wait for things to blow over. You deal with it and mete out the consequences.

That was what Ezra did for the people that God called him to lead. And it TORE HIM UP! (Read chapter 9) He could have found a way to 'justify' their actions. He could have pleaded with God to 'look the other way' or have pity on the people. He could have just ignored it and walked away.

When God calls a leader, He calls us to step into the hard choices. He calls us to lead through the hard choices. He calls us to lead like He would lead. Which means we have to make the tough calls. Will there be hurt feelings? Yes. Will people leave the church because of our choices? Probably. Will everyone like it? No. And that can't be a deciding factor in the call.

What is that tough call you need to make but are afraid to? What is the real fear that is holding you back? Is it clear from God what you are to do? If so, why haven't you done it?

Find someone (s) in your life that you can receive wise, Biblical counsel from. Listen to them. Don't listen for the answer YOU want. Listen for God's direction, wisdom and understanding. Then, in full confidence of God, make the call. Won't always be easy, but ALWAYS worth honoring and glorifying God.

One Prayer

In full swing now with One Prayer

What is it? Why are we doing it? What are we expecting out of this? Great questions that have some simple answers.

In John 17, Jesus prayed that we, His followers and His church, would be ONE. SO THAT the world may believe! He continued to pray for us to be IN the world, going in His glory and His power - "I in them and you in me." He continues to call for UNITY in the body of Christ, so the world may see Him glorified. ONE PRAYER is an answer to this prayer that Jesus prayed. The church, globally, unifying in prayer, giving and service at the same time to impact the global church. He talks of the love of the Father, the GIVING Father that God is.

The goal for us here at FBC is to be united through prayer and service with other churches around the globe, and for us to join together as a body in prayer throughout the series. As scripture reminds us, there is power when 2 or more gather in HIS name. A couple of hundred people praying the same prayer, studying the same scripture verse daily, lifting the will and name of Jesus - that is an UNSTOPPABLE force! We also want to SERVE together and GIVE together through this event.

And that's the theme this year - UNSTOPPABLE! What can His church look like if WE, His church, lived out Jesus' prayer - united, going into the world in the power and glory of God? It would be something that NOTHING on earth could stop!

Each week in June, we will have a 'guest speaker' that will share (via video) a message that focuses directly on this theme of unstoppable. We've already heard from Craig Groeschel, and will soon hear from Ray Johnston, Perry Noble and Scott Harness. What will we, the teaching staff be doing in the meantime? Great question. This will allow us to focus on finalizing the rest of the summer and preparing fall series. In addition, I will be available to work with the elders on leadership, governance, vision issues and work with on developing other leaders for ministry.

• Is it scary? Probably. We don't know how it will all turn out - but He does.
• Is it predictable? Nope. "To be Spirit filled is to be unpredictable and yet completely reliable!" (Perry Noble)
• How will it impact our church? Don't know. My HOPE is that we will answer the call that JESUS puts out in the prayer - be one, be united, be serving IN the world, be an unstoppable force for God, give like Jesus gave.

1. If you haven't already, pick up a copy of the Fasting and Prayer Guide in the back of the Worship Center. EVERY TUESDAY is fast day, so pick either a meal or all meals, a form of media or tv or something else to abstain from that day. Spend that time in prayer on the issue that coincides with the Bible verses for the day.
   
2. This culminates on the weekend of July 4th, our parade weekend. Coincidence? I think not! We will worship together on Saturday, July 3rd (5 p.m.) and then SERVE together on the 4th. YES, it's Sunday. The parade runs RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE CHURCH! Talk about the fish jumping into the boat!!!
3. We will also take an offering at the end of the event for either a local agency that we work with or one of our national/international missions groups (Samaritan's Purse for example).

HANG ON for what God will do through us and IN us during this event. May God receive all the glory for what happens next!

LEADING By Faith

If you haven't read it in a while, or at all, take time right now to read Hebrews 11. Read it slowly and listen for the excitement of the author as he speaks of these faith forerunners and their obedience, sacrifice and willingness to follow the Lord's call in their lives.

As I read that just now, it hit me - do I lead from a place of such confidence in God? Do I lead from a heart willing to go the distance, even not knowing where it will take me? Do I lead in my home the way that GOD has called me to lead, from faith, in obedience?

I love the last verses - GOD planned something better for US! WHAT? He was talking about the saints, not us. What the...? When did...?

It made me step back and reread it again, even though I've seen this many times before. Part of God's plan in sharing this passage is to remind us that others have gone before, have paved the way, and blazed trails FOR US and for those who will follow. It is NOT COMPLETE until He says it is, when He comes back. WHICH MEANS - we need to continue on in our fight to bring the gospel to the lost - PERIOD! No exceptions, no excuses, no running when things get hairy.

Yeah, it's gonna get tough, it's gonna get uncomfortable, it may even get 'testy'. But if you're a leader, welcome to leadership! If you're a Christ follower, welcome to the reality of a tougher time. AND THEY NEVER GAVE UP! Stop your whining and get after it!

And get this - the verse says that God had planned something better - not good, not okay, not 'just enough' - BETTER!

God's BETTER is always greater than our best. The only way we're going to experience God's better in our lives is to completely surrender everything - yeah, everything! Do you think it's worth the risk?

Just a thought I wanted to share. It's going to show up in my message on Sunday, so I will be just a little EXCITED!!!!!!

See ya in church...

Your Vision

Had a great word from Patty Duckworth, our Assoc. Exec. Area Minister, yesterday from the book of Acts. She shared on the conversion of Paul and spoke on the idea of personal vision and God's vision. Great reminder that if we don't get our own vision in our lives figured out, we'll never be able to see beyond ourselves for what God is up to in our church!

So, how's the personal vision coming? I hope all that were there listened to all she had to say about this very important step in our lives. Paul's vision before his conversion was drastically different from what God's vision for his life looked like. He couldn't see it, so God intervened. My prayer for us is that no one will have to encounter God in that way. I would pray that we would be willing enough to surrender our own agendas in pursuit of a greater life than the one we came up with.

Please let me or any of the staff know if we can help you discover what a personal vision looks like. It's obviously going to be different for each person, but if we can help you flush out ideas, concepts about the vision, we would be happy to help.

As we look ahead:

• We are beginning a 3 week series on vision for the church called "Windows". Taking time to look at where we are, as a church, with the vision that is in place and what we need to do to continue to grow that vision into what God wants it to be. CANNOT WAIT!!!\

• Following this series, we will begin ONE Prayer which will take place each week in June. We will be joining over 800 churches worldwide in engaging in a time of unified prayer, teaching, service and giving. We will be featuring messages from some of today's top speakers in our services. This is going to be an incredible time of learning, growing, sharing and serving not only the local church, but the larger global church as well. Keep you eyes open for more information.
  

LOVE what God is doing in us during this transition time. Are you seeing Him? Are you JOINING Him? BE the body of Christ with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.
Hang on for an AWESOME ride!

Influence

I've spent the better part of the last two days in different court rooms listening to the stories and struggles of complete strangers. People who are hurting, lost, broken, abused, rejected, confused and at the bottom of their rope. You may be wondering, why would I spend time sitting in a court room for the last couple of days? Simply, there was a family in need. So, along with some key people from their community group, I went to support and encourage where I could.

In every case, without exception, someone had to influence their behavior somehow. Whether it was spoken or modeled or challenged, someone was influenced to make a choice, albeit a bad one.

In one courtroom, 100% of the cases presented in almost 2 1/2 hours were drug and/or alcohol related.

What has happened to our society? Who taught these folks that this was an acceptable choice? In most of these cases, there were kids in the picture. What kind of picture are these folks painting for their kids? Please understand me - I am NOT JUDGING! I am hurting for these families that are now shattered and forever scared. Families that are in need of the love and grace of Christ!

The even bigger question in my mind that I can't get rid of now is where is the church in all of this? What should our role be? How can we best impact the culture around us? Is God showing this to us, in greater detail, so we can begin to get equipped for a greater thing?

Makes me wonder.

Leaders, what are you 'teaching' your followers in how you lead? Does your life reflect the truth of who you follow? Great leaders were at one time great followers. Have you modeled this for your team? How well do you follow the senior leadership of your church in public and in private?

If we're going to make a difference, then we have to be different. Proverbs 2:1-5 is all about letting God influence our lives. How will this verse impact you and your ministry?

Just sharing some messed up thoughts on a blessed and messed up day!

What A Day!

These are the days I go home and think, "Wow! God called me to be a part of HIS story!" And my very next thought is, "I'm SOOOOOO not worthy!"

We had an incredible day of God moving, stirring, calling, shaping, loving and so much more there just isn't room to share it all. So here's the highlights from my perspective.

• Our time of preparation with the worship team and our speaker was moving, to say the least. God prepared our hearts so we could be in a place of leading and following in the service.
• The congregation, especially in second service, responded to what GOD was doing and how He was shaping us to worship Him.
• I had the privilege of sharing a real life 'loaves and fishes' moment from our own church. God showed up in HUGE ways last week - His way of reminding us that if we focus on the right things of God, He'll provide the way for us to be a blessing and be blessed! For more on this read the previous post about empty shelves still giving.
• Paul (Austin) absolutely brought it today. Speaking about evangelism and why we've messed it up for so long in the churches and how we can do it more effectively today...he nailed it. He'll continue part 2 next Sunday so make plans to be there!
• We have many people now stepping up and accepting the call that God is putting on their lives, whether to lead or follow. We have some amazing people who are stepping into new territory and they are EXCITED!
• God CONTINUES to provide the resources we need to keep moving forward. Not just financially, but with people, physical things, their time - all being offered to God to make a difference in the Portneuf Valley and beyond.

We have, as I said above, one more week with Paul on Evangelism. Then comes Mothers Day, and I am really getting fired up over that one.

But I am really excited, fired up, giddy - pick a word - about the Vision series that will start May 16th. We'll run for 3 weeks as we get ready to gear up for Friend Zone and then the 4th of July parade reach out event.

FBC, hear me clearly - GOD IS MOVING! GOD IS AT WORK! GOD IS IN CONTROL! He is doing abundantly more than we could EVER have imagined, especially in a transition like the one we're in. If you haven't heard, get back to your group and get caught up. Then jump on board for an amazing ride that only He can take us on.

LOVE FBC and what God is doing...see ya in church.

Empty Pantry STILL Giving???

I don't know how God does it. I shot out the previous post this morning about the need to help those in our community and to basically stock up the food pantry with food and other items. What I didn't say was that we have seen a decrease in those asking for help because word was out that we were low or out of food.

Then this afternoon happened...and still is as I write this.

We have been SLAMMED with families of 3 and 4 in need of food assistance. If you read the previous article you'll notice what we DON'T have - the basic necessities. BUT, we have sauerkraut and dressing!

And here goes Stacy, Office Administrator extraordinaire, with bags of usable food for these folks. Her words - I don't know where it's coming from. No one is coming in with food and yet there is food going out! It's a miracle that we have what we have.
She just put together some bags for this family of four - how????

God is in control and wants us to be a blessing. HE IS TRUSTING us with those in need. Will we rise up to the call? God is moving...let's not miss it!

Helping Those In Need - Pt. 2

Last June I posted about our food pantry and the need we had. Shelves were bare, freezer was close to empty, and still the need for help continued to flow into the office every day.

Fast forward from June of 2009 to April 2010. Same situation, only a little more empty on the shelves and in the freezer. And still they come. As of today, we're down to sauerkraut and olives and dressing. Oh, and there are some beans.

We understand that many of our own folks are either out of work, facing cut backs or layoffs, or have lost a portion of their support for one reason or another. If you fit into ANY of these categories, unless you hear God tell you to, don't give to this right now. Let us, instead, be a blessing to you!

For the rest of us, here's how you can help:
1. We are in need of canned meats, vegetables (NOT sauerkraut), fruit, fruit and more fruit, soups, cereals, oatmeal and juice drinks (boxes of individual servings work better than bottles).
2. We are in need of toiletry items such as razors, shampoo, laundry detergent, dish soap, etc.
3. We are in need of gift cards to Ridley's or Winco so folks can purchase perishables such as dairy products, meat, baby items, etc. We have found that cards in $15-20 increments work fine.
4. We have seen an increase in some families who are home-bound and need someone to deliver food to them. We have a list of folks from last year who said they would make deliveries to folks. If you can and want to do that, let us know either on the communication card or shoot me an email at karl@fbcpoky.com.

It's not hard. It takes little time and effort.

• Pick up half a dozen extra cans of food or a case and bring it with you on Sunday.
• Let it be an offering of thanks for all that God has and is providing for you.
• Use this as a teaching tool for your kids.
• Community Groups - throw out a challenge to another group and try to outdo each other.

We are called to be a blessing. Please ask God to show you what your part is.

Thanks in advance for what He will do through all of us!

Mother's Day Sermon Prep

It never fails that each week someone has an 'idea' on what we need to preach about. It's all intended to be helpful, just not always practical. But I appreciate the input and the feedback. I take that as people are listening and desiring to grow in their walk with Christ.

For Mother's Day, I'd like your help in preparing the sermon. I'll be speaking about mothers - I know, how original - but I also want to include your thoughts on this special day. Here's how:

Write a one paragraph letter to God expressing your appreciation for HOW you saw God impact your mom's life, which in turn (hopefully) impacted yours. What did you love about mom's relationship with God that has stuck with you so far? What was special about the relationship that she had with her Savior? Can you write it down?

I'd like to collect a variety of letters that can be shared anonymously during the message. I have a couple of ideas on the delivery, but that's not the point of this post. I have a good idea of the traits that will be shared, but I would rather share from our church family the reality and the impact it had.

So, if you would take a few minutes to jot down your thoughts on how you saw God impacting your mom's life - how she made decisions, her prayer life, how she handled situations, how she showed her love for others, how she showed her love for God, what made her stand out above the other mom's - things like that. Then send them to my email, karl@fbcpoky.com, or you can post them here if you don't mind everyone seeing it.

I need these NO LATER THAN MAY 2nd.

Thank you in advance for taking the time. And for those of us who had a mom who modeled the way for us, thank God for them today as well!

See ya in church...