Amy wanders around while Pastor scrubs the wheel with Chris spraying over the top. Amazingly, Pastor barely managed to get a drop of water on him all day (NOT!). 

Dave and his daughter, Sara waiting for another car to wash. 

Is Chuck going to spray the van, or the little girl? 

Lori, Don, and Ben in action. 

Pastor and the crew wash a very "cherry" car. 

Just received this...

I don't know if anyone can help or would know a direction to take this, but I just received this email and thought I would post it.

***********************
The Journey Church:
My name is Gigi and I am looking for a place to live! My roomate is getting married and I have to be out of our apartment at the end of the month. Do you know of anyone..or anyone who would know of anyone..who is looking for a renter for a room in their house or for an apartment they own?

I am 24 and I have been attending Wolfeboro Bible Fellowship/Church in Wolfeboro for 4 years now. I am taking my last class at UNH and working. I have references. I have lived with two christian families and am living with one now.

Please write back (email Pastor Rob and he will give you the number and/or email.

Thank you!
Gigi Giambanco
*******************

September 4, 2005 - Labor Day

It is a well-known fact that Labor Day is a low day for church attendance...but not here, not at The Journey, not today anyway. We had 114...! People kept on pouring into our first service (which was funny since I took out a row of chairs for our dancers that had to be put back up!), and the second service, while a little smaller, had plenty of people as well. I don't measure our success solely by our attendance, but it was exciting to have so many.

But beyond our attendance, I was very excited about a few things:
1) We took an offering to help a sister church of ours in Texas that is helping hurricane victims (see latest update below from Central Baptist Church in Pasadena, Texas). We raised over $600 in offering alone, and we will send $1000 to them initially from our church. God is good.
2) I also announced that we were changing our TF Car Wash to a Hurricane Benefit Car Wash to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The donated funds will also go entirely to Central Baptist Church in their ongoing work. But after that announcement to change the car wash, I had over 20 more people v0lunteer to help out - which is exactly what we needed! Praise God. Now we just have to get the T-Shirts ready... :)
3) Beyond the hurricane news, in our worship service we had praise and worship dancers during two of our songs, God is Great and Irresistible. They were fantastic, as they danced in praise to the Lord. It was exciting because it was a mixture of adults, teens, and kids...God has blessed this church with talent, and I look forward to more of this (although we will need a MUCH bigger place!).
4) We took communion, which to me is always a special time. It was a little clumsy in the first service because of the extra row in back, but it was good.
5) We had several visitors in both services, including a woman named Judy who lives right up the road (thanks to Don & Betty).

The sermon was a message of hope, although I know that in talking about the bride there were some differing views. It is all good. I actually enjoy people presenting me with different takes on doctrinal issues because it makes me examine my faith even more. Thank you to those who continue to challenge me (in good ways) in these areas. I hope that our dialogue produces, if nothing else, good camaraderie - but I hope that it produces a deeper understanding of the Word of God and makes us "iron sharpening iron."

What a great day to be at The Journey. Thank you to everyone who makes each Sunday a wonderful success, either in ministering or in participating or even in the good words I hear. Keep going - and let's see what the Lord does here in the next several months.

An update from Central Baptist Church in Pasadena, TX

Good morning!

Yesterday we had several of the victims either in our church or in the Spanish church in our services. Needless to say it was a very emotional service and people were at the altar praying. Seven of the Hispanic young men accepted Christ as Lord and Savior yesterday! They also provided fro these folk a tremendous meal with all their people. Our church is providing hot meals for them every day for this week and then the Spanish church the next week. It is just tremendous to see God working in the midst of this.

I have included some photos of the folk we - and you with us - are helping to take care of and of only a few of the supplies that have started to come in. We did not get pictures yet of all the things we have or are coming in today. There are only a few of the evacuees here in these photoso as well as the others already left for Mississippi and Louisiana (see next paragraph). They have literally nothing but their vehicles and the clothes on their back.

They are all from Mississipi literally on just the other corner across from New Orleans. Several of the men received word they could go and take supplies showing their driver license. They were allowed to go in after 6 am and leave by 3 pm. They took supplies we have stocked up now and take it to the suffering there. The number one request has been for fresh water. We pray for them as they take these supplies in and get back safely. One friend of theirs called and said that there was already a 5 mile line waiting to get in.

We continue to work and help these and others in our area especially, the constant flow of cash donations and tangible items are allowing us to be the light of Christ before them. Thank you for your part in this.

Serving Him,

Walt

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Swaims
Pastor, Central Baptist Church of Pasadena (Houston), Texas
http://centralBClife.com
http://wswaim.blogspot.com

Pictures from refugee relief at Central Baptist Church in Pasadena, TX. 

Pictures from refugee relief at Central Baptist Church in Pasadena, TX. 

Pictures from refugee relief at Central Baptist Church in Pasadena, TX. 

Pictures from refugee relief at Central Baptist Church in Pasadena, TX. 

Pictures from refugee relief at Central Baptist Church in Pasadena, TX. 

Pictures from refugee relief at Central Baptist Church in Pasadena, TX. 

Pictures from refugee relief at Central Baptist Church in Pasadena, TX. 

Pictures from refugee relief at Central Baptist Church in Pasadena, TX. 

Pictures from refugee relief at Central Baptist Church in Pasadena, TX. 

A chance to make an impact

I am on a pastor's message list, and this was posted this morning from a pastor down in Texas. I would like to send him money from our church - several hundred dollars, but also I would like to see if we could meet any of these needs. Feel free to respond to me personally or post a comment. Here is the message:

Good morning everyone!
We wished to send out a general update as our situation here even
since just yesterday has grown larger.  We are now a shelter in coordination
with government authorities locally to house and help refugees in this area.
We are limited but we are so glad to show the love of Christ to these who
have been literally left with just their vehicle, and clothes on their back.
Most of these we have are Hispanic or bilingual/bicultural marriages and we
are glad to have the ability to help these especially.

We are in need of the following:
*        Cash  (this goes to purchasing items not at hand listed here and
also utility costs above and beyond our normal for cooling their air, water,
gas)
*        Non-perishable food items
*        Gift cards for Walgreen's, Wal-Mart, CVS, restaurants, and phone
cards
*        Hygiene items (soaps, deodorant, shampoo, toothpaste/brush, etc.)
*        Paper products (toilet paper, diaper wipes, paper towels, etc.)
*        Batteries, flashlights
*        Portable radios
*        Coloring books, Nintendo game systems (no killing or otherwise
inappropriate games please)

We at this time do NOT need clothes, toys, and related items.

We are grateful for any partnership with us in this and we will send
confirmation of those gifts that are sent.  If you are in the
Pasadena/greater Houston area and have need for workers who can be properly
and well paid, we have men here of varied talents and skills who are more
than willing to begin.  Greater Houston area schools are absorbing the
children into their schools, so we will not need to provide that.

We - and these survivors most of all - need your prayers.  Our people have
mobilized well for this.  We are also about to enter 40 Days of Community
and God has given us our local missions project(s) already for that :-)

Grateful and abiding in Christ,
Pastor Walter Swaim
Central Baptist Church, Pasadena, TX

http://centralBClife.com <http://centralbclife.com/> 

Wed Night Transformations

Wow! what a powerful night we had last night. I want to thank Ed and Ron for bringing this video to our attention. God's timing is truly perfect. I was so moved with the realization that we could affect the spiritual climate of our area. I have been saying it for awhile, but I never really imagined how much God could do. I encourage anyone who didn't get to be there on Wed to take an opportunity to borrow that video and see what God can do through a people dedicated to seeing God change their community.

Rod

Devastation...

I have posted a picture of New Orleans after the hurricane. Very sobering, and it makes you realize the power of nature as God has given it. Let's be in prayer over the relief and rescue efforts, and pray that the churches in that area will be instrumental in bringing about God's healing.

This is a picture of the aftermath in New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina.  

Sunday, August 28, 2005

Summer is coming closer to ending, and that means that our 40 Days of Purpose campaign is getting closer. I was excited yesterday to announce from the pulpit for the first time that the campaign is coming - that we are embarking on this spiritual growth campaign that will greatly impact The Journey! May God's kingdom rule be made manifest in the hearts and lives of His people in our congregation.

Speaking of God's kingdom, we discussed today the importance of our prayers in ushering in the kingdom of God from Revelation 8:1-5. I was excited about this message (even though it was not originally my own) because I felt that the truth from Scripture in this passage was overwhelming - that our prayers are stored up on the altar before God, ready to be poured out in answers at God's timing. I hope that it got people thinking. It has sparked some interesting conversations in my family, that's for sure! :)

In our worship today, we introduced the song Sing to the King, a song talking about the coming King and His reign of righteousness and power. It is a great addition to our worship, and the church really responded well. It is based on an old hymn, whose lyrics you can check out here. The worship time overall was great in both services, and the prayer time for the students and teachers going back to school was powerful. Thank you to all who participated.

I was excited to see Ray & Deborah from Milton back with us (I just realized they have the same first names as Ray and Deborah Barone on Everybody Loves Raymond). :) I hope to get to know them some more. We also had several new people with us today, including Janice and Colby and a woman from New York named Diane.

We had 92 combined, and it was a good day.

What do you think?

Two nights ago, on the 700 Club, Christian leader Pat Robertson expressed his views on the leader of Venezuela which has brought much national attention. You can read about what he said and the reactions by clicking here.

I would be very interested in hearing your comments, but let me ask you to be respectful and non-accusatory, no matter what your opinion. I am sure different people will read this and react in different ways. I will reserve my opinion for a little bit. -Pastor

Sunday, August 21, 2005

One of the struggles of pastoring, specifically in preaching, is the constant struggle to not just disseminate information, to be practical in teaching the Word of God. To me, the Bible is not a textbook. It is not a history book, a poetry book, or a story book. To relegate the Bible to any one of these would be seriously undermining its beauty and effectiveness. The Bible is a LIFE book, a book that brings life, shows life, gives life, empowers life, and guarantees life. So my goal is to make sure that every week through preaching that the Word becomes alive. Typing that last sentence was so much easier than carrying this out.

Today, we looked at "Identity Theft and the Antichrist," looking at the beasts of Revelation 13 and their false messages and domination during the end times. But in preparing, I wanted to do more than bring about a good lesson on what the Antichrist and False Prophet would look and act like - to me, that's boring. How would I know for sure outside of same incomplete references exactly what these would be like? So I decided to talk about how the church responds to that spirit of antichrist and false messages. I capped off each message with a video from www.sermonspice.com that is entitled "That's my King" or "Do you know Him?" The gist of the message was getting to know Christ more so that we can show people who He truly is. I think it went well, although a frustrating glitch delayed the video feed - oh well!

I am always encouraged by our worship times. I know that there are songs that some like and that some don't. If I could impress upon you, the worshipper, to be open-minded every time a song is played and sung. I had an experience last week where I was at a conference, and during an important part of the service, they used a song that I used to just HATE, but it was SO effective that I just broke down. There are songs that I don't necessarily care for, but when my heart is open and ready to worship, God has a tendency to use these same songs to speak to me in some powerful ways.

Today's services were good. Combined attendance was 109, and the Spirit of God moved in both services. I was encouraged to see some people back, especially Scott & Stephanie and their kids. I hope that the Journey can become home to them. I was hoping to see a few people that raised their hands for salvation last week back with us, but they weren't and we will just have to wait and pray that they do come back.

God is good, church. He is SO good to us. One last word to provoke the Journey to better things: Don't forget that our church is what we make it. So if our church is friendly and welcoming, it is because you and I are friendly and welcoming. If our church is judgmental and harsh, it is because you and I are that way. But further than that, if we have a Spirit-filled worship time, it is because you and I beforehand have emptied ourselves and have asked the Spirit of God to work in our hearts. And for the sermon to be effective and life-changing, it will be because you and I have prepared for the Word to be spoken, opening ourselves to the Spirit's leading.

May The Journey experience the hand of God working in our midst more and more each week!

Sunday, August 14, 2005

The "sweet spot." If I could title today's services, I would say it was "the sweet spot." If you have ever had one of those days where so many things seemed to be in sync, where everything seemed to be going right, than you will know what I mean when I say that today was right. Not that everything was perfect - not hardly. But when the Spirit of the Lord decides that He is going to annoint all things surrendered to Him, then you know that the service will be blessed.

To begin, our worship was great. Standing in for Rod today on the guitar was Pastor Glen, the worship pastor over at Grace Community Church, who did a good job in filling in. I am so appreciative of our sister church and the relationship that we have with them. But beyond Glen, the worship was great. The people at the Journey, I believe, our beginning to "get it." By creating an atmosphere for them to worship in, our people are engaging in lifting up the name of the Father. It is good.

My message was ok. It had been a struggle for me to bring this together, to really grab ahold of what I wanted to say. But by the time I was done preparing (late on Saturday evening), I was pleased with the result. I felt me delivery was fine, although there were some distractions in the 2nd service that limited my effectiveness.

In our first service, we had several visitors with us, including my in-laws, Clyde and Rose Lowman, who have faithfully supported Krista and I since day 1. I was pleased to be able to show them what their financial support has produced. But we also had a 1st time visitor with us, Mike, who came with Andy Becker, and he raised his hand that he prayed with me to receive the Lord, along with Andy (? last name ?), who is a friend of Erica's. Along with them, a guy who has been with us now for a month or two named Pete raised his hand for salvation. God is good.

In our second service, we had a family from Lebanon visiting - Scott & Stephanie, a nice couple with a few kids. Also, Ida and Katie brought a friend (they visited last week through the carwash and are vacationing from Massachusetts). The friend was Lynette, and I hope to have them all back with us as well.

For the day we had 100, and I look forward to seeing the Lord continue to mold our services into a regular experience of worship, fellowship, and truth.

"What's the catch?" - totally free car wash August 6, 2005

On Saturday, August 6th, we hosted a Totally Free (TF) - all donations refused - car wash from 12 noon to 3Pm. I am amazed at how difficult this was - to get people to pull into our lot - because they did not believe that it was free. "What's the catch?" was the attitude. I had people insisting that we take money - and what I told them was, "We just wanted to show you God's love in a practical way. As we have blessed you, go bless someone else." People couldn't believe it! But I should have said, "This car wash is free, just like God's love is free." OK - next time, right?

I want to thank those who participated - Lee Thompson - who arranged the whole car wash. Thanks to the many teens who showed up - Kay & Pete, Cassie & Kara, Seth, Sam, Amy, Michael and Becca - along with the kids - Zander, Kayla, and Austin. Thank you to the adults - Kathy, Kriss, Krista, Terry - who helped out.

I would like to do one more TF Car Wash on Saturday September 10, from noon to 3pm. I would actually like to be a little more organized with this one, do some advertising, get some t-shirts made for the participants, and get some more adult help, specifically for the car washing and organizing the parking lot when cars are driving in and out. If you can help out on this day, please contact me and mark it in your calendar. This could be a great community outreach.

Thanks again to all who participated.

Sunday, August 7, 2005

Preparation - as we began our series Experiencing the Hope of Jesus, the theme of the message was to trust Jesus' words and prepare for His return. I felt the response to the messages was good - that it invited people to be again begin looking for His coming. I have always had a hard time with this particular aspect of the 2nd Coming as it is very easy for me to have a "yeah, right, He could come back today" attitude. This message to prepare was to me first - prepare your heart, get busy with the work, and look up because your redemption is drawing near. I am glad that our series started at this point - prepare.

I really enjoyed today's services, probably as much as I have ever enjoyed them, only because for the first time since we went to 2 services, our 2nd service had more people in it than the first. I enjoyed that - I actually thought that would be the norm when we switched, but it has been completely the opposite. I am ready for summer to quit stealing so many people away :) - I know in the fall that the attendance will spike up to around 120 once everyone gets back.

Today we had several families that were gone - and with Rod & Elizabeth on vacation - I wasn't sure what our attendance would be. But we had at least one family back (Kregg and Veronica-great to see you guys again!), and we had several visitors: Kyle Weststrates' parents were with us, and they were very gracious and friendly. Also, we had a totally free car wash on Saturday the 6th, and a woman who is vacationing in the area from Massachusetts - Ida - along with her family - Katie, Michael, and Isaiah(?) - came to the car wash and then came to church. It was great. We had 6 visitors, so it was a good day along those lines as well. In all, we had 97.

I am excited about some new families in our church (I am also excited about some of you not-so-new families as well) - but I am praying that these new ones will stick around and see the impact that can be made on this area. I am excited about Christopher and Amy, and also about Jim and Diane (who we spent a great afternoon with yesterday). May the Lord give them the vision that we have for this area, and the desire to carry it out in this body.

One other thing - at the end of the message in both services I asked if anyone had any questions - and some did. I will do my best to continue that - just giving us a few minutes to interact with the Word that was brought. I like interacting on this site as well, but in person with the congregation can also be a great thing. Let me know what you think about that.

In my mind, this was a really good Sunday, even though we were missing several families. But the Lord was good, and the word brought, though not profound, was a good reminder for us to be prepared - Matthew 24:42 - "So be prepared, because you don't know what day your Lord is coming."

Sunday, July 31, 2005

HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY, JOURNEY!

Today was a day of celebration! 2 years is a huge milestone as church stats show that so many new churches do not make it to two years. Praise God that He has seen fit to sustain us and make us successful. I believe that it has been because we have been committed to praying for God to show up every service.

Today was a good service - we had 87, which is low, but that's what happens when a couple of larger families can't make it, right? But it was good. I ended the series God in the Movies with a sermon on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and we talked about the value of family. It was good, but I am glad that series is over. I am looking forward to talking about the coming of Christ over the next 7 weeks. I do not know if I will do a God in the Movies series again - I will have to see. If I do, it will probably be from current video releases, and maybe with a different emphasis in mind.

But the best part of our services today was the communion. I am so glad that we celebrate communion monthly, and I would love to (at some point down the line) do it even more frequently. But it was a precious time of worship and of remembering. Thank you, Lord, for all You have done. We intro'd a song called Mighty is the Power of the Cross, and it fit right along with the communion. We thank the Lord for the gift of His Son, a gift too marvelous for words.

After the service, we went over to the Rochester Commons and celebrated two years by having a picnic. It was so much fun (thank you to Kim Becker for all of her work!). In the middle of our picnic, it began to rain, so I engaged the kids and teens in a water fight...talk about FUN!

It was a great day. God is so good. I am so grateful to pastor this growing body of believers. May the Lord bring more people through our doors so that we can share the good news about Jesus Christ with them.

Wisdom from Noah...

Everything I need to know about life, I learned from Noah's Ark...
One: Don't miss the boat.
Two: Remember that we are all in the same boat.
Three: Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.
Four: Stay fit. When you're 600 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.
Five: Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.
Six: Build your future on high ground.
Seven: For safety's sake, travel in pairs.
Eight: Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.
Nine: When you're stressed, float a while.
Ten: Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
Eleven: No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting...

I just heard the best radio commercial...

I listen to a Christian radio station online, and they just had a commercial from Lifeline Productions that I wanted to share with you. It is not verbatim...

Game Show Host: We're here to play, "Are you better than the devil?" Our contestants are Bob and, as always, Satan. Ok, first question: Bob, do you consider yourself a good person?

Bob: Yes, I'm as good as anyone else, and I think I'm a pretty good person...
Game Show Host: Ok, Satan?
Satan: Yes, I'm as good as anyone else, and I think I'm a pretty good person...
Bob: Hey! That's my answer! He can't do that!
Game Show Host: OK, let's check with the judges. Judges, what do you say?
*DING DING DING*
Game Show Host: Well, our judges accept the answer. Next question: Have you ever read the Bible? We'll start with you this time, Satan.
Satan: Yes, I've read the Bible through many times.
Game Show Host: Bob?
Bob: Well, I, uh, once saw a guy hold up a John 3:16 sign at a football game and I looked it up...
Game Show Host: Judges?
*DING DING DING*
Game Show Host: OK - final question. Have you ever put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ?
Satan: No, I can say that I have not. I just don't believe I need to.
Game Show Host: Bob? Bob...?
Bob: Uhhh...

I thought it was very good and well thought out. I just wanted to share.

HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY, JOURNEY!

Today we celebrate our 2nd birthday as a church. Praise God for what He has done so far!

Do you have a story or a good word that you want to share about The Journey—maybe you have been blessed or changed by The Journey or its members? PLEASE shareyour story to celebrate our two year birthday. Make your story part of the written history of our church as I would love YOUR contribution. Take a moment and just share what the church has meant to you. I would appreciate it so much. You can also visit our blog and post something there yourself.

Sunday, July 24th, 2005

I knew that today would be a lower attendance day because of the amount of people we had gone, but I was determined to not let that stand in the way of having good services. Overall, I felt the services were good and that the response of the crowds was good. We had 73, our lowest attendance since March, but the low number didn't prevent us from worshipping and receiving the Word, and I felt that both were fresh today.

I did the 2nd sermon in our 3 week miniseries God in the Movies. Today, I spoke on The Fantastic Four: the Value of Teamwork, and I was overall pleased with how the message came out (a few rough spots). It wasn't a complicated message, but I believe that it brought some of our people into a decision of searching for their spiritual gifts. If you would like to know more about what your spiritual gift might be, you can click here to take an online gifts test. This test is only a guide, and I would recommend that you sit down with myself or Pastor Rod and discuss the results.

Before the message, I handed out a chart with the spiritual gifts listed and the Bible passages that they are from. If you do not have a copy of this and you want to use it as a guide, email me at willis4nh@metrocast.net, and I will send it to you. Below are some of the other questions from the message that you can use to guide you in the process of discovering your gifts, and they reference the chart I handed out yesterday:

• Look at the lists in your chart – do you do any of these well?
• Of all the gifts listed, are there any that you receive great satisfaction from doing?
• Of all the gifts listed, are there any that you do in which people respond well to you?
• Is there a need in the church that you desire to fill? Your spiritual gift often coincides with your desired ministry.
• Do you do something well now that you did not do before you became a Christian?
• Have you ever talked to a minister or leader about what your gift might be?

I look forward to this body discovering the diverse and wonderful gifts God has given to it, and then watching as each member of The Journey discovers their place at The Journey. May God bless you and draw you closer to Him as you pursue Him this week.

An ongoing Challenge to the Journey!

NOTE: I am putting this particular challenge at the top of the Journey blog for awhile as we discuss more and more these topics. The Sunday blogs are still listed each week below.

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED SO FAR - COME ON, THE REST OF YOU, LET'S DIALOGUE AND TALK (JUST NOT DURING WORK TIME!).

I am becoming a "news junkie," specifically internet news - www.msnbc.com, www.foxnews.com, and www.cnn.com - but as a pastor, I am consistently seeing a rise in articles and news stories that deal with religion in some way.

I am amazed to see just exactly how much of our news comes from moral and biblical issues. Let me challenge you, The Journey (and our friends) - I challenge you to look for yourself and see exactly how much of our modern news deals with issues of religion and morality and the Bible. Any mainline news article that you find that dealing with a biblical topic - morals, religion, etc. - post a response to this blog and include the link of your article along with the reason why you believe it deals with a moral or biblical topic - and then if you would, post your response.

I'll begin - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8511662/ - this topic deals with the Constitution and what it has to say about partial birth abortion. I personally believe that the Bible speaks of the sanctity of human life, and that abortion is wrong. In this article, partial-birth abortion, a brutal practice, comes into question.

Sunday, July 17, 2005

Star Wars Episode III was the first movie in our three week break for "God in the Movies," a mini-series meant to help the people of The Journey analyze movies from a Christian perspective and dialogue with others who are not believers. I felt this sermon took a while to build some steam, was a little slow-going at times, but since this is new ground so far as sermon-style, I half expected it to be that way. The last part of the sermon flowed much more smoothly, as I talked about not being bound to the "darkside" of sin and gaining victory that we were meant to have in Jesus Christ. I feel the Lord annointed the last part of the message.

I want to say - I am very pleased with the attendance this summer. We haven't grown, but we have stayed consistent, just a little over 100 each week - and we had 106 today. That is so important to maintain momentum - keeping things afloat during the summer vacation months is important. Thank you for your faithfulness - let's keep going. The fall is full of important happenings, and I pray that the Lord is blessing and working in your lives during this time.

I was pleased with this Sunday. Good stuff all the way around.

Please pray for Bill & Debbie as they minister in the city of Dresden, Germany. Pray also for their daughter, Tiffani, who is starting classes at Boston Baptist College this fall. Also pray for their daughter, Heather, who will be ministering alongside her parents in Germany.

Sunday July 10, 2005

Every once in a while, you meet people who you just click with, and whom you just grow to love very quickly. This Sunday, we had Bill & Debbie Crawford, missionaries to Germany with us, and we just fell in love with this wonderful couple and their family. Bill & Debbie joined us in both services, and Bill preached using his karate expertise, showing how we can use the armor of God to withstand the attacks of the devil (see pictures below). We were so excited to have these folks with us, and I look forward to sending a missions team over to their church in the next two years to minister along with them. Let's be in prayer for either 2006 or 2007 for God to give us the opportunity to go and send a missions team there.

Along with the Crawfords, we had a wonderful day overall. Our attendance was good (107) even though we were missing so many people. God continues to give us momentum heading into the fall, and I believe our Wednesday prayer meetings with lay some of the spiritual groundwork necessary for a fall harvest of people coming to know Jesus Christ through this church.

One other funny note: during the first service, Bill Crawford used Seth to be his warrior that he would dress up in karate gear during the message and then show how the attacks of Satan are useless against the armor. Well Seth had on a tight karate belt, a chest protector, feet protectors, and a shield, and he thought Bill was going to hit his shield with a rod. Instead Bill kicked the shield (and Seth), sending Seth flat onto his butt! We laughed, but when Seth got up, he looked ashen, and couldn't focus. I had to go up and give him some juice, and let him sit down - we thought he was either going to faint or throw up or both! But you know, as I sat there with Seth, I thought, "What a place to be when you get hurt! We could lay hands on him if this continues." And he got past it in just a few. I believe that he just got dizzy. Bill didn't mean to knock him over - but it's all good, and God was in it, and the service went well.

Thank you, Lord, for Your protection over Seth, and for Your Spirit meeting with us through the Crawfords. We seek Your beautiful face more and more in our services.

Missionary Bill Crawford explains the importance of the spiritual armor as given in Ephesians 6.

Bill gets ready to launch a spear at Gabe (he didn't actually do it!). :)

Gabe put on his feetwear (from Ephesians 6) with Debbie help.

Bill Crawford finishes his presentation with Gabe wearing the complete armor.

Sunday, July 3rd, 2005

I Surrender All. If I could some up the theme of this morning, it was for me the song I Surrender All. We spoke on "The Joy of Being Used Up and Wasted for God" as we look at the last beatitude in Matthew 5:10-12, "Blessed are the persecuted." We have spent the last two months talking about Experiencing the Joy of Jesus, and it has been a challenging study for me. I am glad we went through the beatitudes, as I feel it has been a good series. I just pray that our people get the last one - blessed are the persecuted - that they remember those who have endured persecution (and who are enduring persecution) - and that they surrender all. I pray that our people at The Journey would live in such a way that they will embody the wisdom of Jim Elliot who said, "He is no fool who gives up that which he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose" - surrendering all. For our invitation, we sang the song I Surrender All. God help us to do more than just sing that song, but to live it!

It is the summer, and we were missing many families, but our attendance was still at 102! We praise the Lord for that, and trust that God will continue to add to our numbers. A man named Pete was back for the 2nd week, and I hope to get to speak to him as last week (June 26th) he raised his hand that he asked Jesus Christ into his life. I hope that we are able to minister some more to him.

Our second service was small this week, and I hope that I can get this service built up some more. I would appreciate your prayers on this.

But the highlight of the day was baptizing Zander Allen and Kriss Gagno (see pictures below). I love seeing people respond obediently to Jesus Christ, and this is the very first step of obedience for any Christian. The water was colder, but it was good.

I thank God for what He is doing at The Journey. I pray that our people would break and learn to truly surrender. Some of our people are HARD - hard nosed and hard-hearted. Pray that the Lord would break them down and that they would make themselves mold-able in the Lord's hands.

Pastor Rob has a laugh as Zander Allen gets in. This was the first time we did not use water heaters since it was a hot July day - but it was still cold in the water! :)

Zander accepted Jesus Christ into his heart last year at a vacation Bible school at an area church. He and his family have recently joined us at The Journey, and we are excited to see this young one walk in obedience to the Lord.

Zander is raised to walk in God's way as he comes out of the water.

This is Kriss Gagnon. She came to Jesus Christ about 2 months ago (see April 24, 2005 blog) in one of our Sunday services, and has been faithful and growing ever since. I praise the Lord for what He is doing in her life.

Kriss is excited (albeit very cold) about getting baptized.