We fed about 150 people! 

Lots of people were fed, and lots of food remained left over. 

Sunday, November 13, 2005 - Week 6

Week 6 in the Purpose Driven Life Campaign was a good week as we focused on our fifth and final purpose, evangelism. There was great response to the message in both services as Christians realized what being a "witness" means from Acts 1:8. Perhaps the biggest, most difficult question from this weekend's message was, "Will anyone be in heaven because of you?"

And speaking of people in heaven, the best part of the service was when we had two people raise their hands for salvation, a teen in the first service and a man named John in the 2nd! I was so glad to see that response, as I really didn't speak clearly on inviting the Lord into our lives. Pray that these new babies grow on to maturity.

On of the special events of this day was our children doing a human video to the Kathy Tricoli song, "Carry Your Candle." As I sat there and watched, I was so pleased in how God is using our kids, and how our children's leaders are influencing our kids. I tried not to get too many tears in my eyes as I prayed that these kids wouldn't lose their desire to praise the Lord. And it was an excellent song and human video for the message which was that we are "Made for a Mission." We are made to tell others about Jesus Christ.

The music team, in my opinion, has never sounded better than it is sounding lately. The music overall this week (minus a few glitches) was great - I look forward to the day when we keep going in the worship and just really have a meeting with God. So far as the praise team, with the amount of flexibility that we have (and continue to expand upon), I am excited to see the direction the Lord takes us. What an instrument of God this team is, guiding people into true and spiritual worship every week - thank you praise team for all the work you do each and every week!

We were missing many of our regulars this week - illness, family, trips, sleepiness ;) kept many away, but the Lord continues to add to our numbers. We had 127 again this week, and I look forward to a packed house next weekend at the Knights of Columbus for our Celebration Sunday. Please keep next Sunday's preparation in prayer.

A note on this - we invite you to bring your family and friends along who either 1) do not attend church of like-faith, and/or 2) who have never asked Jesus Christ into their lives. We will have so many things going on during this service, including our regular components (music, message which will have a clear gospel invitation at the end); along with a dance team, and a human video, and several other things. To top it off, we will be having a meal that can feed about 175 people. We are asking each family to bring a Thanksgiving-type dish that serves 10-12 people (ready to be served with utensils and your name on the dish) and a dessert. So invite those people you know who fit the above descriptions. Don't forget that it all starts at 10:30AM at the Knights of Columbus hall in Rochester.

One last thing - if you are not part of a small group and would like to volunteer to help in some way, you can email my wife, Krista, at kristawillis72@hotmail.com or call us at the church. We can still use your help.

Why did Hurricane Katrina happen?

Stephanie Glidden wanted to post this as a discussion on our blog, so I am posting this email for her. Feel free to comment! :) - Pastor
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The other night I was listening to Pastor John Hagee speak on something to do with Gods covenant with Jerusalem. I dont typically listen to TV Evangelists, but he posed a question that got my attention . He asked "Why did Hurricane Katrina happen?". Then he proceeded to say that every person in America is dodging that question, but he intended to answer it.

He then likened the events and areas affected by Hurricane Katrina to the destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah (Genesis Ch. 19). He said that the areas affected by the hurricane were so sinful and repulsive in Gods sight, so hated by God that He simply had to destroy them. He also said that another reason America is experiencing "Gods wrath" is due to the involvement we had in evacuating the Jewish people from the Gaza strip. After a standing ovation by his congregation, he moved on to his message and I changed the channel. But I have to say the comment has stuck with me. I would like to hear someone else what thinks about this!

-Stephanie

Sunday, November 6, 2005 - Week 5

I appreciated the comments from last week's post about the service. I need to remember that even when things don't go well, there is still victory. And apparently there was - thanks for the good words.

But fast forward to this week's services, and I have to say that I was so excited by the time I walked out (around 1:30Pm). Two people came to the Lord (Ellen and Raymond), and even though we were missing many people (including some to sickness), we had 127 in our services, which is a wonderful amount. The music/worship was fantastic. I believe it is the best that the praise team has sounded - period. A little loud in the first service, but we are still working with our sound system.

The message was well-received as we talked about being "Shaped for God's Service" in week 5 of the 40 Days. Only two weeks until our Celebration Sunday at the Knights of Columbus, and we are hoping for 175. To reach this goal, we are inviting family and friends who live in the area but either 1) do not have a church home or 2) are not Christians. Please don't invite friends and family from other local churches of like-faith. That's not our goal. We want to share with others what the Lord is doing, and what the Lord will do for them. Also, if you are wondering what you can do, if you have not already been assigned a job, you can email Krista at willis4nh@hotmail.com.

This campaign has been a wonderful thing, getting everybody on the same page and bringing people together in many ways. I will be sorry when it ends, but we will look back on the entire campaign as a resounding success. Small groups have been launched, excitment abounds, and 2006 is right around the corner with some great things happening. I'll share a few:

In January, we will be ratifying our own church constitution. We will also begin serious discussions about building, which I believe we can do by the end of next year (and I'm serious). If you would like to see an example of the type of building we are leaning towards, visit www.sprung.com (take a look around at this site and feel free to email me). We will also spend a large portion of the year doing a character study on the life of David in our Sunday services. And we are taking our small groups into some exciting studies and watching relationships develop. All this, and so much more - so stick around and watch the hand of the Lord work at The Journey.

Sunday, October 30th - week 4

There are days where things flow and there are days when they don't, where everything goes smoothly and where everything goes roughly...today was one of those days when things seemed rough. I don't know exactly why, and there were many positive things about the services, but overall, I felt like we were tripping and sputtering in the presentation of it all. So because I record what happens in each service, let me give a little of the good and bad, and then we'll move on to next week.

First, the good news was that we had our highest attendance ever at 132! The Lord continues to add to our numbers, and we are excited to look back and see that in one year's time, we have doubled our growth. Fantastic.

The spirit in the services was good - people are excited and seemed to genuinely participate and absorb what is happening. I am glad that the spirit is where it should be.

But some of the bad things: the sound system continues to give us problems which causes major distractions. It's not the sound tech (lest anyone think that), but sound systems have glitches that come and go, and make it impossible sometimes. Plus mics were crackling, monitors were acting up, and SIGH...oh well.

It also seemed that our music team was distracted, and that there were several other distractions that just managed to interrupt any kind of flow in the music...sigh! I was glad when the music ended as it didn't seem to flow.

The message went across fine, but it was a hard message to preach. Sometimes my sermons are full of joy and laughter, but sometimes they are full of hard truths that people have to digest. This was one of those days when people were digesting.

But some other points of good stuff - Ray carrying the Christian flag around the auditorium...a little out of my comfort zone, but I love his zeal. I am just glad that he didn't break a light. We had a few visitors, which we are always honored to have.

So everything didn't flow. We will have days like that. But I love the fact that in our weakness, He is made strong. These kinds of Sundays remind us that it is the Spirit of the Lord that we must continue to rely on and seek. We cannot do it with our own hands or our own power. May the Lord be magnified in our midst and may The Journey continue to advance the kingdom of God in this area.

A small group update from the Weststrates...

I really believe that the Holy Spirit is moving in our areas, in our homes...by the hunger there is for this class. People need purpose...they need God and the Redeemer. I am so blessed to be led by the Holy Spirit to invite, and they come!! What wonderful news!! This is amazing Holy Spirit stuff!! We started this small group with 10 adults and four children, including our two, and now we are at 12 adults and at least 7 children. Our discussion times have been so great. No masks, just authenticity, just as The Journey has always been with us. We get right into our workbook and then eat afterwards. We end our discussion time around noon but some stay until 1:30 or even 2! We have a new believer that raised his hand last week for Christ, and another that we are trying to get into our Journey doors. Please pray for this man. His son is Cameron's school mate and comes to Wednesday night church with Cameron. We love our small group/family and really look forward to each week and then, after the 40 Days, we will definitely stick together. What a blessing!!

Some small group notes from all around...

It has been a busy week - and so my reports are late - but here they are for all to see!
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From Andy & Kim Becker's group:

I think our group was awesome last night!!! Zulma came – with food! – she is very warm and friendly. We started with our pot luck dinner and chatted a little while eating. Our group members basically introduced themselves to her right off the bat! We have very friendly people who showed great examples of Christian fellowship! Right before the video I quickly introduced her to the group formally, and explained to her the format of our meetings. We enjoyed the video on fellowship because Pastor Warren seemed to have quite a few good jokes in there.

After the video I immediately asked the group what they thought fellowship meant – this group was not in Sunday services so didn’t hear your sermon. The discussion never stopped! We talked about sharing and bonding and the differences between doing that with fellow Christians and non-believers. We discussed personal stories of when other believers came to our aid and how much that meant to us…there were several stories of the unquestioning love of fellow Christians.

We also had a great discussion about “loving your neighbor” and how that’s not always easy to do. We talked about what love really means – you’re not always going to like someone, even someone in your own church, but it’s our faith that will help us to love all. (The book I’m reading, “The Jesus Creed”, had some great points that I used to further the discussion of Christian love!)

At the end of our group, we had a short prayer…and then the discussion got rolling again!!! ...We all talked about different fellowship practices and beliefs in different churches. We talked about how to remind ourselves about fellowship and loving others, during our days when those concepts are not so easy to remember! There was a great discussion about what heaven really was and what other believers and non-believers think heaven means. How do you get there without the love of Christ and the grace of God? And how do you get there if you are unwilling to even TALK about God and Christ? How do you measure goodness and love without the example of Jesus Christ?

What a night! I think it actually went to 9:00 when the last person left…Sarah said she is interested in bringing a friend and she wants to come to this Sunday service. Zulma also said she is coming back to the Journey and we invited her boyfriend to our group and to church. God was absolutely there last night!!! He was the glue for this group!!!

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From Kathy Boston's group:

Our Group also was wonderful! Spent the first half hour snacking at the table, then went in and watched the video. Lori opened up last night and we all shared tears with her about things going on in her life.....tears with Kriss G........tears with Pam C........and then laughter and hugs....tied it all in with worshiping and how to talk with God. Things that make worship good and help us feel comfortable in a church. Good discussions on that prayer doesn't have to be a "formal" prayer time but should be a constant communication.....how to focus on Him when things are really going bad..... Had a nice time of singing. I am amazed at how God works to bring us all closer together. Lori came into my house saying "Okay, I am in BIG TROUBLE....I have to get involved in a church. This weeks readings have convinced me!" So she said she will be in church this coming Sunday! :)

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From Rob & Krista's group:
Tonight's group was another great night. One of the great things about our group is that everyone there is just nice and likeable. It was funny that when Rick Warren mentioned about an "EGR" in each group, we couldn't think of one (I know that you would never point it out, but it was true - we don't have one - or he/she hasn't been revealed yet!). We were only missing two people (Randy& Shirley who were out of town), but everyone else was there and we talked about fellowship and family. I think people are beginning to understand that church can go so much deeper than it does - that relationships are what determine how instrumental a church will be in your own personal life. We talked about how we have to really work at community - it doesn't come naturally for some of us (me especially), but you can see the bonds beginning to develop in the group. There is a genuine caring in and for each person. Who would have thought that CHURCH relationships could go deeper than Sundays??? I am excited about this group, and what the Lord is teaching us. I am grateful for small groups giving us the chance to explore relationships at a deeper level.

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From Ed & Brenda Cormier's group:

We had our " Fellowship" meeting last night.In keeping with Rick Warrens' suggestion of having more than one person bring the lesson we had Ray as the facilitator last night.
We started with prayer and worship. We sang along with Hill song singers "Shout to the Lord" and before the song was over that's exactly what we were doing. Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty and we walked in the liberty to literally "shout to the Lord," it was wonderful. Everyone wanted to keep worshiping which is always a good note to end worship on,with everyone wanting to worship some more! We then watched the video and started our discussion time.
Part of our discussion included worship being the foundation of our fellowship. We all came from the same place,we all have the same father.As we worship Him our hearts are drawn together.Ray brought out the fact that where we are in our own walk with the Lord has a direct impact with our fellowship with one another. : If we walk in the light as He is in the light we have have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all unrighteousness. Ray read the parable about the seed and the soil. He then asked each of us to say what type of soil we thought we were. This exercises lead to some real honesty and also praying and encouraging certain individuals.Thus far we have not even come close to covering all the material.Time seems to race by.
Our snack time featured a surprise birthday cake for Cheri. We lit a candle and sang to her.I feel like we are just beginning to experience true fellowship in the spirit.The Father's family is beginning to really relate.

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From Don & Betty's group:

Pam & Joe called to say they would be late; we said that was okay as Pete had a flat tire and he would be late. Amanda was early. She was introduced to Pam & Joe and they immediately talked about toxemic pregnacies as both had experienced that. Peter arrived; more intros and more talk and snacks. Seems like both families have a lot in common. After the video, we asked how do you become a member of God's family if your human family has not been an example to you? THAT brought to the surface a lot--which let everyone see that we all have had less than perfect backgrounds--more common ground. The answer we presented was through fellowship with our church familes we can learn to be more like Christ and learn to get along. ...Joe was quite talkative. Pete put in his two cents worth and we all laughed a lot but also I'm not sure if these young couples realized they were learning a lot. Like we all face the same problems, we can understand each other because we've been there too, we can openly share and help each other. There were no masks on. Also, Amanda helded Sam and got her to calm down (fussy time) and later Pam asked if I could hold her. Took her in the other room and laid her down and she just looked around while Don talked with the couples. It was 9:30 before everyone left! Pam said as they left, they weren't coming tonight but decided they needed it and would definitely becoming back next week. Praise God for His wisdom and goodness.

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Thank you so much, Lord Jesus, for what You are doing at The Journey. Thank You for inviting us into Your plan for the kingdom of God here in this area.

Sunday, October 23, 2005 - week 3

Last year in the fall we experienced a tremendous harvest, where people were coming and inviting the Lord into their lives, and where new families were joining us. We went from an average weekly attendance in July 2004 of 40 to a December 2004 average weekly attendance of 66. This year we started January averaging 73 per week, and in September we averaged 106. God is continuing to use this church to minister and to lead people to Him.

Sunday, October 23rd, was a Sunday of harvest here at The Journey. To begin, It was the 3rd week in our 40 Days Campaign, and it was GREAT! Our attendance was 113, even though we were missing many people (I sound like a broken record, but this is true almost every week - YOU ARE MISSED~!). But we had 9 visitors in both services, and this is where I am excited. A few stories...

Randy & Shirley Tullis had been to our 40 Days small group (Pastor & Krista's) for the past two weeks, and they came to The Journey for the first time today. Because of their previous small group experience, they fit right in and immediately knew people. What a great thing to witness. But beyond that, they both rededicated their lives to God and are going to be regular parts of this church body.

Another exciting story are two visitors, one back for the 2nd time and she brought her husband for the first time. They attend a small group in one of our leader's homes, and I am so excited about what God is doing in these folks lives. During the invitation to respond at the end of my message, the husband raised his hand and invited Jesus Christ into his life for the first time! Please pray that we have more opportunity to lead this couple, and to speak into their lives.

Finally, we had a young woman visit with us who at the end of the second service raised her hand to commit her life to Christ, and who later on also visited one of our 40 Days small groups!

I am SO excited to see the Lord working at The Journey, as people's hearts are turned to the Father's. Our small groups continue to go well, and the excitement from developing these in-depth relationships is refreshing. A great Sunday to be at The Journey, and I look forward to God doing more of the same next week.

A small group update from Kim Becker...

Here's our update...our group last night (Tuesday, 10/18) was awesome! We had a total of 8... I felt that this week went much more smoothly -- I felt more confident and we gelled even more! There was constant discussion!

We talked about the video and the subject of the good life, and what it means to consider God in everything we do. We also talked about this world being our "temporary assignment". That concept is very scary to some people, and we talked about nothing worldly being ours -- our homes, cars, even our children! But we all agreed that God's plan is superior and working for His good is our joyful purpose. We talked about Powerball! $340,000,000...what a "good life" that could provide. But look out for your definition of the good life. We discussed the differences in the world's definition compared to God's...there were many of us who said money does not buy the good life, but it's also hard to forget the worries of this world when you're swamped with them! We all have to think about paying bills, and buying food and clothes, and getting by -- but the joy doesn't come from the money, but God's love and use of our lives.

We had a great discussion about redemption and salvation. A few in the group talked about having a repentant spirit and Andy was great at answering questions! He has a great deal of Bible knowledge and was able to articulately explain some things to the group. He brought up the statement made by Pastor Warren in the video about not being there "in spirit", and proved from 1 Corinthians where Paul addresses that issue -- and where it is possible for us as believers to be somewhere in spirit. We had an awesome discussion and prayed out loud as a group using the book, and also offered some personal prayers for members of the group.

We've been having potluck, and I have a feeling that next week's dinner is going to be fantastic!!!

Sunday, October 16, 2005 - week 2

The privilege of serving God is given to each and every one of us in our everyday lives in our everyday jobs. It is not what you do in life that is so important, but rather it is WHO you do it for. Everything we do - every job we do (that doesn't violate the Bible of course) - can be an act of worship to God when we do it for Him. This week, people at The Journey have a new boss - Jesus Christ Himself.

This past Sunday's services were significant on so many levels:
1) I have never been more excited to deliver the Word because of the practical implications it has for each and every person (see the opening comments).
2) The level of excitement and spiritual intensity is clearly seen in the time of corporate worship and expression of almost all present at The Journey.
3) The time of worship in song was pleasing to God, specifically because it poured out of the overflow of people's weeks as they were in the Word and in small groups.
4) We had several visitors who are searching out this whole "God" thing and how The Journey celebrates the Lord. I am always intrigued as I watch people's faces who are new to our church as they take in what is happening.
5) We had our highest attendance ever at 129!

The spiritual environment of the church continues to move forward as people understand that this isn't about religion but is all about a relationship with Jesus Christ. What we do on Sundays is meant to prepare us for Monday through Saturday, so everything we see, hear, talk about (or sing about) needs to be able to make a difference beyond the church walls. If these things do not, than all that we do is a gigantic waste our time.

But if the praise and worship times last throughout the week bringing victory; if the Word of God permeates our lives and speaks into our day to day actions and thoughts; if the fellowship with each other goes beyond a smile and "How are you?" at church; if we continue to grow through personal Bible reading and prayer, beyond what we hear at church - if these things happen, than God and His Word will continue to manifest through us, and people will see that Christianity is real because it is real in US.

May the Lord give us many more Sundays like today at The Journey.

Small Group Update from the Cormiers...

The Inaugural small group meeting at Ed and Brenda's was last night at 7:00pm. It was also Yom Kippur which I found very significant. The Day of Atonement....At/one/ment... Anyway,

Several in the group had not really met yet. They had seen one another in a gathering but hadn't spoken so we started off with intros and before viewing the video I asked for comments on what we had read thus far in the 40 days book. Immediate feedback from several...... Actually we had to kind of cut it off so we COULD view the video.

During the video and especially when Rick said that God ordained all of us to be in this group together, there was a sense of trust in that statement and even awe at the ways of the Lord.

We had a good discussion time. We didn't get through all of the study guide( we will start meeting at 6:30 next week) Of course I felt on my part it was a little choppy but we are at the beginning stage of really relating as the "Father's Family". The more we come to know one another,the deeper and richer will be our relating together.That will translate into higher and higher levels of worship and a greater anointing on our prayers of agreement.

We have a wonderful group. Each one is very special. Each one brings a unique flavor and each one displayed a willingness to participate.Brenda and I are loving each one.Overall I got the impression that everyone was excited about our first get together and looking forward to next week.

We thank God for every tool He provides us to draw us into a deeper relationship with Himself. One way that we look for His appearing is within our own brothers and sisters who are sitting right next to us.That's pretty wild!!

Another small group update from the Willis'...

This is from Krista regarding our group on Wednesday night:

We had 12. I invited Kayla's girl scout leader and her husband to come and they showed up...we prayed for them and I was thrilled to see them participate and engage with the rest of the group...their two kids also enjoyed the kids group over at the church. We also had Kate (she has been with us the last two weeks at church and at the kick-off Saturday. She also participated in the group. Overall what a wonderful evening.

I'm not one to read into a lot of things, but I have to tell you this story. Wednesday, I was cleaning the house in preparation for the small group (plus we have company coming in this weekend) and while I was cleaning I found 5 pennies and 2 nickels in spots, that had I not been thouroughly cleaning I would have never found, but with a little attention they were discovered. Now normally the only place I find money is when I am doing the laundry...most money found is lying in the middle of the kitchen floor and not ever really "lost". Not these coins...they were "lost". The first two coins I kind of just shrugged off, but throughout the day I kept finding more. God kept bringing to mind the parable of the lost coin (Luke 15:8-10). I was confused because in the parable the woman was looking for the lost coin...I wasn't. BUT...there was rejoicing with "friends and neighbors" when the coin was found. And so I believe there will be rejoicing when through these small groups...many will be "found". As I had found 5 pennies...I am praying that through our group, 5 people are "found". Whether it is through salvation or a renewed commitment to God. With every update that comes in from the small groups we are rejoicing. Lord, may You continue to use each one of us who are yeilded to You. Thank you Lord that you have heard and continue to hear our prayers for these small groups...we fill the bowls before Your throne and pray for You to pour out Your blessing upon your saints. Thank You for Your Faithfulness. Amen.

Early reports are in...

Here are excerpts from a report by Kathy Boston, who is leading a small group that began last night:
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Just wanted to let you know that our Study was wonderful last night. God was doing great things. Lots of laughter and lots of questions..very lively! Kriss made everyone in the group a binder with each of your emails in the front and paper behind so they could use it as a journal. She also bought everyone pens and highlighters and made them each a cross bookmark.

Here are some of the comments from everyone afterward:
"I have been a Christian for many years but have never had as much fun at a Bible Study. Every church I have been to has always been very conservative and quiet. This is great" (she came to the right place if she wanted noise.LOL)

"Finally, I have come to a place where I can get some of my questions answered so that I understand!"

"This sounds so much like my life. I have had some of these questions for years." (This woman was actually teary eyed when she left and said she would be back for sure!)

"I love this group"
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I have heard some other great reports. Keep going, leaders, and praise the Lord!

How does the world see God and Jesus?

Ok here is something interesting ... As I was driving to work this morning I heard an announcement for a radio program this evening on NPR. The title of it struck me.

Harold Bloom: Jesus and Yahweh

As I went to the website to discover what in the world NPR might have to say about the names of God. It is interesting and could be a fun thing to follow this program and the blog attached...

I would welcome any comments :)

Kickoff Weekend - October 8 & 9, 2005

It takes a lot to get me excited, and this weekend, it took a lot, but I am so excited about what God is doing here at The Journey. Let me explain (in case you missed it):

Saturday, October 8th - Today was our kickoff event for our 40 Days Campaign. Through the planning and preparation of many of our people (led by Brenda Cormier and Cheri Cocco), we held a brunch and watched the kickoff event together with Pastor Rick Warren and Saddleback Church. What a tremendous time it was! The food was fantastic, the atmosphere was great, the people were excited, and God's Word was heard and His presence felt. I enjoyed this event so much, and we had 89 people join us for this meal. Even though it was raining cats and dogs, it was a great time inside. Pictures are posted below.

Sunday, October 9th - Today was the first day of our 40 Days Campaign. You could almost hear the Holy Spirit say, "Lights! Cameras! ACTION!" as the tables were set and everyone was ready to go. Even though we were missing some sorely missed people (you know who you are!), we had 116 and both services were pretty full. I think that Lee & Joanne & Chelsea did a great job with their skit that was interspersed throughout the message (see pics below), and everything was well-received.

But here's my hope - that the people of The Journey will take this stuff and hash out it in their own lives and with others; that people will truly begin to realize why God made them; and that it will result in a growing movement of people who are excited about God and what He CAN and WILL do in our lives, in our church, and in our communities as we learn to live for His purposes.

We also had 10 visitors yesterday, which was great to see. I hope to have a chance to minister more to them as the weeks go by. May God use The Journey as He sees fit, and may people's lives be changed.

Lee & Joanne perform their drama "The Fortune Cookie" - a humorous look at a man on a search...a search to find his purpose in life...in a fortune cookie... :)

"Many men cook, but foo-man-chu..."

"I'm not above accepting gratuities..."  

Scenes from a kickoff...

Below are the pictures of our 40 Days Kickoff Event. Because of the amount of pictures and people, I won't provide much caption. But as you will see, it was a great event.

The meal was delicious and the fellowship was great. 

It was great to see so many show up... 

Good fellowship took place during the meal... 

During the meal... 

The meal continues... 

A view from the pulpit during the meal. 

Some of the kids in the nursery during the event. 

Special thanks to our youth workers, Amanda and Alicia for their help.  

Everyone focuses on the screen as the video begins. 

A group of our servers ready to dish out. Thank you so much to all of you who ministered. 

Pastor Rick Warren opens up the kickoff event with a few words about 40 Days... 

The beginning of the kickoff... 

During the video... 

Parking in front of the church on a wet Saturday afternoon...(notice the leaves starting to turn color) :) 

Parking behind the house. 

Andy & Pete talk after the event. 

Brien Myers waits for his book. 

Everyone lines up to get their "Purpose Driven Life" books. 

Cleanup! 

Tear down afterward. 

All creation groans...

OK, here we go - a confession of sorts, but not really. I was flipping through the channels the other night, and came across TBS and the show "Sex in the City." I stopped and watched it for a moment. There's the confession. But let me tell you why: I noticed that the main characters were on a cruise around New York, and the reason I knew this was because in the background loomed the World Trade Center towers. I honestly could not tell you what the dialogue was. All I know is that I was mesmerized as I viewed the Towers.

I remember them well, driving up the Jersey Turnpike on my way back from countless trips as a teenager to Six Flags Great Adventure, or driving back from a trip down South. I am sure once or twice I broke down in full view of them (the Vince Lombardi rest stop)! But I remember the Twin Towers so vividly because you could see them so clearly as you drove up I-95, even though you were still 30 minutes away from the GW Bridge. I personally loved the site of these two towers, because they represented a place I dreamt about, and also it meant that I was close to home.

Four years ago, they fell. The world changed. And as I sat there watching TBS the other night, I remembered the world pre-9-11. We had warning signs all over the place the previous 8-10 years before hand that things would change, but when they fell, everything changed. Perhaps not all for bad.

This year, how things have changed. In the span of 4 weeks, two monster hurricanes, Katrina and Rita threaten to change us again. Perhaps for the better when all is said and done - I hope. But it seems to me that the world is getting closer and closer to ending. Romans 8:21-22 tell us, "All creation anticipates the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time." Creation is groaning with tsunamis and hurricanes and earthquakes and tornadoes.

One day, all of creation will be renewed according to Revelation 21:1, "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone." God will shut the door finally and completely on this old earth, and then we will wake up with God making all things new. But in the meantime, the world continues to groan, aching and anticipating the day when it will be renewed.

If you have never read the book by CS Lewis, The Last Battle, you ought to. I have read (and reread) this beautiful alleghoric description of the world's end and eternity's beginning so many times. I just re-read it for the umpteenth time last week. My heart soars with desire and longing for heaven when I read it.

Something else I recently read (I believe it was in a John Piper sermon) reminded me that every time we pray, "May Your Kingdom Come" (the Lord's prayer), we are praying for the end of the world and for His kingdom to come, often not realizing that His kingdom coming will not be a painless, easy process for the world. The events, catastrophes, and judgments will be put into motion as our prayers of "may Your kingdom come" are answered. Revelation 8:1-5 talks about God storing up our prayers on the altar before His throne, and one day, pouring out the answers to those prayers resulting in judgment on the earth.

Hurricanes like Rita and Katrina and Hugo and Charley, etc. along with the earthquakes (including one this morning in Asia), cyclones and tsunamis are the earth's way of groaning. Every time something new and horrific happens, I remember that my prayers "may Your kingdom come" are being answered.

By the way, I changed the channel once I came back to my senses... :)

Tonight on Larry King...

Hey all,
Just been informed that Rick Warren (remember that 40 Days were doing?) will be on Larry King Live tonight with a fascinating story about a woman who used The Purpose Driven Life to convince a killer to let her go and surrender. It is on tonight at 9PM on CNN. Thanks, Kim Becker... :)

And thanks Lori Johnson for a similar programming note for Oprah last week - although I had no time to post it (she called me one minute before the interview).

Thanks as always for communicating.
-Pastor

Sunday, October 2, 2005

We had a good day today. Although we missed so many people, we had a good day. We observed communion, which I felt really made an impact in our worship, we introduced the song, "I Will Never Be," which was also well-received. I preached on "Don't Waste Your Life," dealing with three questions:

1. What does God want? - My whole being/body/self
2. What will it take? Discipline
• The discipline of letting go
• The discipline of putting first things first
  
3. Why should I do it? The cross

I put these up here to serve as a reminder going into our 40 Days campaign - we need to make sure we don't overcrowd our schedules, and yet make sure that we do what is important and necessary - and we can do both. I hope to some day have the sermons available by audio on our website, but for now, you can always request a copy.

I am excited to enter in the 40 Days, and I hope that The Journey will experience a depth with God that they never have before.

Two years ago

Two years ago, October 4th, 2003, I conducted my first service as senior pastor of The Journey Church. It is amazing to me how time flies. I still remember that service - we had some of the people from GSBC with us, and some of our core people that are still around today. Margarite, Chuck & Donna & Kay & Pete, Tim & Flo, Sue - and a few others. I preached on "When the Church Comes to Town" from Acts 2, and led the music (I misunderstood and thought GSBC was bringing their praise team up...we ended up using Worship DVD's - "Trading My Sorrows" was the first song we sang). My mom and dad were with us, along with my grandmother and uncle and my step-father Harry and my dad's then-girlfriend, Patti. After the service, my family and I went out to eat, trying to find our way in the fog and rain down to Dover. The next weekend, the church had a welcoming dinner for us.

But when I stood before God and my wife and my parents and led my first service as pastor, it was one of the proudest points of my life. I felt like I heard some applause from heaven from my old pastor, Floyd Paschall, and my grandfather, Fred Oates. I could see my wife beam with pride, and my parents listen with pride as they watched me begin the dream of my lifetime - pastoring a new church here in New England. I will never forget how I felt as I stood up there.

Two years have passed - we've added a few more people (about 120 more); we've remodeled the house, the auditorium, the classrooms; we replaced the roof. We've passed out thousands of fliers, washed numerous cars for free, helped many people enjoy Christmas and Thanksgiving; we have contributed at different community events; we have seen 60-70 people come to know the Lord in our services, and baptized about 25 of them.

I have preached so much, yet have barely scratched the surface of what the Bible has to say. I have helped people to laugh and cry, invited them to look deeply and also to look outward. I have helped heal marriages (and I have tried to help heal several more). I have tried some things that have worked, and successfully tried several things that did not work :)

I have made people mad at me, have had people curse at me, have had people be ungrateful towards me, and I have offended my fair share of congregants. I have had others bless me, bless my parents, bless my children, bless my wife, and bless God because of me. I have motivated some people to pursue God harder. I have pushed others away because of the high cost of following Christ.

I have prayed hard at times and prayed too little at others. There have been times when I have never been more prepared for messages and flopped while delivering, and there have been times when I have never been less prepared and experienced the freedom of the Spirit in my delivery.

I guess two years is only a splash in the bucket. I love what I do. I love the people God has given to me. I don't always love leading them (I mostly do), but I do love them. I am so grateful that God has entrusted me with this ministry. May His Kingdom continue to come forward in this area. Thank you, church, for allowing me to lead you. I am privileged and blessed by you.