Kelly swims in the kiddie pool. 

Ginny draws while Kate and Carolyn share a moment. 

Sitting around enjoying the weather - Dave, Ron & and Anne.

Sunday, July 2, 2006 - Say It Anyway!

I love some of the things that I see happening at church lately. There is a renewed excitement for people as they bring in new friends and family members. Some stay, some leave - and people continue to come into a relationship with Jesus Christ. More about that in a moment.

I LOVED the worship today. Not that it was anything necessarily out of the ordinary so far as song selection, but we were together, we were encouraging each other, and it was good - both services. Thank you for your preparedness when we get together to praise and worship.

The word today was good too. I started a mini-series called Becoming a Person after God's Own Heart, a message that I heard originally by Bishop Joseph Garlington. It is so good that I decided to preach it to my people, and it went well. We talked about the first ingredient, which is waiting on the Lord. Waiting includes 5 things:

1. Watching my spiritual backside.
2. Waiting for God's timing.
3. Not telling God how to handle my problems.
4. Seeking God's presence in worship.
5. Abandoning my plan.

Perhaps the most significant part of the message was the end where I talked about forgiving ourselves, Here's what I said:

^{If you came her wondering “why did I make that mistake?” – God is wondering, “Can’t you forgive yourself?” At some point, you have done, are doing, or will do something stupid – something you said you never would. You can stand there in that place for the rest of your life and ask “why? Or you can forgive yourself – you can say, “I was baptized, and that stuff was buried. Why should I carry this with me – I am letting this die, I’m killing this. I forgive myself.” (say that with me). The devil would like to keep you locked in that place in your past, because if he can, he will keep you from your place in the present and your destiny in the future. You can’t hold onto the past and get the right future – you have to let it go. Your pride would make you think that we would never sin or mess up like we did – do you have a glorified body that you shouldn’t mess up – like we are too mature to mess up - once God has forgiven you, forgive yourself. Say, “I forgive myself.”}

It was a powerful moment as people who realized that they had never forgiven themselves desperately needed to do so, that it would hinder God's work within them. Because of this, I was able to lead a woman to the Lord after the service was over - what a powerful experience!

Overall we had 140 in attendance, and it was good.

Tonight we had the church picnic at the Weststrates - it was so much fun interacting with the Spanish foreign exchange students, with members from our local community, and also the egg-blowing game (see pictures to follow!).

A beautiful, attainable vision

Psalm 1 reads,
"1 Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with scoffers.
2 But they delight in doing everything the LORD wants; day and night they think about his law.
3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season without fail. Their leaves never wither, and in all they do, they prosper.
4 But this is not true of the wicked. They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.
5 They will be condemned at the time of judgment. Sinners will have no place among the godly.
6 For the LORD watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction."

This is an anonymous Psalm, but a beautiful one filled with wisdom for us today.

To begin, there is joy to be found in the life lived for God. What is joy? Joy is the attitude that comes from knowing that as I seek the Lord in my life, I don't have to fear man. Joy is the attitude that comes from knowing that He causes all things to work together for the good of those who love Him. It is the attitude that comes from being in His presence through worship, silence, praise, and adoration. JOY IS ATTAINABLE as I seek the Lord, as I respond to His Word, and as I worship. So "oh the joys of those who..." - joy is attainable.

But joy is connected to fleeing from evil here - joy is not just the pursuit of God but also running from evil. Three requirements to bring about joy are: 1) don't follow (or seek out) the advice of wicked people; 2) don't stand together with sinners (people who knowingly live rebellious lives against God - afer all, we all are sinners); and 3) don't accept the modern day habit of "scoffing" (making fun of people, putting people down, insulting).

But look at what the joyful life produces - pleasure in serving God and hearing Him. There is great joy to be found when we know that we are pleasing the One who created us and loves us. God created us to be unselfish, giving creatures - our sin nature has produced the opposite. But furthermore, there is delight in His "law" - His word - His voice. Just as a wife is soothed by the calming voice of her husband, so God's word in all its forms can soothe the believer who hears His voice. There is joy here. But it goes further.

This lifestyle of running from evil and pursuing God produces a productive life, where like a fruitful tree, the seasons of life are received in joy. The person who is like a tree understands that there are seasons of barreness and fruitfulness, of pain and pleasure - but that each season is beautiful because they are firmly planted in the Lord.

And throughout these seasons, no matter what, there is prosperity and success - not material, but rather spiritual success. God looks at those who live their lives pursuing Him, and no matter what happens to them as they pursue Him, He considers them successful. As Hebrews 11:16 so beautifully points out, the people who live like this make God proud - "God is not ashamed to be called their GOD" - wow, I pray that the Lord is proud of me, that He is glad that I tell others that He is my father.

But if we don't have joy, if we don't pursue God, if we take the advice of the wicked and stand with them and adapt our culture's negative attitudes, then verses 4-5 hold our ending.
1) Meaningless existence - like the chaff that is carried away by the wind.
2) Condemnation - there is only judgment at the end.
3) Misplacement - we will be permanently lost, with no place in God's presence with God's people - hell. Hell wasn't made for us and it is not intended to be our end. But it exists and is first and foremost the absence of God. May we pursue God and avoid this epitaph!

A final word in verse 6 - as we pursue God, He lovingly watches over us, empowering us and making us fruitful. What an incredible thing to know that God watches my life! BUT if we don't pursue God, and we rather pursue wickedness, there is only destruction. You cannot deceive or fool God. He tells us that any other pursuit outside of Him results in death. The life best lived is the life that is lived in pursuit of God and His ways. The meaning of life, the meaningful life, is found in obeying God and pursuing His plans for our lives. Only then will we find out what the Psalmist meant when he wrote, "Oh the joys of those who..." - may you and I pursue the joyful life.

Sunday, June 25, 2005

Shepherd's Pie - that was the message. Still was the worship.

1) Shepherd's Pie - The message was on Division - Whose Hand will You Put it in? We discovered that division in church is good when placed in the hands of God - that He brings discernment and delegation, both matters of division. But division in the church is bad when placed in the hands of the devil, who uses it to cause dis-unity. But it was a "shepherd's pie" message, adding three separate ingredients to make one meal. Some received it.

I want to make an addendum onto what I said, because in the 2nd service we labored on the 20/80 principle, which states that 20% of the people do 80% of the work. I recognize that in the workaholic world we have that some would be offended by me making this statement. I realize that our church is composed of hard-working men and women, and I thank God for you. I do not ask you to do "more work" by finding an area of service in the church. That's not it at all.

Rather, what I ask is that you find a place, a ministry in the church where you can use the spiritual gift God has given you to do some work that will fulfil God's dream. I am always hard at work making my dreams come true - paying for my car, my home, my upcoming vacation, my cable bill, etc. But when I take an hour every week and I give my energy, talents, and gifts to God, I fulfil His dream for my life - where altogether we believers, in a rhythmic dance of service and joy, contribute to make the kingdom of God, His dream, a reality in our area. It's not more work - it's just giving up something for the Lord who gave us everything. As we do this continually, we become people who know and follow His heart.

2) Still - We intro'd a song that we will be using during our Becoming a Person after God's Own Heart series (a short study on David) - it is a song taken from Psalm 91, a Psalm that reflects on being sheltered by God during tough times. I love that our congregation was still - silent - just worshiping "quietness and trust."

It was a good day at church - I don't really know of many bad days. We had 118.

One more note: there are several areas in our church where there is struggle right now. Men and women and teens are battling against Satan and his lies - some have given up and given in. Our church was filled with people just a few months ago that no longer attend with any kind of consistency. If this is you, if you have battled and struggled and lost and are unsure where you stand, let me plead with you to come this Sunday as I begin this Becoming... series. It will transform your life and give you fresh perspective and hope. If the devil is fighting that hard with you to keep you away, can I ask you...don't you wonder what you must be missing?! See you on Sunday.

Sunday, June 18, 2006 - Father's Day

Historically Father's Day has always been good so far as attendance, and today was no different - we had 149. We had several new visitors in both services, including the guy (along with his children) who just re-did the parsonage roof. The first service was PACKED (105 in that one alone), so I think everyone decided to come early and get out to celebrate Father's Day.

What a good day it was though in spirit. The worship, especially in the first service, was vibrant and lively. The kids came out and did a presentation based on the Lord's Prayer (they called it the "Our Father" prayer - fitting...) and did a song in sign-language based upon that prayer. It was GREAT! I encourage the children and their leaders to do more stuff to encourage the church.

For the message, I preached on God using multiplication to carry out His plan - that He wants to give us extreme insight, exceptional influence, and that He wants us to extend an invitation. I have been gearing the word towards outreach over the past month (and still have one more week) to show that God desires for us to not be complacent, but to reach out and demonstrate the love of God to others.

As we continue to launch into the summer, may this be a refreshing time for you and your family, and may the church be not an obligation but an inspiration, not a duty but a delight as you continue on your pursuit of God.

Sunday, June 11, 2006

Today was a refreshing day at The Journey, a day where I think some things began to correct themselves. My last post noted my frustration with the attendance being so low, and the message being so needed. But today was a great day for many reasons:
1) Our attendance was back to normal, as we had 137. I know during the summer that this will go up and down, but it is always great to have people where they are supposed to be.
2) We had Joe Lipsey, from the Gideons International, with us to present that ministry. As a church we collected $550 to give towards the Gideon's. I was glad to have that ministry with us, especially considering the influence it has had on several of our people, including our church leaders.
3) During Joe's presentation, the Lord hit me with a question to present to our people - "What could God do today to get your attention?" Or "Complete this statement, 'If the Lord did (***), I would not do the thing that I plan on doing."

I was planning on doing the 3rd lesson in our "God's still counting" series, but this question wouldn't release me so I ended up preaching on how God wants to get our attention, but we don't give it to Him. But then the question comes up - what could God do that would get my attention? Even if God did something spectacular (besides die on the cross, forgiving every sin, and inviting me into a relationship with Himself right where I am) - would I respond to Him? The word was from God to our church, as I believe some are on the cusp of disaster. God is vying for the attention of some of our folks, and they refuse. I titled the message "Last Call" because for some, it is the last call before God has to take some measures.

It was a good day today - I praise God that our giving is also up recently, as May was a financially difficult month for the church.

I am excited to see God's dream for this church, for His people, come to fruition.

Sunday, June 4, 2006

As I sit here typing, I am a mix of emotions. I am excited, because today's services, with the message and the worship, were both great! We talked about The Attraction of Subtraction, and how there are things that God subtracts or that we can subtract from our lives to experience God's best. Seriously, if you weren't here, get the CD - it was a good word. The response was also good, as people made decisions to subtract things from their lives today, and to trust as God does the same - "You give and take away. My heart will choose to say, 'Lord, blessed be Your name!'" Everything about the services was good - both times in each aspect. If you missed it, seriously, you missed a good service.

And that's where my mixed emotions come in. Too many missed it. And for the worst of reasons. I know that we had a few who were out of town (you know that we missed you!), but there were too many who stayed home, and I ache that you missed it. I know there were some different activities that perhaps could not be avoided, but for some of you, allow me to say/type this: the less you go to church and the less you get involved, the less important it becomes. If you missed it today on a whim, I beg you to cast off your grudge, your doubt, your anger, or whatever. People are dying to hear what you missed today.

Now just to let you know, we had 90, and man, the 90 were in tune and ready to worship God and receive His word. The reponse was great, and I praise God for what He did in each heart. If you missed it, know that you are missed. I hope you will make it a priority and to get out next week to worship with us.

Sunday, May 28, 2006

Memorial Day is a day that we remember the sacrifice that soldiers have made for our freedom, remembering those who died so that the vision of liberty could become a reality (or stay a reality) in the United States. And after we took time in the beginning of our services to recognize those who were either active or retired military, we spent our time in service talking about the vision (perspective) that God has for our lives.

We began a new mini-series called "Still Counting," the fact that God thinks numbers are important (He named a whole book after it!), and that when God wants to do something in our lives or in our church, He adds certain ingredients - passion (for God, for others), His presence, His power, and His perspective - God use addition to accomplish His purposes.

I asked Rod, Ed, and Lee to give the congregation their thoughts when we talked about God adding His presence, and how we desire "a habitation, not just a visitation." Rod said that God inhabits the praises of His people, so that a consistent praise will bring a consistent Presence. Ed emphasized that the King won't come when there is no throne, so we must give Him a throne in our lives and in our church; and Lee emphasized that when God does fill a place, while God's glory will fill that place, that place cannot contain Him.

It was a good day, and the worship in both services was good. We introduced the song, "Blessed Be Your Name," and it was received very well - I pray that The Journey's desire for God will continue to grow, and that the worship will come forth more and more like a mighty waterfall each week, with no choice but to overflow in power.

Good attendance today for a Memorial Day weekend - we had 127. If you missed it, join us next week as we discover how God uses subtraction to bring about His purposes for the church.

God is good - blessed be YOUR name!

Sunday May 21, 2006

Luke 15:3-4 - "So Jesus used this illustration: "If you had one hundred sheep, and one of them strayed away and was lost in the wilderness, wouldn't you leave the ninety-nine others to go and search for the lost one until you found it? And then you would joyfully carry it home on your shoulders."

The lost was the focus this morning in our worship - the lost that do not yet know Jesus Christ but who need to. Today I preached a purposely unbalanced message, specifically focusing on our need to care for the lost and to tell them about the love of the Father. It was a tough message in that we don't nearly focus on those outside the church as much as we should, instead choosing to make those in the church comfortable and happy. Not that this isn't important, but when our comfort outshines the world's lostness, than the church has lost its ability to be light as Jesus was the Light.

But this message was also a recognition that we have gone back on our heals, allowing our space to dictate our spark - not doing church-wide outreach because it would mean adding another service. I recognized that as a leader, that's my fault as it was my decision. We won't make that same mistake again.

Today's worship was good in both services - actually, both services were good, as The Journey was ready overall to receive the word. Our attendance was 118.

Sunday, May 14, 2006 - Mother's Day

Mother's Day 2006 was historic in our region as the rain continued to fall and flooding began to be the major news story - even causing 7-8 families in our church to relocate because of dangerous conditions.

But I was impressed as people came out to worship today, and for the services we had 139 in attendance. It was a good day to be in the house of God with His people, and it was good to be back with my spiritual family.

Today I delivered my first legitimate Mother's Day message, preaching on "How to Become God's Mom," looking at the life of Mary and learning from her. The response was good, but the Lord really spoke through Ed today. At the end of the message, Ed added something very close to this: "When did Mary become pregnant? She did not become pregnant until she said, 'May it happen to me just as you, Gabriel, have said (Luke 1:38).' Immediately after that (Luke 1:39), Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth, and at the implication is clear that Mary is pregnant. When we decide to believe God and trust Him, there is all the release that God needs to do what He wants to do. May our attitude be like Mary's - 'May it happen to me just as you have said!'"

It was a good Mother's Day, as we also in each service took time to honor our wives and moms around us - this seemed a bit awkward in the second service, but it was very touching and moving specifically in the first.

I thank God for what He continues to do at The Journey.

Sunday, April 23, 2006

"From Major Messes to Masterpieces, part 2" - that was our focus today as we finished up the seven declarations that we can make as God's masterpieces (a declaration is when I act on my belief that what God says is true by speaking it out regardless of the circumstance). After all was said and done, these were the 7 declarations:

1. I am timeless.
2. I am priceless.
3. I am part of a greater picture.
4. I am original.
5. I am lovable.
6. I am a work in progress.
7. I am fixable.

I have really enjoyed preaching lately as I often am sensing anticipation and receptiveness from The Journey as the word is spoken. People were declaring these things during the invitation, and the Holy Spirit is doing a great work. In both services combined, we had 145, but the day had only begun at that point.

Candace and James Smith (and Quincy and Christopher) were visiting, which was great. I love those guys. But that afternoon, a bunch of people went to Wild Willy's Burgers for lunch to say goodbye to James and Candace. It was such fun! Church, I am convinced that we are missing out on fellowship opportunities - let's use Sundays to reconnect, and use the small groups to connect even more deeply.

But also, the church body began a church-wide 3 day fast (from Sunday at 7pm until Wednesday at 7pm), and we kicked it off with a 7pm worship time at the church. Without exaggeration, it was phenomenal. It was free-flowing, and there were times of singing, and times of silence, clapping and kneeling, calling out and singing solo, proclaiming the word - it was a great step for our body, and a great way to start out a fast. God continues HIS work at The Journey.

I would love to hear some stories from those who participated, as well as stories or words from those who fasted (whether partially or entirely). Feel free to post responses.

Sunday, April 16, 2006 - Easter Sunday

We relocated to the Knights of Columbus Hall in Rochester for today's Easter's service (also see November 20, 2005 service). We relocate primarily for our church body to come together as one unit and worship together in unity, and it was a good day for that. I believe our visitor traffic was cut down drastically because of our switch, but it was something that I felt was necessary and good.

About the service itself, we had a free lunch and free pictures beforehand for anyone who wished to partake (which many did), and we started at 10am. The worship was good, and we intro'd a new song "Only a God Like You" which was received very well.

My message was extemporaneous, as I was ready to do part 2 of the message, "From Major Mess to Masterpiece," but I just felt from the time I woke up (about 4:30am) that God was leading me in a different direction, to speak on the resurrection. So I did - and I talked about what the resurrection means to those who are confronted with it. To the women, it meant salvation. To the guards, it meant fear and death. To Peter and the disciples, it meant another chance.

Overall, it was a good day. We were not up in attendance as we had 149 (nor were we down). It was THE day to celebrate what the Lord has done, and that's what we did.

Sunday, April 9, 2006

From Major Messes to Masterpieces - that was the theme of today, as well as the next couple of weeks. We are focusing on Ephesians 2:10 - "We are God's masterpiece..." and today's service was good for many reasons.

1) We created our first Journey masterpiece, making a collage of handprints, thumbprints, brush strokes, and more that represents our renewed commitment to the church as the body and masterpiece of God. It went surprisingly smooth.
2) The Lord's Supper - communion - was precious, especially in the second service as we mixed in music during the communion, singing "Amazing Love" with the distribution of the bread and "Nothing But the Blood" during the juice. Very powerful.
3) The message was well-received, and Ed's application at the end of the first service was perfect - the declarations "I am timeless, priceless, and part of a greater picture" are things we can say anyway, even when the enemy would tell us differently.
4) The decor aided the message - people were surprised by the artwork displayed, the music - it created ambience that is good to have.
5) We had 159, which is fantastic!
6) Best news of the day - we had one teenager who was visiting with Leiah indicate that she prayed with me and invited God into her life. I did not get her name.
7) George, who got saved two weeks ago, was also back!

There is so much growth that needs to happen at The Journey, and so many of you are struggling with personal issues or spiritual issues. The declarations you heard can help stand in your fight against the enemy who would lie and tell you that you are worthless and have no value.

My encouragement to you for next Sunday when we meet at the Knights of Columbus Hall is from the song "Sing to the King":

Come, let us sing a song. A song declaration "WE BELONG TO JESUS" - He is all we need."

Lord, we Your church, The Journey, we belong to YOU!

Sunday, April 2, 2006

One of the parts of the pastoral ministry that I love is baptism. I love seeing people follow the Lord, obeying Him in this area, and submitting themselves to biblical baptism. But even before actually baptizing people, I love to talk with them and explain to them what baptism is all about - the symbolism, the identification, and the blessing that comes along with baptism. So any day that I get to "dunk" some Christians, it excites me.

Today, I baptized seven people (see pictures below), and it was great. Baptism also means that we typically have visitors with us, so there is always added excitement. Not that I need more excitement - today, I felt like I spoke 1000 words per minute - maybe I need to lay off the caffeine a little! :) But I think that the moods and participation in both services were good, and I pray that the Lord takes me to another level in my preaching, as I preach for life change. I spoke today on being "Changed by Love" from Ephesians 2:4-7, and how we we receive God's love in our lives, He gives us life, changes our situations by changing us, and give us rest (coinciding with being made alive in Christ, raised with Him, and seated with Him in the Heavenly Realms) - it went well overall.

The worship went well today too - please pray as Bill continues to transition into this role, that he will really grasp the aspect of leading our church into worship every time. That is his heart, but is something that takes time and can be frustrating. But I thank God that Bill is stepping forward. May God be glorified in all of this.

Overall good day today - we had 137. The Lord is good. The Lord, He is God!

Before preaching, Pastor stands in the middle of the chairs in the auditorium and talks about the "spiritual pinata," i.e. the "windows of heaven" that would open up every time we get together if we would seek God's face and ask Him to work... 

This is Kate Ferrigno, a woman who joined us at the beginning of our 40 Days campaign in October. She wanted to be baptized, identifying herself completely with Christ and with The Journey. 

Kate is underwater, being buried in the likeness of his death. We baptize by immersion, associating with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

This is Carolyn Guthrie, who asked to baptized as a follower of Jesus Christ. Carolyn's son was with us today, witnessing this wonderful event.  

Carolyn comes up out of the water, ready to grow more in Christ, committed to Him as a disciple. 

This is Ella Adams. Ella insisted on getting together with me this week and talking about baptism, so we did, and she wanted to take this step. She had invited Jesus Christ into her heart during our children's Sunday School. 

Ella comes up out of the water, solid in her decision to obey Jesus Christ and be baptized. 

This is Ben Chamberlin, whose family was with us witnessing his baptism. I am so excited to see what the Lord is doing in Ben's life. 

As Ben comes up out of the water, I hold the back of his head because I bumped it against the side of the pool! Ben is a new man as he follows the Lord in obedience. 

This is Melinda Chamberlin, Ben's wife. They are a spiritually growing couple, involved in our Gatekeeper's ministries.  

Melinda comes up out of the water, and I am smiling because I also bumped her head! But besides the small concussions, I am grateful to God to have made a difference in Melinda and Ben's lives!  

This is Johnathon Hellman, a man who joined us back in October and received Christ into his life. I am excited to see him follow the Lord in baptism, and I pray that the Lord will continue to make him into the man God wants him to be. 

Johnathon comes up out of the water, to walk in a new way of life as a committed follower of Jesus Christ. 

Before each baptism, I read from Matthew 3:13-17, the baptism of Jesus. I do this because my pastor that led me to the Lord did this, and I have always loved what this passage meant - when I heard it, it meant someone was following the Lord in baptism... 

Monica Harris is a 9 year old who has asked Jesus into her heart and wanted to be baptized. 

Monica Harris comes up out of the water, raised to walk in a new way of life. 

Sunday, March 26, 2006

Today was a good day at The Journey. To begin, we had 139, which is a good attendance - it seems that our building just gets smaller and smaller! I will be meeting with a consultant on Wendesday, April 5, to get things rolling on a building project, and so I am excited to report the progress of things as we begin to get moving in this area.

Today I preached on "But God...", emphasizing how God stepped in according to Ephesians 2:4-7. During the second service, I had two people raise their hands that they prayed with me to ask God into their lives, a man who visited with Todd Allen (George), and Michael Conrad's son. I am always excited to see the spiritually dead come to life right before our very eyes, and we consistently are seeing people invite the Lord into their lives.

As a brief synopsis of today, it was a good day at the Journey.

Sunday, March 19, 2006

Today was a good day, but perhaps a little different a day than we have experienced in a while. To begin, we had two deaths in our extended church family that was fresh on people's minds, and I think that led to a sort of lethargic feeling at times. But what I had to preach on from Ephesians 2:1-3 was a difficult subject - before we knew Christ, we were dead in our trespasses and sins, hopeless and helpless, BUT GOD stepped in - it was sweet to praise the Lord after preaching that message, singing Amazing Grace.

Our attendance today was 120, a little down from last week, and we had many people away. It happens, right? But if you missed, know that you were missed!

A couple of notes about today:

• Bill did another great job with the music - for the first time ever, I did not step in and do anything during the music - I just preached. I love that.
• Corey did a great job on the drums.
• I love what God is doing in our midst as we struggle at times. He shows Himself faithful, and I thank God for those who lend support and strength to others in crisis and need.

Each and every week, I come with anticipation to see what God is going to do next - it is so exciting to me to see the Lord work. In just a short time, The Journey has gone from small and insignificant to a growing force of believers who, while not perfect, truly seek God with their lives and in their hearts.

One further word: there is so much going on in our church body, so much to pray about, so many lives that the Lord is pruning and purifying. Satan would desire to snuff this church out through gossip, malicious talk, rumors, envy, and any other method. Let us refuse to be people who deal in these things - they have no place in this Place, God's PLACE. If you find yourself doing one of these things, things you know you should not, stop, ask God's forgiveness, and refuse to do it again.

God is good.

Sunday, March 12, 2006

Today was a day for dedicating babies here at The Journey, as we dedicated Samantha Johnson, Abigail Hampton, and Rachel Gibson to the Lord. It was a nice little ceremony (no pun intended), and we had 165 combined in our services today! On top of that, we had four people pray with me at the end of the service that they had invited Jesus Christ into their lives for the first time, including an aunt and uncle that were visiting for the baby dedication. I am anxious to follow up on this.

Because of the amount of people that we had, it has caused us to have to look at a 3rd service - which will be difficult but necessary. Even without our baby dedication visitors, we would have still had 150, so this is something that I would covet your prayers on.

Other notes from today:

• Bill did a GREAT job with the music, and I believe he has probably turned a corner (which I am very excited about) in his leadership. He is actually starting to lead worship, which is such a great thing, and I was very happy with the worship overall.
• I finished up my sermons from Ephesians 1, albeit probably a quicker ending than I would have liked to, but it was time to move on.
• Today, later on in the afternoon, I met with our new deacons for the first time, and I am excited about what these men will mean to our church. One of our first orders of business is assessing our financial situation so that we can set ourselves up to investigate clearing land, upgrading our current buildings, and building a newer building.
  

Overall, it was a great day, as we had our highest regular attendance ever! God is good.

Sunday, March 5, 2006

What can I say about our services this past week? Hallelujah, praise the Lord!

I personally entered this Sunday with a little trepidation. My sermon wasn't flowing like I really wanted it to flow, and quite frankly, by the end of the day, I still don't think it flowed like I wanted it to. But then, who am I, right? I preached on "The Domino Theory - Truths that Trigger God's Work in our Lives," and every person received a domino. The dominos represented a truth that we each need to respond to and obey.

By the end of the service at the invitation, many people had come down to the altar and committed to obeying the truth that the Spirit had revealed to them - I was very excited about that. But also, during our first service, we had four people (Jack, Carolyn, Matt, Sarah) who prayed with me to invite Jesus Christ into their lives! Praise the Lord for His victory in this place!

We had several first time visitors with us, including Rick (Kathy Boston's son-in-law); Matt & Sarah; and Carolyn was back for a second week with her husband, Dave (1st time). We also had two ladies whom I did not have the chance to meet, but hopefully will in the upcoming weeks.

Overall, it was a good day at the Journey - the Lord is doing some magnificent things, and we are thrilled to be a part of His expanding kingdom in this area.

Improving the friendship

Monday I wrote about Abraham being God's friend. I wrote that he was an ordinary man, with glaring weaknesses, who loved and obeyed God, and whom God considered His "friend." But Paul Harvey would be upset if I didn't give you "the rest of the story."

Genesis 22 is, in my opinion, one of the most difficult chapters in the Bible. It starts out with God asking Abraham to go and kill his only son, Isaac, as an offering to the Lord. As I read, my inner dialogue begins ranting and raving, "WHAT?! Kill his only son? God, are you CRAZY?! Why would God ask him to do this?"

As I read this, the Spirit began speaking to me, "Rob, what on this earth is your most valued possession?" That's easy - my wife and children. God asked Abraham to sacrifice his most prized possession, and Abraham agreed. The question in my spirit came, "Rob, would you? If God told you to give up your family for Him, would you? Would you sacrifice them?" (Note: in order to grasp this story, you have to contemporize it and understand that "sacrificing them" wouldn't mean "killing them" - but it would mean laying aside my will for their lives and acceping God's will, whatever that might be.)

Some of us think that our most prized possession would be something we do not yet have - would you give up your dreams, your retirement, your plans? And while that might be part of it, Abraham is asked to give up the one most valuable thing he already had - his son. And you know the story - Abraham gets ready to plunge the knife into his son's belly to sacrifice him to the Lord, and an angel stops him. God knew at that point that Abraham was willing to do whatever God asked him to - no matter what. In Abraham's life, NO ONE was more important that God, and furthermore, EVERYTHING that Abraham had was God's, including his son's life.
You don't get to be God's friend by just speaking to Him a few times a week and reading the Bible a little. Friendship with God is attained when we obey Him - even in the areas and circumstances of our live where we flat out don't understand why we should obey or even how we can obey Him. Friendship with God trusts that God is our Friend, and that He works all things out for our good, even when we don't understand it.

To be a friend of God means obedience to Him, trusting in Him completely - and that is a whole lot easier to talk about (and write about) than to actually live out. But my prayer is, "Lord, I still want to be your friend. When I am tested, may I obey you to the point of death if necessary. But may I always be your friend.

The Friend of God...?

One of the most profound statements that we have read and re-read in our small group's study, Secrets of the Vine, is the statement in John 15:14 where Jesus says, "You are my friends if you obey me." I am overwhelmed by this, considering my life and some of the decisions I have made, that GOD would even consider calling ME His FRIEND...

And then I am reminded of Abraham, the man in the Bible who was called God's friend. I am so grateful that Abraham's story is in the Bible (Genesis 12-25), because it reminds me that God doesn't expect me to be perfect to be His friend. One of the worst ways to read the Bible is to exalt the characters to a "larger than life" status, Reading the Bible this way causes us to feel inferior and unable to reach the heights that the men and women whose lives are recored in the Bible reached. But do you know anything about Abraham's life? Do you know that he was nowhere near perfect? Let me give you some details, and as I do, put yourself in his shoes - imagine if you did these things (or take comfort if you have done some of these things that you can still be a friend of God!):

• Abraham had a problem with lying (Genesis 12:10-13; 20:2);
• To make matters worse, when he lied, he lied about his wife and claimed she was his sister, thus turning her over to some magistrate's harem. In other words, his wife at two different times became part of a harem, subject to sexual slavery because Abraham didn't want to put himself in harm's way rather than trust God. Thank God that He intervened, because Sarah was probably ready to kill Abraham herself.
  
• He didn't rule his family very well, allowing Lot to "move his tents towards Sodom," a place of terrible immorality. There is more on this to come.
  
• Upon his wife Sarah's request, he married his servant so that he could have children.
  
• Abraham laughed at God in disbelief when God told him that Sarah would have a baby. God literally spoke to Abraham, and Abraham laughed at God!
• Abraham's nephew, Lot (who was entrusted into Abraham's care when his brother died) had to be dragged from Sodom when God was getting ready to judge it with fire and brimstone. Furthermore, Lot's two daughters then slept with their father to preserve their family line. Abraham had a dysfunctional family!

Abraham was not perfect, yet despite his imperfections, He obeyed God and believed in God's promises, even though he showed a huge lack of faith by laughing at God at one time. Abraham did do many great things for God, and was incredibly faithful. But he was also incredibly flawed.

Do you know why this is all significant? Because God uses ordinary, incredibly imperfect people to do His will, people who, though flawed, still have a desire to obey God. And if God could use Abraham, then He can use us. If God considered imperfect Abraham "the friend of God," then Jesus wasn't stretching the truth when He told His disciples, "You are my friends if you obey me."

Thank you, Lord, for giving me the example of Abraham, who despite his huge imperfections, followed you and was Your friend. Help me to obey You, so that I can also be Your "friend."

Sunday, February 26, 2005

Snow loves to come on the weekend, but it didn't keep most of our regular crowd from showing up today as we worshiped, commissioned, and learned "what do I do with my blessing?" from Ephesians 1:11-14.

First, the worship - it is getting better in some areas, even with the adjustments that are being made in the worship ministry. As I have led a few times, taking over for Bill near the end of a service, I feel that so many of you are ready to worship. Keep coming with hearts that are expecting to meet with God. There is a saying I want to adopt - "The attitude of expectancy is the breeding ground for the miraculous." God wants to do some miracles in our midst as we worship Him expectantly. Keep seeking God's heart in worship.

Second, we comissioned our deacons - Ed, Kyle, Corey - in both services. I am so excited to grant the authority of this church to these man to minister and to be an extension of this ministry. I have prayed for these men since before I knew them, back when I first came to The Journey and asked God to send me men like these. THANK YOU God for our deacons.

Third, we learned today that we are blessed to be instruments, not just recipients of blessing. I encouraged people to act on the fact that they are blessed - don't be spiritual gluttons, but be people who bless others.

I had some great conversations after each service, and I am excited about Mike & Andrea Minnon coming to our church, along with the faithfulness of Mike (can't remember the last name). Also, I was happy to meet Cheri's friend, Carol, and I hope she will be back again. I also got a chance to converse with Raquel, Veronica's friend. I pray that our church can be a blessing to her as well.

Thank you, Lord, for what you continue to do here. We had 119 with us today.

Andrea comes out of the water after she is baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 

This is Alex Landi, Andrea's brother. Alex is 7, and recently asked Jesus to come into his heart. I love baptizing children and helping set the path for their lives.  

This is Andrea Landi, the 10 year old daughter of Veronica Gauthier. Andrea recently asked Jesus to come into her heart, and she wanted to be baptized to show everyone that she is a Christian. 

Alex comes out of the water - raised to walk in a new way of life! 

One other note...

Yesterday I spoke with Jeremy Grieb for about 25 minutes as he is training to go to Iraq. He is somewhere out in the Southwest. Jeremy was asked to be a lay leader of religious services and had asked me for some recommendations on materials. But if you would like, you can email him at repairguy15@yahoo.com and encourage him. This will be a great opportunity for him to minister to others as well, so please pray for him and drop him an encouraging word!

Maybe someone would be willing to put together a care package?
- Pastor

Sunday, February 19, 2006

Today we had missionaries Chris and Stephanie Ballinger with us in both services. They are a couple that has just started raising support to go to the field of Mongolia, and they presented their ministry in song and video.

At the end of Chris's speaking, I challenged people to ask God to do in their lives whatever He wanted to do, to surrender themselves to His will. In both services, people came down to the altar and recommitted themselves to the Lord and His work. I love having missionaries with us because they remind us that ordinary people are the ones that God uses to minister in extraordinary ways.

We had 120 people with us, with many regulars missing, and we also had back several second-time visitors that I am excited about, including the Minnons and another family I can't remember the names. I was also VERY excited that The Journey gave a generous love offering to our missionaries, close to $1000! THANK YOU for your generosity!

Today's services were not typical services - I actually felt overall that they were somewhat lethargic, lacking spark. And there could have been any number of reasons for this, but it was noticeable probably because our services have not been like that in some time. But one lethargic Sunday doesn't define us, and with all that has been going on, maybe we should have expected the enemy to try and get us to be lackluster. But God is good, even when we aren't just teeming over with excitement, and He has so much in store for us over the coming months and year. To Him be the praise!

Saturday evening, February 18, 2006

Tonight was our annual Vision Meeting, but it was also the night when we officially voted in our first constitution and by-laws, three deacons, and our minister of records and finance. It was a very exciting night, so let me give you the run down:

1) It was an extremely cold night, so much so that the hose with the water froze, making it impossible to use the bathroom.
2) Due to the cold or to forgetfulness, it wasn't as nearly well-attended as I thought it would be. That was the worst part about the evening, in that we had 44 adults attend. I wish there were more, but I can only control my part. But it was a unanimous consensus on the constitution, and overwhelming majorities on all other votes.
3) In the meeting, I listed the 2005 recap

• Started our teen group in January
• Pastor Rob became part-time paid staff at church
• Switched to two services on Easter Sunday on March 27, 2005.
• Launched a 3-5 year old pre-school class.
• Pastor Rob became full time in June.
• Handed out close to 400 bottles of water at the Relay for Life.
• Replaced the sanctuary roof in June.
• Made major upgrades to sound system.
• Celebrated our two year birthday in July 2005 at the park.
• Added air condition to Sunday school building.
• Raised $2000 through personal contributions and carwash for Katrina relief.
• Went through our first church-wide campaign, 40 Days of Purpose.
• Started small groups successfully.
• Took on 3 missionaries – Bairds, Kyms, Crawfords.
• Purchased a plow truck.
• 45 people accepted Christ last year at The Journey.
• Had a high of 185 on Celebration Sunday.
• Baptized 13 people.
• Had approx. 310 first time visitors with us from January to December.

4) We also discussed our church goals for 2006:

• Invest in bringing people to Christ
• Number 1 focus of our ministry is bringing people into relationships with Jesus Christ – goal for 2006 – 75
• Number 2 focus of our ministry is making disciples – helping believers grow – our goal for 2006 – 60 people discipled by year’s end.
• Number 3 focus of our ministry is baptizing disciples – our goal for 2006 is 50.

• Strengthen our current ministries
• Only beginning one new ministry this year – DA2LJ. This is a ministry that strengthens our church by targeting new believers.
• We will seek to strengthen every other ministry.
• Add leaders.
• Add workers.
• Improve areas.
• Add space.

• Sharpen our ministry focus
• I am seeking to delegate and remove myself from the wide range of ministries that I have been involved in, including the music.
• My ultimate goal is to help our leaders and helpers focus on their particular areas of ministry rather than be so widespread.

• Solidify our financial budget.
• Cutting spending, saving more, while taking care of ministry obligations.
• We were in the black by $4,399 in ’05 – improving on that.
• This will allow us to actively explore our financial options to expand.

• Complete necessary building upgrades
• Running new water line to building.
• Replacing roofs of SS building and parsonage.
• Adjusting auditorium lighting.
• Replacing carpet in children’s areas with tile.
• Carpeting nursery.
• Adding a bathroom to SS building.
• Replace door in SS building.
• Repairs/minor upgrades to parsonage

• Expand our building facilities.
• We will need to go to three services soon to keep up with attendance increase.
• Explore temporary options for renting.
• Explore building beginning in fall of this year.

5) One of the very last goals we discussed was supporting the new church plant of Steve Jesmer, currently the executive pastor at GSBC who will be starting a church in Manchester within the year. Steve was one of the two pastors along with Anthony Milas who began The Journey, and so we are excited to get behind him and his ministry.

It was a good night, and the Lord blessed. I am excited to see what the Lord has next for us.

Sunday, February 12, 2006

Church was canceled today because of snow. :(

Sunday, February 5, 2006

Both services today were great, but for my money, I would say the second service was perhaps the best service we have ever had. The responses to the worship and the word were great all around, but in the second service we hit on a time of calling out to God and worship after the word was brought that in our church's experience was unparalleled.

To begin, the worship was great. People were ready, and they immersed themselves in praising God. We learned the song, "Love the Lord Your God," blasted out "How Great Thou Art," and just the whole worship time was incredible. The word was so well-received. After I spoke, I was so excited as people stood around the altar during the invitation, reaffirming and re-establishing God as the authority in our lives (according to the blessing of authority from Ephesians 1:9-10).

But it was after the invitation that God decided to stay around :) because we were serious about applying the word to our lives, and so we just began to praise the Lord and declare His authority in our lives and in our church, and then we worshipped some more. Honestly, I believe our church reached another level of worship - not that we will automatically stay there, but we know that God has a breakthrough in store and if we come prepared and surrendered like we did this past week, it will become our regular worship.

I heard a message today and there was something explained that I need to pass along:

• There is the favor (blessing) of God in church – we don’t just come to church, we come to experience something that God has deposited in this day for us – it’s called favor.
  

I think God was pleased, and He annointed our church with His favor in our worship this past weekend. But I know He wants this for us EVERYTIME, and He actually deposits it in our church in advance for us to experience, if we will seek it out. May this be the desire of our hearts without fail every time we come together, to find the deposit of favor God has for us!

As you can tell, I am so very excited about what we felt and experienced this past week - even with many regulars missing, we still had 132, and God was near. I look forward eagerly to this coming Sunday!

A summation of two weekend services

Please forgive me for my lack of updates for the last two weeks - a number of things have kept me away, so here is my attemt at catching up.

Sunday, January 22, 2006 - Something broke in my preaching during this service. I was very excited to preach about the blessing of election and how it impacts our Christian lives. But for me, I felt that God was behind my words. Not that I never feel this way, but the Lord is working in my life, shaping me and refining me, and I was just excited to deliver this word and to see the results. Praise God - He made it work, and it really hit home. This service was a good start as for the first time in weeks, we did not have snow on a Sunday. We also had 142, which was our highest non-special event total ever. I really feel as if we have hit a time of favor with God, and He is blessing us in new ways.

Sunday, January 29, 2006 - Last Sunday was favorable, and this day was also favorable but with distractions - flickering lights, plumbing issues, etc. These tried to hinder our worship at times, but the message was received fairly well as looked at the blessing of adoption, and how we can "say it anyway!" Our attendance was good at 132.

Today was special because I was able to baptize 2 wonderful kids, Andrea and Alex (Veronica's kids). It is always a wonderful thing to baptize children who are just beginning their Christian lives, and who know that Jesus Christ is their Savior. A friend of the Gauthier's that visited for Andrea & Alex's baptism also prayed and invited the Lord into her life - pray as we follow up with this. I will post pictures of the baptism when I receive them.

God is moving at The Journey - we have hit a good spot, and I am excited about what is coming up.

Sunday, January 15, 2006

It is becoming awfully easy for us to predict when snow will fall around here - sometime on a weekend, probably on Sunday! This was the second week in a row we had snow, but for the most part, few people stilled home.

Our first crowd was a bit under-sized and sleepy - I think they would admit that. But a large majority of our part decided to show up at the lat service, and quite honestly, it was a very good service. The music was hitting on all cylinders, and the receptivity to the message from Ephesians 1:3 was tremendous, as so many Christians came down to the altar to begin walking in the truth - God is a blessed God who desires to bless us and has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms. Rather than wait, people decided to walk in the truth right then, right there. As we continue our focus on truth through Ephesians, I am excited to see the results of Christians having their lives transformed. Good stuff.

We actually had a bunch of visitors today from the area, people that I hope will join us again. Some of them came because of a good word from another church in Maine (about an hour away), and then some others were invites. It is a great thing to have new faces week after week as the Lord brings people through our doors. Thank you to all of you who invite your family and friends. May the Lord continue to change lives through this place.

If you missed today, we missed you, we really did. But you missed out, you really did. The Holy Spirit is planting this seed at The Journey, this seed of revelation and truth that is getting ready to sprout. When it does, watch out! :)

Sunday, January 8, 2006 - the beginning of Ephesians

Snow was the surprise element outside this morning, and I am sure that it prevented some from coming to church - SIGH! But we had a good crowd (about 100) who showed up and worshiped with us. This was a good day for several reasons - if you are missing out, you need to start showing up! Reasons why you need to be at church...

1) The worship is great! Our praise band, week after week, continues to excel and draws people into an exciting and intimate time of worship. But I am VERY excited as we continue our musical transition, bringing in Bill and Sharon Gaudet in to take over the worship. I just cannot wait until it is fully released, and they have the ability to usher us into God's presence every week. This week's worship continue our move out of Christmas and into some greater levels of intimacy.

2) The people are encouraging and real. I love this church because every person is real. These aren't Sunday Christians who are fake - as a matter of fact, our people go from real to raw. They don't hide and don't play games. And that's good - but God sees to the heart (Jeremiah 17). And the people are encouraging - not saying that we always get "it" right, but we have people who genuinely help and encourage others.

3) The word is coming from Ephesians, focusing on the Truth that will set us free this year. I am more excited about this study through Ephesians than about any other sermon series I have preached - it is going to be good as we unload all that God has for us from this book.

You don't want to miss what's ahead here at The Journey - MANY things in the next month:

• January 15-21 - Small groups start again

• Sunday, January 29 - Charter Sunday when we ratify our first ever constitution - also BAPTISM Sunday (if you are interested in getting baptized, email me.)

• Saturday, February 4 - Annual Vision Night

• Sunday, February 5 - Super Bowl Sunday and Tailgate Party

• Friday and Saturday February 10 & 11 - DA2LJ Training

• Sunday, February 19 - Missionaries to Mongolia, Chris and Stephanie Ballinger will be in our services with us.

So much is happening right now - and it is a great time to be at The Journey.

From God to me to you...

I wanted to share an insight that I received this morning in my devotions with you...
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Passion and vision spark me - they excite me. You show me somebody who is passionate and has vision, and I will show you somebody who has the firstfruits of being a great leader. Reading today in I Thessalonians 2, two statements Paul makes get me excited. One is his response to the church, and the other is the church's response to him.

1) His response to the church - vs. 8 "We loved you so much that we gave you not only God's Good News but our own lives, too." This is passion. The job was to preach the Gospel. But the ministry and passion was that Paul and his leaders gave so much more - they gave themselves, too. These weren't hired hands, denominational appointees, traveling evangelists with an eye on the money - these were men who told people that God loved them and then demonstrated that love. YOu see, preaching is the easy part. If all there was to pastoring was preaching, then the best pastors would be the best teachers and most intelligent communicators. But that's not it. The pastor's heart and feet are just as important as the pastor's mouth, if not more. Ok - he preaches really good. In what ways is he invested in his people. The message isn't the only part of the investment, the only part of pastoring. It's giving our lives for people.

The people at Thessalonica were no different than people today (outside of cultural differences). They laughed and loved; they experienced pain, hardship and death; they struggled with the government and taxes and making a living; they had to trust God with their finances and life situations; they could get bad attitudes and question authority - they were normal regular Joe's and Jane's just like we have today - although back then they were regular Justus's and Priscilla's.

2) The church's response to Paul - Paul's investment of himself and the Gospel message brought about a response that every pastor would KILL for, but few are willing to PAY for. Notice verse 13 - "And we will never stop thanking God that when we preached his message to you, you didn't think of the words we spoke as being just our own. You accepted what we said as the very word of God--which, of course, it was. And this word continues to work in you who believe." The response of the people was to accept the words of Paul and the leaders who surrounded him as the very word of God! But that acceptance was due to the initial investment. The church there trusted Paul because they saw his compassion for them, his labor for them, and his desire for them to grow. It wasn't only that his words were authoratative, but his life was authoratative!

But lest we get some who doubt and say that their acceptance of his words "as the very word of God" was extended because of Paul's apostleship, note that Paul uses the words "we" - he is not speaking only of himself. The letter of 1 Thessalonians was from Paul, Silas, and Timothy (see 1:1) - one apostle and two pastors! The words of Pastors Silas and Timothy were accepted as the very word of God!

Lord, as I invest my life into my people, may they receive the words You give through me without question and as being from You!

New Year's Day 2006

I always appreciate nice comments about a message or service, and I was blessed when one of the women in our church said that this message was "exactly what I needed to hear." I spoke today on "Resolving to Have a Happy New Year," going from Ephesians 5:15-17, invited people to keep an eye on the time, make the most of opportunities, and know what God wants them to do. A fitting message for a new year. I can hardly believe it is 2006! At some point, I will do a "year in review:2005" - I am excited about what this year brings.

We did a combined service again today, but I think the snow kept some away. We had close to 100, but many people were missing - still in holiday mode! :)

Today was an important day for two reasons:
1) we handed out the preliminary copies of our first church constitution. This document will define who we are and what we do for years to come, and I am excited to get it solidified.
2) Bill Gaudet, our new worship minister, took a small step toward leading today and did a good job. I am working to transition that ministry over to him completely by the end of January, and I think that will happen without a hitch.

Good stuff to begin a good new year. Next week we begin a sermon series from Ephesians, starting our year of walking in the truth. I appreciate your prayers in regards to my preparation and delivery of these messages.

Christmas morning 2005

Merry Christmas! On a beautiful winter morning here in Rochester, we sang and celebrated the birth of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Our biblical focus was 2 Corinthians 9:15 - "Thank God for his Son--a gift too wonderful for words!" Thank You, Lord, that You came to us in our desperation, and You not only died for us, but You continue to bless us in so many ways. You are a Gift too wonderful for mere words.

This was a great day. Truly. We worshiped Christ, the newborn King. Most of our hour together (we met from 9am to 10am as promised) was spent in singing and music. Sharon Gaudet sang a song she wrote called "Babe in a Manger" and it was phenomenal. Thank you, Lord, for providing us with such talent. We watched a video presentation to the song "Welcome to Our World" by Chris Rice, which was absolutely beautiful. (I) Pastor Rob sang, "Strange Way to Save the World," and then he spoke for a few minutes on 2 Corinthians 9:15.

We had 100 people join us, and it was a great morning to just come and celebrate. Thank You, Lord, for the gift of a community of believers. We love You.