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.

Hurricane Relief Update

This was our report yesterday afternoon:

Hey guys,

Just left Bruce Stinson down in Beaumont, TX, an hour

east of us. Left him supplies, etc. Gas (unleaded and diesel) and gas tanks
are their greatest emergency need right now and it is hard or nonexistent
to find gas cans even here in our nearby town. We have plenty of gas but
they have neither gas or gas cans for 50 miles or more. I am about to order
them online and get them here to take to them!

The area does look like a bomb went off. Power is
still out. Access is not overly restrictive but they do stop each one entering
in on some areas to just ask what you are doing there. Bruce and his
people are weary but upbeat. They have their gymatorium filled with goods
and organized into a few hundred bags for families. He is also having a
special service for all the community and churches tonight. His church
building sustained very heavy damage though repairable over time. He has a
great church and people and a ripe opportunity to show Jesus and the Gospel in
this dire time. They are filled with families from the surrounding communiyt with little babies. The county judge would not let Red Cross set up a shelter at tehir church (for political reasons).

Pray for them:
-for Bruce and his family's needs
-for Bruce's leadership (which is excellent)
-for his church folk: they are stressed and tired and the road is long yet
for them all

Just givin a report so you all can mention it in prayer in your respective
services tonight,

Walt

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

September 25, 2005

For the final week of Experiencing the Hope of Jesus, I wanted to preach a message different than I have preached before - no handouts, no powerpoint, and freedom to daydream. Why? Because we were talking about heaven, and there is no way to adequately describe the joys and wonder of heaven, I didn't want our imaginations to be held to words or images. I don't know how successful I was at getting my point accross, but even the Apostle John in Revelation is left to use similes and metaphors when describing the things he sees. So perhaps it is best that rather than telling what heaven is like, maybe I could give a glimpse of how absolutely unimagineable it is. I used the songs Imagine by John Lennon and I Can Only Imagine by Mercy Me to demonstrate the point.

I was moved when our congregation began lifting their voices during I Can Only Imagine. I almost couldn't sing, as I felt the presence of God draw near as we drew near to Him. I so long for our congregation to experience this movement of God regularly.

A highlight of our Sunday was baptizing three people - Veronica and Kregg Gauthier, and Silas Thompson (see pictures below). I am always glad to witness people follow the Lord in this area. I pray for each person, that the Lord will grow and mature them in Christ.

It was a good day at the Journey, with an attendance of 95 and a good spirit.