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Today is the fuzion trip to Salina to Kenwood Cove Waterpark & Freddys. We had 12 students who memorized all the verses to be able to attend. Here are a few pictures:

I am thankful to be part of a community of churches that works together to host Vacation Bible School for 4 year olds through 6th grade.  The week of June 2-6 from 6:15-8:30 p.m. children age 4 through 4th grade will be enjoying VBS at Whitestone Mennonite, Hesston Mennonite, Hesston United Methodist, and Kingdom Life Ministries.  5th and 6th grades will enjoy one day of VBS at Hesston MB Church from 1-8 p.m. on Saturday, June 7th.  If you have not registered yet, please do so by the end of the day today for planning purposes.  You can still attend VBS if you miss the deadline, but you will need to register at your child's church based on age.  Here is the registration link

I am currently reading Jesus > Religion by Jefferson Bethke.  I am holding off on the recommendation because I am only a few chapters in.  But here are a few quotes: It isn't just good advice (religion); it's good news (Jesus). Jesus became the face of the Law rather than the concrete tablets Moses is always holding in those ancient depictions. Love is the new law. That is the essence of fundamentalism--living by the rules to stay out of trouble rather than seeing the rules as tools to bring us into intimacy and joy. We exchange relationship with God for a bunch of church games. There is no glory brought to God's name when people are doing something because it's an obligation, with no real enjoyment of their Creator. In speaking of the parable of the prodigal son, Bethke writes, "God gives grace to the younger and the older. No one is past redemption. No one is past grace. All God wants is for both the religious and the rebellious to come into the part...

Need to be reminded about the amazing grace we have received?  Listen to this song about our great God today.

We have come to the end of the Bible and sharing verses based on my word for 2014.  At the end of the world, Jesus wins! Listen to these verses from Revelation 19:1: 19  After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,

Over the last week, I have been sharing quotes from Gospel by J.D. Greear.  Here are some more quotes about transformation. The power for transformation comes from the gospel. We are changed not by being told what we need to do for God, but by hearing the news about what God has done for us. Gospel change is the Spirit of God using the story of God to make the beauty of God come alive in our hearts. Awe combined with intimacy is the essence of Christian worship. . .Really seeing those three things, God's awesome size, His untouchable holiness, and His tender mercy, is how we will change too. The way we will stop sinning is not by being told over and over, "Stop sinning!" but by seeing the majesty and glory of God in our hearts. Before Christianity tells you to do anything, it calls you to sit in wonder and amazement at what God has done for you.          

Today, I am in Yates Center celebrating my 20th High School Reunion. I can't believe I have been out of high school for that long.  Here is my senior picture from high school:

On Wednesday night, Mitchell had his 8th grade promotion at Hesston Middle School. Here are a few pictures from the night:

Here is another song to remind us of  the great God we worship. We sang this song at Exponential in Orlando.  Turn it up!

While I was traveling to Exponential conference, I finished Gospel by J.D. Greear.  I highly recommend this book to everyone.  J.D. (who I happen to love his name as a fellow initialer) does a great job explaining how the gospel impacts all we do.  Today, I am going to share some introductory quotes.  In a few days, I will share his Gospel Prayer.  Enjoy these quotes! I want you to see the gospel not only as the means by which you get into heaven, but as the driving force behind every single moment of your life. The goal of the gospel is to produce a type of people consumed with passion for God and love for others. but read fruit comes only from one place: abiding in Jesus. . .In the same way, spiritual fruit isn't made by focusing on the commands of spiritual growth. . .but true spiritual fruit comes from getting swept up in intimate, loving encounters with Jesus Christ. His love is the soil in which all of the fruits of the Sprit grow. . ....

You can read my notes from all of the speakers in previous blog posts.  Today, I am sharing some of my favorites from different speakers: Don't assume God is not at work in certain people or certain places. Be looking or listening for how God is already working. (Deb Hirsch) When Jesus says one thing and we experience something else, it should lead us to ask why. (Lance Ford) Discipleship is moving from unbelief to belief in all of life. All sin comes from unbelief. 4 Truths about God: God is Great so you don't have to be in control. God is Glorious so you don't have to fear others. God is Good so you don't have to look elsewhere for your satisfaction. God is Gracious so you don't have to prove yourself to self, others or God. (Caesar Kalinowski) The church needs to have a big front door-new believers. The church needs to have a big back door-church planting. (Nicky Gumbel) Repentance means to believe the truth and live in light of that truth....

When we reflect on God's power, it causes us to bow down in worship. Today's verse based on my word for 2014 is from Revelation 4:11: 11  “Worthy are you, our Lord and God,      to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things,      and by your will they existed and were created.”

Below are more quotes from Crash the Chatterbox by Steven Furtick. That's because the resistance is always fiercest on the borderline of a breakthrough. God's grace doesn't clear the tracks of discouragement and setbacks. It gives me the power to override the reasons I should stop. And keep rolling.  Every Christian has a calling. And the chatterbox is assigned to interrupt that calling. The ability to overcome discouragement is driven by our intentional decision to reassure ourselves: God says I can. Inner conflict is often a confirmation of your calling. The Enemy only fights those who pose a threat. disappointment is the gap between what I expect and what I experience. Allowing God to fill your gaps means refusing to pretend the gaps don't exist. But it also means refusing to attempt to fill the gaps in ways--or with people--that can't get to job done. Only God is big enough to fill the gap. Don't let what you expected keep you from what God wa...

My post for today is over at http://www.1corinthians13parenting.com/blog/  today.  It is on teaching your children (and yourself) about God's faithfulness, goodness, and provision.  Enjoy!

Here is another great song that we sang at Exponential in Orlando.  Listen to the promises throughout the song.  God is worthy of our praise!

The power of Jesus is available to us through the Holy Spirit.  Listen to what this power has accomplished in 2 Peter 1:3: His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,

Below are my notes from my sermon today at Hesston MB.  The passage was John 6:16-36. Opening- THINGS A MOM DOESN'T WANT TO HEAR 1. I swallowed a goldfish. 2. Your lipstick works better than crayons. 3. Does grape juice leave a stain? 4. Look, I painted the front door! 5. The principal called... 6. But DAD says that word all the time. 7. What's it cost to fix a window? 8. The dog doesn't like dressing up in your clothes. 9. Has anyone seen my earthworms??? 10. I'm going to run away!! (Well, maybe SOME days...) Background- Our passage follows the feeding of the 5000 where not only did Jesus do a miracle to feed the people, but He did so abundantly where 12 basketfuls were left over. Jesus walking on water is written about in Matthew 14 & Mark 6   (Vs. 16-21) Jesus is powerful Vs. 19-they saw Jesus approaching. . . Their response: terrified. Why? Amazed at this miracle, thought he was a ghost, stressed out by the wind & waves. Ou...

In Crash the Chatterbox, Steven Furtick discusses in Section 3 the differences between condemnation and conviction.  Here are a few quotes to help you know whether the voice you hear is Satan or the Holy Spirit: Satan's main job isn't temptation. It's accusation...When the two work in tandem, the one-two punch they deliver can paralyze even the strongest saints. In other words, I needed to acknowledge the substance of my sin. But then I needed to allow the Holy Spirit to take my guilt to a redemptive place. The Enemy may have a word. But he doesn't have the last word. Would have. Could have. Should have. This is the language of condemnation underscored by the passivity of regret. A believer who is equally convinced of these two realities--sin is serious, but Christ is enough--is the Enemy's worst nightmare. Condemnation's greatest talent is imitation. Conviction is the work of the Holy Spirit. Condemnation is the Enemy's best impersonation of th...

In preparation for preaching this Sunday as well as facilitating a Sunday School Class on One Way Love , I was listening to several songs from Les Miserables.  I had to find back tears for several of them because of the power of the songs and the truth of the message of grace and law.  I decided to share a video of one which illustrates where a focus on the Law can lead.  If you have not watched the movie or read the book, it might help you better understand this clip.

I will be sharing over the next few weeks some new songs that I learned at Exponential.  The song today was the "theme song" for the week. 

My word for 2014 is power.  It is the Greek word, dynamis. It can refer to human power, but most often it focuses on God's power which may be given to us.  An example of that is seen in today's verse from 2 Timothy. 7  for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.         (2 Timothy 1:7)

Our worship today has a theme of God's power.  Here is a song that encourages me every time I sing it.  Be reminded of this truth today.

God ambushed me with a quick question. What are you going to trade your life for? There is an undeniable link between evangelism and church planting. Church planting is the single most effective evangelistic methodology under heaven. (C. Peter Wagner) Luke 19:10-Jesus' mission Reason I got into church planting: Help people find their way back to God.

39 years ago, church planting was non-existent. I never thought I would see a day when church planting was popular. Two terrible reasons for planting a church 1. Hippest, trendiest thing going on in church work today 2. Shortcut the developmental process of becoming a senior pastor Luke 16:10-leapfrog from t-ball to major leagues can be dangerous  Two terrific reasons for planting a church 1. So bound in Spirit to do so that it would be treason to do otherwise(Acts 20) 2. No existing church is willing to risk what you are called to do for kingdom of God God: Anyone missing from my family is like a missing kid to me. Will you search for them? It made me look at people differently.  Justice-Getting what you deserve; Mercy-Getting less than you deserve; Grace-receiving gift you don't deserve The only thing you can do when looking over the Grand Canyon is gasp.  The same is true about grace.  

1 Corinthians 5:14-20 Matthew 9:37 I said,"God, you need to send workers. God said,"How about I send you?Will you go" Are the things you are living for worth Christ dying for? 2 Corinthians 5:14 The purpose of my life does not revolve around me. When I grasp God, I find my hands are already full with the things of the world. John 12:24-Only in dying to self can we truly live. No great advances have been made in Christianity w/o men/women giving up lives. Live for Him who died for you!   

gcdiscipleship.org Matthew 28:19-20 What is gospel centered discipleship?  Holiness is essential to Christian life. This is vertical discipleship. Missional is important to Christian life as well. This is horizontal discipleship. Is discipleship a code word for plate spinning? Don't put your focus on your holiness or mission, but instead on Jesus. This is diagonal discipleship.  Your life as a disciple is centered on you if you focus on vertical or horizontal discipleship. Jesus break the plates. Go in authority of Jesus not our piety or mission or our authority. Daniel 7 Are we enamored with our discipler or Jesus? Discipleship is a community project and a Trinity endeavor. Baptize into Jesus not into us. Great commission is all about Jesus and in the process we make disciples. We teach people to obey Jesus. We honor Jesus in honor and repentance. Holiness makes a bad master. Master Mission is not merciful. What about Master Jesus? Jesus must be at center of our discipleship....