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Today is one of my favorite Sundays at Hesston MB Church.  It is the day we introduce new teachers for our Sunday School classes, present small gifts to 1st Graders as they promote out of Children's Church, and present Bibles to our 3rd graders.  We also host a brunch for our youth and adults after all the teachers from children through adults have been introduced.  It is a great kickoff to our year together in "Making Disciples who Make Disciples." But even more than all of these great things, it is a reminder of my calling and the faithfulness of God.  It was on Promotion Sunday in 2008 that I interviewed for the ministry position I now serve in.  Bethany and I sat in the Promotion Sunday activities and were blessed by the stories of leaders sharing how they were called to teach children and youth. We joyfully participated in worship as God confirmed to us that this was where we were to be.  So, if you are looking for a church home, join us today....

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...

Yes, it is the first day of no shave November which I am participating in this year.  But that is not what I am talking about. Today is the 5th anniversary of my first day at Hesston MB.  I began my ministry in Hesston on November 1, 2008.  I have been blessed by the body of Christ at Hesston MB and we love the community of Hesston.  It has been a joy to see how God is moving among this church family.  I look forward to many more years to come.  Thank you God for calling me to Hesston and for equipping me for ministry here! Tonight I think we will celebrate as a family.   Now, where should we go eat?

Last night, we kicked of our weekend of discussion and discernment with our candidate for Pastor of Youth and Family.  Jared Redding has been our interim youth pastor for 9 months and the search committee has chosen him to go before the congregation for the position.  I look forward to a great weekend with Jared and the congregation. It has reminded me personally of my call to Hesston.  I was in the same position about 5 years ago. My candidating weekend occurred mid-September 2008.  It was an exhausting, but exciting time for me and my family.  We are thankful and blessed to be in Hesston serving at Hesston MB Church. I look forward to going to work every day and to what God has in store for me in ministry, my family, and our church for the future. Blessings on you Jared as you go through this weekend!

Routines and rhythms are good. We need them in our lives in many ways such as chores, exercise, schedules, holidays. But what about our spiritual lives? Should our prayers, worship, Bible reading become routine? Steven Furtick in his new book, Greater, addresses this in Chapter 3. Here are a few quotes to ponder: "When you start mindlessly plowing, activities like Bible study and church attendance begin to fall more into the "I have to" than the "I get to" category." "Igniting God's vision starts with becoming more acutely aware of God's presence in your life." "Sure God is everywhere, but it's a different thing to believe that He's personally watching over the intricacies of your life." "It shouldn't freak you out to realize that God's eyes are on you. Because He doesn't see you through eyes of disapproval or disappointment. His presence is not a sign of condemnation. It's ...

I stared a new book on Thursday called The Gospel of Yes by Mike Glen. I picked this book up at the D6 Conference this year. Glen was one of the main stage speakers and this book grabbed my attention. One of his points is that Christians often are known by what we are against rather than what we are for. This is a point that I strongly agree with. I am also interested in his focus on the Christian life in positive terms rather than negative. I look forward to reading more of his thoughts as I go through the book. Here are a few quotes from the introduction and first chapter: "Why do Christians think God would spend time making plans for them that are guaranteed to ruin their lives?" "Remember, God wants us to relax and be who he made us to be. He wants us to enjoy what we do." "But serving God and others in ways you were created and gifted for brings a natural sense of joy and soul satisfaction." "we were schooled on what we oppo...

Pete Wilson is up first at D6 2012.  Check out  Pete's blog. "When in the Bible did God give anyone an easy task?" In this room, we have thousands of people with a calling with massive implications. The temptation is to focus on wrong things. "What matters most is not what you accomplish, it's who you become." Our primary responsibility is to be present with Him.  John 15 says "Remain in me and I will remain in you. . . .Apart from me you will do nothing. The branch is to abide; to remain. "We are, therefore we act." The Christian life is to be committed to God. I must stay connected to Him and if I do fruit will come. Plan A is the family.  Are we going to choose God-sized obedience or a man-sized solution? Exodus 33: 7,11-"Then Moses would return to the camp . . .but Joshua did not leave the tent. "Maybe Moses was addicted to doing for God instead of just being with God." "Constant contact with o...

This weekend, my colleague and partner in ministry, Brad, is candidating for the lead pastor position at our church. As I have gone through the meetings today (and still more tomorrow), I am reminded of when I candidated at Hesston MB. It was a packed weekend of learning names and sharing my passion & vision for ministry. It was exhausting, yet exciting! As we drove home from the weekend, I was excited about the match between the position and my gifts. Now, as I look back, I can see how God prepared me for the ministry I now serve in. I am excited about what has occurred and what the future holds. I cannot imagine doing anything else right now. I love my ministry and the church. Thank you God for the calling you placed on my heart and for leading me to where I am now!