daddy4ms

So, today my baby went to her first day of Kindergarten.  She was excited and ready to go!  I, on the other hand, was a little sad.  I don't remember feeling this way about my older kids, but I think this was different with her being my youngest.  This was a reminder to me about the importance of teaching our children at home from the earliest age.  Not only are we teaching them about manners and behavior, but more so we need to be teaching about their spiritual lives.  I am reminded of familiar words shared during parent/child dedication: " 4  Fathers, do not exasperate your children;   instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. "  (Ephesians 6:4) " 4  Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6  These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7  Impress them o...

My last workshop at Orange was led by Daniel Scott.  He shared about the 5th/6th grade transition.  Here are my notes: The Kids-What is Generation Z? Born Between 1994 and 2010 Over 16 million in the US alone This Year's 5/6 Graders: 1999-2001 Most are growing up in a post 9/11 world They are more over-protected and over-parented than any previous generation. Tween-Agers-Do they even exist? Origins of the word: Late 90's when marketing companies studied brand awareness with 7-12 year olds (i.e. stores like Justice, Limited Too, etc.)  Buying power: Tweens spend $30 billion on clothes, music, toys, and entertainment each year. Youngest mother in 2011 was 11 years old. What do they face? Home: Untraditional 6 living generations Seniors 1900-1928 Builders 1929-1945 Boomers 1946-1964 Busters 1965-1980 Millenials 1981-1993 Generation Z 1994-2010 School: Unconventional Culture: Unprecedented "The problem: our culture is redefining the word, kid....

On April 30, 2010, Pastor Steve Toews left Hesston MB which began a transition of looking for a new lead pastor. As I look back, I am amazed at what God has done. The first Sunday after Steve left I preached on the importance of prayer during a transition like this. I put together a purple bulletin insert with things to pray through over the months to come. God has answered some amazing prayers. Like what? First, churches can become divided during a transition and our church has remain unified. Second, usually churches decline in numbers during a transition. However, we have seen many new people attend and join our church. Third, many times ministries go on hold during a transition. Amazingly, new ministries such as our movie ministry & CHICKS were started during the transition. Our leadership or staff do not take credit for any of these things, but attribute them all to the prayers of the people. To God Be the Glory! Today, Brad Burkholder will be installed as ...

Today, I preached on the topic of "Prayer Power" based on Philippians 1: 3-11. Paul is writing this letter to the church in Philippi from prison. This section is Paul's prayer for the church there. As I have written many times before, I strongly believe in the power of prayer and Paul does too as shown by this prayer and many others he prays for the churches. This message also served another purpose. Today, was the first Sunday without our lead pastor, Steve Toews . As I began to pray about this transition, I felt strongly that we needed to clearly communicate our dedication to prayer by starting with this message from the very beginning. The more I prayed, the more I sensed God wanting me to preach this first Sunday and to stress the importance of prayer during this time. After the message, the congregation broke into small groups to pray through a bulletin insert that I put together. My hope is that the congregation will use this insert to pray through over th...