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Here is a great quote and reminder for all of us from J.D. Greear in Jesus Continued : Constant feelings of guilt, paralysis, and restlessness are dead give-aways of the co-Messiah complex...Until you get off the saving throne and back into the position of creaturely servitude, you'll always be out of balance--because in your zeal to be a help to God you make the mistake of trying to be God. You'll never have the slightest idea how to balance rest and labor, enjoyment and sacrifice--in fact, the very ideas of balance and rest will seem ludicrous to you. And of course, you can't sleep, because gods can't nap. They have a universe to run. But thank God, we serve a God who doesn't lack for resources. Because he never slumbers or sleeps, I can. These are powerful words for all of us who need rest.  Get your eyes focused on Jesus not your busyness for Jesus.  He can do more through the Holy Spirit working in us in a second than we can do in a lifetime "worki...

Skit Guys gave us great laughs talking about their understanding of D6 which is "Designate 6" people to impress our kids.  It was a humorous way to think about role of parents in life of kids. Timothy Smith What is our family identity?  Who do we want our kids to be?  So, we started to plan. Do they have a plan for generational discipleship? Cookie cutters work good for cookies, but don't work on the hearts of our kids.We need a plan for generational discipleship. We must give people small wins in discipling their kids. He shared his family faith plan which incorporates senses and times of day.  This is followed by a family time experience. Lydia Randall Busyness. I'm tired?  Are you? We don't say fine any more, we instead say "busy." We wear our busyness as a badge of honor. Busyness is killing our hearts. Most of our families at Lake Pointe will give us two time slots. Faith Path-includes path as well as tools  

Last week, I got away from my regular routine and spent about two hours praying and listening to the Lord.  I have been neglecting these extended times away lately. Not sure why-probably busyness and lack of planning.  I would encourage each of you to set aside a couple of hours every month or so to pray and listen. I am always blessed by these relationship building times with God.  All you need is a quiet place, time set aside, Bible, and notebook.  It will be worth it!

On Friday afternoon, Doug Fields shared about his experiences in ministry.  He started by sharing a story of sitting in front of a sun lamp to get rid of some acne.  The result was that he burned his corneas.  He compared this temporary blindness to what we can experience in ministry. 3 Sun Lamps that cause blindness in ministry: Importance of Numbers The lie of bigger is better which requires us to feed the beast. Pace of Life Increases speed which makes ministry more like a sprint.  There is always more to do.  This pace of life causes us to skim on relationships. Constant Comparison There is danger to always be comparing yourself to others whether that is how you speak, lead, etc. These become a problem when you focus on them. How do you turn the lamp off?  He shared the story of Lazarus in John 11.  It says, "Unwrap him & live." 3 Learnings Bigger isn't better.  Better is better. Most people in church don't wan...

Tonight, marks the beginning of summer for me. It has been the "tradition" for the last several years to kick off summer ministry activities by heading to McPherson Water Park. They have a great deal on Friday nights from 5-8 p.m. where you can get your entire family into the water park for $7. Several families from Hesston MB attended tonight and it was a lot of fun. The water was freezing, but it was not too bad because it was so warm outside. Thanks to all who came out tonight! Another sure sign of summer the busyness of the month of June. Most evenings are busy with going to kids' ballgames. Starting next week, the oldest three begin tennis camp & basketball camp plus games in the evening. The following week is our community Vacation Bible School. The week after I am excited about attending the Association of Marriage & Family Ministry Conference in Dallas, Texas. I have a feeling I will look back at the month of June and realize it has flown by. I ...

Well, today marks the first day back to work after Holy Week. It has consisted of several busy weeks preparing for Family Night on the Passover, Palm Sunday, & Easter. Each of these celebrations went well and I was excited to be a part of each one. But today I am dragging just a bit. I hope to catch up on things before I get busy again with summer planning. Because the reality is that in a month and a half, it is VBS & camp time. In less than a month, our family activities begin for the summer. But I don't want to get focused on those things yet. So, God gave me an opportunity last night to bring things into focus. Last night, I had the privilege to hear several testimonies from individuals who are being baptized or becoming members at Hesston MB this Sunday. It was a great time hearing how God had brought each one to Himself and how each are gifted in unique ways to be active participants in the Body of Christ. Even though I was tired, this was a great reminder wh...