New Year Prayer

Last January I mentioned how each year I read the One-Year Bible and try to pray a small prayer every day for the year.

On the inside cover of my Bible I write out the prayer. For 2007 my prayer was Build a stronger servants heart and use me to build your kingdom.

This year I really want God to stretch and grow me. I don't want to live a comfortable church going life. I guess most people would think just going from computer consultant to pastor was a stretch enough... but it's SOOOO easy to simply go with the flow and be comfortable with the ministry going on around here.

So my prayer for 2008 is Use me to do what I could never do without you. I'm looking forward to see what God will do with this one :-)

The Joy and Sorrow of Ministry

Christmas should be a time of great joy for those of us in ministry. We celebrate the greatest gift mankind has ever received. Today we're preparing two services to worship God with joy and gladness the birth of Jesus. It's one of the highlights of ministry for me.

Unfortunately, ministry also has it's sorrows. Before we can celebrate tonight we have to mourn this morning. There's a funeral here at 11am this morning... and this has got to be hard on the family to lose a father and husband at Christmas.

So, if you get a chance, send a prayer out to this family and everyone involved with the funeral this morning. Pray that even in this time of sorrow the love and joy of Jesus will give them a strength and peace they never thought possible.

Alvin and the Chipmunks

Yesterday we managed to find some time to get away from the Christmas rush and enjoy a good old family movie time. We brought the kids to see Alvin and the Chipmunks. I've always loved the Chipmunk music. I had a bunch of their albums growing up as a kid. So it was a real hoot seeing my kids just love this movie and the music!

This had to be the most fun I've had going to a movie in a long time. There were kids dancing in the aisles and just having a ton of fun. That what movies are all about :-)

I had a lot of fun in the movie as well. Was it just me reliving my childhood of listen to the Chipmunk Christmas Song at my grandmother's house? Maybe. Or maybe I just kept expecting Jason Lee to break out into a rant about Lando Calrissian getting to fly the Millenium Falcon (from Chasing Amy - funniest scene in any movie EVER!).

If you're looking for some good family fun this Christmas season, I would definitely recommend this movie. Simple story, great laughs, and fun-filled danced filled music - I even bought the soundtrack on iTunes this morning and the kids and I have been dancing all around the house since we got home from church :-) This was a great kick off to our family Christmas!

A Letter from Jesus

I received this in my Inbox tonight... I just loved it!

Dear Children,

It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that folks are taking My name out of the season. Maybe you've forgotten that I wasn't actually born during this time of the year and that it was someof your predecessors who decided to celebrate My birthday on what was actually a time of pagan festival. Although I do appreciate being remembered anytime.

How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easily understood by those of you who have been blessed with children of your own. I don't care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate My birth, just Get Along and Love One Another.

Now, having said that, let Me go on. If it bothers you that the town in which you live doesn't allow a scene depicting My birth, then just get rid of a couple of Santas and snowmen and put in a small Nativity scene on your own front lawn. If all My followers did that there wouldn't be any need for such a scene on the town square because there would be many of them all around town.

Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made all trees. You can remember Me anytime you see any tree. Decorate a grape vine if you wish: I actually spoke of that one in a teaching, explaining who I am in relation to you and what each of our tasks were. If you have forgotten that one, look up John 15: 1 - 8.

If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My birth here is my wish list. Choose something from it:

1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers away from home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know, they tell Me all the time.

2.Visit someone in a nursing home. You don't have to know them personally. They just need to know that someone cares about them.

3. Instead of writing George complaining about the wording on the cards his staff sent out this year, why don't you write and tell him that you'll be praying for him and his family this year. Then follow up. It will be nice hearing from you again.

4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can't afford and they don't need, spend time with them. Tell them the story of My birth, and why I came to live with you down here. Hold them in your arms and remind them that I love them.

5. Pick someone that has hurt you in the past and forgive him or her.

6. Did you know that someone in your town will attempt to take their own life this season because they feel so alone and hopeless? Since you don't know who that person is, try giving everyone you meet a warm smile; it could make the difference.

7. Instead of nit picking about what the retailer in your town calls the holiday, be patient with the people who work there. Give them a warm smile and a kind word. Even if they aren't allowed to wish you a "Merry Christmas" that doesn't keep you from wishing them one. Then stop shopping there on Sunday. If the store didn't make so much money on that day they'd close and let their employees spend the day at home with their families .

8. If you really want to make a difference, support a missionary-- especially one who takes My love and Good News to those who have never heard My name.

9. And they will make the delivery for you. . Here's a good one. There are individuals and whole families in your town who not only will have no "Christmas" tree, but neither will they have any presents to give or receive. If you don 't know them, buy some food and a few giftsand give them to the Salvation Army or some other charity which believes in Me.

10. Finally, if you want to make a statement about your belief in and loyalty to Me, then behave like a Christian. Don't do things in secret that you wouldn't do in My presence. Let people know by your actions that you are one of mine.

Don't forget; I am God and can take care of Myself. Just love Me and do what I have told you to do. I'll take care of all the rest. Check out the list above and get to work; time is short. I'll help you, but the ball is now in your court. And do have a most blessed Christmas with all those whom you love .

Please remember that......

I LOVE YOU, JESUS

The Brain is Mush

This week has been crazy! We had kids concerts at school, ballet recitals, Christmas parties, events at church... and those are just the ones I remember. I've also been studying like crazy for my final exam for my seminary course... I'm going to be writing it tonight. It's a closed book take home exam and it needs to be completely by Wednesday. Thankfully I took a study day today and got a lot of work done on it. Hopefully I'll do alright.

Once this exam is done I'll have to reward myself with a fun filled evening of playing Medal of Honor 2 using my new Wii Zapper!

Last Class of the Semester Tonight

This semester was actually quite tough! Not so much the content of the course... well... okay, maybe it was a tad harder then I was expecting :) Just trying to get through a seminary course with all the ministry start up that goes on in September and October... it just felt like I spent the entire time running to stay caught up with the homework! I actually just started to feel like I was recuperating from the mid term exam last week... and tonight I get the final exam! Thankfully, it's on the New Testament, which I hopefully know better then the Old Testament :)

I think next fall I'll try one of the week long modular courses. Maybe that will be a lot easier to handle then a course every week...

Next semester will come up pretty quick... I'll be taking "Intro to Preaching". That should be fun.

200 Friends on Facebook and Other Ramblings

Last night I hit 200 friends on Facebook. Looking over the list this morning I was pretty blown away by the people there. I've heard from friends from my grade school, my high school, my college, my seminary, my partying days, my family days, my singing and dancing days, and pretty much everything else in between. I was also reflecting on just how every single one of them has in some way shaped who I am today, whether in some very tiny way or by being life long friends... and I gotta say, I'm so thankful to God for each of everyone of you! Without the part you played in my life I wouldn't be the man who I am right now! God ROCKS sending some incredibly different people into my life!

Other things I'm thinking about today:

• Tonight is our last session in the Alpha Course. I've really enjoyed being a part of this ministry. I think this was a great experience for everyone involved and will continue to stretch and grow us as a church as we learn to be open to people's very difficult questions about Jesus.
  
  
• The next couple of weeks are going to be INSANELY busy! I really need to be getting some good night sleeps in this time. The last thing I want is to be sick the week of my Christmas vacation.
  
  
• I would really love to put together a guys night here at the church where I would do an interactive teaching on The Man in the Mirror. As a pastor, I really want to connect with the men here at the church and let them know how much I care for them and want to see them be the best fathers and husbands that they can be.
  

Midterm

Last night I received my grade for the midterm on the Old Testament that I did a couple of weeks ago. 79%! Man oh man! I wasn't expecting that at all. I was praying for 60%! I guess the prof was in a good mood when he corrected mine :-)

Next week is already the last class of the semester. I've really enjoyed this class. So now I need to get cracking and start studying for the final exam.

Sunday Night Brain Dump

What a week! Man oh man did it ever fly by fast! I had SO many things at the church and around the house I was hoping to accomplish... oh well. Tis the season to be busy like crazy :-)

• Two major things I'm working on at the church... First, is I want to find as many people as possible who are passionate about helping people to get connected with other people here at Woodside. I'm leaning towards picking up a web based software tool to help this team track the contact everyone is making with new people at the church. But before I slap down the money I want to make sure I'm not the only person in the building with this passion :-) Second, is the small group ministry... or should I say Home Church ministry. I know it's going to take years to change this ministry... but every baby step in the right direction helps. I'm looking forward to the steps we'll be taking in January.
  
• I'm wondering if I should teach a men's group on The Man in the Mirror? That book was life changing for me and I would love to see other guys transformed by it as well. I wondering if, instead of watching the author Pat Morley talking about it, if it would be more effective to the men of the church to have this coming directly from one of the pastors... That would mean potentially teaching every week for 24 weeks! That's a pretty big chunk of work but I would just LOVE THAT!
  
• Friday night I had six guys come over for an evening of junk food and Wii. I had a great time! I certainly miss hanging out the "boys". I can't remember the last shot 'em up movie I've gone to see... I'll have to have these Wii nights regularly.
  
• Only a couple of more weeks of school. I haven't received the results for my midterm yet... all I'm hoping for is a D. I'm OK with the idea of being a C student... cause I know I'm giving it my all to be an A+ pastor :-) Next semester I'm taking "Introduction to Preaching". Maybe this will help explain to me why everyone falls asleep in my sermons :-)
  
• I thought our worship service this morning was great! Andrew did a fantastic job with the music (like always!) and I really enjoyed the guest speaker we had. Actually this guy served as Woodside's pastor years ago. I hope I'm just as WOWED by Jesus at age 69 like this guy is! I nearly jumped out of my pew and shouted AMEN when we was talking about how we spend too much time thinking that everything in scripture is black and white when the reality is most things are quite grey. Very fun morning.
  
• In the last 7 days I've received two incredibly nice notes from different people just saying how much they're happy my family and I have made the move to come here to Elmira and thanking me for all that I do. Man! Those notes really feel great. I know it's not about the praises of men and that we need to be focused on God and pleasing Him... but when I go through those times of feeling a bit like an outsider... it's nice to know that God is using us here for His glory and that others feel that as well. I really love it here!
  
• This week I'm meeting a guy from Promise Keepers Canada. Looking forward to it. I just LOVE men's ministry and I'm thrilled with all that PK is doing here in Canada. Looking forward to chatting with him.