I just realized that my last entry was about a month ago...I suppose if I'm going to advertise that I have a blog then I should at least update it. Life at Minden UCC has truly picked up. It seems like we are going from event to event these next couple of months. We had our VBS program and Ice Cream Social in August, in September we are providing the food for the Minden Heritage Days, in October we are hosting the Minden Park Renew Crew's Halloween blow out, and then in November we have our Annual church auction! Busy, busy, busy. I didn't even mention the beginning of Sunday school, the 3:16 youth group, and Stewardship month. The Spirit is alive and well here in SW Iowa!

It truly is great to have all of these activities going here. I know these activities require time and energy, but the alternative isn't too pretty. So far we have been blessed with people who have stepped up to help plan and run these events, and I pray we continue to be so blessed. As these events continue to happen I pray that our folks answer the call of the Spirit and find ways to help out. God wants to work through us, God wants to bless us, God wants the Spirit to flow through us and the church, but none of that is going to happen without the Body of Christ...and do you know who the hands and feet and eyes and ears and mouth of the Body are...? Thats right Rita...we are. Please, look around, pray, listen, and volunteer to help. Nothing is worse then having the energy from these events get wasted because the same people are doing the work over and over. If we all pitch in and help then the work is light and the rewards are awesome. No amount of time or energy is wasted, and no matter your age, education level, hair color, or shoe size you can help, because God can work through you.

You see the Spirit moving...do you have the courage and faith to answer the call and be the Body of Christ moving in the world? I hope so...the world needs more of the Spirit.

Vacation Bible School Week!!

Well, it is finally here...in about 6 hours the church is going to be filled with over 100 kids ready to go "Backstage With the Bible." I think everything is in place and all the leaders are ready. I say I think because my wife Tracy is the one who's in charge of this. She and a few other ladies have planned this week of VBS and I've done my best to stay out of it. Heck, the number of kids has grown each year so why mess up a good thing?
This year is especially exciting because two other churches from Neola have joined us. The energy they've brought, and more kids, has really given us a wonderful opportunity to have a great VBS program. I have also been very impressed with the support we've received from our congregation. The people have been wonderful in helping us by donating supplies and making the snacks. Our congregation has supplied the t-shirts and snacks for all the kids. I do not take for granted how lucky we are to have that great support both with donations and with helpers. Just the other day I was talking to someone who said they knew of a church where VBS was cancelled...not because there weren't enough kids, but because they couldn't get enough help. What a message to send to the kids...! We are blessed with the Spirit here at Minden UCC.
It will be an awesome week seeing all the kids run around and learn and have a good time. It will be a tiring week too, but it will be that good kind of tired where you know you've done something special. Please pray for the kids and the leaders this week.

Family Vacartion

We just got back from spending a few days in Kansas City. We went to the zoo and Union Station, and spent some time swimming at the hotel pool. This vacation was the first one we went on with just the 4 of us, and it was a lot of fun. The 110 degree heat index at the zoo on Monday was a little crazy, and my TomTom taking us to two Walmarts that were closed was a little silly, but overall we had a good time and we'll even do it again next year!
I've been doing some reflecting on the whole experience, and I've been anticipating the upcoming school year when Isaac starts school, and I am thankful for the milestones we get to experience together. I also saw this morning a special on the Today Show about a family trying to balance sports and family life. This balance is one thing that scares me as our kids grow. How do we find time for family, friends, sports, church, and just being kids? I have no delusions that either of my kids are going pro in any sports, but it seems if I want them to be competent and be able to play even in high school they need to devote their entire lives to sports. Practice, season and out of season games...it seems endless. Now I like sports as much as the next person, but even I see the need for balance. I guess I just worry about striking that delicate balance. Church is important, family time is important, sports participation is important, school work is important...I guess what I'm saying is I'm going to miss the simple life of the biggest worries being the sniffles and which book we're reading before bed time.
I suppose we are not the first parents that struggle with this balance. And I imagine that there is some wisdom to be found about striking a balance in our Christian faith. Jesus doesn't say that we need to cut certain things out of our lives all together, he stresses that we constantly take inventory of the priorities in our lives. It is when those priorities get out of whack we get in trouble. It is when the priorities get out of order we begin to feel like life gets to be too much. When we push our faith life to the rear for an extended period of time we get lost in the rat race and we lose touch with our anchor. The one thing that helps me face these increasingly busy times is the knowledge that my family will be anchored by our faith. We will participate in other activities, but the balance will be maintained. I'm not too naive, I know that there will be times when the scale won't be perfectly balanced, but in the grand scheme of things it will weigh out more evenly. I think if we keep that in mind...that our faith life is our highest priority, then we can run the race without getting lost. I guess we'll see!

My Apologies

I'd like to give a shout out to my favorite aunt in Martin county! What's up Rita?! My mother informed me that you have missed reading my blog terribly so I thought I had better enrich your life and start writing again! It has been a long time since I posted here. I'd like to say it's because I have been so incredibly busy that I just couldn't find time, but no one is that busy.

Life has been busy...apparently I am a sucker and I decided to coach T-Ball this year. I didn't know what I had gotten myself into, and I was a little nervous about coaching a dozen 4 and 5 year olds. I was pleasantly surprised though. I have enjoyed the experience more than I thought I would, and even though after the first couple of practices I swore I'd never do it again thoughts of a repeat performance have crept into my mind. Even Isaac and I have coexisted on the same team without coming to blows! Ha, actually I have been very proud of Isaac. He has matured a lot playing T-ball. He still gets a little pouty when he can't field all the balls, but he doesn't demonstrate his displeasure by throwing his glove and having a little tantrum any more. Now if I could just keep his mother calm on the sideline!

I share this experience because I have learned some lessons, and I think those lessons speak to all of us. Lesson #1 is don't stand to close to a 4 or 5 year old with a bat. It is amazing how much power they can generate with a swing, and they always like to practice their swing! Lesson #2 is to not be afraid to try new things and step up to help out. I certainly didn't know a thing about coaching T-Ball. I had never done it before, and if you're close enough family you know I do not always have the most patience. But, the town was desperate and I decided to give it a try. You'd have to ask the parents if I'm an adequate T-Ball coach, but the lesson isn't about that. I learned that sometimes you just need to step up and volunteer. God wants to help us and use us, but how many times have we said no to something because w don't think we're qualified, or we think someone else will do it, or we believe we're just too busy. We miss so many opportunities to let God work through us and bless and us a others around us because we don't just step up. There are numerous opportunities for you to help in your community and your church. Remember with God anything is possible. We just need to be willing to take a chance and say we're willing to help. 80% of the work in the church, and most volunteer organizations frankly, is done by 20% of the people. Which side of the percentage are you on and why?

I Wish You Enough

I don't usually do this, but I wanted to share one of those dreaded "forwards" I received in my inbox. I'm sharing this one because I really enjoyed it, and I think it speaks to us now. It speaks to us because we always want more and we always ask how much is enough. It speaks to us because it reminds us what is truly important.

At an airport, I overheard a father & his daughter in their last moments together. They had announced her plane's departure & standing near the door she said, "Daddy, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough too, Daddy." They kissed goodbye & she left. He waked over towards the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see he wanted & needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on his privacy, but he welcomed me in by asking, "Did you ever say goodbye to someone knowing it would be forever?" "Yes, I have," I replied. Saying that brought back memories I had of expressing my love & appreciation for all my dad had done for me. Recognizing that his days were limited, I took the time to tell him face to face how much he meant to me. So I knew what this man was experiencing. "Forgive me for asking, buy why is this a forever goodbye?" I asked. "I am old and she lives much too far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is, her next trip back will be for my funeral," he said. "When you were saying goodbye I heard you say, 'I with you enough,' may I ask what that means?" He began to smile. "That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone." He paused for a moment and looking up as if trying to remember it in detail, he smiled even more. "When we said, 'I wish you enough,' we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with enough good things to sustain them." He continued & then, turning toward me, he shared the following as if he were reciting it from memory: I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright. I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more. I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive. I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger. I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting. I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess. I wish you enough "hellos" to get you through the final "Goodbye." He then began to sob and walked away.

We need enough to get us by. Too often we think we deserve too much. Too often we dwell on the negative and miss an opportunity. If we focus on having just enough, and looking for life's blessings, then we will stop complaining (as much) about what we don't have and begin to appreciate life more.

Get Out of the Boat

Jesus is still looking for people who will get out of the boat. Why risk it? I believe there are many reasons: 1)It is the only way to real growth. 2) It is the way true faith develops. 3) It is the alternative to boredom and stagnation that causes people to wither up and die. 4) It is part of discovering and obeying your calling.
I believe there are many good reasons to get out of the boat. But there is one that trumps them all: The water is where Jesus is. The water may be dark, wet, and dangerous. But Jesus is not in the boat. The main reason Peter got out of the boat is that he wanted to be where Jesus was. Matthew keeps referring to this reality. Peter's request is, "Lord, if it's you, command me to come to you." Then Peter got out of the boat "and came towards Jesus."
Because Peter did this, both he and his friends came to a deeper understanding of their Master than ever before. They came to see more than ever that they could place their destinies in his hands with confidence. "It's like this, dudes..."
They understood that the One in their boat was the One along who treads the waves of the seas-and they worshiped him.
How about you? When was the last time you got out of the boat?
I believe that God's general method for growing a deep, adventuresome faith in us is by asking us to get out of the boat. More than hearing a great talk, or reading a great book, God uses real-world challenges to develop our ability to trust in him.
We tend to seek a world of comfort. We try to construct manageable lives with some security and predictability to maintain the illusion that we are in control.
Then God "pass us by" and shakes everything up. The call to get out of the boat involves crisis, opportunity, often failure, generally fear, sometimes suffering, always the calling to a task too big for us. But there is no other way to grow faith and to partner with God.

-If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat- John Ortberg

Christian Twitch

"I remember in an airport in Kansas City years ago, waiting for a plane, I fell into conversation with a fellow from the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands. He was in this county completing a monograph, a study on the influence of the conversation between doctors and nurses with the patient in surgery who is under anesthesia. His view was, in fact, that he had established it beyond all doubt. He found that if the doctors and nurses were negative and gripey and grumpy, then the patient in postoperative conditions was depressed and pessimistic. If the doctors and nurses were upbeat, happy, merry, and cheerful, then the patient in postoperative care was euphoric and optimistic and proceeded to recover quickly. The time came when I had to catch my plane. I thanked him for the conversation, and he said, 'Why, are you a doctor?' I said, 'Oh, no, I'm a preacher. But if it'll work in surgery, it'll work in the sanctuary.' So when I go somewhere to speak, and people are asleep, it doesn't' bother me, because I know that several days later they may get a little Christian twitch. They won't know what caused it, but I'll know.'
-Fred Craddock- Craddock Stories

I loved that story from Fred. Not that anyone would ever fall asleep during one of my sermons! I liked the story too because it reminds me that you never know when the Spirit can come into your life. That is why it is so important to be ever vigilant in your faith life. Find time to connect with God, because when you do you'll open yourself up to more and more experiences with the Spirit. The more time we spend in communion with God then the more ability we'll have to see the Spirit working in our lives and in the world. We'll get that twinge and know that it's the Spirit and not last nights burrito! If you want to be good at anything you have to practice at it. If you want your faith to be a bigger part of your life then you need to practice it. God is truly all around us. We just need to open our eyes and recognize.