Here Comes the Gnome

My youth ministry’s “Everything a Message” series begins next week. You can read a little about the idea here. We had all the students bring in items this past Tuesday for the first vote. There was a lot a crazy items (some of which I’m sure will be brought back next), but the winner was this gnome to the right.

So basically, by next Tuesday I have to prayerfully come up with a message from the Word of God that is in some way based on this gnome.

I’ve already spent some time studying, praying, and thinking, and I do believe I already know what route I’m going to take. Need to spend some time fleshing the whole idea out, but I think it will work nicely.

I would love to have anyone that reads this to post some of their ideas on a basic message idea or thought that can be brought out of a garden gnome.

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Book Review - Deadlock

Here’s a review of the book Deadlock by Kelly.

Publisher’s Info
The Zarbo brothers are seasoned outlaws with a reputation for killing. Already wanted in two states, they set their sights on Colorado and a string of bank robberies. They don’t count on running into Chief U.S. Marshal John Brockman.

John arrests Lee Zarbo, but his brothers remain in hiding. Lee’s sentence to death by hanging incites them to desperate measures. They’ll do anything to get him out alive. Even kidnap the Chief U.S. Marshal’s daughter.

When John learns of his young daughter’s captivity and the conditions for her release, he must turn to the Lord for direction. It takes all the faith he can muster to wait for the answer. Without freeing a dangerous criminal, can John find Ginny before they kill her?

Author Bio
Al Lacy is an evangelist and author of more than one hundred historical and Western novels, including the Journeys of the Stranger, Angel of Mercy, and Mail Order Bride series, with more than three million books in print. JoAnna Lacy, Al’s wife and longtime collaborator, is a retired nurse. The Lacys have been married over forty years and live in the Colorado Rockies.

Kelly’s Review
I have read some of Al & Joanna Lacy's other books that deal with the characters that were in Deadlock. It was nice to read a sequel and find out what happened with the characters. While the story was good and it was fun to read, I don't think it is very realistic. I like reading books with a Christian theme, but I find the Lacy's books to be a bit over the top. It seemed like every second paragraph someone was getting saved or quoting scripture to someone. The dialog was, in my opinion, cheesy. Maybe it is just me but I don't think people really talk like that all the time. I enjoy reading books set in the past and that is what I enjoyed about this book.

If you want to check it out for yourself, you can find it Amazon.

The Way I Like It

We had something happen Sunday night that I love to see happen, although it seems rare in this day and age. We had someone in our service baptized in the Holy Spirit. If you are reading this and don’t know what that is, take a look at Acts chapter 2 in the Bible for a starting point. In case it’s not clear, I’m a believer that God doesn’t change and what the early church needed we still need today.

With that said, what made this so incredible is that it just happened. Ministers that bring people up to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit and then try to knock the person over or coax them with what to say leave a bad taste in my mouth. I don’t believe we teach or force people. We seek God and allow him to do it. It’s his gift to give.

On Sunday night, God moved into our service in a powerful way. I’m sorry to those that don’t believe, but you could sense that he was there. The entire service ended up being a time of worship and prayer. Good stuff. Then, after it was over and people left, I found out that one of our people had been filled. They had been worshipping God and suddenly realized that they were praying and praising in other languages. As they were just spending time worshipping God the filling came.

I love it that way. When God does what he desires as people seek him.

May there be many more in the days ahead and then, may we each live every day full of the Holy Spirit.

Project BC

I have some friends that are currently going through a very hard time right now. Things are happening beyond their control and they are being hurt in the process. It’s a situation where I am completely powerless to assist them. If there was something that I could do I would do it, yet there is nothing. So I am left with my only option. I will go before the Father on their behalf. As best as I can I will seek the Lord and will remind Him of what is happening. We are told to ask and keep on asking and that’s what I’ll do. Project BC is a reminder to me to pray, and if my friends see it, a reminder to them that they will not be forgotten or abandoned.

Book Review - The Hope of Refuge

Another review by Kelly.

Publisher’s Summary.
Raised in foster care and now the widowed mother of a little girl, Cara Moore struggles against poverty, fear, and a relentless stalker. When a trail of memories leads Cara and Lori out of New York City toward an Amish community, she follows every lead, eager for answers and a fresh start. She discovers that long-held secrets about her family history ripple beneath the surface of Dry Lake, Pennsylvania, and it’s no place for an outsider. But one Amish man, Ephraim Mast, dares to fulfill the command he believes that he received from God–“Be me to her”– despite how it threatens his way of life.

Completely opposite of the hard, untrusting Cara, Ephraim’s sister Deborah also finds her dreams crumbling when the man she has pledged to build a life with begins withdrawing from Deborah and his community, including his mother, Ada Stoltzfus. Can the run-down house that Ada envisions transforming unite them toward a common purpose–or push Mahlon away forever? While Ephraim is trying to do what he believes is right, will he be shunned and lose everything–including the guarded single mother who simply longs for a better life?

Author Bio
Cindy Woodsmall is the author of When the Heart Cries, When the Morning Comes, and The New York Times Best-Seller When the Soul Mends. Her ability to authentically capture the heart of her characters comes from her real-life connections with Amish Mennonite and Old Order Amish families. A mother of three sons and two daughters-in-law, Cindy lives in Georgia with her husband of thirty-one years.

Kelly’s Thoughts
This was a great book. I really enjoy reading books about the Amish. I think that the author does a great job of telling how life is with the Amish. She makes it easy to fall in love with the characters and their seemingly more simple lifestyle. I enjoyed how reading how the two cultures mixed and resolved conflict within the story. It ends with room to continue the story and I would love to see if there is a sequel someday. I felt like the characters were so real and would like to know what happens in their lives. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys this type of fiction. I know I will be watching for other books by Cindy Woodsmall in the future.

Check it out on Amazon.com.

Book Rec - I Sold My Soul on Ebay

Just going to toss out a recommendation for a book that I just finished. Just so it’s clear, this is not connected to my reviews that I do with free copies from a publisher. I actually got this book from the library. The book is “I Sold My Soul on Ebay: Viewing Faith Through an Atheist’s Eyes” by Hermant Mehta.

The premise is fascinating to me because the book winds up being the story of an atheist having to attend a variety of churches at the request of his Ebay buyer. What follows are some candid observations from an atheist as he finds both services he enjoys and others that wanted to fall asleep in. Having grown up in the church, it becomes easy to accept things because that’s just the way they are. Having a man that most would designate as an outsider to the Christian faith step into churches and offer critique sounds crazy, but it provides some interesting insights.

In fact, I found myself completely agreeing with his opinion that worship (singing) portions at some churches go on for extreme amounts of time and basically are filled with one chorus being repeated again and again and again. That’s a completely different blog post, but it was amusing to find myself on common ground with an atheist concerning a common (it seems) church practice.

Will you agree with everything he writes? Most assuredly you won’t. Will the ending disappoint you? If you want him a Christian by the end of the book you better not pick it up. Will your faith and the way we do church be challenged? Yeah, and that’s probably a good thing.

Everything a Message

As we walk through this world, do we allow God to constantly instruct us? Is it possible to see Biblical lessons in the most mundane of places? That’s one reason I love hanging out with my friend Cornell. He is an expert at finding teachable moments in everyday things. I try, but I’m still a work in progress.

This past Sunday with a host of people away, I not only had to preach both services but I also filled in for the teen Sunday School class. Needing something to do with them, I decided to go this route. Don’t think me insanely creative, but I got the idea from Brent Salyers at Camp X. I gave them an object from the room and they had to come up with a basic lesson from the Bible that the object could help illustrate.

The best one in my opinion came when I put out a piece of Sugar Daddy candy. One of my youth (you’re awesome Brianne) came up with the basic idea that it doesn’t matter what the wrapper looks like, it is what’s inside that counts. You can run with in a variety of directions. Perhaps a message on hypocrisy and putting a “Christian” wrapper on when you are anything but a Christian. Or, you could go with a message on how God looks beyond physical appearance to heart. It was a great time and I heard a lot of great ideas.

In fact, I enjoyed it so much that we’re going to do it again at our youth services tonight. I’m going to speak a little about allowing God to teach you as you walk through your day and then give them some opportunities to think creatively again.

Then, in what may be one of the crazier ideas I’ve had, I going to present to them my plan for our September sermon series. I’m going to have them to bring in objects the week before each message. I’ll allow them to vote and pick one, and then I will write a message for the next week and incorporate that object into the message. My brain has been running a little slow this summer, and this seems like an interesting way to get me creatively thinking. Not only that, but it will force me to prayerfully seek God for fresh ideas and insight.

It might bomb completely. I might have to get up one night and honestly say that I couldn’t come up with anything. Yet, I think the God that created the universe can work with me to come with something interesting. I’m looking forward to the challenge.

Oh, in case you’re wondering why I’m promoting this so early, it’s simply because we have some events and another trip to the Warren Family Mission coming up during August. Just wanted to get it on the radar.

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The Curse of the Meatloaf

I do about 95% of the cooking in my family. It’s something I enjoy doing and quite frankly, something I’m really good at. You name it and I can cook it. From homemade spaghetti sauce and meatballs to handcrafted spicy pork tamales, I really can do it all. That is, I can make it all except a lowly meatloaf. Over the years of my marriage I have tried again and again to make meatloaf and it never comes out right. It’s my mom’s recipe so I know it should work, but it never does. Every time it falls apart as you try to dish it. You can never get a nice slice of it. I’ve added more egg and I’ve taken away egg. I’ve added more bread crumbs and I’ve taken away bread crumbs. Nothing ever seems to work.

Now, my brilliant readers out there may accuse the recipe as the being the problem. Trust me, I wish I could blame the recipe, but remember, my mom makes it and it comes out fine. Even worse, my wife can make the meatloaf following the exact recipe that I do and it turns out fine. I love her, but that’s a little frustrating.

I guess there’s a moral to all this though, and if you know what it is, please leave me a comment so I can know it too.

On Facebook? The original post resides at www.focusedjourney.com.

I Hang My Head in Shame

Well, I haven’t posted my health report for quite some time. I got off the diet and have been a little embarrassed by the results. I went from a low of 213 all the way up to 234. I can blame my vacation and many other things, but it comes down to the fact that I simply quit. Anyway, I’m hitting it hard again. The possibility of heading to Kenya has got it into my mind again that I need to do this. There’s no doubt that it would be beneficial to have the weight off.

So that leads me to today. I am currently 227 pounds. That’s a loss of around 7 pounds in less than a week. It’s always nice kicking off the diet because the first pounds drop off so quickly. Then, it slows down.

I’m leaving the picture with red text. Green has always meant loss, but I’m not considering it loss till I’m back down to where I was.

Book Review - A Perfect Mess

A book review by Kelly.

Summary
Caught up in the self-imposed pressure to do and be all the things they think a Christian woman ought to do and be, countless women are working desperately to convince everyone, including God, that they have it all together. Few have any idea that the Creator of the universe looks at them with delight even when they yell at the dog, drive a minivan littered with French fries, or think bad words about that rude clerk at the store.

A Perfect Mess offers hope to every woman who yearns for a vibrant relationship with God but worries she isn’t good enough or doesn’t do enough to merit His affection. With characteristic authenticity, speaker and author Lisa Harper shares poignant stories from her own imperfect life to showcase the real-life relevancy of the Bible in the lives of modern women.

As she guides readers on a story-driven journey through selected Psalms, they will be inspired to experience for themselves how God’s incomparable love transforms the messiness of life into a gorgeous work of grace.

Author Bio
Lisa Harper is a master storyteller whose lively approach connects the dots between the Bible era and modern life. She is a sought-after Bible teacher and speaker whose upcoming appearances include the national Women of Faith Conferences. A veteran of numerous radio and television programs and the author of several books, she also is a regular columnist for Today’s Christian Woman magazine. Lisa recently completed a master’s of theological studies from Covenant Theological Seminary. She makes her home outside Nashville.

Kelly’s Thoughts
I was able to get about half way through this book. Each chapter goes through one Psalm and helps you to see how God sees you. The questions to answer at the end of each chapter really make you reflect on what you read as well as the Psalm that the chapter focuses on. It helps you to see how much God loves you the way you are and wants you to closer to him. God does not expect us to be perfect, he just wants us to be closer to him. God wants to work in our lives to make us more like him. I really enjoyed reading this book and look forward to finishing it soon.

Here’s a link to Random House to check the book out.

On Facebook? The original post resides at www.focusedjourney.com.

I Hang My Head in Shame

Well, I haven’t posted my health report for quite some time. I got off the diet and have been a little embarrassed by the results. I went from a low of 213 all the way up to 234. I can blame my vacation and many other things, but it comes down to the fact that I simply quit. Anyway, I’m hitting it hard again. The possibility of heading to Kenya has got it into my mind again that I need to do this. There’s no doubt that it would be beneficial to have the weight off.

So that leads me to today. I am currently 227 pounds. That’s a loss of around 7 pounds in less than a week. It’s always nice kicking off the diet because the first pounds drop off so quickly. Then, it slows down.

I’m leaving the picture with red text. Green has always meant loss, but I’m not considering it loss till I’m back down to where I was.

If All Goes Well

I had to wait a few days while I got some approval from the leaders in my church, but I can go ahead and post the information now. If all goes well, I’m planning on going to Kenya in late November into December. The details of the trip are still being worked out so I don’t have definite dates just yet.

I got my passport application turned in today and my mind is racing with the various things that I think I might have to do. Granted, the trip isn’t a given yet. There are still a lot of things that have to come together for me to be able to go. I’ll keep moving forward with it and we’ll se what happens.

I Got To Sit And Watch

My youth ministry and I went back to the Warren Family Mission today. It was an awesome experience because I basically had to do nothing. My students jumped right in and just did the work. They hung out with and played with kids that were there. They were flexible when our plans for the day had to be changed in an instant. Basically, they did what needed to be done without much prodding from us. I literally sat and was able just to watch them in action.

A lot of my position is to lead and be out in front. Just a couple years ago I would have had to do everything, but that’s not the case anymore. It’s a good feeling. May there be many more opportunities for me to sit and watch my youth do ministry, and then more opportunities to work right beside them.

Stepping Out In Faith

I have decided to step out in faith and pursue a missions trip opportunity that has been given to me. While I won’t go into details here at this time, I’m excited about it. I’ve started the work to get my passport and I’m already mentally making lists of what I would need. The trip is months and months away, but I want to be ready.

I really believe it could be something that the Lord has for me. I’m praying, pursuing some preliminary steps, and keeping an open heart. I don’t feel any check in my spirit at this time, but I sure want to be open for the Lord to stop me if need be.

At this stage of the game, if I end up not going I’m only out the money for the passport. Of course, I can always use it to go visit Niagara Falls. I know you can see Niagara from the American side, but the Canadian side is much better.

That’s were I’m at and I will post more once things get more set in stone.

On Facebook? The original post resides at www.focusedjourney.com.

Stepping Out In Faith

I have decided to step out in faith and pursue a missions trip opportunity that has been given to me. While I won’t go into details here at this time, I’m excited about it. I’ve started the work to get my passport and I’m already mentally making lists of what I would need. The trip is months and months away, but I want to be ready.

I really believe it could be something that the Lord has for me. I’m praying, pursuing some preliminary steps, and keeping an open heart. I don’t feel any check in my spirit at this time, but I sure want to be open for the Lord to stop me if need be.

At this stage of the game, if I end up not going I’m only out the money for the passport. Of course, I can always use it to go visit Niagara Falls. I know you can see Niagara from the American side, but the Canadian side is much better.

That’s were I’m at and I will post more once things get more set in stone.

On Facebook? The original post resides at www.focusedjourney.com.

Book Review - Holy Roller

I have another book review tonight. The current book is “Holy Roller” by Julie Lyons. For any new readers, I make it clear that I receive copies of these books free to read as long as I write a review. With the busyness of my schedule, I was only able to make it part way through the book, but it’s definitely one that I’m looking forward to finishing in the next few days. I’ll give you the publisher’s summary and then chime in with a few thoughts at the end.

Summary
Julie Lyons was working as a crime reporter when she followed a hunch into the South Dallas ghetto. She wasn’t hunting drug dealers, but drug addicts who had been supernaturally healed of their addictions. Was there a church in the most violent part of the city that prayed for addicts and got results?

At The Body of Christ Assembly, a rundown church on an out-of-the-way street, Lyons found the story she was looking for. The minister welcomed criminals, prostitutes, and street people–anyone who needed God. He prayed for the sick, the addicted, and the demon-possessed, and people were supernaturally healed.

Lyons’s story landed on the front page of the Dallas Times Herald. But she got much more than just a great story, she found an unlikely spiritual home. Though the parishioners at The Body of Christ Assembly are black and Pentecostal, and Lyons is white and from a traditional church background, she embraced their spirituality–that of “the Holy Ghost and fire.”

It’s all here in Holy Roller–the stories of people desperate for God’s help. And the actions of a God who doesn’t forget the people who need His power.

My Thoughts
So far the book has captured my attention. It takes you into the life of the author while also focusing on the pastor of this church. His testimony is powerful. Being a pentecostal myself, I’m looking forward to seeing where the book is going to ultimately lead. From the description and what I’ve read so far, it’s a book testifying to an all powerful God that still actively works in the lives of people no matter where they are. The first few chapters have been worth the read. I’ll try to give my final conclusion in a few days.

Here’s a links to Amazon or the Random House website if you’d like more info.

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The Beard

First off I give major apologies for letting this blog be quiet for the month of July. I had my vacation and chose not to blog during it. Then, I had a week that was leading me up to being away for a week at a youth camp. I was doing various prep and just didn’t have time. Of course, the time wasn’t available while at the camp either. So, I finally find myself in a position to start being a regular on my own blog again. Thanks to any and all that read these words and hopefully you’ll stick around for what’s to come.

Just a perfectly pointless story to share. I grew a full beard on my vacation and kept. Just because I thought it would be crazy, I went to Camp X and shaved off a part of it every day. I went from full beard on Monday to a mustache goatee with long sideburns on Tuesday. Wednesday found me with the mustache gone. On Thursday I got rid of the sideburns and to wrap it up, on Friday I shaved down to just a small soul patch. I haven’t been without my goatee since I was a sophomore in college. That was over ten years ago. The best part, on the last day of camp I asked the tract I was working with which look of the week was the best. Everyone was talking at once, but the words I remember being the most clear were something to the effect of, “the other day you wore a brown shirt with jeans and some light brown shoes and that looked pretty good on you.” I can’t remember exactly who said it, but it was perfect timing. So in honor of that, I wore the same color scheme today. I mean, if it looks good, why mess with it?

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Book Reviews - Summer Grab Bag

Things have been really crazy and the blog has had to take a back seat. Here’s two quick book reviews by Kelly.

A Promise for Breanna by Al Lacy

Summary
Suspense, danger, romance and spiritual truth each play a part in this heroine’s life as she faces the man who once broke her heart and led her to mistrust men.

Kelly’s Thoughts
This was a good book.  I have read many of Al Lacy's books before and find them enjoyable.  I thought for some reason that this was a new book.  I realized about half way through that I have read this before.  I kept reading.  It had been many years since I read this the first time.  It was good this time through too.  I like reading this type of fiction because it takes you to a different time and place.

A Gathering of Finches by Jane Kirkpatrick

Summary:
A turn-of-the-century Oregon coastal couples’ life is seen through the eyes of the wife, her sister, and her Indian maid who discover reasons why money and possessions can’t buy happiness, forgiveness or relieve consequences of choices.

Kelly’s Thoughts
This book was interesting to me.  I was unsure of how it would turn out and that kept me reading.  Being historical fiction it is somewhat based on true events.  I did not like most of the book is based on an adulterous relationship.  It is not something I agree with.  I am glad that the main character finally realized she was wrong for the things she had done in her life.  It was fun learning about the time period and all that happened along the Oregon coast in around the turn of the 20 century.

As always, you can find the books on Amazon.com.

It Is An Honor to Serve

I have been granted the incredible privilege in my life to serve an amazing group of students. They keep me young while constantly reminding me of my fading hairline. My hope and prayer is that each and every one of them will hold onto Christ and never let go. I want nothing less than to spend eternity with every one of them.

To any of my youth that read this, I really mean it when I write that it is an honor to serve you.

Add It To The Day

I had a lot of plans for today. After being gone for a week with my youth on a missions trip, I had a lot of catching up to do. The start of my day had me driving to a nearby city to correct an order error that had been made on a batch of t-shirts we had made. About halfway there my car decided to die. Within an hour my car was in the shop and the early prognosis was a fuel pump.

That one event pretty much messed up my day. I’d like to be able to say that I was a triumphant Christian that didn’t let an expensive repair bring me down, but I did. Everything from that point on just seemed to be piling it on. The title of this post was what I kept telling myself, just add it to the day.

My emotions got the better of me when they really shouldn’t have. It wasn’t like life ended or anything. Looking back now, I see that the whole day moved rather smoothly for what happened. I had my cell phone on me so within minutes I had a tow truck coming for me and a repair shop waiting for the car. Within a half hour, I was sitting at the repair shop which conveniently is within walking distance from my apartment. I was able to get some work done before my mom picked me up and took me into the church (added bonus, she bought me a sandwich for lunch). Later, she allowed me to take her car until my car is fixed. The final thing is that I have most of the money for the repair. I’ve blogged before about the budget software that my wife and I use. Part of our budget sets aside money for repairs and thankfully it had been building up for a while.

So, at the end of the day I have to realize that God had things under control and I should have remained positive. Harder said than done, but it would have been worth the effort.