Jesus Cares About Me!

Remember the words to the old hymn, What a Friend We Have in Jesus? It goes like this...

 What a friend we have in Jesus, 
 all our sins and griefs to bear! 
 What a privilege to carry 
 everything to God in prayer! 
 O what peace we often forfeit,
 O what needless pain we bear, 
 all because we do not carry 
 everything to God in prayer. 

 Have we trials and temptations? 
 Is there trouble anywhere? 
 We should never be discouraged; 
 take it to the Lord in prayer. 
 Can we find a friend so faithful 
 who will all our sorrows share? 
 Jesus knows our every weakness; 
 take it to the Lord in prayer. 

 Are we weak and heavy laden, 
 cumbered with a load of care? 
 Precious Savior, still our refuge; 
 take it to the Lord in prayer. 
 Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? 
 Take it to the Lord in prayer! 
 In his arms he'll take and shield thee; 
 thou wilt find a solace there.

Isn't it an amazing thought that the Creator of the
universe is our friend?  I have a friend who's
name is Rich.  He's a policeman in Indianapolis. 
Because he is my friend, when I'm in town he
allows me to ride in his squad car.

I have another friend named Glenn.  He races cars
as a hobby.  Because he is my friend, on Sunday
I'm going to get to race in the car with him!

If Jesus is our friend, and He is the ruler of the
universe, what kind of cool things are in store for
those of us who have a relationship with Him? 
It is an awesome thought.  I'm so happy that Jesus
considers me as His friend!

Summer Worship

I can't remember the last time I was so excited about a new ministry as what I am now for our Wednesday summer worship that will begin in about two weeks! I am convinced that this will play a major role in our future for Hawley Alliance Church.

A few reasons why I am so pumped about this new ministry...

- I believe that one thing that we really miss during our corporate worship experience is a true seeking after God's heart. I am the pastor and I have no one to blame but myself. It is true. A lot of times we feel that this and that have to be done, and we miss the true heart of worship; an honest endeavor to touch the heart of God.

With that being said, on Wednesday's this summer we will spend a great amount of time in singing praises to our Father. We will allow individuals to share their praises and prayer requests. We will get on our knees before the Almighty One and give Him the honor He so richly deserves!

- Another thing that excites me is the come as you are, and stay as long as you want environment. I feel that all too often that we are dictated by the clock. We try so hard to keep things in quick and tidy order. Don't get me wrong, I am all for order, but I do not want to be forced to go home because the Bears kick off in 10 minutes. In 10,000 years no one will remember who won between the Bears and Vikings. I enjoy football as much as the next guy, but I believe we need to get our priorities in place. I am praying that Wednesday nights this summer will help us to do that.

- The last thing I would mention that really excites me is the ability to preach both topically on Sunday's, and verse-by-verse through Philippians on Wednesday's. I prefer topical teaching, but am always challenged in the verse-by-verse teaching. I think this will be an awesome challenge for me.

Please join me in prayer as we as a church draw close to our new summer ministry. I welcome your comments and ideas for this summers services.

Governing Board Meeting

We had our May meeting for the Governing Board last night. It was a tough meeting as we had to deal with lots of busy schedules, and had some late arrivals. It made for a very choppy feeling type of a meeting.

We did accomplish a few things though. Here are some highlights...

- We asked for some more details about Hawley's Good News Club that takes place during the school year at Hawley Elementary. We want to be involved. It is exciting that the Gospel is allowed to be shared at a public school!

- Plans move forward for the missions trip to Mexico this summer.

- We will purchase a couple of small window air conditioners for the parsonage.

- Vision Committee has plans for a barbeque on June 11 to discuss future plans of the church.

- Future rummage sales will not be permitted to use the interior of the church facility for upcoming sales.

- Upcoming summer Wednesday worship is approaching quickly. Lots of enthusiasm about the service that will begin each week at 7 PM.

- Treasurer's Report showed we took in $30,016.79 for April and payed out $20,899.24.

- We will have a joint meeting with Elders and Governing Board in June on the 27th @ 7 PM.

Home Again...

I arrived home last night after spending the last several days in Indiana with my sister. It was the first time that I had been home since mom died.

To be honest, it was not as bad as I thought it was going to be. It was weird being in her home and seeing her things with her not there anymore. Before I left I asked God to give me that peace in knowing that she is being taken care of now by Him. That was very helpful.

This trip was basically time away for me with my family. I was able to golf several times with my brother-in-law. I spent lots of time with Traci. I was able to attend my neice's swwet 16 birthday party. I saw my grandmother several times. I also spent more time with my step-dad than usual. Traci also fixed a big meal (Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, chicken and dumplings, the works) for the whole family to get together.

I was also able to go and worship in our families church without having to have the responsibility to preach. It was a great time seeing lots of old friends. I even ran into a fella who I have known my entire life who came to the Lord and is now attending church. That was a true blessing!

I had a great time with my family in Indiana. Thanks to all of you for your prayers while I was away.

Chicago Cubs

My congregation believes that my favorite team in the whole world is the Chicago Bears. I do love the Bears. I would love to see a repeat of what they did in '85! That would be awesome.

Truth be told though, my favorite team is the Chicago Cubs. I love to watch football, but baseball is my passion when it comes to sports. I grew up wearing number 11 to emulate my favorite player, Ivan DeJesus. I played shortstop, and he played shortstop. I memorized the back of his baseball card. I wanted to be Ivan DeJesus.

You might remember that DeJesus went to the Phillies in part of that deal that brought us Ryno, so I'm not terribly heartbroken. The Cubs were excited about getting Bowa, but Sandberg was the gem of that trade!

The question is out there today if Baker should be canned. I will say emphatically, NO! Jim Hendry should be canned, but not Baker. Steve Stone would be the best GM in baseball. The Cubs had him on payroll for 20 years doing TV for WGN. Major mistake to let that guy go. Go back and get him, apologize, and pay him whatever he wants. He is a great baseball mind. The fans love him. He tells it the way it is. He is good for Cubs baseball.

While I'm on with the Cubs, we need to get rid of Prior and Wood too. These guys are always hurt. Get them healthy, then get rid of them! We want hitting in Wrigley anyway! Remember Kingman bouncing them off of the apartment building across Waveland? Glenallen Hill hitting one on the roof across the street? Bobby Molinaro hitting a bases loaded triple off of the ivy against the Giants? Ok, different story, but a real funny one!

The Chicago Cubs are America's team. It's time to get the goat off the field. Wrigley needs a winner!

Mother's Day

Today is much harder than what I had been fearing. It is in fact my first Mother's Day without my mom. Just about one year ago we learned that she had inoperable cancer. Now, one year later we face life without her. It is a tough day!

I miss her a lot. There were three separate times this week that I went to pick up the phone to call her. I forgot that she wasn't there. I know that it is hard on my sister, Traci too. She and mom were best buddies. They talked every day. Mom would even interrupt Traci in a meeting to call to tell her what was happening on Days of our Lives.

I know that there are lots of individuals who will spend Mother's Day today without their moms. Let me just remind you that you have a heavenly Father who knows just how you feel. Those of you who are believers also have a Comforter who lives inside of you. Call upon Him today like I have to bring you the comfort that only He can provide.

Hallelujah, what a Savior! Hallelujah, what a Friend!

Free Prize Inside

I am reading the book, Free Prize Inside by Mr Seth Godin. This is in fact the third book of his I have read in the past year. I have also enjoyed The Purple Cow and The Big Moo by Godin.

Godin is into marketing. I find his writings to be extremely interesting. I believe it is both wise and profitable (more people not more money) to market the church. My associate disagrees.

There is a paragraph from the opening chapter of this book that I want to throw out there and get some feedback on. Here it is...

A free prize is the essence of the Purple Cow. Generally, a free prize has two key characteristics. First, it’s the thing about your service, your product or your organization that’s worth remarking on, something worth seeking out and buying. (Alas, most soft innovations {A soft innovation is what you, the marketer, see. If it catches on and becomes something the consumer wants, it is now a free prize} never become free prizes, because most soft innovations aren’t remarkable.)

Second, a free prize is not about what a person needs. Instead, it satisfies our wants. It is fashionable or fun or surprising or delightful or sad. It rarely delivers more of what we were buying in the first place. It delivers something extra. A product or service that carries a free prize is a Purple Cow. {A Purple Cow describes something phenomenal, something counterintuitive and exciting and flat out unbelievable.}

What are your thoughts? Can you see the church fitting into this description? I'd really appreciate some feedback on this one if you read it...

Another Regular Wednesday Afternoon...

Every Wednesday (warm season) afternoon at about 3 PM you can find me on the golf course. It is a regular date that Bob Aldrich, Wayne Lofgren and I try to keep. Sometimes there are others who join us, but for the most part it is just the three of us.

Bob and Wayne use a golf cart, but I love to walk. It is great to be outside and listen to the birds, and watch the wildlife. It is very common for us to see baby fox playing in the fairway, or huge turtles making their way across the course. We regularly see geese, ducks, and even a deer or two.

I also like to walk because I love to look for stray golf balls. It is not uncommon to find two or three good ones per round. I haven't purchased golf balls in a couple of years! The other day I found a bright purple Nike Mojo ball that my oldest son swiped really quick. He thought that was cool.

Yesterday on our golf outing I had my best day of the year. I shot an 85! That was a pretty good round for me. I'm usually in that 90 range. I even shot an eagle on #17 that is a par 5. My drive was about 275 yards. It left me about 225 from the green. I used my four iron and made the green. I then sunk a 25-30 foot putt for my eagle! Those are really fun. I have never hit a hole-in-one, but I did have four separate eagles last year. They were all on different courses, but they were all par 5's.

The golf course is a great place for me to go to forget about the office. I encourage everyone to find themselves a hobby that will permit themselves to get away from life for a few hours. if you're a golfer, come find us next Wednesday!

April Showers...

So it has now rained like four or five days straight. I know that the rain is necessary. I also know that it is the time of year. To be honest though, I'd like to turn off the faucet for a few days.

As a golfer, I golf with die-hards who golf regardless. On Saturday, I was eight strokes better when it wasn't raining compared to when it was. Perhaps it is psychological, but whatever the reason, I stink it up in the rain.

Also, I'd like to get out to a couple of lakes and scout my spots out for fishing opener in a couple of weeks. We want to get our walleye's!

So, "Rain, rain go away. Come again some other day..."