Finally... Fun Reading!!!

I finished my two graduate classes, and the next ones do not egin until January 7th, so I am enjoying some fun reading. I have been wanting to read this one for about six months.

It is funny that I am reading this one now with what is happening at Cornerstone. God is sending some pretty special people our way. They are not your prototypical church goers. We are seeing people with tattoo's and piercings, but they are accepting Christ and their lives are being changed.

I think that John Burke is up to something with his thoughts here. Who did Jesus come to save? It is not the healthy who need a doctor...

I'm only on chapter two, but so so good...

Merry Christmas

This has been a very good Christmas for me. We did not travel to see family. We stayed at home in Boone with our church family. It was awesome!

Last night we had a Christmas Eve service. To be honest, it was kind of a last minute decision. I thought, "I'm going to be here, why not open the doors and see who shows up." The answer was, EVERYONE! We actually had to drag in more chairs. It was a full house!

There was lots of music. Our girls did a phenomenal job with their solos. I showed a sermon spice video about kids and Christmas. I read the Christmas story from Luke 2, then I spoke for about 7-8 minutes and shared the plan of salvation. It was a great service.

We then went to a church family's home for a Christmas Open House where there were about 20-25 others from church at and visited for a while. I went to bed early and slept late. I finally woke the boys up at 8 AM. I couldn't wait any longer (sleeping in to me was 7 AM), and we opened presents. Josh's big present was an i pod. Zach got a bunch of smaller things, but was very happy with his collection of Harry Potter movies. I bought Cindy new ear rings. That is a big deal as she does not have pierced ears because she's a chicken with needles. This will force her to step up :)

Cindy bought me a pair of 501 jeans. I am wearing them now. This makes me happy because since I have lost weight I can now wear them again. They only make up to a 42 and I have not been a 42 for some time. I am now, hallelujah! Zach got me a coffee grinder for my office. Josh got Cindy and I together a VCR/DVD combo. That will be nice as we have been saving for a larger television, as we currently have a 13 inch screen in our living room. I'm sure I will blog about my new monster TV when I buy it.

Then Cindy made us biscuits and gravy for breakfast! The boys went back to bed and Cindy is getting ready to hit the road tomorrow for Michigan, so I came to the office. It has been a steady stream of people coming in for coffee, so I am glad I came in.

I miss my mom a lot this year, but I am very happy with Christmas '07.

Who are you voting for?

After doing a lot of praying and research, I believe the best man to vote for in the primary, and I intentionally said man, is Mike Huckabee.

There is no way that I could support a Mormon, and I definitely can't get on board with a liar like Giuliani. McCain comes across to me as a bully. I actually had dinner with Duncan Hunter, and I think he is a great guy, but I'm not sure he would make a good president. Tancredo has some good points as does Fred Thompson and Ron Paul, but again, I have a hard time taking them as serious contenders.

Mike Huckabee loves God and he is not afraid to share that. He may not be perfect, but God is looking for imperfect people to follow His will and do His work. Just the fact that this man is filled with the Holy Spirit should tell Christians that God will guide him. I encourage you to vote with your heart and follow your convictions.

And besides... If Chuck Norris likes him, who am I to argue with Walker, Texas Ranger!

Congratulations...

This afternoon I had the privilege of marrying Amy Hadaway to Nathan Phipps. Some people might say, big woop. People get married everyday. This marriage is different...

Nate and Amy came to Christ last month at our Heaven's Gates and Hell's Flames crusade. They have been to church every week since then. They also are attending our Young Christians Sunday School class.

They got married because they 'discovered' that living together was not the way that God designed things. The proper thing was to get married.

This is the third marriage for both of these young Christians, but this time things are different. They are building their relationship upon a sure foundation.

Yea God!

My New Hobby

I have begun donating plasma in Ames a couple of times each week. They pay me $20 for the first time I donate and $40 for the second time.

This is a good way to help other people. It is also decent money for me. I am saving my money for a weeks worth of Arizona sun and spring training baseball.

If you want to know more about donating plasma, click here.

Gunman opens fire in Colorado megachurch

I came to the church this afternoon and found this on the front page of CNN. My heart just sank. This is horrible. It is hard to fathom that anyone would go into a church and shoot people who had come to worship God. Earlier this morning a similar situation happened just north of this in the Denver area. Just days ago a young man went on a wild rampage in Omaha, NE.

This is not a war area. These people were not set for battle. They were innocent people with the single agenda of worship. The evil one is alive and well in the US. We must be on our guard!

Please join me in prayer for these awful situations. Let's pray for the families of those involved that God would give them peace. Let's pray that God will bring something beautiful from this ugly situation.

More Snow!

Ok, so maybe we did not get as much as this poor fella, but it sure feels like it! God, please call me to Arizona! I am so sick of snow and it is only December!

This is our second Saturday in a row that we have been hammered with weather. No, it can't snow on a Monday, it has to wait until just before church. This gives people a good excuse to sleep in.

My beautiful wife loves the snow. I think my boys do too. Not me! I hate snow. In fact, if I never saw snow again, it would be just fine to me. I like warm. I like sand. I like golf :)

What are your thoughts? Are you a snow person?

Teaching

Today I found myself as the substitute of a 7th and 8th grade English class in Gilbert, IA. I believe that subbing is a great way to get involved in your community.

I have been stretched as I have now subbed in Ames, Boone, Madrid, and now in Gilbert. It has been a lot of fun, and it also pays about $100 each day that I do it.

I have seen several of the kids in the community and they remember me, and even sometimes talk to me! I think that subbing rocks!

Looking for a fun part-time job? I highly recommend it!

New Bible study

I am meeting with the director of our local YMCA about leading a community Bible study there. This is an absolute God thing. If you haven't noticed, our God rocks!

I have been kicking around the idea for about a year to join the "Y". What has held me back is the $50 some dollars that they charge each month for the family membership.

In past cities I have pastored, the Y has offered a small decrease in monthly fees to pastors to help make it more feasible for them. I finally worked up the courage to call the local Y and ask if that would be possible. I would really like to start working out regularly, and I am currently motivated to do it.

The response from the director was, "We might be able to give you a complimentary membership if you would be willing to lead a community Bible study." That is stinkin' awesome! I told her that i would have done it for free. I have been praying for God to open the door to allow me to be more involved in our community.

God is just like that, I ask for a few dollars a month off of a membership, God gives it to me for free, and just because he can do it, He also adds an opportunity to get more involved in the community. Paul writes, "God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us." Ephes. 3:20 (MsgB)