The Holiday Miles Begin

This year, Hayley and I will be joining thousands of other Americans who will be doing an abundance of traveling over the holiday season. It started last Wednesday with a trip up to Vermontville, MI to eat the Thanksgiving Feast with some of Hayley's family on Thursday. Then Thursday night we left for Pestosky to spend the weekend with my mom and dad and sister. It was a good time to relax, hunt and watch a little football (which I don't wish to discuss right now because, well, I'll just say the BCS has to go). I didn't shoot the big buck like I had hoped for but I at least saw some deer and I got a chance to sit and ponder all that has developed in my life over the last 8 months (this will be an upcoming post). On Saturday, Hayley's parents came up to my parents place to hang out with us for the weekend. My first thought was that this was going to be a "Meet the Fockers" type of experience but it turned out to be just fine and I think both sets of parents enjoyed the weekend.

So the holiday craze continues. This weekend we are headed to Mt. Pleasant for a Christmas Party, the next weekend is the big Food Drop event here at GCC, the next weekend is a wedding that Hayley is in near Brighton, MI, and then it is Christmas!!! Time will fly by but I will enjoy every minute of it.

The Feast

Well, it's that time of year again. The Holidays. Family, friends, vacation, presents, travel, fun, food, football, shopping, relaxation. This is one of my favorite times of the year. And what a way to kick it off by enjoying a huge feast, which is coming in just two days!!! This year Hayley and I will be traveling to her parents place for the feast and then up to my parents place for the weekend. I will be doing some hunting and eating leftovers for three straight days. It is going to be great.

But wait...

What about those that don't experience the family, friends, vacation, presents, travel, fun, food, football, shopping, or relaxation. Today as Hayley and I handed food out to hundreds of less fortunate people I asked some of them if they had plans for Thanksgiving. Some did have plans but there were several that didn't. There feast is what was in the box. Canned foods, pasta, or whatever you can pack in a box that won't spoil. No turkey, fresh salads, or desert of any kind. Some would experience this holiday as if it were just another day because to some that is exactly what it is.

So this during this holiday of Thanksgiving, be thankful. Spend your time enjoying what you do have instead of complaining about what you don't. I know I am going to enjoy my time with family and friends. I will also enjoy shooting my first buck!!!

Are You Kidding?

I am amazed at the complete insanity that people are showing to acquire a piece of technology costing them around $600.00. I know that most people are buying and selling to make a fairly substantial profit but is what they are going through to get it really worth it? An article from MSNBC claims that one person was shot and is now it stable condition, others were victims of a drive-by BB gun shooting and many more were mugged while waiting in line. My favorite report is this:

"In West Bend, Wis., a 19-year-old man was injured when he ran into a pole racing with 50 others for one of 10 spots outside a Wal-Mart."

Wouldn't that be a great story to tell your grandkids some day? Or maybe you could tell them that you set up a tent in front of Best Buy and slept there in the rain for two days waiting to get video game system that was outdated in three years. That might be just as cool. If these people want to make such a big profit, getting a life and a job might be a better option. Just a thought. What are yours?

20

Today I walked into work here at GCC and as I looked around, the atrium or "foyer" area was being decorated with poster size images hanging from the ceiling. The images displayed captured moments of ministry that have happened here at GCC in the past 20 years. This weekend GCC is celebrating 20 years of ministry. And when I say celebrate, I mean celebrate. We will experience one giant party that will celebrate not only how God has worked here in the past, but also what God has planned for the next 20 years and beyond. Since I am new here, I'm not totally sure what to expect but from what I have experienced here so far, I know it is going to be incredible. Here is a letter from the Senior Pastor Mark Beeson on celebrating 20 years:

Dear Church:

“Left foot. Okay. Good. Now your right foot. Great. You ready?”

Now our boots were completely saturated with scent eliminator spray; no chance the deer would smell us. Aaron grinned. I caught his smile and asked, “What’re you thinking?”

“I was just remembering.” he replied, “We’ve done this since I was a little kid. It’s always the last thing we do before we head out. Now we’re doing it again. You always say, ‘Left foot. Right foot.’ And we’re on our way.”

For twenty years I’ve been hunting with my son. Doesn’t seem that long, but it’s true. Two decades of time, conversation, shared adventure and cherished memories flood back into my mind as I walk into the woods behind my son.

“Left foot. Right foot.”

I used to lead him every step of the way; now he seeks a good path for both of us. I once carried all our stuff; he now carries his gear and some of mine. I taught him to take note of each footfall, making sure he broke no sticks and made no noise; now I can’t hear him as he moves ahead of me in the woods. Once upon a time he reached up to hold my hand; now he looks me in the eye.

“Left foot. Right foot.”

It used to be that Sheila would see us off for our early morning hunts saying, “I know you’ll keep an eye on Aaron.” I remember that this day her parting words weren’t to me. She spoke to her son, “Take care of your dad, Aaron.” As I recall, he turned and gave her a nod and a smile, apparently offering enough assurance for her to wave us out the door.

“Left foot. Right foot.”

It’s been a good twenty years. A few have been easier for us than others, but we’ve shared the trek and walked together every step of the journey. Somewhere along the way we reached a tipping point, a shift in role and relationship that enriched both our lives. He grew up—all my children grew up. They know the way and we walk together even when we are apart. Our unity is not determined by our proximity; we are closer than mere distance can separate. We have our bearings. Our direction is set.

“Left foot. Right foot.”

For twenty years I’ve been serving Jesus beside you at GCC. Doesn’t seem that long, but it’s true. Two decades of time, conversation, shared adventure and cherished memories flood back into my mind as I walk beside you into our future. It’s been a good twenty years. A few have been easier for us than others, but we’ve shared the trek and walked together every step of the journey. We have our bearings. Our direction is set.

We’ve been traveling for twenty years and somewhere along the way we reached a tipping point, a shift in role and relationship that enriched all our lives. Our church grew up. For two decades we’ve walked in sync. Now we’re poised to do it again. We’ll take our next steps toward Christ – together. So, as I always say, “Left foot. Right foot.” I’ll see you this weekend at GCC’s 20th Anniversary, “and we’re on our way.”

In The News

On Monday night, a local news station did a story about the use of technology in the church. They titled the story "God-Casting" which featured GCC as one of the churches. Actually, when they were interviewing Tim Stevens (Executive Pastor), I was sitting right outside the door at my desk. I guess I don't need to tell you about it...you can watch it here:

http://www.wsbt.com/news/local/4632811.html

Change is Good

I guess this title has been somewhat debated over the years. Because we are people of habit, we do not like to keep adjusting and re-settling. We would rather get in the groove and be comfortable and not have to think about change or deal with the stress that can sometimes come with that. But I think that if we decide not to invite change, we may miss out on the discomfort and stress, but we may also miss out on learning, growth, and the excitement of the uncharted territory that lies ahead. Now I know this new change on my blog will probably not raise much debate, although some may be dissappointed that the nature feel of the previous blog is no longer (that is if anyone even remembers or visits this site). But when we say so long to the way we always used to do things, something in us wants to resist and fight. Why is that? Do you do that? Some say it's because we cherish what we had. I agree with that. There are some great memories that I'm sure we all have about family, friends, work, church, etc. Whatever it may be, we just like the way it is and if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Well, I'm not sure that's such a good motto to live by. If it ain't broke, maybe we ought to break it and make it stronger and better. It seems that what God chooses to do with us. In our times of brokenness it seems that we are made stronger. So maybe we need to rethink this whole change thing. Maybe we should invite it to prune the dead in what we do in order to make it more alive.

Little did I know a change in by blog would inspire this post!!

Upgrading

I am going to attempt an upgrade for my blog site. If it's not back up and running by tomorrow, send a search party.

Crunch Time

Deadlines. Does anybody like them? I guess it doesn't matter. They exist and will continue to exist. I suppose they do ensure that we are productive with our lives and that we actually get some things done, but the pressure of finishing well and on time can be a bit overwhelming. I am in the midst of my busiest time since my move down to Granger. I am currently starting to research for and write a fifteen page paper that is due in two weeks. Why did I wait until now to start? Because before this assignment I had three 8 page papers to complete and I guess I am pretty good at procrastinating. I am not sure why this is, but tend to work better and stay more focused when I am under pressure. When I know I have no choice but to work on something until it gets done because if it doesn't, I will face some harsh consequences. So I am pressing hard for the next couple of weeks. Not only for school but also for the church and the tasks that I have been assigned to here. I am enjoying everything about what I am doing but there are times when it seems that everything is happening at once and this is one of those times. So if you think of it, please keep me in your prayers for the next couple of weeks as I strive to stay focused and complete all the tasks before me.

The Long Awaited "Preacher Man: Part 4"

My Good Luck Charm for the weekend.

The finale is finally here. I know many waited in great anticipation for what would be the conclusion to the Preacher Man's weekend. Well, wait no more. Sunday, the last day of the retreat that happened almost two weeks ago.

We started this day with brunch followed by an event known as the olympics. Kids were put into teams to compete in a relay type event that consisted of many different tasks. The would have to determine which team member would do what and they had to make sure each member competed in something. They did things like bob-for-apples, chew gum and blow a bubble, eat 5 saltine crackers and whistle, and pull marshmallows out of chocolate syrup with their teeth (like in the pic). The olympics were followed by a great worship session and then I delivered my finale message. I talked about finishing strong and playing our position or role the absolute best that we could. Making sure that we leave everything on field. I told the kids that the endzone is in site. And if we press on and dig in and finish strong we will reach the endzone. I showed the end of the movie "Rudy" where Rudy goes in to the game and sacks the quarterback on the last play of the game. He is carried off the field by his teammates who are crazily celebrating. If we play the role we are supposed to play, when we get to the end, Heaven will lift us up on it's shoulders and celebrate loudly for us. So we must press on!!! Finish Strong!!!

Yummy!!

The One and Only Herb-Dogg!!!

Preacher Man: Part 3

Day two brought about a day full of activity and speaking. I started the morning off with a message on developing the fundamentals of following Chirst. I used the acronym H.A.B.I.T.S. (created by Doug Fields) which stands for 1)Hang time with God, 2)Accountability, 3)Bible memorization, 4)Involvement, 5)Tithing/Giving, 6)Study scripture. After the message was completed we played games and had lunch. In the afternoon we played a game called Survival. In this game, the students were all different animals. Some were Herbivores (who had to hunt for hidden food) and some were Carnivores (who tried to tag the carnivores and eat them). Each animal was given a certain number of lives and once they died so many times they were out of the game. So how did the carnivores die you ask? That is where I came into the game. I was the hunter. I could kill any animal I wanted and the way I did this was a ton of fun. I was given two mini, rubber, dodge-ball, balls. If I hit a kid with one it would count as a kill. I got to run around for about 2 hrs. throwing balls at kids. It was a blast!!! However, there was one point in the game where I, myself, got blasted.

I was running full speed after a kid. I was wearing football cleats because it was pretty wet out. I wasn't thinking and I chased him full speed onto a basketball court which was made out of that slick cement material. As soon as I hit that cement I was like a deer on an icy pond. I had no chance. My feet flew up in the air and landed hard...and I mean hard...right on my can. I hadn't been hit that hard since I was a junior in high school and I got pummeled by Joel Maust and Scott Anderson in football practice. I did finish game and I finished strong, pegging one kid from about 30 yards. It was a lucky shot.

The day ended with a message about being a part of the team God has called you to which is the Church. I challenged kids to write letter from God to them about what their roles are in the game and how God wanted to use them. I would have them share the next morning more of what God spoke to them that night.