Speeding the Light...

A neat update from the Uth Speed the Light party last night. We had pizza and fun as we celebrated their giving/raising $2400 for our missionaries to buy them vehicles, equipment etc. After the fun we challenged the Uth to personally give $100 to STL in 2008. Babysit, mow a yard, give something up, scale back a purchase, keep a loose change bank, give up a Starbucks a week, skip McDonalds twice a month, or whatever creative ideas they could come up with.

After the service one of our youth (not one of our Sunday church kids) came up and slipped a $100 bill into my hand. He said he had sold his car and wanted to give this portion to Speed the Light. He had already planned several weeks ago to do this, so it wasn't a pressured or emotional gift. Awesome! And here's a little hint... It's Not the Money! It's the fact that a teenager sacrificed for something much bigger than himself that he will get no personal benefit from. It's that in an age of excess, I-Pod, cellphone, give me give me teenagers, a kid can hand over a $100 and say give this away. When that happens, you know God is up to something in his life. Nice.

Be Refreshed!


Proverb of the Day: Proverbs 31:8-9a Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. 9 Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Scripture of the Day: Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Quote of the Day: "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." Missionary Jim Elliot, martyred January 8, 1956, age 28

The Youth are EVERYWHERE

I'm celebrating with the youth tonight on another great year of Speed the Light. They gave/raised $2400 in 2007 for STL which supplies our missionaries with vehicles, equipment, etc. (You can check out more HERE )

The theme for 2008 is EVERYWHERE. Since 1944 the youth of the Assemblies of God have given over $220 million for STL. Cars, Land Cruisers, boats, camels, vans, motorbikes, bicycles, donkeys, and even a plane back in the day. Plus sound systems, video systems, computers, and more. Not a day goes by that lives aren't touched and reached with the assistance of STL

So hug a teenager and tell them their Father God said thanks.


Be Refreshed!

Proverb of the Day: Proverbs 30:5-6 Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. 6 Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.

Scripture for the Day: Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Quote of the Day: We give so our missionaries can travel faster, preach clearer, and be heard louder, in order that that Heaven might be a bigger place…filled with people from every nationality, color, and tribe who have accepted Him as their Savior. Speed the Light

TWIBB Notes

I haven't given a family sports update in a long time so it's a good time to catch up. Ethan is playing for the Christian school and they are finally getting a little more consistent. They are 9-11 but have won their last two. They have three games and a tournament this week as the season starts to wind down. Ethan is seeing a little playing time and had 17 points one night a few weeks ago.

Isaac's main BB season is over although they have a tournament coming up too. There's a one month lull between the end of the main season and this last tourney, so that's a tough one.

Elizabeth had her first basketball game at the YMCA last Saturday. It was the first game for the 1st & 2nd graders so fortunately the referee was pretty generous. She can hang with the boys though. At her practice the coach said, "She's pretty aggressive."

Jeremiah and Elizabeth are also taking swim lessons at the YMCA.

And that's This Week in Basketball.

Be Refreshed!

Proverb of the Day: Proverbs 28:1 The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

Scripture of the Day: 1 Corinthians 14:1 Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.

Quote of the Day: "I don't want my children to remember me as a great professional football player. I want them to remember me as a man of God." Reggie White, Super Bowl Champion with Green Bay Packers

Exhale

Another annual church meeting has come and gone. I'm blessed with a great church, good workers, and servant deacons, so I am blessed. Still it makes me nervous every year. I always feel like it's the people's job in the meeting to see what I'm hiding. They don't act they way and there's no slush fund to hide, but I always feel under the light. Good buzz after the meeting though. We're looking at some upgrades and freshening up the building a bit. Some is already underway, but there's always something.

The most exciting part of the day was rejoicing with our missions report. It's been neat to watch our missions giving and focus grow over the years. Our annual mission's convention starts in February so it should be an awesome month. Then in March we head to East St Louis for a work trip and Megan C. heads to Costa Rica for a mission trip.

It's going to be a great 2008!


Be Refreshed!

Proverb of the Day: Proverbs 27:1 Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.

Scripture of the Day: Psalm 100:3 Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Quote of the Day: "Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshippers meeting together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be were they to become ‘unity’ conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship. Social religion is perfected when private religion is purified. The body becomes stronger as its members become healthier. The whole church of God gains when the members that compose it begin to seek a better and a higher life." A. W. Tozer

The Big 5

I read this challenge today from a guy named Rick Grubbs. He was addressing redeeming the time in 2008. Here were his first two points:

1. Remember that for the Christian, goal setting is not a matter of inventing my own goals, but rather detecting what God's goals for me already are.

2. If you need a quick way to get started setting goals, begin by listing "5 things I believe God wants me to do before I die." This can be a real eye opener and can have a profound impact on how we spend our time in 2008! Many of us will find a big difference between the 5 most important things we really desire to accomplish, and what we are actually doing in our daily routine.

January is just 26 days old, so it's not too late to redeem the time in 2008.

Be Refreshed!


Proverb of the Day: Proverbs 26:14 As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed.

Scripture of the Day: James 4:14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

Quote of the Day: "Go the extra mile. It's never crowded." Unknown

Loos Tales

What do these two people have in common?
(other than being striking young men)

Trent and I were best friends all the way through school in Payson, IL. We rode the same school bus, slept over at each other's house, his dad was my little league baseball coach, and he stole my wallet at Busch Stadium in St Louis. I shoveled manure, baled straw, and learned why farmers wear hats at his farm. (It's so when you're spreading the manure in the fields with a wagon you don't get the manure in your hair as it flings it everywhere. At least that's what he told me.) I have a picture in my office of me with one of his favorite spot pigs growing up.

My mom sent me a clipping today of an article the local paper did on him. He travels all over America speaking up for the farmers and agriculture industry. I was able to see him speak last year. Here's a link to one of his websites.

LOOS TALES

He even mentioned me in one of his recent columns. "AS a kid, my favorite comeback to my mother was always, "but William is doing it." Her canned response was always, "If William jumps off a bridge, are you going to follow him?"" Column

Just this week Sonya was trying to get me to tell the kids at supper how Trent almost killed us when I was 15.
Good Times...

Be Refreshed!

Proverb of the Day: Proverbs 24:27 Finish your outdoor work and get your fields ready; after that, build your house.

Scripture of the Day: Acts 10:11-13 11He [Peter] saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12 It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. 13 Then a voice told him, "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat."

Quote of the Day: "If we're not supposed to eat animals, how come they're made out of meat?" Tom Snyder

WOW!

WOW! That was one of the responses in Bible study tonight to Psalm 139:1-6.

"O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down;you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me."

David responded this way. "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain."

WOW! Whenever you feel depressed, lonely, or discouraged, go read Psalm 139. Let God remind you how He formed you, created you, gave you life, and knows every thought you have.

Be Refreshed!

Proverb of the Day: Proverbs 23:12 Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.

Scripture of the Day: Psalm 139:23-24 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Quote of the Day: All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Outside Politics

I'm already weary of the political season and I'm thinking it will be a long year. The rhetoric wears on with the same rhetoric we heard in every campaign. Hope, change, new day, leadership, experience, outsider, insider, etc. Here's a neat resource to compare candidates on the "big" issues. You can enter your address and it brings up the candidates and their stance on major issues. You can even choose two and it will bring their views up side by side. Check it out.

CULTURE CAMPAIGN

I listened to the entirety of the "I Have A Dream Speech" by Martin Luther King, Jr. for the first time today. I've heard the sound bites many times, but this was the first time for the whole speech. I was born in 1965 and sometimes forget that segregation isn't that old. You can see, hear, and read the speech here.

SPEECH


Be Refreshed!

Proverb of the Day: Proverbs 21:3 To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.

Scripture of the Day: Galatians 3:26-29 26You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Quote of the Day: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." Marin Luther King, Jr.

Sanctity of Life

What better way to celebrate Sanctity of Life Sunday than to dedicate a baby to the Lord? We dedicated little Kyle S. and mom and dad to the Lord tonight. Awesome God!

It's easy to get overwhelmed with the evil in this world on a day like today, but God reminded me this weekend of the hope I see every week in the pews. Clem who works at the crisis pregnancy center and runs their ultrasounds. John & Karol who love their special needs child. People who love and help a special needs man in our church. Kris and Heather who head to Russia Saturday to adopt a child. The different ministries supported through our missions giving. Wow. And that's just the short list. Sometimes we get overwhelmed with the big picture and we want to give up. But all God calls us to is faithfulness to our calling.

Be Refreshed!

Proverb of the Day: Proverbs 20:7 The righteous man leads a blameless life; blessed are his children after him.

Scripture of the Day: Psalm 139:13-14 13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Quote of the Day: “America stands for liberty, for the pursuit of happiness and for the unalienable right for life. This right to life cannot be granted or denied by government because it does not come from government, it comes from the creator of life.” President George W. Bush

Super Smokers

I feel like I've been living a lie... I listed "barbecue" on my blog profile yet I've never mentioned it in a blog yet. It's time to come clean. Here's a place I stopped by just west of St Louis on my way to Springfield, MO earlier this week. I had ribs, pulled pork, baked beans & jalapeno cornbread. Not exactly easy to eat while driving down the interstate, but sometimes you've got to do what you've got to do. The ribs were great, sauce on the side just like it should be. The pork was a little mushy, but pulled and not chopped. (Just like it should be too) They're closed on Sunday so you can attend worship services, so I liked it even better then.

While in Springfield I passed several real BBQ joints but didn't make it to any of them. I went to college and grad school there, so I had to hit all the old places instead. (Mexican Villa for a Sancho and Jade East for Springfield Cashew Chicken)

That's my un-inspirational post for the day, but I feel better now.

Be Refreshed!

Proverb of the Day: Proverbs 17:1 Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife.

Scripture of the Day: Exodus 12:9 Do not eat the meat raw or cooked in water, but roast it over the fire—head, legs and inner parts.

Quote of the Day: "If you can't smell it a mile away...it ain't worth going... " Unidentified BBQ quote

As the Kingdom Advances...

A bittersweet weekend. Yesterday we anointed a young couple as they pursue God's calling on their lives. Today I head to Nixa, MO to pay respects for a pastor called home. I call some people "pastor" because that is their title (fellow co-laborers). Only a few I call "Pastor" out of honor, respect, and submission. Today I honor one of my "Pastors," Pastor Marvin Fulks.


I was privileged to serve under Pastor Marvin Fulks as youth pastor in Sandwich, IL. He and Karen had children older than me, but he was a spiritual father to me also as we served together. Many times young pastors buck up against their elders as they try to push ahead. Unfortunately we often miss much wisdom along the way. We had some great times together and walked through some rough times together, but hopefully I was a faithful shield bearer. Thank you Pastor Fulks for leaving an impression on my life. I honor you "Pastor."

Obituary

Be Refreshed!

Proverb of the Day: Proverbs 14:2 He whose walk is upright fears the LORD, but he whose ways are devious despises him.

Scripture of the Day: Matthew 25:21 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'"

Quote of the Day: There is nothing more certain than death; nothing more uncertain than the time of dying. I will therefore be prepared for that at all times which may come at any time, must come at one time or another. I shall not hasten my death by being still ready, but sweeten it. It makes me not die the sooner, but the better. Andrew Warwick

Welcome Pastor Mark & Traci!

It was a fun morning in church as we highlighted our Children's Churches with the kid's leading worship, puppets, missions, and more. What made it even more special was our official introduction of Pastor Mark as Children's Pastor. He and Traci have done a great job with the kids the last few years, but he recently began classes for his ministerial credentials and we are bringing him on part time staff as we see what God has for them. It was a special moment as the kids, deacons, and Mark & Traci's parents gathered around them to pray God's anointing on their lives.



Be Refreshed!

Proverb of the Day: Proverbs 13:24 He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.

Scripture of the Day: Matthew 21: 14-16 14 The blind and the lame came to him [Jesus] at the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they were indignant. 16 "Do you hear what these children are saying?" they asked him. "Yes," replied Jesus, "have you never read, " 'From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise?"

Quote of the Day: You may speak but a word to a child, and in that child there may be slumbering a noble heart which shall stir the Christian Church in years to come. Charles Spurgeon

Home Going

A sad and joyous day today as a good friend, Pastor Marvin Fulks, goes home to be with the Lord. I was privileged to serve as youth pastor under Pastor Fulks for 2 years in Sandwich, IL. He was a good friend and mentor to Sonya and me. He pastored churches in IL, IN, NE, & IA. Please remember his wife Karen in your prayers.


Be Refreshed!

Proverb of the Day: Proverbs 9:8 Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you.

Scripture of the Day: Psalms 116:15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.

Quote of the Day: There is an essential difference between the decease of the godly and the death of the ungodly. Death comes to the ungodly man as a penal infliction, but to the righteous as a summons to his Father's palace. To the sinner it is an execution, to the saint an undressing from his sins and infirmities. Death to the wicked is the King of terrors. Death to the saint is the end of terrors, the commencement of glory. Charles Spurgeon

Pray On

Started the year with a sermon on prayer Sunday. We normally have a period of fasting and prayer closer to Pentecost Sunday, but prayer is always a good way to start the year. The disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, so let's ask God to breathe freshness and life into our prayers in 2008. My favorite part of the day was Sunday night when we prayed through the Lord's Prayer for half an hour. What a great way to get ready for the week!

Some of you have been following the events in Kenya. Here's another update from our missionaries.

LINK


Be Refreshed!

Proverb of the Day: Proverbs 8:10-11 10 Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold, 11 for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her.

Scripture of the Day: Matthew 26:40-41 40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. 41 "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."

Quote of the Day: I have seen many men work without praying, though I have never seen any good come out of it; but I have never seen a man pray without working. Hudson Taylor

Hot Date!

Had a hot date night with Sonya last night. We did some shopping and a few errands. Then we went to Panera Bread for hot tea and dessert. We slid into the same side of the booth, looked into each others eyes, popped open the laptop, and reviewed our finances for 2007. Where did we spend our money? How much do we have? What do we owe on the house? What's our retirement account look like? All those romantic things. Then we looked ahead to 2008. What are our goals? What does 5 years from now look like? What about college for the kids?

Then a big ugly word slipped out... BUDGET. We need to get a budget set up for 2008. Or a term I like better...Spending Plan. Too often we view a budget as a whip that tells us what we can't do. I like to see it from the other side. A spending plan is what helps us do what we want to do, what's important to us. We love missions and want to give a lot to missions. We better plan for that before I spend it in the drive-thru. It's easier to make small sacrifices if I have a goal or purpose. Even your kids will get it. They think we can spend as much as we want, but tell them your goals and why you spend or don't spend and now they can catch the vision too. We're going to the Dells in February with some old high school friends of mine and their families. We may skip eating out or some other things to make that trip happen, but the kids don't complain if they know there's a good reason to sacrifice. We didn't use much of a spending plan in 2007 (although we're both pretty conservative) but it still showed at year's end. Dave Ramsey likes to say that a budget is you telling your money where to go rather than wondering where it went.

If you're looking for a way to spark your marriage, may I suggest Panera Bread and your checkbook? It's NOT the money! It's your dreams, your goals, your values, your unity. The number one cause of fights in marriages relates to money. Take a few minutes early in 2008 and share your hopes, dreams, and goals. Then make a plan to see it happen. Now that's romance!

Be Refreshed!

Proverb of the Day: Proverb 4:26 Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm.

Scripture of the Day: (Keep this in mind when preparing your plans for the future) James 4:13-15 13 Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that."

Quote of the Day: Some couples go over their budgets very carefully every month; others just go ever them. Sally Poplin

Kenya Update

Here's a more detailed update on the burning of the A/G church in Kenya. There is also a link on this page where you can help.

ARTICLE


Be Refreshed!

Proverb of the Day: Proverbs 3:3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.

Scripture of the Day: Hebrews 11:37-38a 37 They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38a the world was not worthy of them.

Quote of the Day: The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. Tertullian

Prayer for Kenya

Many of you have probably heard of all the unrest in Kenya the last few days. The church that was burned and where dozens of people lost their lives was a Kenyan Assemblies of God church. Please lift up our brothers and sisters in Kenya during this time of unrest and destruction. All the sudden all the political meanderings in Iowa and a few of America's shortcomings doesn't look quite as bad.

You can read more here:
ARTICLE

Be Refreshed!

Proverb of the Day: Proverbs 2:11 Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you.

Scripture of the Day: Psalm 91:1-2 1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."

Quote of the Day: "God's plan is to make much of the man, far more of him than of anything else. Men are God's method. The Church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men." E.M. Bounds

Happy New Year!

A beautiful snow brings in another year. Unfortunately about 5 inches of snow yesterday slowed down the New Year's Eve party. We pray this will be a year of God's blessings in your life. A great new year's resolution comes right out of Matthew 6.

25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Be Refreshed!

Proverb of the Day: Proverbs 1:22 How long will you simple ones love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge?

Scripture of the Day: Numbers 6:24-27
24 "The LORD bless you
and keep you;

25 the LORD make his face shine upon you
and be gracious to you;

26 the LORD turn his face toward you
and give you peace." '

Quote of the Day: "Do not have your concert first, and then tune your instrument afterwards. Begin the day with the Word of God and prayer, and get first of all into harmony with Him.” Hudson Taylor