Two Sundays ago Daybreak Community Church launched Children’s Worship. Parents can drop their children off at 9:45 where their kids will be provided a breakfast and some “hang out” time. Around 10:05 the kids are encouraged to gather on two large rugs and our Children’s Worship begins. They sing songs (which my kids sing through out the week), listen to an engaging skit, and various other fun activities. It has added so much to our children’s ministry. We are able to focus on the main point of the day, teach our kids about missions (they support a Compassion Child), and have educational fun! It is only going to get better – so check it out one Sunday.

What would you have done?

There are four groups of people and four different philosophies for life, they all came to me the other day when I got away and just went into the woods and followed the Appalachian Trail (just me this time).

1. Those that never dare to enter; like those that coach from the sidelines this group never know what it is like to set foot on the journey. Yes, they never twist and ankle or are chased by a bear, but they never know how to push on through pain or think while on the run. This group of people don’t like to take risks and see this kind of stuff as a waste of money. Their focus is safety, comfort, and security. It’s hard to live a fun life from the inside of a insulated cocoon.

2. Those that travel only a short way; they have the assumption and knowledge that you can’t hike the whole trail in a single afternoon, so they only go into where the shadows begin and just enjoy where they are, thinking this is far enough. They think they are enjoying the moment more because they don’t have to take as much stuff, it’s not as difficult, and you don’t sweat much. But from this vantage point there are no spectacular views, you can still hear the construction worker’s hammers and the swish of traffic. You don’t really get an appreciation for the “woods” because you are still very close, too close.

Every group has “posers.” These are the people who stand close the adventurers and want to be considered one of them because they wear the same kind of shoes, or know the vernacular. But in the end their uniforms are bleach white because they have never been in the game. They are close to the action, but never in the action.

3. Those that walk to a point and turn back; This group has responsibilities and their burdens are heavier than the pack they carry. They know the joy of the journey but can only go so far in an afternoon. Their joy is what is to come (perhaps next time), and they push around one more bend in the trail, and push for a few more minutes. They dream of a day when they will be able to finish, when they will see it all. But it will have to wait until another day, work calls like the call of the wild and they go back.

The trail for them is a medicine that allows them to get away from it all and immerse themselves in things that are foreign to their everyday life. They can climb rock faces, sleep in a hammock, journal, or carve a stick – just because they want to. This is a medicine for them that allows them to clear their head of the fog that is pushing down all around them.

4. Those that venture and traverse the whole trail; they see every overlook and endure the load of their pack for month after month until they see it all. These people are few in number because few can step away for such a long time (on average it takes 6 months), and have the ability to pay for this trip (on average it takes 3-6 thousand), or are willing to endure this way of life for such a long time. At the end they get a cheap patch (which I doubt many wear), but their character is stronger and they have faced down a giant. They are the courageous, the young at heart – the zealous.

Which one are you?

Get out there; today go a little further than you did last time. It’s worth it. I’m in the third group. I love the trail, but I have responsibilities that come first. As my kids grow, we will go further and further and perhaps when they are older we will travel the entire length together (one can dream can’t he)?

This year Thanksgiving will be at our house in Brunswick. So I got to looking around at Cabellas.com (which has all your cooking supplies). And when I found out, I knew I had to get a turkey deep fryer. I have wanted to try cooking a turkey this way for years, but never really had the opportunity – UNTIL NOW.

And who wants to cook a fowl in a heated box. What is needed is a vat of volatile oil, highly compressed propane gas, a wet bird, and a whole lot of potential for danger. In the mean time until Turkey Day (T-Day), I will try some test runs on smaller animals.

That just reminded me, I need to check on my home insurance coverage.

I have been blogging for about a year now and it has been an interesting and fun experience. The reason that I began to blog is explained here (see quote from first blog below).

“Here it is — my first post, blog -whatever. I suppose I should tell you why I
have added something else to my “to do” list by launching a blog. I believe
that God desires for me to teach about His Word, the Bible, and ways that people can apply it to their lives.

So this blog is dedicated to that purpose. I promise that if you come back, you will never see pictures of cats, or stories of how I have a rash (which I don’t) or any other trivial subjects. I will attempt, with each new post, to have something that I have learned that I feel will benefit others.

So we begin with purpose — why have yet another blog? Specifically why should I begin a blog? It is my desire to expand my realm of influence beyond my congregation and to potentially share the truths of the Bible to many others. And I also understand that I have along ways to go before I am one of those super-pastors. So respond back and we can learn together. Welcome to our journey together.” – Sept. 14th 2007

What I have discovered is that as a leader and pastor people know that I teach the Bible and get that already from me on Sunday morning. But what they can’t get from me is who I am as a person. On Sunday mornings and in meetings it is hard to see who I am other than a pastor. So my blog has transitioned from trying to teach people all the time, to just being myself and telling others what’s going on in my family (church and nuclear). If a believer in Christ is seeking to follow Christ and to live an obedient life this is the most powerful teaching anyway.

I have also begun to write on things that may seem trivial (lost teeth, vacations, church events, etc…) and this is really what sharing is all about anyway. God is blessing our family in so many ways, and I want to tell others about it. Another reason is that those great “ah-ha” moments don’t come to me everyday. That’s just not me, I’m not an intellectual (which is a relative term). I’m just an everyday guy who loves God and his family and is trying to figure things out as he goes.

So, friend, I am glad that you check in and read the blog from time to time. Thanks also to those of you who leave a comment every now and then, and let’s see what another year brings. I hope there are no rashes, because that’s just going to be embarrassing!