Weekend Raw Numbers

We had an amazing weekend at Galena Assembly.  It was all made possible by the great leadership an volunteers.  We could not have done it without them. I love stats and numbers so here are some raw numbers:

On Saturday night we hosted Harvest Fest.  40 minutes after we opened registration we ran out of the 240 hot dogs/buns  and candy.  We ran and bought more and again ran out right before closing down for the night. so we gave out 480 hot dogs, we served 325 bowls of chili, over 600 kids attended the event and over 1000 people not counting volunteers attended harvest fest.  We saw around 50 kids give their hearts to Christ Saturday night. It was an amazing night.

Sunday was another amazing day.  We had several new families fill out information cards and the church had the highest offering in months.

Sunday night we baptized 19 and a really cool thing happened.  While those who were getting baptized were sharing their stories and being baptized we had 2 more rededicate their lives to Christ.

All in all it was an awesome weekend for Galena Assembly.  Our people should be proud of the work they did!

Vision

After moving to Galena a few weeks ago things have been busy and I have been trying to find time to update my blog.

One of the reoccurring themes that God keeps bringing to the forefront of my mind is Vision.  It is one of the intangible ingredients to being successful in the plans that God has for our lives.  The other day I came across this in a book I am reading:

     "Your vision should never be limited to who you are or what you think you can do.... the scope and impact of your vision will be determined by who you believe God is- and whether you have the courage to respond accordingly."


When I observe the church today I see a lot of good and great things that are taking place.  But the problem with good and great is that they can take the place of God.  We need visions that are not man made.  We need visions that are not found in books or at conferences.  We need visions that come directly from the throne of God for our own particular communities, churches, and lives.

I want a vision that is bigger than just what people can dream up.  I want a vision that requires a dependence on the supernatural aspect of God. I want a vision that will fail without the help of God. I want a vision that will require being bold and courageous in the midst of challenges.  When your vision is from God you can expect opposition. You cannot be both comfortable and courageous at the same time.  To be courageous we have to get out of our comfort zone and take some risks.

What are you waiting for?  Get a vision from God and then move courageously!

Good

I was reading 1 Timothy this morning and came to this in verse 4, "For everything created by God is good..."

How much do we really believe this.  Everyday we make judgement about people, and we decide whether they are good or bad.  In Genesis 1:31 it says, "And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good."

Have you ever thought about this?  We walk through life viewing people but never really seeing them as God saw them the day He created them.  When we look around at people we make judgments based on clothing, hair, tattoos and piercings.  We determine the value of people based on their social standing; job, education, marriage, money, car, house, boat, etc.  But God sees what he created and He calls them good.  No matter what value others have placed on them.

We as the body of Christ have lost our perspective.  One translation of the word view means to form an opinion.  We view from afar.  We view to form an opinion.  A translation of the word see means to comprehend, realize and perceive with our eyes.

How many people do we walk by every single day, hour and minute and only view them but never really see them?  Jesus spoke about this in Matthew 13:13, "For they look, but do not really see..."  We need to have the eyes of Jesus.  To truly see the value, the good that God has created in people around us.  But to do this it takes time, it takes energy, it takes caring for others.

Who have you missed truly seeing today?  Look beyond the surface and dig deeper to mine the good God has placed in others.

Transition

There is an old saying that says that there are only two definite things in life; death and taxes.  I would like to add one more. Transition.  From the day we are born into this world our lives are moment by moment transitions.  We go from cooing to laughing to speaking our first word to an average vocabulary of around 20,000 words.  We crawl , then walk, and then run.  For boys we get excited about finally being able to shave but then transitioning to shaving every day. These are simply natural transitions that are a part of our lives.

There are a few that we have a hard time dealing with: divorce of parents or our own marriage failure; the death of parents or a spouse; loss of job, home, health, or finances. I talked with a woman the other day that had just lost her husband after 61 years of marriage.  These are painful and very hard to cope with.  I’m sure one comes to mind as you have read these words. They require times of grieving.

There is one other type of transition that I want to address.  It is the area of transitions that are good but sometimes we fail to grieve correctly.  Every good change in life has both a gain and a loss to it.  For example the day that you teenager becomes a high school graduate.  We celebrate the accomplishment but also must know that the days of childhood and dependence on parents are ending and the graduate is transitioning from being a teenager to a man or woman. A grieving needs to take place.  When a single person marries there is a very real loss of the independent single person who becomes one with the spouse and he/she is no longer alone.  The loss of the single life needs to be grieved in order to move on into a healthy relationship in the marriage.

JoLynn and I are in a transition right now.  We are moving on to pastor a great church in Galena Kansas.  We are excited about the opportunity that God is giving us.  But we are also aware that we are saying goodbye to good friends and loved ones in Ulysses.  In order for us to move forward in a healthy way we must grieve the loss that is taking place here in Ulysses knowing that it is right for us to allow ourselves to grieve.

We can all think of people who are still living in that moment of transition.  When we refuse to grieve and ignore the pain and the reality of the change taking place, we rob ourselves of the life God has awaiting us.

What transition do you need to grieve today?

Determination

In Ephesians 6 Paul speaks these words, "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the enemy's plans…. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then…."
One of the challenges that face the church today is the issue of being wimps, or weaklings. This verse challenges us that when we have done everything possible to stand our ground, then we stand our ground. It is an issue of determination. We have to be determined that we are going to stand our ground and win the next battle that comes our way. In Mark 2 there is a story of a paralyzed man who is taken by some of his friends to go see Jesus. When they get there the place is packed and they cannot get near Jesus. They could have said, "Oh well. We tried. I guess it wasn't meant to be." or "I guess you're not supposed to be healed." But that is not what they did. They were determined to see their friend healed. So they went up to the roof and cut a hole through it and lowered their friend down to Jesus where Jesus proceeded to heal the man. That was determination. Nobody said that being a Christian is easy. Some days, most days, it is hard work and takes great faith and determination.
There was a boxer on the late 1800's by the name of James J. Corbett. He became the heavyweight champion of the world. He was asked one time what the secret to his success was. He replied, "Fight one more round. When your feet are so tired that you have to shuffle back to the center of the ring, fight one more round." Today's fighters go at the most 12 rounds per fight. When I was a kid there were a few 15 round fights that I remember seeing. But I am going to tell you something that adds a little more weight to James Corbett's quote of "Fight one more round."
On May 21, 1891, Corbett fought Peter Black Prince Jackson, a bout between cross-town rivals, since Corbett and Jackson were boxing instructors at San Francisco's two most prestigious athletic clubs. They fought to a draw after 61 rounds. On September 7, 1892 at the Olympic Club in New Orleans, Louisiana, Corbett won the World Heavyweight Boxing Championship by knocking out John L. Sullivan in the 21st round. 
It's easy to fight when the battle is short. But if you are anything like me, you might have your own fight you are in and it feels like it is round 61. I am going to paraphrase the scripture and quote to close this post.
Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the enemy's plans.. When the fight comes, and it will, stand your ground! And after you have done everything to stand your ground, fight one more round!

Oasis Tonight

Just a reminder that we will be having adult bible study tonight along with all the children's programming. Hope to see you at 7 tonight! - Posted using BlogPress from my Itouch

Discontent

One of the diseases that infect our culture today is the disease of discontent. It seems like we are constantly striving to get the next best thing out there. Last night I was talking to a friend about golf balls. I know, probably not very interesting to you, but 20 years ago there were just a handful of brands and models of golf balls. Now, the list is endless. Titleist alone has 11 models. Nike, who didn't even make golf equipment 20 years ago, has 10. Every year the greatest, longest, and best golf balls are reinvented. Why? Because our culture is constantly looking for the newest, greatest, next best thing out there whether it be cars, TV's, phones, clothes, shoes, or even golf balls. We have become a culture of the discontent and it robs us of our peace.

Think about this… Many people don't get married because they are afraid that they will miss out on someone better. Discontent. Many marriages fail because the husband or wife feels like they have found someone else who will better meet their needs and love them. Discontent. People move from job to job because are discontent in their present job. Superstar athletes have fueled this. No longer are athletes staying with one or two teams over the course of their entire career. Last night the Cleveland Cavaliers were pasted by the Celtics. Early this morning they were already talking about Lebron James moving on to another team. Why? Discontent. And when discontent is in our lives, we cannot live in the peace of Christ.

Francis Assisi says this, "The devil never rejoices more than when he robs a servant of God of his peace of heart." This cultural disease has moved from mainstream society into churches today. People come and go through our doors all the time. They make the rounds from church to church. I call them free agent Christians. I know people who have come to Oasis who have moved on to other churches and have in the last 5 years attended 5 churches. Why? They get infected with discontent. To be quite honest, most of these people do not live very peaceful lives. A person who lives a discontent life cannot live a life of peace. They are diametrically opposed extremes.

Sometimes we need to just settle down and pray the words of Jesus, "I am leaving you with a gift- peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift that the world cannot give. So do not be troubled or afraid." John 14:27

Are you filled with discontent? Then pray that the peace of Christ will come into your mind and heart today.

Test

Angry God vs Loving Father

Sometimes we get the idea that God is an angry God waiting to punish us, even taking joy in punishing us, when we make a mistake. The Bible is filled with verses of Judgement for those who reject him. It is true that without Him we face the cosequences for our choices. But His joy is not in punishing us. God's joy is in us embracing him. That is what brings him joy. Repentence, transformation, and love for Him and people. I read this verse today Ezekiel 33:11; 11 As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die? Just as any loving father points out to his children what they will face as a cosequence for disobedience, God does the same. But his delight, joy, and Happiness comes from our love and obedience to Him. Once we obey him and receive His Son Jesus, we need not fear seeing him as angry at us.... He loves us! Make the segway from angry God to Loving Father today. - Posted using BlogPress from my Itouch

Pneuma

Just wanted to remind everyone that tommorrow morning we will be continuing the Pneuma series with Pneuna: The Church. If you are in the area, hope you can make it. Come at 10:30, grab some coffee from our coffee bar and be ready to start at 10:45! - Posted using BlogPress from my Itouch

Pneuma- Week 2

Wanted to invite yo to tommorows service. We will be in the second week of the Pneuma series. Come, grab a cup of coffee from our coffee bar, and come experience Pneuma! - Posted using BlogPress from my Itouch

Good Friday

For as Long as I can remember I have struggled with Good Friday. The idea that it is good seems so evil. What is so good about a man who was hated, beaten, spit upon, had his beard plucked out, a crown of thorns pressed into his head, and last; nails driven through his hands and feet. Then to finish it, prop this man up in the air on a cross to watch Him die a horrific death. What is good about that? Oh yeah. He was no ordinary man. He was Jesus. The son of God. The punishment he received wasn't for him, for he was innocent. The punishment was for you and I. He took our penalty of death for our sin on himself. That way we could be forgiven. I guess that's why we call it Good Friday. - Posted using BlogPress from my Itouch