There are moments when I stop and reflect on all the events of a Sunday. Yesterday evening I found myself recounting all of the blessings of the day. If I had not been at Church yesterday I would have missed…

– The opportunity to speak with a “Senior Saint” before worship.
– The chance to lift my voice to God in praise.
– Seeing videos of what the children will be singing for Vacation Bible School (VBS)
– A brief pause to speak with people who have a faith similar to mine along with some new people.
– The chance to be updated on the needs of our congregation and pray for them.
– A moment of communion and reflection with the Lord.
– An extended explanation of God’s word
– Some ideas of application for my own life
– The experience of seeing a guy eat a cricket (bacon flavored?) just to get children to VBS
– A few minutes of fellowship with all ages of believers.
– The encouragement that comes with each time of worship together.
– A chance to hang around and serve the Lord and help reach hundreds of children.
– Free pizza for lunch with more fellowship.
– Some wonderful funny stories and a few lame jokes.
– Time developing deeper relationships with other believers.
– The laughter and joy that comes with doing a selfless act with wonderful people.

Yesterday was a good day full of love, laughter and worship. I was tired when the day was over, but it was a good tired. I am truly blessed.

When people tell me they do not get much out of Church I quickly assume that they are not experiencing it to the full. They are gone frequently on Sunday morning or they skip out on service opportunities or they don’t hang around to fellowship.

Most of the blessings found from being a part of a Church are only found through your presence. If you missed it yesterday then you really did miss out.

Dear Sons –

Your dad has spent his life trying to teach you the ways of the world. One day you will go out into that world and face life all by yourself. Let me offer you a few words of encouragement before you go.

First, I hope you will search for a Christian woman when you desire to get married. I know all of you are keenly interested in the opposite sex. Date Christian women and make sure they have a deep commitment. Who you marry is one of the biggest decisions of your life. Don’t settle just for looks, because looks will fade. Don’t settle for personality, because everyone hides their demons. Find a women with Christian character who will love you and raise your children in the ways of God. Down the road you will find nothing more attractive.

Second, find a Church home. Wherever you decide to live, go out and find a Church. Then stick with that Church. You will not always like the sermon or the worship or the leadership. People will make you mad and test your faith. Stay and make a change for the better. Every Church has innumerable flaws. You will not find a perfect Church so find one that you like and allow the people there to help you grow. Unfortunately it takes both good and bad experiences to make you a mature person of faith.

Third, serve the Lord through the local Church. The Church at its best is a group of volunteers who serve the Lord unselfishly. Support the work of the Church. Attend events that people lead for the Church. Help out in every way you can. Invite the preacher into your home and say nice things to him. You know how lonely life can be for a ministry family. I would encourage you to eventually become a leader. One good servant leader is more valuable than gold. You will find that as you serve, attend and lead that your life will be transformed into the image of Christ.

Fourth, listen closely to some of the “senior saints.” You will not believe what some people have been through and held onto their faith. You will be shocked by the sin some have overcome. Many people have gained an enormous amount of wisdom through the years. That doesn’t mean they are always right, but there will be timeless truth in many of their words and practices.

Finally, my boys, no one really prepared me for what real life was going to be like and that’s okay. You figure it out as you go along. I did. All of us did. There is a lot to learn and you will spend a lifetime filling your head with all kinds of useful advice. The important thing is that you develop a life that honors God. Live with integrity and solid character as you move into the future. You faith will never let you down.

When life falls apart, and it will fall apart, hold onto the grace found in Jesus. A Christian wife will stand beside you and your Church will support you with prayer along with covered dishes of food. Then one day you will have your own children. I hope you remember me and my advice with thankfulness and love.

In Christ,
Your Dad

There are hundreds of options as to where you can donate your time. There are lots of projects out there that range from good to great. But as a Christian I am not just interested in what is good. I want to do things with my life for God’s kingdom. I do understand that there is a huge amount of overlap when I talk about this distinction. All of God’s projects are good, but not all good projects are God’s.

Here are some comparisons between good work and God’s work

Doing good work is for personal glory. Doing God’s work is for his glory.
Doing good work builds your reputation. Doing God’s work builds up his kingdom.
Doing good work makes me known in my community. Doing God’s work makes him known in the community.
Doing good work will help people to like you. Doing God’s work will help people to love the Lord.
Doing good work will require to you to use your talent. Doing God’s work will require you to rely on God’s Spirit and strength.

Do you hear the difference? God’s work is God Honoring and good work can be for personal glorification.

I was in a preaching class in college and one of the students finished their sermon and the class had time to critique him. Everyone enjoyed this man’s sermon but I loved how one student put it. He said, “When he finished preaching I thought we should all chant Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.”

When we do God’s work people will leave the experience shouting about the goodness of God and not singing our praises.

The really big question is “What kind of work are you doing with your life?”

In the High School Sunday class that I help lead we are going through a couple of books entitled “Can I Ask That?” The goal is to cover some deeper topics for Christians, get the teens to open up with each other and hopefully share what the Bible teaches. We have covered topics like, “Is it okay to ask questions?,” “Why is there pain and suffering,” and “Is Hell real?”

The last few weeks we have been talking about evangelism? Do we share our faith? Why do we do it or why don’t we? It has generated some good discussion but I have also been listening very close myself. I am deeply interested in how to get people to share what they believe.

This last weekend, the other class leader asked a very penetrating question from the book, “Has trusting and following Jesus impacted your life in a way that you’d want to tell someone about?” In other words, “What is the best part of following Jesus for you that you would want to share?”

I love that question and we shared several ideas in class. I have been thinking about it a lot since Sunday and trying to come up with my list. So here it goes – In Jesus we have …

1. Grace and Forgiveness
All of us make mistakes, we break the law, we violate our conscience and we sin against God. We fail over and over. Jesus gives us the joy of a second chance. We can have our sins forgiven by God’s grace poured out through Jesus on the cross.

2. Unconditional Love
The Bible underlines that God loves us so much that he sent his son to die for us. All of us long for someone to truly care about us as individuals. Jesus is the ultimate example and expression of love.

3. Significant Service
We want to have a positive impact on the world. In following Jesus my life can touch people around the globe. It can be through giving my money to a global cause or my time to a local project. Both have the potential to reach out with the love of God in a very real and practical way.

4. Access to God
In Jesus we each have the opportunity to speak with God directly. We do not have to go to a special place or speak with a special person. We can pray where we are at whatever location we find ourselves during any point in the day. We have complete access to God through Jesus Christ.

5. Eternal Hope
As we face the end of our lives we turn our thoughts toward what happens next. Following Jesus gives us the hope of eternity. We will share that eternity with Jesus along with all of the other believers who have gone on before us. We are sad at the transition from this world but filled with the hope of heaven.

That is my short list of the blessings I have received in Jesus. What am I missing from my list? How has God blessed you in Jesus Christ?

The bigger point of our Sunday school lesson was that as followers of Jesus we share our stories with other people. We go from Church to share with people who have made mistakes that God forgives them. We share with the lonely about God’s love for them. We take the blessings of God and share them with other people so that they can feel that blessing too.

Today, July 5, 2016, my parents celebrate their 57th wedding anniversary. Through the years I have written several posts about each of them individually, but I have never written about them together. I have spent 44 years watching them live, work and share together as a couple. Through those years I have learned some big lessons about love, service and sacrifice. I have also learned several smaller pieces of information that are useful to know.

1. Do the small things for one another.
Through the years I have watched my mom pay attention to all of my dad’s little peculiarities. She makes sandwiches just the way he likes them. At the same time, my dad is always on the lookout for some small piece of jewelry that mom might like. Not every choice has been great, but he has also done some really nice things. I have watched each one pay special attention to the other and respond accordingly.

2. Never give up.
I have seen my parents disagree. I have seen my parents fight. I know their marriage has had some difficult seasons. But to my knowledge I have never heard the word “divorce” ever mentioned in their relationship. I have never had a doubt that my parents would stay together. Leaving each other was never an option.

3. Hold your tongue.
I know there have been times when my mom wanted to explode. I have sat in a boat and listened to my dad voice his concerns just to get it off his chest. Both of them had the same frustrations all of us feel in a marriage. I have never seen them vocalize their total anger at one another. Usually they have chosen to hold their tongue rather than say something that would destroy the other person.

4. Know your role.
While people often mock men and women having traditional roles in marriage today, my parents proved that some traditions work. Mom would have dinner on the table by 5:00 pm when dad got home. Then dad would go and work in the garden for hours. If we went fishing we would come home and dad would clean the fish while mom got supper ready. One of them would zig while the other would zag. Working together as a team is a thing of beauty.

5. Show true concern.
Over the last several years I have watched mom and dad try to take care of each other. They traveled to the doctor together. They sat in waiting rooms filled with fear. They have served each other to the best of their ability. Recently, mom had worked hard to take care of her man. I have watched in silence as my mom handles the deep struggles of dad’s stroke with love and compassion. I know her heart is breaking but she continues to hang tough.

My parents are not perfect. I would never pretend otherwise. They are two people with a deep faith in Jesus who love one another. Through the years they have stayed together to leave a legacy of love for my sister, brother and I to follow. I hope they have a great day and I thank them for all they have taught me.

This week I have look at my regrets and my best decisions. I want to finish this train of thought by writing about my dreams for the future. Here are some of my goals, hopes and dreams if the Lord allows me to live long enough.

1. Spiritual Growth – I want to continue making daily deposits in my life through Bible reading and prayer. I really want to know not just the Bible better, but know God better. I want to understand deep theology and be able to explain it. I want to teach and answers questions from a clear understanding of our Creator and Redeemer.

2. Church Development – I always want to lead a Church that is growing both numerically and spiritually. I pray that God will make it clear to me when I am standing in the way of growth and what I can do to help it. More specifically I would love to connect with other independent Christian Churches in rural America. I would love to build a network that would allow Churches like mine in small communities to work together for the growth of God’s kingdom.

3. Family Development – One of my biggest dreams is to see my children grow up to follow Jesus as adults. I want them to serve in their local Church and lead congregations with love and authority. It is not enough for me to say that “they believe in Jesus.” I want my children to follow Jesus with their lives and into their Churches and into their marriages and then into their families. I want to see the faith that I hold so dear living in my children and grandchildren.

4. Professional Life – I have always had a dream to write a book. Some preachers take a sermon series and turn it into a book. Other people take their blog and turn it into a book. I have thought about both, but they seem to really shortcut the whole writing process. I want to set down and write a full book that is worth reading from the beginning to the end. I have a list of topics I want to write about and one day I hope to have time to get it done.

5. Personal Life – I want to travel. I would love to see all 50 states before I die. I have been to about half already. I believe God has created a world filled with beauty and majesty and I would love to see as much as I am able. I also hope I am able to do it with my wife and maybe even my children.

Honestly, I think that life needs to be lived in three directions. We need to look back and learn from our experiences even if they were not all good. We need to look around and live out of strong convictions right now. Finally, we need to look to the future and have dreams for the days that God has given us. This week I have explored some of my thoughts with you. I hope they have inspired you and challenged you. I hope you will create your own lists and that your future will be bright as you live in the light of God’s grace.

Yesterday I explored the idea of my biggest regrets in life. While I have made some mistakes in life I have also made some good decisions. Here are some of the best decisions:

1. Following Jesus
By far the best decision of my life has been confessing Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Through the years God has directed my life while offering me grace for all those mistakes. He has blessed me, challenged me and forced me to be a better person. His grace has met all my needs.

2. Marrying My Wife
The second biggest decision anyone makes is who they marry. For me I was blessed to find a woman who also follows Jesus. She has been a blessing to my life and my ministry. As my professor told me at college, “I really married above myself.”

3. Never Fearing Change
My wife and I have spent 22 years living the adventure of following Jesus together. We have changed Churches, homes, states and habits. Our worship style has changed, my preaching has changed and our friends have changed. We have experienced all kinds of wonderful activities and met lots of wonderful people. Being willing to change has helped us live this great adventure with God to the full.

4. Telling People I Love Them Regularly
I try not to let a day go by that I do not tell the people in my life that I love them. I try to tell my parents, my children and my wife. Over the years I have lost a lot of people and I have always wondered how they felt about me. I never want anyone to wonder about me and my feelings for them.

5. Taking Time to Laugh Everyday
I take time to enjoy everyday. I read comic strips, read funny stories, listen to comedians and watch funny shows. Most of my life is very serious and I deal with issues of eternity. I help struggling people while trying to point them to Jesus. I pray, I study and I spend time thinking about God. I always need to be reminded of joys in life and not just the struggles. I need to smile and experience light moments that make life more pleasant. A preacher I know likes to say that being able to laugh is the surest sign of grace in your life. I think he is right.

I have made thousands of other decisions through the years and some of them have also worked out well. But these big decisions have guided my life and made me the person I am today. I hope and pray your life is filled with good decisions that bring you grace, joy and happiness all of your days.

Sometimes it is good to stop and reflect on life. I suppose I have been doing that a lot more lately as I face my father’s mortality. I have been rethinking my 44 years and trying to make some course adjustments for the next 40 years. Upon reflections I have seen some of the biggest mistakes I have made.

1. Not Making Small Investments Daily
I really wish I had made a daily habit to read my bible, pray, write something and read a book when I was young. All of these things I have done as I have gotten older and I am amazed at how much I have accomplished. All I can think is why didn’t I do this 20 years earlier?

2. Not Enjoying the Moment
This is hard for everyone. There is always the next class, the next project, the next child, the next job, the next this and the next that. As a result we, at least me, it is rare that I stop and enjoy this moment. I wish I was able to take time each day and stop to enjoy my life. I am so blessed. I have to remember daily to put the phone down, put the camera away, shut my mouth and just enjoy the blessings of that moment.

3. Placing Value on Things Over Experiences
I wish I had taken my money and done more with it. Through the years I have bought cassettes and then Compact Disks. None of which are in my possession any more. I wish I had taken that money and took a friend to a concert. And that is just one example of poor purchasing. I wish I had traveled more. I wish I had taken that year off of college to serve on a mission field. I wish I had done so much more than collect boxes of junk.

4. Letting Sin Win in My Life
I am not going to be real specific on here, but I will tell you that I have made 3 or 4 colossal mistakes in my life. All of them happened when I stepped outside of God’s will and tried to live life on my own terms. I let my flesh win and I quickly regretted that decision. There are some decisions I wish I had never made, but thanks be to God, “I am forgiven.”

The good news is that God gave us today. We do not have to live with regrets as the dominant emotion in our life. I love that line, “Morning by morning, new mercies I see.” I can get up each day and start fresh. I can get up today and do things better than yesterday. It is one thing to live with some regrets, it is another to let them define you.

I need to take a few minutes today to update people on several things going on around Adrian Christian Church

1. Office Administration – At the beginning of June our office administrator, Tisha Costigan, stepped down to accept another job. The Church leadership prayed about the next move for our Church and suddenly God opened a door. Gus Arndt graduated from Ozark Christian College and moved home to temporarily help with the family farm. He offered to help the Church by filling the position of secretary along with being able to help with various ministerial duties. After more discussion and prayer we offered Gus the position of Office Administrator working for the Church. He will work four days a week for a total of 26 hours. Today is his first day.

2. Church office – The Church office will be staffed Monday through Thursday from 8:00 am till 3:30 pm. The office will be closed on Friday. Any info for the program must be to the office by Thursday afternoon, including prayer requests.

3. Children’s Minister – We are a tiny little bit closer to finding a children’s minister. We have one candidate that has made it further than any other. Our next step appears to be a formal interview. Please continue in your prayers as we search for the right person for ACC.

4. Vacation Bible School (VBS) – Our theme for the year is Cave Quest. We will be decorating on Sunday July 10 starting immediately after worship. The children will meet each night from 5:30-8:30 pm on July 11-14 (Monday-Thursday). There is a snack/light dinner provided. If you have any questions please contact me or register through the church website.

5. VBS closing program – our closing program this year will be on July 17. The children will be performing during worship. We will be having a fellowship lunch immediately after worship. The Church is providing the meat and potatoes. Bring a side dish or dessert if you can. We invite everyone to hang around and eat with us after church. (Please note – there will not be any inflatables outside this year)

6. Central Missouri Campus House – On Sunday July 24th we will have representative from the Campus House at Central Missouri here to tell us about their work. They will be presenting an update during our worship time and we hope you will join us to hear about all that God is doing on the university campus. We are trying to help them by collecting several paper products for the coming year. There is a collection tub in the entryway to the Church.

7. Christ in Youth – We have a group of over 20 teenagers heading to CIY this year on the last week of July. Please be in prayer for them while they travel and learn. The teens will return to lead our worship on Sunday July 31. Please come and show your support for our young adults.

8. Email – We have set up a new Church email. If you need to contact the office use the email address of – adrianchurchoffice@gmail.com

That is most of the info I have for now. Please continue to check out our Church website for updates and more information. www.adriancc.org

It is going to be another hot weekend here in Missouri this weekend with possible temps near 100 degrees. So take a little time and sit down to read. Here are some of the best articles and posts I have read in the last month. Enjoy

How to Pray When You Don’t Feel Like It

10 Ways to Grow Your Marriage While Having Young Kids

Why You Need to Stop Filling Your Calendar

10 Thoughts on the Deafening Silence of Parents Today!

FIVE REASONS IT IS SO PAINFUL FOR A PASTOR TO LOSE A CHURCH MEMBER

Your Mission Trip Selfies Aren’t Helping Anyone

20 Things I’ve Learned in the 20 Years Since Graduation

FIFTEEN CRAZY THINGS THAT HAPPENED AT FUNERALS

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