Faith requires Discomfort

1 Peter 4:12-13

New King James Version (NKJV)

Suffering for God’s Glory

 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; ¹³ but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.

This is meant to encourage you, because many will never step out in Faith, with our Heavenly Father, because of the fear of discomfort. Here are some thoughts to chew on.

• Many are unwilling to experience great reward because their beginnings are not glamorous. 
• Everything I ever started required risk, loss, sacrifice and volunteer. It never started with unlimited safety. Regarding true blessings in my life, I would gladly go back in time and inspire myself to trust God all over again.  I would tell myself a hefty, "Its sooooo worth it."

Zechariah 4:10

For who has despised the day of small things?

New King James Version (NKJV)

• The cost of lost purity is to pricey to pay. 
• For some your a target, for others your a treasure. (Your friends, who you will only know in your High School years, might tease you. The Father of the woman of your dreams is praying for you to come along. Whatever price you have to pay for your purity is worth it.)
• Some see your weakness, others see your strengths. 
• Certain ones tolerate you, others celebrate you.

Proverbs 22:11

He who loves purity of heart And has grace on his lips, The king will be his friend.

Church and Sesame Street

I grew watching Sesame Street. It was not a daily source of information for me, but I bet I can still name almost every old character.  I was recently impressed with a decision they made to include a topic that is not easy to talk about, divorce. Sesame Street executives tried to bring this story up years ago, however the approach on the content was way to sad and intense. Recently they revisited the topic. Click here to visit the article and video.

Lynn Chwatsky, Sesame Workshop’s vice president of outreach initiatives oversaw the project explains why the “Sesame Street” crew decided to readdress this issue 20 years after flopping on it.

“We want kids to understand that they’re not alone, and that it’s not their fault,” says Chwatsky. “These kids love and adore Abby. So to know that she’s going through something similar to them, something challenging, it’s like, Wow. It makes it O.K. to have a whole range of feelings.”

So what does this have to do with church. Many times when mistakes happen in the church we care more about addressing the mistake, even trying to eliminate the potential of mistakes, then helping clean the mess up. Here are a few thoughts about how we can better talk about tough issues like divorce.

• Messes happen

- Divorce will always be apart of our culture. (There I said it.) We can help some marriages, others were doomed from the start. Its not the end of their world or the potential of what God can do in their life. My first desire is to see God restore the marriage (He hates divorce). Second can the church successfully navigate someone through a divorce?

• Divorce, now what?

- For many behind the church leadership we don't know. We did not know there were options. Here are some issues we need to study up on and think about. 

Divorce Counseling - (I did not say marriage counseling) What went wrong so I don't do it again. 

Mixed Families - This is a big one. How do we "all" get along? 

Stay in Church - Punishment usually follows people who are committed to church and go through a divorce. I don't believe this is the correct response. There must be time for healing and correction, but punishment is not the remedy. 

Kids Church Curriculum - I lost you here didn't I. Fifty percent of families are effected by divorce. To be more personal, as a kid you either thought your parents were going to get a divorce or they already did get a divorce. There is a lot of emotion locked up inside todays kids. Why not talk about it. The safest place for our kids to do that, I think, is in kids church.

• Hard Headedness is a sin. Divorce is a symptom

 . - Jesus was asked about divorce. Mark 10:1-12. Jesus quotes Moses, then rebukes them, not for divorce but for their own "hard headedness". Church leaders should rebuke (stand against, despise, teach on) hard headedness (arrogance, pride,  hard hearts) instead of symptoms of it.

I would like to know what you think. Remember this is a sticky subject and most people don't open this  "can of worms". However, it is here, it is real and in some form and fashion we are all connected with it. So, lets start the conversation.

2012 hunting season has begun! This of course is one of my loves. He scored 79 inches. It takes 67 inches to make the Poope & Young record books. Everyone needs hobbies. Here are a few of my reasons why.

1. Its "Cross Training" for the brain.
When I hunt I have to be a problem solver, creative and do my homework to be successful. These same qualities are a must for my calling too. Some might think its a stretch or excuse to link the two, but I don't. During a hunt I have time to think. After a successful hunt I come back energized.

2. Goals are Contagious.
When I sit down and write out my goals for every year some goals are more exciting than others. When I start checking off the goal list, because of completion. It sparks enthusiasm to accomplish more. One accomplished goal fuels confidence to accomplish another unachieved goal.

3. Fun is Fuel.
If I love it I will do it.

4. I'm good at it.
That helps a lot also. I want to be clear on what I am good at. Killing an animal? No. I am good at.... Preparing with good equipment, gear and my physical condition. I am good at doing my homework for a hunt. I put out trail cameras and get information to make a good decision on the animal I should harvest. I practice... a lot. I make an absolute best effort to take a good shot. I don't shoot young animals. I know how old the animal is, if he is a candidate for harvest and if he is a trophy or not. I practice self discipline. I have passed on more animals than I have harvested. Then I take the shot. I am honest. I have been in many sticky situations and have done the right thing. These are a few of the reasons I think I am a good hunter. I love being this type of person in other areas also.

5. Friends & Family
I want these two things in every area of my life. It makes the moments last longer. It causes the experiences to be sweeter. I doubt I would do a lot that I do if these two ingredients were not there.

Do you know how to HIDE!

Maybe I am letting the "Cat out of the Bag" but, I feel a new series coming on. The title is leaning towards "Do you know how to hide?" Most people don't or don't know they can or did not know it was an option. IT IS! Some view hiding as a weakness. Others see it as cowardly. God views is as wise.

Story - Once a young man was visiting his family in Nebraska. The sky was blue and the birds were singing. He and his family were enjoying a great day of Golf. Then the sky began to darken and the temperature dropped twenty degrees the smell of rain filled the air. The young man noticed that the sky then turned a strange green color. He looked around him and the birds that once were singing were now gone. The family that was playing golf with him had also vanished. He stood on the tee box alone. Then one of his cousins hollered at him from a storm shelter. "Hey, cousin, get in here." The man asked, "Why?" It was then he heard the sound. It sounded like a train was headed right for him, but there was no track. It was a tornado. The man ran for his life then jumped into the shelter with his cousins for safety. When he was finally safe he asked, "How did you know the tornado was coming." His cousin answered, "When you live in Nebraska its better to be safe than sorry."

Psalm 17:8
Keep me as the apple of Your eye;Hide me under the shadow of Your wings,

Thought to think- Most people's storms would not be so bad if they would only learn how to hide.

MORE TO COME...

4-27-2010 - Weekend Review

April 20, 2010 - WEEKEND REVIEW

X3 WATCH

SAFE EYES

X3 PURE

April 12, 2010

IM BACK!

Im back. I am going to try to do something different. VIDEO BLOGGING! "Most every" ;'} Tuesday I will recap the weekends topics. See Ya Soon!!!!!

What keeps them in Church?

Here is the area where most churches fail.
WHAT DO WE DO NOW THAT WE HAVE THEM?

Top 6 Things that Keep the Formerly Unchurched Active in the Church
(research conducted by Ranier)

1. 62% - Ministry Involvement
2. 55% - Sunday School
3. 54% - Obedience to God
4. 49% - Fellowship of Members
5. 38% - Pastor/Preaching
6. 14% - Worship Services

Adrenaline, zeal, excitement are important parts of church involvement. We all know that if anything is going to last deeper issues apply. Things like involvement, ownership, obedience is key. I believe you must consistently have a mixture of both ends of the spectrum.

By viewing the last blogs survey and comparing it to this weeks survey we can come to some useful conclusions.

• Preaching/Teaching will always play a crucial role, however long term maturity through involvement should be the goal.
  
• Fellowship (friendship-community) plays a bigger part than most Church's think it does.
• Same thing goes for youth and children also.

MISSION POSSIBLE:
I know that there has got to be stories out there on how or why you picked and chose Cowboy Junction Church. Now is the time to inspire and "Light a Fire". There could be someone at CJC who doubts if his/her volunteerism is needed. Brag on someone. Use their name. Give a little credit to someone used by God.

Statistics on reaching the Lost.

In recent years, there have been several research studies hoping to discover what motivates church attendance.

Top 13 Reasons that Unchurched People Choose a Church
(research conducted by Ranier)

1. 90% - Pastor/Preaching
2. 88% - Doctrines
3. 49% - Friendliness of Members
4. 42% - Other Issues
5. 41% - Someone Church Witnessed to Me
6. 38% - Family Member
7. 37% - Sensed God’s Presence/Atmosphere of Church
8. 25% - Relationship Other than Family Member
9. 25% - Sunday School Class
10. 25% - Children’s/Youth Ministry
11. 12% - Other Groups/Ministries
12. 11% - Worship Style/Music
13. 7% - Location

The statistics speak for themselves. Overall, doctrine, the pastor and his preaching, and the friendliness and fellowship of the congregation are the most influential qualities. A lot can be said about personal witnessing to people.

What's your thoughts?

For Discussion:
What do you think are the top reasons why people stay or connect with a church?
I HAVE THE STATISTICS FOR THAT TOO.
Next time... You might be surprised!!!!

Volunteers - 3 of 3

3. Servants need to be reminded - constantly - that what they're doing is not in vain.

Volunteers should be reminded again and again, that they're valued. The role they are playing is not insignificant; that God treasures every task they perform. every hour of service they render.

Matthew 6:4
Your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly. Nothing that we do "as unto the Lord" goes unnoticed by our Lord. Every smile, every coffee pot filled, every greeting, every lesson taught, every note played, nothing goes unnoticed by our Lord. Volunteers need to reminded constantly that they are not crazy.

1 Corinthians 15:58

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Cowboy Junction Church Volunteers: you are not crazy. CJC could not make it without you. Even more important than that, the Kingdom of God counts on you. You are a minister of the Gospel. Know this, If we could pay you we would. Your that important! Let this blog be a reminder to you that our staff and leaders constantly remind ourselves about how awesome our volunteers are.

HANG IN THERE! YOUR DOING A GREAT JOB!

Volunteers - 2 of 3

OK, here is my second blog on the "volunteer" theme. Remember, I am not an expert. I am only blogging on "volunteers" because I am learning also. Personally I found this next one important for the staff of CJC.

The easiest way to defeat a volunteer is to waste his/her time.


Here's how it happens. A pastor teaches about serving, creatively communicates needs, and extends personal invitations. People sign up to serve. In best-case scenarios, they're even directed into their areas of giftedness and passion.
The volunteer leaves work early and gets a babysitter, drives forty-five minutes, and shows up ready to serve-- then discovers that he/she is not needed. There are a million scenarios that this could apply to...(there is not enough of work, the skills they thought were needed actually are not, the project does not start on time, the project is not ready). The volunteer stands around for twenty minutes waiting for someone to show up with letters he/she is supposed to stuff into envelopes. Waisting volunteer's time is the best way to assure that he/she will never show up again.

Volunteers- 1 of 3

Pasturing is who I am, not what I do. Sometimes most of my day, to some, is non-productive. In actuality it's exactly what I should be doing. Today I am studying. I am preparing for staff meeting tomorrow. We are discussing several things, but one of them I thought you would be interested in. "VOLUNTEERS".

You might be one. You might be thinking of being one. Which ever one you are know this, we are constantly improving on how we relate, communicate and build community with our volunteers. Volunteers are the oil in the motor, the cords in our parachute, the "getter" in our "getter done". HA HA "That was funny, I don't care who you are."

Here is the first of three lessons we have researched lately.

* A NEW VOLUNTEER IS A FRAGILE VOLUNTEER.

An experienced volunteer can handle an occasional mishap. But a new volunteer is extremely vulnerable to discouragement and disillusionment. That first volunteers experience could become that persons ministry experience for the rest of his/her life.

ANSWER: We need to build communication bridges with our volunteers. Ask Q's like, "How do you feel? Did it breath life into you? Do you want to do it again? How's it going?" The more we communicate the more we can help each other.

Here is your responsibility: Now you know CJC's Staffs heart. Don't shut down. Don't turn introvert. Don't quit. Communicate with us. Were human too. Your to valuable to the Kingdom of God!

I LIVE FOR THIS STUFF!!! More to come.

It's fun to go to work.

How would you like to go to work every morning and have fun, work with great and creative people, think outside the box and so it all for Jesus? I do everyday. Camp Cross Fire is coming up and with it comes fun and funny things like this video.

We got this idea from two places. First is, of course, from the movie "Risky Business" with Tom Cruse. The theme from our camp "Unleash your inner Rock Star" came from a game we are going to play at camp. We are going to have a battle of the bands, on Guitar Hero. For those that don't know, Guitar Hero is a video game. On Guitar Hero's TV advertisement the chose professional athletes to promote their video, to the theme of "Risky Business". Click HERE to see that commercial. Soooo, we did a commercial of our own. You will see a lot of similarities.

Stay tuned for next week surprise! Another commercial is on the way. This could out do the the one you just watched.

OH, by the way, our Guitar Hero Band is , Cigi Allen - Guitar, Clay Hardin - Drums, Abby Jeronimus on Guitar. Way to go guys. HAHAHAHAHAH!

Improving the Arts!!!!

I love Art. This series, " The Forgotten Arts", is about the forgotten arts of the heart.

I was inspired by a Bruce Lee movie late one night. I watched how Bruce was able to do amazing things physically. I thought of his kicks and mine. There was a little difference. OK, a big difference. His kicks could be defined as a "Martial Art". My kicks looked more like a leg lift.

The same thing is true for arts of the heart. We covered, in our first week, "The Thank You". Anyone can say thank you. It takes a real discipline to know the heart behind it.

This weekend the second message will be on "The Apology". You will be blessed. See you Sunday or Monday. BRING A FRIEND!!!!!!

If I had not seen it...

If I had not seen it, I would not have believed it. The therapist came into mom's room today and said, "Lets try the new hip out." Mom got out of bed and with the help of a walker, walked 200 yards today. 24 hours after her surgery my mom is cruising the halls. I asked if it hurt? She said the hip does not hurt, but the stitches do.

Thanks to all the people who have called and sent flowers. The plans are to let her go on Friday.

Maggie Bean's Hip Replacement

The "Magoo" is doing great after her hip replacement.
*She came out of surgery in great spirits and no pain.
*The doctor said the hip was worse than he thought. She had wore a hole through her hip and the doctor had to rebuild her hip with a bone graph.
*Thanks to Janie Cockrel and Jereen Fanning. They are great friend to mom. They stayed there for the entire day.

I just got off the phone with mom this morning and she could not get comfortable for most the night. She also is frustrated with the cotton mouth taste that is a side effect from the pain killers.

We are getting dressed and then we are out of here to go be with her today.

Today:
*The therapist is going to require her to take her first steps on the "new" hip.
*We are going to spend the night in Roswell. We'll be back tomorrow.

Mom is at the Eastern New Mexico Medical Center.
Cya when we get home - Keep her in your prayer.

Weekend Reflection

*This Mothers day celebration was a great success. Heather did a fantastic job putting the Mothers day decorations together. Great Job Honey. I hope all the Mothers had a fun time.
*DID YOU HEAR ABBY WHALE ON THE NEW SONG "DESERT SONG"!!!!!!!!!
*We did have some hick ups on the technical side of things. That was Cigi and I's fault. Mike did the best he could with what we gave him. In the end He was patient with Us and we are ALL learning together.
*The softball team is coming together. Now that our team is coming together, I have this funny feeling that the Hobbs Softball Assn. is starting the season TUESDAY. We will see.
*I talked to a visitor that had come to our church today. He said that he and his family loved church. What really did it for them was when they went to pickup their son from kids church, there son was ecstatic. HE HAD A BLAST!!! They are coming back, and feel like they have found a home church.
*Great Sunday attendance. The visitors are flooding in. These are exciting times at Cowboy Junction Church.

The Kick Off of "Junction City Kids Church"

Blog Break!!!

Today is the start of Spring Break. No one is more excited than me. Because of the wonderful time of year Heather and I are loading up the family and going on vacation. We have big plans and will fill you in when we get back.

I am also going to take a break from blogging. I know you will understand.
See you when we get back.