Yesterday was a day of celebration. I love celebrations, don’t you?  Not only did we have much to celebrate at my two churches but the sermon was about celebrating in our relationships. As for my musings …

-Our Assistant Pastor and his family began their ministry with both churches yesterday! Everyone is very excited to have them join the team. It is a part-time position for now. He will be focusing on Discipleship and Technology. My wife is jumping for joy at this because she has done a lot more of our technology stuff than she is comfortable with because there was no one else. Now she can get that off her shoulders and focus more other areas where she is gifted and passionate.

-The singing part of our worship went well in both churches and we did not have any sound system glitches. Maybe one. At my 9:00 church the sound guy forgot to mute my microphone during a couple of songs. So evidently I joined the worship team without invitation. Does that sound familiar Steve Dahlgren? 

-Yesterday was the 5^th of a 7 part series on relationships, “7 Building Blocks of Great Relationships”. Each week we have focused on one word and what the Bible tells us about applying it to building of our relationships. Yesterday’s word was “celebrate”. Celebrating our relationships and the people in them produces joy and energy in the relationship. Ignoring the need to celebrate plants seeds of doubt and resentment in the relationship. I love the quote from the father of the wayward son in Luke 15:32 “But we had to celebrate and be glad, …”

-We had an all church carry-in meal at my 10:30 church. One of the men in the church smoked pulled pork for the meal. It was outstanding, some of the best I have ever tasted and I lived in the Kansas City area for a while. Big thanks to Greg. The fellowship was great during the meal and the help to set up and clean up was awesome. 

-We had a new person, or two, in both of my churches yesterday. One was obviously brought by another newer person and the other one said that they heard about the church and came to check it out. How cool is that?

-Attendance was good at my 9:00 church and attendance was okay at my 10:30 church. I went and checked and discovered that our 10:30 church’s attendance was 20 above the same Sunday a year ago. The fact that it didn’t seem that good indicates the growth we are enjoying. The 9:00 church was 10 above a year ago.

-We have a baptism service coming in 3 weeks at my 10:30 church with at least 4 committed to be baptized and I am still waiting to hear from 2 others. That will be a glorious day as they each share their testimony before being baptized.

-Vacation Bible School is being planned for both churches. One in July and the other in August. Much to do between now and then. The great news is that there are people leading both and my job is simply to help as needed. I love when it happens that way, isn’t that how it is supposed to be?

-I am so grateful for people who pray for me, especially on Sundays. I felt like I was running on fumes yesterday morning. Just before getting up to preach at both churches I just felt like I had nothing, no energy and just felt blah. But the praise is that at both churched when I stood up to start I felt the energy return and was able to preach with conviction, compassion and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you to all my prayer warriors! Are you praying for your pastor?

-Next Sunday’s message is on forgiveness and the need for it in our relationships. This may be the key to all the messages in this series. Praying that people attend, that they listen to God’s voice and that they are willing to apply it to their relationships. 

-I need to get going. I have a couple of hospital visits to make, one of them out of town, a funeral visitation and a meeting with someone asking about baptism. One thing is for sure, my work is never boring. I love my job and my people.

Here’s hoping that you know that someone believes in you and that you are being prayed for and celebrated this week.

Dennis