I had a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend and it was capped with a fantastically full Sunday. As for my musings …

-We had 4 of our 6 kids and 4 or our 9 grandkids with us for the Thanksgiving weekend. For those of you who seemed puzzled over my saying “6 kids”. We have 3 by birth and 3 by marriage, but they are all our kids. It made for a fun filled house. We missed the 2 kids and 5 grandkids who were in Africa.

-My wife leads the music at our church, and she is great at getting people involved. One of my son in laws is a gifted worship leader, so she was able to persuade him to lead our time of music during worship yesterday. It was so fun and powerful. Our congregation was really singing and engaged through the music. It would be fine with me if that was a weekly thing.

-We had very few sound glitches yesterday. Praise the Lord. Hoping that the work on our updated system can begin this week.

-We had a great time of prayer during worship. Many people indicated a need for some special prayer and our people are committed to praying for them every day this week. I love what is happening with more and more people participating in prayer on a regular basis.

-There were people who responded to the call for action at the end of the message and people were praying and supporting each other.

-I began a new sermon series yesterday. It is entitled “Secret Wishes at Christmas”. Each week we are looking at one or more of the characters in the Christmas story. We will look at a pain point in their life and then using the scripture see the healing that God brought to them. Then we will apply the healing principles to our lives. I am really looking forward to this series, it has already worked in me as I have been preparing it.

-We had very good attendance yesterday. Many people had to sit somewhere other than their “normal” seats. We are going to add a few more seats to the sanctuary this week. What a great problem to have.

-We had a couple of new people from the area attend and one of them was urged to attend our church by someone who doesn’t attend our church. How cool is that?

-There was a children’s workers lunch after worship and it was a great time of fellowship, encouragement and information.

-Then I met with a family whose wife and mother just passed away. I am doing the funeral this morning. What a great tribute to their wife and mom they shared with me.

-Then I joined those who were beginning the Christmas decorating of the church. We had a good group who gave up their Sunday afternoon to serve. My role consisted mainly of carrying things. For some reason I am not trusted with actual decorating ideas.

-Then I went to the visitation for the lady whose funeral I am about to go do. I actually went to the visitation a couple of times to check on the family. There were a lot of people who came through to pay their respects. It was encouraging and exhausting for the family. I am humbled and honored to be able to lead her memorial service.

-I loved having so much of my family in church. Though my girls grew up hearing me preach and therefore might not be as excited about it as I was, I loved seeing them with their spouses and kids and knowing that they are serving the Lord where they live. I am so pleased to see all of my kids loving Jesus and serving him.

-People seemed very engaged in the message yesterday. Sometimes at the end of a long holiday weekend it is tough to preach because people are so tired and distracted. But my congregation was into it and participating.

-My heart is full of joy this morning and it is also heavy with many huge burdens that people in my church are carrying.

Here’s hoping you have a week of reminders that you are loved and that you take the opportunity to encourage others.

Dennis

Yesterday we enjoyed a great time of communion and a morning full of distractions. My musings …

-We had our first winter snow and ice event on Saturday morning. Most roads and parking lots were clear but there were a few streets and certainly some driveways were slick. That impacted attendance. I think it impacted people’s mood more than anything else.

-I had many distractions yesterday. Beginning with my wife and I having to do some quick cleaning because our cleaning crew for last week evidently didn’t realize it was their week to clean.

-We had a very good time of sharing communion together as we focused on being thankful and how it looks to live a life full of thanks.

-I messed up during the sharing of communion and did the cup before the bread. I don’t think I have ever done that before. In spite of my error, the spirit was wonderful as we shared.

-Even with some people staying home because of the weather we had an attendance above the average for last year’s November.

-Our sound system was a major distraction during worship yesterday. With great emphasis on MAJOR. Our new set up can’t get installed soon enough.

-Our children’s workers continue to be rock stars.

-Our people brought in a lot of food for us to share with 2 families for Thanksgiving. In fact they brought in enough that we may be able to help 3 families.

-I am very excited that our family will be together in our home this week. Well, everyone except for the crew in Kenya. Hopefully we can Skype with them sometime during the weekend. I am very much looking forward to the sights and sounds of the grandkids, ages 1 through 8, filling the house. Then the adults will fill the house with laughter and trash talk as we play games after the kids go to bed. I love holidays with our family.

-It took me a long time to settle on the direction for this year’s series of messages for Christmas. I am really looking forward to preaching on “The Secret Christmas Wishes”. We will look at what God’s Word says about those desires we don’t put on our Christmas lists.

Here’s hoping you have a great week of being thankful.

Dennis

(Evidently there was a problem with my post earlier in the day. Trying it again.)

Have you ever had “one of those mornings”? You know the kind where a lot of things just don’t go as you expected. That was my morning yesterday. But as you will see in the musings that follow, it wasn’t all bad …

-We were in full out scramble mode for a while yesterday morning to cover some spots where people had sickness, family emergencies and work schedule changes that left a few holes in some of our ministries. That always creates some anxiety until you get those spots covered.

-Our people are very good at going with the flow during these scramble times. I am very grateful for that attitude and willingness.

-I had already planned, and announced for a couple of weeks, to be teaching a group on training for discipleship during our Sunday School/small group hour. Some of the adjustments changed how many I had in my group. There was some last minute copying, cutting and room arranging as a result.

-I had to do a lot of reminding myself to focus on the big picture instead of all the little things.

-Yesterday gave me a lot of reminders that we have some awesome people doing ministry in our church.

-We had a great time of worship and had people respond yesterday with at least one person who made the decision to receive Christ as their personal savior!

-As you might expect we had some major sound issues again yesterday. I am very thankful that our system will be redone soon.

-We had very good attendance again yesterday.

-Our children have been working on their Christmas musical for a few weeks. They had a time of practice on Saturday morning. The building is normally very quiet and calm on Saturdays. Not so much this past Saturday. it was great to hear the kids practicing, singing, and just having a lot of fun. Also, it was encouraging to see so many adults giving up time on a Saturday to minister to our children.

-Last evening we had a Healing Service. The attendance was small but the presence of the Lord was powerful. I was so humbled to be a part of this precious time of sharing and prayer.

-We now have several people who are willing to disciple others, be discipled themselves and has received some basic training. That is a very good thing.

-I loved hearing 2 retired pastors praying over people last night during our healing service. I am able to do what I am doing in this church in large part because of the foundations these 2 men have laid. I am humbled to be serving with these men.

-I am in awe watching some people growing in their faith and stepping up to serve. Some of them are growing in tangible ways each week. I am blessed to be a part of this process.

-I am still struggling putting together my Christmas series of sermons. Not sure why the struggle.

Here’s hoping you are able to step in and encourage someone else this week.

Dennis

Yesterday was a lot of fun. That’s correct, I often have fun on Sundays. Yesterday stood out for a lot of fun moments.

Here are my fun, and not some not so fun, musings …

-We had a great spirit in all of the worship service. It was an awesome mix of joy, power, sensitivity and fun.

-The children gave us some drawings they had done for us for Pastor Appreciation. They also read 2 poster board-

sized cards they had made us complete with candy bars and gum packages in the place of some words. It was so

fun and cute. We also had an all church meal after the worship service where we received a card with a love

offering and some “cold hard cash”. One of our adult Sunday School classes gave us some cash frozen in a baggie.

I love their creativity and fun spirit. This is such an encouraging group of people. Not just during a month of Pastor

Appreciation, but throughout the year. We receive cards, calls, texts, emails and other means of encouragement

and support.

-We had one of our own share about her recent mission trip to Honduras. Our people prayed for her and some

gave toward the trip so it was great to hear the first hand report of how the trip went.

-Yesterday was also a time where we received a special missions offering that our denomination calls Alabaster

offering. It goes toward building ministry facilities or purchasing properties where the ministry cannot do it on

their own. It was great to see children, youth and adults participating in this offering that goes to others.

-We had another new family in church yesterday.

-We had some sound issues, but nothing dramatic. We did have a lot of internet issues.

-It was kind of a distracting time in worship with a special offering, a person sharing, the kids doing their

appreciation for us and some people coming and going getting ready for the dinner that followed.

-My message was titled “Change your focus, change your future”. I really didn’t feel that I communicated it very

well. I got too caught up in the distractions. I guess I needed to change my focus. Once again, the good news is that the

Holy Spirit ministered where I didn’t. Also, I stated several times that I wanted them to remember the phrase “change your

focus, change your future”. Hopefully that will keep ringing in their heart and mind this week. When we focus on the Christ

our future is changed.

-We had a large number that stayed and shared in the meal together.

-On Saturday evening we had another Community Concert of Prayer. The spirit was so awesome in the place. It

was a powerful time of prayer.

-Our attendance was good and that number is becoming the norm. As the kids surrounded my wife and I while

they presented their appreciation stuff to us I thought of how there would have been a kid on each side of us

if this had been done when we arrived. Now the kids filled the area in front of the platform.

-Our children are working on their Christmas program. I love having them run up to me after church to tell me

what they are going to do in the Christmas program. I love that they are excited to share. I love that we have so

many people giving of their time in ministry to our children.

-I am having trouble wrapping my mind around the fact that Christmas is less than 2 months away. My wife

excitedly informed me that the Hallmark channel was about to begin the their countdown to Christmas with a

bunch of Christmas movies every day until Christmas. I did not share her enthusiasm for this news.

-Today is my youngest granddaughter’s first birthday. Happy Birthday Piper!

Here’s hoping you have a week full of things to celebrate.

Dennis

Sorry for not getting this done this morning. No excuses, just didn’t get it done. Don’t you hate when you have to admit that? As for the musings …

-Enjoyed another good day of ministry. Every day of ministry is a good day.

-We had some technical issues and sound issues. This is beginning to sound like a broken record. For some reason the sound group who gave us a quote now doesn’t seem to want to come and do the job. I am this close (you can’t see it but my index finger and thumb are really close to each other – amazing that I can still type with them in that position) to telling them to forget it and to get someone else. But then I have to start over completely and I really don’t want to do that, but I am “this close” to doing it.

-We have many people with hearts for serving. They stepped right up and stepped in to help yesterday.

-I felt very distracted yesterday. I know the reason, my wife was out of town. (She was caring for grandkids while their parents were on a mission trip to Kenya.) She is such a source of encouragement for me and I always feel more confident when I can see her while I preach.

-The big question in yesterday’s sermon was “What/Who in your life is worth fighting for?”

-We had a good number of children in both Sunday School and Worship yesterday. We also had more teens than we normally have, that was awesome!

-There was a very good spirit in the worship service. I am praying that many will really take some time this week to answer the big question and to use what God has provided to fight for what matters.

-Our attendance was the lowest it has been this month, but it was still 30 more than we averaged this month last year. These really are great days.

-The fall colors are really starting to pop around us. I love the Fall season. I also love the Spring and Summer seasons. I don’t love the winter season as much as I used to, but basketball is still in the winter so I will always love winter.

-We are at the time of year when you end up using your air conditioning and heat in the same day.

-We honored our Nursery workers and families with babies yesterday. It is so great to see this group growing. That is always a good thing. Thank a nursery worker/minister this week, they deserve it.

-My church blessed us again yesterday as part  of a month of Pastor Appreciation. Each Sunday it has been a different group in the church doing something for us. Yesterday it was our Church Board members. I have a great Church Board, I love working and serving with them. I love their passion. I love their honesty and open discussions. I love that they all serve the church and don’t think of themselves as above anyone else.

-I am celebrating that my beloved Cubs are playing for the National League Championship, but I am groaning now that they are down 0-2 in the series. But since it has been a looooooooong time since they have had this opportunity I won’t complain too loudly.

-I am reading a book right now that is really rocking my world. It is convicting, encouraging and challenging. Here is a quote from my reading today; “…if you focus all of your energy on past failures you will have no energy left over to dream kingdom dreams or pursue kingdom purposes.”

Here’s hoping you are challenged this week to pursue awesome dreams.

Dennis

–

I am having a little trouble focusing this morning as I out on the Lake of the Ozarks from our room. My wife and I are at our District’s Pastor and Spouse retreat. I love opportunities like this to get away with my wife and to spend time with other pastors and their spouses in a relaxed atmosphere. This past weekend was a tremendous time of seeing people come together and experiencing God move among us. As for the musings …

-Saturday evening was the 2nd of our Community Concerts of Prayer. Wow! We experienced such a powerful move of God and his Holy Spirit. There was such a great spirit of unity and humility among the people who participated. I believe it was a snapshot of what “the church” should be, without regard of labels. I am already looking forward to our 3rd Concert of Prayer on October 24.

-With the kind of preparation we experienced on Saturday evening it is no wonder that we had a great time of worship on Sunday morning.

-We had a couple of great times of prayer during our worship service yesterday. I am so excited that we seem to be becoming a people of prayer, not just people who pray.

-We had a lot of kids again on Sunday, that is a very good sign. Huge props go to our children’s workers/ministers. You are awesome.

-We had some minor sound issues yesterday and we are supposed to receive a definitive quote on overhauling our sound system later this week. Can I get an “Amen” for that?

-We had a new couple attend yesterday and one of our recent visiting couples was back for the 3rd week in a row and they attended one of our Sunday morning small groups. That is encouraging. We also had a regular attender’s spouse show up for the first time.

-We had several people respond at the end of the sermon saying that they had an area of their life that needs restoration and that they are committing to doing whatever God asks of them to see the restoration happen.

-I was not sure that I was going to make it through the worship service without having to make a run to the facilities. I had to make a couple of those runs in the hour before the worship service. So 8 minutes before the service began I downed 4 Tums and I had no problems after that, maybe I could get an endorsement deal from Tums.

-We are praying for a lady from our church who is about to leave on a mission trip to Honduras and we are praying for one of our daughters and son in laws who are leaving for Kenya on Saturday. I love that we are truly becoming a church who is invested in the whole world.

-Our attendance was very good. In fact it was nearly double what our attendance was on this Sunday last year.

Here’s to a relaxing, inspiring and enjoyable few days away. Here’s hoping that you find a space somewhere this week to relax and reflect.

Dennis