Courage is necessary for any relationship to remain healthy over the long haul. Great relationships do not happen by accident. They require work and at times they require courage. This is from the sermon yesterday. This was the conclusion of the series “7 Building Blocks of Great Relationships”. As for my musings …

-It was great to facetime with 2 of my kids and 5 of my grandkids and to get a message from my 3^rd child yesterday. I also got to speak with my Dad for a bit last night. It was a good Father’s Day.

-Last week I had someone in one of my churches tell me that this series on relationships had been really good and that it was causing them to really re-think somethings in some relationships and then added “I am really glad that this series is ending”. I love the honesty.

-We had so many technical problems at my 9:00 church that I lost count. 

-I am grateful that there were a few candy bars left after the Dads had all taken theirs at my 10:30 church. I don’t need any of them, but I am still glad there were some left.

-We had a wedding in the 10:30 church building on Saturday. It was fun to see this young couple who are following Christ join as husband and wife. Now praying for their marriage. For some reason they chose not to be in church yesterday. What’s up with that?

-My son, daughter (in law) and 5 of my grandkids will land back in the states a month from today!!! Still praying that we can find some time in their brief time back in the states to get all 18 of us in the same place at the same time. That has never happened because when they left to serve in Africa 3 years ago there were only 16 of us. Many things have changed in all of our lives in the past 3 years.

-I am very encouraged as I look at the number of people who have volunteered to serve in the VBS of my 10:30 church. (My 9:00 church is just starting to recruit people as that VBS is a month later). Some of the greatest benefits for a church in a Vacation Bible School is the relationships that are forged as many people come and serve shoulder to shoulder. Especially as they see life-change as a result of their service.

-Spent some time last week with a family as they stood watch as the husband, dad and grandpa of that family was in the process of passing from this life into the eternal embrace of Jesus. Those are humbling moments. Those are times where you minister by being available and use few words.

-Looking forward to baptizing a few people very soon. That is fun stuff.

-I have been thinking a lot about what comes after prayer. As I have been turning up the heat in my prayer life and urging the people in my churches to do the same, I keep processing the question “Now what?” After I pray what should I do? Pray some more is often a good response, but that is not always the appropriate response. There comes a time when I pray and know what my part is supposed to be. At that time more prayer can actually be disobedience. Mark Batterson in his book Draw the Circle said “When we say ‘Amen’, inaction is no longer an option.” 

Here’s hoping that you exhibit courage in your relationships and take appropriate action this week as God leads you.

Dennis

It is not unusual for Monday mornings to be difficult for a pastor, this is one of those mornings. As for my musings …

-I am heartbroken over the tragedy in Orlando. My prayers go out to the families of those who were killed, to those wounded and those who escaped but witnessed this horrific event. I am also praying for all of the medical personnel who are caring for those who were wounded. I am praying for the law enforcement personnel who will be investigating dealing with the aftermath. I am praying for the churches in the Orlando area to be beacons of hope, love and care for all. I am praying but I am not always sure what to pray, fortunately Christ is interceding where my words fail. 

-I had invested a lot of time, emotion and energy into the sermon and the planning of the whole time of worship for yesterday’s services. That means that no matter what happened I was bound to feel a letdown. Yesterday on a whole was a mixed bag as far as whether the worship time was impactful or not.

-There were a lot, I mean a lot, of distracting things that took place during worship at both of my churches yesterday. From video issues, to temperature problems, to low very low attendance, to a lot people moving in and out during the service, to being able to hear people who were not in the worship center as they moved about during worship to name a few. After this many years you would think I would handle distractions better, but yesterday I was very unnerved by them. 

-Last evening someone dropped by and gave my wife and I a homemade, fresh out of the oven, cherry pie! I love cherry pie. 

-Yesterday was our first very hot Sunday as far as outside temperature. That created a problem at one of my churches because we did not give enough lead time to cool down the worship space.

-I am encouraged by the fact that people have come to each of our 5:30 am prayer times. Today began the 7^th week of 5:30 to 6:30 am prayer times on Mondays and Fridays at my 10:30 church building. There has never been a prayer time when it was just me praying. There have been 1 to 5 other people showing up and praying each time. I have had a few people let me know that their work schedule did allow them to come to the building but that they have praying at that time, or another designated time on those days. Only good can come from this, in fact I know it is already making an impact. 

-It is fun to see our new Assistant Pastor getting into his role and contributing. I can’t wait until we are able to move him into more than a very part-time position.

-In less than 6 weeks we will be able to see and squeeze our son, daughter (in law), and 5 grandkids who have been serving as missionaries in Kenya for the past 3 years. I am hopeful that we will be able to get all 18 of us (that’s correct we now number 18 in our family) together in one place for a couple of days.

-I am rejoicing this morning as I reflect on recent reports of God moving through the ministry of some my brothers and sisters in Christ who are serving in other churches.

-Yesterday’s sermon was on forgiveness. I was very burdened for this message (see my previous post) and for the response of people. I am praying that God is still working in people’s hearts and minds this week about the need to accept and give forgiveness.

Here’s hoping that you embrace the forgiveness Christ has given to you and that you seek the freedom that comes from giving forgiveness to someone else this week.

Dennis

Serving breaks down walls in our relationships. Serving begins to build bridges of connection and communication. This was the foundation for yesterday’s message. Today we seek to serve others and remember those who have served us. As for my musings …

-I don’t remember the last time I was as overwhelmingly burdened for a message and a worship service as I was yesterday. The burden just kept building all week.

-The entire worship service at my 10:30 church was powerful. The atmosphere and spirit in the place was impactful.

-Even on a holiday some people showed up to pray this morning for our 5:30 am prayer time.

-It is now less than 2 months until I get to see my kids and grandkids who have been serving in Kenya for the past 3 years.

-There are a lot of people dealing with some major life issues in both of my churches right now. They include job issues, relationship issues, physical issues and more. Maybe it is just that I am becoming more sensitive to needs as I am seeking to really be a person of prayer instead of just a person who prays.

-The past 2 weeks have been really long and very rewarding weeks. Many hours have been spent getting the parsonage at my 9:00 church ready for an Assistant Pastor and family to move in. He will serve with me at both churches and for now will be part-time. It was awesome to see people from both churches invest so much time and energy into getting the house ready. I am also really looking forward to not having to go to that house every day and reacquaint myself with my office/study.

-Our new Assistant Pastor and his family are moved in and will begin ministry with us this week. I love working with staff and I am very excited to be a part of what God is going to do in this new partnership.

-I love seeing people get excited about serving Christ and His church.

-Next Sunday’s sermon will be a very unique take on building relationships. The focus of the sermon is not one that I ever recall preaching on with regard to personal relationships.

-I am evidently having difficulty forming thoughts into words and sentences this morning. I just realized that I have been staring at this computer screen for the past 15 minutes without typing anything. 

-Attendance was down some at both churches but not bad for a holiday Sunday with very good weather.

-While I was praying this morning the Lord was directing my thoughts toward some sermons for later in the summer and some new prayer initiatives. It is going to be interesting to see where some of those thoughts go as the summer progresses.

Here’s hoping that you seek to serve this week. Remember, you are being prayed for and thought of this week.

Dennis

Something was off yesterday, maybe it was the weather. Maybe it was me. Maybe it was that my wife was gone. Maybe it was because it was Graduation Sunday. Maybe it was because I obsessed about the message. Maybe I should just get to my musings … 

-Sometimes as a pastor, and probably in other positions as well, you just do what you have to do some things even if it is not your strength or preference. I had to do a lot of that last week.

-I really wanted people to hear the message yesterday and apply it in their relationships. I was excited to preach this message on “believing” in others. I must confess that low attendance at both churches put me in a funk. That is all on me, I am praying that in spite of me the message landed in their hearts and heads and that today they will pass it on.

-My wife was a few hours away taking care of our two youngest grandkids so that our daughter and son in law could attend a marriage retreat. She had a blast. I am so happy she could go and help and spend time with two of the cutest little girls on the planet. I missed her.

-I had the privilege on Friday evening to give the Invocation and Benediction for the graduation ceremony of a local College of Nursing. What a joy to celebrate that accomplishment of such a great group. They will be dramatically impacting our community for decades.

-Our 5:30 am prayer time continues to impact me. God sure is saying a lot to me lately. Even after all these years I have a lot to learn. What are you learning?

-We had some sound and technical glitches at both churches yesterday. Nothing big, just your regular stuff that happens and you cannot really anticipate. People handled it well and I don’t think it distracted much at all from the services.

-I loved praying over, and celebrating with our high school and college grads yesterday.

-There is a pattern I follow when my wife is gone for a couple of days when it comes to food. I tend find a way to purchase some junk food and consume it all. I didn’t do much of that this time, except for the chips and dip, and the candy bars and the ice cream bars. The good news is that I didn’t finish any of those things, at least not until she got home last night. Come to think of it, maybe I didn’t do so well. 

-A couple of quotes from Mark Batterson’s “Draw the Circle” keep rattling around in my soul in recent days. “Don’t lose heart. Don’t lose hope. Don’t lose faith. Don’t lose patience.” And, “To pray or not to pray. Those are the only options.” And, “our problem isn’t overclaiming the promises of God; it’s underclaiming them.”

-One of the verses from this coming Sunday’s sermon is “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve”. We will be applying it to building our relationships. Can you guess the word we will be focusing on this Sunday? This will be a part of the series “7 Building Blocks of Great Relationships”.

-I am a piler when it comes to paperwork on my desk. I generally know where things are and if no one else messes with it I can find what I need very quickly. It drives my wife crazy, but she has learned that it is part of my method. However, at the moment my desk is too messy even for me. Time to do a little shoveling. 

-The heat came on in the house last week even though it was set at 62. Starting today it will be hard not to turn on the air conditioning. Got to love the changing weather in the Midwest.

Here’s hoping you get some reminders this week that someone believes in you and that you find opportunities to encourage someone else.

Dennis

We all have at least one relationship in which we are struggling. It might even be multiple ones, but we all have at least one. What we are building our relationships on greatly determines the health of our relationships. Therefore … This is from the beginning of my sermon yesterday. As for my musings …

-I can’t talk/write about Sunday without first sharing about Saturday night. On Saturday evening we participated in another Community Concert of Prayer. This is the 7^th one we have done in the past 9 months. We rotate them among 5 local churches and gather to prayer for our community and for revival in our community. The attendance was not great but the spirit was wonderful. Seeing, and hearing, people lifting their voices in prayer for the community is always encouraging. These times grew out of prayer times with 5 of us local pastors who have been meeting to pray together every other week for over 2 years. There are now 9 of us that pray together from 6 different denominations. I believe this should be the norm and I am excited to be a part of something that is changing our city.

-After the message at my 9:00 church I had a gentleman tell me that the Lord had been working on him all week about a plan for one of his relationships. But he did not know what the Lord wanted him to do. He said that during the sermon the Lord showed him that the message yesterday was the plan he was to use in this relationship. God is working.

-The sermon series I am currently preaching is “7 Building Blocks of Great Relationships”. Each week we are looking at one word to build on and what the Bible tells us about applying that word in our relationships. I am very encouraged after the first 2 weeks.

-The end of yesterday’s message and the call to action was to apply this formula to a struggling relationships. Make the relationship be “For God”. Then “Love Sincerely” and “Give Generously” of yourself to the other person and the relationship. Then the final step in the formula is to “Repeat Often”. Ask yourself “Who is this relationship for?” All of our relationships are to be for God. Then ask “Am I showing sincere love to this person?” Remembering to make sure that I am doing the work not just saying the words. Then asking “Am I being generous in what I give to this relationship?” Then lastly, “How often am I willing to repeat this formula for this relationship?”

-I felt a lot better about the flow of the sermon yesterday. In fact I believe it went better in the service than it did during my run through to the empty room early in the morning.

-The early morning, 5:30 to 6:30 am, prayer times on Mondays and Fridays are becoming wonderful times for me. There have been at least 3 of us and on some days 5 of us who came and prayed each time. One of our stated points of emphasis 2 years ago was that we must be become a people of prayer instead of just people who pray some. The special times that have been set aside for prayer have made a huge difference in those of us who have participated and you can draw a direct line from our prayers to the changed lives and growing numbers.

-One of the greatest things that has transpired in me is that I am loving my times of prayer. I must confess that there have been seasons in my life when I prayed but was not always loving my prayer times. My desire to pray is growing.

-In just over 8 weeks our kids and grandkids who are serving in Africa will be back in the states. Not that I am counting or anything.

-I am very excited to preach the next message in the series on relationships. The next message is on “Belief”. Do you believe in the other person? Belief in someone is a powerful thing.

-I am looking forward to Friday night as I have been asked to share the Invocation and Benediction at the graduation ceremony of a local Nursing College. Hopefully I don’t trip going to the podium or stumble over my words. These are college graduates after all. Wouldn’t my High School English teacher be surprised to hear what I have been asked to do?

What would your answers be to the questions I shared about relationships? Here’s hoping that you take the opportunity to apply the relationship formula with someone this week. Remember, you are not alone and you are being prayed for.

Dennis

P.S. – The weather was mediocre again and attendance was very good. I am on a roll!

Moms were honored, those with empty arms were remembered, the Spirit moved and smiles were plentiful. In other words, it was a very good Mother’s Day. As for my musings …

-I am blessed. I had a wonderful mom, my wife is a great mother and my daughters and daughter in law are awesome moms to my grandkids. All of them love (loved) Jesus and model(ed) following Christ passionately and all of us who have been blessed to be near them are so much better for having shared life with them.

-Yesterday was another wonderful mediocre weather Sunday. I loved it. If this confuses you read last Monday’s musings.

-I was disappointed in myself yesterday. The sermon went much better during my practice run than it did at either of my churches. I felt like I was preaching uphill all morning. I just couldn’t seem to get any traction or momentum during the sermon. As always, I pray that God’s voice was heard through the moving of the Holy Spirit where my voice failed. Fortunately God is always faithful.

-Attendance was up at my 9:00 church a little and the attendance was very good at my 10:30 church. We are experiencing a new normal at the 10:30 church with the attendance regularly being near what it was yesterday. It was fun to see a few people have to sit away from their “normal spot” because of the growth we have been experiencing. I am praying for everyone to see this as a positive thing.

-By all accounts the Mother’s Day breakfast, provided and served, by the men at my 10:30 church went very well. In fact someone thought of me and put a take home box of leftovers in the fridge for me. I heated it up and enjoyed them this morning.

-At my 9:00 church a lady hand sewed purses for every mom in attendance. They could take the one of their choosing and another lady gave each mom another special personal gift.

-Mother’s Day can be difficult for some ladies. Those who desire to be a mom and have not been blessed with a child to this point, those who have lost a child and those who have a strained relationship with a child struggle emotionally on Mother’s Day. I prayed for all of them in my private time of prayer yesterday and during our time of worship as well.

-I am very grateful that there was candy left from the basket full of it that was available to the moms at my 10:30 church. I enjoyed it yesterday afternoon and evening. Don’t judge me I didn’t eat all of it. Yet.

-Yesterday was the first sermon in a new series “7 Building Blocks of Great Relationships” that will continue through Father’s Day. Each week we will focus on one word and what the Bible has to say about it and how it applies to all of our relationships. The word yesterday was “caring”. An appropriate word on Mother’s Day. We unpacked Luke 10:25-37 (the Good Samaritan) to learn how to apply care to our relationships.

-This coming Sunday a part of the sermon is going to be me just opening my heart as to why I am so burdened about relationships. I will share some of my passion for healing in our relationships. At least, I am planning to share in this manner, we will see if I can get through it.

-We have now had 3 times of our early (5:30 to 6:30 am) prayer times. These are on Mondays and Fridays. I am encouraged because people have shown up and God has definitely shown up during these times.

-This coming Saturday night we are hosting another of the Community Concerts of Prayer. This will be the 7^th one of these in the past 9 months. Several churches and pastors in our town have joined together to pray for revival in our city, county and beyond. We have had anywhere from 30 to 250 in attendance at these times that are focused solely on prayer. No wonder God is beginning to move in our community.

-I am very excited that a few people have indicated a desire to be baptized. We are planning a baptism service in the very near future. Each one will share their personal testimony before they are baptized. Imagine the impact of a crowd hearing several people telling their journey to salvation. Already praying for this service.

Here’s hoping that you see someone to encourage today and that you realize you are being lifted in prayer.

Dennis

Yesterday was a very emotional day for me as I preached on God’s vision. It was also the first time that I preached a different sermon at each of the two churches where I serve. As for my musings …

-I got my Sunday morning weather wish yesterday. The weather was mediocre. My theory is that attendance is best on Sundays when the weather is mediocre. If it is really nice people tend to say “it is so nice let’s go do something”, if it is bad they tend to say “it is too bad to get out and go anywhere today”, but when it is mediocre they come to church. We had very good attendance at both churches yesterday. I wish it was mediocre weather every Sunday morning. Just kidding, maybe.

-This preaching, and preparing, 2 different sermons to be preached back to back on Sunday morning takes a lot out of you. At least for me it does.

-The reason for the different sermons is because I was preaching on vision and the two churches are currently at very different places in their ministries right now.

-There was a good spirit in my 9:00 church. People seemed pretty engaged during the whole service and especially during the message. The focus was on getting ourselves ready to receive the vision God has for us.

-On Saturday there were 16 of us from the 2 churches who attended, and participated in, our District’s annual convention for our Sunday School/Discipleship, Missions and Youth ministries. It was a very positive day and it was the first time to attend a District event like this for 4 of the people. I love watching people as they begin to see that we are a part of something much bigger than just our local church(es).

-Yesterday afternoon my wife and I attended a volleyball event to watch some local teens play. We went because we were invited by an unchurched family with which we are building a relationship. So, no Sunday afternoon nap, but reaching people is worth it.

-I love sharing, teaching or preaching on vision, but it always takes a lot out of me. I always get fired up when sharing on vision and yesterday was no exception.

-I am really looking forward to sharing tonight on baptism. Tonight anyone who desires to be baptized, or is curious about baptism is coming and I will teach a little and then answer questions. This will be fun.

-Yesterday I heard from several people who are desiring to get engaged in both some existing, and some new ministries. That put a huge smile on my face. In fact I am smiling as I type this.

-This is a new month which means we are a little closer to our son, daughter in law, and 5 of our grandkids coming to the states from their missionary service in Africa. I am just a little bit, okay a whole lot, excited about this fact.

-There was an electric feel to the worship service at my 10:30 church. People were really into the music and prayer and they seemed to be very engaged during the sermon. I am very excited to see how people respond to the vision we are pursuing.

-I was able to announce that we are adding an Assistant Pastor to our staff beginning in June. This will be a part-time position, for now. He will work with me in both churches. This is a huge step for these 2 churches.

-Another positive note from yesterday is that some people asked about becoming members. That is always a good thing.

-This morning we started a 5:30 am prayer time. Two days a week, for now, we are going to open the building and have designated times of prayer from 5:30 to 6:30 in the morning. People can come and go for any of this time that they are able to be here. This morning there were 5 of us who came and prayed. That is a great beginning. I am not by nature a morning person, but I know that we need to get more serious about actually praying, not just making prayer lists. I am also praying that some people will rise up and seek to lead some other times of prayer throughout the week. These are in addition to personal times of prayer. Nothing of great significance ever seems to happen without people first engaging in prayer.

Here’s hoping that you know someone is praying for you this week. If no one else is praying for you I will, just let me know and I will pray for you.

Dennis

It seems to happen often. In my opinion it is the opposite of what should happen. I understand the arguments on why it does happen and why it shouldn’t happen. But this discussion is actually part of my musings, so let’s get on with the musings …

-Last week I was sharing about the awesome time in worship we experienced at my 10:30 church the previous Sunday. That was not the case yesterday. It wasn’t a bad day, it was just kind of flat. I felt like there was a wall up as I was preaching yesterday. My wife felt something similar during the music. It so counterintuitive to me. I always expect that the week after a great time of worship that the next week the service would be as powerful if not even more powerful. Instead it often seems the next week falls flat. I don’t know if it is everyone sitting back waiting for something to happen or if it is simply the up and down nature of people.

-My 9:00 church had a good service and the prayer time and sermon went well with very good engagement by people and a few who responded to the message.

-I loved the awesome message in all of our music yesterday. My wife did an awesome job on the song “Break Every Chain” leading into the sermon about being set free.

-Even with things falling a bit flat at the 10:30 church there were still a couple of people who responded to being set free. Fortunately God is not dependent on my emotions.

-Attendance was good, not great, but good in both churches.

-We had a very good time in the Sunday evening small groups. A lot of good sharing and discussion. Praying for those who attended to apply what was studied throughout the week.

-We had a great time with the church boards of both churches and their spouses on Saturday evening. We met with a couple that I have been interviewing about the possibility of joining us as a part-time Assistant Pastor. It was a good time of sharing and we are praying about the next steps.

-I read a blog post that Thom Rainer posted about some statements people make that cause pastors to cringe. I didn’t agree with quite a bit of the post. Sometimes we pastors get upset about some silly things. I include myself in this group. Come on, let’s not be so thin skinned. I get it if someone threatens us with our job, or criticizes our spouse or kids, but after that let people have their say. Respond if appropriate and then go on and do what you are called to do. We are not the only group who gets criticized. Have you ever attended a sporting event and listened to the criticism directed at coaches, umpires, referees and the athletes? We should not be above criticism, but we also should be able to respond in a reasonable manner as well. Enough of my rant.

-My sermon next Sunday is on Vision and sharing some of what I am convinced God is leading us into in this next season of ministry. I am always excited to share about vision and somewhat fearful as I discover some of the ways in which God desires to stretch us in this season of our ministry.

-Wow, I am having trouble focusing this morning. Could be I need a little more sleep. Maybe I need to go fishing. Maybe it is just Monday, whatever the reason it has prompted me to not get these musings done until after noon this week.

Here’s hoping you are able to focus on what is important this week and that you take some time to appreciate all that God is doing in your life.

Dennis

This morning I am having trouble putting into words what God did yesterday. A few words or phrases that spring to mind are: memorable, moving, life-changing, freeing, empowering and take a stand moments. As for my musings …

-The altars were lined with people surrendering issues, fears, relationships, and questions about the future at the conclusion of my 10:30 church’s worship service. It was a holy time and powerful for all who were here to experience it. It was a God thing for sure. My sermon wasn’t anything special. There was nothing compelling about any of the human elements of the worship. But God … I love those “But God …” moments, don’t you? But God was present, He was working and people responded obediently to His call. It was humbling to witness that kind of movement.

-Last evening my wife and I each began a new small group study at our 9:00 church. We had a few people attend, I was hoping for a few more, but any time anyone chooses to take time to study the Word and share with others it is a very good thing.

-In the 10:30 service, I got a sense that God was up to something special during our prayer time in Worship. I just felt something in room shift and there seemed to be a different spirit during the next song we sang. There were a couple of people who just spontaneously came to the altar during that prayer time. I believe they helped set the stage for what took place at the end.

-We were missing a lot of people in both churches yesterday. Coincidentally it was an outstanding day with the best weather we have had all spring.

-On Saturday 11 ladies from my two churches were at a special Ladies Day at Olivet Nazarene University. They had a great time in fellowship with each other and were encouraged by the musician and speaker for the day. It appears that laughter was a major part of their outing.

-With my wife gone Friday evening and all day Saturday I enjoyed some outstanding junk food. Today my stomach is feeling a bit funky, but I am sure there is no correlation between those things.

-I am very excited for the next several sermons that I am working on.

(The above image is not an actual depiction of me, I am much more distinguished. I can’t believe I just typed that)

-Mondays are an interesting day for pastors. We spend time reflecting and evaluating the events of Sunday and yet are already looking ahead to the next Sunday. Sundays keep coming every 7 days. Mondays are often a day of conflicting emotions as a result.

-Prayed for a friend who ran the Boston Marathon today. He has been having some physical issues that have limited his running recently but he wasn’t about to miss this opportunity to run Boston no matter how he was feeling.

-Had a first time visitor in our 10:30 church and one who had not attended since I began at my 9:00 church. Love seeing new people.

-Spent some time in extra prayer over the weekend for a few people that are facing some extremely stressful circumstances at the moment. It seems that the “this is big” portion of my prayer list has grown exponentially in recent weeks.

-Part of yesterday’s sermon came from Mark 14:42 where Jesus said to his disciples “Rise! Let us go!” He said this as he went to meet his betrayer. I am praying that it becomes something of a rallying cry for us. Rise up! Let’s go and do what Christ is calling us to do today.

Here’s hoping that you hear the rallying call of God in your life this week. I am praying for you as you rise up. Let’s go be who we were created and called to be.

Dennis