Well I did it again, I went a whole week without posting anything on here. That will be different this week. One reason I know it will be different is that a new grandchild just made her appearance last night. There is no way that I won’t tweet about this event. Watch for it soon. Let’s get to musing.

-Yesterday was a very good day. Not just because my granddaughter was born. It was a good day in our church.

-The congregation was really into the music and sang very well yesterday. That always adds to the atmosphere in the building.

-We received 4 people into the membership of the church.

-We had a new couple in attendance and had a family return for a second time.

-The message yesterday was the final in a series on prayer. It was covering a lot of very practical “how to” parts of prayer. It seemed to be received well and people were engaged in the message.

-Attendance was good.

-We had a weiner roast and hayride on Saturday night. We had outstanding attendance and several new people attend. It was a very positive night of fellowship.

-Our small group did not meet last night. My wife and I received the call during lunch that our grandchild was on the way. So I drove my wife a couple of hours to meet our youngest daughter and they went on to be there for the birth. I will be joining them soon. As a result I could not get back in time for our group to meet. I always miss it when we are not able to meet.

-Our church has done an overwhelming job of showing their appreciation of my wife and myself during the month of October. It has been encouraging and very humbling.

-I continue to receive good reports from people about their increased focus on prayer.

Here’s hoping you are rejoicing today. Whether it is the birth of a grandchild, a great day of worship, or just the realization that you are loved, I hope you find a reason to rejoice.

Dennis

I am still enjoying all of the great things that took place yesterday and especially how God was powerfully evident in so many ways. It was a good one. I just noticed that I haven’t posted many times recently. I need to get back in a rhythm of writing. Back to the musings …

-There was a great spirit in our worship service yesterday. It was noticeable to anyone who was in attendance.

-The children of the church gave my wife and I posters they made for us. They were thanking us as a part of Pastor and spouse appreciation. I love stuff from the kids. They come up with the best stuff. They also presented us each with a sweatshirt from our local high school. I guess they got tired of seeing me show up with the wrong colors on at games.

-People were very engaged in the message and they really connected with the response I requested. They were each given a sheet of paper with a couple of statements on them. Then they were asked to respond to the statements with things they were going to do this week and things I could pray for that would enable them to act on what they are going to do this week. This was in response to the message. More than half of those who were in the service turned in a response.

-We had a good time of prayer as some came forward to the altar, even though that wasn’t even part of what I requested.

-Our attendance was better.

-Our District Superintendent was in the service and gave us some updates from our District. That was encouraging.

-We had an outstanding time with our small group last evening and we had a big group in attendance. I love being with them and hearing them share from their hearts.

-We had several technical glitches at many points in the service. Fortunately God is not limited by our technical successes or failures.

-I loved how people responded to those who came forward to prayer at the conclusion of the service. They lovingly surrounded them and encouraged them.

I have much to pray for this week from the responses of people in the service yesterday. I am very excited to hear reports of how God works in people’s lives this week. Here’s hoping you understand and embrace the truth that “God is always enough” as you move through this week.

Dennis

Yesterday was a very difficult day but it had some great results. I am in the last 2 weeks of a series on “Changing Your World through Prayer” and the past couple of Sundays have been a real struggle for me. There are some great reports coming from a few of the people in my congregation of how they are really praying and praying more specifically. They are telling of new insights into prayer and a renewed focus on prayer. I wrote a daily devotional to go along with the message series and some people have been faithful in following the devotional. The struggle has been a real emotional battle for me, and my wife. It is not unexpected when we really get serious about changing the world to face some opposition, but the past couple of weeks have been very difficult. I have been doing this pastor thing for quite a while and I have experienced worse times, but this has definitely been a struggle. Don’t feel sorry for me, and I am not trying to passively/aggressively seek sympathy. I am just reporting what is going on behind the scenes and I hope it might encourage some others that they are not alone. With all of that being said, how about some musings from yesterday?

-It was great yesterday to see someone really surrender and allow God to start releasing them from things that have held them captive. After all, you were not meant to be a captive, you were created to be a conqueror.

-We only had 1 small technical glitch yesterday that I am aware of, that is a real win for us.

-My congregation continues to express their appreciation in some wonderful and encouraging ways. I am blessed.

-I love the care and concern that my congregation shows to those who are ill and how they are really seeking to reach out those who are absent for any reason. Letting them know they were missed and are loved.

-I love what I am learning, in fresh new ways, about the power and value of prayer.

-Attendance was very low again. There is an annual 2 weekend event in our area that evidently has contributed to these past 2 Sundays being so low. No matter the cause I am always concerned with a big change in attendance.

-I didn’t sense that the congregation was as engaged during the sermon as they have been during the rest of this series. Or maybe it was just my personal wrestling that made it seem this way.

-Our small group met last night for the first time in 3 weeks. It was so good to be with this group and share life together.

-I am looking forward to getting to do some pastoral visits this week.

-A few more things have come together for my wife and I’s plans to go see our kids in Kenya. I am not allowing myself to get too excited until the tickets are purchased. But I can feel the excitement beginning to build.

Here’s hoping you are reflecting on God’s grace and presence this morning.

Dennis

So here we go…

-Sunday was another good day. Once again, the Spirit was powerful and tangible in our time of worship. I am loving that this is becoming something of a regular thing.

-People were very engaged during the sermon.

-There was response at the altar.

-Attendance was down from what we have been averaging in recent weeks, but still significantly above this time last year.

-There were new people in attendance and a person who visited the week before returned.

-There were some distractions but this week our sound system was not one of them.

-I did not feel good about the sermon but the Holy Spirit worked anyway. I believe part of my problem was that I was so invested in this sermon and it hit me so hard that I got in the way of the message a bit. The Lord certainly worked on me in this message.

-Our small group was very small, but again we had some good discussion and had some fun with an exercise that was supposed to reveal what biblical character we were most like. That was fun.

-Fatigue had really taken over for me by the end of the day. This was to be expected after being at a training seminar for 3 days, with 7 pages of personal notes, a notebook with 45 pages of notes and 11 books to read which will help cement the training I received.

Yesterday I just could not seem to get focused and my mind was running away with many thoughts of evaluation and that is my excuse for not writing this post. Every once in a while stuff just seems to all hit you at the same time mentally and emotionally. Yesterday was one of those days.

Here’s hoping your reflections are encouraging and that you realize that no matter what you are facing God is still God and he loves you and is on your side.

Dennis

Due to circumstances that I will attempt to explain tomorrow, my Monday Morning Musings will be posted on Tuesday. Thanks for checking in.

Dennis

I love it when God’s presence is so prominent in a worship service that everyone in attendance is aware of it. Yesterday was one of those times. The day was not without its issues and our sound system was one of those issues again yesterday. But it was a good to very good day, some of the reasons were …

-Early in the service there was a real sense of God’s presence.

-People came to the altar to pray while the congregation was singing. This was an answer to prayer. A prayer for there to be much greater freedom during worship and for the altar to become a prominent place in our worship. I especially love that it was without any human prompting.

-Our attendance was good and the attendance of what is a “regular” Sunday has gone up dramatically in the past few months.

-People are noticing and seeking out people when they are absent. I love the sense of accountability and care that this shows.

-There was a great time of conversation and real fellowship after the service as people took their time leaving the building. I believe people hanging around to converse with one another is a good sign.

-There were some additional people who expressed interest in serving in our children’s ministry.

-I am very excited to see what is going to happen in the next month or two in our church. Yesterday was the beginning of a new series on prayer with a daily devotional to go with the series. There seemed to be some genuine excitement from some people for this study.

-Even with the excitement that I sensed from some people I was disappointed with the number of people who did not take a copy of the devotional study.

-Our small group was very good again last evening. There was some very vulnerable discussions about our personal prayer lives. I am interested to see what is going to happen in our group during this study.

-This morning feels like I have crashed. I pushed so hard through the weekend in preparation for this new series and this morning I am feeling the impact. I am having to remind myself that part of this is a natural effect of recovering from pushing so hard last week.

-This week I need to get going quickly because I will be gone 3 days at a conference.

Here’s hoping you are enjoying your reflections of yesterday. Here’s hoping you have someone to encourage and someone who will encourage you today. Here’s hoping that you sense God’s presence in a powerful and tangible way this week.

Dennis

This morning I awoke with great expectations. Yesterday was a very good day in so many areas even though it was far from perfect. My great expectations are based on what I am seeing and experiencing of a tangible move of God in my life and our church. It is exciting, somewhat frightening, and anything but boring. So my musings from yesterday include …

-Sunday mornings are much easier when I feel very prepared for the sermon before the day starts. This is no sudden revelation, nor is it a surprise on any level. It is just that yesterday was one of those mornings (they don’t happen every week for me) where I began the day feeling ready to roll.

-The above observation being true does not insure that there will be no glitches in the message. I skipped over a part of the sermon and didn’t know it until someone who wanted to fill in their blanks (I offer an outline of each message with fill in the blanks for those who want to do that) asked what should go in those spaces. I couldn’t believe I did that until I looked back at my notes realized that I jumped right over that part.

-I was reminded to pay better attention to facial expressions of the congregation while I am preaching, especially those of my wife. Because when I skipped the above mentioned line I noticed that my wife had a quizzical look on her face. When I saw that look I began to wonder if I had said something wrong. Mind you I was doing this wondering while I continued to preach, it happens more often that I prefer to admit.

-In spite of my skipping a line, the congregation did seem very engaged during the whole service and the sermon.

-We had some sound issues, but we have sound issues most weeks. It is not the fault of anyone, we just really need a different sound system. As in the whole system. Hoping to make some progress on this soon.

-Attendance was good, not great, but good.

-Our small group was great again last night. It is so fun to be a part of this group. It is great to hear and see them digging and attempting to apply God’s word to their everyday lives. I love their openness and vulnerability.

-I am sensing a growing attitude of expectation in our church. I love seeing that in the congregation.

-I am really excited to see what is going to happen in me, our church and beyond as we begin this new study on prayer.

-I dropped my phone in the toilet on Saturday and it shut down. I have had it in rice ever since and it still has not come back to life. I am realizing that I use my phone for many things and I am very concerned that there are several people wondering why I haven’t responded to them.

-Last night it hit me that I could be in trouble with my schedule this week since I keep my schedule on the calendar app of my phone.

With all of these things, including the not so good things, I am very expectant that this is going to be a great week. I also believe we are on the edge of some very exciting things taking place in the life of our church. This is a great feeling. Are you excited this morning? Here’s hoping you have some great expectations as you begin this new week.

Dennis

My musings are certainly different today. For starters it is my birthday. As a result I am actually posting this in the afternoon. It has been a blessed birthday so far. I have had communication from all my kids and my Dad. I have received many nice comments from friends far and wide on facebook. Went to breakfast with my wife, she made me buy a new shirt (I required that it at least be on sale) and I bought a novel at the Goodwill store. Now on to the musings from yesterday.

-We had a great time of worship yesterday. Such a great spirit and the congregation was very engaged from beginning to end.

-There were several who came to the altar at the conclusion of the service. I have been working hard to re-establish the altar as a place of prayer, commitment and repentance. Not that it is a magic place, but I believe it can be a powerful place in a church.

-We had another outstanding time of sharing in our small group last night. We learned a lot about each other and from each other last night. I love the growth I am seeing as we study and share together.

-Illness knocked out a few of our regular attenders and as a result I was a last second sub for one of our Sunday School classes. I prefer a little more time to prepare something, but we all survived.

-Once again I was blessed and humbled as I was prayed over by a retired pastor before the worship service. I don’t ever want to forget that I am only where I am because I am standing on the shoulders of some great pastors who have gone before me.

-Our attendance was very good for Labor Day weekend. In fact we had a very good month of August in attendance.

-There were some glitches on the day, and I was scrambling to do a few things before everyone arrived on Sunday. Things that someone else was supposed to have done earlier in the week. But that comes with the territory at times.

-My wife and I were blessed as the church honored us with a card for our anniversary and for my birthday, both cards has some nice things inside as well.

-It was great to have my wife in worship yesterday. She had a missed a couple of weeks for a baby shower for our daughter and a weekend with some of her college friends. I know I preach better when she is present.
-The message was on wholeness. Part of the wholeness is for us as a church to LAF a lot. To offer Love, Acceptance and Forgiveness.

This is such an unusual Monday since I am taking it off as a holiday, because it is my birthday but because it is Labor Day. I look back on yesterday and am very encouraged and I love that feeling. Here’s hoping you are have a great Monday.

Dennis