Yesterday was an unusual day. As for my musings …

-It was unusual because it was 50 degrees on January 21.

-It was unusual because we had a much smaller number of children present than normal.

-It was unusual because there was very little response at the end of the service. The reason that is unusual is because there was a powerful sense of God’s presence and a moving of the Holy Spirit throughout the entire service. That is a big concern to me.

-I performed a wedding last week. Not a funeral, a wedding. That was a nice change. The wedding was a private affair with just 5 of us in attendance. I enjoyed it very much.

-The volleyball teams I am helping coach won all three of their matches last week.

-Last week I was asked to be part of a trio of people going to a college to teach for 3 days next month. We will be teaching about starting new ministries and planting churches. I was honored to be asked and am excited to be a part of this event. There is a lot of studying to do between now and then. I am glad that I have the focus of my next 3 or 4 sermons already laid out.

-Weather did not impact attendance yesterday. Illness and hospital stays impacted it. There were at least 14 people who were not in attendance as a direct result of illness or hospital stays. That is just the ones I am aware of.

-My current sermon series “What’s Your Why?”, is really impacting me. I am praying that it is impacting others as well. This Sunday we will be looking at discovering your why. Each week we have been looking how Jesus stated his why and how he demonstrated his why. The last Sunday of the series we are going to celebrate our why.

-Many years ago, I did a series entitled “Yes You Can … Because God Will”. The focus was on obedience. My next series is going to be “Yes You Can” with a focus on being victorious in difficult circumstances. We can overcome because God will do his part. We will look at how God has provided for others in the past and how he will provide for us now, and in the future. He will provide the strength, the wisdom, the comfort, the support, or whatever we need to overcome difficult times.

-This time of year, 3 or 4 weeks past Christmas, is always difficult for me. There is a big push from early November through Christmas, that requires a lot of time, energy and emotion. The letdown seems to hit me about now. I try to do some things to change my routine and hope that helps to recharge my mind, emotions and energy. When possible, I try to get away for a few days as well.

-12 of us from my church worked the concession stand at our local high school for the basketball games Saturday night. It was fun to work together and to see some people in a completely different setting. Getting to watch some of the games was a nice bonus.

-Here’s hoping you find something to recharge your mind and energy this week.

Dennis

Yesterday was a day with great spirit, great conversations and many encouraging signs. As for my musings …

-Our worship service was very good yesterday. There was a great spirit in the service from beginning to end. After 3 Sundays in a row where weather was a major factor it was nice to have a normal January Sunday. It was average temperature and the snow didn’t begin until several hours after our service finished. People were engaged in all parts of the service. It was an encouraging Sunday.

-There were 2 or 3 people who confessed the need to have more compassion for others and committed to allowing God to fill them with compassion for those around them.

-Yesterday was the second message in the series “What’s Your Why?”. We looked at what Jesus said about his why the first week and yesterday we looked at how he demonstrated his why. This series is really challenging me, and I pray it is making an impact on my congregation.

-Last week, on Tuesday I finished my 5^th funeral in 6 days. On Wednesday I was at an out of town hospital to spend some time with a couple as she was heading into surgery to remove cancer. On Thursday my church hosted 50+ pastors on our District for a wonderful time of fellowship and training. Then I headed to the local hospital to check on an older man in our congregation who was taken by ambulance to the ER that morning. This is on top of the first volleyball match of the season for the 7^th and 8^th grade teams I am helping to coach. (We won them both!) I served as Chaplain and got called to the ER to pray with a family whose father was dying. Those are always difficult moments for everyone. Obviously, you could see the pain on the family’s faces, but I was struck by the grief on the faces of the nurses and the doctor. Last week was a very full week with many different emotions.

-I was in awe this past week thinking of the people in my congregation who serve so sacrificially. Every Sunday there are many who serve in several areas. They arrive early and stay late. There are those who volunteer to clean the church every week. There is our Wednesday night crew, there are those who maintain our building and property, and those who respond whenever we have something extra, such as a funeral dinner or to help someone in need. I am humbled by their service and their joy as they serve.

-I hit a wall mentally sometime on Thursday. I found myself unable to focus much, and creative thinking was nowhere to be found in my mind. Fortunately, I had my sermon 95% done by that time. I had plenty of things to do that did not require a great deal of creative thought. I am hoping that some good rest last night, a few hours watching some great basketball and football games, are enough to get me back in the swing of things this week.

-I am using a different plan this year for reading through the Bible. Not yet sure if I like the plan or not. I love reading the Word, but not sure about the new plan. I love challenging myself and changing some routines to spark my thinking. That doesn’t mean I always love the new routine, time will tell on this one.

-The Lord has really been opening my eyes, and my heart, to the needs in the lives of many people in our community. If I, and my church, are going to be a part of making an impact in this community, I must be aware of the real needs.

-I have been especially burdened in recent weeks for those separated from their families. Whether the separation is because of career, calling, or relationships, separation from family is difficult.

Here’s hoping that you are connecting with your family and with those in your community.

Dennis

Yesterday was evidence that people pay attention to weather predictions. As for my musings …

-The weather forecast for days said that we were going to get freezing rain, followed by snow on Sunday. The start of this mess kept fluctuating between 9:00 AM and noon. They finally settled on it beginning at 10:00 AM. Attendance was the evidence that people pay close attention to weather forecasts, at least on Sunday mornings. Our attendance was low. The predicted weather came, but it did very little until early afternoon, so the morning drive was not a problem. Today is another story altogether with the ice and snow that came late yesterday. Many schools and other events are cancelled today.

-I have a graveside funeral service this morning at 11:00. It is a few miles out of town. Hopefully, there is no problem getting to the cemetery.

-We have another funeral tomorrow. The service tomorrow will be my 5^th funeral in 6 days. I am not preaching tomorrow, but will be helping with the service. 4 of the services involve people connected to our church. Obviously, this has been a busy week with all those funerals and a lot of emotion as well. I don’t know if I have ever had to focus, and then refocus, so many times in a single week.

-Our worship yesterday went well, and there was a good spirit in the service.

-Yesterday I began a new series of messages. This one is entitled “What’s Your Why?” This series is seeking to help people get to their “why” for serving and living. If you only know “what” you are doing and not “why” you will have no passion and not much commitment. When you know why, you are more likely to be engaged, to be passionate, to give your best and to sacrifice. Your why is a big deal.

-Yesterday was the 3^rd Sunday in a row with low attendance because of weather. The first was snow, then extreme cold and yesterday was the prediction of ice and snow. I am ready for a good weather Sunday.

-I messed with some people during my message yesterday. I regularly have a sermon outline in the bulletin each Sunday with some places for people to fill in blanks. I did not specifically say the words that were to go into a couple of those blanks. (I have been known to get going in a sermon and move things around.) That is a big deal to the personalities that cannot leave any blank empty. It wasn’t too long after the service finished when I heard about my misstep. Evidently my tech people were on top of it and put words up on the screen even though I didn’t follow the outline.

-The volleyball teams that I help coach are supposed to have their first games tonight. With school being cancelled today I haven’t heard whether the matches will still take place or not.

-This week I have 3 people having some significant procedures and surgeries taking place.

-On Thursday this week my church is hosting all the pastors on our District for a meeting. We hosted one a couple of years ago and enjoyed it.

-We had a significant problem with our van this week. I was first told that it was a transmission problem. First thought was $$$$$. Took it to a place that does that kind of stuff. Got a call from them, not transmission. 😊 Instead, it was a power steering issue. It wasn’t a simple thing, but it wasn’t devastating.

-I am amazed at how warm 20 or 30 degrees feels when you had a week of single digits with wind chills minus 20 and 30.

Here’s hoping you are able to stay warm and find a way to encourage someone else.

Dennis

Happy New Year! It is -16 degrees outside as I sit here typing. Even more startling, the wind chill is -34. Good time to stay inside. Yesterday was a good day even with difficult weather and low attendance. As for my musings …

-It was a couple of degrees below zero when church started yesterday, and the wind chill had it feeling like -14 when people were arriving. What a way to finish a year and start a new one.

-Good news, our furnaces were operating well yesterday. More good news, the furnace at my house is working well today.

-When the attendance is significantly less than normal it seems to take a few minutes for everyone to get engaged in worship. The good news, once people got engaged it was a good time of worship.

-I have already been contacted about doing 2 funerals this week.

-We did have a visitor in our worship service yesterday. I did share with him that things looked a lot different than a normal Sunday and I hope he was positively impacted by the spirit in the service.

-On Saturday my wife and I drove 265 miles to get back home from our family Christmas gathering. The first hour of the trip was brutal with snow, wind, slick roads and traffic moving about 20 to 30 miles an hour below normal speeds. When we drove out of the snow we were battling salt and dirt constantly building up on the windshield. Our windshield washer fluid would not flow. We had to stop 3 times so I could clean the windshield with snow. We did make it home safely, but that trip was not my favorite one.

-I was grateful for a wonderful man in the church who cleared our driveway and sidewalk while we were gone. It was great to drive in and not have to get out and start shoveling.

-While the family here in the states was together, we were able to Skype for a few minutes with my son and family in Africa. It was great to see their faces and hear their voices.

-My thoughts and prayers have been with so many families in my church, and friends across the country, who have turned the calendar to a new year for the first time without a family member who passed this year.

-I have been spending some time the past couple of days thinking back on all that took place in 2017. I may post something about those memories later this week.

-As this new year begins our thoughts turn toward things we would like to accomplish this year. Make sure that part of that thinking involves time with God, time in the Word and time serving others. If you invest yourself in those three areas, you will have great memories when you reach the end of 2018.

-“To change requires a new beginning. But a new beginning is wasted unless you begin to act in a new way. What will you do with this new year?” This quote popped up from something I posted 5 or 6 years ago. Asking myself what I will do differently this year so that I can fulfill some goals I have in mind. What behaviors will you change this year?

-I won my Fantasy Football league championship!

-I am trying to figure out if I can make it through this day without stepping outside.

-My mind is not moving very quickly this morning. Maybe it is the cold, even though it is not cold in the house I know that just beyond these walls it is brutally cold outside. Or maybe, I am just tired. I think it is time for me to quit writing this post and start practicing typing and writing 2018.

Here’s hoping you stay warm today and that memories of God’s faithfulness will warm your heart as well.

Dennis

Yesterday was a beautiful day in many ways. As for my musings …

-Merry Christmas!

-This morning I am at our local hospital serving as the Chaplain. I am wearing my Santa hat, with my suit, and trying to encourage those who are stuck here as patients and those who are working as well.

-We are experiencing a white Christmas. The snow began falling early in the morning yesterday and continued to fall until nearly 1:00 PM. It was a fine snow, but it created some slippery streets. As a result, there were several of our older people who did not make it to worship yesterday.

-The snow was very pretty to watch, and the white ground cover made for a wonderful backdrop on Christmas Eve.

-The best news of the day was that at least 3 people made the decision to accept the gift of Christ as their personal Savior. What a great way to celebrate Christmas.

-We had 2 worship opportunities since it was Christmas Eve. One at our regular time in the morning and the other in the evening. The services were nearly identical. The differences were that in the morning service 2 adorable children shared some of the Christmas story and scripture that they had memorized. The other difference is that we closed the evening service in candlelight.

-Even though I shared the same message in both services, the exact wording and illustrations were not identical. I can’t ever repeat a message exactly.

-The morning service was a little difficult. It was a struggle to get the congregation engaged, even during the singing. I believe it was due to the lower attendance, which was even more noticeable since last Sunday was a record Sunday, and I believe the first snow of the season contributed as well. The first snow of the season seems to always cause an uproar and shake up things.

-This was a difficult week for me. It started Sunday evening when a nasty cold knocked me down for a while. Then an older man in my church took a drastic turn for the worse and passed away Thursday evening. It was a very peaceful time when he passed, and the last thing he told me was that he was ready to go. My cold, and extra time at the hospital, took a toll on my study time this week.

-I had some significant conversations with people yesterday and was encouraged by them.

-I am in my Fantasy Football league’s championship game. I am slightly ahead through Sunday’s games, but we each have one player in the games on Monday.

-There was a very sweet, special and funny moment during our evening Christmas Eve service. As I was preaching about Jesus being the greatest gift, I said that to experience the gift you must accept/open it for yourself. I compared not accepting Christ to being given a Christmas present and never opening it. Right then, a precious little girl said something like “that’s crazy, why would someone do that?” Her timing was perfect, and question/comment was spot on. That created a special memory.

-We will be doing Christmas with our kids and grandkids, the ones in this section of the world, later this week. Today will be a quiet and lazy day, at least it will be after I finish as Chaplain at noon.

-The funeral this week will be the 13^th or 14^th one I will have participated in this year. I am hoping for a much smaller number next year.

-This year has been one of the busiest years in recent memory. There were many changes in my ministry, in the ministries of our church and in our family as well. Many of the changes were great and exciting. Some of the changes were difficult. Some of the changes could be anticipated and some of them were big surprises. This year has certainly been memorable.

Here’s hoping you reflect on some great memories as you come to the end of this calendar year. To all of you, I wish you a very Merry, and Blessed, Christmas.

Dennis

Yesterday was a very good day. It was another “Wow God” time in our worship service as our children told the Christmas story brilliantly. As for my musings …

-Our children did such a good job of showing, sharing, singing and telling the Christmas story. Our preschoolers, I think they were about 7 of them, did a good job of sharing with us. I think preschoolers, when they are sharing up front, are good no matter what they do. Our kindergarten through 4^th graders, there were 21 of them, did so well singing, acting and telling the story. There were touching moments and funny moments as well. 6 of our youth were the narrators and readers for the story, they did very well.

-The presentation by the children was even more meaningful when you know some of the backstory of several of these children. I was deeply moved as I watched and listened.

-Weather cooperated as the rain that was forecasted for the entire morning never arrived.

-There was a funny moment as the program finished. The children wanted to thank my wife, she directed and put the program together, near the conclusion of the children’s program. 4 of the girls brought her up front, gave her a bouquet of flowers and then gave her a hug. Then things escalated. Suddenly all the children came off the platform to give her a big group hug. As you might guess, they ended up hugging her down to the floor. She, and several of the children, ended up on the floor. One person told me it was both “one of the scariest, funniest and special things they have ever seen”.

-The attendance, over 200, was the largest for any service or event since I have been here. I am praying that many of them were impacted by the message from the children and that some of them will come back.

-Now the focus is on our Christmas Eve services. We will have one in the morning at our regular time and then a candlelight one in the evening.

-I have been praying for a lot of families this Christmas season who are facing a first, or second, Christmas without a loved one. The truth is that for many every Christmas can be a struggle without a loved one, but I have been especially burdened for many families facing their first or second one with an empty chair. I encourage you to let those you know who are facing a first or second Christmas without a loved one that you are praying for them.

-I don’t know what to expect this coming Sunday. I don’t know if people will be off to family gatherings or if they will attend before heading to family.

-I think the busyness of the past couple of weeks finally hit me last evening. I was asleep before 8:30 and slept for 9 ½ hours.

-Speaking of busyness, I am worried that I am missing something because my calendar for the week doesn’t look very busy.

-I will be playing for my fantasy football league championship this coming week. My team underperformed over the weekend but still pulled out a win.

-Please take a few moments this week to remember, and pray for, missionary families who are not able to come home and spend Christmas with their extended families.

-Yesterday highlighted the importance of people who follow through on their ministry roles. We had some outstanding examples of people who went above and beyond expectations. Without them yesterday would not have been the good day that it turned out to be. So many people who came through and were the unsung stars of the day.

Here’s hoping that you will take the time to encourage others this week. When you encourage others, you will be encouraged yourself.

Dennis

Yesterday had many great moments. Yesterday also continued our string of several Sundays of outstanding worship services. As for my musings …

-Our children’s ministries are on fire. Such great things are taking place in all our children’s ministries. Kids are learning great truths. Families are being reached. The number of children attending keeps growing.

-The growth in our children’s ministries has created a problem. We need more people to begin serving in this area of ministry so that our current workers do not get burned out.

-There was a good spirit in our worship service.

-Attendance was good.

-Yesterday, for some reason, I really missed some of those who passed earlier this year. The places where they usually sat seemed to stand out to me yesterday.

-The new carpet in the hallways at church looks great.

-I amazed at how mild our weather has been. I am not complaining, but I am amazed. My brother in Georgia has had a major snowstorm, but we have had only flurries so far. I expect much more to come, but I am enjoying this for the moment.

-I went to Chicago for a couple of days last week for some training on the Fatherhood program that I am helping to teach at the prison. It was fascinating to hear what many in the training are doing to reach fathers in their area and to hear their personal journeys as well.

-We did not have any major technical issues during our worship yesterday. That is a major praise. A big reason is because my wife spent time figuring some things out and fixed a couple of our computer/projector problems. Have I mentioned lately that my wife is awesome?

-I finished first in my Fantasy Football league. We are now in the playoffs and I have a bye this week.

-Last week was difficult for my preparation and study. With a funeral and being out of town for 2 days, I had to maximize the time I had available.

-I am excited for this coming Sunday when our children share a major part of the worship service with their Christmas presentation. The energy they bring is always exciting. The opportunity to make a good impression on visitors is something I get stoked about.

-This week I will be meeting with some people who are interested in, or at least curious about, baptism. I am looking forward to meeting with this group.

-My oldest grandson, he is also my oldest grandchild, had a birthday last week. I have vivid memories of the day he arrived, and my world forever changed in an awesome way.

-It is time for me to get going. My wife and I have an insurance meeting this morning. No, I am not smiling.

Here’s hoping you find much to smile about this week and that you share your smile with many others.

Dennis

Yesterday I did much to boost the economy, at least the economy of the cough drop industry. The other things that transpired yesterday were much more interesting and exciting. As for my musings …

-We had a lot of technical issues yesterday while my wife, and others, were attempting to put the final pieces in place for our worship service. The good news is that there was very little that was noticed by people during worship. The bad news is that we need to get some things taken care of soon.

-Our worship service went well. We had a lot of children in attendance and they add a lot of energy to the service before they leave for their own ministry time.

-There was a very good spirit throughout the service.

-Our attendance was good.

-We had a family return for the second week in a row.

-We had some people attend who had missed for several weeks.

-My wife and I have both been battling colds. The bad news is the colds decided to hang out in the throat over the weekend. Our volume of cough drops consumed was staggering.

-It appears that my fantasy football team will win again this week.

-I made it through November without performing a funeral. I believe that is the first month since January this year in which I did not perform a funeral. I do have a funeral tomorrow.

-I ended up changing my Christmas message series in the middle of last week.

-We were able to go get our Christmas tree at the beginning of last week. Then we have been too busy to get it decorated. But the tree looks good and the pine smell is wonderful.

-I am taking some training this week to be better equipped to teach the Fatherhood class that I am helping with at the prison.

-In my previous pastorate, I coached volleyball at the local High School the last 7 years we were there. I have been hoping to get into the program here since we arrived nearly 4 years ago. Last week I began helping with the 7^th and 8^th grade volleyball program. I am excited about this opportunity.

-Three years ago, my wife and I were in Kenya visiting our son, daughter in law and 5 of our grandkids. Looking back at some pictures over the weekend reminded us of how blessed we were to take that trip.

-Yesterday afternoon a group of 9 or 10 people returned to church and took the carpet out of our hallways. This morning the installers came and began preparing the floors for the new carpet that will begin going down tomorrow morning. It will look very different and much nicer by Wednesday evening.

-It is time to get my study hat on. I need to have a funeral message, Sunday’s sermon and a Fatherhood lesson put together in the next couple of days. The funeral is tomorrow morning, the Fatherhood class is Wednesday afternoon and I really need Sunday’s sermon nearly finished by Wednesday morning because of the training I will be doing on Thursday and Friday. Good thing I love what I do.

Here’s hoping that you will see God’s hand guiding you this week.

Dennis

We enjoyed an outstanding day yesterday. It was another “Wow God!” time of worship. We honored some special people and much more. As for my musings …

-We honored the people who serve in our Children’s ministries. They give a lot of time and energy to make an impact in the lives of our children. Our children’s ministries have been growing in number and in the number of children who are seeking to follow Christ. It is awesome. We took a few minutes to honor them in our worship time.

-Our time of singing in worship was very good.

-One of my sons in law sang just before my message. He really worshiped as he sang and his ministry in that moment was powerful.

-Our prayer times seemed to have a little something extra in them yesterday. I don’t know how to explain it, but I know what I felt, and it was very good.

-We had a new family in attendance and our total attendance was very good.

-Our community’s Christmas parade took place on Saturday. Our church had a float in the parade and it looked great. That is not just my opinion, our church’s float took first place. We had a bunch of children on the float. One couple in the church took the leadership for this and did an outstanding job. The weather was great on Saturday as well.

-We had both of our daughters, sons in law and 5 of our grandchildren at our place from Wednesday afternoon until Sunday afternoon. It was great. We were able to Facetime with our oldest grandson who is in college. We were also able to Skype with our son, daughter in law and 4 of our grandkids for a while on Saturday (They are serving as missionaries in Africa). It was the first time we had seen their faces and heard their voices in a long time. It was a wonderful Thanksgiving for us.

-Our house seemed so quiet last evening.

-We had more technical glitches yesterday. All but one of them was resolved before our worship service began. Kudos to my wife and the tech team for their work yesterday.

-Now the big Christmas push begins.

-I am loving our mild weather. It was wonderful while our family was here, and today’s weather is just as good.

-In our Vacation Bible School this year, the phrase “Wow God!” was part of our theme. That phrase has stuck with us. Yesterday’s worship service could best be described as “Wow God!” worship. The best news is that we have had quite a few of those times in our worship recently.

-Our family is a game-playing family. Whenever we get together we play games. We had a couple of new ones and they were big hits. We played a few of our favorites as well. The sounds of laughter filled our home and I loved every moment. I also know that we will continue to discover reminders of the family being there as things that were left behind are found. Some things we leave where they are discovered as a reminder for a few days. I love my family and I am blessed to be part of this incredible group.

-My fantasy football team has a big lead this week going into the Monday night game. My team was the first to qualify for our playoffs. That is the good news, the bad news is that I seem to beat a lot of the teams when they have their worst week.

Here’s hoping that you will take the time to reflect on what you have for which to be thankful.

Dennis

Yesterday was another very good day. Many good things took place. As for my musings …

-Our District Superintendent was with us yesterday. He brought a powerful message. It was great to have him here and good for our congregation to hear from him. I love that my new people now have a face to put with the name as we pray for him in his role as District Superintendent.

-It was 4 years ago this past weekend that my wife and I interviewed with the leadership of this church.

-I loved it when the children sang in our worship time yesterday. Their enthusiasm and joy were inspiring.

-There were 2 or 3 rows of kids singing. It wasn’t that long ago that all the children fit in one short row of about 4 kids. The growth in our children’s ministries is encouraging.

-We are still celebrating this morning after seeing a lady, for whom we have been fervently praying, walk in yesterday. She is a miracle after coming back from her stroke. It was a very special moment.

-Last week I spent a couple of days with 4 guys from my college days. The 5 of us became friends our freshmen year in college. We have maintained the friendships through the years. For the past 10 years we have gotten together for a couple of days every fall. It is always fun. It is always entertaining. It is always meaningful, and it is always worth it. We live in 4 different states and most of us travel several hours to get together. They are great men and great friends. I know I can contact them anytime and know that they will pray and if it were needed, they would rearrange schedules and show up. I am blessed.

-It was very different to be in our worship service but not preach. That also meant that I was not preparing to preach during the week. I was still studying for some up-coming sermons, but the urgency was not present. It did make it a great week to be gone a couple of days with my college buddies.

-This week our daughters and their families will be with us for a few days as we celebrate Thanksgiving. The house will be full. Games, many games, will be played. The laughter will be loud. The energy, from 5 grandkids, will be significant and awesome. The joy will be wonderful. However, we will be missing our son and family as they are serving in Africa. There will be 11 in the house and 7 that will be missed.

-We have many people going through significant physical issues recently. Several procedures, surgeries, emergency room trips, serious tests and more in the past couple of months. I almost need a separate calendar to keep track of them all. I hate seeing people suffer or anxiously waiting to hear results from tests.

-My fantasy football team squeaked out the victory last week and I am leading this week heading into the Monday night game. I assume you were anxiously waiting to hear.

-I have the basic outline of my Christmas message series laid out, but I am struggling to get any further with the messages.

-Is it just me, or has this year gone faster than most years?

Here’s praying that you will notice many things for which to be thankful this week.

Dennis