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

Have you ever had sometimes when things just don’t seem quite right? I think yesterday was sometimes. As for my musings …

-Maybe it was the dreary weather. Maybe it was the end of Spring Break vacation for the schools. Maybe we were just due for one of these Sundays. Whatever the cause, the energy level in both churches was very low yesterday. I have to do better and not get so impacted by the collective energy of the groups.

-It was great to be able to introduce a new baby to the congregation. One of our young couples had their 2^nd child on Thursday last week and had him in church on Sunday.

-I had a great conversation with a couple of people after one of my worship services, these people were asking about what they could do to serve the church. They were asking if a small group could reserve the sanctuary for a time of prayer (you can always use the building for prayer). The answer was an emphatic YES.

-My wife and I are getting ready to start a couple of new Bible Studies at our 9:00 church. These will be on Sunday evening. We are praying for people to participate and for some real fellowship to take place among the group and with us. I am working hard to have the people in my 9:00 church to realize that I am their pastor and that I care for and love them. I am aware that since I have pastored my 10:30 church for 2+ years and the 9:00 church for 2 months that some still aren’t sure about my commitment to them. This 2 church thing has some interesting challenges that I have never faced before. But I do love a challenge.

-The annual meeting for the District of churches in my denomination in which I serve was this past weekend. It was a very encouraging and motivating time. I was especially excited because a couple of people participated for the first time. It was great for them to see the bigger picture of what we are a part of with our district and denomination.

-My message yesterday was focusing on the “Because” and “Therefore” of God’s grace and love. Part of my prayer for my people was/is that this week whenever they face any fear, any doubt, any discouragement or any temptation that they will remember “But because of God’s great love, his tender mercy and his amazing grace” they can overcome whatever comes.

-Once again my wife and I enjoyed some wonderful fellowship with a couple from church and someone we had never met over lunch on Sunday.

-Attendance was down in both churches yesterday.

-It was the 6^th birthday of one of my granddaughters over the weekend. We weren’t able to be with her, but I skyped with her a couple of days before her birthday and we send her a voice message on her birthday. I love that all of my kids, and grandkids, are serving where they are supposed to be, however sometimes the distance thing stinks. It is amazing to see the transformation of my grandkids as they grow. What a blessing.

-I am hoping that yesterday was the last Sunday for me to wear a sweater until fall. I love sweaters, but this weather has gone on long enough.

Here’s hoping that you remember your “because” as you go through this week and that you pass it on to several other people.

Dennis

Yesterday was a very long and very awesome day. Yesterday was a very meaningful and impactful day. Yesterday was a great reminder of the power of what I get the privilege to do. I get to open God’s Word to wonderful people every week. I get to fellowship with some of the greatest people every week. I get to plan and prepare for the future every week. I get to wrestle with life-changing issues every week. I am exhausted and energized by what I get to do every week and I love it! As for my musings …

-Our worship service in both churches was outstanding yesterday.

-People were very engaged in the service and during the sermon yesterday. That always makes for a great day.

-I heard, and saw evidence of, great things that are taking place in some people’s lives.

-I saw the pain on some people’s faces from the struggles they are dealing with right now and my prayer list intensified.

-My wife and I enjoyed a great time of fellowship over a meal and then some great conversation following the meal yesterday. It was great to get to know some people from both churches a little better. The fact that there were 3 kids in the group and that they played and seemed to have a lot fun at our place warmed my heart. I love when you see people connect and get to know each other better.

-Attendance at my 9:00 church was very good, that is especially encouraging the Sunday after Easter and doubly so when it is the first Sunday or our local schools Spring Break.

-Attendance at my 10:30 church was good and we had a bright new family visiting.

-This past month has left me wrung out. There were so many things going on and major issues that I was working on that I didn’t realize how much it had taken out of me until the middle of last week. I hate when I feel that way.

-Sunday was encouraging and somewhat refreshing. The 8+ hours of sleep last night didn’t hurt either.

-As I get to know the people in my 9:00 church better I am able to shape the illustrations in my sermons to better connect with them. The struggle is that since my 2 churches are at very different stages I need to craft some things a little different for the message at each church. I am preaching the same message (so far, but knowing me that might not always be true) but there are some different illustrations and I may linger on one part of the message longer at one church than the other.

-I will get to hug and spend some time with our son, daughter in law and 5 of our grandkids in about 4 months. I am really excited for that time. In case you didn’t know, they are serving as missionaries in Kenya and have been there for about 3 years. They will be back in the states for a few weeks starting in the late summer.

-I sense that we are at a tipping point in my 10:30 church. In the life of every church there are key moments, tipping points to borrow from Malcom Gladwell, that if you can push through them great things take place. If you don’t push through them then you back up some and settle for a while.

-I recently read 3 very good and very different books. Craig Groschel’s “#Struggles” –Following Jesus in a Selfie World; Gary McIntosh’s “Growing God’s Church” – How People are actually coming to Faith Today, and Jen Hatmaker’s “Interrupted” – When Jesus Wrecks your Comfortable Christianity (the revised & expanded edition), I will attempt to write a review of the 3 in another post. I recommend them, but remember I enjoy reading things that challenge me, that make me think and even things that I don’t always agree with.

-Have you ever felt like you had so many things you were trying to accomplish that you weren’t finishing any of them? I am in one of those periods now and I don’t enjoy it.

-I just looked over at a note I recently received from a 5 or 6 year old who attends our church and it made me smile.

Here’s hoping that you find something that makes you smile today and that you pass that smile along to someone else. Don’t worry you won’t lose your smile, after all you can make another smile.

Dennis

He is Risen! He is Risen indeed! That truth makes Easter weekend a special time no matter what happens. Special things happened this weekend which made it a very special Easter. As for my musings …

-I was privileged to witness 8 people come to faith in Christ between my 2 churches. I told you it was special!

-We had a very powerful and meaningful Good Friday service. Attendance was reasonable and the spirit was so rich. We focused on Jesus telling his disciples that what he was doing was “for you”. When he broke the bread and passed it and when he passed the cup he told them that it represented his body and blood, broken and poured out “for you”. That is a powerful phrase. He did all that he did for you. Let that marinade in your mind and soul for a while.

-On Saturday I received an incredible message from a person that I have been praying for nearly every day for over a year. The person told how God is working on them and in them. They told me how much they appreciated my ministry and just wanted me to know. My wife and I both had trouble reading the message because our eyes were full of tears. It was a keeper moment for sure.

-My message on Easter was “Seeing Easter through the Eyes of Barabbas”. It is the picture of the Gospel. A person sentenced because of their sins and Jesus took his place on the cross. As a result Barabbas was set free and able to live.

-As I was preaching I messed up Barabbas’ name a couple of times. Instead of Barabbas I said Barnabas. The difference between the two is huge. One of the times I said the wrong name I did not realize it until I saw the look of confusion on my wife’s face. Hopefully I didn’t do it any more than a couple of times.

-We had children involved in the service at both churches. As you might guess there was some challenges as far as gathering them and getting them ready to do their thing. But, everyone still loved it because the kids were up front and participating.

-My mind is processing things slower this morning. It is the normal “Monday after Easter week” sluggishness.

-At my 10:30 church we had a great crew come out on Saturday morning to help insure that the building and property were in order and ready for Easter Sunday. I love that kind of sacrifice and service. In fact one couple is here this morning helping to put some things put in their normal place that had to be moved to accommodate the Easter activities. How awesome is that?

-My 9:00 church had great attendance. In fact they had exactly double the number that attended last Easter. The good news from the attendance is that all of the people were from the area. Now to reach out and build those relationships.

-My 10:30 church was up a little from last year and we had some who had been invited often and this time they came. That is encouraging.

-My wife deserves a big break after all that she did in preparation, and participation, for both churches for all of the Easter events. She won’t be able to take much of a break, but she deserves a big one.

-The real key to Easter is what we do with the relationships with those who visited yesterday. If we just wait till next Easter or Christmas we have failed those people. We must be intentional in building those relationships and reaching out throughout the year. The real work begins this week in the follow up.

-From what I hear, the breakfast at my 10:30 church went very well. There was great fellowship, good food and a good number of people who came and shared with each other. I can only report what I heard since I was at my 9:00 church during this breakfast. Sadly, they didn’t save me any of the biscuits and gravy.

-Preparing the message for the Sunday after Easter is always a challenge after the energy and focus expended for Easter Sunday. But how we handle things this Sunday is just as important as it was last Sunday. So I better shake the fog out of my mind quickly and get to work.

Here’s hoping that you have a week full of reminders that you are loved and that you are not alone.

Dennis

I didn’t fall down. One of my goals yesterday was to stay on my feet and not fall down. I accomplished that goal. It was a very good Sunday in many, many ways and I can’t wait to see what happens on Easter Sunday. As for my musings …

-There was a very good spirit in both churches yesterday with some powerful times of prayer.

-In my 10:30 church people moved to the altar during the music time and shortly before the scheduled prayer time. Then as we repeated a song more people came and the altar was nearly full. That is a great way to prepare to preach.

-As for not falling down, it was kind of a big deal. Some bug hit me early Saturday morning. It felt like the beginning of a routine cold at first. As the day went on I felt much worse and by the time I went to bed (before 9:00 during the NCAA tourney no less) I was miserable. When I got up early yesterday morning I felt even worse and had absolutely no energy. To conserve energy I didn’t do my normal Sunday morning prayer walking and I did not do a trial run of my sermon. I was very concerned when I got up to preach at my 9:00 church but I made it through while sitting on a stool for part of the message. At the 10:30 church I again made it through with a little bit of sitting.

-We had new people in attendance in both churches.

-We had a couple of families that returned for the 2^nd or 3^rd time in the 10:30 church.

-In an effort to conserve my energy and make it through the sermon in an upright position I sat a lot more than usual during the music part of our worship service. I think I get into it a lot more when I am standing.

-Whatever this junk is that is in me feels even worse this morning. I am not enjoying this, I have too much to do this week.

-I forgot to make 2 key announcements yesterday. I hate when that happens.

-I am very excited for our Good Friday service and to preach on Easter Sunday. I have been processing this message for a while and can’t wait to preach it.

-We got a new church sign up at my 9:00 church. It is a really big deal to get that done. If you aren’t connected to that church you probably don’t realize what a big deal having that new sign is to that congregation. We took down the old one, because none of the service times were correct with our changes and it was not in very good shape. We celebrated as a congregation.

-On Friday and Saturday I played around with some adjustments to the arrangement of our chairs in the worship center at my 10:30 church, my 9:00 church has fixed pews so no adjustments. This is in anticipation of needing a few more seats for Easter Sunday.

-Easter Sunday will be interesting for me. I love hanging out before and after the Worship service on Easter (actually, I love that any time) talking with people, meeting new people and just the joy of the fellowship. I will not be able to hang out much before the service at my 10:30 church and I cannot hang out for too long after the service at my 9:00 service.

Here’s hoping that you have the opportunity to hang out with some people this week and encourage them and that you feel much better than I do at the moment.

Dennis

The Sunday morning when you are forced to fast forward an hour always seems to mess with a lot of things at church. Yesterday was another illustration of that phenomenon. As for my musings …

-We definitely felt the impact of the time change yesterday. Both churches saw a dip in attendance.

-On Saturday evening we had another Community Concert of Prayer. It was a blessed and powerful time as people, and pastors from at least 6 different churches joined hearts and hands in prayer for our community and our churches. That always flows over into the Sunday worship time as well.

-We are having some significant technical issues at my 9:00 church and it is not sound system related. Some of it is just plain odd. Things are all set then they mess up as we move into the worship service. Praying and diagnosing.

-Had to make a trip back home after arriving at my 9:00 church had a couple of things we neglected to take with us. This getting things to another church is still a work in progress.

-I confess that I had to work on my emotions as I looked out at both churches and saw many people missing and assumed it was because of the time change. (I know not all of it was but that was the emotion.) That is my problem and I was able to get past it. I am not proud of that, but it was very real.

-In my 10:30 church there was a gentleman who visited last Sunday who returned yesterday with his wife. That was encouraging. We also have another family that we had sort of lost touch with who have been back in attendance for 3 or 4 weeks in a row.

-I survived all of the year end stuff for 2 churches. Well, I think I survived but will probably get an email and phone that I forgot to fill something out. I love being a pastor, but I confess I don’t love year end stuff.

-Tonight I have my first board meeting for the new church year. We have a couple of new board members. I am encouraged that as we are growing we have new people willing to step into leadership. We have had great leadership in the past and they are encouraged by the new people. How great is that? I love my congregations.

-Last weekend our 2 youngest grandkids were here for a visit and brought their parents. Last night 3 more grandkids arrived for a couple of days and they brought 1 of their parents along. So I am about to go have an adventure with them. That should be great preparation for my board meeting.

-I am very burdened, and excited, for my Easter Sunday message. The Lord has been marinating this one in me for quite a while.

-I had a blast on Saturday as I worked with a couple of high school and a couple of junior high girls with volleyball. I really miss coaching volleyball. But I also discovered that I am out of “coaching shape”. I was a little sore yesterday. I so much enjoy working with youth and helping them improve.

-Still trying to figure out a place go and a way to get away for 3 or 4 days of extra prayer and planning.

Gotta go get energized by my 4, almost 6 and 9 year old grandkids. Here’s hoping you find something to energize you this week.

Dennis