Archive for July 2008
Here are all of the articles published in July 2008.
Missions continue onward
Posted: July 14, 2008
Category: Pastor Steve's Blog
Comments: 0 Comments
TAGS: Mazatlan, missions
We are committed to missions locally and globally. This includes our work in cross-cultural work at home and in other parts of the world. It includes our work of Vacation Bible School and Summer Camps as well as sending three teams into international settings this summer.
Team one came back and had a hard, but marvelous week in Mazatlan. This link should bring you to Jeff’s pictures.
http://picasaweb.google.com/Jeff.Ruhnow/Mazatlan2008?authkey=kB2aC6kbrhw
Don’t you love to wait?
Posted: July 11, 2008
Category: Pastor Steve's Blog
Comments: 0 Comments
TAGS: patience, priorities, waiting
So, it’s Friday and it’s my one day to have off. What’s my favorite thing to do? If you’re like me, it’s not waiting for a wheel alignment. But, its’ the job for the day. I’m here because I have a lifetime alignment, they have wifi(very important) and there is no other day to do it. But, I find I’m impatient because I just don’t like the idea of waiting around and I also have to anticipate whether or not something else will be wrong with the vehicle. It’s 7 years old and you never know what to expect.
Much of life is wrapped around waiting. We wait at the doctor’s office, we wait in the drive through at the Bank, we wait in line at the grocery store. We know a lot about a person’s personality about how they handle waiting. Some people just choose a line and wait. Some of us have a plan before we walk in the door for how we will escape the store. We have scouted the self-serve lines, the express lines and the “regular” lines. We have a plan for getting in and getting out as quickly as we can. (obviously I’m one of those) I even choose my stores according to the aspect that they have the self-check out line so that I can get in and out without wasting time.
For me, I have to make a shift when it comes to other parts of my life. I have to make time for prayer. I have to make time for the reading of the Bible. When the Lord says, “wait on the Lord.” I have to recognize the importance of waiting and stopping my life for a few moments. Life can’t always be about planning for the next thing. There is a part of life that is made for “accomplishing things” and a part of life that is about “waiting” and “resting” and “listening”.
Sunday morning is about that too. Our gathering for worship is an important time in which God teaches us to wait on Him. We wait on Him as we participate in hearing His Word, as we receive the Lord Himself in Holy Communion, and as we live in the reality of being Baptized in His Name. When we say on Sunday, “In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Prepare to wait….
Never say Never
Posted: July 7, 2008
Category: Pastor Steve's Blog
Comments: 0 Comments
TAGS: never say never, pets
There are a few things that I have said that I will never do or have. I have said “no pets at this point in life” and “no golf now or when I retire.” No pets because we are at a point in life where it is nice to simplify. The boys are on their way out to school and life and we want daily freedom and freedom to travel when possible…without hindrances or distractions. No golf because I’m no good and I’m not wired to play the game.
Our lives changed a few weeks ago on pets…..This cute little dog ran in our house as I answered the door. Despite my attempts to get the dog to leave and go find it’s owner, my middle son found a way to get the dog in the yard so that we might take care of her basic needs while searching for the rightful owner. Unfortunately, the sign in our yard, signs in our neighborhood, and the posting of a picture at the vet office did not bring us any closer to finding the owner. We simply took tearful calls from distraught pet owners who lost their best little friends.
We weren’t sure what to make of her anyway. On one hand, she was well behaved and housebroken, but on the other hand she was hungry, dirty, and had fleas(despite the flea collar). She appeared to be more abandoned this lost. But, I held out hope that the owners would appear. We even had a potential reference from one of our members who heard about this dog on a Sunday. But alas, no owners. We even had an offer from one lady to take the dog of our hands if we didn’t find her owner…but this little dog (we call her lady) had moved her way into the hearts of our family and when the time came…we couldn’t give her up.
So, now we own dog food, a dog crate, dog toys, dog shampoo, and a set of vet bills that relate to her basic dog needs. She will go back for an appointment to make sure we don’t end up with more of her around the house. This 6-8 month old is now ours….or we’re hers. She has shot out the front door to chase off cats, dogs and birds…but she always proudly comes back to prove that she is protecting us from the scary outside world. she is our companion at outdoor breakfast in the morning and she patrols the backyard fences at night. We’re stuck. Needless to say, I’ll be very careful about my comments about golf. Below…a few pictures.(she’s the tan one in the picture)
