From a Pastor's Heart

When you start well...

2012-01-02T12:41:00.000-08:00

When you start a race off well, you’ll mostly likely end well! Well, our church started the New Year off excellently even as we finished 2011 well with the most moving Christmas Eve Service and a wonderful Christmas Day worship service! I just had to post on here after such a great day yesterday to begin the New Year! Our family prayer time with our wonderful and inspiring prayer coordinator Judith was such a great time, our new Sunday School emphasis went very well (thank you to all you Sunday School teachers!), a Spirit filled Sunday morning service (thank you Tim and worship team!), Sunday evening prayer and praise service (thank you Pete Hohmann guest worship leader from Bay Area Nazarene Church, Tim, worship team, Judith, Karen, Cody), great potluck (thank you to all who helped), and the powerful movie “Courageous.” What an amazing day! The only negative thing that happened was that Renee’s Kansas City Chiefs beat my Denver Broncos, but that’s ok as the Chiefs get to watch the Broncos in the playoffs in the comfort of their living rooms! Thank you to everyone who fulfilled their role in church so graciously! We are definitely off to a great start!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-02T12:16:00.000-08:00

We’ve been having great services at church all year long and Christmas time is no exception! Last Sunday Caleb and I began our “Christmas in the 10 / 40 Window” series and had such a great response as well as having a lot of fun with it! As we continue in this special series for this coming Sunday, last night my boys and I went to various homes in Springfield trying to give away $5 to help with the electricity bill for their Christmas lights. We had a great time visiting about half a dozen random homes but here is just one - -

Would love to see you this Sunday at 10:30 am at www.springfieldchurch.org

Halloween Alternative

2011-11-04T16:23:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all of you who showed up and helped with the Halloween alternative. One of the bad things about our church being tucked away in a residential area is that we have very poor visibility and not very many people outside of the immediate area knowing that the wonderful Springfield First Church of the Nazarene is on the corner of 18th and E. One of the benefits of being situated in a residential area is that we can have greater interaction with our immediate neighbors like we had on Monday night! Also thank you to Brad for providing all those bales of hay for the hay towers. It was a hit with the neighborhood kids! Here’s Caleb in his football outfit and Renee dressed either as Cleopatra or some sort of angelic being LOL!

Soccer 2011

2011-10-21T07:35:00.000-07:00

I’ve had the best time coaching 9 kindergarteners (3 aren’t in the picture) the last couple of weeks. I wasn’t expecting to coach when we signed Micah up for soccer, but through an odd series of events, I became the coach and we’ve been having a blast. Our last game is this Sunday afternoon. Three cheers for “The Blue Man Group”, original I know, but it was either that or "The Zombie Brain Eaters" (that’s what happens if you suggest kindergarten boys pick a team name!)

Pastor's Retreat in Newport, OR

2011-10-18T07:58:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures I took of the Oregon coast while Renee and I were at our annual Pastor's Retreat in Newport two weeks ago. The amazing thing about these pictures is that they were taken simply on my new Samsung phone, pretty amazing quality for a cell phone I think.

A New Season

2011-09-23T09:29:00.000-07:00

On this first day of autumn 2011, I’m asking myself, “Wow! Where did the summer go?” It’s been a most blessed and wonderful summer with many great things happening. Our family had a nice vacation in southern California, I taught a course for Nazarene Bible College and just began another course this week. I had the privilege of baptizing my two sons and will have the blessing of baptizing my newborn nephew in a couple of weeks. Caleb starting playing full contact football and Micah is playing soccer again. Both boys are off to a great start in school with Micah loving kindergarten. My wife Renee continues to become more beautiful and life is good because God is good. The church I pastor has never been healthier and exciting and we are experiencing the blessings of God in unprecedented ways!

I want to encourage you to find your strength in the One who has been faithful since the beginning of time! This summer I preached a series on the strength of God and I and my congregation were reminded of just how strong and faithful God is. May you too find strength, peace, and blessing as we enter the fall season! It’s a new season. What’s behind us is indeed behind us and we look forward to all that God has in store! It can be a new season in your life too! Trust God, walk with Him, talk to Him, look to Him, and as the leaves begin to change color, trust that God will begin to change the dire circumstances you are facing into blessings beyond what you even thought was possible, for with Him all things are possible! It’s a new season!

Father's Day Weekend

2011-06-17T06:32:00.000-07:00

What a jam packed week! It all began with the last day of school for the boys -

My little big guy Micah graduated from preschool and is looking forward to elementary school!

Caleb had an excellent 4th grade and is looking forward to his last year of elementary school!

Ready for a fun packed summer!

We helped our new youth pastor and family unload the moving truck!

Renee and I celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary!!

We are also having a School's Out Summer's In BBQ Lunch Party at the church on Saturday, June 18th beginning at 11:00 am. There will be lots of food, fun, and games as we kick summer 2011 into high gear!

Sunday, June 19th, we officially welcome our new youth pastor Lori Sutton and her kids Cody and Nichole to our church. They are so excited to be part of our church and we are equally excited to have them. After church, we will have an all church lunch and some special surprises as we welcome them to Springfield!

Sunday, June 19th is also Father's Day and all the guys in church will get a pretty cool Father's Day gift of appreciation! It's a jam packed weekend and we're excited about what God is doing!

Let's Make a Deal

2011-05-26T06:31:00.000-07:00

If you attend our church you may remember Mark who attended while he was living here. He's since moved to southern California to train for the Olympics. I got a text from him yesterday telling me he was on CBS. He's the second contestant on the show that aired Wednesday, May 25th and you'll have to see how he did. Mark told me he'll be in church Sunday, June 5th to visit us and it will be good to see him again. He's a great young man and my boys admire him. We hung out at his place one afternoon last summer and had a great time. Here's the link to the show as I think you'll enjoy -

http://www.cbs.com/daytime/lets_make_a_deal/video/?pid=RPvfPndxXMLpB1DcTvzDMNo_G1e_R4aD&vs=Default&play=true

Can We Learn From Harold Camping?

2011-05-23T09:43:00.000-07:00

I’m going to be careful here because as I mentioned in my previous “Love Wins” post I am quite conscientious of blaspheming the Holy Spirit as God can still work through idiocy. But one of the important things we can learn from Harold Camping is that people will still blindly follow anyone who gives the appearance of speaking authoritatively. This in spite of the fact that Camping made himself even more important than Jesus by claiming to know the day and the hour of the end of the age when Jesus Himself said He didn’t know. This also in spite of the fact that Camping has a history of misleading people.

The whole end of the world debacle instigated by Camping is a vivid reminder that we must choose very carefully who we will listen to and follow, especially when it comes to religious and theological matters. And this stuff happens right here in our own backyard. Nearly three years ago a group of about 30 people also blindly went to hear another charlatan named Eric Barger give a “seminar“ here in Eugene where he also presented misleading information under the guise of “truth”. This in spite of the fact that he has no formal religious or theological education, an important trait shared with Camping. Would you go to a “doctor” who has no formal medical training? Would you fly in an airplane with a “pilot” who has no formal flight training? And yet why do people flock to religious swindlers for matters as significant as faith? Well, these swindlers are very clever when it comes to manipulation and many people are undiscerning to their tactics. These swindlers are also making a lot of money (Camping is reportedly a millionaire) at the expense of unsuspecting people who are looking for “answers”.

I want you to know that religion and the ability to live by faith is a great endeavor. And yet like any other discipline, religion has its abusers who do harm to people rather than good. Don’t be disheartened by religious swindlers who have made careers of misusing religion for ulterior motives. For every religious swindler deceiving people there are a hundred faithful pastors and teachers who truly want God’s best for you. My own denomination, the Church of the Nazarene, has a long and arduous educational process that pastors in training must adhere to in learning to correctly interpret and apply the message of the Bible. A person cannot be ordained as a minister in our church without completing this vigorous process which also includes yearly interviews, mentoring, and continuing educational requirements. We wouldn’t have it any other way. Matters of faith and spirituality are that important.

It can be easy to discount religion and the wonderful message of the Bible altogether after what Harold Camping and his followers have so publically and embarrassingly gone through. But I’m also confident that readers of this blog are intelligent enough to not lump all people of faith with Camping and his group. What Harold Camping can teach us is that we must be very careful who teaches us and who we listen to. What Harold Camping himself can also learn, even at 89 years of age, is that it’s not too late to humble yourself, admit you were terribly wrong, and revisit the message of the Bible but this time not with a doomsday mentality, but with an understanding that God loves the world and wants to save the world, not destroy it.

I do feel sorry for Camping and find myself praying for him -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYftvfyc9Gs&feature=player_embedded

By the way, if there's enough interest, I'd be happy to facilitate a study group here in the area on how we can intelligently approach and try to understand the Bible's message of Christ's return to earth and God's desire to restore creation and not destory it. Email me at jhanna@springfieldchurch.org if you are interested.

Love Wins Review

2011-05-06T08:07:00.000-07:00

Before I get into my review of Love Wins, I need to preface my remarks with what ought to be a no brainer observation that one would think would be obvious but apparently is not. I read a lot. It’s actually my “job” to read, especially religious books dealing with Biblical, theological, spiritual, and ecclesiastical (church) matters because I want to stay informed. There is rarely a book I’ve read other than the Bible that I agree 100 % with. Reading a Rob Bell or Brian McLaren book doesn’t make me anymore “emergent” than reading Pope Benedict’s latest book makes me Catholic or reading Sports Illustrated makes me a professional athlete or reading the Bible makes Christopher Hitchens (an avowed atheist) a Christian. I say this because I was recently called a “closet Satanist” simply for reading Love Wins. I guarantee you I am not a Satanist and neither is Rob Bell, who I heard two years ago at the National Pastor's Convention in San Diego.

The other very important point I need to make is that when it comes to reviewing a religious book or ministry, I will be extremely cautious in being critical if for no other reason than to avoid what Jesus referred to as blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, something so many “concerned” Christians today are neglecting and don’t even seem to care about (to their own detriment). In other words, I want to avoid speaking out against what God may very well be doing and teaching through another pastor or ministry even though we may not see eye to eye on every single issue. After all, no one (in their right mind) can claim to know all the mysteries of God.

I will tell you right off the bat what kind of person will not like Love Wins –

1) If you are a Calvinist or of the persuasion that truly believes that God predestines some people to saved and others to go to hell (most Baptists and those in the Reformed tradition believe this), you are not going to like the book

2) If you’ve already bought into the perceived negativity surrounding the book by others who do their thinking for you, you are not going to like the book

3) If you truly believe that heaven is harps, and floating clouds, and white robes, and the devil is red with horns and carries a pitchfork and lives in a cavern, you are not going to like the book

4) If you haven’t even read the book and therefore cannot think and analyze what’s been written for yourself, you are not going to like the book

5) If you cannot live with some of the great questions and ambiguities that Bell presents throughout the book that come directly from the Bible, you are not going to like the book

6) If you believe you know absolutely everything there is to know about God and the afterlife and are not open to hearing other viewpoints, you are not going to like the book

7) If you’re particularly drawn to those who actually claim to have spent 23 minutes in hell or 90 minutes in heaven, then you’re probably not going to like the book

Those who say that Bell doesn’t believe in heaven or hell or repentance haven’t even read the book for themselves. Bell clearly believes in these concepts and he believes in them (as best as he or any of us can) in ways that the ancient Hebrews and the early Christians would have understood them before Platonic and neo-Platonic dualistic thinking infiltrated the church. Modern Christianity has come to think of heaven and hell that are in many ways foreign to how the Biblical writers themselves would have conceived of them and yet we’ve taken our modern concepts and solidified them as truth. As a first century, homeless Jew, Jesus, along with his contemporaries, would have had a vastly different understanding of heaven and hell than how we wealthy, twenty first century, Westernized Gentiles have come to understand them. Our understanding of heaven and hell unfortunately is more reflective of how Hollywood portrays heaven and hell in movies than how the Bible actually does.

Bell clearly affirms the supremacy and divinity of Christ, which ought to be the focal point of our belief system. Because even Jesus Himself never said we need to believe in perfect doctrines of heaven and hell to be saved, He just said we need to believe in Him! There is obviously some speculation in the book, but there is ALWAYS speculation when dealing with topics like heaven and hell. But the speculations in Love Wins certainly are nothing that hasn’t already been ruminated throughout Church history and they could very well be speculations that you yourself have contemplated. The speculations in Love Wins do seem to be based on the logical inferences of what we know to be the nature and character of God as revealed in the Bible and ultimately in Christ.

Love Wins is not only a great title but it is a good book that will give you quite a bit to think about. While the book speaks clearly for itself, my recommendation is that you read it in a study group or with a theologically minded pastor or professor who has a good grasp on ancient Hebraic and first century Christian thought. By the way, the line in the book that made me laugh out loud is on page 89 - “Is there paperwork involved?”

Easter Sunday 2011 Reflections

2011-04-29T07:41:00.000-07:00

As I reflect on Easter Sunday 2011 at Springfield Church, I am in awe of the resurrection power of Christ at work in His church! The congregation was so moved by the special choir cantata that told the story of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ in song. If you would like a CD of the choir cantata from Easter Sunday, please let Karen in the church office know.

The beautiful banquet table that Mary Ellen prepared for us to help illustrate my sermon was such a powerful reminder of the great banquet table that God has prepared for His children in the age to come. If you would like to hear my Easter 2011 sermon, you can click the following link – http://springfieldchurch.org/audio/04242011.html

I had the privilege of baptizing nearly a dozen people on Easter Sunday! I felt like John the Baptist! I suppose I was / am John the Baptist! We rejoice with those who made that important and public commitment of water baptism and their resolve to follow Jesus all the days of their life! Thank you to all who made not only our Easter Sunday a special and meaningful one, but for your daily and faithful commitment to Christ and His church!

Busy, Busy, Busy

2011-04-20T07:46:00.000-07:00

My apologies to the 2 of you who follow my blog!! I hadn't realized it's been two months since my last entry. I've been quite busy with many exciting things going on! And we are gearing up for a great Easter service at Springfield Church this Sunday, April 24th. Several will be baptized and there will also be an Easter egg hunt for all the kids after the worship service. We'd love to have you join us for breakfast at 9:30 am and worship at 10:30 am. It is the bodily resurrection of Christ that gives us the greatest hope!

OneHope

2011-02-17T13:06:00.000-08:00

This morning we had an amazing event as our church was honored to host remarkable pastors and ministry leaders from all over Lane County. We came together as OneHope, pastors and churches who believe that we have much more in common as followers of Jesus than we have differences. Tim and ShypWreak did an amazing job leading the gathering in worship! You will be hearing more about OneHope in the future, and Pastor Steve Buss who is the Director of OneHope will be speaking in our church in May. For more information about OneHope, you can visit their website at http://www.onehopenetwork.org/. Below are some pictures of our incredible time this morning, which was the largest OneHope gathering I have been a part of!

Revolution in the Middle East

2011-02-04T11:35:00.000-08:00

As the birthplace of my parents and a country I visited when I was seven years old, I’ve been watching the situation in Egypt unfold with great interest along with the entire world. Of monumental consequence is just what will happen in the most populous, perhaps most influential country in the Middle East. From my perspective, the revolution taking place is a clash between three parties – a predominately younger generation no longer content living in stifled economic and politically corrupt conditions; the state government wanting to continue to hold on to power; and Islamic extremists who would love nothing more than to radicalize Egypt for religious and political purposes in the region and beyond.

Revolution isn’t necessarily bad. As Americans we celebrate our own revolution from Great Britain which birthed the greatest nation in history. The problem with revolutions is that they are bloody, messy, and rarely peaceful and orderly. Even the greatest revolution in history by the greatest revolutionary of them all, Jesus of Nazareth, was quite gruesome and bloody. The difference between the divine revolution of Jesus and the revolutions of world history is that Jesus allowed His own blood to be spilled than seek to spill the blood of any other.

I would ask that you please pray for the evolving situation in Egypt in seven very specific ways -

• Pray that the political revolution that has erupted in Egypt will be resolved peacefully with an end to all violence

• Pray that members of the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamic radicals will fail in their bid to take over the Egyptian government

• Pray that Palestinian terrorists are not able to take advantage of the unrest in Egypt to smuggle weapons into the Gaza Strip through tunnels under the Egyptian-Gaza border

• Pray that the global financial crisis will not be worsened by the unrest and uncertainty in the Middle East

• Pray for the peace of Israel and an end to terrorism

• Pray for the safety of Christians in Egypt and all throughout the Middle East

• Pray for the Obama Administration and the State Department as they seek diplomatic resolution

The Amazing John Wesley

2011-01-20T07:01:00.000-08:00

Two great friends of mine joined myself and retired Fuller professor Dr. H. Newton Malony for lunch this week discussing the new release of his latest book “The Amazing John Wesley: An Unusual Look at an Uncommon Life.” Dr. Malony, who specializes in clinical psychology and the psychology of religion, takes a look at the practical aspects of Wesley’s life, particularly his post-Aldersgate activities and interests that are not as well known to most people as Wesley’s sermons and correspondence are. For example, had Wesley not been clergy, in all likelihood he would have been a physician as he took immense interest in caring for the poor especially since he believed they were being neglected by doctors at the time who wanted compensation for their services. This is a very good book for those who are interested in reading about a truly great man in John Wesley even while being most certainly human as Dr. Malony points in his chapter entitled “John Wesley the Romantic.” I’d like to thank Dr. Malony for joining us in staff meeting (as a clinical psychologist he was able to straighten us out, well, all except for Tim) and sharing many great insights with us on a variety of issues including his time in Oxford teaching and researching.

You can order the book here for a very reasonable price –

http://www.amazon.com/Amazing-John-Wesley-Unusual-Uncommon/dp/1606570927/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1295593054&sr=8-1

Merry Christmas 2010

2010-12-10T07:04:00.000-08:00

With the University of Oregon Ducks going undefeated for the first time in their history, winning the PAC-10, and playing in the BCS National Championship game for the first time ever against Auburn in Glendale, Arizona on January 10, 2011, our Duck rooting family would like to wish your family a FANtastic Christmas!

Many Are Blessed, Few Are Thankful

2010-11-19T07:01:00.000-08:00

There’s an interesting story in the Gospel of Luke that vividly portrays what true thanksgiving is to be about. Here’s the story:

Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him - and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

Simply by virtue of living in the United States of America there’s little doubt that we are a blessed people. However you define “blessed” we are indeed blessed. And yet so few are truly thankful. Those of us who are clergy and others in helping professions see it more frequently - people who receive what they are after only to demonstrate a lack of gratitude. I can’t even begin to recount how many people I’ve prayed with and for to receive that job they were after, or physical healing, or some type of special blessing, or whatever, only to be like the nine lepers who demonstrated ingratitude. Yet that’s the point of this story, that the majority of people simply don’t understand that the reward is not in receiving blessing but in praising and thanking God. It will completely revolutionize your life when you consistently live as the one leper who returned and “threw himself as Jesus’ feet and thanked him.”

This type of gratitude and thanksgiving comes from a spiritually disciplined and mature individual who has learned the joy in giving God thanks in all things and in all situations. As the apostle Paul writes in I Thessalonians 5:18, "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote, "Only he who gives thanks for little things receives the big things. We prevent God from giving us the great spiritual gifts He has in store for us because we do not give thanks for daily gifts." This Thanksgiving and beyond, be thankful, be very thankful, and practice intentional, continuous thanksgiving in all circumstances because there’s something in the act of praising and giving thanks to God that makes us well.

From Gory to Glory: Redeeming Halloween

2010-10-29T09:15:00.000-07:00

Every year at the end of October I find myself asking the following question, “What to do with Halloween?” As a follower of Jesus and as a parent it’s something of a dilemma I find myself in. My boys, as most children, want to participate in the fun activities that accompany Halloween, not to mention all the goodies and candy that comes with it. Yet realizing the pagan even occult overtones surrounding the Halloween season, I am compelled to do my best to protect their young and impressionable hearts and minds as well as my own. Just what are we to do with this quandary that Halloween presents?

I think we learn to do with Halloween what God does with everything else in this world – redeem it. A significant aspect of redemption is the concept of exchange. So for example, you can redeem a check or a bond in exchange for money. In Christian theology, Jesus Christ redeemed or exchanged His life by dying on the cross on our behalf so that we might live. And in the case of Halloween, I believe we can redeem all the blood, fright, gore, and death in exchange for light, peace, glory, and life.

We do this by not fixating on the evil and grotesque aspects of what Halloween represents but by teaching our kids to keep things in perspective. Halloween this year (2010) just so happens to fall on a Sunday. So when my boys excitedly said today, “Sunday is Halloween,” I reminded them that Sunday is first and foremost the Lord’s Day and second, it’s Reformation Sunday. We redeem Halloween by exchanging the fright of the season for the light of Christ and the gory costumes for the Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-17).

In Isaiah 47:4, we read, “Our Redeemer - the LORD Almighty is His name.” And if God in Christ Jesus has redeemed us from the macabre that Halloween represents, then I don’t think we ought to focus on what we’ve been redeemed from and instead focus on Who our redeemer is!

Oregon Shouldn’t Be # 1

2010-10-22T08:24:00.000-07:00

Undoubtedly the most exciting thing in recent memory (if ever) to happen in these parts where I currently live is that the University of Oregon Ducks football team, for the first time in school history, is the number # 1 ranked college football team in the nation. That’s very big news, especially around here where Oregon has no pro team and the closest NFL market is Seattle (not a bad team, just not the Broncos). People around here are going nuts, especially after last night’s big 60 – 13 win at home against UCLA which solidified Oregon’s # 1 ranking. Everyone (it seems) is wearing Duck memorabilia. Everyone (it seems) is talking about the Ducks. If my mind isn’t playing tricks on me, it seems that people are even making quacking noises as part of their “normal” conversation.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of football. I’m not a fanatic or anything like that. You won’t see me shirtless (the TV networks have requested that I keep my clothing on) with my face painted at a game anytime soon but I, like many Americans, enjoy keeping up with the game. I grew up in Denver during the John Elway (third highest passer in NFL history with 51,475 yards) era so I understand very well the hype and hysteria that goes with football. I love a good nail biter as well as a blowout, so I write this as a fan of football as well as a menace in fantasy football leagues.

I’m certainly not the first to comment on how football has become something of a “religion” in America. If an idol can be defined as an object of worship, football in America for many people has become an idol. That’s a problem, especially when professional athletes are making disgustingly exuberant amounts of money while the majority of Americans struggle paycheck to paycheck. It becomes a bigger problem when football becomes sacrilegious. For example, somehow (I think it was given to us) Renee and I came across this kids Duck shirt promoting Autzen Stadium that reads, “Let us bow our heads and play.”

Needless to say, that bothered us a bit and our five year old won’t be wearing that. I don’t think that’s the message we ought to be sending our kids. Oregon, or any team for that matter, shouldn’t be # 1 in our lives. Jesus Christ needs to be # 1. He ought to take preeminence above anyone and anything else! He is the One we worship, He is the One we celebrate, He is the One we serve. No quarterback gave his life to save yours. No fullback has ever answered your desperate prayer. No linebacker ever worked the miraculous in your life. If Americans were as committed to Jesus Christ as we are to football, we’d be well on our way toward becoming a Christian nation once again. If we gave as much money to missions or compassionate ministries as we spend at concession stands, we’d certainly be making a positive difference in the lives of those who are less fortunate. If we were as faithful to our churches through thick and thin as we were to our favorite football team through their highs and lows, it would certainly speak volumes of our faithfulness to the Lord. If we were as passionate about faith as we are about football, I know with certainty that we would begin to experience the blessings of God in our lives. There is nothing wrong with football (unless of course you cheer for the Raiders and the Cowboys) so long as football or anything else for that matter does not take the supremacy in our lives that ought to be rightly reserved for Christ and Christ alone!

Crash Course on the First Amendment

2010-10-16T10:11:00.000-07:00

I’m not a politician or an attorney, but as an ordained minister and a citizen of the United States, I am interested in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights particularly because the first half of it deals with religion. I’ve also come to realize that there is a great deal of misconstrued information and sheer ignorance about the First Amendment that has resulted in a hyper reactive fear of even talking about religion in the public square. The result has been that many people of faith, even ministerial colleagues and clergy, are backing away from talking about faith because of the infamous “separation of church and state” quotation, a Jeffersonian phrase that appears no where in the United States Constitution. I write this brief article to remind (and in some cases to inform) both the religious as well as the irreligious what the First Amendment is about. The Amendment in its entirety reads:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of
speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to
assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Simply put, the First Amendment prevents the establishment of a national religion, or a state church. It is NOT illegal or unconstitutional to talk about faith in the public square, which includes schools or any other civil establishment. It is our Constitutional right to be able to express thoughts about faith given that the First Amendment actually guarantees protection of freedom of speech. It is ironic that those who decry “separation of church and state” or “separation of church and public schools” attempting to use the First Amendment do so not only without any Constitutional backing but also by attempting to suppress the very freedom of speech that the Amendment protects. I realize full well that there are various nuances of interpretation as well as decades of judicial precedent that courts have accumulated over the years, but it still all comes back to what is very clearly stated in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights. Know your rights, know your freedoms, and above all, do not be ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

10/10/10

2010-10-04T11:44:00.000-07:00

For my blog this week, I'm reposting my weekly email to members and friends of our church!

Good Monday morning all! I just wanted to give you a final update on what happened at church all week. We just concluded a week long campaign with The Strength Team that involved four school assemblies in three Springfield elementary schools with approx. 700 students, 5 nights of services with over 600 in attendance, 88 people making first time commitments to Christ and many more rededicating their life to Christ. It was the most significant event in the 61 year history of the Springfield Church. I want to say thank you to everyone who supported this evangelistic campaign including the church board, ministry leaders, and the many of you who helped every night in various ways. God is so good and proves Himself faithful time and again! Our church has never been healthier and we are praying for God to use us in even greater ways to impact Springfield and beyond for Christ and we know that will happen! The mission of our church is to "Love People into God's Family" and this week I couldn't be prouder of my church family who loved dozens into God's family!

I’ll remind you later in the week, but this coming Sunday, October 10, 2010 is our special 10/10/10 service. I am asking you to pray for 10 of your friends, co workers, family, etc. who need to know and walk with Jesus. I am challenging you to invite 10 unchurched friends with you to church this Sunday. Because of 10/10/10, church will begin at 10:10 am, Tim and the worship team will lead us in 10 great worship songs, and then my son Caleb, who in 10 months will be 10 years old, will help me preach an inspiring and encouraging message entitled, “God’s Top 10 List for Your Life.”

Let me leave you with this verse I read this morning from Isaiah 44:22. The Lord is speaking to His people and He says this, “I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me for I have redeemed you.”

Where I live, often times in the morning there is a heavy mist that covers the beautiful hills directly behind our house. But by mid morning, that mist is completely gone and I can see the beauty of the hills once again. And what God is saying is that by His grace He has swept away our sins so that we can see His glory and be in right relationship with Him and others. And because of that, those who have strayed are to return. God is always seeking to restore what sin has destroyed. Sin tears apart, but God’s grace always restores! Live in that awesome reality this week! Have a great week!

Love, Pastor John

STRENGTH TEAM

2010-09-24T07:49:00.000-07:00

We are very excited about having the Strength Team come to Springfield and do school assemblies during the day as well as six events at the church beginning this Wednesday, September 29th through Saturday, October 2nd at 7:00 pm and Sunday morning October 3rd at 10:30 am and their finale Sunday evening at 6:00 pm. We’d love to have you join us!

A very special thank you to the following businesses who make this special event possible – Jerry’s; Home Depot; Willamette Graystone; Farwest Steel; Rosoboro; Gold's Gym

When Christianity Forgets Christ – Hypocritical Critiques of Islam

2010-09-17T06:57:00.000-07:00

Except for the media frenzied hoopla of Rev. Terry Jones in Florida who was initially going to burn copies of the Islamic Qur’an, as well as the ongoing heated debate of the proposed mosque to be built near Ground Zero, we passed the 9th anniversary of 9/11 with no major disruptions. I believe the threats by Rev. Jones are reflective of a larger dysfunction within evangelical, American Christianity at large, that of forgetting and neglecting (even disobeying?) what it means to be Christian. If Rev. Jones considers Muslims or any component of Islam to be “the enemy,” he needed to remember what Jesus clearly taught about loving enemies rather than siding against them.

What distinguishes much of evangelical Christianity today from Islam beyond theological differences is the approach that Christians and Muslims take toward each respective religion. Just compare how devoted practicing Muslims are to prayer (they pray five times a day) to most evangelical Christians who don’t even say grace before meals anymore, let alone show up for prayer meetings at church. Practicing Muslims are “religious” when it comes to reading and memorizing portions of their Qur’an, whereas survey after survey reveals just how ignorant professing Christians are of the Holy Bible. Many Christians don’t remember the last time they opened a Bible let alone adhered to its principles on a daily and consistent basis, particularly New Testament conduct for believers. And Muslims are very committed to their mosques where a devout Muslim will be every Friday at noon for their special day of prayer. No imam has to even remind a Muslim to come to the mosque, Muslims willingly go to their mosque because of their absolute and sincere devotion to Allah. Yet even when reminded by their pastor, many evangelical Christians are erratic at best when it comes to Sunday worship at church, let alone understand and practice the Biblical mandate to be supportive, devoted, and committed to a local fellowship of believers. The sad state of nominal Christianity is well documented in Eddie Gibbs’ book “In Name Only – Tackling the Problem of Nominal Christianity” and “unChristian” by Kinnamon and Lyons, just to mention two books that deal with this.

If “Christians” are not devout when it comes to prayer (not to mention the many other spiritual disciplines), and not devoted to regularly reading the Bible and exemplifying Christian virtue and character as found in the New Testament, and not committed to a church (if they even attend at all) but bounce from church to church (why is it that we never hear of mosque splits?), is it really such a grand mystery why the United States is no longer a Christian nation? Because it’s only when Christians are being Christians by doing what Christians are supposed to be doing can we be a Christian nation. And yet apathetic Christians lament the fact that we are now a post Christian nation while mosques are being built all across the United States. There’s a word for nominal and lukewarm Christians who want to criticize devout and committed Muslims – hypocrite, and I’m pretty sure Jesus had something to say about that as well.

Enmity Toward Leadership

2010-09-10T09:18:00.000-07:00

I’ve just completed reading a fabulous biography of our country’s first President by Professor Joseph Ellis entitled “His Excellency.” It is a remarkable rendering of George Washington and his leadership before and during the Revolutionary War as well as two terms as President. In spite of his shortcomings (we all have them) I don’t believe we can truly appreciate the significance of his accomplishments as most historians are generally in agreement that Washington was one of our greatest Presidents in what was a most crucial time in the formative years of our nation’s history. In short, Washington was exactly who our country needed at that time, or as Ellis puts it, “no one else could have performed these [historical achievements] as well, and perhaps no one could have performed them at all.”

What I found interesting (and saddening) was how quickly partisan bickering ensued during the infancy of our country’s development and how much of it was leveled directly against Washington himself both politically as well as personally. Ellis leaves us with the impression that although Washington was deeply hurt by the attacks, scheming, and betrayal against him (even by those whom he had trusted, including Thomas Jefferson), he continued to lead and live with dignity.

Nearly eighteen hundred years earlier, the greatest of all leaders, Jesus of Nazareth, faced such cruel opposition as well. Most of us know that He was betrayed by Judas who was one of His very own handpicked disciples. We also read in the Gospels of the many dramatic confrontations Jesus had with the religious leaders of the day. We even read in the Gospels that, “They plotted to have Him killed.” We know they succeeded in their plotting.

The irony of all ironies is that the religious leaders plotted to kill the one and only person who was the fulfillment of all their Messianic or religious expectations. However justified they felt they were in having Jesus killed, He was their only hope! The hope of the world stood right before them and instead of revering Jesus for who He was and submitting to His leadership, they plotted against Him and succeeded in having Him crucified - how blinded and deaf they were indeed!

I find that those who are critical and even hostile against leadership in whatever context are many times belligerent against the very leadership they are in need of most even though they do not see it at the time. Enmity and rebellion toward leadership is the original sin as Lucifer rebelled against God. Enmity toward leadership is often the result of jealousy, arrogance, greed, ignorance, envy, narcissism, ulterior motives, and/or just sheer antagonism. As it turned out, history has vindicated Jesus, Washington, and the many other leaders who clashed with contemptuous “followers”.

There is a God ordained order in the world that includes submitting ourselves to those who are in leadership. So whether it be that boss or supervisor who doesn’t appreciate you, or that overbearing coach, or a President you may not agree with politically, or whoever it may be in leadership over you, to live as God intends is to submit to those who lead us. Enmity against leadership does not come from God but rather from a wayward, restless heart that must first submit to God’s leadership. For if we are truly submitted to God’s leadership, we can willingly submit to those who are in leadership over us. May God give us great leaders as well as great followers!

ESL (English as a Second Language)

2010-09-01T08:05:00.000-07:00

I am thrilled with the turnout this past Monday night for those interested in beginning ESL (English as a Second Language) at our church. We meet with Dr. Mario and Anna Zani, our District Hispanic Ministries Coordinators, who came from Hillsboro to lead this orientation meeting. We officially begin ESL classes at our church Sunday, September 12th at 3:30 pm. As you can tell, we are all very excited about this new ministry endeavor for the community!

Summer 2010

2010-08-27T08:09:00.000-07:00

Wow! I knew that I had missed two or three weeks of blogging, but the entire summer has just flown by! I know we had a great summer and I hope you did as well. Here are some highlights of our summer -

Had church at Jasper Park on Sunday, July 4th - we had the best time!

This is from the fireworks show in Springfield

A couple weekends later, we loaded up the truck for a weekend of camping!

Where Caleb caught his first fish on his very own!

And Renee cooked up excellent meals!

and we gladly ate it!

Beautiful bike trails

Trip to the coast!

We celebrated Caleb's 9th birthday with a talent show modeled after the show "America's Got Talent"

complete with judges, where kids and adults both judged each other

and Caleb got to blow up a watermelon with my air compressor!

sliced it right in half with air (this is cool whether you are 9 or 39)

and had watermelon with cake and ice cream! Happy Birthday Caleb!

lots of swimming this summer!

My awesome boys!

Went to Albany on Caleb's birthday...

to see Skillet in concert, along with Newsboys!

We then traveled to Renee's parents where we celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary!

Went hiking...

Up to beautiful Jump Creek Waterfall

Then we traveled to Mt. Rushmore, or as Micah calls it, "The Four Heads"

One of the original drillers of Mt. Rushmore

Saw lots of wildlife along the way - including this guy

And buffalo

Crazy Horse

Breath taking sunset

Freedom

2010-07-02T07:32:00.000-07:00

“You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love” (Galatians 5:13).

The apostle Paul wrote those words in the first century to believers to proclaim that they have been set free from the law. Rather than being under the burden of the law, in Christ they have been set free. We really don’t appreciate freedom unless we’ve first been held in bondage. Whether it’s bondage to sin, the law, tyranny, oppression, addiction, etc., the experience of genuine freedom is unlike any other. But unencumbered freedom does not mean we are without restraint and obligation. Freedom is granted to us for the purpose of serving others in love.

The 4th of July is all about freedom, and I believe if the apostle Paul (who knew what it was to be imprisoned as well as what it was to experience freedom) had opportunity to speak to us Americans, he might say to us to use the unprecedented freedom we have as a nation to not only look to our own national and personal interests, but to the interests of others. To whom much is given, much is required, and we’ve been given unparalleled freedom. Precisely what we do (or don't do) with this freedom speaks volumes as to just how free we truly are.

By the way, our church is having a unique 4th of July worship celebration and BBQ picnic on Sunday, July 4 at Jasper State Park @ 11:00 am. Our entire worship team will be leading us in outdoor worship as we celebrate this special Lord’s Day in one of the most beautiful settings in our area. We would love to have you join us! Pack a picnic lunch and come be with friends! Have a great 4th of July weekend!

Father's Day 2010

2010-06-25T09:34:00.000-07:00

I trust you had a great Father’s Day 2010. Mine was great! We had a great service in church Sunday followed by dinner with family. Then my two boys gave me my Father’s Day gift – original hand paintings on canvas that will hang in my office! I love it! I love being a dad and cherish each day I have with my boys. My encouragement to those of you who are dads – live your lives with such devotion and passion for the things of God that your children will want to follow in your footsteps and most importantly, in the footsteps of Jesus!

The Nature of Love

2010-06-24T14:35:00.000-07:00

Dr. Tom Oord, professor of Theology and Philosophy at my alma mater Northwest Nazarene University has succeeded in what he set out to do - provide a Biblical, rational, and most certainly thought provoking and intriguing theological perspective into the ontological nature of God. By effectively tackling long standing misnomers about love in the first couple of chapters, and by drawing upon specific theological and philosophical models consistent with a Wesleyan Arminian understanding of free will and the truly synergistic relationship we have with God initiated by divine grace, Dr. Oord paints a picture of God who remains fully omnipotent yet non coercive while granting His creatures genuine freedom, without which, Dr. Oord would argue, would nullify the true essence of love (both divine and human). His Essential Kenosis theory relies directly upon the full revelation of God in Christ which Holiness theology has always affirmed. The challenge for preachers and theologians has always been to reconcile several of the seemingly “unloving” portraits of God in the Old Testament which would have been helpful had Dr. Oord delved into and would have only strengthened his theory. It would have also been helpful for Dr. Oord to expand further the idea of promoting the well being of God even as we promote the well being of others by our love. While our definitions of love might differ from Dr. Oord’s, and while we might not be as convinced that he has definitively resolved the problem of evil (of which he seems fairly certain he has), you will definitely appreciate Dr. Oord’s innovative and ambitious pursuit of discovery into the heart of what it means when the Bible emphatically proclaims that “God is love.”

16 Things About Marriage

2010-06-16T07:57:00.000-07:00

I officiated a wedding last Saturday in which I shared 16 things that Renee and I have learned after 16 years of marriage. The list went over pretty well with the 300 people at the wedding that I thought I would share it with you. So on our 16th anniversary on this 16th of June, Renee and I share 16 things we’ve learned about marriage –

1. There are many things you can forget while you are married, but each other’s birthday, your anniversary date, and Valentines Day are dates you are NOT allowed to forget

2. If you do happen to remember Valentines Day, it’s not a good idea to eat the chocolate you gave as a gift

3. Two words that are simply unavoidable – “Chick flicks”

4. When you ask your wife what she wants for Christmas and she says it doesn’t really matter – oh, believe me, it matters

5. When you go to buy her that Christmas gift, make sure it’s nothing you can plug into an outlet, requires batteries, or anything that can purchased at Home Depot

6. When people talk about compromise in marriage, it’s really just a code word for, “Give in or you’re sleeping on the couch.”

7. Guys, you’ll never really fully understand why she spends so much time in the bathroom, and believe, you won’t want to know

8. You know those commercials for Axe body wash that’s so irresistible to the opposite sex? It really works!

9. Gals, men really are that hard headed, you’ll just have to get used to it

10. If you sprinkle when you tinkle be a sweetie and wipe the seatie (Renee loves bathroom humor)

11. If you hold hands during an argument, it’s impossible to throw objects at each other

12. You would have never thought that the thermostat will be your greatest source of conflict

13. Guys, you will be sent to the store to buy things that no man should ever have to buy. Just put on a pair of sunglasses and a big hat and hope no one you knows sees you

14. Gals, if he’s intent on fixing it, whatever it is, just because he thinks he can, just humor him

15. Sharing your life together means sharing your thoughts, your hopes, your dreams, and the last bite of cheesecake

16. From your wedding day on, honeydews are no longer melons

Thoughts on Marriage

2010-06-11T16:05:00.000-07:00

This coming Wednesday, June 16th, Renee and I celebrate 16 years of marriage. After 16 years of marital experience, I’ve come up with the following thoughts to share. First, marriage is an awesome endeavor if you’re married to the right person. How do you know that you’re going to marry the right person? Obviously a decision like that can’t be rushed. There needs to be a lot of prayer, consideration, thought, discernment, etc. I remember thinking before I even met Renee that I would be nervous on my wedding day. But I vividly remember standing at the altar on June 16, 1994 and thinking to myself, “I’m not nervous at all,” and I wasn’t. I knew in my heart that God was the One who brought us together and we were meant to be. Way too many people rush into marriage only to regret it later. But neither is that an excuse to live together or be “pretend married” without the marital commitment. If you are considering marriage and you do not have the full assurance that the person you are marrying is the right person for you, there is no harm (and probably a lot of good) in delaying marriage.

That being said, if you are currently married and it’s “not working out,” way too many people rush out of marriage for the sake of convenience. Everything I said in the first paragraph is from a Western understanding of courtship, romance, dating, falling in love, marriage, etc. But much of the world has and continues to operate on arranged marriages where couples do not court, date, fall in love, and are filled with romantic bliss that leads to marriage. In arranged marriages, couples are thrust together and required to make things work. Being married in Egypt, my parent’s marriage was semi arranged, and nearly 40 years later, they are still together. I say all that only because if a marriage is not “working” I believe what’s broken can be fixed. It will require that both husband and wife diligently work on their issues, and they can go on and truly have a meaningful marital relationship, I’ve seen it happen time and again.

As you can tell from the photo, sixteen years ago I had a full head of hair, was just a tiny bit thinner, and Renee's always been beautiful. I love you Renee! Happy Anniversary!

Sincere Worship

2010-06-04T07:46:00.000-07:00

While I was privileged in 2009 to enjoy a 13 week sabbatical, I was able to visit various churches of all sizes throughout the western half of the United States. Then in the summer of 2009, my son Caleb and I made a road trip from Oregon to Orlando and back and visited various churches on that trip as well. One of the things that stuck out to me was just how performance based many churches have become. In the mega churches I visited, the worship was flawless, as if you were listening to a CD or MP3 in high quality but with singers and musicians who looked like they just walked out of a modeling magazine. While I enjoy good music and worship, I fear that North American expressions of Christianity and in particular, Christian worship, have become predominately, if not exclusively, performance based.

With that in mind, I want to share a portion of an email I received from a first time visitor to our church. I love hearing the great impressions that people have of our church, especially first impressions. It tells me that our church, in seeking to truly honor the Lord in all we do, is doing a lot of things right! Thanks worship team – Tim, Mike, Brad, Jim, Dan, Jacob, Karen, Connie, and Renee!

“Pastor John,
I am so glad God helped me to overcome all the reasons why I shouldn't go to church today! I was truly blessed by the music, teaching, and prayer... and I left knowing I had been in the presence of God and that I had been where I was suppose to be today.

The music wasn't a performance or a drudgery, but true worship. The message of the songs reached out to me in Spirit and Truth. As I sang I experienced an uplifting joy and a soft stirring of God's Spirit within me. I was able to lift my voice and heart to God in praise and adoration to Him. The teaching of God's Word was very fitting for my life and was taught from a different perspective than I have heard before... how refreshing.”

Angry Jesus

2010-05-28T07:24:00.000-07:00

Everyone it seems is angry about something today. If emotions are not boiling over about politics, it’s religion, or ecological / environmental disasters, or gross economic mishandling, or injustice. Road rage, domestic disputes, personal vendettas, even our fast food is angry! Some anger is justified, some is not.

The Gospels, which are the closest pieces of literature we have to a biography on the life of Jesus, record several instances when Jesus Himself demonstrated anger. The most notable incident was the cleansing of the Temple when He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves because they were exploiting the poor by price gouging. But there is only one instance in the Gospel record that specifically mentions that Jesus was angry.

In Mark 3:5 we read that while Jesus was in confrontation with the self righteous religious leaders of the day who were looking for reasons to find fault with Jesus, the text says that, “He [Jesus] looked around at them in anger, and [was] deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts…”

To His credit, Jesus was not angry at the religious leaders for attempting to find fault with Him and then plotting to have Him killed (Mark 3:6). Jesus was angry that these self righteous men with their “stubborn hearts” could have cared less about the plight of the man with the shriveled hand in their midst. Rather than find ways to help this man or his family due to his obvious disability, the religious leaders were so self absorbed with their self righteous religiosity they were literally of no good, for anyone or anything that comes in opposition against Jesus and His work comes in the spirit of antichrist. Jesus overcomes their evil intentions and stubborn hearts by doing good and heals the man’s hand completely. The good news is the disabled man was made well. The bad news is the hearts of the "religious" people became worse.

The response of Jesus is still our best response to justified anger – doing good. The apostle Paul in Romans 12:21 tells us that we overcome evil with good. God’s people are not to be angry as we are told numerous times in the New Testament to rid ourselves of anger, among other things. But in those times of justified anger when the weak or poor are neglected or disenfranchised, it becomes our greatest opportunity to overcome evil by doing the most good!

Rally for VA Clinic

2010-05-21T05:59:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, our band ShypWreak played for the rally in Springfield to have the new VA clinic built on the corner of Mohawk and Centennial which would be the ideal setting. The rally was a huge success and ShypWreak was excellent! Here are some photos from the rally -

Nazarene Bible College

2010-05-14T12:23:00.000-07:00

I’ve always admired teachers (that help us learn) and pastors (who help us grow), for if we ever stop learning, we stop growing! I am privileged now to continue to help people grow and learn not only as a pastor here in Oregon, but now also as an adjunct faculty member for Nazarene Bible College online as I just received confirmation a couple of days ago. Here are some facts about Nazarene Bible College (NBC) –

MISSION: Nazarene Bible College is an undergraduate, professional school of Christian ministry committed to academic and practical programs designed to educate students for service and leadership in a diverse world.

STUDENTS: This academic year over 1,200 individuals took classes through NBC’s on-campus (the 18-acre campus is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado) and online programs

HISTORY: The College was authorized by the General Assembly of the Church of the Nazarene in session at Portland, Oregon, in June of 1964.

ACADEMICS: Nazarene Bible College is one of the two exclusive institutions charged by the Church of the Nazarene with the task of preparing ministers rather than with the broader assignment of providing liberal arts education for both laity and clergy. Graduates of the four-year Bachelor of Arts in Ministry degree with a major in Pastoral Ministries meet denominational requirements for ordination to the ministry.

I think we’re only going to see more and more of this trend of academia looking to educated pastors who are immersed in ongoing ministry. Just last week, Dr. T. Scott Daniels, pastor of Pasadena First Church of the Nazarene also became Dean of the School of Theology of Azusa Pacific University which I believe is absolutely wonderful! Too often there is a gap between the church and higher Christian education and if we can work to bridge that divide, I believe the result will be better equipped and educated disciples of Jesus Christ. For more information about Nazarene Bible College and/or to look into possibly taking classes online, go to nbc.edu

Wesleyan Holiness Consortium

2010-05-07T13:13:00.000-07:00

This last Tuesday I and about 90 other Nazarenes joined various Holiness denominational leaders and pastors in Portland for the first ever Wesleyan Holiness Consortium in the Pacific Northwest. It will be the annual gathering of those who believe and propagate the Biblical message of holy living and want to make sure that the message of holiness does not get lost in the 21st century. Even though most mainline and even evangelical churches do not preach and teach an intentional call to holy living empowered by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit instead of just merely believing in Jesus, God Himself has indeed called us to live holy lives evidenced by the Fruit of the Sprit that we read about in Galatians chapter 5. It’s only when we live in true holiness in relation to God and others do we realize the joy of living fully in the Lord! For more information about the Consortium, you can go to holinessandunity.org

Who Needs Relationships?

2010-04-30T08:08:00.000-07:00

This is going to come as a complete shock to you but sometimes relationships can be messy! I know, I know, this is news that just takes you totally by surprise, but the reality is sometimes relationships are just downright difficult. Isn't it interesting how on Facebook one of the ways you can describe the current status of your relationship is, “it’s complicated?” Who hasn't been in a complicated relationship? Interpersonal relationships are complex, involving a myriad of factors that can either contribute to relationships that are mutually healthy and encouraging (which is obviously the ideal) or unhealthy relationships which can be horribly damaging.

We are all created by God to be in relationships with others, which is why this Sunday, May 2nd I’m beginning a sermon series on relationships. We’re going to look at what the Bible says how we are to relate to one another. If you live in the Springfield/Eugene area, we’d love to have you join us at 10:30 am on Sunday mornings. Messages are also replayed on Saturdays on KORE 1050 AM radio @ 9:30 am and 5:00 pm and can also be heard online at springfieldchurch.org.

A Holy People

2010-04-23T09:13:00.000-07:00

This week Renee and I begin our 9th year of pastoral ministry at Springfield Church. When we moved out here Caleb was just a 9 month old baby and Micah wasn’t even born yet. I am now the 2nd longest serving pastor in the 61 year history of the church (John Harris’ father Furman Harris served for 10 years from 1953 – 1963). When we moved here from my home state of Colorado we knew absolutely nothing about the church, only that God called us here. Looking back at the last eight years is interesting and I might even write a book about it. I can say that I am so very proud of my congregation that has faithfully endured some tumultuous times with steadfastness reflective of I Corinthians 15:58. As a church, we are healthier, more dynamic, and both excited and humbled by the great things that God is doing through us! If somehow you’ve stumbled across this blog post and you live in the Springfield/Eugene area and you do not have a church that you are a part of, you’ll find our worship services to be uplifting. You’ll hear teaching that is grounded in the Bible. You’ll meet some of the nicest people around who are striving to live a holy life reflective of the life that Jesus lived! But most importantly, you’ll encounter God’s Holy Spirit that gives us the power to be a holy people!

By the way, don't miss a special interview I have with Dan and Bonnie Williams which airs on KORE 1050 am radio on Saturday, April 24th at 9:30 am and 5:00 pm.

Unprecedented Jesus, Evil, and the Kingdom of God

2010-04-16T07:29:00.000-07:00

I am fascinated with the Gospel of Mark chapter 1. Even though I can’t preach from it during Advent because Mark gives us no birth narrative of Jesus, we are given something else that is remarkable. After emerging victorious over Satan’s temptations in the desert for 40 days (vv. 12-13), in verse 15 Jesus proclaims that, “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand” (ESV). After calling two sets of brothers as disciples (vv. 16-20), Mark then tells us that Jesus entered the synagogue in Capernaum and began to teach. A man in the synagogue was possessed by an evil spirit, and with great authority Jesus casts the evil spirit out of the man.

As I was studying this passage for our REFUEL Bible study last week, it occurred to me that there is not one recorded instance in the entire Old Testament that I can think of where someone casts out an evil spirit. What Jesus did was unprecedented! It’s no wonder that Mark and the other Gospel writers tell us that the people were amazed not only at Jesus’ teachings, but His authority over evil spirits as well. Right off the bat in chapter 1, Mark, which was the first of the Gospels to be written, was getting the message out not only through the words of Jesus but also through His actions that the kingdom of God is breaking into our world!

The victory of Jesus’ temptation over the devil in the desert (Mark 1:12-13) and the unprecedented casting out of evil spirits are powerful indicators that God’s Kingdom has broken into our world and confronting evil and demonic forces on earth as never seen before! And the one place where evil will certainly not be tolerated is the synagogue, God’s house, where the man possessed by an evil spirit remained unchecked and unchallenged all until Jesus shows up one day.

I didn’t mean to preach in my blog this week (although I am a preacher, and this is after all Good News), but the New Testament goes on to tell those of us who are believers that through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, we’ve been given the same power and authority that Jesus demonstrated, so that as the kingdom of God advances through teaching which informs ignorance, we can and should confront systemic evils in society, that evil can be overcome with good (Romans 12:21), that it is possible to overcome evil (I John 2:13-14), and injustice (Isaiah 1:17), etc. The kingdom of God is the greatest threat to all evil in all its forms!

By the way, we are continuing our study of Mark at REFUEL each Wednesday night at 6:30 pm.

Deep Church Review

2010-04-09T17:04:00.000-07:00

I love reading intelligent, theologically informed writings dealing with current ecclesiastical (church) issues. Dr. Jim Belcher’s book Deep Church is such a book. He does a good job unpacking postmodernism and its effects upon church and culture. Dr. Belcher analyzes the strengths and weakness of traditional and emerging churches. For example, in the chapter entitled “Deep Culture”, he says, “the traditional church is pacifist in the area of culture but not in the realm of politics, and the emerging church is pacifist in the realm of politics but not in the realm of culture.” Sweeping sentiments like this are made throughout the book and prove to be generally accurate in dealing with the seven areas of distinction between the two camps – truth, evangelism, gospel, worship, preaching, ecclesiology, and culture. Dr. Belcher’s proposal is to find an alternative or middle ground in what C.S. Lewis termed “deep church” (which is so much more than reaction to the shallowness of many churches). Drawing upon other good sources, both historical and current, (but ironically very little upon Lewis himself), Dr. Belcher navigates a third way, sometimes finding compromises between the two camps, at other times sympathizing with one camp over the other, and as a Calvinist, more often than not looking back to the “Great Tradition” (earliest church preceding Calvin) which informs and defines his Presbyterian theology and ecclesiology. As a Wesleyan, I maintain that John Wesley’s theology and ecclesiology so beautifully and effectively offers the third way that many are seeking, long before Lewis even came on the scene, by retaining and synthesizing a balanced stream of historical Christendom while speaking relevantly to the current issues of his (and even our) day. Dr. Belcher doesn’t mention Wesley even once in the book, which is unfortunate but not surprising considering he is Reformed. That said, this is a valuable book in helping us think deeply regarding issues of church and faith.

What Makes It "Good?"

2010-04-02T07:29:00.000-07:00

Today is “Good” Friday, something of an oxymoron since there was nothing good about that Friday when Jesus hung on a cross. The question I grapple with is, “Why?” I’ve come to the realization that I will never understand why God in the person of Jesus would do such a thing. So the question becomes, “What am I going to do about it?” I like how someone put it in perspective, “Jesus was not crucified in a cathedral between two candles, but on a cross between two thieves, on the town garbage heap, at a crossroad .... It was the kind of place where cynics talk smut, thieves curse, and soldiers gamble. That’s where He died. And that’s where Christians ought to be and that’s what Christians ought to be about.” As I reflect upon that quote, I have hope that if followers of Christ truly make the mission of Christ a reality - the mission of bringing salvation and redemption and dignity to those who are lost, hurting, and broken, then I can truly refer to today as “good.”.

But the way, the picture is original artwork by my friend Jagdish Ganamukkala who lives in India

The Tooth Fairy

2010-03-26T08:59:00.000-07:00

Last night, Renee and the boys and I had a family date night. We went and saw the movie The Tooth Fairy starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (people mistake me all the time for him, just kidding, although Renee thinks I’m better looking). Anyway, we all thought it was a really cute family movie. I thought there were parts that were very funny as well as good lessons about achieving dreams. Afterwards, we went out for pizza and just had a great time.

The point of this week’s blog is very simply a reminder to make time to spend together as a family. I know several of you have gone on trips as a family this spring break, or weekend getaways, or weekly family date nights. These are special memories that you will never forget, especially for those of us who still have younger children at home. Savor each moment you have with your family. It literally seems as if it were yesterday I was holding as a newborn my soon to be nine year old – wow! Time really does fly, so don’t neglect those who are most important to you! Have a great weekend!

XXX Oregon

2010-03-19T07:57:00.000-07:00

Between the two of us, Renee and I have lived in eight different states. Eight years ago, we moved to Oregon, and back then, I couldn’t help but notice just how many adult shops there were around town and in such visible locations. This shop is right on I 5 south as you’re leaving town. There’s another shop next to the Wal-Mart in town and three strip clubs within just a couple mile radius of our church. Renee and I would say that of the eight states we’ve lived in (and the countless others we’ve visited) Oregon is by far the most X rated in that city ordinances allow for a disproportionate number of these types of institutions and in such high profile geographical sites.

A couple of weeks ago it dawned on me that after having lived here for eight years, I wasn’t as shocked by these shops any longer. I had actually become desensitized to these shops. They just blended in with the landscape. I remember when I first moved here that I actually prayed that these shops would shut down and our community would truly be even more of a family friendly community. Yet over time, I gave less thought to it and didn’t even think about it.

I’ve seen Christian people infighting over the most laughable issues and squabbling over the most ridiculous things. What if people of faith channeled their energies into truly seeing the Kingdom of God become a reality in our city? When was the last time we prayed that these shops would just shut down due to lack of revenue? What would happen in our communities if the Spirit of God truly swept across our cities as people of faith got their act together, became unified, and truly loved, served, and cared as Jesus taught so that people would rather be in church than in an adult establishment?

Hunger and thirst for righteousness

2010-03-12T08:37:00.000-08:00

This is my friend Ryan Lin, from China, who lives here in Eugene. Ryan is a new Christian who is just growing and wanting to know more about what it means to follow Jesus. He called me this week and we met at a Taco Bell by his home where he just kept asking me for Bible verse after Bible verse to help him flourish in the faith. He had brought his Chinese / English Bible with him, along with a notepad and pen, carefully writing down the Scripture references I gave him. He told me he was going to take those verses, write them out on paper, and hang them on his wall so that he could see them everyday. He said he just wants to fill his mind with the things of God. When I told him about the power He can have that comes with being filled with the Holy Spirit (right there in Taco Bell), I would have given anything for you to see his face literally brighten up, his head nodding affirmatively while saying, “Yes, I need that, I need that.” When I think of Ryan, I am reminded of the words of Jesus, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…” Ryan has a deep hunger and thirst for the things of God. With Easter Sunday just a few weeks away, how hungry and thirsty are you for the things of God?

Gossip or Gospel

2010-03-01T10:28:00.000-08:00

Gossip is all around us, but it seems to thrive in the one place it should be noticeably absent – churches. But why do churches seem to be breading grounds for gossip? I think innocently enough gossip in churches may sometimes begin with a genuine concern over a person, a family, or a situation which over time evolves from concern to speculation. You know you’ve crossed the line when you stop addressing the person, family, or situation directly and take your “concerns” elsewhere. The subtly of gossip in churches is that it tends to masquerade itself through those who give the persona of godliness. We wouldn’t think twice about giving serious credence to a blatant sinner who attends church, but gossipers tend not to be blatant sinners. Their sin is much more devious but no less damning. Gossipers also tend to be our friends, people who we would trust to watch our children, so why not trust what they have to tell us? Gossip and its evil cousin slander are despicable sins that demand genuine repentance. Truth be told, gossip is the antithesis of the gospel. People wouldn’t gossip if they were truly committed to the gospel. It is, after all, more tantalizing to talk about others than it is to talk about Jesus. And it requires much less work to hear about the affairs of others than it does to hear the voice of Christ. Gossip is no longer the issue it once was at our church, and our leadership team has wisely made the decision that it’s going to stay that way, because more than anything, we are committed to the Good News of Jesus, not the sordid news of others.

The Second Coming of Christ

2010-02-15T07:22:00.000-08:00

Is Jesus coming again? Absolutely! Unfortunately more and more uninformed people are getting their “theology” from sources like the Left Behind series rather than good, solid Biblical exegesis. It’s amazing to me that there are those who believe, for example, in a violent Second Coming of Christ even though the Scriptures do not teach this. And what’s especially disturbing is that if those who insist on a violent Second Coming have little children at home, I fear for the violent image of Jesus those children are being subjected to and the negative impact that will have on their spiritual development (or lack thereof). In our Nazarene hymnal we have a hymn that nicely sums up what we believe about the non violent Second Coming. In the last verse of the hymn “Living By Faith” (hymn # 566 if you are interested), written in 1918, it says, “Our Lord will return for His loved ones some day, our troubles will then all be o’er; the Master so gently will lead us away, beyond that blest heavenly shore.” Maybe more of us would actually look forward to Christ’s return if we really knew Who we believed in!

Super Sunday

2010-02-08T07:03:00.000-08:00

What a Super Sunday we had yesterday! Super worship (thanks Tim and the entire worship team). Super time with our Hispanic brothers and sisters as we had integrated worship! And then of course the Super Bowl. If you were listening, I predicted the Saints would beat the Colts 34-17. The final score was 31-17, off by a field goal. Oh well, it was a super game and fun party!

Caleb likes Peyton Manning as much as I liked John Elway when I was Caleb's age growing up in Denver.

Everything on that plate except the chips were made from scratch - homemade hot wings, bleu cheese, guacamole, pico do gallo - thank you to everyone for such a great time!

Not Your Parent’s Island

2010-02-03T20:23:00.000-08:00

I am certainly not the first to make comparisons of the current hit ABC drama LOST to Gilligan’s Island, the hit sitcom of a generation ago. But as I was watching the final series premier of LOST last night and trying to follow the discombobulated plot lines that have intrigued loyal viewers for several seasons now, it dawned on me that comparing Gilligan’s Island and LOST is like comparing modernity and postmodernity.

The basic plot lines of both shows are the same – a group of people stranded on a deserted island looking to get back home. Gilligan’s Island was mainly light hearted, slapstick comedy in which the stranded crew had to tolerate each other’s idiosyncrasies so as to not drive each other bonkers. It was a show at the height of modernity in American history reflective of the attitude that basically things will take care of itself in the end. The attitude of the cast of Gilligan’s Island was, “If we just do the best we can with what we’ve got, we will be rescued,” and it was nearly that cut and dry. Sure unexpected things would happen, but the cast worked together, and in a half hour show, the situation was completely resolved.

LOST is so much more reflective of the postmodern era we are living in today because so much has changed in forty years. No longer are things as cut and dry as they used to be. Not only do things NOT get resolved after an hour episode of LOST, or even after an entire season, but we are left with huge cliff hangers after every scene. There are continually not only unexpected circumstances that arise in LOST, but the circumstances are increasingly complex and convoluted, often involving the supernatural and the mysterious.

The postmodern period of history that we are currently living in does not promise what modernity did, that if we just do the best we can with what we’ve got that everything will turn out to be fine in the end. It’s one of the reasons why modernity is fading (even though there are still strong pockets of modernist wishful thinking throughout the country) because what modernity promises falls way short.

We are living in a postmodern period of history. Comparing Gilligan’s Island to LOST is like comparing what WAS to what IS. Life is not as black and white as people used to believe it was. There are no more simplistic answers or neatly categorized formulas that will ensure that things will turn out right in the end. We are all, in a sense, stranded on an island that is so much more like the LOST island than Gilligan’s. But our Rescuer and greatest hope is in Jesus Christ who conquered the crucibles of hatred, betrayal, injustice, sin, and death. There’s no simple formula or prayer that will see us through, but it’s in the daily grind and twists and turns of life that we continually trust Him to see us through all the heart wrenching disappointments and surprises we face.

How Can I Help?

2010-01-28T07:22:00.000-08:00

I am so very blessed to be able to minister alongside half a dozen wonderful people who make up our church leadership team. Most of them are volunteers and yet serve the Lord by faithfully serving His church with passion and enthusiasm! We are a great ministry team, and if you attend our church and know Tim, Dan and Bonnie, Karen, Les, Pedro, Richard, and Melody, you know that what I’m saying is true. Our calling as servant/leaders is to serve Jesus by serving others. We are always looking for ways to better serve our church and community and so I thought you might be interested in the book we are currently reading as a ministry team. It’s called “How Can I Help?” by Lynda Elliott dealing with some of the major needs of people and how we can best help. Please keep our ministry team in your prayers as we are dedicated to helping/serving as many people in our community as we can!

Haiti, God, and natural disasters

2010-01-18T08:12:00.000-08:00

Yesterday in church, we took some time to pray specifically for the disaster in Haiti and to ask God what we could do to help. We showed this brief video clip of General Superintendant Dr. JK Warrick and his firsthand accounting of the earthquake –

http://nazarene.org/haiti/

My friend Kevin Jackson has also written one of the best explanations you’ll read regarding God and natural disasters from a Wesleyan perspective that you’ll find extremely helpful –

http://wesleyanarminian.blogspot.com/2010/01/haiti-why-do-disasters-happen.html

Please continue to pray for Haiti!

Home for the Holidays

2010-01-04T07:13:00.000-08:00

We had a great first Sunday of the New Year. Home for the holidays before she ships out to Germany is our very own Erin. She grew up in our church and is now a military officer. We are so very proud of her and continue to pray for her and all our troops serving and defending our country!

John Harris

2009-12-28T13:15:00.001-08:00

This morning, Renee and I spent some time with John Harris at the memorial for his wife Vernadean here in Idaho. It was such a beautiful service and it was great to see John again. Before moving to Idaho nine months ago, John and Vernadean were faithful members of the Springfield Church for over 50 years! We are grateful to have known them and their love, support, encouragement, faithfulness, and Christlikeness!

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2009!

2009-12-22T19:24:00.000-08:00

Christ came to us as a newborn,
that we might come to Him to be born new!

From our family to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas!

Thomas Egan Remembrance Ceremony

2009-12-19T19:46:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, our church, along with other agencies, was recognized at the Thomas Egan Remembrance Ceremony in Eugene at the spot were he was found dead in the cold a year ago. As part of the Egan Warming Centers, our church has and will continue to open its door to shelter those from the freezing winter temperatures. The Lord has been good to us and we need to be good to those in need! Here are a couple of media links about the one year anniversary of the Remembrance Ceremony:

http://kezi.com/page/156210

http://www.kmtr.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoId=70668@kmtr.dayport.com&navCatId=5

http://springfield.kval.com/content/nazarene-church-offering-free-meals

Christmas 2009

2009-12-14T09:52:00.000-08:00

We love celebrating the birth of Christ at Springfield Church. If you don't have a home church this season, this is what the inside of our church looks like at Christmas.

In the freezing weather we've had recently, we also believe we have an obligation to do our part to help get people off of the streets during the night. We can sleep 40 people in our building which is what we did over the weekend.

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-30T07:42:00.000-08:00

Compassionate Ministries Sunday was one of the most memorable worship services I’ve ever been a part of. I don’t believe there was a dry eye in church. Here Jose is sharing a bit with the congregation. If you have an hour and weren’t in the service that day, please take some time to listen to the audio of that service. You will be touched! I am blessed to be pastor of this church!

http://springfieldchurch.org/audio/11222009.html

We had another excellent Thanksgiving season at our church. It began with a packed all church Thanksgiving dinner. We then served about 150 Thanksgiving dinners alone. You can’t serve the community like we do without committed volunteers. Here’s a picture of those who served for Thanksgiving - the greatest volunteers around!

A Duck of a Week!

2009-11-16T07:47:00.000-08:00

Micah got his picture taken on his 4th birthday with Puddles, the mascot for the University of Oregon football team!

And for her birthday, I took Renee to her very first college football game, Oregon vs. Arizona State.

Prayers for Fort Hood

2009-11-09T07:45:00.000-08:00

Thank you to the many of you who have been praying for the victims of the Foot Hood shootings last week, what officials are calling the worst mass killing on a U.S. military base. My brother in law and sister in law were both on the premises during the shooting but thankfully are fine. But we know that others are grieving yet another senseless killing. Please continue to pray and ask for the Lord’s healing during this time.

Community Food Drive

2009-10-26T08:30:00.000-07:00

We had a great time Saturday as our church was one of five other Mohawk area churches that partnered with Mohawk area businesses for a community food drive. Our very own ShypWreak played an hour of live music right on the corner of Mohawk and Olympic. The last I heard, over 6,000 lbs of food was collected for families in Springfield. Thank you to all the businesses that participated, churches, the community, Springfield church family, and ShypWreak!

Monday Night Football

2009-10-19T08:09:00.000-07:00

It will indeed be a sad evening for all Charger fans everywhere as they get their you know what whipped on national television by the stalwart Broncos of Denver. Admission to the Hanna home tonight for Monday Night Football is a bag of Doritos and a verbal denunciation of all pro football teams that play in the states of California and Texas as well as Kansas City.

Women of Faith

2009-10-12T07:52:00.000-07:00

Friday morning, these ladies got in the church van and headed to Portland for the weekend to attend the Women of Faith conference. As you can see, they were excited about going. When the conference was over, they were tired, but so glad they had attended. I’m thrilled that they were able to attend and enjoy themselves this weekend!

Saturday morning at the Rose Garden in Portland

District Pastors Retreat

2009-10-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

I have to begin this weeks post by saying how in awe I am of God’s moving and working in our church. Even from where we were as a church a year ago, and the remarkable transformation that God is bringing about, there is most definitely the presence of the Holy Spirit among God’s people!

Renee and I want to thank Brad and Aaron and the youth group for blessing us in such a remarkable way on Sunday! Thank you! We really had no clue what you were doing during church. We also want to thank the entire crew for what they did at our home while we were away last week in Newport.

We also want to say thank you to our church family for again sending us this year to the District Pastors Retreat in Newport. This was our 8th consecutive retreat on the ORPAC District and had one of the most enjoyable times. Here are some pictures -

Standing on the balcony

The view directly from our room

The view from our room looking toward the right

Newport Bayfront

The drive home was beautiful. All three days in Newport were this beautiful!

We get home to discover that we've had visitors

We are part of a wonderful church!

Our boys in the t shirts we brought back with us.

Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom

2009-09-28T10:29:00.000-07:00

We’ve been having some of the most Spirit inspired worship services at the church lately as it’s evident that God is working in remarkable ways. Yesterday was one of those extra special services where the Spirit of God had the freedom to move as He pleased. But that’s what happens when God’s people come to worship Him with pure hearts. The Newcomer’s Luncheon following church was the highest attended luncheon we’ve ever had, and we still need to have another one. And so if you were unable to attend the newcomer’s luncheon yesterday, the next one will be Sunday, October 25th. I love serving the Lord, and I love serving Him with the greatest church family in Lane County, the Springfield Church family! Have a great week!

God Sized Dreams

2009-09-21T08:57:00.000-07:00

There are times when as a preacher you preach a sermon that generates more excitement than usual, and the message I preached yesterday was one such message. I’m currently in a series looking at Hebrews chapter 11, the great “faith” chapter in the New Testament, and in verse 22, we looked at Joseph the dreamer. I went on to talk about Martin Luther King Jr. who was a modern day dreamer. With Joseph and Dr. King as great examples, I challenged my congregation by faith to dream God sized dreams and then email them to me. The response has been great! What’s your God sized dream?

Football Fever

2009-09-14T07:18:00.000-07:00

Fall is perhaps my favorite time of year, in part because I enjoy football. Saturday evening, a good buddy of mine and I attended the home opener at Autzen Stadium to watch Oregon beat Purdue 38 – 36 in what was an incredible game! Oregon defense had a couple of TD’s to keep the Ducks in the game, and the Oregon running game should be productive even after the season long suspension of their starting back. A couple of guys who are part of our church worked security for the game and it was neat seeing them in action as well. And depending on how well Tom Brady and LaDainian Tomlinson do tonight on Monday Night Football, I should (hopefully) barely pull out a win in game one in my fantasy league, although I’m still kicking myself for not starting Jeremy Shockey after Brees’ big game in New Orleans. And oh, to the guy in church who emailed me Sunday and ended with “GO RAIDERS!!” (you know who you are), all I can say is, “Did you see how the Denver game ended yesterday?”

The September 12th Oregon / Purdue home opener at Autzen Stadium. We had great seats.

Ministry Team

2009-09-07T09:12:00.001-07:00

Our new ministry team picture was taken yesterday. I’ve got to tell you how blessed I am to serve Jesus with my friends. Each one of them has an inspirational story to tell and each of them enhance the ministry of our church. I am so grateful to be co laboring with them as we strive to touch our community with the love of Christ!

School Supply Drive

2009-08-31T08:34:00.000-07:00

Church family, Renee and I want to say “Thank you for responding so remarkably well again this year for the annual school supply drive!” This is just a sampling of the school supplies that were collected and distributed yesterday and will continue throughout the week to the community. Many kids will benefit because of your generosity. Also, I realize that this coming weekend is Labor Day weekend, but it’s the first Sunday before school begins and I want to have special prayer in church Sunday for all our students and educators for the upcoming school year.

Lane County Fair Evangelism

2009-08-24T22:41:00.001-07:00

I spent a couple hours yesterday afternoon in the Godmobile at the Lane County Fair. This is the second year I’ve done this, and I enjoy it because of the various kinds of interaction I have with different people about spiritual things. I am so encouraged by how younger people in particular are open to God and really want to have non judgmental dialogue. I had great conversations with many people and hope to continue to dialogue with them and eventually help them make the all important decision to follow Christ. In this picture, I was having a conversation with this man who had some pretty far out ideas about God, but I enjoyed talking to him nonetheless.

Serving Christ

2009-08-17T17:44:00.001-07:00

God is using our church to feed on average over 600 people a month in our community. We are so grateful to be part of this ministry that the Lord gave us. Last week, my family and I, along with my church family, had the greatest privilege of serving and having dinner with five of our most honored guests. In the front row, from left to right are: Mike, Katie, Ralphie, Max, and Joy. In serving our friends, we are serving Christ. Come join us if you are able on Wednesday evenings anytime from 4:00 – 6:00 pm. You can enjoy a wonderful dinner and/or join a great group of others who faithfully serve in our compassionate ministries.

Never Without Hope

2009-08-10T10:25:00.000-07:00

The Lord has provided a really neat and unexpected blessing. KORE radio has offered us a second half hour spot that previously aired a Focus on the Family program - at no additional cost! This means that the Sunday morning messages I preach can now be heard each Saturday at 9:30 am and 5:05 pm beginning this Saturday, August 15th. We’ve heard from many people since we began the Never Without Hope radio ministry in 2006 of the blessing our radio ministry has been to them. It’s my desire to reach as many people with the Good News of Jesus and God has opened yet another door!

What a "Cool" Church!

2009-07-30T19:09:00.000-07:00

I love what God is doing in our church through a faithful, serving congregation! We made the commitment some time ago that we were going to intentionally be a church that reaches out to the community. Since we've made that commitment, God continues to bless us as well as giving us opportunities to bless others. This last week during record breaking scorching temperatures, blessing others was as simple as inviting people to come in and cool down from the heat. Fox News came by and did a short news feature, here's the video link - http://www.myfoxeugene.com/dpp/news/metro/Church_Extends_Hours

Orlando - General Assembly 2009 Day 13

2009-06-26T22:17:00.000-07:00

Our last day at Juanita’s house where she was so appreciative of us

Jamie and Caleb were at it again

and a paint war broke out. Not really sure who started it, but he got paint on her...

and she got paint on him. Don't dish it out if you can't take it.

Juanita enjoying her new kitchen

Caleb was instrumental in helping with Juanita’s new kitchen. I guess we were like Extreme Home Makeover Nazarene edition!

Our last day at Juanita's house. You spend a week at someone's home, you develop a bond with them. And there's no way we could have accomplished everything without our cool team!

Saying our goodbyes to Juanita. I had just finished praying for her as we held hands in a circle. She asked for my email address and so Caleb and I hope to keep in touch with her! I'm so proud of Caleb and his first missons trip!

Afterward, we all met up for lunch at this park in Orlando

Caleb and Jamie at it again

It was a beautiful day - hot, but beautiful

Yes Renee, we did do laundry

Caleb found my picture at the NTS booth at Assembly

We caught up with our new friends again

Sitting in the One Heart Many Hands section

More good worship

General Superintendent Porter gave a great message on discipleship

Following the service - Caleb is in there somewhere

It's been a great week!

After a long day and week, it was time for pizza where he ate all that and more!

Orlando - General Assembly 2009 Day 12

2009-06-25T22:57:00.000-07:00

For breakfast, this kid ate three halves of grapefruit - yuck!

After breakfast we did a little gift shopping and gator wrestling

This was a real gator

Today we install new smoke detectors in Juanita's home

Kitchen almost complete

Helping to cover the countertop with plastic...

so we can paint

and paint

Smoke detectors installed

Picking up the trash we took out of the house

Cooling down in an afternoon rain shower

New bathroom tile

New extinguisher for the newly remodeled kitchen

After a quick shower, it's back to the Convention Center for General Assembly

Very good worship at General Assembly

General Superintendent Porter introducing General Superintendent Warrick. Directly in front of the pulpit was a 26 foot high cross as a powerful reminder of the work of Christ - excellent message!

There sure are a lot of people here - it's been a great day!

Orlando - General Assembly 2009 Day 11

2009-06-24T22:30:00.000-07:00

We had some extra help painting on the 3rd day at Juanita's home

Still in place after a huge thunderstorm last night

Nearly done with the ceiling in one of the bedrooms

Caleb, Caleb, and Nathan

Progressing in the bathroom

New oven hood in place

Sink is in place and is drying with the weight of that stuff on top. It was a productive day at Juanita's house

After a quick shower, we drove to the Orange County Convention Center where General Assembly was being held

Because we registered online, the registration process at the convention center was so much easier

Excited about his very first service at a General Assembly

We caught up with our new friends

Flags from various nations were brought in during worship

Worship was great and I loved that the second song was in Spanish

General Superintendent Dr. Jesse Middendorf gave an excellent message on who we are as the Church of the Nazarene

Hanging out with our new friends

Orlando - General Assembly 2009 Day 10

2009-06-23T22:01:00.000-07:00

The second day at Juanita's house involved a lot of painting

New cabinets and countertop

I painted the new pressure treated posts that we replaced

Caleb was given the assignment to paint these closet shelves

Concentrating on his assignment

He's doing a great job!

Juanita had some exterior painting that needed completed

Caleb helping with exterior painting

Looks better

Making progress in Juanita's kitchen

It's hot and muggy in Florida in June

Removed all the old and yucky bathroom tile to be replaced

Taking out old bathroom tile to the curb

Dumping out old bathroom tile

Everyone kind of winding down after a long and hot day of work

I don't know if you can tell, but the day ended with a huge rain storm. I haven't seen thunder storms like this since my seminary days in Kansas City.

Orlando - General Assembly 2009 Day 9

2009-06-22T21:50:00.000-07:00

Our day began at 8:30 am (that’s 5:30 am western Oregon time) where Caleb and I met up with our team at project worksite # 67

Our project for the next couple of days was to work on this house located in the downtown area of Orlando

Caleb getting his tool belt and tools from his tool box that the church gave him for Christmas last year.

Moving lumber around

One of our main priorities was to tear out and replace these cabinets that have rotted

All the cabinets are out

This is Juanita who lives in the house. She wasn’t too happy with the dead rat behind the walls, so those needed to be replaced as well

I’m not fond of ladders, but we installed solar powered motion detection lighting

It was so hot and muggy outside

Finishing up the installation

Lunch break

Let me introduce you to our neat project team which included Pastor Jim, Nazarene pastor from Springfield, Missouri and his son Josh

Jamie and Courtney also from the same Nazarene church in Springfield, Missouri

Len from a Nazarene church in California

Keith and Paulette from a Nazarene church here in Orlando

Stop messing with the camera and get back to work

Caleb hanging out with the teens

These little guys were all over Juanita's backyard

Making progress in the kitchen

We headed back to the hotel, changed clothes, and shot some hoop

Beautiful sunset at the end of a productive day

Orlando - General Assembly 2009 Day 8

2009-06-21T22:42:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning we attended the Kissimmee First Church of the Nazarene

The guests for the day were Nazarene Missionaries to Dominica Dan and Brenda Hopkins

In church on Father’s Day

After church we went to the Golden Corral for Father’s Day, when after lunch, Caleb asked if he could have dessert and comes back with this gummy bear, jelly bean, M & M, and cookie sundae concoction of a dessert.

After lunch, we went and registered for our One Heart Many Hands missions work

We had a few hours before the Commissioning Service, and so we visited Epcot

Getting ready to ride the time machine which was a really neat attraction

Playing a game in 3D

Interior view of a fire truck

The part of Epcot we visited has a futuristic feel

Saw a movie in 3D

This water stream bounces from pad to pad to pad in a circle

Great Father’s Day at Epcot

We then attended the One Heart Many Hands Commissioning Service held at the First Baptist Church of Orlando. It was a full blown service with singing, etc. There are nearly 2,000 Nazarenes doing various service projects all around Orlando in the week preceding General Assembly.

Dr. David Wilson, General Secretary of the Church of the Nazarene offering words of greeting

Dr. Joel Hunter, pastor of the large Northland Church in Orlando. He gave a great mini sermon from Romans 12. The very last sentence of his message was, “The church needs to be saved from focusing only on itself.” I say, “Amen!”

General Superintendent Dr. Jerry Porter giving a different but very effective kind of commissioning message from Isaiah chapter 6

In response to Dr. Porter’s challenge of who will go and serve

It’s been a really good day!

Orlando - General Assembly 2009 Day 7

2009-06-20T22:52:00.000-07:00

I asked Caleb where he wanted to go today on our last full “fun” day and he said Kennedy Space Center

Massive building where they assemble the space shuttle

Caleb with space shuttle Endeavour on the launch pad

Endeavour is scheduled to lift off on July 11th. It will be the 127th shuttle launch and the 23rd for Endeavour.

That’s the crawler that transports the shuttle to the launch pad. It uses 50 gallons of gas per mile.

That’s what one of the main shuttle engines looks like

Exact consoles and set up as it was for the Apollo 7 mission

Excited to see the displays

Touching a piece of a rock from the moon

Do they make these in Caleb's size...

so we can send him to the moon?

This was going to be interesting

Don’t let the smile throw you, he was a little nervous

This is what you look like right before the Space Shuttle simulation experience at NASA

This is what you look like right after the Space Shuttle simulation experience at NASA (just kidding, it wasn’t bad)

This is the first sight you see after getting off the simulation

Underneath Explorer

Getting ready to board the lower level of Explorer

Inside Explorer

Getting ready to enter the upper level of Explorer

Inside Explorer

Rockets

Caleb wanted to walk/run around and take pictures, so the following are pictures of NASA through the eyes of an excited nearly 8 year old

Great day at the Kennedy Space Center

By a pretty good sized replica of the shuttle

Another shuttle replica

Through the lens of the Hubble telescope

It’s a very inspiring visit and was a very good day!

Orlando - General Assembly 2009 Day 6

2009-06-19T17:23:00.000-07:00

Where we are staying while in Orlando. It’s only 6 miles from Disney World, so I guess we’ll just have to check it out.

This picture is specifically for the benefit of Renee who is worried that we might not be eating healthy on our trip. So, there you go Renee.

True story – our first full day in Orlando, I asked Caleb what he wants to do (Disney, Universal Studios, etc), and he said he just wanted to toss the football around with me. Makes a dad’s heart feel really special, especially a couple of days before Father’s Day! I took this right after Caleb threw a nice pass my way. This field is right in front of our hotel room.

After tossing the football around, we eventually made our way to Disney World

We rode the Monorail into the park

He’s on the phone telling mom where he is

Can’t wait to get on the first of many rides

Getting ready to drive

Crazy driver

HELP!

They’ll give anyone a license

It was a wild drive, but we made it

His goal with this ride was to spin so hard and make me puke. Made me dizzy but no puke.

Some weird space alien and next to him a three eyed creature. This was actually a fun ride we did twice, and you can rest assured and sleep well tonight, we have saved the planet from all alien creatures.

Battling space creatures

Night time in front of the castle that changes color

The park ends the evening with a pretty impressive parade

More parade

These rodents can play

The three pigs

You know who these are

The night concluded with a spectacular fireworks display

More fireworks

Early 4th of July

Caleb wanted to take the ferry boat back to the parking lot. It was a good idea. After a long, fun day, ice cream sounds good, which is exactly what we did.

Orlando - General Assembly 2009 Day 5

2009-06-18T22:53:00.000-07:00

Last day on our five day road trip to Orlando. This is in Birmingham, Alabama.

The Alabama / Florida state line

Welcome to Florida!

There’s the thumbs up again

We really are excited about making it to Florida (first time for us) and getting to Orlando tonight!

Orlando - General Assembly 2009 Day 4

2009-06-17T22:41:00.000-07:00

Next stop, Memphis, Tennessee, where we visited the Lorraine Motel, the site of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968.

It’s also the site of the National Civil Rights Museum. No pictures are allowed inside.

Caleb did a report on MLK in first grade. It’s one thing to do searches and see pictures online, it’s another thing entirely to see it for yourself in person.

They’ve done a remarkable job in preserving history

He was staying in room 306 and stepped outside when he was shot.

The view looking toward Mulberry Street

On a lighter note, we drove to the other side of Memphis and visited Graceland

At the entrance to Graceland

At the front of the Mansion right on Elvis Presley Boulevard

In front of Elvis’ planes

One of Elvis’ suits

Another one of Elvis’ suits

Caleb dressed up as Elvis last Halloween and so he thinks all this is really cool.

We had dinner at the Rock n’ Roll Café right across the street from Graceland where the thumbs up must indicate Caleb’s satisfaction.

In Memphis, we stayed with friends Mike and Carol and their absolutely lovely home.

They actually live a little north of the Mississippi / Tennessee border which is about 20 miles north of Memphis where they have this beautiful 4,500 square foot colonial style home that sits on several acres. We had a great stay with Mike and Carol, they are quality people.

Orlando - General Assembly 2009 Day 3

2009-06-16T21:37:00.000-07:00

Next stop, Denver where we spent the night at Tonya’s parent’s house and got to see family again!

Pit stop in Salina, Kansas

While in Kansas City, I wanted to see the new Global Ministry Center for the Church of the Nazarene

The new Global Ministry Center for the Church of the Nazarene

Caleb took this

I hadn’t planned on going inside, but as I was taking these pictures, a very nice lady encouraged us to come inside.

This is my new friend Cathryn and I say that because we had the most wonderful 45 minute conversation. She is the first person you’ll meet as you walk in and has a great testimony.

I don't know what's up with the thumbs up thing, but he's been doing it the entire trip

Right inside the Global Ministry Center

As we were looking around in the lobby area, we ran into Dr. Daniel Ketchum, General Director for Nazarene Missions International. He remembered me and was kind enough to have a picture with Caleb. Our church is blessed with excellent leadership. We’ll see him again in Orlando next week.

Inside the prayer chapel at the Global Minister Center

Me and Dr. Bresee (founder of the Church of the Nazarene)

Caleb is now an honorary member of the Board of General Superintendents

Portraits of all past and current General Superintendents of the Church of the Nazarene

Conference room where the General Superintendents have teleconferences with regional field directors around the world. It’s so much more cost effective than flying them into Kansas City.

Caleb took this picture of the other side of the conference room because he thought the world map was cool.

The sweetest lady offered us a tour of the General Superintendent’s offices. I certainly wasn’t expecting that. This is Dr. Porter’s office.

Dr. Middendorf’s office. He presided over our District Assembly last month and did such an excellent job!

What does a General Superintendent’s desk look like the week before General Assembly? This is Dr. Cunningham’s desk and it looks like the General’s have some reading to do on the flight to Orlando.

Dr. Gunter’s desk. Their offices are surprisingly simple. They also each get the newest releases from the Nazarene Publishing House right on their desk.

Caleb liked the new Global Ministry Center

I have many friends in the Kansas City area, but I really wanted to see my friends Glen and Angie and their son Jordon. I became friends with Glen while I was in seminary (ask me how sometime, it's a neat story) and we’ve been good friends ever since.

Orlando - General Assembly 2009 Day 2

2009-06-15T20:56:00.000-07:00

First stop was at grandma and grandpa’s house in Idaho.

Took this picture just outside of Cheyenne, Wyoming. It's hard to tell, but the sky was especially beautiful.

Orlando - General Assembly 2009 Day 1

2009-06-14T22:28:00.000-07:00

As Caleb and I are headed to Orlando for a week of Work and Witness, then General Assembly, several of you shared how you enjoyed as we blogged through our sabbatical and so we’ll try and do it for Orlando. So, Sunday afternoon, Caleb and I packed my truck and headed down the road after saying bye to Micah, Renee, and her parents who are staying with them while we are gone.

First stop on our road trip was in Bend, and yes, we are transporting livestock, a couple of rabbits to grandpa's house in Idaho. It was a beautiful drive!

BBQ to Kick Off Summer 2009

2009-06-02T21:53:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of pictures from our church BBQ last Sunday -

we had a great time!

First Hispanic Service

2009-05-18T20:19:00.000-07:00

I am continually amazed at how the Lord is moving in our church! What an outstanding first Hispanic worship service that was held at our church yesterday! The guest speaker was Rev. José Aguilar, Nazarene pastor from Portland. The people were excited to be in the service, there were many children who came, and most importantly, the Holy Spirit was evident in a wonderful way! The plan is to begin holding weekly services in Spanish later in the summer. Continue to keep Pedro and this new ministry in your prayers!

We had a great time of fellowship following the worship service making new friends and eating great tasting Mexican food and dessert!

New Property

2009-05-04T08:30:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in church yesterday, if good things come to those who wait, then great things come to those who wait on God. As you know, the membership of our church voted last October to purchase 3.5 acres on Jasper Road, and we’re simply waiting on the Lord for His perfect timing, in His perfect ways. Saturday I received a phone call that we are one step closer to securing financing to be able to purchase this land! God knows exactly what He is doing. Stay in prayer as the Lord continues to have His hand upon our congregation!

We're Giving Birth!

2009-04-20T06:21:00.000-07:00

God continues to move in great ways in our church! For the first time in the 60 year history of our church, we’re giving birth to a new church! This picture was taken Sunday, April 19, 2009 and shows Pedro Ortiz Hernandez (on the right in the stripped blue and green shirt) and all but one of the core families of the Springfield Hispanic Church of the Church (de la Iglesia del Nazareno de Springfield). In the back are Dr. Keith Wright, interim District Superintendent of the Oregon Pacific District Church of the Nazarene, and Dr. Mario Zani, Hispanic Ministries Coordinator for the Oregon Pacific District. This new congregation will hold its first service at the Springfield Church on Sunday, May 17th at 5:00 pm. Thank you Springfield church family for your overwhelming prayer support for this great new addition to our church family!

Good to be Back!

2009-04-11T07:51:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday was our first Sunday back after enjoying a 13 week sabbatical. In our church, when a pastor has served in the same church for 7 years, they are eligible for a sabbatical. We had a great time and will be looking forward to our next sabbatical in 2016. But it was so good to be back in our church. We were so graciously welcomed back by our church family! There were balloons everywhere, outside, inside. The platform was covered with balloons.

Special welcome back potluck

Special cake!

It took us an hour to drive to church Sunday morning, as there were at least 30 signs which began in our front yard, all along the highway, right up to the church welcoming us back. There were some busy bodies working late Saturday night!

Sabbatical week 13 - final week

2009-04-05T07:24:00.000-07:00

In Mazatlán, Mexico

This picture was taken in the back of a taxi pickup truck that took us from Old Mazatlán to New Mazatlán.

We had lunch here one day at The Shrimp Factory – very good. Mazatlán exports over 40 million pounds of shrimp each year.

Caleb likes the shrimp. We had shrimp cocktail, breaded jumbo shrimp, beer battered shrimp, grilled jumbo shrimp, imperial jumbo and coconut grilled and breaded shrimp - it's all good.

This is a place called Señor Frog’s that is a higher end clothing line for children.

We visited the main Catholic Church in Mazatlán, founded by Spanish missionaries with construction beginning in the late 1800’s.

90 % of the population of Mexico is Catholic.

This really is a cathedral.

The front of the church.

Gold plated chandelier, we were told it was the heaviest in Mexico.

What a chair, or should I say throne.

Continuing on with the Stations of the Cross in the church in Mazatlán, the sixth station is of Veronica wiping Jesus' face with her veil (there is no reference of a Veronica in the Gospels as not all of the Stations of the Cross have scriptural basis).

The seventh station is Jesus falling a second time.

The eighth station is Jesus encountering the daughters of Jerusalem.

The ninth station is Jesus falling a third time.

The tenth station is Jesus being stripped of His garments.

I don’t believe there’s a beach in Oregon that can compare with the beaches in Mazatlán.

We had swimsuits for the boys...

...but didn't have time to get them on them before their shirts were off and they were in the warm water.

The beaches in Mazatlán were our favorite.

"Found a sea shell, see?" Caleb came home with a bag full of shells.

Next stop, beautiful Puerto Vallarta on the Mexican Riviera.

Where we were greeted by these guys who stood on this pole 90 feet in the air and began a circular, aesthetic descent.

Slowly and gracefully they decend...

...until they make their final decent. It was quite impressive to say the least. These guys earn their living on tips from tourists.

The area at the top of the street is where Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor owned homes and had their rendezvous.

We visited the main Catholic Church in Puerto Vallarta, built in the late 1800’s.

A magnificent structure.

Here in the church in Puerto Vallarta, the eleventh station is the Crucifixion, Jesus being nailed to the cross.

The twelfth station is when Jesus dies on the cross.

The thirteenth station is the Lamentation, Jesus' body being removed from the cross.

The fourteenth station is Jesus being laid in the tomb and covered in incense.

Not all Catholic churches have the 15th station (the ones in Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta didn’t), but the church in Cabo San Lucas did, so I included this 15th station from the Cabo church - Jesus rising from the tomb.

Inside the church in Puerto Vallarta. What a pulpit.

Quite ornate

Catholic Church in Puerto Vallarta.

Making friends with a couple of iguanas. They really took to me.

Overlooking a resort in Puerto Vallarta.

Beach in Puerto Vallarta.

Those are big waves.

Checking out the waves.

Playing in the sand.

A picture perfect afternoon.

Here comes another wave!

Playing as the sun is about to set.

We love Mexico!

Doing some shopping in an outdoor market.

This is how Tiger Woods started out.

This is really just a regular sized checkers game, we just shrunk and became really tiny.

Sunday morning we attended the Redding First Church of the Nazarene.

Where Pastor Campbell was preaching through a Lenton sermon series.

Last day of sabbatical, we are back home, and Micah and I visited Caleb at school and had lunch with him and his friends.