Dr. Harry Wendt to Preach at LoL

Dr. Harry Wendt of Crossways International will be at Lord of Life next Sunday, April 5th. In 1979, the Rev. Dr. Harry Wendt established Crossways International (CI), an organization which has become a leading transdenominational, non-profit ministry promoting Bible study worldwide. CI's materials incorporate visually-based study methods developed and field tested by Dr. Wendt during 24 years while serving as a pastor in New Zealand, Australia, and the United States.

CI's materials are highly regarded around the world. Our courses are widely acclaimed because they are theologically sound, clearly written and incorporate illustrations that make the biblical narrative come alive! More than 35,000 clergy, teachers and lay leaders from all major denominations in over 60 countries, with translations into over 35 languages, have been trained by CI to use our materials to teach others in their congregations and communities. Each year over 100,000 people (50,000 in the U.S.) undertake a study using one of our courses.

We look forward the message Dr. Wendt will share with us.

Weekend in Review

The weekend usually starts on Friday for me. Friday is my day off. It started off well, when I got a free gift $5 gift card for Starbucks from the dealership we bought our van from. Yeah!

Barbara and I had a night on the town. We put Abby to bed Friday night and it was off to Walmart to go grocery shopping. My we are getting old.

Saturday we enjoyed a fun night with some other families at LoL with fondue. It seemed like every child that was there (probably 10 or so) cried at some point in time during the night. Too much stimulation!

The big news for the weekend was the snow Saturday night into Sunday morning. It was probably the most treacherous drive I have ever had on Rt 38 since we moved to Maple Park. When I started out I counted four cars in the ditch before I counted one on the road. Needless to say our Sunday morning attendance took a little hit, especially at our 8:30 service.

But worship was great. I spoke this weekend about prayer. Ephesians 3:20 says God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to his power that is at work within us. The reality is that we do not ask enough of God in prayer. He is able to do more than we can dream about in even our wildest dreams. The best thing is that power is not removed from us, but it resides in us.

The snow made for a fun afternoon. We made a snow man in our front yard. But with the warm temperatures it did not even make it to dinner time.

Bunch of Stuff

I am going to give you a few bullet points in my weekly email, as there are a good number of things I wanted to share. I apologize if my email is more informational than inspirational this week.

• First, thank you for your prayers on Tuesday. It was a wonderful experience and a great honor to pray for the work of our State Senate. I understand that the online video was not working very well. It might have been related to the fact that they started a half hour late.
  

• Have you got your tickets for the Seder Dinner yet? This Sunday, March 28, will be your last opportunity. The dinner will be on April 5 (Palm Sunday) at 5pm. The Seder Dinner is the traditional dinner Jesus shared with his disciples the night he was betrayed. It is a great worship and learning experience filled with insight on the Lord's Supper.

• We are now a little over two weeks away from Easter. Do you know who you are planning on inviting yet? People are more receptive to an invitation to come to Easter services than at any other time of year. Consider three people to invite who might actually say yes. You will not know unless you take the chance.
  

• I want to invite you again to join me and our Lord of Life staff for fasting and prayer on Wednesdays at noon. We meet in the Fellowship Center. We will be there the next two Wednesdays leading up to Easter. The next two weeks we want to pray for the preparation for Easter that it will be an incredible celebration and we will see many people come to faith in Christ.

• The One Month to Live Campaign will kick off on Easter Sunday. You can participate in this challenge in two different ways besides attending the Sunday morning worship. One is by participating in a One Month to Live Group. We currently have 7 groups (we are praying for more) that are participating in this church wide campaign. If you would like to participate in a OMTL group, we will be hosting sign ups for the groups on the connection cards on Sunday morning starting April 5. So make sure to keep an eye out for that. (If your group would be interested in participating or if you would be interested in leading a group, just reply back to this email and we will get you set up.) Finally, you will be able to purchase the book One Month to Live on either Palm Sunday or Easter Sunday at Lord of Life. The book is divided into 30 short daily readings for you to work through on your own or with a partner.

• On Palm Sunday Dr. Harry Wendt of Crossways International will be our guest speaker. We look forward to hosting him at Lord of Life and anticipate with great excitement the message he will bring.

• Finally, we will wrap up our current message series - Holy Habits, Wholly Living - this weekend. We will be discussing the Holy Habit of Prayer. Come discover the key to effective prayer.

Have a great end of the work week. I look forward to seeing you on Sunday, the Lord's Day!

True Worshiper

I picked up this book a two weeks ago. It took me about a day to read it. It is a short read, but it is filled with insight. I think that we will make this to be required reading for worship team members at Lord of Life.

It is not going to teach you how to play an instrument or how to sing, but it will teach you what the Bible says about worship. Worship has very little to do with music. It is more about the heart and the attitude that we approach our day with.

This is not just a book for a praise team member, but a book for any Christian. In America we sometimes like to complain about worship. But after reading this book, you will learn not to complain because you will realize that the true measure of worship is not what we get out of it, but it is what we gave. Worship is not about what I get out of it, but about what I give to him.

For more information on Tom Kraeuter, his books, and his seminars visit: www.training-resources.org.

Prayer before the Senate

We made it back safely home, in spite of all the wind today. It was enough to blow you over in Springfield.

I arrived about 45 minutes early at the capital. When I pulled in they had me park right up next to the front of the capitol building. Too cool.

Barbara and I were escorted into the Senate Chambers as the senators began to come in. Unfortunately, there was a delay so the session did not begin until a half hour late. In the meantime I was able to wander around a bit on the floor.

I gave the prayer. I prayed for wisdom for our officials. I prayed that they would govern our State with integrity. I prayed that they would be good stewards of what they had been entrusted with. I prayed for the families in our communities who are going through crisis. And I prayed for unity among our leaders. I concluded all that in the name of Jesus my Savior. That's the short version! Although I only had one minute so it wasn't much more.

Afterwards, I spent some time with Senator Lauzen and was able to meet a few other senators as well. I enjoyed the insight that he shared about the Senate and some of the things he was trying to put through in legislation.

Another interesting thing was the Hinkley girls basketball team was there, who had won state. They are just down the road from us.

We very much enjoyed the day.

Information about the Illinois General Assembly

I will be sending out my weekly email later this week, but I wanted to give you an update on my appearance before the Illinois General Assembly tomorrow (March 24). I will be giving the Prayer of Invocation at noon in Springfield.

If you are interested you can watch it at www.ilga.gov. One thing I learned while testing it out is that you will need a PC to watch. It will not work on a Mac.

They told me I have one minute. So you will not want to tune in late or you will miss it.

I thank Senator Chris Lauzen for this opportunity. Please pray for the Lord to give me the right words.

Weekend Recap

We celebrated the 4th birthday of a very special girl this weekend. We started with a pizza party on Friday night at church. This was an Awana party. Lots of fun and kids running wild (KRW).

On Saturday we had a birthday at Chuck E. Cheese with some kiddie friends. The pizza at CC is incredible (incredibly bad). But who goes there for the pizza.

Today, we had a party with the family. I love this picture. Looks like she is going to kiss the candle. Don't want to burn those lips.


Great worship this morning. Billy is doing a great job as our new worship leader. I had our chair set up crew set up two extra rows of chairs this weekend. I am glad they did, because we had a full house at 10am.



We've got one more week left in our message series - Holy Habits, Wholly Living. We conclude next week with the Holy Habit of prayer.

On Palm Sunday, Dr. Harry Wendt will be preaching at Lord of Life. I look forward to the message he will bring.

This week I will be opening the Illinois State General Assembly with prayer on Tuesday. We all know our State needs a lot of prayer with the events of the past few months. Pray for me at noon, for the right words.

Looking forward to a great week ahead.

This is what it is about

This story was shared with me by Brian LeFevre, a member at LOL. It is a story written about his grandmother by his niece.

Bent over a copy of Guideposts, Joe read slowly and carefully while Eleanor, sitting upright in her bed, listened thoughtfully. This scene was a familiar one, part of Eleanor’s daily routine of rising early, followed by Folgers coffee and quiet time with the Lord. Joe knew that when he was finished reading, Eleanor would ask him questions to see if he was paying attention and to ascertain how the reading made him feel. They would share their thoughts and memories with one another, often trading stories about their families. It was in those conversations that their friendship developed, and through the work of the Holy Spirit, Joe came to know God more fully and deeply.

My great grandmother Eleanor Mueller was ninety-nine years old when Joe began caring for her at Lutheran Hillside Village in Peoria, Illinois. The widow of a pastor, mother of three and grandmother of many, Eleanor had lived a rich and faithful life. At ninety-nine she still had the same bright eyes, brilliant smile, sharp wit and no-nonsense attitude she possessed in her earlier years. She was devastated when my great grandfather passed away at the age of ninety-seven in 2002, and in the days following his death, Eleanor often said how much she wished God would take her home to be with Alvin in heaven.

Yet God often surprises us with his plans, and as it turned out, Eleanor had more to do in this world before her time would come.

When Joe Newcomb met Eleanor in March 2006, he was a new employee at the assisted living center. He had taken the position shortly after his mother’s death. It was a difficult time for Joe, and caring for Eleanor was no easy task—she always wanted everything just so. In the beginning, Joe worried Eleanor didn’t like him. Looking back, Joe says, “[Our story] reminds me a little bit of Driving Miss Daisy. [Eleanor] thought I didn’t like her because I used to call her ‘Sunshine.’ She straightened that out right away. . . . I felt a little bit like she didn’t like me. I was totally new at this.” Eleanor confided in her daughter Alice that she felt uncomfortable with the idea of having a male caretaker, but Alice encouraged her to keep an open mind. Yet it took Eleanor some time to warm up to Joe.

And so, time passed. As it did, Joe grew accustomed to Eleanor’s routine, and she began to trust him. Once they began reading and talking with one another, the wall that had formed between them began to dissolve. Eleanor opened up to Joe about her past: she talked about her love for her parents, siblings, husband and daughters and Joe listened intently. In the same way, Joe told Eleanor about his mother’s life and the impact of her death, and Eleanor offered support and guidance. Today Joe says that Eleanor is the one who helped him in his grieving stage.

As they spent more time with one another, Eleanor began to talk with Joe about her faith. “She knew he didn’t really go to church and that really bothered her,” said her daughter Alice. Although Joe believed in God, he did not attend worship services and was wary of returning to the church. Concerned for Joe’s spiritual well-being, Eleanor often told him, “You need a church family.” Sometimes Joe would agree, but he did not act on her advice. Eleanor confided in her daughter that she felt discouraged at Joe’s reluctance, but Alice would remind her, “Mom, you gotta let the Holy Spirit work now.”

Advent came and went, and during that season of anticipation and new birth, something miraculous happened. Early on Christmas Eve, Joe asked Eleanor what her plans were for Christmas Day, expecting to hear about a family celebration. Instead, Eleanor informed him she planned to stay in her room. Joe looked at her in disbelief: he knew how much Eleanor’s family meant to her, and he urged her to reconsider. It was no use; she did not want to go, and it seemed to Joe that there was nothing he could say to change her mind. Except . . . there was one thing he knew might make a difference—but it would mean Joe would have to overcome his own adamant resistance.

After taking a deep breath, Joe said, “Eleanor, I’ll make a deal with you. I’ll go to church tonight if you go your daughter’s house on Christmas Day.” Eleanor’s eyes grew wide and she turned her head, deep in thought. She sat for a moment, reveling in what Joe had just agreed to. Sure enough, she accepted his deal, eyes twinkling with a secret grin.

That evening, Joe worshiped at Trinity Lutheran for the first time. Joe felt ineffable warmth in the room that night—a feeling he’d never experienced before. “I knew this was where I was supposed to be,” he said. On Christmas Day Eleanor held up her end of the deal and joined her family for their holiday gathering.

Over the next year, Eleanor’s health deteriorated, and she increasingly relied on Joe for support. He was there for her when she was having a “down day,” and she was there for him when he was feeling sad. They continued to read and share and connect, but Eleanor’s condition continued to worsen. As her family members came to visit, it seemed that she was saying good-bye to some of them for the last time.

Soon it was Christmas Eve again. When Joe asked Eleanor what her plans were for that evening, she remarked that she would be staying in her room. Joe knew Eleanor was feeling very weak, but he felt she needed to spend one last Christmas praising God in the nurturing environment she loved. This time Joe was the persistent one, and he urged Eleanor to attend the service: “Don’t you think it’s time for you to say good-bye to the church?” he asked. Eleanor’s eyes sparkled, and, realizing the significance of Joe’s words, she replied, “You know, I think I can do that.”

That Christmas Eve, Joe again worshiped at Trinity Lutheran, this time alongside Eleanor, who was beaming with joy. She was simply radiant as she stood in church that evening, dressed in a crimson-colored jacket that once belonged to Joe’s mother. Later on that evening, as Joe readied Eleanor for bed, he noticed that she seemed completely at peace. Three days later she went home to her Father in heaven. She was one-hundred and one years old.

It is always bittersweet when a loved one who has lived a long and faithful life passes away. Our family was happy that my great grandmother had joined great grandpa in heaven, but we will always miss her gentle heart and strong faith that continued to shine until death.

While she was alive on earth, Eleanor did not see Joe become a church member (as she had hoped), but Joe says that after that Christmas, he knew he needed to be a church member for his life to be complete. A few months after Eleanor’s funeral, Joe went to the new member information class at Trinity Lutheran and made a commitment to the church. That year Joe was baptized and became a church member. Joe is very active at Trinity today: he attends regularly, serves as an usher, and now thinks of the church as his family. Looking back, Joe says his relationship with Eleanor left a lasting impact on his life—her friendship and guidance was an unexpected gift from God. “There was a reason why we got put together. When I was with Eleanor it gave me a doorway to make more of a commitment [to God]. She helped me grow in my faith, and she led me to where I am today.”

Now and again, it’s easy to forget how powerful it is to simply invite others in our immediate circle to partake in the simple act of devotion or worship. Perhaps it is because we worry about rejection; we are afraid of going outside of our comfort zone or appearing too evangelistic. Maybe it’s because an invitation implies a sort of commitment on our part to hold up “our end of the deal” and follow through in answering questions and making a guest feel comfortable.

But the truth is, oftentimes we make sharing the good news harder than it needs to be. It’s a simple conversation, “full of grace” (Col 4:6) that can plant a seed; a prayer that can ignite the Holy Spirit; an invitation, a special deal that can initiate growth. If we, like Eleanor, “go and tell them how much the Lord has done for [us]” (Mark 5:19), wonderful, everyday miracles can happen.

E. Dalpini

A Verse for Today

"You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me! 

I sing for joy because of what you have done!"  Psalm 92:4 NLT

This verse is a key to our worship.  Any passion, any enthusiasm, any praise for the Lord starts with what he has done for us.  Isn't it thrilling?

It's not about doing more

One of the things I have thought about during this message series (Wholly Habits, Wholly Living) is that each time we add a habit we are adding one more thing to do to our already busy schedules. However, that is not really the intent. It is not so much about doing more, but transforming the ways we do what we do. If anything, one of the goals of this message series would be for us to simplify our lives.

This is especially true when it comes to the discipline of worship. Worship is not intended to be one more thing we do on Sunday morning. Rather worship is everything we do. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, "Whatever you do, do it for the glory of God."

This past week I have been reading a book entitled "Becoming a True Worshipper" by Tom Kraeuter. In this book he relates the following story:

A professor was flying home after an exhausting weekend. He was tired and just wanted to be left alone. However, the flight attendant was so polite and helpful he finally said to here, "Delta Airlines is fortunate to have you working for them."

Her response stunned him. "Sir, my real employer is not Delta Airlines. I work for Jesus Christ. He is the greatest of all bosses."

Hmm. Sounds like doing all for the glory of God.

Worship is not an activity we do for just one hour on a Sunday morning. It is everything we do. If there is not a song for the Lord upon our hearts for 6 six days of the week, there will not be one on the seventh either. You can't just turn it on Sunday morning and then turn it off the rest of the week. God is all seeing and all knowing and we are only fooling ourselves if we think we can convince him of our adoration by a one hour charade on Sunday morning. We are called to a lifestyle of worship.

This is a mindset that will transform our worship. We will measure our worship in a whole new way. The measure of our worship will not what we get out of it. It will not be how in sync the praise team was on Sunday morning. It will not be how much we learned from the pastor's message. Rather it will be about the measure of the sacrifice of praise we brought to him. The question will be, "Did I worship the Lord with all my heart, all my mind, all my soul, all my strength, or did I leave something behind, that I could have given more?"

To worship in such a way that I have nothing more to give! That there would be no other gift I could bring, because I have given everything I could give - it still falls short of what God deserves.

I leave you with these words that I love from the old Lutheran hymn - Oh, That I had a Thousand Voices:

       1. Oh that I had a thousand voices
      To praise my God with thousand tongues!
      My heart, which in the Lord rejoices,
      Would then proclaim in grateful songs
      To all, wherever I might be,
      What great things God hath done for me.

      2. O all ye powers that He implanted,
      Arise, and silence keep no more;
      Put forth the strength that He hath granted,
      Your noblest work is to adore.
      O soul and body, be ye meet
      With heartfelt praise your Lord to greet!

What if you had one month to live?

What if you were told that you had one month to live? How would it affect you? How would you change what you are doing today? What regrets would you work to resolve?

The reality is that most of us will live past the next 30 days. However, our time on this earth is limited. We get one life to live and one opportunity to make the most of it.

I believe that by embracing our mortality and the hope that we have in Jesus Christ, we can live this life to the fullest. We are able to embrace the time we have on this earth. Rather than postponing and putting off our dreams for which God created us for, we will strive with all we have to complete the race. Too many of us live with a "someday" mentality, but that "someday" is "today."

For he (God) says, "In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation. 2 Corinthians 6:2

On Easter Sunday, we will celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. At the same time we will celebrate the life we are given through his resurrection. I am talking not just about the difference for eternal life in heaven, but the difference the resurrection makes to allow us to live a no-regrets lifestyle while we are still on this earth. Because Jesus lives we too can live full and complete lives.

Today, I want to challenge you to consider taking the One Month to Live Challenge. 30 Days to a no-regrets lifestyle starting on Easter Sunday. You can take part in this challenge in one of two ways. The first will be reading the book "One Month to Live" by Kerry and Chris Shook. This book contains 30 daily readings to guide you through the One Month to Live Challenge. The second opportunity is to join one of our study groups that will be working through the One Month to Live study guides. These groups will meet for 6 weeks and sign ups for these groups will be available over the next couple of Sundays leading up to Easter.

The biggest regrets we will have when we get to heaven, will not so much be the things that we did. Our biggest regrets will be the things that we failed to do. By taking the One Month to Live Challenge we will be empowered to live to embrace every opportunity before us that when we look back we will do so with no regrets.

A Weekend in Review

This was a good weekend in more ways than one.

Yesterday, I took some members of our praise team at Lord of Life to a worship seminar in Rockford (www.worshipseminar.com). The seminar was led by Tom Kraeuter. Enjoyed it much and was able to take away a few things to use in the near future.

Today, I preached on the importance of God's Word. My main emphasis is that the Bible is not something we worship. We worship God and the Bible is a tool that God gives to us to show us how to worship him. Let's open it up!

We also had a blood drive at Lord of Life. This was the third time I have given blood. The previous two I had practically passed out. But not this time. I passed with flying colors.

Enjoyed a beautiful day outside with the family. Abby was showing off riding her tricycle and we took some time to fly a kite. It takes a lot longer to bring the kite back in than it does to get it flying.

Grilled out for the first time this year! That was exciting.

We also got notification tonight that Barbara's student loans from Virginia Tech are now officially paid off. We are out from under that debt. Hooray!

Looking for an exciting week ahead.

Stop reading your Bible

Thought that headline might catch you off guard!

We are a few weeks into our current Lenten message series entitled "Holy Habits, Wholly Living." We have studied the habits of fasting, quiet, and personal growth. This week we come to the Holy Habit of God's Word.

Maybe you have heard this story before. It is about a new pastor who arrived at a new church. On the second Sunday after he arrived he preached the same sermon as he preached on the first Sunday. The members of the congregation thought it was a bit strange, but they didn't say anything. However, when he preached the same sermon for a third Sunday in a row, the Elders asked to see him after the service. They said, "Pastor we really love that sermon, but you have preached it three times now. You really need to preach a different sermon." To that the pastor replied, "I will preach a different sermon when you start living the first one."

When it comes to God's Word, it is not how much we know of it, but how much we live it. For some of us, the last thing we need is another Bible class. The last thing we need is to read another chapter of Scripture. Rather we need to start living and applying that which we have already read and heard and know. It is easy to fall into the trap of learning the Bible for the sake of learning the Bible.

What is a tool that is not used? Useless! We can know everything there is to know about God's Word, but if we don't put it into practice we will miss out on the power of the Word. Jesus says, "blessed are those who hear the Word AND OBEY!" (Luke 11:28) God does not call us to be Bible scholars, but Bible practitioners. The Word is not given to us for our information but for transformation.

Now don't go out there telling people that the pastor told you not to read your Bible. I'm not saying don't read your Bible. What I am saying is don't make reading your goal, make believing to be your goal.

Here is a challenge for you. Instead of making it a goal to read you Bible each day, make it a goal to write out one application each day from the Word that you can personally accomplish. The reality is you are going to need you Bible to do that. The reality is that if you start living it out and you start experiencing the power of the Word, you are going to be drawn back again and again and again and again and . . .

They are not idle Words, they are your life. (Deuteronomy 32:47) God's Word is living and active and we just can't leave these words on the pages book, but to write them on our hearts!

Dinner Auction

We had a lot of fun last night. A big thank you to everyone who helped make this event possible. Especially you Lori!

How is God speaking to You?

We have come to the second week of our fasting challenge. I pray that you have been encouraged as you have practiced this discipline. No one said it would be easy. It is hard. Real hard! No doubt you have been hungry. No doubt you have wanted something to eat. If we only hungered as much for Jesus and His Word!

When we put it into perspective, it is not nearly as hard as what Jesus willingly endured upon the cross for us. He gave up his life. Not only did he give up his life, but it was an agonizing death he suffered. When we fast, it helps us to put into perspective the depth of his love and the great lengths he went to save us from our sin.

Last Sunday, I added quiet solitude to go along with fasting. We live such fast paced busy lives. We have so much to get done. We often feel as if there are not enough minutes in a day.

But the reality is that God gave us just enough time to accomplish the significant purpose for which we were created. If you have more to do than you have time to get it done. Then you are doing too much. You are doing more than God intended for you to do. God in his infinite wisdom created 24 hours in a day, 7 days in a week, and 365 days in a year. He has numbered your days, so that you can complete all that you were made to do.

If you are doing so much that you don't have time to stop, that is precisely the reason you need to stop. It is time to be quiet and to listen to the voice of God. When we take the time to listen to God, he speaks to us to give us a higher perspective, to sort out his priorities, to build our faith, to renew our strength, and to grow us to spiritual maturity. In other words, it is in the quiet that we discover God's effectiveness and efficiency to accomplish all that he has called us to accomplish.

So make sure to take that time this week. Spend some quiet time with him. Listen to hear what he has to say to you. The quiet may not be something you are comfortable with. All I can say is try it. Discover the blessing!

I leave you this week the 23rd Psalm redo that I shared on Sunday. Some of you had requested a copy of this. So I am glad to share:

The Lord is my strength, I shall not panic;
He helps me relax and rest in quiet trust.
He reminds me that I belong to Him and restores my serenity;
He leads me in my decisions and gives me calmness of mind.
His presence is peace.
Even though I walk through the valley of the fear of failure,
I will not worry, for He will be with me.
His truth, grace, and lovingkindness will stabilize me.
He prepares release and renewal in the midst of my stress.
He anoints my mind with wisdom;
My cup overflows with fresh energy.
Surely goodness and mercy will be communicated through me,
For I shall walk in the strength of my Lord,
And dwell in His presence forever. Amen.

Axiom

One book I especially enjoy in the Bible is Proverbs. The reason that I like Proverbs is that it is filled with nuggets of wisdom. You can spend a couple of minutes or hours pondering the truths in this book.

The book Axiom is much like the book of Proverbs. It is a quick read. I breezed through this book in less than a week. It is filled with insights from Bill Hybel's experiences as the leader of Willow Creek Community Church.

There are many different opinions about Willow Creek, but there is no denying that they have accomplished much for the kingdom. One would be foolish to think that there is nothing to be learned from Bill Hybels.

Whether you have 5 minutes or 5 hours, you can walk away with new and profound insights. I found that the best way to take this book was one chapter at a time and then to ponder and reflect that truths of God's Word as they related.

I have learned so much in my 9 years of being a pastor. Seminary training is good. I learned a lot about being a pastor and a theologian. But I did not learn much about being a leader. Rick Warren has a quote that goes along the line of "you want to lead a church of 125 you can go to seminary, but if you want to lead a church that is any larger you need to go to seminars." I can relate to this.

I think this will be keeping Axiom close at hand for reference.

Hello March

How does the saying go? In like a lion and out like a lamb. March is here. The promise of warmer weather. We are about one month from opening day of baseball. Days are getting longer. I noticed I am occasionally driving home while it is still light out.

Yeah!