The Returning Couple

 From time to time in the world of church planting it becomes necessary to bring a couple home for redirection or even for rescue. I am glad that we can do this and that we do not leave couples hanging out on a limb once we send them out. It is part of our support for pioneering couples that we cover their expenses including a return trip home.

One thing that the returning couple has to deal with is that the church they left has changed and people that they knew have moved on in life. Things are not just like they remember when they left. And now they have the baggage of a failed attempt hanging on them.

It is easy to be excited for the couples when they leave. Their enthusiasm is contagious. It can be easy to share tips or ideas with them. Every couple we send goes with great promise of success. Most make it, and some succeed. But a few try and fail.  And now they are back in our church where we have to figure out how to deal with them.

One thing we can do is pray for the returning couples. God needs to help them adjust and fit in. God can sort out what happened and He makes a way where there seems to be no way. With God all things are possible. Jesus still heals the broken hearted today!

I Love Going To Church

 "I was glad when they said to me, let us go into the house of the Lord." Psalm122:1

I am glad when it comes up that it's time to go to church. I look forward to seeing my friends and family. I look forward to a time of worship. I look forward to hearing what our pastor has to say. To me, church is a great blessing.

Some people look at church as a burden or an inconvenience. Some people think that they would rather be fishing or shopping or playing something. They would rather be home watching tv. Not me.

I find that I almost always feel better when I leave church on Sunday morning. I feel refreshed and encouraged and revived. The benefit that I get is worth any effort it takes for me to get there.

So, if you want to see me on Sunday morning, you better leave right now. I will be in church where I belong. You know where to find me!

Who Do You Trust?

 Social media is a terrible place to get useful information. You have pseudo experts dispensing so called knowledge that is so broad and generalized as to be useless. Unless of course they are the liars who dispense lies and untruths to try to deceive people.  This is true of health and wellness experts or medical experts and it is also true of religious experts and Bible scholars.

As someone with congestive heart failure I wanted to learn as much as I could about my condition. But I found that along with the knowledge came a spirit of fearfulness. A fear of what might happen. A fear that my life is over.

I also found that with theologians and Bible scholars you do not know the person or their lifestyle or if they have ever been born again. Just like unsaved Christian musicians, these theologians seem to know the Bible but are devoid of truth.

I have a church and I have pastors who I know and who I trust. I have some good doctors who have taken good care of me and I have other doctors who seem to always only see the worst possible outcome. I will trust the one and dismiss the other.

The best church for you is the one where you are now. The grass is no greener on the other side of the fence.

Looking For Support

 When my wife died and I was at my wits end I found Griefshare, a grief support group that saved my life. Now that my heart is failing, I am searching for a support group for people with heart failure. I will find something soon.

Our church does not have this kind of support. It is not what we do nor is is widespread enough to warrant closer attention. But there are a lot of us heart failure folks around to justify some group to organize a support network to help us navigate through the new world of living with heart failure.

If you know me or if you know of such a group, please let me know.

My Thoughts On Change

 "Then He that sat on the throne said, behold, I make all things new." Rev.21:5

Change is a part of life. From birth to death life involves changes. Not all change is equal, not all change is welcome, and not all change is for the better. Here are some thoughts from my perspective on change.

I have been through some changes in life. Some changes were easy, but most were hard. I think that big changes are hard. It's only the small changes that are easy. And as I get older, I find changes that used to be easy becoming harder all the time. I find myself thinking about the good old days, when things were familiar and comfortable, before things changed. Change is hard.

I find that often, if not always, change involves a loss of the familiar. We work hard to find a way that works, then someone says they have found a better way, and we change how we do things. As you get older, you begin to cling to the familiar even if it is old or out of fashion. If it ain't broke, don't fix it is our cry. Change involves a loss of the familiar. Change often involves the loss of the familiar.

Once you have lived a few years you are constantly asked to change who you are and what you do and who you know. We are told this is good for us, that this is a better way. But experience tells us that different is not always better. Change for change sake is an exercise in futility for us. Change for some is an answer to boredom. We ware more willing to change if it makes life easier or better. But while change is different, it is not always better.

Finally, change often involves unwanted loss. We are forced to change due to unwanted or unforeseen circumstances. The death of my spouse forced me into changes that I hated and was afraid of and resented doing. Having to change by losing someone or somethings is still a part of life. But, it can be some of the hardest changes we make in life. Loss forces us to change.

So, while change is a part of life, we still need the Lord's help to navigate through the changes of life. The older we get, the more we need the Lord to help us.

Isaiah Trujillo in Revival

 We are in revival with pastor Isaiah Trujillo this week. He is a great guy and he ministers ably to many important needs in our church. He has been through a lot and he has proven to be a great minister of God's word. I hear glowing reports from those who I talk to. Visitors, people saved, words given.

It is great to see a new generation of guys carrying on the work that my generation started.

Fear A Terrible Motivator

 "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear," 1John 4:18

I have decided that fear of what might happen is a terrible reason to do anything. Some leaders use fear to motivate action from those under them. But actions driven by fear breeds resentment and those led by fear will in time go away. Fear produces torment the apostle says.

In the health care world some doctors can't bring themselves to be positive or to say anything positive. It's like they want you to be ill. They want you to be or to stay sick. And some use the fear of what could happen to try to motivate their patients to have surgery or to take medicine or to have a procedure done.

I am all for anything that fixes me when I am broken or that helps me sustain good conditions. Doing something because you might die if this happens to you is a hard pill to swallow.

There are things worse than death or dying. Living in fear is worse. And if Heaven is our goal, then to die is gain!

"For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Phil. 1:21