This Saturday was Daybreak’s Third Annual Gingerbread House Building Family Fun Morning. We had over 100 people, with over 60% of people coming from the community. The Previous Friday night (Kris Kringle Parade) we handed out between 800 to 1,000 cards and many of those who came were as a result of those cards being put into people’s hands.

What’s really exciting is that so many people came out to have fun, and to spend time as a family. Each person was given a package of Graham Crackers, various candies, a ziplock of royal icing, and a tray to hold everything. From there, it was all up to the imagination. It is pretty amazing what kids (and adults) can do with m&m’s, gum drops, licorice strips, peppermints, etc. . . in two hours.

This is Karine P. who has overseen the Gingerbread House Building Family Fun Morning. This is her third year of leading this outreach event. Way to go Karine, Thank You!

It's funny how things work out. Once a year all the pre-K classes in Frederick County read and enjoy the "Gingerbread Man" as part of their studies. At Brunswick Elem. for over 19 years H-G's teaching assistant has hidden a gingerbread doll and they go on a scavenger hunt to find him. They go all over the school following clues and finally find him their classroom -- except this year they found me in a giant Gingerbread Suit.

The kid's expressions as they entered the room were priceless. They didn't know what to do (laugh, run, hug me, hide, etc...) They wanted me to read the Gingerbread Man story, but you couldn't hear me very well from within the suit. So Kimberly read the book and I acted it out as best I could.

If you ever get a chance to dress up in a giant suit and go to your kids class -- do it. The funny thing is that H-G didn't know who it was in the suit, or was she acting? I'm still not sure either way.

On December 5th Daybreak participated in the Kris Kringle Parade in downtown Frederick. We carried an 8’ banner and handed out cards inviting the community to our Gingerbread House Building Family Fun Morning. We handed out between 800 to 1000 cards (way to go Daybreak!)

Even though I did it last year, I was still amazed at how the Gingerbread suit just makes people smile (especially kids). I had to constantly watch and move slowly because kids would run up to me and hug me and if I wasn’t careful I would knock them down. Once we started down the course I began to run from one side of the street to other shaking hands, giving “high 5’s”, and just having fun.

By 1/3 into the course I was covered with sweat. It dripped into my eyes so that I was slightly blinded, and condensation built up on the inside of the mask. The eye holes were covered with a black mesh which was covered with a layer of moisture again adding to the difficulty in seeing where I was going. Several times Caleb would run up and want to run with me on the route, but I told him to “stay behind the banner” because I was afraid I would run over him. To say I was sweaty would be an understatement, and I don’t want to think about the active Gingerbread men before me.

The smiles on the crowd make it all worth it.

Our season of swim lessons is drawing to a close. This coming Saturday is the last of the lessons and we will miss it because of an event at our church. Kimberly came to take pictures and video. Every time Isaac saw the camera or video he would scream and want to see the digital display (i.e. “dada”). We finally figured out how to have a combination of floats so he could float on his own (a little one his chest, a big one on his back, and two floaties on his arms). If it were up to him to would float all day long, you may even see him yawn in the video.

After our session we go to one of the changing rooms where I shower the chlorine off, dry him off and then get him dressed. The only problem is that when he is fully dry, clean and ready to go, I’m still in my wet bathing suit. So then I get to change while keeping his hands out of the toilet (which doesn’t have a cover), and keeping out of the water that is all over the floor from the shower and our coming into the room from the pool. When it’s all over, I’m half dry and he’s half wet.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today I finally fried our turkey. It was a 15 lb. turkey from Sam’s and it was delicious. I got a little nervous when I put it in because I didn’t have enough oil in the pot. It was six inches too short from covering the backend of the bird. So when I added the extra oil, the temperature dropped to close to 200 degrees. I pumped up the heat (it looked like the back end of a fighter jet) which took about ten minutes to get it back to 300 degrees. The oil began to rumble and there was a little bubbling over the edge of the pot as the oil shot out the end of the bird like a poultry volcano. I cooked it for 55 minutes, and it came out a nice golden brown. This was definitely a cool way to cook something!

I had a ladder set up over the pot and rigged it to a pulley so that I could pull it out in case of emergency (along with a fire extinguisher close by) and so that it could drain into the pot.

This was also the first time I carved an entire turkey. I used and electric knife (of course), and separated the white meat from the dark. The hardest part was keeping Hannah-Grace out of it long enough to finish.

We ended the meal by throwing a nerf football around in the backyard and somehow I fell asleep on our living room floor (how or when I don't remember).

Long story short – our house is still in one piece – no fire, fun with family, and one delicious turkey.

Oh, the bottom picture is deep fried oreos -- yum! And did you notice the name of my blog is something to chew on? When I named it that a year ago, I really didn't think it would have anything to do with cooking. Such is life.

This past Sunday our small group had it's last get-together of the cycle so I wanted us to just have some fun. So we had our first annual "Will it Fry?" Everyone was to bring anything they wanted to try fried. I set up some halogen lights, had a fire extinguisher on hand, and set up a table with all the needed instruments.

Kimberly and I had two chickens, someone else brought potato wedges, and then there were many other things to be tried and fried. Here's the list:
oreos (chocolate and vanilla)
fudge brownies
3 Musketeers
Snickers
Rice Crispy Treats
bananas
apples


Everything we tried came out delicious except for the Rice Crispy Treat. It wouldn't sink, so before it could fry it soaked up the oil like a sponge (yuck).

It was a great night, and I have a feeling there will be a second annual "Will It Fry?"

Isaac has taken to water like Scooby to Scooby Snacks. He loves the water and has no fear what so ever of it. So we have started him in the “Inia and Perch” at the YMCA (am I the Inia or the Perch?). The goal of the class is to acclimate the child to the water, and to learn early skills to swimming. We jump off the side to the tune of “I’m a little tea cup,” and we are working on “reach and pull” and kicking while laying his back. Most of all, I just enjoy spending time with my son and watching him grow.

I remember being in the class with Hannah-Grace not that long ago and now she is taking gymnastics! So I am simply enjoying the time.

Beginning this coming Sunday, Daybreak will begin to gather Operation Christmas Child boxes to send to needy children all over the world. So please begin to gather your materials and share in the joy of giving. You can click on the graphic in this posting and it will give you all the information you need. Remember this is an activity that you can do with your family, as a Sunday school class, small group, etc...

There are some churches that have “discovered” the best way for them to “do church,” and they continue to do this same method, practice, style, etc.. until today. The problem with this inflexibility is that this way of doing church may stretch back fifty or more years. Many look to the church and a worship service to be a place that changes very little over time, and this gives them a sense of comfort.

I have talked with many people over the years who may go to church a half dozen times a year, and they expect it to be exactly the same every time, or it’s not really “church.” I even talked with one gentleman who literally argued with me about how churches should have a cross in their logo, or they were “sell outs.” After more discussion with this I guy I learned that he did not even go to church and had not, nor would not, for some time.

The world has some whacked out views about what a church experience should be like. They also have some healthy and fair expectations of what a church experience should be like. We know that bad experiences with less than credulous Christians greatly impacts a persons desire to attend a local congregation.

So in an effort to show the world how relevant and “real” we are we try to different things to seek to bridge this cultural gap. Change is a healthy and natural part of relating to the world around us – but it has to be within the bounds of what the Bible teaches. In many ways appearance and perception is foundational, and of extreme importance. If people think you are crazy, unapproachable, judgmental, or irrelevant then why would they ever want to set foot in your church services.

Which brings us to this video – they are seeking to blend some things in which you just need to make a choice (dance or no dance, dress or casual, modern music or 80’s, etc…) I believe that when the world sees this mixed up mess (or other things like it), they laugh and are reassured that their choice to sleep in on Sunday has been the right choice. The main problem that I see with this fandango group is that they aren’t willing to let go of tradition but are trying to add modernity to what they have already been doing. Churches have to be willing to learn from the past, treasure tradition, but let go of it in order to move into the future. When you try to do both at the same time it just comes across as comical. Remember culture changes (who still has a 8-track in their car?) but the Bible and it's truths never change. We are to tell the never changing story in ever changing new ways.

As of late, there is within me a strong desire to be alone in the wilderness. To just have time to clear my head and to seek the face of God. I am reminded in Scripture that Moses' and Paul's time in the wilderness transformed them into great leaders, but my times away are stolen fading moments. These men were both transformed by their isolation in a remote wilderness.

Donald Whitney in his book Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, says "When we think with balance we realize that it would be neither right nor desirable to be cloistered from our God given responsibilities involving other people. Biblically reality call us to family, fellowship, evangelism, and ministry for the sake of Christ and His Kingdom. And yet through the Holy Spirit, "deep calls to deep" (Psalm 42:7) in such a way that there is a part that craves silence and solitude."

So one has to find balance in these dual pulls in life. In order to have power and strength, wisdom and direction in service to the multitudes, you have to spend time away from them and with the Father. This is the spiritual discipline of silence and solitude. So I go to the mountain (or Gathland State Park), which is only a couple of miles from my home. I carry a Gideon New Testament and hike. I'll stop and read, pray and mediate -- then hike some more. Some times I'll go for miles, other times less than a mile.

There are several biblical examples of this practice. Elijah went to Mt. Horeb to hear the whisper of God (1 Kings 19:11-13), Habakkuk stood guard alone to see what God would say to him, and Paul went to Arabia after his conversion so he could be alone with God (Galatians 1:17).

It is sometimes stressing to be alone with your own thoughts. How many times do we drown them out with noise so that we won't have to listen? So not only do I go to the mountain to converse and listen for God's voice but I also try to put my own thoughts in order. For a guy, this is easier if you are physically doing something -- I know the Bible says "be still and know I am God," but sometimes I just need to move (in silence) in order to be still later. I just need to get some things out of my system.

Whitney gives several reasons why a Christian should practice solitude and silence:
to follow Jesus' example,
to hear the voice of God better,
to express worship to God,
to express faith in God,
to seek the salvation of the Lord,
to be physically and spiritually restored
to regain a spiritual perspective,
to seek the will of God, to learn to control the tongue

For me it's to be physically and spiritually restored, and even though I haven't been doing it for very long, I can feel the difference. Why don't you try it, and let me know how it went?

Today was our Tiger Scouts first "Go See It" -- this is where the boys get to experience something and experience something new. We went to Daybreak's Respite ministry held at Grace Community Church in Adamstown, MD. The boys did a great job helping where they could. They pushed kids in wheelchairs, swept up hair, and served lunch. They served for about an hour and afterwards had some pizza and hung out. There was a video game room where most of the guys stayed.

We had a member of our church coordinate letting us borrow several new video game programs (playstation, x-box, etc..) -- if I had more time I would have been all over that.

So at the end of the day I believe it was good to get them exposed to kids who may be a little different than they are, to serve the community, and to have a great time. Way to go Tiger Cubs!

This is Hannah, she's a rookie. She worked very hard today and without new people like her willing to give it a try we can't reach and help new families. We had several community groups today that enable us to expand -- so thanks for all of you volunteers!

This is Kim L. she helps Kim R. (I know "the Kims") to organize the monster we call Respite.

This is Kim R. and she's the Director of Rooftop Ministries. Over eight years ago she approached the pastor of Daybreak and myself about starting this ministry and it has grown from a handful of kids to the hundreds that we have today. It takes an amazing amount of organizing to pull a Respite off -- and they do a great job every time.

In case you are wondering (from the video) the green tape on her shoulder means that she "floats" or is a person who is available to help if you need someone. That sums Kim R. up in a nutshell -- always ready to help!

Today was another Daybreak Respite. It was from 9:30am to 2:30pm with an hour clean up on the back end. So I am tired. It was a flurry of the normal energy and movement with only a little administrative drama. For the most part it was all about serving our community in a way that really made an impact.

I have several video and picture posting from today’s event so I will spread them out over several posts. If you served at a Respite then you know what I’m talking about, and if you haven’t – sign up for next time.

Two Sundays ago Daybreak Community Church launched Children’s Worship. Parents can drop their children off at 9:45 where their kids will be provided a breakfast and some “hang out” time. Around 10:05 the kids are encouraged to gather on two large rugs and our Children’s Worship begins. They sing songs (which my kids sing through out the week), listen to an engaging skit, and various other fun activities. It has added so much to our children’s ministry. We are able to focus on the main point of the day, teach our kids about missions (they support a Compassion Child), and have educational fun! It is only going to get better – so check it out one Sunday.

What would you have done?

There are four groups of people and four different philosophies for life, they all came to me the other day when I got away and just went into the woods and followed the Appalachian Trail (just me this time).

1. Those that never dare to enter; like those that coach from the sidelines this group never know what it is like to set foot on the journey. Yes, they never twist and ankle or are chased by a bear, but they never know how to push on through pain or think while on the run. This group of people don’t like to take risks and see this kind of stuff as a waste of money. Their focus is safety, comfort, and security. It’s hard to live a fun life from the inside of a insulated cocoon.

2. Those that travel only a short way; they have the assumption and knowledge that you can’t hike the whole trail in a single afternoon, so they only go into where the shadows begin and just enjoy where they are, thinking this is far enough. They think they are enjoying the moment more because they don’t have to take as much stuff, it’s not as difficult, and you don’t sweat much. But from this vantage point there are no spectacular views, you can still hear the construction worker’s hammers and the swish of traffic. You don’t really get an appreciation for the “woods” because you are still very close, too close.

Every group has “posers.” These are the people who stand close the adventurers and want to be considered one of them because they wear the same kind of shoes, or know the vernacular. But in the end their uniforms are bleach white because they have never been in the game. They are close to the action, but never in the action.

3. Those that walk to a point and turn back; This group has responsibilities and their burdens are heavier than the pack they carry. They know the joy of the journey but can only go so far in an afternoon. Their joy is what is to come (perhaps next time), and they push around one more bend in the trail, and push for a few more minutes. They dream of a day when they will be able to finish, when they will see it all. But it will have to wait until another day, work calls like the call of the wild and they go back.

The trail for them is a medicine that allows them to get away from it all and immerse themselves in things that are foreign to their everyday life. They can climb rock faces, sleep in a hammock, journal, or carve a stick – just because they want to. This is a medicine for them that allows them to clear their head of the fog that is pushing down all around them.

4. Those that venture and traverse the whole trail; they see every overlook and endure the load of their pack for month after month until they see it all. These people are few in number because few can step away for such a long time (on average it takes 6 months), and have the ability to pay for this trip (on average it takes 3-6 thousand), or are willing to endure this way of life for such a long time. At the end they get a cheap patch (which I doubt many wear), but their character is stronger and they have faced down a giant. They are the courageous, the young at heart – the zealous.

Which one are you?

Get out there; today go a little further than you did last time. It’s worth it. I’m in the third group. I love the trail, but I have responsibilities that come first. As my kids grow, we will go further and further and perhaps when they are older we will travel the entire length together (one can dream can’t he)?

This year Thanksgiving will be at our house in Brunswick. So I got to looking around at Cabellas.com (which has all your cooking supplies). And when I found out, I knew I had to get a turkey deep fryer. I have wanted to try cooking a turkey this way for years, but never really had the opportunity – UNTIL NOW.

And who wants to cook a fowl in a heated box. What is needed is a vat of volatile oil, highly compressed propane gas, a wet bird, and a whole lot of potential for danger. In the mean time until Turkey Day (T-Day), I will try some test runs on smaller animals.

That just reminded me, I need to check on my home insurance coverage.

I have been blogging for about a year now and it has been an interesting and fun experience. The reason that I began to blog is explained here (see quote from first blog below).

“Here it is -- my first post, blog -whatever. I suppose I should tell you why I
have added something else to my "to do" list by launching a blog. I believe
that God desires for me to teach about His Word, the Bible, and ways that people can apply it to their lives.

So this blog is dedicated to that purpose. I promise that if you come back, you will never see pictures of cats, or stories of how I have a rash (which I don't) or any other trivial subjects. I will attempt, with each new post, to have something that I have learned that I feel will benefit others.

So we begin with purpose -- why have yet another blog? Specifically why should I begin a blog? It is my desire to expand my realm of influence beyond my congregation and to potentially share the truths of the Bible to many others. And I also understand that I have along ways to go before I am one of those super-pastors. So respond back and we can learn together. Welcome to our journey together.” – Sept. 14th 2007

What I have discovered is that as a leader and pastor people know that I teach the Bible and get that already from me on Sunday morning. But what they can’t get from me is who I am as a person. On Sunday mornings and in meetings it is hard to see who I am other than a pastor. So my blog has transitioned from trying to teach people all the time, to just being myself and telling others what’s going on in my family (church and nuclear). If a believer in Christ is seeking to follow Christ and to live an obedient life this is the most powerful teaching anyway.

I have also begun to write on things that may seem trivial (lost teeth, vacations, church events, etc…) and this is really what sharing is all about anyway. God is blessing our family in so many ways, and I want to tell others about it. Another reason is that those great “ah-ha” moments don’t come to me everyday. That’s just not me, I’m not an intellectual (which is a relative term). I’m just an everyday guy who loves God and his family and is trying to figure things out as he goes.

So, friend, I am glad that you check in and read the blog from time to time. Thanks also to those of you who leave a comment every now and then, and let’s see what another year brings. I hope there are no rashes, because that’s just going to be embarrassing!

Tonight was the first night of having Cub Scouts at our house. As the newly appointed Den Leader I put the night together. It has been a long while since I had to keep a classroom full of six year old boys occupied for an entire hour. Not only that but I was supposed to teach them something. So we began with making a banner, saying the Pledge of Allegiance. We covered the Cub Scout Pledge, Cub Scout Sign, and the Cub Scout Promise. If you don’t know what these things are, that’s ok I didn’t know either before a couple of days ago.

The past two weeks have been a mad dash to get uniforms, find out where all the patches go, learn how Boy Scouts is structured, find a “Go See It” for our group (yeah, I had to learn what that is too), and plan the meeting (which included cleaning our basement). I learned that I need to plan twice as much as I had planned, and move things along twice as fast. I have a renewed respect for our Sunday School teachers – especially the ones that teach my boys!

Having four children “firsts” come at a blinding speed. First words, first steps, first time with out floaties, etc… And having twins sometimes what should be joyous times can be filled with some anxiety. For example Joshua seems to be having a lot of firsts lately. He has lost four teeth now, and Caleb has lost none so far (not even a loose one). Joshua is beginning to read quite well and Caleb is struggling a little bit. Homework time with Joshua is pleasant and takes about five minutes. Homework time with Caleb is like pulling teeth (not the loose kind).

Well today I was straightening the garage and Joshua said, “Dad, can you take the training wheels off my bike?” So I went about taking them off and we pushed the bike to the sidewalk. Well when Caleb saw what we were doing, he wanted to try it too. We took turns back and forth, Caleb and Joshua, going back and forth up and down the sidewalk. Well, you guessed it, Joshua got it pretty fast, Caleb hasn’t yet. After it became apparent that Joshua was getting it, Caleb went inside. After some time I went in and found him on the couch watching tv. I could tell he was a little bummed out. I tickled him and spent some time just playing and he brightened up. What should have been a jubilant event was weighted with some complexity.

The joy I find in the whole thing is that I was there when the training wheels came off and they tried their best to defy gravity. There will always be someone better than you, and sometimes you come in second. I guess it’s cool if it’s to your brother and together they can take risks side by side. I want to be there for as many of the firsts as I can, and I will try my best to make them all special.

Yesterday the Boswell clan made our annual trip to the Frederick County Fair. We took advantage of the “Car load special” that was for a low special rate of $50. Thank goodness of the special, imagine how much money we saved! We were shuttled from Lot D to the back of the fairground, I think this was my favorite ride of the night. We passed through the animal exhibits and talked with the 4-H kids who were diligently watching over their animals. Several of them told us it was ok for the kids to pet their animals (cows, sheep, horses, piglets, etc..), and we did. I also went through a forestry service exhibit that talked about collecting rain water runoff into a barrel for landscaping; I might look into this next summer as I am considering starting a hydroponic garden. I’m not sure how “green” our HOA is however.

Then it was time for the rides. I tried to ride as many of the rides as I could. Most of the “carnies” were cool with me doing that, but even I had to say no to the motorcycles. We rode just about every age appropriate ride and ended with chomping down on some deep fried Oreos (yeah I said Oreos, and how does a person invent this?) and a strawberry slurpie.

Isaac (our 16 month old) spent most of his time in a red wagon we took along for hauling “stuff.” I have noticed that the older the kids get the less stuff we have to haul – so this year we are down to a wagon full (half full of child, half full of stuff). Does this mean that eventually they will carry me around in a red wagon hauling my stuff?

I must say the most harrowing (fair themed word) time was the Ferris wheel. I get nervous when I think about how many times this thing has been taken apart and put back together, over who knows how many years. Then we take our whole family and load up into this thing. Then you consider a four year old, two six year olds, and a (what did I say earlier? Oh yeah) 16 month year old and their parents going hundreds of feet off the ground with no seat belts! It moves painfully slow, and the ride is forever long. But during our time Caleb said he could see California from it’s vantage point and Hannah-Grace said she could see the whole universe. I guess her seat was slightly higher than Caleb’s.

We got back to our urban assault vehicle (aka the minivan) covered in dust, some change in our pockets, and the kids were unconscious before we got out of the back 40 where we parked. It was a great experience, and next year I’m getting my own order of fried Oreos.

Friday and Saturday was our annual Children’s Retreat. The theme for the weekend was “Double Vision,” and we were encouraged to “throw off anything that entangles us” (Hebrews 12:1-2), and to keep our focus on Christ.

While this was our fourth annual retreat, it was a first for Joshua and Caleb. We had a wonderful time and the weekend was a huge success. I got about four hours sleep last night, so I’m off to bed.

As part of our Special Exception process we have been through an eight month (or more) process of developing a site plan, traffic brief, architectural plans, hiring a lawyer, dozens of meetings, lots of prayer, etc…. It all culminated into a packet of information that was presented to Frederick County on Monday. They will review the information for one month and let us know if we can build a building on the property or not. There are five requirements in order to pass a special exception for a piece of property, and we meet all five. But there is always the chance that there will be a snag because the process involves people who are subjective and given to vary in how they respond. So pray that the board approves our appeal and that everything goes smoothly.

The hard part of the process was the things that I thought we had plenty of time to think about and plan over the years of development of the property had to be planned NOW. For instance I knew that our church would eventually have a day care center, or mom-morning-out program, or something similar but I thought I had plenty of time to think about it. I just wanted to begin with our church building. But in order to eventually have a child care center we have to include it in the plans NOW. It has to be included because of traffic counts, turn lanes in the into the property, sewage treatment, etc… We had to show ball fiends, phase two and three of the building for the eventuality of our having a thousand people on the property at one time, a school, and how they would all relate together.

So yesterday I had the privilege to drive the stakes in the ground and placing Daybreak’s signage showing to the public our intention to build and develop the property. Many will drive past and never even notice it, but it represents months and months of work and thought and planning.

Each phase of our building process has had it own frustrations and challenges. It is important to celebrate the mile markers as you pass them. This project seems to grow in difficulty at each level of development, but today I celebrate a sign going in the ground and all that it represents.

Beginning in October Daybreak will begin promoting our Christmas missions effort; Operation Christmas Child.
During the weeks of October we ask that you gather shoe boxes and begin to fill them with the suggested items.
These boxes will be sent to children around the world that need to see and experience God's love. We will then gather these boxes on November 2nd, 9th, and 16th. Please pray for this effort and how you can be involved.

Just about every year that I have been in ministry at least once, I will take some time to review the past year. Yesterday and today I updated my calendars (it’s back-to-school time you know), and in order to do this you have to look back over the past year. I look for events that need to be repeated (added to the current calendar) and evaluate events that don’t need to make it to this year.

While I did not intentionally set this pattern of yearly evaluation, I have found it to be very helpful. If you don’t have a time to step back (out of the system) and ask the hard questions, you will continue to do what you know (what you are familiar with). Often times when you keep repeating something simply because it was on last years calendar, and don’t evaluate, it will eventually lose it effectiveness and freshness. Get your people to ask, “Why are we doing this again?”

Also, people’s schedules are so busy – so if you keep adding things but never take anything away, the calendar becomes crowed and people will just tire out. So, focus on what’s the best and let the good and the bad go to wherever deleted items go in cyberspace.

So, for this year, I have decided to cut a couple of events (that to be honest probably won’t even be missed) and I am adding some new ideas and events to the calendar. I also think there is something to trying new things, simply to try something new. (By the way, it doesn’t always have to something “new”, it can be something old just repackaged.)

Anyway, the future is bright or at least clear of clutter.

The boys have started school again and H-G has her first day on Friday. Today Joshua could hardly contain his excitement as he got off the bus. A "toof" that has been holding on for weeks finally came out at lunch time. The school nurse gave him a little plastic tooth holder to put his tooth in, and it actually made it home. Tonight the Tooth Fairy has to score a Sacajawea dollar. I know there is one somewhere in the house.

From time to time I ask my kids random questions (i.e. favorite color, favorite princess, etc..) But tonight I got an answer to "what's your favorite animal" that I did not expect. Let me just say, there is no way one of those is going to be in our house as a pet.

Joshua and Caleb attended Clown Camp this week at the YMCA. My first thought when I heard about the idea as “you have to teach a six year how to clown around?” – it seems to come natural. But they loved this past week. And yes, there are some things that should only be done by “professionals” For example, they learned the traditional ‘slap.’ Joshua and Caleb were shown by a professional how to fake a slap and how to receive a fake slap. When the boys showed us, we laughed, but later when H-G tried to do what she saw her brothers do she actually slapped Kimberly in the face (which wasn’t funny). So they learned how to do the slap, stomp a foot, the elevator behind a sheet trick, and many other gags and tomfoolery.

I am currently studying Ecclesiastes in my quiet time and one of the things that has stood out in the first seven chapters is that we should enjoy life while you can, because you don’t know what the future holds. So this week there was much laughter in our home.

Ecclesiastes 7:14 “In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.”

Sunday was our Preschool Pool and Pop for our children’s ministry. The Preschoolers came with swimsuits and towels. We set up tents, kiddy pools, little tables, and the kids had a blast. Hannah-Grace came up to me after church and was all smiles. She couldn’t wait to tell me all about what they did that morning. This is the way I think church should be. Afterwards everyone should desire to run around with huge smiles on their faces, where they can’t wait to tell others what they had experienced. Church should be fun (period). It has been said, “If you want to bore someone read them Shakespeare, not the Bible.” --Amen. The Bible is a living and breath taking book, that if you truly put in the discipline to study it, it blows you away. We are a people of this book.

This past Sunday was another installment of Daybreak’s newest ministry called the Venue. It is a way for the church to show local artists and musicians that we love them and are interested in their “art.” The video is an interview that I did with Donna S. at the Delaplaine Arts Center in between sets.

I asked her, “What is the Venue, and what is it’s purpose?”
“Are there any non-Christian bands? And if so, why?”
“How are you sharing the gospel with these young people?”

As and aside note -- there are non-christian bands but we do filter the songs so that they are not inappropriate.

That night there were five bands and around 100 young people. Most of the young people listened to their favorite band, hung out in the parking lot, and just enjoyed the evening. The music is a little loud for my taste, I can’t understand the words all the time (but some of the time), but there is an unmistakable energy and “community” there. What draws me to this ministry is the massive potential to reach them with the gospel. Most were very open (or at least courteous) when Bobby W. gave a testimony and talked about God, and he did a great job.

Various people from the church made brownies and donated various other food stuff and drinks. Again, we want them to know we love them by first wanting to serve them, build relationships, and sharing the gospel out of these things. We are not trying to tell them how they are wrong (that’s the Holy Spirit’s job), but instead we are seeking to love them and show them how Christ loves them.

Please pray for this ministry and the direction we take in the upcoming months.

Here's one I just thought was funny. We all have our way of unwinding.

Before we left for vacation I bought a Flip camera. It is a digital camcorder that is around $150. I wanted a camera I could take to the beach and not freak out about sand and saltwater. I love it. The quality of the image is good, and it is very easy to use. As far as the whole bury your kids in the sand thing -- how else was Kimberly and I going to have any peace and quiet, and have long walks on the beach? Sand is cheap, babysitters are not.

I had about 16 hours on the drive down and about 13 hours on the drive up. (Don't ask about the missing hours). I read a commentary on Nehemiah by James Montgomery Boice, it was great and I picked up some very helpful things for my next preaching series. The other was Lord Save us from Your Followers, by Dan Merchant. It is a book that discusses how the way Christians are perceived by non-Christians is generally negative and he theorizes why that is. The writing style is fun natured and is a fun read.

A few months ago I read Love Jesus, Hate Church by Steve McCranie. The difference between the two books is like night and day. McCranie's book is chapter after chapter of how the church is crummy and has hurt him. It's like reading a morgue file (the church is dead, it's decayed, horrible, etc...) Merchant's book seeks to focus on non-believers and their perception -- but far more importantly, how to change that perception. He gives at least three very powerful (and funny) examples of how to approach people and enter into a dialog. He focuses on the question "Why is the Gospel of love dividing America?" I won't tell you what these clever ploys are -- but I would suggest you get the book.

Apparently there is a movie, I plan to pick it up.

http://www.lordsaveusthemovie.com/home.html

The only constructive criticism that I would offer is that Merchant throughout the book refers to all people as God's children. Merchant reports "Denise was so moving and such a clear expression of love for another of God's children that it was undeniable." (p. 202)Denise was ministering to a homeless person by washing his feet. Perhaps he was a Christian but the interviewed seemed to lean the otherway.

Romans 8:14-17
". . .14because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba,[h] Father." 16The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. 17Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."

The children of God are those who have been adopted by the heavenly Father because of their relationship with Christ through their faith in Him. Merchant seems to have confused "made in the image of God" (Genesis 1:27) with "Children of God" who are those who have put their faith in Christ alone for salvation. This is a minor point in looking at the overall concept of the book, but if you read the book I just wanted to make this point.

My family just got back from vacation today. We spent two weeks in Fl. and the picture is our traditional beach family picture. Kimberly wants to have it enlarged and put above our fire place. So if you have checked in lately and have found no new updates -- sorry. We had a great time and I am ready to get back to work.

Today was our last day of going to sites and official "mission" activity. We went to two senior centers where we played cards, sung some songs (I'll fly away, Amazing Grace, and some silly songs), put puzzles together, and just hung out.

At our last site we met with about fifty seniors. The workers there were Christian ladies who when we began to sing, would sing louder than we did. They clapped and danced with the residents. There was true joy before the Lord as we enjoyed a few hours together.

As we sung Amazing Grace one woman who could barely speak began to stand, lift her hands, smile, and sing (she remembered all the words). As we went through the song she began to weep and one of the workers hugged her and they stood embraced and worshiped the Lord together. The Lord's Spirit was there and I am glad that the Lord allowed me to be there among them.

Tonight at our group devotion time we had one salvation among our group and we prayed for each other. I believe that God brought me just to experience this time of prayer. I was able to tell some of the youth how special they are to me, and was blessed by their prayers for me and my family.

I am looking forward to getting back and preaching on Sunday.

At M-Fuge I don't have e-mail (but I do have internet access, so Cathy, Phil, and Matt here's the sermon outline for Sunday. Everyone else sorry for the "insider" stuff on my blog -- but it's my only way to get them the outline -- God bless.

When Those We Love Fall
Ezra 9

I. Responding To a Turned Life (vv. 1-4)
• 2 Samuel 10:4-5

II. Responding To the Fallen Life (vv. 5-15)
A. Get Up and Kneel Down (v. 5)

B. Own It (vv. 6-7 )

C. Show What’s At Stake (vv. 8-9)

D. Recognize the Sin (vv. 10-14a )

E. Cry Out For God’s Mercy (vv. 14b-15)

Scripture Memory: same
Scripture Reading: Matthew 6:5-15 (congregation to read vv. 9-13)

This is Margaret. She is Ninety Two and is mentally sharp. I did not have enough time to spend with her as I would have liked. In the background you will see a man named Donald. He and I talked in his room for well over thirty-minutes. He told me all about his life and it was very interesting. The two teenage girls in the foreground are from our "track group" and have wonderful voices. We are singing and ministering is nursing homes today. Tonight our church group will go to our "free time" outing. We are planning to spend our time at the mall. it is a break that we all need.

Please pray for Margaret and Donald and all those in nursing homes who need Jesus' love and to know someone cares for them, and that they are not forgotten.

I won't bother you with how busy the day was, but I would like to pass on a story of a guy I met today. As part of our ministry in the city of Philadelphia, my group went to a nursing home. We visited with the residents , sang some songs, and did a puppet show.

One of the men that I had the privilege of meeting today was John. John has no legs, not even a waste really. He is elderly and lives in facility. He is the type of person who makes the best of where he is. The phrase "bloom where you are planted" completely applies to John. He rides around on a motorized scooter, and had the idea of taking the plants that many would throw away (plants they would get on Easter, Christmas, Mother's Day, etc...) and decided (own his own) to plant a garden in the back of the facility. It is amazing! As I talked with him he pointed out hundreds of various flowers, plants, and shrubs, and could tell me the "scientific" name for all of them. The director of the facility eventually ordered him some four foot by four foot raised boxes to plant these various plants on the patio.

He encouraged and inspired me. Please pray for John today and all the other residents out there who need to know someone loves them.