Coming to the Still Waters

      Friday night wedding rehearsal, Saturday morning set up at the market, men's breakfast, elder meeting, Relay for Life opening, tear down at market, wedding ceremony, get ready for Sunday, Sunday morning worship, Sunday night Bible study, etc...      We are in the wedding time of the year and I have 3 slated for this summer.  That is up from years past.  One is a couple of kids that I have known since they were 2 years old.  Staying in one place for a long time really has some long-term benefits to the congregation and also to the pastor.  It is so important to keep current with your relationships within the congregation.      This Sunday is "... and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."  This petition is about confession of sin but it is also about us keeping in a forgiving mode.  The term "unforgiving Christian" is an oxymoron.  I am always thankful when Jesus gives some extra tea...

     The sleeping giant has been awaken. Adam

"A calorie is not a calorie" was the phrase that has helped me the most to change some things in my life in regards to what I eat and don't eat. Check out all the episodes on the youtube channel. Adam

     Sunday is the continuation of the Lord's Prayer.  We will be handling the petition of "Give us this day our daily bread."  Each verse in the section is a sermon so our study in Matthew is slowing down again but that is okay.  I am going to pull in the scripture from Exodus 16 about manna from heaven to bring home the point of our obedience to everything that God gives us.  There are so many times that He says but we think better and it doesn't come out good.        The Wolfgang house will be full this weekend.  Stephanie's parents, Ben and Jason, and also a young lady and her husband and child that we housed for a summer a few years back from Korea.  It will be great to see them and catch up with their lives.  She was a college student far from home and God crossed our paths.  Needless to say, the house that we once tried to sell will be filled to the gills and we are thankful for it.     ...

     So the gardens are coming along.  We were able to push the season by a month on the front side and hope to extend it on the back side this fall.  We are at the point of going to the garden to get the ingredients for our daily juice. Adam

    With the rising cost of college for our two last children, we are trying our hand at the farmer's market this summer.  It might be able to raise about $1000.00 that we will be able to split between them and add to the efforts they are doing this summer to cover next year.  We are just so thankful that this summer is so different than last summer.  It yielded 15 loaves sold this morning.        It is great to be out in front of the public and then you find out that there is another group that gathers each Saturday morning called the vendors.  It will be an opportunity for Stephanie and I to connect with another group within our local community.        Of course, the bread will be the best we can produce and Stephanie is already thinking about what to do with the loaves that didn't sell.  Homemade croutons!!!        The kingdom will be the topic tomorrow morning in the ...

     So I must be on a roll on this subject.  Here is a blog I came across on the subject. Adam consumerism in the church Published by Rick Meigs on July 5th, 2011 in  Church . Love reading  Mike Breen . In his post today, “ Obituary for the American Church ,” he tackles the temptations that are slowly insinuating themselves into everything we call church. They are: A culture of Celebrity (affirmation) A culture of Consumerism (appetite) A culture of Competition (ambition) It is a good read, but the temptation around consumerism is still, in my opinion, the biggest issue many of our churches face today. Here is what Mike has to say about the issue and a question to ponder. We live in a culture that revolves around consuming. Every TV commercial, every store, every credit card company, every bank, every TV show or movie, every piece of clothing, car or product, every website, every restaurant…every everything is tailored to fit your ...

    Here is a link to a sermon on consumerism in the church and driving it out.  Grab you Bible and turn to John 2:13-22 and follow along.   Adam  http://www.jamesmacdonald.com/teaching/video/driving-consumers-out-of-the-church/#divAudioPlaylist-tab

     Here is another video on this subject that is more than just a sound byte.  I believe is demands a very thorough Biblical answer that allows truth in love to be conveyed along with love in action.  We need to get way beyond all the finger pointing and name calling if we are going to respond in a Christ-like manner. Adam

     So we are at the part of the Sermon on the Mount usually called The Lord's Prayer. Matthew 6:9-13 (English Standard Version) Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.      What we have learned so far is that this is a skeleton outline to base our prayers upon.  It is great to say this prayer and we are not excluded from using it but when we pray we should follow this pattern of elements.  There are basically three:  addressing God, petitioning God, and glorifying God.        We are addressing our (my) Father, a very personal relationship of someone who we reap the benefits of who He is.  We start bringing requests to Him and there are ...

This is a blog that covers a lot on this subject.  The videos by Matt Chandler are very thorough and look at the common arguments in video 2.  Biblical ground comes out to be truth in love in every area of life. Adam Some Seminars on Homosexuality, Change, and the Gospel

     Another milestone for our 2003 Saturn Vue with the 3.0L six cylinder.  I was in a 70 MPH speed zone at the time so that will answer a couple questions there.  We bought this vehicle with 49,000 miles on it so we have logged a few.  It has traveled across the country to kids quite a few times.  Regular maintenance has been the key especially routine maintenance at the 100,000 mile marks.  It requires almost a total tear down of the engine to just get to the plugs but weighing the cost of the repair to the cost of another we made the decision to hold on a little longer.  You look at life differently when it is your only vehicle to use.  I keep the gas tank full on the snowmobile (96 Skidoo) in the winter and I tend to make sure there is diesel in the tractor and air is up on the bike tires but they are much slower modes of transportation.        Maybe this car is like me in life and where I am at. ...

Required viewing for all thinking about getting married...

     Our church has been doing 2 men's retreats a year for a couple of years, spring and fall.  So we just ended the spring retreat and now for the planning of the fall one.  It is interesting how the retreats are morphing into the necessity that we have times of worship and devotions.  The fall retreat is so great because of the element of the bonfire.  Guys around the bonfire bring out what a year's of sermons could not.  So a trip up north today to scout out a new place for the fall retreat.      Back in the saddle in the line of singing this Sunday.  I have been so thankful for those who carry this ball each Sunday that I handled along with the preaching for so long.  But, every once in awhile I get the opportunity to cover for them and it is a blessing to me but also a reminder of energy it takes to do this.  It is way more than just singing, it is a humility of heart to lead others in the addressing of God the...