D-NOW '08

Here is my shameless plug for our Youth Disciple Now event that is coming up in just a few weeks:

Our students will be involved in what has become somewhat of a tradition here at Eastside over the past few years. Disciple Now!

Our students take a 4 day weekend and either in the Fall or Spring and study the Word of God.

This year we are focusing on the life of David. Our speaker will be one of the youth pastors from Calvary Chapel in Boise Mr. Tom Velasco.

Tom was the youth pastor while Alexis and Brian were members of Calvary in past years and he comes highly recommended.

Our students will be staying at the KOA Kabins in Jerome. Not too far away, but far enough to make feel like a retreat.

Your D-NOW '08 Lead Team is: Renee Thompson, Brian and Alexis Daley, Scott and Toni Marie Rigsby Steve McMullin and Brad Kinch. These adults have worked so hard since this past summer to put an event together that will have an impact on our students. I believe their efforts will be well worth the results.

We can still use some help from members of our church, so if you are willing and have the time during the February 14th -17th Weekend, here is how you can help:

• Pray For Our Students!
• Volunteer as a Kabin Kounselor we still need one adult Female and Male
• Help with set-up (morning) and break-down (evening) of the sanctuary on the 14th and on the 17th (after church) for our Youth / Parent Banquet
• Pray For Our Students!
• Hang out with the students for the weekend as a chaperon/adult participant - we may also need someone to be a photographer for the weekend.
• Donate a scholarship of up to $50. (any amount will help) Several small amounts have already been contributed!
• Pray For Our Students!
• Oh, did I mention "Pray For Our Students"?

You can respond to this BLOG post for any of the above.

Blessings,

John M.

BRAVO KOYE!

Penelope (aka Koye Brown) put on a fantastic performance in "You Can't Take It With You". I am impressed with the talent of our students at Eastside Baptist, and very much so with Koye.

Koye is an incredibly gifted young woman who is about to graduate from Twin Falls High School with a degree in "Talent"!

I have to say that I had a great time this Saturday evening at the play and I had plenty of laughs too. I still don't understand how those cats and snakes just stayed put. Not to mention the fact that you used live props. Yikes!

Bravo Koye! Bravo!

-John M

I'm Back

Hello to my faithful readers.... I guess I should say: to those disappointed faithful who regularly check if I have posted anything on my BLOG - readers. Thanks!

I apologize for my lack of BLOGGING in recent weeks. I have found myself consumed with an intense busyness and literally moving from event to event with very little breathing room.

Staying faithful to my family time, Ministry in the Church, Chaplaincy in the Guard, and Online Classes toward my M-Div, not to mention going to the Gym everyday (except Sundays) and an occasional afternoon of Fly fishing (hee, hee) have really caused me to evaluate my time-management skills.

Please hear me though: "I am thrilled that God has me involved in so many Peoples lives. The Chaplaincy has definitely made it's presence known, and this is an awesome thing.

I was asked recently - I know as a courtesy- "How everything was going with the National Guard". My answer was simply this: "Great, I have never had more ministry opportunities in any previous church ministry than as I do with the Guard."

Does this sound strange to you? It does to me too. But the best I can figure is that somehow the authority in the Rank affords a Chaplain great approachability with real life issues and the fact that when an issue arises, the commander's first line of resolution in his arsenal is his Chaplain. So lets keep praying that the Commander will continue to say: "Send him to the Chaplain".

I have also noticed that it takes a few years, short of a major-life-crisis, before church members are comfortable enough to begin going to one of their pastors with issues in their own lives.

I wonder George Barna would say about this? Hmmmmm?

I love it!
I love what it is doing in me.
I love what it is doing in my ministry,
and I love what God is allowing it to do for our church.

Bring it on!

Could I ask you to do one thing for me? Well, ok how about two things?

1. Would you Pray for me? Pray that God will continue to build good time-management skills in me as well as increasing the "tenderness" and compassionate heart that He wants me to have.

2. Would you pray for my family? Pray that we would be able to intensify our relationships and be a God-Honoring family that is an example of God's grace.

Thanks,

John M

Waves Of Storms

This seems to be a common sight in Twin Falls these days. 2007 and 2008 have brought a wave of Winter Storms that have continued to roll in off the coast. Every couple of days another one is on it's way in.

For those of us who love to play in the snow this is downright awesome. Skiing, Tubing, Snowshoeing, or whatever; this is perfect.

Waking up to snow on the ground is ideal when it's Christmas Day, but when you have to get out and shovel it every 20 minutes because you own a business, or if you have to drive any distance, then it is an entirely different story.

What about storms in our lives?

Clearly, everyone expects a squall from time to time. But when we get storm after storm after storm roll in without enough time to resolve the issues from the previous or ongoing storm, it makes you want to sit down and give up shovelling the walk as it were.

I love what our pastor was preaching on this past week. We all have been through this sermon series in Hebrews convinced that the theme of Hebrews is Faith or the Supremacy of Christ, or the assurance of our salvation. And although these themes are huge throughout the book of Hebrews, the ongoing overall, underlying, recurring motif is without a doubt is "ENDURANCE".

These Idaho Winter storms will pass. The storms in our lives will pass as well. But let's endure and see how what we're going through can bring about an amazing work in our lives by allowing the Author and Finisher of our faith to do His work through these storms.

-John

The Effect of Our Words

Have you ever done something that surprised you with a bigger effect on many more people than you could have imagined??

Let me tell you about a story I heard that took place in Colorado a number of years ago....

A young man was driving in a car with his mother as the passenger. They began to argue about something and the mother either pushed or grabbed her son which caused him to lose control of his vehicle.

They were only travelling about 35 MPH but the car popped over a curb and ran into a chain link fence.

The accident was really only minor, except that the horizontal support pole on top of the fence came right through the windshield and impaled the mother in her chest. She died on the scene.

What kind of argument could have been worth a life?

What words did this young man have for his mother that he wishes he could take back?

What were the "last words" they shared with each other?

What would have been a better choice of words on this fateful day?

Some of the best words ever shared in an argument were: "I'm Sorry, You Were Right."

In 2008, how can we better choose our words? Not only those directly spoken to another person, but even those words we speak about a person in confidence to another.

There is a far reaching effect that our words have whether we want them to or not.

Lets choose to say things like:

"I am so glad to have you as a friend."

"What is your opinion?"

"I could do this better with Your help?"

"Will you pray with me about this?"

"I sure like that person, don't you?"

Happy New Year!

-John M