Church in the Wildwood

Struggle Suprise?

Ever had those days, weeks, or seasons when you felt as if living for Christ was a "struggle?"   Not a giving up on faith "struggle" but just a battle to live honorably?  We all define struggle in a different manner, but the past couple of weeks has been like walking through quicksand.  Yet God is always faithful in the midst of my quicksand.

Today I was reminded not to be surprised when I struggle, but rather rejoice when I go through trials.  Here is how Peter worded his teaching: http://ref.ly/1P5.12-19;NIV  I would encourage you to take a moment and read God's word to experience His teaching for yourself.

BTW, I received this encouragement from our Wednesday Morning men's Bible study.  Any guys are invited to receive encouragement by sharing with us.  Here is a link to more information.

Today I choose to "commit myself to my FAITHFUL creator and I commit myself to doing good."  Thank you Lord!

 

Prayer Walking

Last night (July 25) we had 37 who gathered to pray for our community by Prayer Walking.  Prayer walking is just what it states, taking a walk while praying.  We divided and walked through many of the neighborhoods within a couple of miles of the church building.  As we walked, we prayed for families in each of the houses, asking for God’s work in their lives.  There were many comments following this time of prayer walking: how big a God we serve that he knows all of those families by name, so many children, people need the peace of Jesus, so many families in my neighborhood that I didn’t know their names.  What a blessing and a challenge to consider the responsibility we have as a church for this community.

A special thanks to our Prayer Ministry team and their work and organization: Patti Vernon, Jerry and Judy Martin, Connie Gonzalez, Debbie Stalter, and Amy McFarland.  Thank you for leading us and encouraging this church in such a positive manner. 

I encourage you to spend time praying today by walking through your neighborhood, around your office building, while you are shopping.  Follow this link to the Prayer Walking card used to guide us.  Here is a great quote from Max Lucado,

“The power of prayer does not depend on the one who says the prayer but the One who hears the prayer.”

I am so thankful for the God we serve and to whom we pray!

Lots of Women!

This weekend my wife Patti hosted seven of her friends from high school.  This is actually the second year for a “reunion.”  This year the ladies converged on our house and the laughter started the moment they arrived.  To be honest, it was a little much “feminity” for me, so I stayed out of the way for the most part.  Yet I was thankful Patti had a great weekend, enjoying great relationships.

Friendship is vital to life and living.  Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes of the vital connection and importance of close relationships.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, 9Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: 10If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! 11Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? 12Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. (NIV)

One of the many qualities I admire in my wife is her desire to influence others for Jesus.  She spends time praying for her friends, communicating with her friends, and being a positive influence to them.  Her example inspires me to look at my friendships and how I can be a godly influence.

I want to challenge us all to remember the words from Peter and allow them to motivate us to be ready with The Answer!

1 Peter 3:15, But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…

PS – Sunday evening we have a special event hosted by our Prayer Ministry team.  We will be taking a “prayer-walk” in the neighborhoods around the church building.  Don’t know what a prayer-walk is?  Then come and learn!

Back Home

We got back from vacation on Sunday evening.  It was great to spend time with all of my kids (we have 4 now!)  We went to West Virginia and spend time in the mountain, it was beautiful.  We played games, hiked, played games, went kayaking, played games, ate lots of ice cream, oh and did I tell you we played games?  Thanks for the time off to refresh and spend time with the fam. Here are a couple of photos from the fun.

 

 
 
This Sunday begins an important series in the life of our church.  We started 2010 talking about what a follower of Jesus looks like: not in appearance, but in their behavior, choices, and actions.  One of the distinguishing marks of a follower of Jesus involved their influence ... they are an influence for Jesus on the world around them.  I don't do that great, and my guess is you struggle with that as well.
With that in mind, we begin a new series this week called, The Answer.  Do you know it?  Does your life invite people to ask it?  The basis for the series is 1 Peter 3:15.
Looking forward to being together again this Sunday!  See you then!

Getting Off Track

Interesting interactions can lead to personal reflections, let me share with you from a conversation with a leader from a small town church this past week.  He was calling me because I am a reference for someone seeking a job at the church of which he is a leader.  My conversation with this man brought up a couple of different insights:
1) How churches can so easily get off track.  In the midst of our conversation I discovered the number one priority of their new minister: A greater amount of biblical knowledge than anyone else in the congregation.  They saw this as crucial, for to them this man then he had the biblical knowledge to teach everyone in their church.  How sad, because they are focused on feeding the already full, who should be feeding themselves, rather than focusing on hungry seekers who need the Bread of Life.  Don’t get me wrong, a minister has the responsibility to know God’s Word and to feed believers the Bread of Life.  Yet, if a greater amount of biblical knowledge is more important than any other priority, we have gone off track as to the purpose of the church.
2) How thankful I am to be at WCC.  The leadership at WCC focuses on the biblical priority of reaching the lost for Jesus.  We desire for people to grow biblically, but we recognize that mature believers should push back from the table to feed themselves and serve seekers.  One of the marks of a maturing disciple is they “Seek Christ.”  Maturing believers come to the table to receive the Bread of Life, but they recognize their responsibility is to serve others.
WCC is committed to connecting seekers to Jesus and we will never back down from that commitment.  We don’t always succeed and we can get sidetracked at times.  Yet, through the leadership of God’s Spirit, and a willingness to continually ask the right questions, we will stay on task!

Open hearts bring healing to hearts

The goodness of God is demonstrated in so many ways, but especially when one witnesses something truly amazing and life changing.   For the past several weeks, two of our WCC families have been sharing their homes with three little ones from Mongolia: Tuvshin, Khandsuren, and Mukha.  Sheryl and Tom Spore, and Michelle and Jon Osborne, Nicole, and Nicholas, said “yes” to the Lord and opened their homes to these three families.   Tuvshin, Khandsuren, and Mukha, their mom’s and interpreters are in the US through the efforts of Samaritan’s Purse Children’s Heart Project.  All three babies had life-limiting heart defects, but because of Dr Sanjiv K Gandhi, at St Louis Children’s hospital, they have now all three undergone successful surgeries.  Tuvshin and Khandsuren had their surgery on April 28, Mukha on April 29. 

Many have taken the time to meet them, visit with them, and help them by providing meals, gifts, and prayers.  I am so thankful for this church family; for how you have embraced these families.  I also want to say thank you to Tracy Nichols for her work at organizing meals, and for Sue Ebner for helping with transportation.  Please continue to pray for Tuvshin, Khandsuren, and Mukha, and their health.  I especially want you to pray that God would reveal His goodness to these three families. All three families will be with us for a few more weeks, so jump in to help and encourage!

Amazing Woman!!

 This is a birthday photo of the most wonderful woman in the world!  Ok, so I am a little prejudice, but I believe it with all my heart.  We celebrated Patti’s birthday with her favorite desert (she had to make her own because cooking and Doug don’t go together), but as you can tell from her face, she enjoyed it!  Christi came home to celebrate with us and that is always a treat. 
I have enjoyed the company of Patti for the past 28 plus years.  Though she is a cute, wonderful, godly woman who loves me, our marriage has had it’s ups and downs.  Isn’t that the theme of all marriages?  Of course it is, but how easily we forget reality and expect fantasy!  I love Patti and I love being married to her, but we still have to work on improving our marriage every day.
Sunday we begin a series of message on the important topic of marriage.  I have a heart for the marriages of WCC, a heart that desires all marriages to improve.  We will start by cutting through the fantasy and zeroing in on reality.  God gave us the gift of marriage, so He might know a thing or two about how marriage works best.  He helps us to sift through the myths of marriage and grasp the truth.  Click here for more information about the series.
Connie has gotten off to a great start this week, and Sunday is her first official Sunday!  Please be in prayer for Connie and our Children’s Ministry, there is so much to be accomplished!  I am thankful that God has opened the door for Connie to serve here at WCC.  Don’t forget the reception on Sunday to welcome Connie.

Let God Handle it

In my reading this morning, I came across this passage:

1 Chronicles 5:20, 20They were helped in fighting them, and God handed the Hagrites and all their allies over to them, because they cried out to him during the battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted in him.

Do I cry out to the Lord when I am in the midst of a spiritual battle?  He is right there, never far away from me in my need.  So why do I remain silent?  At its very core, temptation is a spiritual battle between us and Satan.  Failure to realize it is a battle and more importantly that God will “handle” the enemy is a huge mistake. 

Here is a passage I memorized long ago which speaks to the battle against temptation and God’s every available help.

1 Corinthians 10:13, 13No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

In the midst of any and all spiritual battles, God is in the thick of the battle.  He is providing the “way of escape” so He can bring the victory. Remember the battle is the Lord’s, so cry out to Him today!

Easter at WCC

I am excited for tomorrow and the celebration of the resurrection of our Lord!  Our easter service is going to be rocking and a time to celebrate ... don't miss it!  Our services are at 9:00 am & 10:45 am.  Who are you inviting to come with you?  Easter at WCC

We had our annual Easter Egg hunt today and it was wild, but a blast.  Thanks to Evan and all the great volunteers helping to make this a special day.  We desire to encourage families and help their kids to experience the joy of living for Jesus. 

It's time to get back to the NCAA tourney ... Butler just beat Michigan State.  What a game!  But the real game is next ... Duke will be victorious!

See you in the morning!

20 Years

Patti and I were in Chicago on Friday and Saturday for an opportunity to honor my brother in law Tim and 20 years of ministry at Parkview Christian Church.  On Friday evening they held a “surprise” party for Tim and Denise.  Throughout the evening over 150 friends came and wished Tim and Denise congrats.  Then at the 4pm Saturday evening service, they took time to honor Tim and Denise.  They gave them gifts, showed a special video, and then they prayed for Tim and Denise.  It was a blessing to Patti and I to be a part of this special time.
Tim and Denise moved to Chicago 20 years ago.  He became the Senior Pastor of Tinley Park Church of Christ, a church running between 130-150 on a Sunday morning.  Over the past 20 years their name changed, their location changed, but their passion for reaching the lost never wavered.  Parkview now runs over 5000 in four weekend services.

As I shared on Sunday, I plan on staying 20 years here at WCC.  I don’t know what God has in mind for us, except to say that his desire is for WCC to grow and reach the lost for Jesus.  We might not become a church of 5000, but we will always reaching the lost and connecting them to Jesus as a priority!
I love being your Pastor!
Doug