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!

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!

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

Confession Time

Confession time, I am way behind is writing my thoughts about what God is doing at WCC.  My deepest apologies (to all three of you who read this).  First, I am excited about the possibilities for 2010, because God is ready to move through WCC.  I can sense God’s desire to work through each one of the family at WCC.  How do I sense that?  First because of the stories I am starting to hear about God working in individual lives.  (I love hearing your stories so keep sharing them with me.)  Secondly, because of the pressure that Satan is putting on our leadership.  I have been struggling personally and I know that Satan does not want to see WCC grow.  We are not going to give in to Satan, but rather we will trust in God.

This past weekend (Jan 29-30), the Elders and Staff spent time in retreat asking God for guidance and direction about the future of WCC.  I am thankful for Jake, Ed, Jerry, Harry, and Evan and their love for the Lord.  We will be sharing more, but our emphasis is to help us be a family that “Follows Jesus!”

This Sunday is the third message in our Following Jesus series.  If you missed any of the messages, especially the introduction message from January 10, go here to download the podcasts.  Following Jesus is our aim and desire, and we are about clarifying what that looks like.  A follower of Jesus: seeks Christ, trusts God, lives selflessly, influences for Jesus, develops a godly home, and is committed to God’s family.

I will work harder to share what God is doing through WCC, and specifically how he is directing my life.  So thanks for your patience, and especially your prayers!

Gazelle Intensity!

Run like a gazelle from debt was the message from Dave Ramsey shared last Sunday.  I know many of you have been inspired to take a hard look at where your finances are.  I heard someone put a picture of a gazelle on their refrigerator!  If you missed it, here is the link to the audio from Sunday, or if you want to see Dave's message shared at Lifechurch.tv in Oklahoma city last year, here is the link.   There are three messages, the debt one is week two of his series.

Daveramsey.com is the other website that I want to encourage you to check out.  If you are needing guidance in your finances, if you are up to your ears in debt, if you are clueless as to the biblical guidelines for handling your money, then Dave is the place to go.

We enjoy our annual Thanksgiving Dinner tomorrow evening, November 22, at 5:00 pm.  We are at Marquette High school.  We would love to have you and your family come share with us.  In fact, why don’t you invite your neighbor that is in need of a church home?  We host evenings like this for us to fellowship together, but bottom line, we host them so that the friends you have been investing in can be invited.  

Thanks for your love for the Lord and I will see you tomorrow!

Doug

Selfish or Lazy?

I read a multitude of blogs and came across one that hits the mark in a painful way for some.  This is from Josh Reich and his blog, “My World” He shares the following on October 5, 2009. 

Bob Franquiz in his book Zero to Sixty has a chapter on Church Hoppers. Here is his top 10 list to spot a church hopper and what they mean: 

1. “But my old church…” This usually means they want your church to be like their old church.
2. “I just need time to be fed.” This means, “I don’t want to do anything. I’m here just to sit and see what I can get out of this church, so don’t expect me to serve in any way, shape, or form.
3. “I’m looking for a church that teaches the Word.” This means, “I’m looking for a church that dispenses lots of information without challenging me to do anything.”
4. “We cam here because we are looking for deep teaching.” This usually means their last church focused too much on actually obeying the Word. They want a church that just talks about the Rapture, the Second Coming, who the Hittites were and the identity of Theophilus.
5. “I should know my pastor.” This means, “In my last church, I got to know the pastor, but when the church grew, and the pastor couldn’t have dinner with us every Tuesday night, I left and came here.”
6. “We want a church that’s focused on discipling people.” This means, “I want a church that’s focused on me, not people who are lost.”
7. “I wish you wouldn’t focus so much on what people need to do.” This means they don’t like commitment, they don’t like to be told the Bible actually tells them how to live and follow Jesus. They want to come to church, live in their sin and have no one tell them this is wrong.
8. “I wish you wouldn’t talk about money.” This is the best way to tell a pastor “I don’t give.”
9. “My old church/pastor was…” The way people come to your church is how they will leave. If your first conversation with them is all about their last church and pastor, that is how they will leave your church and how they will go to their next church.
10. “Pastor, I’ve been talking to a lot of people and they all say…” Translation: “Me, my spouse and my mother think…” If they start this way, 99.9% of the time they have no one else who thinks this way, it is just the best way to complain. If someone has a complaint and uses this line with me, they need to list all of the names or my best assumption is they talked to the same person 10 times.

Ouch, that is painful, but oftentimes true.  The real question I must ask is this, why am I at Wildwood Christian Church?  Is it for what I get out of church, or is it because God wants me here, or is it some other reason? 

Our purpose as a church is to connect people to Jesus.  The number one group we desire to connect are those outside of Jesus, who don’t have a relationship with Him.  So we often plan, organize, and direct our efforts with that group primary in our thoughts. 

My problem ... I can forget why we are here at times.  I get selfish and lazy, forgetting that our primary target group are those who don’t know Jesus.  So top 10 lists like the preceeding are good reminders to self-centered Doug ... it ain’t about me!!

From a recovering selfish guy,

Doug

Relationships

Patti and I met with Tony and Dana last night as we begin to finalize our Small Group plans for this fall.  First let me say how thankful I am for Tony and his commitment to our Small Group ministry at WCC. 
What is a Small Group at WCC?  8-12 people get together once a week for the purpose of studying the Bible, encouraging one another, and praying for one another.  It is a great opportunity to be connected to others who share a common love for Jesus. 
This fall we will have between 10 and 13 groups meeting on various nights of the week.  They meet in the homes of group members and are led by people who love Jesus and know the value of Small Groups.
Starting Sunday, August 16, we will be signing up for the newly forming small groups.  Our first meeting will take place the week of September 13, in conjunction with a new sermon series, "One Month To Live." 
Small Groups are a high value at WCC and we want you in a group.  So over the next few weeks we will be having people share testimonies of the value of a small group in their life.  We will also give you the opportunity to learn what they are all about.
Don't forget about the Back Yard Bashon Sunday evening.  It is an event for the entire church to enjoy!  More importantly, it is an opportunity to invite your friends to experience WCC!
See you Sunday,
Doug

The Seriousness of Sin

I tweeted earlier about Mike Hailey, a pastor that fell to the depths because of sin in his life.  Stories like that scare me to death, because I too am a sinner.  All of us need to be reminded of the seriousness of the sin in our lives.

The seriousness of sin isn't founded upon the fear of being "found out." Rather the true seriousness of sin is found in Romans 8:7, "...the sinful mind is hostile to God...."  My sin is an insult to my Holy God, a slap in is face, and a contradiction of his very nature.  Here is how R.C Sproul sums it up:

"Sin is cosmic treason.  Sin is treason against a perfectly pure Sovereign.  It is an act of supreme ingratitude toward One to whom we owe everything, to the One who has given us life itself.  What are we saying to our Creator when we disobey Him at the slightest point?  We are saying no to the righteousness of God.  We are saying, 'God Your law is not good.  My judgment is better than Yours.  Your authority does not apply to me.  I am above and beyond Your jurisdiction' ... the slightest sin is an insult to His holiness .... what could be more serious than this?" (Sproul, R.C. The Holiness of God. 151-152)

Like you, I need to be reminded that even the slightest of my sins is open rebellion against my heavenly Father.  So recently, I have been praying this prayer straight from the mouth of David:

Psalm 51:10, "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."

I need the purity that can only come through the forgiveness of Jesus, (1 John 1:9) and I need His help to be steadfast in living faithfully for Him.  Why don't we commit to praying that prayer together for the next few days? 

If I Were A Rich Man

I am sitting in my sister's back porch this Saturday morning up in Chicago.  We are here because of fulfilling a final birthday present for Patti's birthday (back in April - some birthday's last longer than others!).  We went to the Broadway musical performance of "Fiddler on the Roof," at the Oriental Theatre in Chicago.  As musicals go, this one is very good (obviously not as good as a Cardinal's baseball game - but that is a different issue). 

The real reason we went was to see Chaim Topol, who played Tevye in the original 1971 movie.  This is billed as his farewell tour, and we enjoyed it emmensly.  Upon researching I discovered that he is 73 years old and has been performing his role as Tevye over 2500 times.  We went with my sister Denise and her husband Tim, their middle daughter Lauren (who is a Sophmore at Wheaton) and her boyfriend Tommy. 

Here is a sentence in the literature that I read, "It is notable however, that Topol is often replaced by an understudy for the performance, particularly the daytime showings."  Can you imagine the dissappointment of my wife if we had made plans, traveled up to Chicago, only to have an understudy? 

Thankfully, when we turn to God we are never dissappointed because He is sick or tired.  Whenever we call on the Lord, He is present and ready to meet our need.   Hebrews 86:5-7 shares this amazing truth that when we call upon the Lord, He answers our prayers.

Tomorrow is Father's Day and we are going to honor and challenge each Dad present.  Don't miss out!