Home Archive by category "Life" (Page 5)

Category: Life

Do You Need a BREAK from Ministry?

So, just HOW excited would you be to get AWAY from your job for a week? You can only IMAGINE… no e-mail, no texts, no meetings, no phone calls, no to-do lists, no boss dropping in with some new task… how excited would you me? Maybe as excited as this guy on Yosemite Summit at the top of Sentinel Dome! Yosemite Summit is a week long sabbatical retreat for men in the heart of Yosemite National Park. This is not camping. This is a week at a relaxing lodge for refreshment, renewal and recharging away from the hustle and bustle of fast-paced ministry life. You can leave your watch behind as there is no schedule other than eat breakfast, hike, chill, and return for home cooked dinner in the evening enjoying fellowship with other men during the day. Explore YosemiteSummit.org to learn more or register here! I’m praying for the guys that will join me on next year’s Summit. Will it be you?

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NEW YEAR – New Opportunity!

I love a New Year! And this time, we get a new Decade! While I see the point the New Year’s Resolution Nasayers are trying to make in poo-pooing making goals at the New Year, I personally think that’s a silly way of admitting failure before even beginning. To ridicule new years resolutions I think is a redemptive attack on failure. But one that assures failure rather than promotes success. To not play a game because you might lose is to miss out on the joy and excitement of the game. Didn’t our parents teach us that winning isn’t everything? I set new goals every year. Do they last all year? Rarely. Does that make them a waste or pointless? Far from it! Even if they improve your life for the next three to six months, they are worth it. And the good news? You don’t have to wait until next January 1st to make fresh ones. August 1st Resolutions are just as valuable, as are March 17th. So don’t let the question of whether you’ll make it a year stop you from making goals for 2020. I’m sure you’ve heard it said, “Aim at nothing and you are sure…

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Honoring a Humble Pioneer, Dale VonSeggon

“Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.” Hebrews 13:7 I am not the first, nor will I be the last to attempt to honor Dale with words of remembrance and tribute. Dale was truly a pioneer in children’s ministry. He laid foundations that many would build upon, even for years yet to come. After all the tributes and blog entries and social media posts are written and read, they won’t come close to fully describing the impact Dale had on his singular mission of reaching the lost through creative ministry. We’ll have to wait until we join him in glory to see the complete picture of the countless ways God used this humble man. I do not use the word humble lightly. While we all strive to keep a godly and sober perspective on any ‘success’ God may grant us and to hold with open hands any opportunities given us or sphere of influence we are entrusted with, Dale never sought success or influence. He simply followed his calling to creatively reach the lost. And that is precisely why I held him in so…

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Living a Legacy – A Tribute to My Friend Craig Jutila

Pastor Craig Jutila passed away on December 26th, 2018.  as a result of a snowboarding accident. An official statement is available on his church’s Facebook page. This is my tribute to him. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9 There are people who live a full life. There are others who live life to the fullest. Still others who are full of life. But rare are those who do all of these and leave the world fuller because they were here. I don’t even remember when I first met Craig Jutila. He’s one of those friends I’ve just always known. When you have memories that go back farther than your digital pictures, you know you have known someone a long time. I sat in his workshops as a learner, I served with him at training events, even once on a cruise at a conference our friend Roger Fields organized on a ship. The last time we chatted about ministry, life, and family was during a break earlier this year as we coached leaders at the children’s pastors conference. Like me, he…

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Led to Jesus by Candy

It was October 13th, 1972. I’ll always remember the date, because it’s my little sister’s birthday. Whenever my sister, Melissa, celebrates her birthday, I celebrate my spiritual birthday. Her physical age (no worries, sis, I won’t tell!) is my spiritual age! When my mom went into the hospital to deliver Melissa, my older sister and I were both sent to different homes to be cared for so dad could focus on Mom. I was only four years old. When I heard I was going to Candy’s house I was delighted! Candy Crowell was a favorite of all the children at church. Not only was she a sweet old lady who volunteered in the children’s ministry, but if you shook her hand on Sunday a butterscotch candy magically appeared in your hand! I can still remember her home vividly. I can imagine the front room, the kitchen two steps up, the table where I sat eating snacks, and even where the bathroom was. (Very important when you are four!) I remember the front yard filled with scattered toys over a scarce lawn, the scruffy hedges that formed the boundaries I had to play within, but most of all I remember the…

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