Looking Back

I have had a lot of reflection lately as we approach the 1 year anniversary of the Burlington Community Church. I had been warned of the difficulties of the first year as a church planter and even more so when it is just your family to start. As I think through what we have accomplished and how much there is still to do, I can get overwhelmed but have a sense of joy for the things God has done!

When I look back over the year, we have had a lot of activities and lives we have touched along the way. From neighbors we met at the beginning to church attenders, we have met people that have enriched and blessed our lives! We have seen 3 salvation decisions and hope to see more before the year is out. We are approach

ing our first baptism service and will baptize a man who has become so faithful in the church and helping with our music ministry. There are times that his growth in the Lord has been the fuel to my passion for ministry here.

Soon, another man in our church will take a post as a minister in prisons in Hamilton. He has his orientation soon and will begin leading men to Christ in that setting. Praise the Lord for that! He and I have been meeting weekly for prayer and Bible study since the church began. I love to see a committed Christian who grew up in church take a position of service. I wish all who grew up in church would see that potential and press on in Christ!

My daughters have grown in the Lord. They have a place of service and using their voices and talents for the Lord weekly. I cannot begin to describe the gift God has given this church with the work they and Tracey do.

Tracey has been helping in every aspect of ministry here and I am VERY thankful for her in my life! Last week we celebrated 21 years of marriage. Her mother and brother came up from Windsor and took us to dinner to celebrate.

Tracey is not only helping me but she has picked up a position for Toronto Church Planting. She is an administrator for them and helping us connect with more support organizations. I am so thankful for her drive and determination in this area of ministry in Canada.

We have been blessed by FEB Central helping us get planted and a group to fellowship with too. This church planting group helped us file paperwork to begin our church, took me to a conference and connected us with a group of pastors I have enjoyed working with. This group helped me get my credentials to marry people in Ontario too. Enjoying the networks God has used to help me.

Finally, we have been blessed by Fair Oaks Church that has taken care of my salary and some to begin this work in the GTA. Pastor Stokes has been there when I called for help and offers excellent advice! We had the Vision TO Team up from Fair Oaks here last summer, Mike and Brenda Zizolfo in the fall, Brooks and Izzy (and Bella) Franklin around Thanksgiving time to help with an outreach, Jenny Alt up for a visit during Christmas, Christian, Stephanie and the youth group up for a missions trip and dodge ball tournament early April, Jim and Fran Clifton dropped in during a business trip in Rochester, NY, and Phil and Amber Bassham (Penny and Nate too) and Taylor Boose up for Ceilidh's graduation and tech ministry support in June. Very grateful for Fair Oaks Church support!

Though it has taken a lot to carve out what little we have now, we are praying for God to open the windows of heaven and bless u

s more in year #2! Our highest attendance was 50 this year and lowest 8. If you haven't been up to visit, consider coming to our Anniversary Sunday! It is August 28th!

Lord Bless You and keep us in your prayers!!!

I Was Broke...

As I pray and work through what God would have me to do in ministry and for the next series of talks, God seemed to keep pulling me toward the topic of finances. Some of it born out of my own frustration over money and others from those in my church who have shared some concerns. Money is certainly one of those areas of life that can keep you discouraged!

It can also destroy relationships. Larry Burkett used to say that he could save 70% of marriages by just helping them with their finances. I believe that to be true! He was a very wise financial adviser who was the first to talk about the 10/10/80 plan. He encouraged families to tithe 10% to their churches, save 10% for self and live on 80%.

We have been using the financial advise of Joe Sangl for our series and I really appreciate his premise for becoming financially free. He presses people to truly be financially free so they can "give to the things they are most passionate about." I cannot tell you how many times I wanted to give more to something but had my finances so stretched that I could not be a help or blessing to anyone! I was always plagued with "if I give this, we won't be able to cover this bill." I HATE living there and do not want to live that close to the edge.

On Sunday we talked about the premises of how we would work through this series. The premises are these:

• God is our provider and everything belongs to Him! When we start there, any amount we could/would make is because He has blessed us with the job or the resources we have.
• God wants us to plan and use our money/resources wisely as good stewards of what He has entrusted to us.
• We reap what we sow. When we use money correctly, we see it reap benefits or have savings we can use. When we use money unwisely or incorrectly, we reap the consequences of those decisions and always find ourselves running out of money or nothing left to spare.
• It is more blessed to give than receive! It is always great to give gifts. That is usually the benefit of doing the wise thing with our funds. When we are able to give and give more, we are being blessed and in a place for God to bless us again. You cannot out-give God!

Working from these principles, we are hoping to see God work with and through our church and help others in our community. We had 2 visitors this weekend at Burlington Community Church and look forward to others coming. We also want to see our church get to the point where we are able to do more. Those faithful attenders are also faithful givers, but how much greater this could be if tithing were routine and God blessing because of wise use of funds!

Money, are you needing help with handling it? Hope you will join us or respond to this if I can help...

You Are NOT Invited to Church

Have you ever tried to share your faith with someone and all they can gather is that you want them to go to church? I would certainly like them to go to church but hear about the difference Christ makes in their life first. It gets frustrating to try to get people to church anyway. And...I have just as hard a time with convincing Christians and non-Christians by the way. Maybe I am TOO committed but I really think Christians should do what the Bible says and "not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing...and all the more as you see the Day approaching." I could go on and on about spiritual disciplines and how Christians need to get with it and start doing what is right...and I am talking about more than just going to church! I wrestle with the fact that for many, Christianity is that thing they do on Sundays then it's back to whatever. For both the Christian and non-Christian, I'd rather call you to something else.

For the person who is not of faith, the idea of church can be boring. You go there, someone my be friendly to you and make you welcome, there is some singing (and that experience can be dreadful), then some guy talks about the Bible (and this experience can be irrelevant), and there may be some coffee, donuts, etc... Nothing to exciting in their mind. "Why would I do this on a Sunday when I can sleep in and enjoy time with my family?" is probably what they are thinking. If I did not believe the Bible to be true and faith essential, that is what I would be doing! That person and I are not that far apart except for one HUGE thing, what I KNOW to be true and that is why church becomes important. I do not want to invite this person to church but I do want to invite them to have a relationship with Christ. I do want them to see their need for salvation and come to faith. THEN...church becomes a no brainer. This is not to say that they cannot come to faith in our church service as they may have been invited to church. Once they are in the doors, I pray the Holy Spirit will convict them of sin and repentance, and that I have done my part in faithfully preaching the Word.

For the person of faith, the Christian, the Christ-follower, I call you to be crucified with Christ! "For I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless, I live; yet not I but Christ Who lives within me." Think about how dynamic that life would be! The conversation of whether or not you came to church would be flat stupid because you would KNOW and understand that Christ gave His life for you and He can live in and through you! You would know the importance of the church because it becomes your place of hope and growth for your future. It is the Bride of Christ and you would want to be a part of it. It would be more than a meeting, it would be a celebration of who Christ is and what He has done in your life. It would become the Family of God for you and you would want to be around your brothers and sisters in Christ. I am not calling you to church attendance but to a life in Christ! A life that realizes there is nothing more important than Him and nothing more exciting than seeing people come to a saving knowledge of Christ, repenting and asking Jesus to be their Savior. Then we all grow in our faith and works so that we are bringing more to faith who will continue to do the same.

So...you are NOT invited to Church. I am inviting you to something far greater and you will NOT miss the Church, His Bride in the process. You hearing me on this one?

One Year!

Wow how time flies! We have been in Burlington for a year as of yesterday. It has been and incredible journey filled with many ups and downs. We have seen God do some great things and want to see more! Actually...have to see more! I am not satisfied with where we are but satisfied with where we are headed. I have a vision for the future that keeps me moving and on my knees. I have hit "crisis moments" when all I wanted to do was quit but I haven't. I am still trying to determine if that is because of God or my own determination...maybe a bit of both! :-)

I am happy about the fact that we have a church running around 30 but had bigger expectations. I am managing through this in my heart and reevaluating my purpose and call. I think this is normal to do...especially at the year mark, right? I have been overwhelmed by the amount of work just to get to this place in Canada and frustrated with the strongholds Satan has in our community. I have waded through moments of discouragement and had nothing but tears. I have been asking God about what is going on and what more I need to do.

I have our church involved in an outreach event once a month and spontaneous ones like the open mic night just this past Friday. I am on a council board with Burlington to help honor outstanding citizens and achievements. I talk to people all the time about our church and the Lord. I volunteer (family too) in a bunch of stuff here. I advertise as much as possible and have put our family in more debt to advertise, so...What more? This verse keeps coming to me "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy!" Psalm 126:5 I am assuming since it is a Bible verse and all, that it is from the Lord. ;-)

What I want to know is...When are we done the sowing in tears part and move on to the reaping in joy part?!! My wife will remind me from time to time that we are in a sowing season and results may not be as big right now. Those that know Tracey and I KNOW that this is a huge twist in our characteristics. It is usually me calming her down and NOT the other way around...

As we find our way through year 2, keep us in prayer. Our church will celebrate it's first year on August 21! Come up to visit us...that is very encouraging for us too! And keep asking God to give us direction. We are here, in place and ready to follow!

Modern Family

I decided to use a title from a popular TV series for my messages for May and June. With Mother's Day and Father's Day in these months, I thought it would be great o hit a series on the family. We will be discussing a lot to modern family topics and addressing the commitment issue in marriage and to the family that society seems to think is very unimportant.

The commitment to family is so important and the and below is the message I preached this past Sunday. My church family may be looking to finish the outline from Sunday...sorry if it doesn't make sense to you but hope it is a blessing if you study it through!

Text: Ephesians 5:21 – 6:4

Modern Family

…Yet Happy?

q Relationships

“Life is relationships; the rest is just details.” Dr. Scott Sticksel

· Make Jesus first (Matthew 6:33 & Joshua 24:15)

· Commit to your marriage (Matthew 19:6…asunder)

· Enjoy your kids!

q Respect

“Earned respect will always outweigh positional respect.”

· Take responsibility for your own actions (Ephesians 5:21 & Romans 12:10)

· Listen & Understand each other

· Resolve conflicts quickly (Ephesians 4:26)

q Rules

· Follow God’s rules (Psalm 119)

· Agree on Marital rules (Hebrews 13:4)

· Reasonable and age-appropriate rules (Proverbs 22:6 & Ephesians 6:4)

“Rules without relationship lead to rebellion.” Josh McDowell

q Rest

· Comfort and healing

· Creativity and individuality

· Encouragement and instruction

q Reconciliation

· Free to confess

· Free to forgive (Ephesians 4:32 & 1John 1:9)

“I’m sorry, will you please forgive me?”

Mother's Day

"Did you say something encouraging to your children today? The average parent has 10 negatives to 1 positive. Don't be average. Look for opportunities to express love and encouragement to your children today! If you were critical, remember it takes 4 plus encouragements to negate the effect of one negative statement. Do your best to raise a positive children." Al Menconi Ministries

Mothers have a great responsibility in building their children up. There are so many negative things in this life that can discourage and destroy a child's destiny so home has to be a place for building up not tearing down. If you ever take the time to read a biography of Abraham Lincoln you will discover just how much his mother had a part in building him up. I read one biography of him back in school and another about 6 years ago. What an incredible love he had for her and what potential she saw in him. He was motivated to read and learn while his father wanted him to do chores and a lot of physical labor. His mother found ways for him to do both and told him he would do something great one day. What a wise woman.

I have been blessed with a mother who believed in me and built me up. Time and time again she would instruct me to do the right thing. She also joined many of my backyard baseball games, played cards, games, puzzle races and all sorts of fun activities when we were kids. She instilled such love and acceptance that I had a lot of confidence to do whatever I wanted. From piano lessons to what I do today, I always had confidence. Maybe too much at times! She always did this by staying positive and saying positive things. I was not a perfect kid and I'm sure I gave her many reasons to say something negative. If she did say anything negative, there was more than enough positive to cover it up!

Are you able to say the same of your mother? If you are a mother, are you able to find enough positive things to say about your child(ren)? If it is a struggle for you, here is a great guiding principle. "Whatever is true, noble, honest, right, pure, lovely, admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think on these things!" (Philippians 4:8)

Happy Mother's Day!

Simple yet Profound

Have you ever been in a situation where you felt you were doing what you were supposed to, prepared in every way, committed to the task, but just spinning your wheels? I feel that way sometimes. I had this happen to me within the last 2 months. I had been running along on empty for some time. I was doing a lot of things in my own strength and offering nothing to my church or my family. I had not been taking the time to refuel.

At a day conference 2 weeks ago, the speaker talked of our work and how our public life may look good, but it will only be as strong as its roots. He was referring to Psalms 1 and telling us how important it is to have a devoted life because of the growth, fruitfulness and strength it brings. I knew all of this but how easily I forget. I even have all of Psalm 1 memorized and have meditated on it in the past!

The speaker than went on to describe the difference between shallow roots and deep roots. This is where it stared getting too personal for me! I had to confess and ask God to recharge me and fill me. The speaker talked of serving God, our family, and our church from fruitfulness and an over flowing of His work in us rather than giving everything we have until we are empty and unproductive no matter how hard we try.

How do we refuel or get strength? Through our prayer life, listening to God, and worshiping Him! Add to this our hunger and searching in God's Word and He will refresh and renew us. What a powerful message! We gain 10% by reading God's Word, 25% by studying God's Word, 80% by memorizing it and 100% by meditating on God's Word.

This is simple yet profound...things I leaned in the last few weeks. I would like to say I would never forget it but I did in the past. I know God will remind me again in the future because His Word is alive and powerful. I just need to keep seeking and being strengthened by it.