Volunteer Appreciation Sunday!

We have a great number of people that serve at the Vine. I am sure that you have heard the 20/80 rule. 20% of the people doing all the work. Well, we were pleased to note that our numbers are more 50/50! So, how do you show appreciation for that special group?

Sunday night we held a dinner in their honor. The staff and leadership team planned, setup, greeted, served and cleaned up for them. You know what we found? It was hard for some of our volunteers to sit there and do nothing! They couldn't stand seeing us doing it all.

We also produced a great video about what a Sunday at the Vine would look like without the volunteers. It had its special debut at the dinner for the volunteers. It is hilarious! Click here to view it. (38.8mb, 6:54 min) Or you can view it on YouTube.

Here's the staff and leadership ready to serve:

The event happening:

click on pic to enlarge

And the cleanup:

It is with joyful and sincere hearts that we thank all the volunteers that make great things happen at the Vine! The staff and leadership team love you.

Father - Son Paintball -- ouch!

This past Saturday we had our Father-Son Paintball outing. It was a perfect day for it and we were on the course from 11 AM until 3 PM. We shot a lot of paintballs and each other of course.

We played as private teams on a number of courses at Hit and Run. Dodge 'em City is my all time favorite as well as capture The Fort.

We have some awesome players that know how to maneuver and move in for the kill shot. I have my fare share of welts to prove it as well as contributed to others having welts also. We all wore our welts and bruises as badges of honor!

Playing together teaches the importance of team play, having a plan, and executing that plan.

We all agreed that Hollywood is not true to life in its showing of someone dodging a hail of bullets. In paintball you are facing a barrage of paintballs travelling at 280 feet per second (fps). This is roughly equivalent to 300 kilometers per hour (185mph). You are going to get hit!

In spite of getting hit, it is fun! We will be doing it again!!!

A Matter of Maintaining Integrity-

I recently ministered on the subject of Integrity. It was somewhat in response to a previous post entitled 'Another Black Eye!'

As Pastors the most important character quality we have is our integrity and trust. We lose that, and we lose. Old saying, 'after you have lost honor, what is left?' Obviously nothing!

In my preparation I ran across a quote by Robin Williams who had committed himself into an alcohol treatment center after being on a private drinking binge of three years. He thought he could stop but found out he couldn't do it alone.

This is what he said,

'I was violating my standards faster than I could lower them.'

We need to make sure that we don't allow anything to begin to erode away our integrity or cause us to lower our standards. When we lose them, we have lost all!

Malignant Narcissist- Rules Don't Apply!

Nancy Grace, on a news program was highlighting the "Foley Scandal" on Capital Hill, where a Florida Republican, that was involved in legislation to protect our teens from internet predators was in fact sending sexual messages to the teen Congressional Pages in Washington DC.

She used a term that describes that situation and others like it- "Malignant Narcissist". It's described as a person usually in a high office or public eye that has gained power over people or that people look up to, who has such a high opinion of himself that he feels he is "above" having to live by even the rules and regulations that he may even expect others to live by.

That is how they end up getting caught and exposing themselves, because they are so conceited (full of themselves) that they can't even believe that they have done anything wrong. They will do anything to deny and try to prove their innocence, REALLY believing that they have done NOTHING wrong!!

This term is not just about misconduct among politicians but can be used to describe how a husband treats his wife and family; or an employer his employees, or how about a Pastor with his congregation.

We all are in peril of thinking the rules don't apply to us; that we are somehow exempt from them and 'above' them.

The remedy: live the crucified life and walk in humility!

Pastor Appreciation Blessing!

The Pastoral Staff were blessed yesterday by beautiful baskets full of cards of appreciation and many gift certificates! I responded on behalf of the staff that the saints at the Vine make our job a delight! We serve the best congregation in the world.

To Pastor and His Wife
Your LOVE for the Lord,
DEDICATION to His church,
and COMMITMENT to each other
are beautiful in God's eyes--
and they are BLESSINGS to so many.

You are APPRECIATED for the work
you do and the EXAMPLES you are.

Joyfully thanking God
for both of you.

The 48.8 Million-dollar Elbow

I am sure by now you have heard of the elbow through the Picasso 'Le Reve' (The Dream).

Steve and Elaine Wynn were in a very good mood because he had just sold the Picasso for $139 million. He was showing the painting to some friends when the accident happened. He raised his hand to show them something about the painting -- and at that moment, his elbow crashed backwards right through the canvas. There was a terrible noise.

Wynn stepped away from the painting, and there, smack in the middle of Marie-Therese Walter's plump forearm, was a black hole the size of a silver dollar - or, to be more exactly, the size of the tip of Steve Wynn's elbow -- with two three-inch long rips coming off it in either direction. Steve Wynn has retinitis pigmentosa, an eye disease that damages peripheral vision, but he could see quite clearly what had happened.

"Oh _," he said. "Look what I've done."

The guests were speechless.

"Thank God it was me," he said.

For sure.

The word "money" was mentioned by someone, or perhaps it was the word "deal." The deal was off obviously.

Wynn said: "This has nothing to do with money. The money means nothing to me. It's that I had this painting in my care and I've damaged it."

The painting wound up in the hands of an art restorer, who has told Wynn that when he’s done with it, in six or eight weeks, you won’t be able to tell that Wynn’s elbow had passed through Marie-Thérèse Walter’s left forearm.

One Friday morning weeks after the accident, when Wynn’s alarm went off, at 7 A.M., his wife turned to him in bed and said, “I consider this whole thing to be a sign of fate. Please don’t sell the picture.” Later that morning, Wynn called and told the purchaser he wanted to keep the painting, after all.

So have I become an art collector extrodinaire; one who is well acquainted with the world of art and have many originals hanging in my modest home? No not at all. So what is the point?

The point is as Pastors, parents, and leaders we have something very precious in our care- it may be our children, or God's children. God forbid that we would damage what we have in our care! Some may be irrepairable!

1 Cor 8:9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. NIV
The reason for not showing the photo is because of the interpretation that some apply to it. I do not want to offend so that you miss the point of my post!

Do Barbers Exist?

A Christian went to his favorite barber shop for his weekly hair-cut and beard trimming. In the course of their conversation, they touched upon the subject of God.

The barber said: "Look man, I don't think that God exists as you believe."

"Why do you think that?" asked the Christian.

"Well, it's so easy; you only have to go out in the street to realize that God does not exist. If God existed, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abused or crippled children? If God existed, there would be no suffering or pain. Would there be murder or even war? I can not imagine a loving God who would permit ANY of these things."

The Christian didn't want to enter into an argument and could think of no immediate response to the barber's logic. The barber finished his job and the Christian fellow left the shop. The moment he stepped out the door he saw a man sitting on the curb whose long hair and beard were in need of a barber's attention (It looked so long, dirty and untidy).

The Christian turned and reentered the barber shop and said to the barber: "You know what? Barbers absolutely do not exist!"

"How can you say that barbers do not exist?" exclaimed the barber. "Well, I'm here and I'm a barber. I just cut your hair!!!"

"No!" the Christian exclaimed. "Barbers do not exist; because if they did exist, there would be no people with long hair and stringy beard like that man out there in the street, sitting on the curb."

"Oh, barbers do indeed exist! What happens is that people first have to come to me. They seek me out and find me!"

"You are exactly right!"- affirmed the Christian. "That's exactly the point. God does exist, what happens is people don't go to Him and do not look for Him. That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world."

Snorkel and Scuba Excursions-

click pic for larger view

Debi and I enjoyed some off ship excursions while on the Liberty Fellowship Leadership Cruise last week. Above are pics from a Catamaran Sail and Snorkel plus Beach Party we went on. Do you see us looking at you with the fish around us?

The next day I went for my first ever Scuba Dive. It was beyond my expectations. We stayed down, as under the water on life support system, for 45 minutes. A little panic for a few brief seconds as we went under by yours truly when I realized we wouldn't be coming back up to 'real air' for awhile. But it passed as quickly as it came and I was off swimming like a fish, well, sort of.

Debi was off shopping in Playa Del Carmen while I was under water. We both survived!

Again, we had a great time and are looking for friends who would like to go with us again. How about you?

What a Great Cruise!

I am hooked! Wow, what a great time we all had on the Liberty Fellowship Leadership Cruise.

The accommodations were great and the food- I came home packing a few inches. Besides the gourmet meals in the dining room, the other buffets and a special all Chocolate Lunch Buffet were tops on our list. And I was able to get a slice of anchovy pizza- yum!

The fellowship was great- it was nice to be able to share the enthusiasm of the trip with friends. That was what made the trip special.

Also, we had devotions with all the Liberty Fellowship attendees each morning. Bill Stamp, Mike Collins, and Jim Darnell led those and Danny Tice and I shared in the evenings on Leadership. In fact, we had people join us who heard there were gospel meetings taking place on the ship!

Special thanks to Ruthie from Cruise Away Travel Agency for coordinating this wonderful cruise. She and her agency did a fantastic job!

It was great and we definitely plan on doing it again in the future.

Now back to earth and reality- sigh!

Heading out to Sea!

click pic for larger image

Ever been on a cruise? Debi and I haven't, but this Monday, Oct. 9th we head out to sea for a 5 day cruise. We are attending the Liberty Fellowship Leadership Cruise. We are sailing on Carnival's Holiday ship, stopping in Cozumel and Calica/Playa del Carmen.

We are excited as we will be joining friends from Liberty Fellowship as well as some our own church people will be traveling with us. It will be a time of fun and relaxation.

My good friend Danny Tice and I will share the teaching time onboard. Of course, we will be teaching on Leadership.

I will give you an update with pics when we return.

Wish us well and God speed!

Must Still Seek Him

I met God in the morning
When the day was at its best
And His PRESENCE came like sunrise,
Like a glory within my breast.

All day long, His PRESENCE lingered.
All day long, He stayed with me!
And we sailed in perfect calmness
Over a very troubled sea.

Other ships were torn and battered.
Other ships were sore distressed.
But the wind that seemed to drive them
Brought to us a peace and rest!

Then I thought of other mornings,
With a keen remorse of mind,
When I, too, had loosed the moorings
With the Presence left behind.

So I think I know the secret,
Learned from many a troubled way;
You must seek Him in the morning
If you want Him through the day.”
Ralph Cushman

2006 Men's Retreat this weekend!

We have a great group of men signed up for our annual Men's Retreat at Riverbend Retreat Center in Glen Rose.

Jim Darnell will be speaking on 'Finding Your God-Given Path in the 21st Century!' The theme is centered around geocaching. A newbie to this? Click here to find out more.

So many men signed up this year we had to get an additional cabin and a larger meeting room. Those are problems that are great to have.

Thanks Stan for all your hard work!

In God We Still Trust!

Click here to view video and hear song-

Where did he learn to kiss like that?

David and Debi sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g-...... oh, well...

Chasing Shadows not God!

Then the LORD said, "There is a place near me... Ex 33:21 NIV

God said there was a place that Moses could get near to Him. He also invites you into that place of closeness with Him! In my 'Presence Driven' sermon series I have been talking about getting close to God and living in His presence. We have to pursue that with our whole hearts. But sometimes we are pursuing other things rather than the important thing!

Consider the following story:

Max was a handsome Irish Setter which my brother’s family had agreed to "baby sit" for the weekend. I also was visiting them that weekend and was keeping an eye on Max while they ran some errands. It was a bright, hot, Georgia afternoon.

Max was resting in my brother’s large fenced-in back yard. I was sitting on the back steps, petting him and admiring his beautiful long wine-colored coat, when all of a sudden Max leapt up and tore out after some creature which had caught his eye. As he ran, I looked out ahead of him and sure enough, there it was the shadow of a bird which was flying over the yard. As the shadow neared the end of the yard, it "flew" into the shadow of a tree which reached out onto my brother’s property. When the two shadows met, the bird’s shadow disappeared, but that’s not how Max was interpreting the experience. He was still almost at a full run, for a mature, but somewhat inexperienced Irish Setter, when he reached the tree’s shadow. The abrupt disappearance of his prey was very confusing for Max. With every muscle in his body tense, claws dug into the dirt, tail high and wagging with excitement and anticipation, ears forward, tongue out and panting, eyes wide open and searching everywhere in the immediate area for his illusive game.

Max was the perfect image of me when I have fallen for the deception of the enemy. So willing, or determined, to expend any amount of energy for something that looks real or right and calls on my natural abilities in just the right way... but there is no substance, only shadow, and that which is real I have missed by a long shot. The obvious difference in Max and me/us is that, hopefully, we don’t keep chasing shadows all day long, or life long. By the end of the afternoon, Max was exhausted!

Isn’t that what chasing shadows does to all of us?

Makes a Pastor Proud!

Watch the video clip than read below. I love pastoring these women at the Vine!

9-18-2006

Dear Pastor,
This past week I had the distinct privilege to lifeguard the Vine Fellowship Women's Retreat at Lakeview Camp in Maypearl, TX. A group of women from your church rented water activities down at the lake. One of the activities is the called the ‘blob.’ This is where you climb up 20 feet to a wood platform and jump down to a 40 foot balloon air mattress which in return launches the person that is seated at the other end of the blob out into the lake.

As I was watching your women’s group from the Vine Fellowship blob, I decided to blob some of the ladies myself. As I jumped out to the blob my left ring finger got caught on a nail sticking out from the wood and ripped my finger almost completely off.

Pastor, the women from your congregation rushed to my aid. They helped control the bleeding and started praying for healing immediately. One of the ladies pulled her own car up not caring about getting blood all over her car; she was only focused on my health and safety! As she rushed me up to my cabin I remember a lady in the back seat holding my head and praying constantly for healing and a healthy recovery from our Almighty Lord. She kept telling me it’s in God’s hands and everything will be ok.

God is so worthy of praise. Words cannot describe how thankful I am for the Vine Fellowship and the Women’s Retreat. The doctors were able to save my finger. It took 27 stitches to re-attach. They couldn’t understand how the finger was not completely severed. I know the answer to that, His name is ‘Jesus.’ The healer of healers, the best doctor anyone could have.

It is obvious that the love of Jesus flows thru everybody that helped assist in my recovery from the Vine Fellowship. Once again thank you Vine Fellowship for all your prayers. As praises go up to God may the blessings from the Lord come down on you.

God bless you all,
Blake Brueggemeyer

Happy Birthday to a most Wonderful Wife!

The past Saturday we celebrated my wife's birthday! I am so very thankful that God has given us another year to enjoy Him and each other.

We hosted the Young Marrieds from the church that night with a cook out and fun and games. They threw her a surprise birthday party. They had me give them an old picture from when we first started dating with her long blond hair. They then had it photo copied on to her birthday cake. Boy, was she surprised! They also gave her a Visa card to go shopping!

So today, we continue her birthday celebration with shopping and a meal later on.

Thank you Debi for being the most wonderful wife a man could ever have. You are my delight!

Proud to be an American- Great Moments!

Hooray for Rick Monday!!!

Click here to feel proud!

video is over 4 min.

Another Black Eye!

This has been a tough few months as the courtroom drama unfolded daily in our newspapers and on TV. It was the trial of a prominent Arlington Pastor accused of drugging and raping 3 women (he was convicted and is serving a 15 year sentence). It seems that his conduct had been challenged over 12 years ago, but no action taken. The media was in a feeding frenzy. It had another way to slam the Church of Jesus Christ.

As a staff we discussed this (I will do a series on Authority soon- when to submit and not), people were hurting over the revelation, a church lost hundreds of members, and I personally did counseling for some. So it was a trying time.

To compound the problem, one of the local writers (Bob Ray Sanders) wrote an article on ‘clergy abuse’ that pretty well indicted all clergy as corrupt, abusive, and otherwise immoral. He gave a forum for people to tell their own horror stories about the clergy.

I could stand it no longer! I wrote to him the following (to which I heard no response nor was it published):

As a member of the clergy I do feel that your article 'Hornbuckle isn't the only bad pastor out there' was an over-generalization characterizing many clergy as abusers and casting suspicion on all clergy.

There are many more pastors out there who have not succumbed to the 'gals, glory, or gold' trap that have befallen some clergy as well as prominent CEO's, Past Presidents, etc.

We have had numerous reports over the past year of reporters fabricating or plagiarizing stories but have seen no articles saying many reporters are abusers and that we should be suspicious of all those that write for the news media including yourself.

We all should be able to stand the test of scrutiny. After all integrity is not who you are in public but who you really are in private.

Thank you for your efforts,
David Kerr

Now I feel better! Let the Church rise to Her destiny!

Great Weekend of Ministry!

(Click pic to enlarge)

Judy Russell, wife of George 'Buster' Russell (Life Gate Church in El Paso, TX) ministered to our ladies of the Vine at their annual retreat this past weekend. She ministered under the power of the Holy Spirit not only preaching a dynamic word but also spending time with each woman praying and prophesying over them. Lives and wives were radically changed!

I asked her to stay over and preach on Sunday morning at our two services. She consented and ministered a great word about not allowing the enemy to steal the seed of destiny that God has placed in each one of us. At the end of each service she prayed for men, women, children, and husbands and wives. We started the second service while she was still praying and she stayed praying for people after the second until 2:30pm that afternoon!

Weeks and months as well as eternity will tell of the great impartation that took place through her ministry.

Thank you Judy for a job well done!

Are You Ready?

Jesus' Face on a Beer Glass?

Click here to read this article.

What do you think?

Intimacy Was God’s Idea!

Now that I have your attention- you probably thought this was going to be a blog about sex between and husband and wife- right? Come on and admit it. When we hear the word intimacy that is what generally pops into one’s mind.

But I am talking about the intimacy that God wants to have with you!

I started a series called ‘Presence Driven.’ We are exploring James 4:8 Come near to God and he will come near to you.

Intimacy with God began in the Garden when He created man. It says that he breathed into man’s nostrils the breath of life. I don’t believe you can get much closer than that.

Anyone ever been taught CPR? Did you practice on the dummy? Have you ever done it on a real person? What did you do? You got up close and personal. You breathed a life saving breath into them.

God breathing into man was a demonstration of an intimacy we were to have with Him. Can you imagine Adam opening his eyes and looking straight into the eyes of God!

Another demonstration of God desiring intimacy was that He walked in the Garden with them. Up close and personal. His relationship was not from a distance.

How about your relationship with God? Do you keep Him at a distance or do you endeavor to draw close to God knowing that He promises to draw close to you?

Up close and personal!

September Staff Birthdays!

I have a great staff at the Vine Fellowship. This month 3 of our 'Dream Team' have birthdays. They are top left: Tammy Barch-secretary; top right: Stan King-Associate Pastor; bottom: Brad Irons-Worship Pastor.

I pray God will bless you with a great day and want you to know I am thankful that God has given us another year together!

I love you!

Some Great Coffee Art!

Time to drink up!

Picture Perfect?

You decide! Unbelievable!

Sponge Mistake

In the doctors office two patients are talking.

"You know, I had an appendectomy last month and the doctor left a sponge in me by mistake."

"A sponge!" exclaims the other. "And do you feel much pain"

"No pain at all," says the first, "but do I get thirsty!"

Sure glad this didn't happen to me with my knee surgery a few weeks ago!

Knee Pain and Surgery

The knee pain began on the inside of my right knee. It was most noticeable when sitting and upon rising it would be a sharp pain that would require a few seconds of stretching my leg to get it to stop.

I have been active all my life with running 5k's and 10k's, plus 5 marathons, playing tennis every Saturday, and racquetball twice a week. You can imagine my anguish as this knee pain began and increased in intensity. I stopped playing racquetball for a month hoping to overcome the problem. I continued playing tennis without much problem.

When I returned to racquetball one Thursday morning, I made a sharp turn to get to a ball hit along the side wall. The minute I twisted and put weight on the right knee, it happened. The pain was immediate and debilitating. I stopped play immediately.

A visit to my family doctor and a MRI told me that I had torn my meniscus in that knee. I gave God plenty of time to heal the knee.

Well a week ago Thursday, I had surgery on my knee. They put me out to do the procedure. The tear was more than the Doctor imagined. However, he repaired the meniscus. I have been going to Physical Therapy this week and I am doing great!

I am anxiously waiting the time I can return to tennis and maybe racquetball (?). The doctor said that I would be good to play again without any concerns.

So pray for me that God will give a quick recovery!

Why there is less Bible reading-

The 23rd Channel

The TV is my shepherd I shall not want,
It makes me lie down on the sofa,

It leads me away from the scriptures,
It damages my soul.

It leads me in the path of sex and
violence for the sponsor's sake.

Yea, though I walk in the shadow
of my Christian responsibilities,
there will be no interruption
for the TV is with me,

It's cable and remote control,
they comfort me,

It prepares a commercial before me in
the presence of my worldliness.

It anoints my head with humanism,
my coveting runneth over,

Surely laziness and ignorance shall
follow me all the days of my life,

And I shall dwell in my house
watching TV forever.

~Author Unknown~

Coffee again helps in life-

Another good coffee illustration concerning life and how we approach it:

http://cfnistudent.blogspot.com/2006/08/when-facing-adversity-remember-carrot.html

check it out- thanks Dawn

Overestimated Importance!

Recently, a large mega church hired several cannibals to increase their diversity, "You are all part of our team now," said the Staff Pastor during the welcoming briefing. "You get all the usual benefits and you can go to the cafeteria for something to eat, but please don't eat any employees."

The cannibals promised they would not.

Four weeks later their Staff Pastor remarked, "You're all working very hard and I'm satisfied with your work. We have noticed a marked increase in the whole staff's performance. However, one of our secretaries has disappeared. Do any of you know what happened to her?"

The cannibals all shook their heads, "No."

After the Staff Pastor left, the leader of the cannibals said to the others, "Which one of you idiots ate the secretary?" A hand rose hesitantly. "You fool!" the leader continued. "For four weeks we've been eating Pastors and no one noticed anything."

"But NOOOooo, you had to go and eat someone who actually does something."

Say together now- "I love Pastor David" (BTW, I am having knee surgery tomorrow and would appreciate your prayers- will blog about it later.-Pastor David)

The Dead Church!?!

A new Pastor in a small Oklahoma town spent the first four days making personal visits to each of the members, inviting them to come to his first services.

The following Sunday the church was all but empty.

Accordingly, the Pastor placed a notice in the local newspapers, stating that, because the church was dead, it was everyone’s duty to give it a decent Christian burial.

The funeral would be held the following Sunday afternoon, the notice said.

Morbidly curious, a large crowd turned out for the funeral. In front of the pulpit, they saw a closed coffin, smothered in flowers. After the Pastor delivered the eulogy, he opened the coffin and invited his congregation to come forward and pay their final respects to their dead church.

Filled with curiosity as to what would represent the corpse of a "dead church," all the people eagerly lined up to look in the coffin. Each "mourner" peeped into the coffin then quickly turned away with a guilty, sheepish look.

In the coffin, tilted at the correct angle, was a large mirror.

God brews the coffee, not the cups!

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. The conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain-looking, some expensive, and some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

After all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.

"Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases, it's just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups...and then began eyeing each other's cups.

"Now consider this: Life is the coffee, and the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life, and the type of cup we have does not define nor change the quality of life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us."

God brews the coffee, not the cups . . . enjoy your coffee.

Vacation = Great Relaxation

One reason we always go to Perdido Key is the beauty of the sugar white beaches and relaxation! It is here that I find I can relax the quickest. Chill, vegg, relax- that's what vacation is supposed to be - right?

This year was no exception to the above rule. The weather was perfect with just one rain that drove us from the beach. We enjoyed every minute of it.

We visited the Original Oyster House restaurant in Gulf Shores (pic below, click on pics for larger images), and the Shrimp Basket. We also cooked some outstanding dishes such as Shrimp and Cheese Grits and Spicy Tilapia. We have great chefs in our family!We also had a visit with a dear friend, Sandy Carter. I had emailed her that we would be there about the time she was setting up household in Pensacola. She didn't get it, but called one morning on my cell to let us know her new home number. I told her where we were. She said she was just 2 miles from there and we invited her to have breakfast with us. Debi fixed her delicious Caramel Pancakes. We had a great visit and got to see her house plus daughters Rachel and Anna. Sandy will be dividing her time between there and Nicaragua. She is a great woman of God with a dynamic work in Nicaragua!So, that is how we spent our vacation- we are home now and back to the wonderful Saints at Vine Fellowship.

A great big thanks of apprecation to a wonderful staff who took care of everything and preached in my absence. I am a blessed man!

Too good to pass up-

Click here for other 'conservative' cartoons--

Why I take Vacations-

The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four persons is suffering from some sort of mental illness. Think of your three best friends -- if they're okay, then it's you. (thanks Dawn for the quote)

Also, I had a friend who was stirring me to work hard, play less, and don't rest say this, "The Devil never takes a vacation!" To which I responded, "Yeah, and if I don't I will become just like him!"

So now you know why I take vacations, so that I won't be like either of these statements.

Oops, you say it's too late? Aaaaaaaagh! Help me Jesus!

Family Vacation Time - 2006

This past Sunday I finished my series on Desperate Households with a mini series on Desperate Parenting. It was a two part series with the first directed to teens and their parents on how to avoid the pits of life (taken from Joseph's life).

The second part was about keys to successful parenting. One such key is spending time with your children. Discovering their natural bent in order to help direct them in life.

We have always taken a family vacation, before we had children and every year since! Even now that Ryan is married to a wonderful woman, Charity, they join us. This year will be no exception.

We leave on Saturday heading for the Pensacola, FL, area, Perdido Key to be exact. We will stay in the same condo where we stayed last year.

It is always an enjoyable time of getting away, relaxing, eating some good fresh seafood, and enjoying the company of our children. God is so very good to us. Probably won't blog until I return. See ya then. God Bless!

Please go away Tropical Storm Chris! He did!!!

Mel Gibson on Seeking Forgiveness!

We were all stunned with the reports of Mel Gibson's drunken display of denigrating anger. His abuse of a police officer. His use of the f word. His remarks about the Jews.


Yep, he did it. No doubt.

He's guilty!

But what I do admire about it all is his publicly asking for forgiveness. Read this statement.

August 2, 2006 -- There is no excuse, nor should there be any tolerance, for anyone who thinks or expresses any kind of Anti-Semitic remark. I want to apologize specifically to everyone in the Jewish community for the vitriolic and harmful words that I said to a law enforcement officer the night I was arrested on a DUI charge.

I am a public person, and when I say something, either articulated and thought out, or blurted out in a moment of insanity, my words carry weight in the public arena. As a result, I must assume personal responsibility for my words and apologize directly to those who have been hurt and offended by those words.

The tenets of what I profess to believe necessitate that I exercise charity and tolerance as a way of life. Every human being is God's child, and if I wish to honor my God I have to honor his children. But please know from my heart that I am not an anti-Semite. I am not a bigot. Hatred of any kind goes against my faith.

I am not just asking for forgiveness. I would like to take it one step further, and meet with leaders in the Jewish community, with whom I can have a one on one discussion to discern the appropriate path for healing.

I have begun an ongoing program of recovery and what I am now realizing is that I cannot do it alone. I am in the process of understanding where those vicious words came from during that drunken display, and I am asking the Jewish community, whom I have personally offended, to help me on my journey through recovery. Again, I am reaching out to the Jewish community for its help. I know there will be many in that community who will want nothing to do with me, and that would be understandable. But I pray that that door is not forever closed.

This is not about a film. Nor is it about artistic license. This is about real life and recognizing the consequences hurtful words can have. It's about existing in harmony in a world that seems to have gone mad.

What I like about this statement is it is the proper way to seek forgiveness:
1. He humbled himself- a broken and contrite spirit
2. He acknowledged his sin- it was a sin and he says so
3. He took ownership of it- it was his and his alone - didn't blame someone else
4. He asked for forgiveness- didn't say 'sorry if'- acknowledge he did and asked forgiveness
5. He sought restoration- sought to be reconciled with those he offended

Forgiveness 101- we should follow his example of how to seek forgiveness should we do a big piece of stupid.

Another Sign of the Times!!!

Coffee lovers beware!

Coffee chuckle:

I met someone in the elevator who was drinking coffee and complaining about how coffee made him nervous. I said why don't you quit drinking coffee. He said, "because if I didn't have the shakes I wouldn't get any exercise at all."

The 'Missables' in Church

There is a sad fact of church life, there are people who can be gone for a while and no one realizes it.

One pastor was confronted by a member who had been out for several weeks and not received a visit from the pastor.

"How do you explain this?" The man said angrily!

"I don't know." replied the pastor. "I can't explain why your participation in this church is so low or non-existent that you can be gone for weeks at a time and not be missed by anyone. Have you seen our volunteer sign up list?"

It amazes me that someone would consider it someone else's responsibility to make sure they are at church. Barring illness, which means they should call for the elders of the church for prayer, no one has an excuse for why they miss church nor can blame anyone else but themselves.

Church attendance is important enough for there to be scriptures relating to the matter:

Heb 10:24-25 In response to all he has done for us, let us outdo each other in being helpful and kind to each other and in doing good. Let us not neglect our church meetings, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near. (TLB)

There are immense benefits from meeting together. I stress to our saints that our gathering together each time is like a family reunion. It is a time of rejoicing, encouraging one another, and loving on each other. It is a time for the Word of God to be preached in a relevant, life changing and encouraging way. It is a time to honor God with our worship.

I don't know how people would want to miss out on that. But, the missables do!

A Different Kind of Church Guest-

As a pastor I get many letters. Some are encouraging and some are well, quite disturbing. In all my years of pastoring I have never received a letter from someone who was a guest at our church. But here's a first! They didn't stay but sent the following letter some months later:

Dear Pastor and Church Family,
So many times, people go through churches, and for one reason or another, they decide not to remain and leave without saying anything to the pastor or the people of the church who have been so kind and giving to them. Unfortunately and regretfully we find ourselves guilty of this, and we would like to say to your church family that we are very sorry.

As we believers look around trying to find God's will for our lives in terms of a church home, it's easy to think only of ourselves and not consider how people coming and going may affect all of you who dare to share your hearts with visitors. A short time ago, our family visited your church. You graciously opened your arms and hearts to all of us. If we left, selfishly saying nothing to you, please forgive us for our inconsiderate behavior.

May the Lord bless your "house" and may He give you the grace to consider us your friends.

Wow, what a gracious and loving letter. I have had people who have been members for years up and leave and never say a thing. This restores my faith that there are people out there that are sensitive to the Holy Spirit, know how to walk out Christian love, and depart on good terms thus maintaining friendships.

We all can learn from this letter-- Thank you Jesus!

Just How Hot is it in Texas?

Check out this link from Pastor Rob

Another GREAT Block Party!

Last night we had another of our monthly summer Block Parties. This had a beach theme with the giant water slide (yes, I did go down it a few times; no, I will never grow up!), wading pools, hotdogs, watermelon, door prizes, and of course some Beach Boys music, among others.

We had people from the neighborhood visit us and join in the fun, win some door prizes, and check us out as a Church.

We had a great group working the event. They are true servants indeed!

I love pastoring this great church!

My Tribute to Marj Massey

This week is the Liberty Fellowship Summer Family Conference at Lake Junaluska in beautiful North Carolina. Debi and I were to attend there with some of our staff (they are there now). We were to fly out on Sunday. I am writing this from Arlington as Debi and I were not able to attend because of the events surrounding a very important person in our lives.

I had the great honor of having one of the oldest living Cystic Fibrosis patient as a member of The Vine. Marj Massey was small in frame and seemingly frail, however she had an indomitable spirit. She was 65 years old when she died this past Saturday. I did her funeral yesterday. She outlived her husband, Winn, whom we buried in 1997, and her mother, Faye, whom we buried this past January.

Marj was an amazing woman! Wish I could tell you all about her but your time and this space does not permit me to do so. If you ever see me, ask me to tell you about Marj!

Pastors spend their lives trying to enrich the lives of others. Very rarely do others try to enrich the lives of their pastors. Marj Massey is one of the few who have enriched my life. She was more than a church member, she was my friend, a part of the Kerr family, a Godly woman, a prayer warrior, and one who loved, esteemed, and encouraged me. She will be missed by me in many personal ways.

Marj was a Rock, founded upon THE ROCK.

R- she ran her race to completion- she persevered in the midst of CF, diabetes, anemia, and other ailment's.

O- overcomer- she overcame by the blood of the Lamb and the word of her testimony. She was a conqueror over the ravages of these diseases.

C- committed- she was committed to the Lord, her church, extending the Kingdom, and a soul winner. She led countless people to the Lord.

K- kind- to Marj everyone was her favorite. When you were in her presence and alone with her, she made you feel as though you were the most important person in the world. She was generous with her food (she and I would have liver and onions together!), her time, and her resources.

Marj Massey was an extraordinary woman for this generation. I honor and love Marj!

35th Wedding Anniversary- Just Perfect!

Debi and I enjoyed our 35th Wedding Anniversary on St. Thomas.

From the condo, pool, beaches, silver convertible, food, coffee, and of course romance! I won't bore you with the details, but you can ask.

Everyting was perfect, mon. (Island talk and spelling)

Perfect, Just Perfect!

Who needs fireworks for July 4th?...

Click here to visit site with video and info...

...when you have Mentos and Diet Coke. Turn on sound-Enjoy!

35th Wedding Anniversary + Trip

I am in the midst of Preaching a series on 'Desperate Households.' It has been great and well received. One sermon was for couples entitled 'My lover, My friend.' It was from Song of Solomon 5:16:

His mouth is sweetness itself; he is altogether lovely. This is my lover, this my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem. NIV

I have planning this trip to St. Thomas for over a year now and it was a surprise to Debi. Booked the airlines, the fabulous condo (which she still knows nothing about), the red convertible, day excursions via boat around the other islands, moonlight cruise with dinner.... Why? Debi is my Best Friend!

Outside of knowing God intimately, marriage is the highest level of relationship created by God- higher than even mother/child, and all others- so friendship ought to reach it's very zenith in the context of the marriage relationship.

What develops that best friend relationship in marriage? From Song of Solomon:

His mouth is sweetness- speaking kindness to one another and not allowing trash talking in the marriage.

He is altogether lovely- giving extravagant praise privately and publicly.

This is my lover- being faithful and intimate only with your spouse- and maintaining and sustaining a great sex life.

This is my friend- understanding the gift that God has given you and allowing no other to be what He intended your spouse to be.

I know of people who have violated these principles and although they may remain married they are not best friends but just roommates. They would rather spend the most enjoyable moments of their lives in the company of someone else than with their spouse!

Debi, thanks for being my best friend and being proactive in our marriage over the years. Happy 35th Wedding Anniversary!

You are my island girl, the woman of my dreams!

ps- I will not be blogging while in St. Thomas- other things to do- ;>)

Reflections on the Call to Pastor- part 4

Debi and I will be celebrating our 35th Wedding Anniversary this year with a trip to St. Thomas on June 24th (more on that in an upcoming post).

Longevity to a call.

Of course I am referring to our 'call' to marriage, or am I? I heard the following story:

Suleyman Guresci, of Izmir, Turkey divorced his wife of 21 years after a bitter six-year court battle. In an effort to find the ideal woman, Guresci turned to a computer dating service—the kind that evaluates your written profile and suggests matches for you.

Ironically, from a list of 2000 prospective brides, the computer selected his former wife, who (unbeknownst to Guresci) had signed up for the same service. Guresci's response? He decided to remarry his wife just nine months after their divorce. He said, "I did not know that my ex-wife had been the ideal counterpart for a marriage. I decided to give it another try by being more tolerant toward her."

The principle Guresci learned also applies to a number of other areas: your church, your ministry, your job, and so on. C. Peter Wagner points out that one common characteristic of effective pastors is a commitment to stay: They're not looking for greener pastures.

Have I longed for greener pastures? Yes! When? When things were tough; people disgruntled with me, my preaching, my leadership, direction of the church, lack of spiritual gifts (as if it was my fault, forgetting that they are the Holy Spirit's to do what He pleases when He pleases for His purposes), etc.

But, the 'call,' to stay!

I learned like Guresci learned about his marriage, your ideal situation might be the one you're in right now.

Sign of the Times!?!

From NON SEQUITUR

Inevitable Intersection on the Road of Life...

Reflections on the Call to Pastor- part 3

I enjoy what I do- I thank God for the opportunity to serve Him and His people day after day! To be a Pastor, this is it!

It is interesting to me that God spent more time describing the qualifications for a Pastor than He did with all the other five fold ministry gifts. The qualifications for a Pastor listed in I Timothy chapter 3 are more than about moral issues. You will find that these qualifications describe a man who is able to see the various challenges of life, who knows how to live life and serve Christ while keeping things in balance, avoiding the pitfalls of life, so that he and God's sheep can finish this life having run their race, having finished their course, and having kept the faith.

Here's what these qualifications mean to me:

-blameless (no legitimate accusations against him),
-husband of one wife (knows how to build long-term stable
relationships),
-vigilant (on the ball, not easily bamboozled),
-sober (lives in the real world, faces facts straight-on),
-of good behavior (conducts himself appropriately in all situations),
-given to hospitality (loves blessing and fellowshipping with others),
-apt to teach (not always preach),
-not given to wine (sees the dangers of things that intoxicate and partakes of them moderately, within Scriptural bounds, or not at all),
-no striker (not a bully),
-not greedy of filthy lucre (isn't running a shake-down operation);
-but patient (people make a lot of mistakes, and take a long time to learn from them),
-not a brawler (doesn't walk all over others to get what he wants),
-not covetous (isn't trying to pocket everything the sheep have);
-one that rules well his own house (his first church),
-not a novice (must have wisdom and maturity),
-having a good report of them which are without (respected by all).

I think it speaks volumes that God did not entrust the governing of the local church to healing evangelists, gifted prophets, teachers of doctrine, or missions-minded apostles. All these individuals are needed, and all that they contribute are of great value, but God appointed the Pastor to govern along with similarly called elders. Why?

Because the Pastor's strength is balance and stability.

The congregation needs occasional doses of the fire of an evangelist. But if they have a steady diet of fire at every single spiritual meal, they'll burn up.

Christians need the inspiration of the prophet, speaking under a sudden inspiration of the Spirit. But if all they have is prophecy, prophecy, prophecy, without the solid grounding of the teaching of God's Word, the group will eventually get off into error.

The sheep need to be taught sound doctrine. But if all they hear is doctrine, doctrine, doctrine, they will eventually evolve into Phariseeical experts on the jots and tittles of the law, but useless and destitute, as Christ said, of the weightier matters of judgement, mercy, and faith.

God created the evangelist to fire us up for souls, the prophet to inspire us of heavenly things, the teacher to ground us in sound doctrine, and the Apostle to focus our ultimate aim on reaching foreign lands.

And God set the pastor and elders over the congregation to oversee these ministries, keep the portions of these spiritual feedings balanced out so that the congregation does not go off the deep end.

I am convinced that God knew what He was doing when He created the five-fold ministry system. I think He has invested much more anointing and purpose in the Pastor's office than we have comprehended up to this time!

What do you think!

I Thought I was Coffee Crazy...

This man desperately needs his morning cup of coffee...