This might be a different post than normal, but I was reading a blog of a friend of mine from Texas.  He travels around the country teaching and leading the next generation to follow Jesus.  He entered an interesting post about The HULK I thought you might like.  http://www.planetwisdom.com/marksblog/  His website is great for parents and kids alike.  He is all about equipping parents to do the hard work of discipleship.  Parents, you are my heroes!  Keep up the great work!

Happy 4th of July.  Take time to say thank you to God for your family, your home, and this country.  Pray also for our men and women serving this country.  May God allow you rest today, a great meal, and meaningful conversation with those you love the most.   

 Today’s Bible reading is Proverbs 12:1-28.  Notice the first verse: “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates corrections is stupid.” Proverbs 12:1

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes,” Paul

Romans 1:16

Excerpt taken from Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson, pastor of National Community Church http://theaterchurch.com/

“The Celtic Christians had a name for the Holy Spirit that always intrigued me.  They called Him An Geadh-Glas, or ‘the Wild Goose.’  I love the imagery and implications.  The name hints at the mysterious nature of the Holy Spirit.  Much like a wild goose, the Spirit of God cannot be tracked or tamed.  An element of danger and an air of unpredictability surround Him.  And while the name may sound a little sacrilegious at first earshot, I cannot think of a better description of what it’s like to follow the Spirit’s leading through life than Wild Goose chase.  I think the Celtic Christians were on to something that institutionalized Christianity has missed out on.  And I wonder if we have clipped the wings of the Wild Goose and settled for something less than the spiritual adventure God orginally intended.

I understand that the wild goose chase typically refers to a purposeless endeavor without a defined destination.  But chasing the Wild Goose is different.  The promptings of the Holy Spirit can sometimes seem pointless, but rest assured, God is working His plan.  And if you chase the Wild Goose, He will take you places you could have never imagined going, by paths you never knew existed.”

“The wind blows wherever it pleases,” said Jesus.  “You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.  So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” John 3:8  

I am still amazed at what God decided to do this morning at Mount Ararat.  The Holy Spirit gave me a spiritual audible (Football term) in calling me through my 8 year old daughters devotion book for baptism.  We read Acts 2:38 where Peter preached, “Repent and be baptized”!  Those words rattled in my heart all the way from my prayers to my sermon.  I put Sydney to bed, and then I called Gwen to ask about the possiblity of us setting up the portable baptistry for an impromptu call to commitment.  She quickly called Davy (our facility manager) to check the possibility.  Once he heard the vision, he did not hesitate a bit.  He and his wife loaded up and headed to the church (30 minutes away) at 11:00pm Saturday night to get things ready.  I went up to the church to join them for the filling party.  I confessed to them I did not know what was going to happen on Sunday, but I knew in my soul we were being obedient to God. 

As Paul Lof and I prayed before the first service, we called for heaven to fall down upon the day.  I sensed the power and the fire of the Lord fall as I preached.  And each hour, I concluded the message with Peter’s words: Repent and be baptized.  Each hour had different responses, but each hour was amazing!  When the call for people to come forward and be baptized while fully clothed came, I was blown away by the way God spoke to the hearts his people.  People walked forward in brokenness, yet embracing hope.  What a beautiful picture of rescue and restoration!  Salvation fell upon Mount Ararat this day!

I am not looking to re-live past days, but I don’t think I would mind if God wanted to pour out himself like this again another Sunday.  There have been many challenging days since God placed me in this role of Senior Pastor at Mount Ararat, so a day like today reminds me of what ministry is all about.  It is easy to lose sight, to get distracted, and to miss the big picture. 

Today, we baptized over 20 people (while fully clothed) in a portable baptistry out front of our worship center.  We listened to their stories about how Jesus Christ has changed their lives.  I am still amazed at what God can do in a human heart!

Holy Spirit thank you for speaking through my daughter Sydney’s devotion time.  Thank you for your word, “Repent and be baptized”.  Thank you for messing up our service.  Feel free to interrupt, anytime!   Or better yet, how about everytime!                    

Mount Ararat,
This has been an amazing week at Mount Ararat.  This week our Children’s Ministry led 481 kids through a life-changing week of Vacation Bible School.  Twenty-one (21) kids accepted Christ!  Praise God!  Moving VBS to the first week of summer was a great move in helping us to reach out to new unchurched families.  I am so grateful for Susan Wanderer, our children’s minister, along with her amazing team: Linda Elliott, Robin Lingo, Michele Ashinhurst, and Jaime Breth.  They mobilized a team of 231 volunteers to make this amazing week happen.  Praise God for our Student Ministry who brought 111 teen helpers to the week.

I am so encouraged to be a part of such an exciting church.  I love seeing our ministries uniting together for the greater cause of leading children to faith in Jesus and also taking the next step in helping them grow in their faith.  Church family, we have been called to make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20), and that is what VBS is all about!!!

What happened in your week?