Thinking of the Chapman Family

I have been unable to shake the knot in my throat for days now since I have heard about the tragic death of Maria Chapman, the youngest daughter of Steven Curtis Chapman. Last November my family sat in his concert and cried as he sang Cinderella, a song he wrote about her.
He has been one of my favorite Christian artists since I received free cassettes of his in a sample package 20 years ago when I was a youth pastor.

What do you say to them? What can I say to them? The blog they established in her memory already has over 18,000 comments, more than 2,000 people attended her funeral. My thoughts will just add to the pile they are already experiencing. My prayers I will still add to countless others. Of course, most of my time would be spent listening, but I asked myself, what would I say if I was called upon to comfort?

I could share some sentimental notion about my two children in heaven welcoming her, or playing with her, or singing with her. But, what is that? We don't know how that works, or if it would even happen. Where is the help and hope in that?

We found the greatest help and hope from what we could affirm from Scripture. Affirming things that God said to be true was the strongest anchor for our hearts when we were inclined to accuse or blame or despair. Nothing helped us like reminding us of what God has said about similar pain. Here is a start:

• Psalm 34:18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A special sense of God's presence is reserved for those who are crushed and brokenhearted. Lean into Him.
• Psalm 127:3 Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him. No matter how they come or how long they stay, children are a treasure from the Lord. If they bring pain or pleasure they are still sent from the Lord. God's design is for blessing.
• Job 1:21-22 "The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing. Job 2:10 is equally staggering: "Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" In all this, Job did not sin in what he said. I can identify with Job who lost more children than I have. Why does the writer repeat that Job did not sin in what he said? Because he was right to affirm that God was in the calamity that came upon him. Yes, the devil had designs to destroy Job and the Sabeans stole his oxen, but God did not look the other way. He was sovereign over their sin and their intended destruction of this man of faith. Don't abandon this calamity to less loving causes than God.
• Job 42:5 My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Some of God's design in this tragedy is to give you a glimpse of Him that you can only hear about another way. This is Job's reflection on his experience of losing his children -- I got to know God.
  
• Lamentations 3:19-33 I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young. Let him sit alone in silence, for the LORD has laid it on him. Let him bury his face in the dust-- there may yet be hope. Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him, and let him be filled with disgrace. For men are not cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men. I was going to shorten this, but every word of this weeping prophet is precious. Several things in this passage are worth affirming:
  
• Honesty about how I feel is not only acceptable, but the means by which I am reminded of the Lord's mercy.
• It is because of the Lord's great love that my unbearable situation is not worse.
  
• God's goodness is not changed by this calamity.
• It will not last forever. I will not be cast off by the Lord forever.
• "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.He brings grief (same affirmation as Job). He also brings compassion.
• This affliction and grief is not His first choice. He does not willingly bring it, or literally He doesn't bring it 'from the heart'. His first desire is not this pain. Yet, He sends it anyway.
• John 9:3 "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." This is not God's judgment for your sin. His judgment for sin (for believers) is taken care of on the cross. God has designs beyond this suffering to display His glory.
  
• John 11:5-6 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. The smallest word in this sentence is the most significant, "so". Jesus love Martha, Mary and Lazarus SO, as a result, he waited two days. . . just long enough to let Lazarus die. Mary and Martha both said, "If you were here he would not have died!" Odd as it may seem, the love of Jesus led to the death of Lazarus. Less odd, Jesus' absence led to the revelation of His glory. His love and his glory are wed in the suffering of this family.
• Psalm 44: When none of these affirmations help, Psalm 44 gives voice to my complaint. The two parts that have been most helpful to me are verse 12, "You sold us for a pittance gaining nothing by our sale," and verse 20, which says we'd expect you to treat us this way if we'd been unfaithful, but we haven't been. So, a complaint of faith and a call to remember is the most spiritual thing we can do.
  
• Psalm 73:25-26 Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Nothing has shown us that God himself is the only reliable source of joy and hope like losing a child. This passage is where we finally landed, it broke our fall. God is our strength and our eternal portion. Nothing else will satisfy our hearts. Everything else will break our hearts!
  

Why do I share this? Maybe you will have opportunity one day to comfort someone in an unspeakable tragedy. What will you say? I hope this helps. It has helped us. There is nothing like a world-changing, life-altering tragedy to display the strength of Christian hope.

Steve, Mary Beth, and Chapman Family, you are in my prayers.

Dear New Life Church,

How blessed we feel to have such a loving and caring church family. Thank you for the prayers, cards, flowers, and messages of concern during our recent illness.

--Alex and Kathy Fuentes

Guatemala Team Hard At Work

Help support the 2009 Guatamala Team! Members of our team will help you with your "honey-do" list and you can make a donation to the short term mission.

We will do yard work, general cleanup, painting projects or "you name it".

Here's a snapshot of Dianne Froode, hard at work on a recent workday.

"Don't Waste Your Summer"

Last night we had a little business at our Quarterly Business meeting, a financial report and receiving new members. Mandy Littrell, Pat and Ruth Clifford, Todd and Julia McBride, Laura Martin, Joyce Helgerson, and Jeff and Danette Brophy were introduced as new members.

The bulk of the meeting was an encouragement to "Don't Waste Your Summer." Our strategy at New Life Church is built on getting transformed, God-treasuring people in the lives of people who don't know Christ. The meeting focused on how we might do that this summer. Here is the impact it had on my wife. She wrote this to our family in her weekly email update to them:

"Like usual, I have big ideas of things I'd like to do this summer that we haven't gotten to. But I know how that goes. Some of it might happen, but some will go by the wayside. My cleaning, projects, yard, gardening lists are also long, and some of that will have to go, too. It was a good and much needed reminder for me last night at our "Don't Waste Your Summer" meeting at church that there are much more important things to be about, people that God has put in my path to befriend, a commission that God has left me here to be involved in. These are not optional (only for the outgoing/people-oriented type), not intrusions or interruptions, they are the main thing. Who will care if every closet got cleaned the summer of 2008? Well, I may care... at least right now, but I won't care for eternity. It will be much more rewarding if at the end of the summer my family feels more loved, my neighbors have been shown Christ's love, the people I see at the park and the store have been spoken to with love, I've had conversations with people about the Lord, my home has been open to friends as well as to "tax collectors and sinners" who are becoming friends. I don't know exactly how that will look, but I am praying that God will give me opportunities (He does, all around us, everyday) and that He will show me His plan for my summer, day by day, person by person. He is Master."

I am praying that God will give you opportunity to love someone in His name today!

This is a Great Story

This has little to do with New Life Church, but it's a good story anyway. Dwayne Wade buys his mom a church!

Mother's Day Video

Don't Waste Your Summer

Whew! It feels hot today. This is just a foretaste of the glorious warmth of summer that allows all of us to have a little more time off, a little more work outside and a lot more opportunity to spend time with other people!

All of us have an opportunity to waste our summer playing and/or indulging ourselves, or we can invest it in ways that will pay off for all eternity. Sunday evening at 6:00 at our New Life Church Riverfalls campus, we'll talk about our plans for making that eternal difference this summer. I hope you can join us. In addition we'll introduce several new members and hear an update on the church finances. See you then.

New Books At Our Riverfalls Campus!

We have a terrific selection of books in our library at the Riverfalls Campus, with new books arriving often. Here is a list of our newest arrivals:

On CD...
The Holy Bible : New Testament KJV
Children's Library:
My Bible Journey by Mary Hollingsworth

Main Library:
Questions of Life by Nicky Gumbel
For Women Only by Shaunti Feldhahn
A Passion for the Impossible (The Life of Lilias Trotter) by Miriam H. Rockness
The Mystery of God's Will (What Does He Want For Me?) by Charles R. Swindoll
Jungle Pilot by Russell T. Hitt

Fiction:
Guilt by Association by Michael Farris
Detours by Bette Nordberg
Private Justice by Terri Blackstock
Mozart's Sister by Nancy Moser
Even NOW by Karen Kingsbury
A Kingsbury Collection (Where Yesterday Lives, When Joy Came to Stay, On Every Side) by Karen Kingsbury
The Splendor of His Music by Diane McMurrin
Dana's Valley by Jeanette and Laurel Oke
A Season of Grace by Bette Nordberg
Gideon's Torch by Charles Colson

Please be courteous to other readers by returning books/movies/or CDs in a timely manner.

Happy 100th Mother's Day

Mother's Day turns 100 years old today! Encourage your mom with how young she is! Happy Mother's Day!

H2O & Do Hard Things

We had a great Saturday last weekend. Several New Life Church students and parents attended a conference for teens called "Do Hard Things." It was sponsored by the Rebelution. As you may or may not know, our H2O ministry is featured in the book by Alex & Brett Harris called Do Hard Things. So, when they put on the conference with the same title last weekend, they asked Leslie and Lauren to tell about H2O. They got up in front of over 2200 students and parents and told their story and encouraged other young people to do hard things. In addition they gave out almost 600 H2O bags and near 500 starter kits. We are excited about the multiplication opportunity this presents. Our prayer is the other young people will pick up this ministry in their churches and together we can eliminate panhandling in the Portland area!

Return of the Helping Hands

The New Life Church "Helping Hands" ministry was back in action again last Saturday. Jeff Brophy, Jon Van Tuyl, Josh Whitbeck, Ronn Pricer, and Lee Bennett helped Andy and Aaronn Doyle with a much needed project. In the space of about 3 hours this motley crew tore off a back porch and built another one in its place.

Lee Bennett says, "the ministry of Helping Hands is simply to give men in our church who have strong backs and willing hearts an opportunity to help people in our church and do outreach to our community." Lee has a list of about 25 guys who are willing and able to do all sorts of odd jobs to help people who are in need. He says the only reason this ministry isn't more active is that the team simply isn' t made aware of the needs. If you are aware of a need in our church or in the community that this team could help with, please contact Lee Bennett at leenlou5969@msn.com.

New Life Classifieds

I have thought this would be a good idea for a long time. . . and the time has finally come! We launched the first edition of New Life Church Classifieds. The first edition debuted with everything from a house for sale to bathroom tile and a bassinet to give away. People were looking for child care and offering free OMSI coupons. Be sure to check it out each week.

The Classified Advertisements are available from our church family for our church family and will be published weekly free of charge. If you would like to post some service or item, please email your ad to Andrea Robinson or the church office. The ad must include:

• Your name and contact information.
• Where the item or service is located.
• A short description of the item or service that you are posting about.
• The price of the item or service.

The Voice of the Martyrs

God used our guest speaker last Sunday to challenge us in a unique and powerful way. Several people have wondered how we got in touch with her. The organization that sponsored her was Voice of the Martyrs. The Organization was founded by Richard Wurmbrand, a pastor from Romania who spent over 14 years in prison for preaching the gospel.

I heard him speak at Western Seminary years ago. He sat with his shoes off and spoke because of the injuries he had suffered while in prison. In one instance he speaks of suffering and reminds us that, " A flower, if you bruise it under your feet, rewards you by giving you its perfume."

The organization has several resources -- books, a prayer map, and a listing of countries and their relative openness for the gospel.

50,000 Visitors

We passed 50,000 visitors earlier this morning! I thought that was kinda cool.

New Sermon Series at New Life Church

We are excited about the start of new series of sermons at both locations of New Life Church this week. With the exception of the first three months of New Life Robinwood we have been preaching messages from the same text at both locations. This summer we will diverge from one another, not in spirit, but in topic.

At New Life Robinwood, Pastor Nathan will be starting a series in 1 Thessalonians that he is calling, "A Season of Encouragement." Here are his thoughts:

I am calling this sermon series, “A Season of Encouragement.” Paul wrote the letter to the church at Thessalonica to encourage the believers their in the faith. He encourage them about the good work he had already seen God do in them and spurred them on to press on in the faith. I am believing that God will use this series to encourage the folks at New Life Robinwood as they press on the faith.

At New Life Church Riverfalls, I started a new series last Sunday called, "The Defining Moment." We will look at God's work in salvation which changes everything. When someone is born-again it is, more than any other point in time, The Defining Moment in their lives. The list of benefits that come to those who belong to Christ is almost endless. I'm sure you will find it to be a rich and rewarding study.

Facebook for Pastors

I contributed a section to a new e-book, FaceBook for Pastors, that just became available. While it is targeted at pastors, it highlights some good ministry ideas for anyone who might be inclined to serve Christ on FaceBook. Here is the press release for it. It is about:

How to build relationships and connect with people using the most popular social network on the Internet. This 32 page e-book will help Pastors and other ministry leaders make the most of this great networking tool.

* How to make the most of your profile information
* Tips for Networking with People in Facebook
* All about groups, messages, poking, etc
* Brand Your Ministry
* Meet prospects for your church
* Learn more about the members in your church
* Fine tune your communication skills
* Testimonies from Pastors who use FaceBook
* and much more!

Get the e-book here free using this link:

http://ministrymarketingcoach.com/free-e-books/

Reading Your Bible

Did you know that one of the best predictors about whether you will make good decisions in life is your pattern of Bible reading? Those who read their Bible four or more times a week will base their decisions on what they read from the Bible while those who read their Bible three or fewer times per week will make their decisions based on their feelings! It is really that simple.

According to the Center for Bible Engagement reading your Bible four or more times per week is a key predictor of your success as a Christian. You can read more about their findings here.

CB Northwest

When people find out I'm a pastor they frequently ask, "What kind of church is it?" I have spent 15 years trying to answer the question in a way that keeps the conversation open. Sometimes I try to say, "It's a church that preaches and lives by the Bible." But, what people usually mean when they ask that question is, "What denomination are you?" While denominations mean very little to most people, they provide a convenient category (often filled with misconceptions) in which to file me. So, just to make sure I communicate I usually say, "We're Conservative Baptist. Does that mean anything to you?" That will usually tell me, by body language alone sometimes, whether we can continue to talk.

Let me give you some online references for our affiliations. While we are on the same team, Jesus's team, with many churches, we formally affiliate with CB Northwest, the regional branch of the Conservative Baptists of America. In fact, I am a CB Northwest trustee for the Willamette South Association, a group of sixteen churches in our area. This includes:

• of course, New Life Church.
• Barton Community Baptist Church
• Sandy Baptist Church
• Canby First Baptist
• Emmanuel Community Church, Clackamas
• Estacada First Baptist Church
• Gladstone First Baptist Church
• Happy Valley Baptist Church
• Lake Bible Church
• Milwaukie First Baptist Church
• Oak Grove Baptist Church
• Grace Church of Molalla
• Logan Community Church, Oregon City
• Light on the Hill Fellowship, Oregon City
  
• Maranatha Baptist Church, Oregon City
• Canyon Creek Church, Wilsonville

If you are inclined to pray for these CB Northwest and these churches, I'm sure they'd appreciate it. Please pray for me as I attempt to serve these churches as a trustee. I'm still figuring out what that means.

Community and Sectarianism

Eugene Peterson, Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places

Getting saved is easy; becoming a community is difficult – damnably difficult (250).

We are a community. We are not ourselves by ourselves. We are born into communities, we live in communities, we die in communities. Human beings are not solitary, self-sufficient creatures. As we realize both the necessity and the nature of our lives in community, we also become aware of the difficulty, the complexity, and as Christians who are following Jesus, the seductions all around us to find an easier way, a modified community , a reduced community customized to my preferences, a “gated community.”

Sectarianism involves deliberately and willfully leaving the large community, the “great congregation” that is features so often in the Psalms, the whole company of heaven and earth, and embarking on a path of special interest with some others, whether few or many, who share similar tastes and concerns.

Sectarianism is to the community what heresy is to theology, a willful removal of a part from the whole. The part is, of course, good – a work of God. But apart from the whole it is out of context and therefore diminished, disengaged from what is needs from the whole and from what what’s left of the whole needs from it (239-40).

A. Orendorff

The most accurate measure of how authentically we are “doing” Christian community is simple: How many of the people close to you don’t you like? Such an assessment may sound harsh, and is of course easily misinterpreted, but what it means is this: Look at the people to whom you devote your time and relational energy. Who are they? Are they easy people, clean people, respectable, stable and necessary people? Are they efficient and productive people, people who make you feel better about who you are? The degree to which we devote ourselves to people who (from all worldly estimations) add nothing to us is the degree to which we have internalized much of the gospel. Grace in relationships – the essence of a gospel-shaped community – takes concrete shape only as we begin to say yes to relationships that can offer us nothing of economic, relational, and promotional value. The degree to which the people we invite obtrusively into our lives are people who we (in our more selfish and fleshly moments) could easily and happily do without is the degree to which we are doing more than “sinners do” (Luke 6:32-36). And we do this, not from a high horse of superiority, but from the rock-bottom reality that is what Christ has done for us.

Luke 6:32-36

If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

Church Calendar

A couple weeks ago we moved our website to a different host. A few things happened as a result. The "Members" section of the website, which housed the online directory, disappeared. We are working to restore that.

And, the church calendar vanished forever. We looked at almost 50 different calendars for one that would serve us well and have found one at Famundo! We like it for a number of reasons:

1. It has color. Our old one didn't.
2. If you scroll over an event it will expand and you can see more details.
3. You can customize your view. If you want to see what is happening this week, you can select a weekly tab. If you want the month, you view the entire month. Or if it is a busy day at church, you can view only that day.
4. You can view a Google map for an event if it is off-campus.
5. You can layer the calendar. If you want a youth ministry calendar. You deselect all the other boxes and all you see is youth ministry. It's pretty sweet.
6. We can add notes and online files alongside the calendar. For instance, Ignite ministry can put an event on the calendar and then attach a registration for to the event or over in the sidebar!
7. You can sync your family calendar with the church calendar. Want to know when the senior's luncheons conflict with your grand-children's field trips? Highlight the senior's tab and then export.
8. It highlights important holidays like Cesar Chavez day.
9. The old one didn't work on the new site so we had to do something!

As you look at the new calendar, if you think of new questions or ways we haven't thought to use it yet, please leave a comment and help us make the most of this new opportunity. Thanks.

Violet Olmsted, 1918 -- 2008

Violet Olmsted went to be with the Lord on March 27, 2008. She will be deeply missed. We will celebrate her life with a memorial service at New Life Church Riverfalls, Saturday, April 5, 2008 at 2:00 p.m.. You can read her obituary in the Oregonian.

Ed Campbell, 1912-2008

Ed Campbell passed into the presence of the Lord on Saturday, March 29, 2008 at the age of 95. We will have a memorial service for him on Saturday, April 5, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. at New Life Church Riverfalls. You can read more about his life in the Oregonian or the West Linn Tidings.

Oprah’s New “Church”

While not endorsing the book or political views expressed in this clip's closing moments, the doctrinal substance expressed by Oprah and Tolle is important to be aware of.

April Fools Day

I thought I'd shared this with you before, but I couldn't find it on our site. Here is the most comprehensive, most inspiring, most mischievous, most interesting, and most motivational list of April Fools Day Hoaxes of all time. I hope you enjoy these.

15 Lessons in 15 years

I want to finish this Spring Break Special by sharing some lessons I've learned over the past 15 years. They vary in significance and complexity. Some I learned the hard way. Some caught me off guard. Some I notice by paying only mild attention. Some may help you. Some helped me. Some won't help anyone. As penance for being late with this post I'll throw in a couple extra:

1. The myth of the hero leader is just that -- a myth.
   
2. Curriculum is generally dumbed-down to the lowest common denominator. Publishing houses are under such pressure to sell copies that curriculum has to be devoid of controversial (read "doctrinal") content.
3. People generally make up their minds before they consult their pastor. Then they hope he will tell them what they want to hear.
   
4. Conflict presents great opportunity for spiritual progress. . . and for disaster, I suppose. Conflict and progress are directly proportional.
   
5. What a person believes about God makes more difference than anything else.
6. God's people are unbelievably generous.
   
7. It takes years to develop spiritual strength and we all want it now. Suffering is the only shortcut. Discipline over time is the only other way.
8. Fatigue doesn't just make cowards of us all, it makes us all depressed!
9. People leave the church for a variety of reasons. It is not always the pastor.
   
10. If someone comes to the church because they had a problem with their previous pastor, it is only a matter of time 'til they have problems with me.
11. Spiritual leadership at home is hard. Husbands abdicate it to their wives. Parents delegate it to the children, letting them pick a church or decide whether or not to have family devotions. Spiritual leadership is delegated downward.
12. The pastoral task is to stand up and remind people of the greatness of God and the certainty of his promises. This is true whether you are at the bedside of someone who is dying, counseling, or behind a pulpit. It is a simple job really.
13. God is sovereign over the deployment of his servants. If someone will be of more use to him in another church or in another country He will see that they get there.
    
14. There is no substitute for preparation. The best meetings are those that have been thoroughly rehearsed before anyone even shows up.
15. Pastors don't really hang out together. Maybe they aren't very interesting. . . at least to themselves.
    
16. Pastoral ministry is impossible without supernatural power. I cannot take away someone's pain. I can provide wise enough counsel. I can't make someone hopeful. All I can do is pretend unless God shows up.
    
17. It is impossible to make too much of Jesus.
    

15 Innovations in 15 years

One of my favorite things has been to think up new ways to solve problems or to reach out. As I look back we've done some innovative things to further the ministry. Some of them originated here, others we borrowed from other people. Some of them worked well, some fizzled. Some we're still doing, some only lasted a week or two. Here are some of my favorites:

1. Coffee Cart: The kids who prompted us to start Coffee Cart by smoking behind the church and defacing our bus are now in their mid-30's. We still want young people to know the church is FOR them and wants them around.
2. Music Camp: This was a great mix of our personnel and opportunity for ministry.
   
3. New U: Who can forget Bud the Butterfly? Of all the things we tried that didn't really take-off, this may have been the best.
   
4. Elders: This is certainly not new to us, but the transition to elder leadership was very, very smooth. The church voted unanimously to change. Over the past several years we have been well led by this group of men.
5. Middle School Auction for Dalit Children: It is great enough our middle schoolers support India's unwanted children. But it's even better that the Middle School leadership found a way to continue the support even after our Middle Schoolers graduate.
6. The Stewardship Project -- $50 Challenge: The church gave several people $50 to see what damage they could do for God's kingdom with one Grant. You will be amazed as you read about their creativity here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
7. Multi-site Church: We weren't the first, but we found a model that allowed us to plant churches and remain one church, to maximize the advantages of size and smallness.
8. Shuttle to Parking: This is another solution that should have worked better than it did. We have all kinds of parking near the church and a shuttle should have helped us park there without taxing our 23 existing spots.
   
9. Preaching without a pulpit: This grew out of a couple Easter messages where I was so over-prepared I preached for over 45 minutes. So, I decided to be myself more when I preach and script less. I, for one, have enjoyed the freedom.
   
10. All-Church Retreats: Some of my best memories with the church were at our Memorial Day Retreats. We were priced out of even the least-expensive camps. Nothing warmed our church up like this extended time together.
    
11. 65th Anniversary Celebration: We are the only church I know of to ever celebrate a 65th Anniversary! Part of our reason was a desire to digitize the church archives. Ken & Joanne Weiss made a fabulous video for us that is still available in the resource room.
    
12. Blog: We've had almost 50,000 visitors (remind me to have a contest about this) and almost 1,000 posts to our blog.
    
13. Kid's Klub: We did this two different summers. We have made-for-YouTube videos before there was YouTube of Brian and Judy singing "Money" or Gilligan being danced around by natives. Too bad.
    
14. H2O: H2O remains one of the most creative solutions to one of our society's most perplexing problems. This ministry has been featured in the Oregonian and in a new book for teens called Do Hard Things.
    
15. Christmas Dessert Theater: Thousands of people found this to be a fun, meaningful, and even worshipful start to the Christmas season.
    

Thanks to everyone who made such fun, thoughtful and innovative ministry possible.

High School Parent Newsletter - March edition

If your a parent of a high school student at New Life Church, or are a parent interested in the high school ministry of New Life Church, or are simply interested in the high school ministry of New Life Church, please check out the March edition of the Ignite newsletter by clicking here. In it you will find an article about the upcoming Utah Mission '08, meeting times, other upcoming events, birthday announcements and prayer requests.

15 Sermons in 15 years

In the past 15 years, I have preached approximately 700 sermons. Most have been eminently forgettable. I thought about that and wondered if I could remember even 15 sermons out of 700. To my surprise, I could.

I thought it might of some interest to share what have been some of my favorite messages. These are not necessarily the best or the most fun to deliver or the ones that God used the most. Some of them fit those categories. Sometimes the message was memorable because the preparation that was particularly meaningful to me. Here goes:

1. Treasuring God in Life and Death (January 13, 2008, 2 Cor 4). This message a couple months ago represented the first time I changed my preaching plan because of things that were happening in the church. . . and I'm glad I did.
   
2. A Treasure for the Nations (January 6, 2008). This message surveyed the entire Bible -- twice. I didn't know you could do that. It was a synthesis that encourages me to follow God's example. And it was fun to see if I could do it.
   
3. The Gospel According to Ruth (November 25 - December 16, 2007). I was impressed again at God's ability and inclination to redeem bad events and undeserving people.
   
4. The Resurrection (November 11, 2007, Mark 16:1-8). I almost said the entire gospel of Mark was my favorite to preach. Usually a pastor preaches this message on Easter. It was fun to do it in November.
5. Peter's Denial (October 28, 2007, Mark 14:66-72). I have benefited greatly from other people's mistakes. This is my attempt to prevent similar denials in my own life and in New Life Church.
6. The Book of Job (January 21 - February 25, 2001). God used these six messages to strengthen my faith in God's smiling face behind a frowning providence. I did not anticipate that I would feel like Job again later that year when we lost another child.
7. Stewardship Series (January 1 - February 5, 1995). Our church had experienced chronic financial scarcity for years. For some reason, God used this particular series to change people's attitudes about giving and stewardship. It set us on solid financial ground. I've tried to repeat that same series a couple of times, but never enjoyed the same dramatic effect.
   
8. Barabbas (April 9, 2000). I think this was my first attempt at preaching in the first person. I had forgotten that I preached this on my birthday. I remember my excitement trying to figure out what it felt like to see Jesus (literally!) as your substitute.
9. Zechariah (December 12, 2005). Zechariah's name means God remembers.
   
10. Things That Matter Most (1998). This series eventually led to a CD of original music (that you can still purchase from the church office, BTW). The music is more memorable than the messages.
    
11. The Limits of the Atonement (July 17, 1998). This is the only time I did not know what I was going to say at 11:30 on Saturday night. I had prepared two different messages, one for each of two different views. I chose to say God definitely saves those whom He elects. It had to be a dreadfully delivered message (I didn't get much sleep). But, someone brought a friend with them that Sunday, and the friend thought it was fascinating. He was saved shortly thereafter and baptized that next winter.
    
12. The Great (10) Commandments (September 26 - December 5, 1999). This series is memorable for me because it was during these messages that I discovered Thomas Watson. He has become one of my favorites because of his practical approach to Christian doctrine.
13. The Excellency of Christ (November 2 - December 21, 2003). This Christmas series was inspired by a sermon by Jonathan Edwards with the same title.
    
14. How to Raise Great Children: The life of John G. Paton (June 15, 2003). This Father's Day message was inspired by my reading of the biography of John G. Paton. He attributes his passion for God to his father. I couldn't help but wonder how you pass on that kind of vision for God.
15. God is for us! (Easter, March 23, 2008). It's not that I couldn't really remember 15 so I had to go to last weeks. The criteria is that it was memorable to me and I can remember what I preached on last Sunday! Seriously, it is such great news that I can't help but put it on this list.
    

15 Reasons I've Stayed 15 Years

As part of my reflection on 15 years I have thought about the things that have anchored me here. In the beginning we thought we'd return to Montana and much to our initial surprise we are still here. Why have I stayed at New Life Church for a decade and a half? Here are 15 reasons:

1. I still feel called by God to be here.
   
2. The church has given me no reason to go.
3. It is a pleasure to work with elders who are men of integrity and vision.
4. It is a delight to work with such a fine staff.
   
5. God is still answering prayers and sending workers into the harvest.
6. I am privileged to serve the greater Body of Christ. I was a GHC trainer for several years for Sonlife ministries and now am a trustee for Western Seminary and CB Northwest.
7. I am still learning a lot.
8. No one else wants me!
9. Most people who wish I would leave have given up and left the church.
10. I have freedom to care for my family and coach my kids sports.
11. I have a new office!
12. My family loves the church. If I was fired, they'd still want to come and serve!
13. There are several young men at New Life Church who will become better pastors than I am and God has given me opportunity to be part of their lives.
14. The church has loved my family. God has kept his word about returning a hundred-fold in this life. . . (Mk. 10:29-30).
    
15. There is work still to do!
    

15 Changes 15 Years

I recently completed 15 years as the Sr. Pastor of New Life Church. I took a few moments to reflect on what I have learned from the experience. While it is not much of an exciting career path, it is a privilege to be sure, to be allowed by God and patient people to continue serving for such a long time. The 15 years have included births and deaths, exorcism, baptisms, court appearances, letters of recommendation, meetings, conferences, progress and losses, complaints, compliments, and more.

For Spring Break I want to share some of my reflections on the 15 years. Here are a few of the changes that have taken place in the past 15 years:

1. The world was shocked that the World Trade Center had just been attacked. . . the first time!
2. People were outraged that gas was over a dollar ($1.06) and a first-class stamp was $.29.
3. The earth is home to a billion more people than it was in 1993.
4. The internet is now useful.
5. Dial-up isn't!
6. West Linn High School was being remodeled. . . the first time!
7. New Life Church was called West Linn Baptist Church.
8. The church had only recently paid off the mortgage on their 1960's addition to building and had never purchased any other property.
9. The church had been without a pastor for one week! The longest pastoral tenure had been seven and a half years.
10. We had two services, one traditional and one contemporary.
11. Freda Fox was still fourteen years from retirement and was the only church secretary to ever use a computer.
    
12. The inside of the church was brown paneling.
    
13. An elder was an old person who needed help across the street, not a church leader.
14. The church had only one location.
15. Our worship leaders at the Riverfalls campus were three and five years old.