As many of you know, Jesus has commissioned His followers with a very serious task, one that should not be taken lightly and one that takes effort. Jesus told His disciples just before He left earth to go and make disciples of all peoples, teaching them His ways and baptizing them. He then a little later said how His disciples would be able to do this seemingly overwhelming task. In Acts chapter 1, Jesus says that the Holy Spirit will come upon them and they will have power to be His witnesses’ in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the rest of the world. What is great is that same power of the Holy Spirit is available for us today, just as it was available for those followers a couple thousand years ago! That power comes for us to share the hope and healing of Jesus Christ with a world that doesn’t follow Him. The principle of this statement is to start at home and move out from there. God has given me the great opportunity to do that very thing. I have, and continue to do so, share Jesus with my family daily. I have been able to share the hope of Jesus with the town of Northport and surrounding area. In the last 3 years I have had chances to share Jesus with my fellow Americans in several different churches and many different states. Now I have a great opportunity to take His love to even further places…the rest of the world.

From January 30^th through February 12^th, 2008, I am going to be going to Southern India on a mission trip. I and 3 other members of the Xtreme Team are going with Luis Palau and the Next Generation Alliance. We will be participating in outreaches and community work each day. The Next Generation Alliance has been to this area of India many times in the past, so they know the area, the people and the culture. They have had tremendous success in sharing the gospel in the past and with no doubt, this time will be the same. As for the Xtreme Team, we have not been to India before, but have been to many other countries around the world and have a good working reputation with each church we have worked with.

This area of India desperately needs the hope and healing of Jesus Christ presented to them. One of the towns we are going to, Renipet, is one of the world’s most polluted cities. There is not much hope when everyone around you is sick and dying. Most of India, this area included, is made up primarily of the Hindu religion, and so need the presentation of the Truth.

As with any endeavor, missions related or not, it takes lots of prayer, planning and monies. At the end of my blog, you will find a prayer schedule that is laid out from now until the day we leave. Now, that doesn’t mean we want you to stop praying then! This schedule is just to help you to know how to pray for us before we go, but many of the topics will be very important to continue in prayer while we are gone. One of my biggest prayer needs during my preparation time, as well as when I’m gone, is my family. My wife and children will need the covering of the presence of God when I’m gone - spiritually, physically and emotionally. So, will you please make a commitment to pray for me, my family and our team during this time?

The next area that I need help with is the finances. This trip will cost each team member approximately $3000. I have had chances in my past to help out in the contributing to other people’s mission trips. I usually just want to go with them, but realize that I can’t. So instead, I have been able to give financially. I can tell you that it is a terrific blessing to help someone go and walk in obedience to the Word of God. I have helped people all around the world hear about Jesus, without actually going. So, I would ask that you would prayerfully consider a financial gift to help me in my chance to “be My witness to the ends of the earth.”

At the bottom of this letter you will find two addresses. You can send your financial support to either one. The one address is mine, and the other is the leader of the Xtreme Team, Rick Willison. Just make the checks payable to Team Jesus Ministries and have it marked for Eldon’s India trip. You will also notice some other information: emails, websites and phone numbers. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us so we can answer them.

I wanted to close with a piece of scripture from Ephesians 6:19,20. The apostle Paul says, “Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel. … Pray that I might be bold enough in Him to speak as I should.” So, would you please pray this for me and the team as we are able to be His witnesses in India?

Pastor Eldon Kelley Rick Willison
PO Box 415 T.E.A.M. Jesus Ministries, Inc.
Northport, WA 99157 1523 Scarlett Drive
509-675-6533 Anderson, IN 46013
pastor.eldon@gmail.com 765-610-6600
www.historchbearer.blogspot.com Website: www.radicallysaved.com

Luis Palau’s Next Generation Alliance website: www.ngateam.com

(Search for Rick Willison under member evangelists)

Prayer Calendar

Dec 22 - Financial needs for each team member to go - $3000 each

Dec 23 - Peace for my wife as I prepare to serve.

Dec 24 - Peace for my kids as I prepare to serve.

Dec 25 - For those God is preparing to hear the Gospel Message in India.

Dec 26 - For my personal walk with Jesus to strengthen.

Dec 27 - For my strength and endurance.

Dec 28 - Brad Butcher and his family as they prepare our way.

Dec 29 - For Michael Gray as he prepares to lead the way in India.

Dec 30 - For Don Johnson as he prepares for his festival in India.

Dec 31 - For our pilots, co-pilots, flight attendants.

Jan 1 - For God to keep me on our toes to share the Gospel with all those we meet.

Jan 2 - The people on the outskirts of the cities we will be in can find a way to make it.

Jan 3 - For clarity in the message.

Jan 4 - For my personal preparation - Am I ready to give the reason for my hope?

Jan 5 - For us to be fearless as we step into the playground of the devil.

Jan 6 - For the Gospel to break through the ways of the Hindu religion.

Jan 7 - For the Pastors of Renipet.

Jan 8 - For our safety as we fly.

Jan 9 - For our safety as we are driven throughout India.

Jan 10 - For our message to reach millions of ears. (Happy B-Day T-Dawg).

Jan 11 - For all the people who are preparing for us to come.

Jan 12 - For favor with all those we deal with in India.

Jan 13 - For wisdom as we enter into the country of India.

Jan 14 - For health while I prepare to go.

Jan 15 - For health while I am in India.

Jan 16 - For safety for my family while I am in India.

Jan 17 - For everything to go well at home and the church while I am in India.

Jan 18 - For my strength to be at it's peak while I am in India.

Jan 19 - For all the team's bags, boxes, and etc. to get through customs in India.

Jan 20 - For God to protect my stomach while I am in India.

Jan 21 - For my personal finances as we prepare to be gone for 3 weeks.

Jan 22 - For blessings to be showered on us as we show the love of Jesus to India.

Jan 23 - For all our things to be safe (not stolen) while I am in India.

Jan 24 - For enough space to be comfortable as we fly (we're big guys).

Jan 25 - For our finances - that we would be thankful for all that God has given us to go.

Jan 26 - For my wife. She is preparing to be without me for 3 weeks with six kids! Bless her.

Jan 27 - For my children. They are preparing to be without me for 3 weeks.

Jan 28 - For God to remind me of what I need to bring so I don't forget anything!

Jan 29 - For God to put His hand on all my transportation and keep me safe.

Jan 30 - For boldness as I leave and travel.

Jan 31 - For the officials of India to be open to the gospel, and not persecute us as we minister.

Please don't stop praying for me, my family, our team, and the people of India!

All of us will leave something behind in life. For some, it will just be the garbage that is thrown away each day, but for others it will be a lot more than that. For some that knew my dad, you may be able to think of some of the things left behind by him...some good, some not. I think we can all say that about our own lives if we were truly honest. One thing my dad left for me was his love for singing. Now, I don't mean good singing, just singing. He would sing around the house, in the car and even louder at church. Me...well it's just the same. In fact, I love to sing the songs that I remember him singing. Old ones. Ones that you don't hear very often anymore. Even ones that are made up during the moment. As I grew up and had my own kids, I remember him singing to them as he held them. What a sweet thing to see and experience. I learned to do that and still do with my kids. We sing the 'oldies' around the house and in the car. I don't get to hold my kids in my arms as they fall asleep anymore, because they are so big. I did get the chance to hold, and sing to, a little baby the other night as he was having a hard time sleeping. I was able to sing...'sweet Jesus, sweet Jesus. What a wonder you are. You are brighter than the morning star. You're fairer, much fairer than the lily that grows by the wayside. Precious, more precious than gold.' And I got to sing...'Jesus loves you this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong, they are weak but He is strong.' And...'Many things about tomorrow, I don't seem to understand. But I know who holds tomorrow, and I know who holds my hand." This was a young boy who may never hear about the love of Jesus unless I tell him now. This is a young boy who has had a troubled life, one that I don't think any of us should ever have to go through, and can't sleep well sometimes. But I found that my dad left me something that I can use to impact this little guy's life. What are you leaving behind? Is it anything that you want carried on from generation to generation? Choose today what you are going to leave for your family...Thanks Dad, for what you left for me, my kids, and even the kids that may only get to hear about Jesus once. Your legacy has touched many lives.

Static electricity. I don’t know why, but I’m plagued with it. Not as much as my wife I might add, but still plagued none the less. It is almost too painful to shut the car door any more. I keep thinking that I’m going to blow my finger off or start a small forest fire from the spark. In fact, I think the street lights dimmed the other night as this happen to me once again. Here’s the funny thing though, that little shock, it only last a split second. It hurts. It even might change what you do for a moment. But it is for a short time. See, our lives with Christ are too often this way. A small shock to the system, a great time at camp or the alter at church, but it only changes us for a moment. I had a friend when I was a kid who grabbed a hold of a power line while he was climbing a tree. He lost toes, felt intense pain, spent time in the hospital and was changed forever. This is what I want in my walk with Jesus. I don’t want just a little static electricity shock, I want the life changing power of the Holy Spirit to radically change who I am forever! Here is the awesome part of this…I now how to grab a hold of that power. How to grab that life changing power line that’s charged with God’s power. In Acts chapter 2, Jesus is getting ready to head to heaven and He tells His followers to how to grab a hold of this power that He has been talking about His whole ministry. He tells them to linger…to wait on God. Joshua, in the Old Testament, he knew how to do this too. He used to linger in the tent of meeting long after Moses left. Joshua’s life was characterized by power. I know that too often I rush through my daily times with God, or even find other things to do. Life is busy, no doubt. But guy’s, let’s not settle for the spark…let’s take time to linger, to wait, to spend time in God’s presence…and know the life changing effect of that Power Line!

We hear all the time about how people self-medicate. We shake our heads and say that it is a shame that they can't deal with whatever the hurt is in their life in a more appropriate manner. Why is it that it is so easy to turn to something else when the hurt is so bad. "Well, if I do this activity, then the pain from the last activity will be diminished." What incredible, logical thinking that is! What is strange (ok, sad) is the amount of self-medicating Christians that there are. Now I'm not talking about taking drugs, alcohol, food or sex to self-medicate. What I'm talking about is the abandonment of the body when you get hurt. We fall into a false belief that we can teach our self at home and all will be ok. The hurt will go away if I just run away. I can't imagine trying to heal the hurt by trying to teach yourself. This is the same confused logic of taking a drug to make past hurts go away! Satan has been good at convincing us that we can abandon public teachings and the family of God, and still stay healthy in our walk with Christ. See, there is a strength in numbers. There is a healing that can only take place if we stick with each other. In Deuteronomy 32:30, which is usually taken out of context, it says that one can put 1,000 to flight and two 10,000 to flight. This is a statement of what the enemy can do to us when we do not have the power of God in our lives! It doesn't take as much work for the enemy to scatter us if we are trying to walk in our own power. And guess what, we walk in our own power when we run from the body of Christ and ignore public teachings. Yes, you can argue that we can use the TV, internet or CD's, but how easy is it to drift toward the teachings that 'tickle our ear'? Ephesian chapter 4, as well as other areas, talk about the importance of unity in the body. And to have true unity, we must actually be together. Teaching yourself only, or self-medicating, will not accomplish the unity that the body of Christ is suppose to have. And, if you have been so hurt by the family of God, and unfortunately it happens, that you can't go back to that part of the family...then go somewhere! But complete isolation or self-medicating is not healthy. Just as we would tell others that it is not safe to cover up their hurt with harmful substances or actions, I believe God is saying the same thing to us a followers of His Son, Jesus.

Well, it is October now, and guess what...we are having to build fires in the fireplace. I don't mind really. I like fire. Ok, I'm not an arsonist...I just love fire. The beauty of the flames...the heat that it produces...the things that it does to the wood. All of it. I just love fire. Today, as I was building one, I noticed something about myself. I had made a perfect prefire setup. Paper wadded up not too tight and not too loose. Small, skinny, dry pieces of kindling stacked back and forth like a Tic-Tac-Toe board. A little bit bigger pieces of wood on top of that in the same pattern. Man, I was ready. I grabbed the lighter and did my thing. I lit the paper. And as it slowly started to burn, I grabbed the bellows and started puffing away. 'Come on fire! Burn, burn, burn!' When it didn't take right away, I puffed even harder. It finally started to go. So I closed the door a little and walked away. Satisfied. I looked back at it a few minutes latter, and the dumb thing wasn't burning like I thought it should be. So I got back down there with the bellows again, and started puffing away. Then it hit me...what is my stinkin' hurry! I constantly talk about how life is a process and it all takes time, and here I am rushing something that I know takes time itself. Too often in my life I think I do the same thing. 'Ok God, You prepared the perfect setup, You have a desired outcome...now out of my way and let me puff this thing into reality." I think the problem is that I used to use Coleman fuel to help start bon fires years ago, and now I expect the same result in my home fireplace. Instant, big fire! But even using Coleman fuel was not a great answer...the fire would flare up fast but not really catch anything on fire. I know I don't really want this for my life, not to mention that is also not God's plan for my life. He wants to build the perfect 'prefire' set up in my life, then light it, and let it burn at the right speed. See, God knows that good fires take time. He doesn't need my help. He doesn't want a big fast fire that doesn't actually burn anything. He wants a fire that burns deep. One that produces His outcome. So, I think I will just let Him do that. Produce that long lasting, deep fire that is not easily put out. I will leave the fire of my life to the Ultimate Firestarter!

It's raining here today! Some may say that is good, and yet some may say that is bad. Rain has advantages and disadvantages. Good and bad. Just like anything in life. Often times we only get wrapped up in the bad and forget to look at the circumstance that we are in and try to find good. You know, life is like a big knife. A knife can be useful if you pick it up by the handle. However, if it is picked up by the blade it can be painful. Too often we continue to hold on the blade and bleed and cry because of the pain, when all we need to do is turn the knife around, grab the handle and use it for good. It's your choice. Continue to bleed or say enough...I'm going to use this circumstance in life for good. See, Satan wants you to focus on the pain and lie to you and say that it will never get better. But that's not true. God can take the bad and use it for something good. It is our choice though of whether we are going to let Him or not. So, your choice...blade or handle?

"You must be ready for everything life can throw at you." What a stupid, unfair expectation to place on people. There is no way that you can truly do this, so why stress yourself out. However, there are somethings you can be ready for. Be prepared, be prepared (you know, the little goat on Hoodwinked). I'm leaving tomorrow for Jal, New Mexico with the Xtreme Team. (www.radicallysaved.com) We have a week of teaching, preaching, training, equipping, and breaking. As always, I'm very excited to get to share my Jesus with people, but I have to be ready. I always work out harder on my BowFlex before I go. I always pray harder before I go. I always find out a little something about the town I'm going to, before I go. We know we are going into a battle this next week. Satan doesn't want anyone else to give the control of their life to Jesus, so he is going to fight hard. As followers of Jesus Christ, we all should know that we are in a battle everyday. Just as I prepare before a week of ministry, we should prepare ourselves daily for the battle that we are going to face. Start now. Pick up your Bible. It's that book over there...the one with the dust...under the newspaper...good job. Start reading. Right now we, friends and I, are reading through 1 and 2 Samuel. Reading the Bible will help prepare you for what you will face. Now pray. Yes, I know you like to talk. Just try talking to God. It is simpler than dialing the phone. Point is...prepare yourself. Don't wait till you are neck deep in trouble before you cry out to God. I went once to an outreach totally unprepared (didn't touch weights at all) and nothing broke, popped, or ripped like it should have. I wasn't prepared. So, prepare yourself for the things you know are coming up...like spiritual battle. Just like it is not all muscle that breaks things when we do what we do, it is being prepared with God's Power...just gritting your teeth and holding on won't take you through these battle either. Trust in the LORD with all your heart...through Christ who gives me strength...for those who revere My name, the sun of righteousness will shine upon you and you will receive healing and will leap like a calf released from the stall.

Oh man! I almost forgot...to enjoy summer that is. I can't believe that the calendar says that it is September already. If only I had....oh, never mind. I can't live in the past, right? Instead, as the leaves and the temperature change, I need to also. I have found that the only, yes only, constant in life is Jesus Christ. You can get out of taxes, and death...well just one word...rapture! So, the only constant is Jesus/God. The Bible says that He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Um, that means He doesn't change. It, the Bible, also states that He doesn't change like shifting shadows. Again, He doesn't change. However, He expects us to change. Whoa, you say. That's not fair. He doesn't have to change and I do. Well, yes. See we have to change to His image, His likeness. We were, after all, created in His image. We have just made the choice to cloud that image to the rest of the world. So, we have to change. Just like the leaves on the trees, we have to change. And it must be visible. The reason leaves change color is because of a wonderful process called death. For us to change into the likeness of Christ we have to also go through the death process. Not physically. I'm not advocating suicide! I mean spiritually. Jesus says that we must pick up our cross daily and follow Him. Crosses meant death back when they used them. Jesus also made it clear that nothing else in life, including family, jobs, money, clothes, etc., should mean as much to us as He does. To change into the likeness of Christ, to regain that clearer image of Him...we must die. I challenge you. Die this week. Let those leaves of your life start changing color. Let the people around you start to see that there is something going on in your life.

Back to school! The sound of sorrow for many kids and yet the victory chant of many parents. To me, it just means the chance to get back to something normal. Something that might bring a usable schedule back into my life. I have found that summer is hard. It creates a chance to relax, but maybe not get you to the place where you need to be. Either spiritually or physically. Just like the lines on a road, boundaries are good. Living our life outside of boundaries, what many call 'freedom', we are lost. If you don't believe me, next time you drive, take your car over one of the lines on the road. Either one. Doesn't matter. Yeah, see. Boundaries are a good thing. Jesus has boundaries set up for us in scripture, not to restrict all our 'fun', but to protect us from on coming traffic. So, school starts in 2 days, for this parent it is certainly a victory chant...but for different reasons. I'm glad that I can come back into a schedule, some boundaries, a place where God can protect me and teach me. Maybe we need to all look forward to school this year.

Here is an excerpt from a wedding that I am helping with. This is will be attended by those who don't necessarily have the same views as I do. But my good friend, who is an agnostic, is getting married and wanted me to be a part of her wedding. She wanted me to say something on love. So, here goes...

Love is something that is sought after by everyone. We seek love when we are infants, we seek love as adolescents. We continue to seek for love through our teens and into adulthood. Often times we do things in our quest of love that no normally sane person would do. We say, do and smell certain ways just in hoes of someone loving us. If we were more patient and took time to really meditate on the this topic, we could save ourselves a world of hurt. If we allowed our minds to be enlightened with truth, we would know that true love has been waiting there for us all along. We don't have to do anything to impress it. It just loves us for who we are. This couple have had a taste of this with each other. They have seen that true love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it doesn't boast, and it isn't proud. It's not rude, self-seeking or easily angered. Love doesn't remember wrongs. It doesn't delight in evil but is excited about truth. It always protects, trusts, hopes and perseveres. And love never fails. When we put into practice these attributes of love, and love lives up to its name (which it will), our lives together will be beautiful.

I just trust that the Power of True Love will shine through this ceremony in a way that common words can't. I know that my True Love is that powerful!

I was watching our new kittens the other day. Yes, we have more animals. But these are going away. I was watching them trying to nurse on mom. They just barely have their eyes open and are not fully focused on what they see. One kitten was nosing around by moms tail and couldn't figure out why it wasn't getting fed. I thought 'just use your eyes'. Then I remembered, the kitten doesn't have good focus yet. Often times we do the same thing. Nosing around in places we shouldn't, wondering why God isn't feeding us like He should. Maybe we don't have clear vision of where the 'food' is. Maybe our eyes aren't focused as to see the source of food. Hebrews 12:2 says, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Keep our eyes focused on the right thing, Jesus, and we will get fed the good food He has for us. He does say that He is the bread of life. He also says that He is the living water. We don't go away unsatisfied when we are truly focused on Jesus. It's time to grow and let our eyes become focused in the right direction...not the tail end of a momma cat.

As we stood and watched an amazing display of power through the blowing up of fireworks, it made me think of something. Ok, actually it was before this that I thought of it. The ooh-ah factor of fireworks is not in the packaging, it is in the contents of the package. No one looks at an unexploded firework and marvels at it. No, it is after it is lit, and the energy that was inside is released, then the screams and cheers are heard. Our lives are the same way. We spend more time making the package look good then we do letting the energy come out. Too often, we allow Satan to lie to us and say that the only power we have is in how we look, smell or act. Guess what? News flash! Satan is a lying, deceiving punk who hates you and me. He doesn't want the true potential that God has placed in us to really come out. He knows that if he can keep people believing that they are nothing and that true joy is in the packaging, then he has us beat. God has given each of us an ooh-ah factor that is rarely seen. That is because we are comfortable sitting in our self-contained package and not wanting that power to get out. Yeah, it is messy when it is released. Yeah, that great little package you have worked on perfecting will be destroyed. But, the world will never see the power of Jesus if we don't let that package blow up and the energy inside come out. We were not made to contain the ooh-ah factor and keep it for ourselves. We were made to get lit on fire and explode - showing the brilliant colors and power that God has placed in us.

As the trees start showing their fresh fruit and the little bushes do the same, it makes me start to think. Well, actually I was thinking before this, it doesn't take a tree to get the juices flowing! Anyhow, I love this time of year. I love seeing the cherries turn red and the strawberries get bigger, because it means that I will be able to taste them and enjoy something wonderful. When I see this, it makes me remember something about Jesus. The Bible says to taste and see that the LORD is good! Taste and see. You know, once you sink your teeth into the sweetness of a strawberry, you want to have more. You go back for that taste. It's the same when you REALLY taste the LORD. Some may have tasted what they thought was Him, and left with a bitter taste in their mouth. Here's the thing...that wasn't a true taste of God. God is good. If you have left with that taste in your mouth that wasn't good, go back anyhow. Find Jesus for who He really is. Just like with a strawberry or cherry, one bad one doesn't stop you from eating more. You just search around until you find that good looking red one, and then you taste it. Then you go for even more. Go back for more of Jesus. He never leaves a bitter taste. Remember though, He is not here to be formed into what you want Him to be. If He brings correction into your life, don't run away and say He is bad. Just because He doesn't fit our mold of what we think He should be like, doesn't remove the sweetness of who He reaaly is. And for those who claim to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, how are we presenting that sweet God that we serve? Make sure that we don't taint the flavor of our Savior to those around us. We may be the only Jesus some will ever see. Make sure that they can taste and see that the LORD is good.

I got to play football with my kids the other day! It is always amazing to watch and listen to them as they do anything fun. They are constantly giving me a running commentary on what is going on and what they just did. "Then the ball went up like this and I ran back for it but I tripped and then I rolled and then the ball hit me on the arm and then it bounced back up and then..." Well, you get the idea. What is so interesting about this, is that I'm standing there the whole time. I was the one who threw the ball. I saw it happen at the same time and speed they did. I thought this was kinda weird until I realized why they were doing it...they loved what they were doing and wanted to tell anyone who would listen. They wanted to say out loud what had just happened in the physical. They want these moments to be burned into their minds as well as mine. You know, we can learn a lot from kids. Like the fact that we should be shouting out the things that Jesus Christ is doing with us and for us. We should be giving people the play by play of what we are doing with Him. "And then Jesus reminded me through a friend that He is in control even when we see life as out of control and then Jesus gave me this calm that only He can give and then He reminded me of areas in the past when He has taken care of situations that seem unbearable and then Jesus let me know that what I am doing is for His glory not mine or anyone else and then Jesus..."

Today I got to do something that I haven't had a chance to do for a long time. I got to build fence. Yes...stringing barbed wire and pounding in posts. I actually love doing it. The sense of accomplishment. The sweat. The hard work. The sore muscles. I love all of it. Especially the alone time that it gives me. Today, as I was putting in an 'H' post it got me to thinking. Now an 'H' post is the wooden posts you put in at the high and low spots topographically. This is the key to a good fence. If you make it weak, your whole fence is weak. If you do it well...well, you have a good fence. I thought it interesting that the strong part of the fence is put at the high and low spots of the fence line. This is just like God. He is our source of strength, not just at the high times of life, but the low times as well. I actually took a moment today and thanked Him for being my strength...my strong part of life...my 'H' post. In all times of life...highs and lows.

Sorry about the long absence. I was in Indiana with the X-treme Team. Check us out at www.radicallysaved.com. Also, please feel free to leave comments on my blog. I will start commenting on more of your blogs. Please also feel free to link this blog or forward it on to anyone and everyone. I pray that God will use it somehow to deepen your relationship with Him.

Today is Father's Day. Of course, I'm writing this at 10:45pm, so most of you won't read this till after the day is over. But that's ok. The truth that lies here is still that, truth.

My dad used to wear this funky sweater that was blue with gold wavy stripes on it. He would wear it around the house when he was relaxing. It was kinda like having Mr. Rogers living in the house with you. I remember that sweater well. The feel of it. The look of it. And even the smell of it. It made an impression on me. I can still see dad wearing his sweater, drinking his coffee, and doing the crossword puzzle while sitting in his recliner. This sweater was a part of my dad.

This winter, as my mom was moving from her house to an apartment, I was over collecting my stuff that I had left there...for 15 years. When I was there, she asked me if I wanted that old sweater. Of course! I put that sweater on and was immediately overwhelmed by the flood of memories. Touch. Feel. Smell. I wear this sweater often around my house now. I think I look silly, but my wife and kids say I look great. My kids love it when I wear it. They say that when I hug them, it smells like me. Wow. It smells like me. I hope that's good. They say that I smell good. And they like the feel of it too. I get to tell them about the history of this great sweater. About the amazing man that used to wear it. To me, I can still smell my dad. To my kids, they smell their dad.

You know, I hope that as my kids hug me, they can smell even a greater aroma. I hope that the texture they feel is more wonderful than any piece of clothing I can wear. I pray that they smell God on me. That they can feel the presence of God around me. As I spend time around Him, I want to start to smell like Him. Feel like Him. Even look like Him. I want to be wrapped in His sweater. That way, when my kids see that 'sweater', I can tell them about the amazing God that gave it to me and what He is like.

Instead of the comfort zone, sometimes life feels more like the Twilight Zone! This last week, I have started a somewhat part-time job. This job is helping a guy make high end cabinets. I will allow those who know about my construction/craftsmanship skills to catch their breath after gasping. God has gifted me in many ways, the above mentioned not being on the list. I have worked for him before and it was easy. Moving cabinets around, a little sanding here and there, nothing big. Oh, no. Not so this time. This time it involves measuring to a 1/16 of an inch, cutting, jointing. Things that require more skill than I have. I am way out of my comfort zone. It is one thing to screw up on a woodshed in the back yard, and another thing to screw up a $40,000 project! But I'm doing it. Not screwing up the project, that is. God is teaching me something in this. I can do things that I never thought possible when I put my trust in Him. Every time I get a new assignment at work, I have to ask God to help me. Guess what? He does! I see this to be true in every aspect of my life. When I put my trust in Him, His power fills me, and I am able to accomplish what He has for me to do. Something else I have learned. It is actually fun to be stretched. Doing something new is a blast. I think I am getting hooked on being stretched. I honestly want God to ask of me the impossible. I don't know what He will ask of me next, but I hope I'm scared to death to do it.

"Why are you so angry, " the LORD asked him. "Why do you look so dejected? You will be accepted if you respond in the right way. But if you refuse to respond correctly, then watch out! Sin is waiting to attack and destroy you, and you must subdue it." Genesis 4:6,7

It amazes me how God loves us enough to even warn us to watch out for sin. We just have to listen and respond in the right manner to His warnings. Here God is warning Cain that sin will overtake him. Cain will kill Abel. God warns him, tells him to respond correctly, and tells Cain that he must subdue it. Cain must come to God with a right heart. Cain must gain self-control. We know the story goes on and Cain doesn't respond to God correctly. Today, listen to the voice of God. Listen when He warns you about the next step you are taking. Then, respond correctly. God always gives us a way out.

As I was going through my office this morning, and if you have seen it recently you would know what a chore this is, and I came across something that made me pause. I came across an envelope with my tithe checks that go to the NW Ministry Network. As I saw this, I was reminded of my time in prayer this morning. I was praying about my families financial situation, which can be kinda scary sometimes. The Lord quickly told me that I need to be obedient and send that check off because I was not walking in complete obedience. I, of course, came up with the great excuse of, "well, it is a cashiers check and so I technically have paid it already, I just haven't mailed it." Well, this was not the answer that God was looking for. It was very clear that He was not amused by my wonderful explaining away of disobedience. See, I realized then that it does no good to only be half-way obedient. Honestly, God doesn't care about the money, He cares about my walk with Him and my complete obedience to His Word. Unfortunately, we often times do this to God. We do just enough to make it look like we are being obedient to the will of God, when what we are doing is not only being disobedient, but also trying to lie to God. My mom always told me that slow obedience is still disobedience. Ouch! This obedience that I am talking about can be anything that the Lord is asking of you. Is it how you are spending your time, is it reaching out to your friends with the Truth, is it a habit that God is wanting you to give up, or is it the tithe that He is asking from you...whatever it is, are you walking in complete obedience, or have you not gotten around to mailing that envelope on your desk? Well, I gotta go...to the post office!

Within the last few weeks here in Northport we have had some "excitement" at our school and therefore in our community. There was a young man who had been playing a graphic online video game that spilled over into his real life which came out at school one day. The school made decisions that were not all that popular with part of the community and it led to a community wide meeting on Wednesday. I prepared this statement for the meeting and I thought that there was a lot of truth to be gained from it. Not just as a Northport community, but also in any area in life. This is especially true to those on the journey of following Jesus and where He leads. Trust me, even when you are in leadership, there are still those you have to follow, and to be a good leader you must know how to follow well. There are those in my life that lead me and I want to publicly says thanks for making tough decisions and sticking to them. I most certainly want to thank my Lord for His leadership that never fails. So read on and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you and reveal to you want He wants said. Blessings to all.

Often, during times of confusion, strife, anger and turmoil, many feeling and actions are displayed. This is a normal, and often, healthy form of dealing with radical change in our lives. As a town, we have gone through a time of turmoil in the last few weeks. We have been thrown into the headlines of many news organizations, we have lost some of our innocence, and we have had an opportunity to come together as a family and community.

The unfortunate part is we have not used this opportunity for good. Instead of really coming together with support for the families involved and for the leadership of the school, we have torn both down. The gossip mill that has its ugly talons sunk deep into this community has once again dictated us. We have gone with the story that best tickles our ears, sounds the juiciest, or that would cause the most harm to someone that we may not personally like.

Often times the truth may not sound as exciting as gossip, but it will never cause the damage that lies do. To make personal attacks and come up with out and out lies against the leadership of the school during a time like this is shameful. These are not the lessons we need to be teaching our youth. They need to see how to trust people, how to support people, and how to deal with conflict in an appropriate manner.

In any form of leadership, whether it is being a parent or a school administrator, we are given knowledge and information that we know is either not appropriate to share with those we are leading or at least should not be shared at that exact moment. We are faced with the decision of discussing all the issues right away, or using judgment to wait until an appropriate time. The leadership of the school used good judgment by using the TRUTH that was known and deciding to not publicly share those facts until an appropriate time. When we look just at the facts that were known at the time, and these are still the same facts now, school leadership did what was right according to policy. They advised the proper authorities, handled discipline in an appropriate manner and gave the correct amount of information at the correct time to the public.
This all comes down to one basic concept so horribly lost in today’s culture…TRUST. We have lied to ourselves for too long saying that we can’t trust anyone but ourselves, especially any leadership. I’m not advocating blind trust or leadership without accountability. I am saying, however, we need to trust that the leadership of our school has, and will continue to, do what is right. It is also important to note, that it is always easier to do a job well when you have the support of those you are leading.