A New Method for a New Day

A Summer of Ministry in Review

2010-09-01T17:06:00.014-05:00

Greetings All!

As we're nearing the end of the summer, thought I'd send a quick update to all of you wonderful supporters of New Day! It has been an interesting few months for New Day and many positive things have happened.

June brought Spud Fest and New Day's successful involvement in the parade and food tent work. Last year we threw out crowd pleasing beach balls at the parade, this year it was bubbles - equally crowd pleasing and a lot easier to handle! Along with those two events, we were involved in 2 others. Some of our New Day community put together a "Tator Tot Festival" on the Spud Fest grounds, which was an area devoted to Preschoolers with age appropriate activities (Inflated Jumpy thing, bean bag toss, face painting, etc.) Although like everything else new, it was not well attended this year, it was very well received by the Spud Fest Board and shows promise for growth as the word gets out! Secondly, Jim worked hard at gathering 3 other pastors from the Big Lake community (Lutheran, Catholic & Assemblies of God) to share in creating worship under the Big Tent on Sunday morning. About 250 people came and Jim helped lead a liturgical movement piece that was incredibly inspiring in that large space! I helped coordinate awesome hospitality (many of you heard about the 5 gallons of lemonade spilled in the back of my Prius - good grief!!!) and there were many positive comments about this event as well.

New Day celebrated 3 baptisms this summer, 2 youth who were immersed in the lake, and one baby - all from active families at New Day.

Jim officiated at a wedding in July - a young couple from the community who do not have a church home and were married at the local reception hall. Much good feedback from family and friends there, although we have not seen the couple at church yet...

Kids and Youth programming continued all summer every Thursday evening. Also, about 15 different elementary aged kids attended 2 day camps and 1 overnight camp throughout the summer - a first time experience for all these kids. And about 6 youth spent a day together in August: starting with a service project downtown Mpls. (sorting clothing for a homeless shelter) and ending with fun (time at Como Zoo).

45 folks associated with New Day attended the United Methodist day at the Twins Game on August 19th and had a great time even though it was a terrible game! Many of us ventured to Target Field on the train! Fun!

Then in August, we celebrated our first year of full-time ministry and raised some much needed funds for year two with our "Gala of Stars" - a Hollywood themed banquet complete with excellent food, entertainment, a fire-eating demonstration, and decadent desserts. Thank you to many of you for attending, working and supporting! About 60 family, friends, and United Methodists from around the Twins Cities area attended, while about 20 of our New Day community came to serve, sing, coordinate the auction, etc. It was a lively and enjoyable evening and will generate $9000-$10,000 in ministry support for New Day!!

Worship attendance averages during the summer dropped to 60, but commitment levels from many families increased. Their hard work on many of these extra projects was uplifting and hopeful to us. And their increased ownership and devotion to New Day is being expressed in many ways.

All of this is very positive and hopeful, however, we are facing some big issues as well. This fall will be a critical time to evaluate sustainability of this new church. Although momentum is positive, continued significant increases in numbers of committed families and financial support will be needed in order for New Day to survive the long haul. Changes will be made in staffing and worship this fall and we hope to begin a "Discipleship Process" that will guide adults to a deeper level of faith and teach the principles of sacred inviting and giving. These next few months promise to be even busier and harder, different work from last year for us and if you are so inclined to lift a prayer for God's guidance and provision, and for our physical, mental and emotional stamina, that would be most appreciated!

We are passionate and convicted that this work and new churches like this are vital to the health and well-being of young families in our world. Rob Bell has some great educational videos which we have been sharing this summer, and in a recent one he was talking about 'Rain' (hard times/storms in our lives.) One of his quotes is, "It always rains, doesn't it? WHEN the rains come. It's not like they might. They DO. It rains in our lives... a lot." Our burning question has been, what do the unchurched young families in our midst do when the rains come? Where do they turn? How does anyone face the rains without faith and the company of the faithful to offer support? We truly believe that Christ offers abundant life in each day, (peace, hope, joy & love that can overcome the struggles of daily life) and that the "church" can provide the best means to deepen that faith. The challenge continues to be convincing these young people that church can be this source of life for them.

Thanks again for being the incredible support you are to Jim and me and for your prayers for New Day. You are blessings beyond measure to us!

With love and hope for each new day,
Janet :->

Breathe on Me, Breath of God

2010-05-12T14:35:00.004-05:00

Greetings Everyone!

It feels like I have been holding my breath ………………………….. for a long time ………………. and I don’t even realize I’ve been doing it. Breathing again these quick, deep lungfuls of oxygen makes me realize how long it’s been. Faith has sustained us, until God has provided. And today, a ray of sunshine has renewed the hope, faith, and conviction of our souls. Today, an email came with good news for New Day.

Probably all new-church-starts face this hurdle along their journey. New people are coming, ministries are growing, but giving is not matching spending. A little shortfall this month depletes the reserves; another shortfall the next month we cover ourselves; reimbursements for personal expenses get put off, then start accumulating; cash flow squeezes by for one more week. Hold your breath, keep praying, share your needs humbly with others, readjust your strategies, keep going, dare to ask, hold your breath…

Doubts linger like dark clouds on the horizon of the soul. Faith pushes them back. Rejection upon rejection creeps forward like a cold front. But today, a ray of sunshine breaks through to warm the heart and chase away the chill. Today, faith is not just rewarded but overwhelmed! Today, we were made aware that a major financial contribution to the ministries of New Day will be coming our way.

One sentence introduces the email’s content: “Some good news for you today!!” The sender has no idea! The gift was practically three times larger than we dared to hope. Tears leaking from the corners of my eyes surprise me, and make me realize just how long and hard we have been at this. All gifts are valued, but this one was necessary, for with it came the renewing breath of God:

“So I prophesied as [the Sovereign Lord] commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet – a vast army.” ~Ezekiel 37:10 NIV

And so, we bob to the surface and drink in the wind of the Spirit before diving in deep again. One breath is sufficient to renew and restore for now. We praise God for every breath, and the life which comes with it.

We pray for whatever you need to breathe again as well.

Pastor Jim

Yes, Jesus is Here!

2010-03-23T13:01:00.014-05:00

(The following is an excerpt from an email recently sent out by our Director of Worship and Music, Amanda Weber. In it are some amazing faith stories of kids, youth, and families at New Day that we think will warm your heart!)

... New Day UMC is home to me. It will never be my “home church” like Coon Rapids UMC, but it is another place I feel like home – I suppose it’s like having all of my “second moms and dads.” Our faith community is small but growing in so many ways. Most of the people in our congregation grew up without a church home at all, or have not been a part of one in many years. It is our mission field; we are “journeying together, encountering Christ, and growing in faith.” That’s our mission statement. If I were to sum up my life with Solid Rock (Coon Rapids UMC's traveling youth choir), that’s the best way I could put it. That’s what this mission is all about – whether it’s at Coon Rapids, or Andover, or Big Lake, or Mexico, or from Coast to Coast and Boarder to Boarder across North America.

At this juncture in life, my mission field is Big Lake, MN. I serve a growing worship community of people thirsting for Christ, asking for more of His Word, wanting to live life together, and to serve Our Lord more. It’s incredible to be a part of that each and every week. I was able to lead almost 30 kids and youth in a Christmas musical in December, and after that, they were begging to continue, so we are working now towards a spring kids & youth musical called “Down By the Creek Bank” ....

I don’t know all of the numbers to be exact, but we have over 100 “regulars” now at New Day (not always weekly, but becoming more and more active as time goes on). This morning (March 21) we had 25 children and about 10 youth in church – out of 69 people total, and we were missing several more families. They LOVE to be at church; they run to the door smiling on their way in. Because of limited resources, our children’s group (1st-5th grade) and our youth group switch off which Wednesdays they meet. Both age groups want more: they want to meet weekly. They are curious and inquisitive.

Their questions about God and the Bible never cease to end. At youth group the last couple of times, I had questions asked of me from as simple as, “How did the snake in the garden talk to Adam and Eve?... Snakes can’t talk.” to deeper questions about why the Jews and Romans wanted to kill Jesus as a criminal if He was supposedly “perfect” and not a sinner. They want to know what it feels like to “experience God.” They want to know how to recognize His voice.

One of the two year olds asked his mom after Solid Rock Singers concert finished singing, “Mom, is Jesus here?” She started to say “no” - but caught herself. She told him, “Yes, Jesus is here.” He pointed a direction and asked if Jesus was over there. She said He is here with us always, but we can’t see Him. This family has 6 kids – from that two year old on up to a senior in high school. This is the first place they have felt like “Home” in a church – a place their whole family enjoys. And how amazing is it when a two-year old makes us stop and think so deeply about our faith – and helps us to truly “experience God” and His presence?

One youth has been singing with our Praise Team off and on for several months now, but I’ve never met her parents. Her mom drops her off and picks her up. The youth usually is there alone and sits with the rest of us adults on the worship team, unless other youth are there. I never had much of an opportunity to ask her about her parents – the timing just wasn’t right. Last night after Solid Rock left the church to head home though, my youth stuck around. We had some great fellowship time as a small group and got to know each other better. This youth expressed that her mom was not a believer; that she had told her daughter years ago that the Bible was “Fictional.” The faith in this young high schooler amazes me. To have faith when your parents don’t and to seek out a church home on your own... When you didn’t grow up in the church... It just shows me even more how truly amazing God is. GOD IS GOOD – ALL THE TIME.

New Day’s youth and children swarmed me after Solid Rock sang for us at the Carousell Works – both Saturday night and again on Sunday morning. They were GLOWING! They want what the youth at CRUMC have – they aren’t looking for a place to perform – not at all – they are looking for a ministry to touch their lives, their hearts. They are looking for a place where they can truly “Journey Together, Encounter Christ, and Grow in Faith.”

This morning several of my youth came up and said, “We want to go on a mission trip this summer!” First I thought, “whoa.... We’re still growing!” They must have read my mind’s hesitation and concern... They want to do something here... locally... They don’t care... They just want to do something that makes a difference. They want the “God High” I experienced for years with SRS and at Star Lake and JUMY’s and UMY’s.

These are just a few of those stories of new found faith. I am at New Day for a reason. Not many people my age had the opportunity to be a part of something so impactful like I did. The youth at CRUMC are blessed; I truly hope they know that and appreciate it for all it’s worth, because I have youth begging now to be a part of something similar. Because of my experiences with Solid Rock, I am now able to follow God’s lead and to help create new opportunities for such amazing encounters with Christ.

... Always and Forever,
Your Friend in the Faith,
“Manda”

And the Award Goes To ...

2010-03-19T19:38:00.004-05:00

Greetings Everyone!

Once again we are in the midst of a whirlwind of spirit-filled activities here at New Day! It’s been more exciting than the Academy Awards (at least to us). In case you haven’t been able to catch all of our recent releases, here are the highlights of our special features:

Sweethearts’ Delight – A romantic-comedy which opened Valentine’s Eve. Entire families enjoyed an evening of special activities in which the sanctuary was transformed into a dreamscape complete with balloons, dance floor, and full-flowing fountain for the adults, while the youngsters were entertained down the hall or at the bowling alley. 50 people enjoyed this debut. A sequel will be coming out next year.

Expo 2010 – A blockbuster which hit the town the first weekend of March. 2,000 eager attendees swarmed through the high school doors to take in this ever-popular annual event sponsored by the Big Lake Chamber of Commerce. Held on a Sunday morning and afternoon, this double-feature revolved around trying to clone the pastor so he could be two places at once. 600-700 visitors walked away with New Day coffee sleeves, coffee candies, coffee cups, and coupons for free coffee mugs. Tagline for this showing: At last a church that wakes me up! We hope to capture the buzz of next year’s expo as well.

Death by Fundraising – A suspense-drama which may keep you up at night (as it has for its church-planting leads). This classic saga captures the epic quest for survival of the young and faithful as they seek investors for their God-given visions. Will there be enough treasure found in time? Will they beat the odds with the help of outside angels, or will they crash in defeat after coming so far? No one knows how this one will end, but faith, hope, and love prevail throughout.

Solid Rock – A musical of youthful vitality to get your heartbeat a-pumpin’. Opens tomorrow night (March 20) at the local reception hall (Carousell Works) for a one time performance. Presented live by the Coon Rapids United Methodist youth, this special community event comes to Big Lake thanks to the heartfelt talents and connections of New Day’s Director of Worship and Music, Amanda Weber. A spin-off group of up-and-rising younger singers will be presenting their own inspiring performance at New Day on April 24th-25th; reserve your seats early since their last performance brought out record crowds last December.

These are the most recent highlights from New Day. The outreach to the community continues; new people continue to visit us each week; children continue to love our childcare room and new ministry programs; more and more adults are deepening their connections to God and each other; and the Holy Spirit continues to transform lives for Jesus Christ. Although the challenges are many, the people of New Day deserve all awards for the major and minor roles they play. For them, and all of you, we’d like to thank the Producer of us all!

Reaching Out to the Nuns?

2009-12-24T14:13:00.004-06:00

Merry Christmas!

What a wonderful celebration of Jesus’ birth we had this past weekend at New Day Church! About 20 kids ages 4 – 15 poured their hearts and spirits into sharing a message of love and hope Saturday evening and Sunday morning (Dec. 19-20) to all who came. The story revolved around 2 little guys who were trying their best to come up with the BEST present for Jesus’ birthday, only to be disappointed at every turn. In the end, they discover that what Jesus really wants is their/our hearts, and the best gift we can all give is ourselves! Through all the glitches of missed lines, forgotten solos, late music cues, etc., etc., etc…. the charm of the smiles, energy and simple faith of the kids was spirit-lifting to everyone. The congregation left with bows pinned to lapels and a reminder that WE (our hearts, our hands, our feet, our voices) are the most important gift we can give to the world in Jesus’ name.

The attendance total for the weekend was 190 (which was GREAT! Our largest weekend thus far), but even more impactful, were the interactions we had following the program each day. The kids touched our hearts, but what brought tears to my eyes were the multiple parents/grandparents/aunts, etc. of various kids who sought us out afterward, to thank us for New Day’s ministry and to share how they thought they would never see their families participating in church. Some had been praying for years for this very moment!

And isn’t THAT EXACTLY what we were called to Big Lake to do?! In our Bishop’s words: go, find the “NONES” (not the NUNS) - the ones who claim no church affiliation on census forms. Find them, love them, create a space that allows them to claim Christ, to change that “none” into joy and hope that comes from faith and community. Many times I am overwhelmed by the enormity of this task, by financial concerns, by low attendance at worship, classes, events. Although we have had a sense that New Day is impacting lives, this experience is a shining star of encouragement lighting the dark night of doubt.

With the encouragement, however, comes an unexpected weight of responsibility! New Day is becoming important to people besides just Jim and I! Oh Dear, and Praise the Lord!! (If I sound confused, that’s exactly how I feel!) I still don’t know how we will continue to finance this ministry, and this still seems like an impossible task! But somehow, God is using New Day to reach at least a few of the people we intended to reach. Lives, hearts, families are being touched, changed, renewed. They are finding God’s home at New Day.

Please pray for all these wonderful families and all the families who are still searching. Please pray for all the mundane, logistical details to fall into place, so God’s amazing work can continue in Big Lake at New Day United Methodist Church.

May the New Year bring New Days filled with God’s hope, joy, peace and love to us all!

Janet :->

What Goes Into 10 Seconds?

2009-12-24T14:06:00.003-06:00

Let me try to describe one of the recent events that is an example of our work at New Day this year. Imagine you are attending the Grand Opening Celebration (Nov. 14) for the new Northstar Commuter Rail that now transports commuters from Big Lake (& 4 stops in between) to downtown Minneapolis. You are one of about 2,000 people who are walking through the huge tent which has been erected for this event. You find a cup of hot cocoa and a snack and then you walk by a booth with a Christmas tree decorated with yellow stars and a big screen TV showing slides. You are greeted with a warm smile and the words, "Don't let the holidays stress you out!" as you receive a flyer and a stress ball in the shape of a yellow star. The back of the flyer has info about New Day United Methodist Church, including the worship messages for December:
"Unplug the Christmas Machine"
"Stuffing Candy in Your Socks
(and other inane traditions)"
"Grown Up Christmas Wishes"
"Shhh... Did You Hear That?"

What we hope is that you'll take your star home, get on the internet, check out the New Day website and decide to come try out the new church!! What you may not realize in that moment of contact, are the hours of planning, preparation and prayer that had been spent in order for that one small interaction to occur. Things such as, listening for God to inspire the theme, the message titles, the graphics, etc. for the worship series; ordering stars and designing the flyer; traveling an hour to get excellent copying at an afforable price; website updating; taking pictures of events and creating the slide show; finding volunteers and staff to haul the tree, TV, etc. to the tent, set up the booth, hand out the flyers/stars, etc.; designing message, music and interactive ideas to create meaningful worship; finding money (mostly outside of the new faith community) to finance it all.... well, you get the idea!

So, why do we do all this work, when we're not even sure you will come?

Because people who do come are being blessed! And you might be like one of these: The 5th grader who answered the question, "Something that makes me feel safe..." with "this church." The numerous men who, after years of non-attendance, are finding meaning and direction from worship. The mom of preschoolers who commented that coming to the women's gathering is "better than therapy!" The parents who, for the first time since their 18 month old daughter was born, are able to worship because she happily plays in the childcare room.

People need God's hope, peace, love and joy. And we need each other to find them! That's all the reason we need.

We pray that your holidays are unstressed and full of the Prince of Peace who brings hope and joy in abundance at all times!

Wishing you blessings for each New Day...

Halloween Event was a Treat for All

2009-11-04T16:34:00.008-06:00

Happy November!
Hope you all had a great Halloween. Thought you might be curious about the TREATS4U event at New Day UMC - especially after last year's "blood" and "fire alarm" and "naked pastor" stories! If you remember those, you'll know how relieved I am to report that everything went smoothly this year!! It was a WONDERFUL event!

The whole process was very similar to last year's - 1000 candy bar invitations were handed out at the local grocery store (Coborn’s) on Sat. Oct. 24. The event was a combination of trick-or-treat (candy and small gifts) and games (with prizes). There was a photographer taking portraits and "Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin" movie playing, and we offered cider (hot and cold), coffee and popcorn. The differences this year included: 1) our New Day Community took about 250 invitations to friends, neighbors, classmates, etc. in addition to those handed out at Coborn’s; 2) the event was held at the church (last year we were at the school); 3) New Day's technology resources enhanced the event (Halloween music playing on the sound system, games played on the SmartBoard, movie projected onto the large wall); 4) there were at least double the number of volunteers who helped out with all aspects of the event.
I wish you all could have seen the church at 4:55pm Halloween night!! It truly had been transformed into a fun, non-scary Halloween maze! The decorations and set up were festive and inviting. There were about 26 volunteers dressed in various costumes scattered all over the church, inside and out, prepared to greet, hand out candy and gifts, lead games (bingo, ring the witches' hats, ping pong pumpkins, pin the mouth on the jack-o-lantern, etc.), serve popcorn, and just be present to share a little of God's love.

And it was at about this moment that I had a bit of a crisis of faith! It's one thing for Jim and I to work ourselves to the bone and pour our hearts into preparing for an event and no one comes. It's quite another, when we have enlisted the help of 35+ volunteers over a two week period, who have spent hours of time and energy also pouring their hearts into it! All I could do at that moment was try not to panic and to PRAY, dear Lord, PLEASE let the people come!!!
Rest assured, my fears were unfounded, and by 5:15, there were children and parents everywhere! In the end, we counted 160 children plus all the parents - our guess is about 225 people total. The best part is that everyone enjoyed it - those attending and those volunteering! Praise God!!!
November is a big month for getting out into the community. Please pray for these upcoming celebrations and New Day's presence out there... 1) Northstar Commuter Rail line opens for business - New Day is one of the 4 major sponsors of the Grand Opening Celebration, Nov. 14, and we will be serving coffee to the commuters from 5:00-7:30am the first 3 mornings, Nov. 16-18. 2) Jim will be preaching at the Community-Wide Ecumenical Thanksgiving Eve worship, held at the Catholic Church this year. 3) In place of regular worship Thanksgiving weekend, New Day is planning a special "We Need a Little Christmas Now" gathering to be held at a community location, Sunday afternoon, Nov. 29. Please pray for the logistics of this event - we thought we had a group from another church lined up to share a special musical, but that may have fallen through...

Church programming continues as well: another New Day Kids’ Night is planned for Nov. 10, New Day Women are gathering Nov. 6, and we're planning a Youth/Children Christmas program on Saturday, Dec. 19th, with rehearsals each Wed. in December. Please join us for any or all!

Wishing you all "new day" blessings,
Janet

WHAT IS THIS?!?

2009-10-13T12:39:00.005-05:00

This new congregation is corrupting its pastor!! Green Bay native in Viking's purple?! Between this JERSEY (which makes us feel a bit schizophrenic!) and the SNOW in October, everything is a little weird here in Big Lake! ?Fortunately, things at New Day Church are not weird, but are spirit-filled and hopeful! Although the number of worship attenders was down a bit these last two weekends (we were warned that might happen), the vast majority of those who have come, are returning and feedback continues to be very positive. God's spirit is so alive and the relationships that are starting to solidify are precious to see.

The Vikings Favre jersey gift ("To Jim, From God" on the package!!) is one example of how well Jim is connecting to the people and how people are feeling "at home" - accepted and welcomed, as well as finding worship meaningful to their lives. Leaders are coming forward and doing tasks without being asked, the rhythm of the 3 days of worship is becoming more familiar, and most of the major "building" projects have been completed. This past week we had a Kid's evening and a Youth evening, which were fun and great starts to those programs.

We're planning to get out into the community 3 more times before the end of the year. "Treats 4 U" (Trick-or-Treating plus games, photographer, cider/coffee, etc.) will happen on Halloween night. You may remember we held this event at the school last year. We'll move it to the church this year - using the parking lot for most of the trick-or-treat stations to draw people who are out and about to us. This event will allow those who want to check out New Day anonymously to do so.

Second, the commuter rail from Big Lake to Mpls. will open in mid-November. New Day Church will be one of the sponsors for their grand opening event. We also may serve coffee those first couple of mornings as commuters ride the rail to work!

Finally, the Sunday after Thanksgiving, we plan to have a "Preparing for Christmas" (Advent) event - maybe held at a location other than the church. More details to work out as that time gets closer. Jim will also be preaching at the ecumenical Thanksgiving service held at the Catholic church this year.

Being the more practical of the two of us, I still worry about the small numbers attending worship and finances (they sort of go hand in hand). I am so thankful that God continues to remind me to focus on the ministry and have faith! Just a few examples and stories to share...

Sat. evening one woman turned to me after worship with a huge smile as if a weight had been lifted and said, "I always feel so good when I come here!"

The mom who told me her son was up at 7:30 Sunday morning, just waiting to come to church to get his copy of the CD with the slide show that he had helped create at kid's night this week. And the mom with 6 kids (senior in HS down to age 3) who so appreciates our casual style, good childcare, crafts for kids during worship, and alternate worship times, that all make coming to church a meaningful experience for the first time for her whole family.

All of the young men, who haven't been to church in years, and didn't think there was anything in church for them- finding meaning in worship, projects to help out with and good fellowship that has been missing from their lives.

And finally, two of the youth who have found a place to belong and to use their gifts - running sound board/powerpoint and drumming with the band. And there are more...

Those who haven't had a chance to come see firsthand what's happening, you are most warmly invited! The next worship series starts the week after next (we're taking a "bye" this weekend!) and has a football theme "Tackling the Tough Ones!" The website will have more info... As always, all of your prayers and support are blessings beyond measure.

May the winter temperatures not freeze the warmth of God's love in our hearts...

Love and hugs,

Janet :->

New Day Launches

2009-09-22T20:40:00.004-05:00

(Reflections from Janet, co-church-planter with husband Pastor Jim)

Well, week two of "launch-o-rama" (as niece Kristi called it!) is complete... and somehow the stress level is not yet reduced! I feel like I'm barely able to catch my breath. Jim was noticing that some of our staff and volunteers were getting sick last week, and he said something about how people get sick after a big, stressful event is over... OVER?!? Not yet!!

The biggest stress this past weekend came at 7:59pm Friday, and 6:29pm Saturday (one minute before each of the respective worship services). My best analogy for what this is like for me, is preparing for an open house 3 times every weekend. Preparations are intense, all the hosts are excited about celebrating, and there is no clue about who and/or how many will attend! When NO ONE has arrived a minute before the event is to begin, I'm about ready to throw up!! But prayers are answered and people did come - we had nice groups both nights (23 and 27). Sunday morning brought visitors from Elk River UMC and we had a full house of over 50. So, totals were larger than last weekend (over 100, up 10% from week 1). The most positive sign for me were that 3 new people from last week returned, and 2 of them brought friends! That, truly, is how I think this church will grow - we haven't started with huge numbers, but those who come are being touched in some way and wanting to bring others. It's a safe, meaningful and fun place to bring a friend!

Jim is doing an incredible job with his messages - making them relevant, meaningful and creating non-threatening ways for people to engage instead of being "passive pew-sitters"! God's message is loud and clear, and Jim's spirit, sincerity and love for people is very evident. It is a pleasure to watch the response from the congregation as Jim engages them and God warms their hearts!

Amanda, too, is making incredible, spirit-filled music with various musicians, instruments and levels of ability! God's love just shines from her and her spirit adds beautifully to the energy and power of the music. She and Jim work so well together - she responds to impromptu changes and needs during each service, and their banter is genuine and fun.

And Melissa has the childcare area organized and working beautifully! We're sharing our childcare room with the Driving School (who are also leases in this building,) for two weeks while their classroom is being finished. Melissa has been very flexible: moving into Jim's office for the Friday night service and rearranging furniture, etc. to accommodate "Wreck-less Driving School" (clever, eh?!). There were children during all three services this weekend and she did a marvelous job with the children, volunteers and all the logistics!

We're still working on staining and varnishing the A/V booth and Smartboard wall - waiting on carpet for both. Hopefully those two big projects will be completed this week or next - and we can start using this great technology!!

Jim has arranged a "Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony" with the Big Lake Chamber of Commerce for this Saturday (Sept. 26) at 5:30, followed by a light dinner and worship. Our District Superintendent, the Conference Director of Congregational Development and Jim's coach will be coming. YOU ARE ALL INVITED AS WELL! We've been putting the word out, to try to get a full house to celebrate...

That's it for now!

Blessings and love,
Janet :->

Broadcasting to the Masses Begins

2009-08-07T17:19:00.004-05:00

OH MY GOSH! Can you believe this?! Never in my wildest dreams did I think New Day Church would be featured on a billboard!! Pretty exciting! This along with direct mailings, brochures & beach ball give-a-ways for the Picnics in the Parks this month, and possibly a 30 second video spot at the local theater are all thanks to the $10,000 grant we received from the national United Methodist Church. Hopefully all these will provide great name recognition and many guests in the opening months! Hopefully, too, we'll be prepared for the people to come... YIKES!

Jim and I had a GREAT time in Door County, and we were able to visit with MANY friends and family from the WI/Chicago area before the conference in Chicago. We're glad to be home and busy with the many preparations that are before us these next 6 weeks.

Funds for the rest of the A/V equipment, computer system and childcare room are lacking right now. Some of the avenues that Jim has been pursuing have not provided as much support as we anticipated. Please pray that God will reveal some answers to this dilemma - we're trying very hard to have faith and not be anxious. But Sept. is looming large in front of us and we're feeling ill-equipped and poorly prepared at this point. Answers will come - they always do; a church planter's most important trait is flexibility!! Who knows what this Launch month will end up looking like?! (Well, of course, God does! THANK GOODNESS!) We trust that whatever it is, it will be enough. Of course, if any of you know a benevolent person of wealth who would be interested in helping a struggling new ministry... ?

Prayers for enough time, energy, people support (from Launch team and partner UM churches) and for God's joy, love, and peace to permeate this Launch process would also be greatly appreciated.

Blessings to you all,
Janet

Having a Ball Now!

2009-07-15T22:06:00.005-05:00

Greetings All!

Pastor Jim's wife, Janet, here again to report that, well, life at New Day continues at a fast pace - the changes are becoming a bit more dramatic now!

SPUD FEST: About 20 - 25 New Day supporters marched in the Spud Fest (local community weekend event) parade on June 27. 500 beach balls with the New Day logo were handed out, 2 large earth balls were tossed back and forth to the crowd and the large parachute was unfolded 3-4 times en route to engage the children on the sidelines. We had a blast!! The rain held off and a spirit of fun was in the air! Next year we'll order twice as many beach balls - they were a hit with young and old!

STAFF: Becky Robinson (Childcare Coordinator) and Amanda Weber (Music/Worship/Youth/Adult Ministries) have agreed to join the New Day adventure!! We are THRILLED to have both of them sharing their incredible gifts with us and the New Day community. Sharing the tasks with these energetic and spirit-filled young ladies is a joy and a relief for Jim and I! More on these two will be forthcoming in a future blog. Children's Ministry is still without leadership - God has been nudging the teacher in me... but we'll see what He has in store.

WISH LIST ITEMS: New Day has been the blessed recipient of many items (some we didn't even know we needed!) from Hopkins UMC and Edgewater-Emmanuel UMC. As they transition into closing their buildings they are providing tangible grace in opening ours! We are SO THANKFUL! We picked up 3 trailers + pick ups full of much needed items last Friday, including a refrigerator, "altar" table, children's table and chairs, children's slide, toys, puzzles, etc., 3 rocking chairs, Christmas trees, banners, coffee carafes, bibles, songbooks, microphones and stands, music stands, etc., etc., etc.!! The abundance is overwhelming and awesome!

PREVIEW WORSHIP: Worship last Sunday was a celebration of legacies - spiritual and tangible! Attendance was up by 10-12 and the childcare room was filled to bursting with 12 young children!! Total count was a healthy 45. We embraced the Habitat for Humanity family who was displaced by fire last year and will be receiving the first HH home in Big Lake this year. New Day has agreed to be the family advocate support for them and it was a joy to meet them and share worship together! Also visiting was Jim's church planting coach, Per Nilsen, who shared words of encouragement and challenge to us at lunch following worship. It was a morning filled with grace and spirit - we rejoice at the wonders of God's work in this place!

UPCOMING: Jim and I are attempting to complete 3 weeks of work in one, so we can head out of town next Monday for a little R & R and some training. We'll be gone July 20 - August 3; first to Door County (our honeymoon locale 25 years ago!), then to Green Bay for Jim's 30th HS Reunion and then down to Chicago for "School of Congregational Development." We're looking forward, but it is stressful to leave when so much needs to be done. "Have faith," my inner voice of God implores...

While we are gone, New Day will be hosting a "Children's Treasures" Rummage Sale, Sat. July 25 and Sat. Aug. 1. Please pray for the leaders of this project who have run into scheduling issues, and for others to step forward to help out. Any gently used children's items will be gratefully received; and if anyone has a couple hours to spare to help host the sale on those dates (timing is 8:00-1:00), just let us know! The first time for every event is an experiment and a learning experience - as they say, "we live and learn!"

In August, the plan is for 3 weekends of Picnics in the Parks (like we did last year) on Saturday followed by worship on Sunday. We're hoping that the picnics will provide opportunity to invite folks to worship in order to grow the critical mass before launching weekly worship in Sept. Prayers, prayers and more prayers for these next several weeks... There are still many, many unknowns... Do I hear that inner voice of God AGAIN?

Finally, financial gifts have continued to come forth, but the expense for equipping the worship space and childcare room before September is a bit daunting. Ok, 3 times a charm: I'm listening, inner voice of God, and I will HAVE FAITH!!

Thank goodness He is patient with my fear...
May your summer days fill with blessings of God's peace, joy and love.

Forming the New Day Family

2009-06-26T22:42:00.006-05:00

"It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word." Acts 6:2-4 NIV

For the past month now, we’ve been focusing a lot of time on the process of hiring for New Day UMC. Here’s an inside look on what this important piece of pre-launch involves...

It starts with prayer over who is necessary, and what positions the mission field requires. No matter how hard I tried to eliminate a position or two, the Holy Spirit kept telling me, “No, no, no. You can’t do without that one!”
Then came gathering a Staffing Team to help guide the process, and man, did God come through with a couple of the best guys for that job! John and Jason have been incredible;
Then there was the writing of job descriptions, and getting a very clear set of priorities on what we were looking for in each candidate (not as easy as it may sound);
Spreading the word through various networks -- emails, newspaper ads, university and seminary sites, United Methodist electronic bulletin board, facebook, Craigslist, and more;
Securing a Federal Employer Identification Number;
Researching equitable compensation by contacting sister churches;
Responding to interested parties; etc. etc. etc.

After 2-3 weeks, we had 27 people apply for our 5 part-time positions, many applying to combine several roles together for more hours for a total of 46 individual applications. There were so many wonderfully gifted people who came forward, and we gave thanks for each one of them! Further prayerful discussions lead us to invite 9 candidates in for interviews. You’d think it would be easier at this point, but truly it was not. It felt like a jigsaw puzzle to all of us, and we needed patience as we turned over more pieces of people’s stories and gathered their information.

This afternoon, we completed the interviews and tried to get a picture of the future New Day staff together. It includes 3 Godly people. It is not the same picture I had in mind even last night. It is not with all of the roles as neatly laid out as originally intended. It is not without risks. It is one more exercise in taking one faithful step at a time.

For us, this process is not simply about getting the job done, or bringing any warm body on board. It is a process of forming a dynamic team, better yet, of gathering a family together. The chemistry has to be right. The family has to harmonize well. The family has to be built around people serving Christ by serving people. The Spirit within the group has to be paid attention to. Right now, the potential family portrait has some amazing people in it, and I am excited by the possibilities. But it aint over yet, people!

What if he doesn’t feel at home with us? What if she needs more hours or more benefits than we can offer right now? What if they are set in their ways and unable to adapt? What if she turns us down? What if...?

We’ll keep you posted, but for now, keep the prayers for the new family comin’!

Leaps of Faith

2009-06-10T16:07:00.007-05:00

News from Janet...

Never a dull moment here at New Day Church, and wanted to let you know a few newsworthy items! Last week Jim and the "Staffing Team" finalized job descriptions and started advertising for 5 part-time positions for New Day! The 2 most important will be Childcare Coordinator and Director of Worship & Music. The other 3 are Directors of Children, Youth and Adult Spiritual Growth. These are all very part time right now, and we're thinking that some may be combined depending on applicant's skills/needs.

We are taking a true LEAP of faith in hiring - and those we hire will understand that they will be entering into a "risky business"! They will be an integral part of expanding the New Day family and actively fundraising for parts of their salaries as well as their more normal duties. Jim has contacted about 45 UMC pastors requesting a special offering, or some other financial support, and the indications are that donations from these churches will come close to covering staffing salaries for the remainder of the year. So we take the leap, knowing we have planted seeds and worked the plan, and believing that God will do the rest! It will be just so interesting to see who will step forward for this ministry! Please pray for this process; people, funds, timing, etc.

New Day Church now has a BEAUTIFUL sign on our door! Thank you, Jim Baller, for this wonderful gift! Also, Jim's office is now finally complete and functional thanks to some awesome gifts from Delano UMC. We are so grateful! Things will be much more efficient with everything in one place. Working between home and church was creating much chaos!

The next Preview Worship will be this Sunday, June 14th, 10:45. We're anticipating another smallish crowd - if you would pray for God's spirit to be present in the preparation this week and during the service on Sunday, we would appreciate it! Guests are always welcome!

The launch team is very active now - working on staffing, hospitality plan, advertising and some special projects like marching in the Spud Fest parade, neighborhood picnics, farmer's market , etc. It's exciting to see their enthusiasm and ownership in some of these projects. And the Bible Basics class has been very well-received. Fun to see the excitement around learning about the Bible!

That's it for now! Hope all is well with all of you. Keep in touch - we love hearing your news as well!

5 Plus 2 Equals 5000

2009-05-16T14:35:00.008-05:00

It is mid-May. Not only is the sun shining, the grass is greening, and the flowers are ready to be planted outside (well, almost – frost warnings are still on for tonight), but it is now only 4 months to Launch for New Day UMC. Starting the week of Sept. 12-13, we will have regular, weekly worship services, followed shortly thereafter with regular programs for children, youth, and adults. It is exciting, and yet overwhelming, to realize this. Thank the Lord our Launch Team has developed to the point of tackling more on their own; I have faith we will accomplish many of the items on our Pre-Launch To Do List. (If there are any others out there who could lend a hand, please let us know – we need you!)

But right now, the challenge which is just as big as getting projects done is raising the money to fund the projects which need to be done. For the most part, these are projects which coaches and church-planting experts have taught us need to be in place in order to make a solid first impression when people come to check us out those first launch months. With many people, you only get one chance, and first-time guests, we are told, often make up their minds if they are coming back again within the first 7 minutes after arriving. If that is true, what needs to be “ready”? Well, consider these...

SIGNAGE: along roads pointing the way ($500 - $2500), out front of the building ($400), above the door ($3000), on the door itself ($500), and inside the entry ($50-250)... TOTAL ~ $5,500

GATHERING SPACE: living-room style furniture ($2500 - $3000), computerized guest registration station ($2000), flat-screen announcement monitor ($1200)... TOTAL ~$6000

CHILDCARE AREA: rolling toy shelves ($2100), age-appropriate toys ($400), closet organizers ($300), tables and chairs ($3,500) TOTAL ~ $6300

WORSHIP AREA: projection equipment, sound systems, band instruments, microphones, etc. etc. etc. TOTAL ~$12,000 - $24,000

OK, you get the idea. Long before I stand up to share a life-giving God message, our guests have decided to return or not based on appearance, environment, and how well we have satisfied their family’s needs to this point. We get it. The frustrating part is knowing what needs to be done, but not having the money in-hand to get it done. We will obviously need to prioritize and make do with whatever we have at that moment.

Nonetheless, it’s like looking forward with sails hoisted, ready to catch the wind of the Holy Spirit, while an anchor temporarily keeps the ship locked in place.

Perhaps I am simply another product of our instant gratification society. Perhaps my worrying about tomorrow should be replaced simply with prayers of thanksgiving for today. Perhaps all of this is simply another exercise in faith, in relying on God to work through the hearts and minds of others to collectively achieve what I am unable to accomplish on my own. Perhaps I am like the disciples who looked out on a crowd of hungry people (over 5,000 to be exact), and felt overwhelmed by the expectation to feed them all with so little in the treasury. Perhaps I should simply trust Jesus, who takes the smallest of offerings from the least among us, and satisfies the needs of all.

Sigh. All right, Lord. I turn all of this over to you.

Is there anyone out there willing to share your 5 loaves and 2 fish with the thousands of spiritually hungry folk here in Big Lake? If so, I believe Jesus will make it an abundant blessing for many. Thanks for sharing!

[Contributions to the ministry of New Day UMC can be made by contacting Pastor Jim via their website or by simply leaving a message under “Comments” below]

Mother's Day Blessings

2009-05-12T17:54:00.002-05:00

Greetings!
Although chilly, the sun is shining and God's love is abounding! I sincerely hope that all the moms are having a blessed day, knowing the abundant love you have for your children is just a sliver of the love God has for us all. Amazing Grace, Amazing Love - WOW!

New Day's 2nd Preview Service this morning was uplifting, joyful, full of spirit, fun and meaning! Rejoice and Praise! It seemed that the small (35) but significant congregation were touched by God; and Jim and I certainly felt the humble joy of sharing just a bit of His grace today. It was a one-man band, as Jim lead praise songs on his guitar; other music came from CD's. The borrowed projector and screen worked perfectly and the untrained amateur running it, (me!) managed to get most of the slides up when needed! Jim had the congregation create a bouquet of "tributes to mom" - each person was given a carnation when they arrived and then were asked to come forward and share a sentence or two about their moms and place the flower in a vase. The words spoken were so wonderful; a precious time of sharing. Jim's message was about doubt (scripture from John about Thomas), and he had interaction with some of the congregation and visual aids that kept everyone engaged. The service ended with communion and the smiles that carried out the door warmed my heart!

I've put pictures on the website (http://www.newday-umc.org/) - many thanks to Karla Vieau for some great shots!

Next worship will be Sunday, June 14, 10:45.

We'll be starting two small group classes in two weeks (Bible Basics and Discovering Your Spirituality Type). Please pray for people to attend and for meaning to be found in these small groups.

The "call" for the grant money to be provided by the United Methodist Metro-West Builders Assoc. was mailed out last week. Please pray for those folks who are receiving the brochure to be generous. To be ready for full launch by September, New Day has some very significant needs which we're praying this "connectional ministry" will help provide.

As always, your support and prayers are such huge blessings to us and this new, young community. Bless you all!

With much love,
Janet :->

First Service

2009-04-15T16:47:00.004-05:00

Last Saturday evening we held our first service ever at New Day UMC. A month ago, I told my Advisory Team that I was worried – worried we’d have too many people show up. How many do you think might be there? Well, I told them, 50 weren’t out of the question, and in my mind I was thinking 75. A week ago, I was approached by the local newspaper wanting to do an article in anticipation of our first service; I am probably the only church planter in history to turn down this free publicity, but I was worried we’d have more people than we could handle. How many do you think might be there? Well, I told them, the space holds 100, and in my mind I was hoping 110. Saturday night came along, and I was right – adults and children totaling just under 150 people showed up! We were filled to the walls and out into the gathering space ~ it was fantastic!

Representatives from 8 of our 14 partnering churches were present to help bless our inaugural service. They symbolically carried forward the lights of Christ to our darkened community and prayed that this would be a place where Christ’s spirit would shine. Blessings were also posted and shared from others in the family of believers, from as near as Becker to as far as Nashville, TN; over 40 prayers, well-wishes, and notes of encouragement surrounded those first gatherers in this new space of sanctuary, silently giving witness to the saints from all times and places who continue to bless us. One woman we discovered, has been praying for this particular church for over 25 years.

But the baptisms were the most spiritually touching for many. This celebration of God’s love was poured or sprinkled on the heads and hearts of three babies, one pre-schooler, and one senior high student. The three-year-old was my assistant for the entire ritual, helping me to pour the water, show off the babies, and announce loudly when his name was read “That’s Me!” “Alleluias” rang so loudly through the air at the conclusion, they practically knocked me over. The mood spilled over into the parking lot and carried people home with Easter joy.

Now, what I haven’t told you, of course, are all those things that kept Janet and I tossing and turning all night long afterwards: Things not said. People not talked to. Rituals that did not go as planned. A sermon that did not flow in its expected order. Childcare that was ... Wow! Does that need work! Staging that blocked the projected prayers from half the crowd. A lack of sound equipment which kept God knows how many people from hearing what was being said. Passing-of-the-Peace near the end which spontaneously turned into Forget-the-Last-Song-Announcements-and-Benediction-cuz-That’s-All-Folks! Flowers which did not get gifted to the partnering churches....... Need I go on?!

But a wise friend reminded me come Monday, “But practically everyone went home with excitement, a big smile and having experienced a very holy time. Forget the little stuff. The big stuff happened, and that’s what matters.”

So, that’s my advice for you as well ~ whenever your best-laid plans keep you up at night, ask yourself if this is the big stuff or the little stuff. If the holy has been experienced and sent people home with blessings, then just forget everything else. What matters most has been achieved.

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Matthew 6:25
But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Philippians 1:18

Counting the Blessings

2009-03-19T19:19:00.003-05:00

(from Janet, Pastor Jim's co-church planting wife)

Whew!
Being human, and in the "over 40" crowd, our feet hurt, our backs ache, and we are exhausted! Being also God's humble servants, our spirits soar, our gratitude is immense and we are praising God for enormous blessings!

The move-in was such a great day! Throughout the day about 16 of us vacuumed, washed windows, hauled and wiped down tables, chairs and platforms, and just enjoyed being in the new space. It looks soooo nice! Still many things to finish up, but after yesterday, and help from our son and his girlfriend with hanging the desk cabinet, the list we had made on Saturday is pretty much checked off. Blessings!

Also on Saturday, one of our launch team informed us all that she had found about 200 white coffee mugs that will be donated to New Day by one of the local restaurants! Blessings!

After worshipping and hanging the cabinet with Adam and Amanda yesterday, the remainder of the day was spent preparing for and attending the Metro West Builders event. We set up a display area similar to the one we had at the Expo and spent about 2 hours giving out planting kits and talking to people about New Day. Following this came the program and dinner, then Jim was able to give a short presentation to the whole crowd, which went VERY well! The group voted immediately afterward to make New Day the spring call!!! Blessings!

On top of all those blessings, before her benediction at the end of last evening's event, our former district superintendent (the one who had contacted Jim initially about this new church venture), asked those present to "throw something into the pot" to help supply some hospitality items for New Day's first preview service in April. Jim and I were so surprised by this totally unexpected gift, and so humbled by the response of over $500. WOW!!!!!!!! God continues to amaze us by the generosity and love pouring forth from so many sources. We are blessed, and more blessed, and MORE BLESSED!!

It's another busy week ahead! Prayers for stamina and wisdom would be great. Also, the next fellowship event is being mostly planned and implemented by one of the launch team members. Families will be invited to come to New Day and spend an hour or so, Sat. morning, March 28, planting seeds, singing songs and sharing fellowship. Please pray for Tammy and Bonnie (the organizers) and this event. Getting the word out is always one of the greatest challenges!

Starting From Scratch

2009-03-06T09:23:00.003-06:00

In just over a week (on Saturday, March 14th), we will be moving into our new space. I have been joking with people that the move shouldn’t take too long, because we have nothing to move in! Being a brand new church plant, we are starting from scratch, of course. This was dramatically apparent when we started hosting our first community events last fall, and we didn’t have a table to set things upon, didn’t have pens for people to use to take surveys, and didn’t have the basics which used to be at our finger tips in an established church setting. The absence of ministry resources was surprising, but God provided.

I’m sure we’ll move in next weekend and again be surprised by the absence of a pastor’s desk, the lack of over-stuffed chairs and love seats in the Gathering Area, and (heaven forbid!) the nonexistence of a coffee-maker and mugs. No altar? No pulpit? No music stands even? None right now, but God will provide.

Aside from the absence of things, we started from scratch in terms of relationships as well. We came to Big Lake alone. We had no history here, no small group of mission-minded families to bring with us, and none who considered us their friend. And because we are reaching out to those who are disconnected from God and church, we also found ourselves starting from scratch with people in terms of church knowledge, devotion to the cause, and experience with spiritual stuff in general. No congregation at all?! No trust? No commitment? No prayer life? None right now, but God will provide.

What has been amazing is how much God has provided in just over a year: buyers for our home (in less than 45 days); a relatively quick response from the bank to buy a foreclosed home (in less than 45 days); 60 new chairs; 24 sets of curtains; 14 beautiful wooden tables; a desk set; copy machine; computer server; Inkjet (color) printer; a Wireless router; and more!

But more importantly, God has provided us with connections to the wonderful people up here. As a point of illustration, last weekend was the Chamber’s Business Expo. A year ago, the Expo was the first event we volunteered at in the community. We didn’t know a soul when we walked into the High School gymnasium to help set up last year. This year, we walked in to set up our own booth, and before we had three things in place, I probably gave away a dozen hugs and warm greetings to my Big Lake friends. My, how God provides!

Stuff like tables, chairs, trust, and commitment all take time when you start from scratch. At first, we feel the lacking when we notice what we don’t have. Then we feel the coveting when we see what others have. But if we can have eyes to see and ears to hear what God is providing, then lacking turns to abundance, and coveting turns to generosity. Everything and everyone become gifts of grace from God above! For it is written...

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17 NIV

Come Grow with Big Lake's Newest Church Plant!

2009-03-04T07:06:00.006-06:00

(from the Pastor's wife, Janet)

Jim and I and two of our launch team handed out about 400 little planting kits yesterday at the Big Lake Expo! The best news is that about 170 registered for the drawings for the prizes and of those, 31 requested more information or were interested in keeping updated with New Day's progress!! Yeah!! This Expo is the first event that Jim and I volunteered at a year ago (when we didn't know anyone and were just getting started), and it was heartening to be back this year and recognize so many people.

The other really fun thing that happened last week was a call from a young couple (engaged) who we had met at one of the picnics last fall. They have been wanting to get connected, but just hadn't taken the time to contact us. They came to the class we held THAT NIGHT (Discovering Your Spirituality Type)!! I thought it was pretty brave of them to come to our home, entering a group of unknown people in a class that had already begun (this was the 2nd in a series of 6)!! The group is a mix of ages, but it warmed my heart to see the younger couples so open and excited to grow in their faith and connect with others on this journey. It reminded me so much of Jim and I in our early years and I pray that these folks will be blessed with experiences to build relationships like we had, that have sustained and nurtured us throughout our journey.

I have been pretty much totally focused on getting the website built this past week or more. What a job! Please visit and send your feedback: http://www.newday-umc.org/. I am so grateful to niece Kristi for sending the proper format of the logo (3 times, since I couldn't make up my mind which version was best!!) and to son Scott for technical support via phone and helping improve the first draft IMMENSELY!! It is a work in progress - we'll be tweaking and changing things as time goes on, but for now at least we have something! Let me know especially how your computers handle the links, etc. - or if there are any problems you have getting into anything...

Please pray for our next community event to be held at the new church, Sat. March 28. It's a family planting time - families will plant flower seeds to take home, to share with the community and to decorate the gardens at the new church! Music and story-time included. It should be fun! Also, prayers for the 1st preview worship service -- an Easter Eve Vigil. You are all welcome to join us - Sat. April 11, 7:00pm. Jim will be starting to really focus on getting this together. May God's spirit guide all the preparations and our hearts...

Granted, It's Just Money

2009-02-13T20:42:00.008-06:00

(from the pastor's wife, Janet)
Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!!
Here's the latest news from Big Lake...

The first exciting news is that New Day UMC will be receiving a grant! Our application was 1 of 10, nation-wide, that was selected by Path1 of the General Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church! YEAH!! It is a media grant which could cover things like marketing research, a billboard, TV ad, internet ad, etc. all in preparation for our launch this fall. We don't know how much will be granted, but anything is better than the nothing we started with!! Having some professional advice from the larger church is the best part. So, we're celebrating that gift!!

We also will be receiving a donation of around 20 small wooden tables (card table size) that will be wonderfully versatile to use in our new sanctuary/fellowship hall! These came from Love INC Heartland - you may remember Jim's involvement in starting this wonderful ecumenical non-profit organization that reaches out to the needy in the community. We toured their new space in Delano just yesterday, and were inspired by the growth and the numbers of people (almost 16,000 needs addressed last year!) being served by this great organization after only being in existence for 5 years! Sure gave us hope and encouragement for New Day Church! Terri Harris, the director of Love INC Heartland, also said that everything at their new space has been donated. That, too, was inspiring as we begin the process of furnishing New Day's new space. We were reminded to have faith and to be open to the gifts that God will choose to send... look what He has provided already! AWESOME!!

The New Day Church building is changing each week - front doors have been installed; sheet rock hung, taped and painted; they are working on the ceiling and electricity today. Exciting!! Jim has been showing EVERYONE the progress; anytime you want to take a road trip to Big Lake, we promise a tour!

We've had several small group meetings at our home the past few weeks: launch team, baptism class and Discovering your Spirituality Type class. So far we've learned: 1) that the dog is best shut in his kennel, in the garage, in the back of the car, 2) the cat is best shut in the guest bedroom, and 3) our home is not conducive to child care!! (Ha, ha!) It has been a wonderful blessing, really, to finally open our home to these great people. It is heart-warming to connect in fellowship and learn more about our awesome God and our spirituality together. We are humbled and uplifted by their presence and their openness and willingness to join us on this new church adventure.

Preparations for the Big Lake Business Expo on March 1st are progressing. We're really excited about this opportunity to get the word out about New Day Church! Since we're a new church "plant" we've decided to go with a gardening theme and will be giving away seed packets (sunflowers or pumpkins) each with our new logo on them, clipped onto small peat pots, with peat pellets that expand when watered. (A little family growing project!) A refrigerator magnet/clip holds it all together. And our theme will be something like - "Check out Big Lake's new church 'plant' - Come GROW with New Day United Methodist Church". We have 2 Grand Prizes to give away: one including a "$50 off any room" certificate at the Holiday Inn in St. Cloud, and the other including a $100 gift certificate to Dan & Jerry's Greenhouse in Monticello. We hope to add a few more items (gift cert. to a kid-friendly restaurant, gardening tools, etc.) to each prize package. We'll have drawing slips with contact info - and a box to check for those who want more info about New Day Church. Pretty fun!

Hope you all have a wonderful, love-filled Valentine's day! Remember, you're not loved because you're beautiful; you're BEAUTIFUL 'cause you're LOVED.

Looking ever forward to a NEW DAY in Christ,
Janet :->

And They're Out of the Gate

2009-01-26T10:26:00.002-06:00

(from Janet, the pastor's wife)

Well, the Launch Team is launched!!! We had a great meeting on Saturday with 8 of us (including Jim and me) with at least another 2 who are committed, but couldn't make the meeting. YEE HA! It was wonderful to have these people meet each other and the enthusiasm, excitement and brainstorming was really exciting for us to see. A couple of follow-up e-mails from some of the participants were especially uplifting. And I was amazed by the immediate offers of help - both time and possible donations. I feel a sense of relief that we truly are not alone in this venture, but also sense the challenges of now channeling and coordinating a group of very enthusiastic volunteers. Please pray for this process; that all (including us) will have open hearts allowing God's spirit to be our guide.

Hugs to all,
Janet :->

Unrevealed Until its Season

2009-01-21T20:12:00.003-06:00

I am getting so excited! Things are really starting to get going around here! God’s timing may not have been my timing, but the timing feels perfect. Here’s what’s been happening or is coming soon for New Day UMC:

10 of our 14 Connectional Churches gathered together for an update on events last Saturday. 30 clergy and lay folk were 1) affirmed for all their support thus far, 2) informed and motivated by presentations from our District Superintendent and our Director of Congregational Development, and 3) inspired by testimonies from a colleague, a lay person, and a real live Big Lake family. We wrote prayers of support for the people of New Day, and we gasped at Wish Lists that are definitely beyond the capacity of any single church (but not beyond the capacity of God working through all of us!). The light of the world (a Christmas votive) was sent back with each church as a symbol of our hope, unity, and connection together. Please pray that all of these other United Methodist congregations may be used and blessed in mighty ways as they commit more of themselves to reaching out for Jesus.

This coming Saturday (1/24) will mark the formal start of our official Launch Team. For 6 months I have struggled over pulling this group together. But relationships cannot be rushed, and commitments cannot be forced. Calls this week have miraculously revealed that NOW the time is right. So far, 7 people have stepped forward from the community to take on the intense, messy, exciting challenges of launching this new faith community. Please pray for these first faithful responders as they answer this call of Christ’s.

Our space received the city council’s nod-of-approval earlier this month, and so build-out has begun. We’ve been choosing carpeting, paint, lighting, doors, and much more. The basic framing has gone up like a magical outline of what will be. In two short months, we may be ready to move in! Please pray for all those “temple builders” and the holy work that will take place within those walls.

Our first Pre-Launch Service has been scheduled as an Easter Vigil on Saturday, April 11th. We will mark the start of New Day with a celebration of the resurrection itself. Baptisms and a consecrating of the space will bless this budding community, and the extended Christian community will be invited to witness to their support. We’ll then be ramping up the worship schedule through the summer, with regular, weekly services kicking in right after Labor Day. Please pray for vibrant worship to be our norm, and encounters with the living Lord to be commonplace at these services.

All of this and more has me ........ well ........ excited! And I hope it has you excited too! I feel like the song on page 707 of our UM Hymnal is talking about us: In the bulb there is a flower; in the seed, an apple tree; in cocoons, a hidden promise: butterflies will soon be free! In the cold and snow of winter there’s a spring that waits to be, unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see. There’s a song in every silence, seeking word and melody; there’s a dawn in every darkness, bringing hope to you and me. From the past will come the future; what it holds, a mystery, unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see. (Hymn of Promise, words and music by Natalie Sleeth, 1986). Wonder and awe fill me as I witness these divine promises emerging before my eyes. A new day IS dawning from the darkness, and I AM filled with hope. How about you?

What's a Christian to Think?

2009-01-10T10:38:00.004-06:00

Wondering what the rest of the story is on the fighting in Gaza these days (OK, so not the entire rest of the story, but at least more than what you hear on the news)? Here's a well-done article on the background of the conflict from another United Methodist pastor in Kansas City, Rev. Adam Hamilton. It is called, "Making Sense of the Gaza Strip" and is on the website known as http://www.ethicsdaily.com/. I haven't read anything else on this site, but I liked the article by Adam. It's worth knowing, plus it throws in a WWJD perspective at the end. What do you think of the whole Middle East fighting situation? And what do you think Jesus would do or have to say about the situation?

Seeing the Dawn of a New Day

2009-01-02T10:37:00.005-06:00

A new year is on the horizon. I can hardly wait! How about you? Who knows if all of our hopes, dreams, or expectations will all come to pass, but I sit on the verge of 2009 eagerly waiting for the New Day to dawn! Want to see what I see? I now see 5 dedicated families emerging from the crowds, indicating a connection to this new faith community. But I also see 5 becoming 10, 10 becoming 20, and so on and so on... I see a rainbow of God’s children coming together and a new sense of family dawning!

I now see 60 stackable red chairs, 16 risers, 4 bookcases, 2 rolling carts, 24 sets of merlot-colored curtains, 1 desk set, and 3750 square feet of sheetrock, electrical wiring, and insulation being readied for construction. But I also see a space that will soon confirm for families that we will take care of their children and we will take care of their everyday concerns. Within a renovated office building and within people’s hearts, I see new temples of God dawning.

I now see people with limited understandings about the Bible, limited involvement with Christian practices, and limited experiences with the living Christ. But I also see a growing interest in spirituality, a growing hunger for authentic community, and a growing need for direction with all of life’s struggles. I see people encountering Christ in dynamic ways and new commitments to the spiritual journey dawning.

I now see gifts of $20, $200, $1275, and $15,000 being deposited for the work of kingdom-building; I see an annual budget of $250,000 already more than half covered. But I also see hundreds of people eager to support the rest so that the Holy Spirit can change lives. In spite of financial woes, I see a new abundance of resources dawning!

I now see 4 infants being baptized at our first Preview Service this Lent/Easter, and representatives from our Partner Churches surrounding them with their promises of support and love. But I also see one service, then one more, then one more, until we are gathering to praise on a weekly basis in the Fall. I see hearts surprised that God has become so real for them and a new spirit of worship dawning!

2009 is dawning for all of us. What do you see ahead for New Day UMC? What do you see ahead in your future? May God bless the visions inspired within our souls!

New Year's Greetings!

2008-12-30T18:33:00.003-06:00

(from the Pastor's wife, Janet)

Just wanted to greet you all before New Years and thank you once again for your wonderful support these past months. Your prayers have been a warm blanket of love, and sharing through these electronic updates has been a joy and a comfort to me. Connecting with many of you through the "written word" has been such a blessing! The computer has it's limitations, but the blessing of communicating with all of you on a regular basis, makes up for many of its downfalls...

Both the pastors' lunch and the New Day open house the week before Christmas went very well! And the prep for those really moved along some of the house projects which was exhausting and satisfying. Basement living area, curtains, and the slate floor smoothed and sealed were the biggies. The list is finally dwindling away - YEAH!

There were about 20 of our potential New Day community and 6 other helpers who joined us that Sunday in spite of the awful snow the day before and the bitter cold! The best part was introducing 3 families to each other - each with 2 kids, babies 3-4 months old and toddlers age 2-3. It was so great to watch them interact and connect. We had met with one of the couples this fall about baptizing their baby, and after Sunday it looks like one of our preview worship services in the spring may include not 1, but 3-4 baptisms!!! (We laughed when we discovered that the baby girls are Cameryn and Kameryn born 16 days apart!) The comment that touched my heart was how few people they know in Big Lake and how nice it was to meet other families. That reinforced our belief that the need for fellowship and Christian community is great in these young families in this area. Motivating and challenging at the same time!

May the hope that comes from celebrating our Lord's birth bring you peace and joy this Christmas and through the new year...

The Emptiness of God

2008-12-05T13:51:00.004-06:00

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas ... our freshly-cut balsam is up; the greens have been strategically hung above the cupboards; the snowman cookie jar has come out from hiding; but something is missing ... We found the straw, the manger frames, and even the star (which we hang with clear fish line from the ceiling), but where is the rest of it?! Where are the ceramic nativity figures: Mary, Joseph, the shepherd with his sheep, the kings, the camel? Everything else made the move with us over the summer; how could the plain white box (slightly bigger than a large pizza) nestling the precious holy family not be with the rest of our junk? We’ve gone through every square inch of our house about ten times, called everyone who helped store/transport pieces of our lives last summer, and even dreamed about it in our sleep, but to no avail. Help! We’ve lost Baby Jesus!

My outer world is often a reflection of my inner world. These days, my soul feels remotely satisfied with my Advent preparations, but it is also fighting off the stress of this world, this season, and this job. Doubts, inadequacies, and frustrations creep a little wider into my soul, like the ever expanding hours of darkness of Minnesota Decembers. And even though I am exercising more (thanks to my wife and our new membership at Anytime Fitness), my spiritual exercises have temporarily gone into sleep mode. Where is the light of the world for my spiritual winter? Help! I think I’ve lost Jesus!

In his book, Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in Our Busy Lives, Wayne Muller reflects on my condition in this way: So when we see Jesus withdraw from the press of the crowds and retreat to a place of rest, he is not simply taking a well-deserved break from his useful but exhausting ministry. He is honoring a deep spiritual need for a time dedicated not to accomplishment and growth, but to quiescence and rest. His disciples cannot comprehend his leaving – there are still lepers to heal, blind that need to see, and the hungry to be fed. When Jesus slips away, they run about in search of him -- doesn’t he realize there is much good work to be done?
Soon enough, Jesus rests in death. Like a seed planted in fertile ground, he must die to bear fruit... And so Jesus dies, and lies dormant for three days. Without this dormancy, the resurrection of new life would be impossible.
If God raised Jesus in three days, surely he could have been raised in two, or one, or even been made invincible. So why sentence him to death for three days? Because everything, even the anointed of God, must rest, even in death.
Unless the grain falls into the earth and dies, there will be no harvest. These three days are necessary dormancy of a Sabbath, an emptiness in which Jesus may be reborn, and take on a new form. All form is either arising or falling away. And between falling away and arising again, there is an inevitable dormancy, the ein sof, the emptiness of God. (pgs. 58-59)

And so, I give you no reports on accomplishments of late, nor visions of events to anticipate. Instead, today’s blog gives us permission to be empty of God and spiritually distant from Jesus for a time. For who knows? Perhaps all of this is part of God’s spiritual rhythm, part of the preparation of Advent itself. May a necessary dormancy take hold of your life so that in the emptiness, Baby Jesus may be reborn, and what for a time was lost can again be found.

Church Building

2008-11-19T11:11:00.004-06:00

This week I had breakfast with a clergy friend in the next town. Over basted eggs, sausage links, potatoes and English muffin, I shared a longing for something more (and not just more coffee). After months of community events and meeting lots and lots of people casually, I am longing for more spiritual depth and connection. I’m missing those conversations that go deeper into people’s thoughts, feelings, and lives. I miss journeying with others through significant times and issues of faith. Church planting has certainly been challenging and rewarding and significant, but there is something missing for me in not regularly leading classes on spiritual living, or preaching on eternal concepts from God each week, or being able to share soul-deep prayers back and forth with others. It’s not that I’m tired of meeting, greeting, and serving; I’m just hungry to go deeper with these new friends.

At our last meeting, my coach helped Janet and I to realize that everything we do in these preparatory months need not be about gathering together large crowds at safe points of first contacts. Four or five of these might be sufficient in the first year. These then need to be offset with small group times: times to build friendships and community; times to share stories, beliefs, and values; times to journey together, encounter Christ, and grow in faith. This is a refreshing thought for me at this point.

Here is another point of refreshment ...

Last night we received some good news. The lease on the space in which we have been hoping to set up shop was approved by the conference Board of Trustees! After eight months of searching and discerning, six versions of build-out drawings, twelve pages of legal dissections, and hundreds of prayers from people like you, the nod was given to move ahead. The contractor predicts readiness for occupancy to be in March. Now we can truly begin to put visions-for-ministry into actions-for-ministry.

And yet, I remind myself that the church is not a building, it is the people. Although a space to call our own will make ministry easier and more effective in some ways, Christ and people are the essential building materials. In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he writes, “God is building a home. He’s using us all – irrespective of how we got here – in what he is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now he’s using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day – a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home (Ephesians 2:20-22 MSG).”

Therefore, even though I am excited to be building structures without, I am hungrier to build souls within. I feel we are about to move into another phase of this church-planting adventure. Please revise your prayers and keep them coming!

TREATS4U Recap

2008-11-03T15:36:00.003-06:00

(Reflections from the Pastor's wife, Janet)

Happy November and Daylight Savings!
As the saying goes, I have good news and bad news, but Jim and I decided yesterday that even the bad news could have been so much worse! So, here's the story...

First, the candy bar hand out at Coborns last weekend went very well, although it was a bit exhausting! As it turned out, Saturday was a BEAUTIFUL fall day which was perfect for standing outside and greeting people as they came to shop. However, the manager thought the weather also kept the usual number of customers low. So after about 5 hours, we still had a couple of baskets of candy bars left, but were tired and losing a bit of the enthusiasm needed to continue. So, we quit for the day.

As those of you in MN know, Sunday dawned cold and SNOWY! Not so nice for standing outside! The Coborns manager graciously let us stand just inside the doorway to greet people and we managed to get all the candy bars into people's hands in a couple more hours Sunday afternoon. The response we got from the people we actually talked to was very positive and the candy bar was a great means of getting the word out. It was also really fun to "treat" people - it felt like handing just a little bit of God's grace to some! I spent the majority of the time in front of the entrance near the gas pumps and it was very interesting how many people (especially the men) started to give a donation. It took me completely by surprise the first time! They were often shocked to hear that the candy bar wrapper was an invitation and the candy itself, a gift - no strings attached!

So, the week flew by, and by Thursday night most everything was prepared and ready, except the number of volunteers. Many of the "maybe's" had turned into "no's" and even many of the "yes's" were delayed and couldn't arrive for the set up time. There were enough, however, to make the event happen and we just trusted that things would work out.

Halloween arrived, warm and sunny, and we packed up our two vehicles to the brim and with a prayer and a few deep breaths, off we went! Well, (here's the first bad news!) we arrived at the school by about 3:15 and by 3:25 our main adult volunteer (Jacob, manager at Caribou Coffee, who had been helping with a lot of the prep and ideas and was so excited about this event), sliced open his finger while hauling in the popcorn maker. UGH! The poor guy! I saw it happen and was trying to tell Jim that "We have blood, there's blood!" without getting too hysterical and (being Halloween) he thought I was talking about an unwanted prop or something!! Anyway, the photographer volunteer arrived at just that moment, so she took him to the hospital and (see, it could have been worse ☺) he did make it back later in the evening after 4 stitches and a tetanus shot!

The set up, however, was suddenly a bit more stressful than planned - with just the two of us and 3 youth! However, 39 hay bales got hauled in and set up, blow-up pumpkins and straw scarecrows and welcome arch and lights and fog machines all were displayed, candy and other treats were prepared for trick-or-treaters, photographer, games and Charlie Brown video were set up in the center room, hot cider, apple juice, coffee and popcorn were all ready to be served and, although it wasn't perfect, by 5:00 we had people waiting at the door and so, with another prayer and no time for a breath - it began!!

We were still missing a couple of volunteers, and Paula, the lady from Community Ed who was our link to renting the space in the school, graciously pitched in and manned the popcorn machine. Paula is what I call tangible grace as (here's the next bad news!) by 5:20, between the popcorn machine and the fog machines, we had set off the fire alarm! YIKES! And it was this moment that Jim was standing in his underwear in the men's room trying to change into his costume! Good grief! Fortunately, (see, it could have been worse - imagine sprinklers and WET hay, firemen and sirens, naked pastor running the halls, etc.! - and here's the grace) Paula immediately called the fire department and the custodians called Honeywell Security to let everyone know that it was a false alarm and within just a few minutes, without any major fuss, everyone was back inside and we continued on - fog and popcorn moved outside!! (Thank goodness for the nice weather!) And thank goodness for Paula's presence!

By 7:30, by counting the pieces of candy in my basket, we figure we had seen about 120 kids and nearly all had parents along - over 200 people total. We were blessed by the presence of at least 15 spirit-filled volunteers at various points throughout the event whose energy, enthusiasm, joy and laughter filled the space with God's love. And we also received several candy donations from various sources which allowed us to be very generous with treats. I would venture to say that nearly all who attended had fun, felt the warmth of God's love (whether they identified it or not) through some aspect of the event and left with a little more info (and positive impression) about New Day UMC. Whew!

The struggle, once again, comes in comparing our visions and expectations to harsh reality. And sometimes even our two (Jim's and my) expectations don't coincide! Trusting God that the harsh reality is exactly what was needed at the time, regardless of our individual expectations, can get tough when we are faced daily with so much "unknown". It will be helpful to gather a community of more "committed" people (hopefully in December) to get a sense that we are "succeeding" in truly impacting lives and to get some meaningful feedback on our attempts to reach out. It's a slow process which we know in our heads; our hearts just need a little encouragement! We do believe, Lord, help our unbelief...

The other thing that keeps surprising us is that many of the people we are meeting have few expectations, since most of what we're doing is totally new to them. (Seems like "old hat" to us!) Many have not experienced the blessings of vibrant, alive, meaningful, loving faith and fellowship, so even the little bit we are trying to provide seems to make a bit of an impact for those whose hearts are open and who are seeking deeper meaning in their life journey. That's what truly gives me hope - and I pray that God will lead those open hearts to intersect our path, that His love can be shared and His kingdom come...

And so, as these events take place, I find that I can't think too hard about what's happening at the moment - only go with the flow relying on God's love through me to encounter all that transpires. And laugh A LOT - thank goodness for a sense of humor and God's grace to use it!

May you find the humor and the blessings on your journey,

Janet :->

Halloween Fun for Families

2008-10-23T14:30:00.004-05:00

New Day UMC is hosting another event for the Big Lake community.

Because Halloween can be uncomfortable for many families, we thought, “Why not offer an indoor Halloween trick-or-treat path, where games and candy can be provided in a safe, warm environment?!” So, here you go ...

Bring your little princesses, cowboys, ninjas, and ghosts (found this photo online and just couldn't resist!) over to Independence Elementary School (enter through Door J by Community Ed.) any time after 5:00 pm on Halloween night, and we’ll have a completely non-scary Trick or Treat Path all laid out for them. You get to relax with a cup of Caribou coffee or hot cider while your little ones run down the hall from station to station, gathering candy, stickers, and other treats. A photographer’s corner will be set up to capture all their cuteness (bring your own camera or we’ll send you a free copy); a face-painting booth will be available to add a little Halloween extra to their costume; and a game room will offer some simple challenges that can be completed in (almost!) any costume.

We’ll also have more info about our new method, along with a little write-up on the background of this rather weird holiday tradition (did you know that Halloween actually has its origins in the church?!).

Please come on by and invite your friends to join you. We’ll be outside Coborns this Saturday (10/25) inviting people ourselves with Hershey candy bars for the parents; here's a look at the special promo we wrapped around each one!

Finally, anyone who'd like to get in on the fun of helping out should give us call or send us a comment at the end of this post; we'll be awarding prizes to OUR VOLUNTEERS for best costume, best treats, and best decorations.

We look forward to seeing you there!

We Stand at the Door and Knock

2008-10-07T17:17:00.005-05:00

The invitations continued to go out ... come join us for a free neighborhood lunch ... just down the block from your house ... food and games, along with some optional Family Stations for you and your kids. Although the results were not as dramatic the last two weeks as they were the first two weeks, we felt good personally inviting people over and offering these Picnics in the Park as a service to the Big Lake community. All told, we served around 120 dads, moms, and children and sent them home with countless more smiles. Sometimes, however, it’s the volunteers who receive the greater blessings; here is one such story of transformation...

This lady was coming all the way from Chanhassen on the final Saturday. Reluctantly, she says, she dragged herself out of bed that morning; some physical “discomforting ailments” delayed her by 45 minutes, but she shook off the urges to make excuses and stay home. Joyful determination slowly overtook her as she met and invited person after person with the love of Christ. One gruff, older gentleman might have scared others away, but not her (he did end up coming to lunch AND he invited another neighbor to join him as well!). Absolute enthusiasm radiated from her when she left for home at the end of the event, and reports are that her sharing at church the next morning was inspired!

Janet and I felt very blessed by her and all of the support we received in order to pull it all off. 57 volunteers stepped forward over the four weekends (several repeats but many new faces each time); 9 other United Methodist churches contributed in some way to the happenings; 3 businesses provided free or discounted items; and $555 was donated to help offset a portion of the expenses! Without a doubt, we would not have been able to do any of this without the wide-spread support of so many who care about reaching out to those who are presently inactive in a faith community. Without a doubt, we wouldn’t have been able to do it without the love of Christ to surround, strengthen, and propel each of us forward with enthusiasm.

I hope you will continue to pray for the people of this area. Pray for those who came forth and shared lunch with us; may these first steps lead to even greater steps of faith discovery. Pray also for all of those people who received the invitation but did not come; may they at least know that there are people out there who are thinking about them and care for their well-being. Finally, pray for those who refused to even answer the doors upon which we were knocking for Christ; may their skepticism, fear, or whatever held them back be overcome so they might experience the abundant life of Christ which is available for all. The Bible reflects on each of these groups when it says:

“Your eyes are windows into your body. If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. If you pull the blinds on your windows, what a dark life you will have!” Matthew 6:22-23 The Message

Our eyes are now open to the future to which God is calling us. In the next couple of months, we look forward with wonder to the things Christ will do through our small group gatherings, our Indoor Trick or Treat Path on Halloween night, and our holiday outreach events. Actually, we are still looking for a creative activity or two for the holidays, so if you have any great community-building activities that revolve around helping others in need, please let us know (just hit the word “Comments” at the end of this posting). In return, we pray that the power, peace, and wonder of Christ are blessing you these days as well.

(PS: I will be leading worship at Blessed Cross UMC in Zimmerman on Oct. 19 if any are interested in attending)

Experimenters Discover Unpredictability

2008-09-16T09:03:00.004-05:00

For two Saturdays now, we have been out at the neighborhood parks, inviting people to join us for a mini-adventure in thankfulness and a free picnic lunch. The hot dogs were a-roasting, the floats were a-fizzing, and the kids were a-laughing! Those who came seem to thoroughly enjoy meeting their neighbors and playing as a family of God. The theme was Power Lab, but all has not been an experience of predictability, more like an experiment in faithfulness! Let me explain...

We were ready to rumba the first week, with beautiful blue skies and a thoroughly prepared program. But nobody came. And nobody came. And still nobody came! For the first hour, we fought off discouragement with prayer and playfulness, and then took on-the-spot action. Out to the houses, pairs of us went to personally knock on doors and invite the neighbors to lunch. An hour later, people started venturing over for food, family, and fun. Believe it or not, 50-60 people eventually came by (with 80% or more of them there only because of our invitations); like our Christian story itself, defeat was transformed to victory!

This experiment in outreach taught us a few things: 1) you have to invite (with face-to-face contact) not just attract (with signs and decorations); 2) you have to be flexible (willing to change on the spot) and adaptable (responding to what the people are doing or not doing); and 3) every volunteer’s positive spirit is essential (even one whiner would have drained us this day!).

On the second Saturday, we came with a better strategy: do away with the formalized program, set up optional Family Stations, and double the number of inviting teams. Again we were prepared, the team was positively spirited-filled, and decorations were toned down to be less intimidating (who knew lab coats could be scary?!). This time, 45 new families were given personal invitations to lunch, but again, predictability was not to be. Drizzle in the morning gave way to steady rains by lunchtime. Faithful volunteers warmly greeted the 12 who came, and made the best of a soggy situation. Lessons learned this week: 1) you can only control your actions and attitude, not the outcomes or the weather; 2) water-based artwork doesn’t like even a little rain; and 3) count success by people touched, not hot dogs served!

There are still two weekends to go ~ we can’t wait to see what powerful lessons in thankfulness God will teach us next. See you at the park (then again, that isn’t predictable is it? Better to say, “You’ll see us at the park this Saturday; come on over!”)

Power Lab is Coming Your Way!

2008-08-23T07:19:00.005-05:00

Thanks for checking out our Power Lab details. Till the website for our new faith community is developed, we’ll keep you updated here. Please note, this blog has been intended to keep our supporters updated on our new church start progress, and so other posts may give you a flavor of what our journey has been like, and my style as a pastor-type, but they weren’t really written with you, the general audience, in mind. Enough of the disclaimers; here’s what our mini-Power Labs have to offer your family:

Our goal with these one-day events is to let you check us out safely and comfortably as a possible new faith community for your family. A lot of you have little kids, children in K-6 grades. If you haven’t been active or connected at all to a church in the past, we understand how uncomfortable it can be to get started. At the same time, young families often need help instilling healthy morals, a sense of faith, and life-giving attitudes (like thankfulness) in their children. We are here to help. These Saturday mornings are just for you!

No need to commit to anything but one session.
No need to go further than the neighborhood park near you.
No need to know anything about God, Jesus, or church-stuff in order to participate.
No need to be afraid – we’re not into guilt, judgment, or shame.
Come as you are, wherever your family is on your faith journeys together and we’ll help you to take a simple step forward together, and hopefully have a great time doing it.

The topic of the day will be THANKFULNESS. We do the exact same program all four weekends, so you can choose whatever weekend works best for your family. Here’s how the morning is laid out:

9:00 am Registration and Refreshments
9:20 am Sonic Sing and Play
(fun songs, skit, & introductions)
9:45 am Breakout Stations
(Station 1 Wacky Works Crafts – Station 2 Bible Blast)
10:15 am Test Tube Treats
(snack, thankfulness challenges, parents’ time to learn more)
10:35 am Breakout Stations
(Station 3 HyperSpeed Bubble Games – Station 4 Science Experiment & sharing)
11:15 am Fusion Finale
(more songs, wrap up talks, Great Geyser experiment, and more)
11:45 am Neighborhood Lunch
(a freebee for everyone as long as the hot dogs & floats last!)

The morning is really designed for families to do together. If the adults are working, no problem, but try to hook up your son or daughter with another family for the day. Got little, little ones in the mix? Might be better to plan for a childcare swap with one of your friends, but we will be doing our best to also offer a pre-schoolers program if we can. If we can’t, bring ‘em along and they can go around to the stations with you.

Registration forms can be obtained in advance or filled in on the day of the event. Cost is $10 per child, which primarily covers costs of everything they get to take home. There will be free Caribou Coffee for the adults each morning, and other things for you to take home too! And don’t forget to invite your neighbors to the free picnic lunch after each event.

All of this is coming to you from New Day United Methodist Church, a new church to the Big Lake area. However, United Methodism is not new; we are actually the third largest denomination across the United States. To learn more about us, check out our links on the left hand side of this blog. New Day has not started worship services yet – look for those in 6-12 months; till then, look for us to be listening, responding, and creating something new for you!

Future Plans:
If 15 or more families indicate they’d like more events like these, we’ll start pulling together possible follow-up sessions focusing on helping others, being brave, living forever, and more.

Watch for more ways to try us out throughout the year. We’re going to be calling it The Good Life Series, and basically, these are going to be short-term courses to help address other needs in your lives:
Good Cents (practical help on money matters)
Good Heavens (spirituality and faith basics)
Good Grief (disaster, death and dying concerns)
Good Sex (dating, relationships, and love for both singles and married couples)
Good Times (community building events for good Christian fun)
Good Neighbor (hands on projects of Christian service for everyone)
And more!

Obviously, we hope your kids will come away feeling happy, more thankful, knowing more about the power which Jesus gives, and wanting more. We hope you’ll come away with a positive family experience, a sense of comfort with us, and a curiosity about growing more in your spirituality. For registration forms or more information on anything, feel free to call Pastor Jim Beard at 763-300-9626, or contact us at anewmethod@izoom.net.

We look forward to the fun together with you and your family at Power Lab!

Stressful Times

2008-08-22T14:51:00.002-05:00

Something new has entered into the hearts of us these past four weeks – stress! After sharing this with my coach, he calmly replied, “Good! That is exactly what church planting should feel like at this point; if it didn’t, we might think you were doing something wrong!” Well, that’s good ...... I guess ......

At this point, we have not only had all of the issues with moving to contend with, but all of the issues of “going live” (so to speak) for the first time in the community. For those following our progress, you may recall our plans to help young families with some parenting support by offering a mini-VBS experience on developing thankfulness in children. It was originally to take place on August 23rd; rather than put “all our eggs in one basket” and limit families to one option, we decided to adjust the plan by going smaller, more local, and on more dates. We are now offering the same event in four of the neighborhood parks, one on each of the four Saturdays in September. Rather than hoping for 40 people all at once, we’re now preparing to serve 1-2 dozen children at a time, thus giving each family more personal attention and care.

The stress comes with making it all happen, of course! How will we decorate? What needs to be on the door hangers? Do we need insurance? Photo permission clauses? How do we keep the Caribou Coffee hot and fresh? Who has a parachute? Gosh, we probably need a United Methodist banner so we don’t look like some suspicious-looking cult; now how are we going to display that? Help, we need a trailer to move this stuff around; anybody have one? Anybody? Families are probably going to want to check us out by going to our website; but that isn’t ready yet. Can we throw a simple one together? Yes, but we have to decide on an official church name in order to take the first step (and the winner is: New Day United Methodist Church!). Still not enough time to put something in place. What can we do immediately instead? (By the way, tomorrow’s blog is dedicated to them and the details of these Power Lab events)

OK, you get the idea. And that’s just one of many areas demanding attention these days. What we took for granted in the past can not be counted on in the present. Even little things like electricity, or a pool of caring volunteers, are now luxuries. I guess we are the first ones who are learning God’s lessons on THE POWER OF THANKFULNESS. Everything is indeed a gift in our lives. Every person has something to offer which can bless us. Every action we take is aimed at blessing someone else with the Spirit of Christ, and even if we can only take half the actions we dream about, we can at least be thankful to be able to take the actions which we can.

The Bible reminds me to do this, if only I’d pay more attention to it: “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.” Matthew 6:30-34 The Message

So maybe I should stop stressing and start praising more. Thank you, almighty Lord, for whatever we have for this event, and all we can do right now to share your blessings with others; help us to be leaders of the thankfulness that is due to you!

It's Really Happening

2008-07-27T09:21:00.005-05:00

For over a year now, we have been thinking about, planning for, praying over, and preparing to move to Big Lake to launch this new ministry with the people of the area. All those words, however, (thinking, planning, praying, preparing) are not quite the same as it really happening. Now granted, they are vital, necessary, and active in themselves, but there is a distinct difference when things are really happening. For us right now, things are really happening!
Tomorrow morning, the moving van arrives with all of our stuff to move us into our new home in Big Lake! Tomorrow morning, what has been thought about, planned for, prayed over, and prepared to do will really be done ... we will be living in Big Lake. We are excited! We are thankful! We are tired! We are there (well almost)!

Starting a new church has some of those same dynamics – for over a year we have been actively thinking, planning, praying, and preparing (all vital and good); and this too will eventually give over to “it’s really happening!” We are not quite there yet either, but getting closer! Even the almost-but-not-quite steps of really-happening ministry are exciting right now.
For example, our first two community events have been taking shape over the last two weeks: a mini-VBS is scheduled for Saturday, August 23rd from 9-noon, and a Good Cents money management course will be tested out starting the following week. Actually purchasing over $750 in VBS supplies might have something to do with making it feel more real; actually recruiting Launch Team members and giving them specific jobs to accomplish to pull these events off might be another part of it; actually telling people “this is what we are doing” versus “here’s what we are strategizing, what do you think?” is another. I know, I know ... but when the real thing is only a month away, it feels more like it’s really happening than ever before! Cool!

The Older Testament prophet, Jeremiah, bought a piece of land from his uncle long before he actually occupied it. War, deportation, and strife would take place before it would really happen, but Jeremiah had believed and had faith in God who proclaimed, “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.” (Jer. 29:10-12 NIV)

I now know the feeling Jeremiah had seventy years later, the night before he walked onto the land which God had promised him. “Wow! It’s really happening! Faith in God pays off! Though I’m not surprised, I am so pleased.”

P.S. We’d love it if you’d leave us a house-warming blessing; just click on the word “comments” below and drop us a quick thought from your heart!

Who Am I by Casting Crowns

2008-07-16T21:04:00.003-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug-ru18IktU

Got this YouTube video clip from a friend and thought it was great! Can imagine doing something creative like this in the worship services at our new church. What do you think?

(By the way, can anyone tell me how to add this YouTube directly to this blog, instead of just the link? I have tried several things but this is the best I can do right now. Thanks!)

Bring the Holy to Their Doorsteps

2008-07-16T08:21:00.005-05:00

Thank you all for your prayers for a smooth closing on our current home last week ~ all indeed went rather smoothly (but it was a ton of work!!). For you pastor-types out there, here’s something you might copy (as we did).

Remember the great old Christmas classic It’s a Wonderful Life with Jimmy Stewart? Well, just as George Bailey did when the Martinez Family moved into their new home, we gave the buyers of our new home a one-minute blessing before they crossed the threshold for their final inspection. A loaf of bread was presented to represent the bread of life and prayers that they never go hungry, and a blooming plant was gifted to represent the happiness we prayed would take root and grow here for them over the years. The ritual was witnessed by the couple, the couples’ parents, their realtor, and a few of the new neighbors (who we intentionally invited over to welcome them to the neighborhood). I think my wife and their realtor were the most choked up by it all, but the family certainly seemed to appreciate it as well. Perhaps, by bringing simple spiritual rituals to the unchurched in every day affairs, we can spark an awareness of the holy which has been missing. Regardless of their reactions, we seek to bless them with unconditional prayers of blessing and support.

So, we are now homeless for two weeks. A closing date has finally been set on our new home and church-planting is literally working out of a box on the floor right now! Our old email address is no more; our new email address is not yet, and our current email address is ... let’s just say, inconvenient! The same can be said of almost everything else we have taken for granted over the years. Two days ago my soul was feeling strangled by the inefficiency of it all, frustrated by moving at the speed of tar on a July driveway. But angels came and fixed things up, including my impatient spirit.

Preaching each week at neighboring United Methodist churches has been richly relational; connecting with fellow church planting colleagues at our bi-monthly Great Challenge Leadership Academy was wonderfully strengthening; and organizing our first community event for the end of August has been solidifying (nothing like something practical to move one from the abstract to the concrete!).

Small steps continue to move us forward. The support of family, friends, and colleagues continue to strengthen us. The love of the Lord continues to compel us. We wish the same for you.

I'm not trying to get my way in the world's way. I'm trying to get your way, your Word's way. I'm staying on your trail; I'm putting one foot in front of the other. I'm not giving up. I call to you, God, because I'm sure of an answer. Psalm 17:4-6 MSG

So, What's New?

2008-07-03T10:52:00.004-05:00

We have been going through a busy couple of weeks recently. Church-planting has been focusing on two areas these days: 1) volunteering in the community, and 2) strategic planning.

Volunteering was intense over the weekend; SpudFest was Thursday thru Sunday. I think I put in approximately 37 hours on those four days alone: setting up, checking IDs, grilling hamburgers & hot dogs, hauling tables, cleaning up, and a lot more. I loved getting to know the people on the Board better, meeting their families, and being out there with the crowds of people. At first I was uncomfortable not knowing what to do or how to help out, but by the end, things were better. As I told the people at Cross Winds UMC (where I was preaching on Sunday morning), we in the church must be the ones to bear the burden of being uncomfortable; we do this by going out to the unchurched, instead of expecting the unchurched to come to us and consequently feeling uncomfortable in our space. It was a weekend of practicing what I preach! Here are some pictures with others from the Spud Fest Board.

Strategically, we have been working on just what is new in this “New Method for a New Day.” Two distinctive qualities for today’s busy families have surfaced:

The Good Life! – Courses, activities, and programs designed specifically for those not connected to a church community. These courses will offer practical instruction / support with a Christian edge. They will most likely be held off-site, and in public spaces whenever possible. Courses which may be offered include:
Good Sense (money and budgeting)
Good Sex (sexuality, dating, and relationships)
Good Grief (disaster, death & dying)
Good Night Moon (family dynamics & communications)
Good Job (career exploration)
Good for You (healthy lifestyles)
Good Heavens (basic spirituality)
Other Good Life! events:
Good Times (friends and family activities)
Good Neighbor (community support projects)

E-Life! – a personal, flexible, intentional program for the spiritual stuff of life. A guiding method will provide the framework upon which participants fill in the details their way; comes with 4 levels for upgrading one’s spiritual life, starting with discovering the spiritual side of real life issues, all the way up to “High Risk: High Reward” Christian living. It is especially designed for young adults and young families who want it all on their time.

In church lingo, the first is all about needs-based evangelism, while the second places a strong emphasis on methodical spiritual development for adults. Of course, we will strive to offer worship, children’s programs, youth ministries, and all the rest with excellence, but evangelism and adult faith formation will have a distinctively new and strong focus in this setting.
Stay tuned for more on these and other experiments with new methods for a new day. And feel free to add to the idea pool with your own ideas, reflections, and ruminations. What do you think church needs to do to be relevant for today’s 25-45 year olds?

What Does a Church Planter Do?

2008-06-19T14:51:00.002-05:00

It is now the 18th week of this church planting adventure, and the key activity continues to be ... NETWORKING! But I find that most people don’t initially grasp the magnitude of this activity. Relationships and trust are the foundation upon which this community of faith will grow. Relationships near and not-so-near must be patiently nurtured for things to happen in the future. Let me give you five concrete examples from my pastoral work this last week. Although they are five very different forms of networking, they each have the potential to be significant contacts down the road:

(1) Jacob – the general manager of the local Caribou Coffee. Fantastic young guy! Quite musical (went to college on a full ride music scholarship on trumpet). Embraces the values of excellence and hospitality which Caribou is about. Brainstormed the possibilities of doing several joint events together (Hey! Why not have the best coffee at all our fellowship gatherings or hold Bible Studies at their place?!)

(2) Kelly – Director of Children’s Ministries at Brooklyn UMC. Sharp as they come, and a young dynamo of organization! Showed me all of the magic they have prepared for Vacation Bible School next week. We threw around the idea of sharing the VBS props with the other UM churches along the corridor. (Hey! Why not let every church have more by working together?!)

(3) Jennifer – a 45-minute phone conversation with an unchurched mom of young kids in Big Lake. I called as part of my Spud Fest volunteer-sign-up duties. Ending up hearing all about their exciting out-West vacation plans for 17 days over the 4th; lead into church-talk and an open-ended invitation to call and talk more about church stuff in the future (Hey! In-roads into a family’s spiritual life sometimes begin with volunteering elsewhere and talking about other things!)

(4) Lyle – retired United Methodist pastor serving on the Metro West Builders Association. No one does graciousness or hospitality better. Invited me to join the Builders for lunch and before I even knew what was happening, the entire group and I are talking about land, buildings, ministry dreams, and financing for half an hour (Hey! It may be worth much more than a free lunch down the road!)

(5) Joanie – looking for a job as a Worship / Music Director in a church near Maple Grove. Vivacious, experienced, and genuine. Were able to connect thanks to the MAC Bulletin Board (email version). Now, I am no where near ready to hold formal job interviews, but a shared cup of coffee now allowed each of us to share visions, passions, and faith-views long before deadlines are coming due (Hey! If she is not the right fit, she may know another who is and now she knows all about us!)

What do church planters like me do in the early stages of getting a faith community going? We build relationships which may or may not amount to anything. We go and scatter the seeds of God’s grace along the pathways of life, hoping that some will grow to bear much fruit (Matthew 13:1-9). In a nutshell, we do a lot of networking.

Know anyone you think I should talk to?

Time for Wonder

2008-06-11T16:49:00.008-05:00

"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;

the whole earth is full of his glory."

Isaiah 6:3 NIV

Today just feels like good day to sit back and ponder the wonders of God's world. Here are some pictures I took while on a family vacation along the St. Croix River Valley a couple of years back. While camping at Taylor's Falls, we had time to explore God's creation in many ways ...

Hot air ballooning is such a peaceful way to get above it all, and take a bigger look at life from the perspective of angels ...

All of life flows with the life touch of the creator, sparkling and dancing even in the quietest of hillside streams...

Those who walk slowly, with eyes open to wonder, may discover beauty where others see only rocks ...

Sometimes it is only by being quiet and still can we drift to places where majesty lives ...

Even the rocks cry out what the Lord has done for us!

And do you know what the St. Croix River is named for? It is named for the rock formation shown here, a permanent reminder of the love of God through his Son, Jesus.

Take a moment to rediscover the holy for yourself this day. Where do you sense the wonder of God around you today? I'd love to hear what you find ...

Kingdom of What?

2008-06-02T21:57:00.005-05:00

I am curious ~ what visions for the world get you absolutely stoked? In this political election year, are there any issues that you just dream our next President will embrace and bring about? What kind of emotions do these potential realities stir in you? Do you believe that this kind of change is even possible in your lifetime?

At the beginning of one of the books of the Bible are the following words: “The time has come,” He said. “The Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” Mark 1:15 NIV

Now, the Gospel of Mark reads quickly and is full of action-based accounts, but even this passage moves a little too quickly for me. We are at the very beginning of Mark, and these are Jesus’ first recorded words. Granted, they are probably only the thesis statement of a much longer speech, however Mark writes it under the assumption perhaps that everyone understands what “the kingdom of God” means. The focus is NOT on the meaning of the phrase, but rather on the timing of it. NOW is the time! TODAY you must repent and believe!

I wonder if people today have a grasp of that phrase “the kingdom of God.” I think the common vision, common hope, common fear, common wonder and understanding of that kingdom has been lost to us modern American Christians. I think the beauty of it, the longing for it, and the anticipated relief of its coming is not a part of the daily life of today’s faithful, let alone today’s unfaithful. Without it, however, does the fact that Jesus proclaims its immanence (its closeness at hand) really matter!?

Because Change Happens

2008-05-21T11:28:00.006-05:00

Six months ago I was a regular pastor, in a regular United Methodist Church, with a regular mid-life routine. It kept me busy. I knew what I was doing. I was good at it (most of the time. anyway!). I listened to CDs on my 5-disk changer; I watched Tivo-ed shows at my leisure; I kept my calendar on my Palm; I emailed, voice messaged, and I felt modern. Not any more.

Now, I am anything but a regular pastor. As a new church planter now, I have no church building (though that is everybody's first question), no official members to care for, and a schedule that changes daily. I am still busy, but I'm less and less sure of what I am doing. I now listen to music on an iPod, watch episodes of favorite shows on-line or You Tube, keep my calendar, contacts, tasks, photos, and more on my iTouch, have just learned to communicate via facebook and blogging, and I although I feel even more modern, I hardly feel proficient at anything anymore. All of this in six months or less.

Change.
It happens.

How do you handle it? Do you resist it, fight it, deny it, stress over it? Do you try to embrace it, only to discover there are a thousand more questions you didn't know that you didn't know? Can you live with the risk of being the naïve learner, the dependent colleague, or the incompetent beginner again? Are you patient with yourself, and willing to forgive your mistakes? Until things are routine again, are you OK with who you are and where you are right now?

These questions are part of the reason I need God. I need God because change happens, and it is happening faster than ever. I know how God helps me through change, and I'd be happy to share that, but this blog is already too long, so let's just leave you with something to reflect upon: how does your spirituality help you with change? If it doesn't, how in the world are you coping?

Woohoo! Here we go!

2008-05-13T22:17:00.006-05:00

Do you remember what it feels like to stretch yourself out beyond your limits, beyond the places you've never dared or were able to go before?

I remember the story of one of our best friends taking her 10 year old son on a bike ride along a converted railroad line. Prior to this ride they always, and I mean always, stopped at the bridge, turned around and went back home. But this day was different. This day Peter was ready to cross the bridge to the pathways that stretched out to places beyond. Having his mom on the bike next to him made things safe and better. For our friend, crossing the bridge and riding the trail beyond was no big deal, an ordinary experience. Imagine her startled reaction upon pedaling across the bridge that day, when quite unexpectedly her son let out a wild "Woohoo!" and punched the air! He had just moved into an entirely new world and could not hold back his cheering!

I feel a lot like that right now. For most (all?) of you, you have been down this path of blogging before. You know your way around the sites and have seen this landscape a thousand times. But for me ... Woohoo! Here we go! This is something totally new for me. What do I say? What do I do next? Is this really something that people potentially around the world could see? What kind of communications will this open up for me? It is thrilling and yet intimidating. Thanks, Michelle, for being there next to me and accompanying me on this blogging ride! When is it time to turn around and head for home again? After posting this first entry, I will have stretched beyond my limits to new personal frontiers. My heart is pounding!

Spiritual journeys often feel the same way. Although I have been down those paths a thousand times, I must remember that another's spiritual ride often stops and always turns around at a certain point and heads home. How about you? Would you like to get your spiritual heart pounding again? Maybe it's time to cross the bridge. There's a lot more world ahead to experience. Maybe it's time to stretch out beyond your self imposed limits. I'd be happy to ride along beside you, if you'd like. And if you feel like letting out a "Woohoo!" of your own along the way, I will understand, for breaking through and discovering a whole new world of God is worth cheering!

So, let the cheering begin! Here we go............