Helping each other

I appreciate the fact that our church does what it can to help each other out when one is faced with material needs weather that need is finances, food etc.

Is that not what being the church is about? It is more than just meeting together in a building on the street corner. We are to help, encourage and build each other up everyway we can.

With that said we are often put between a rock and a hard place when people who attend other churches come to us for help. My first thoughts are, "did you ask your church for help?" if so what was their response? and if they did not help you, you ought to seriously think about going to church elsewhere.

Feel free to share your thoughts along these lines. As we are faced with these type of decisions quite often.

Christmas Dinner

Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving....

Our Christmas dinner will be Sunday Dec. 9, 5:00pm at the Civic center. Bring your favorite dish to share and a $5.00 gift if you would like to be involved with our silly type gift exchange :)

Favorite Thanksgiving Story

The day before Thanksgiving an elderly man in Phoenix called his son in New York and said to him, "I hate to ruin your day, but I have to tell you that your mother and I are divorcing; 45 years of misery is enough. We’re sick of each other, and so you call your sister in Chicago and tell her."
Frantic, the son called his sister, who exploded on the phone. "Like heck they’re getting divorced," she shouted, "I’ll take care of this." She calledPhoenix immediately, and said to her father. "You are NOT getting divorced. Don’t do a single thing until I get there. I’m calling my brother back, and we’ll both be there tomorrow. Until then, don’t do a thing, DO YOU HEAR ME?"
The man hung up his phone and turned to his wife. "Okay, honey. The kids are coming for Thanksgiving and paying for their flights."

quote

"The Pessimist complains about the wind,

the Optimist expects it to change,

the Leader adjusts the sails. "

I like hanging around people like this

I went to a concert this past Saturday night where 'SOS' was playing. I asked one of the band members how his week went. His response, "Great week, I got rid of my TV, DVD, and games"

When I questioned him about it he said, "They are distractions from serving God and Helping the needy"

Concert Review

Our concert this past Saturday went well. I was a little disappointed in the number that showed up. There were about 60 in attendance compared to last year when we had about twice that. Not sure why when the fact is we did more advertising/promoting this year than last.

The bands did a good job
-"Surprise Attack" they were hard core and need to come up with a few more songs.
-"A Fight to Remember" a newer group with a 'Calibretta 13' sound
-'SOS' the popular local ska band, they get better every time I hear them
- "David' Victory" a hardcore band from Haines City. Their lead vocalist Guy is leaving them at the end of the year.

I was impressed by the appreciation each of the groups showed for the love offering we gave them (only $50.00 each). SOS even gave the offering back to the church.
Please pray for each of these groups that God will use them in building His kingdom

Birthday Party

My wife (Susan) will be 50yrs. old this Sunday, the 11th. We will be having a party after church in the civic center. Come over to share a meal and say Happy Birthday

5 more days

Just a few days left before our concert. We have been praying and getting things ready. Remember we would like to start around 6:30pm on saturday night. Bring your friends and come expecting a great time.

Remember each of the groups coming have their own 'my space'. So check them out.

some reasons for a school

Here are a few of the reasons I gave to our church Sunday for starting our own Christian School.

1) Many of the other schools in the area are expensive. It would be nice to offer a affordable alternative (prayerfully in the $200.00 per month range)

2) Many Christian schools take kids that have serious discipline problems, kids that have been kicked out of public schools and in some cases other Christian schools, just because they need the money.....We will not be a reform school, we believe in giving everyone a second chance and even a new start, but kids that come in because of previous discipline problems will be held on a short leash. The reason for that is because those kids become and cause distractions to the other kids who may be trying to learn something. We want to get the kids who want to learn or at least be motivated to learn.

3) Our history as a church started as a school. The fact being we were probably a school before we were a church. Meaning that whoever started church in this area probably came here first to start a school.

A new vision

there is that saying, "attempt something so great for God that if he does not do it, it will be a miserable failure"

Yesterday I presented to the church just such of a thing. I feel possibly the Lord leading us to begin laying the ground work to start a Christian day school next school year. It is going to take alot of work and prayer, but if it is Gods will He can make it happen.

I will post later on in the week on a few of the reasons I feel that this may be a good thing. In other words why I feel we ought to start a Christian school.

quote

"Frequently, when we reduce the time it takes to do something insignificant, we end up using the saved time on yet another insignificant activity." by

The Age of Speed: Learning to Thrive in a More-Faster-Now World by Vince Poscente.

Concert Details

We have worked out the details regarding our 2nd rock concert. It will be Saturday Nov. 3, around 6:30pm. We have 4 bands scheduled

Send Out Scuds (SOS)
David's Victory
A Fight to Remember
Surprise Attack

They all have my space sites....Check them out.
These are all hardcore rock groups and SOS is a ska band. Hardcore dancing will be allowed and expected :).....Come expecting to have a good time. (Party poopers will not be allowed in).
If you need more information you can email me at bkjohn777@aol.com put 'concert' in the subject line

O did I mention that this concert is FREE!!!!

A Prayer for Enemies

Bless my enemies, O Lord.Even I bless and do not curse them. Enemies have driven me more into your embrace than friends have.
Friends have bound me to earth; Enemies have loosed me from earth and have demolished all my aspirations in the world..

by Brian Mclaren

One of the highlights of our vacation was that we went to see the church location of the first church we pastored in the Cincinnati area (afton). We were thrilled to see not just a new building but also a new educational wing and also they were starting a daycare/preschool. And their attendance in the 70's. Please pray that God will continue to bless the Afton Wesleyan Church.

E mail

Some have wondered where the email to the blog is. Check the profile and you will find or look right here

bkjohn777@aol.com

prison ministry

Kairos prison ministry will be having their weekend retreat the weekend of September 22 in Polk County. Please pray for Bro. Emmett Harrington and others who will be ministering at that time.
Also a big thank you for everyone who brought in cookies to be used (eaten) that weekend

Beatitudes

We have been preaching/teaching on the beatitudes for the last number of weeks. I have been challenged by the fact that if our lives lined up to the beatitudes what would we have?.......

The kingdom of God

Vacation

We are leaving this week to go on vacation. A niece will be getting married this Saturday, in Indiana
My son, Aaron and his wife will be filling in for us this coming Sunday.
We would appreciate your prayers for our traveling

10 Things I Think...OK, 12

This is from church growth and evangelism department of the Wesleyan Church

10 Things I Think…OK, 12

1. The gospel informs the doctrine, not the doctrine the gospel.
2. If we don’t multiply as a denomination we will die.
3. If we can simply agree on where we are going, we’ll be able to figure out how to get there…together!
4. Loyalty does not mean we always agree, but it does mean we will do all we can to get along.
5. A genuine multiplication movement will never happen until it is driven by the local church.
6. Denominational structure must adjust to allow for a movement to be empowered, not endangered.
7. Freedom without responsibility is anarchy.
8. I don’t know everything, but this I do know: I don’t know everything.
9. Church planting and church planters can make denominational leadership uncomfortable, but I’m not sure “comfortable” is a Kingdom value.
10. God is God, we are not. We need to get used to it!
11. When it comes to church planting we just need to “get ‘er done!”
12. If you haven’t thought about planting a church…you ought to!

TV devotion

I was asked to do a 15 minute devotional for the "Good Samaritan Village' yesterday morning. they have their own TV channel which is watched by those who live there. I started with the beatitudes (what we are doing in our services on Sunday). it was a interesting experience, the only problem is trying to get what you want said in exactly 15 minutes. You cannot run short and you cannot go over. What I had planned took about 10 minutes so I had to adlib the next 5 which was kind of hard......Maybe if they have me back I can improve words with time. :)