biking at sycamore

Big Sunday Morning Ride

Smaller Friday Evening Ride
Myself, Chad & Kyle Theule, Dave & Tyler Obrien

hiking at sycamore

great pic of some of the men hiking last weekend . . . click to see larger size

HT: Glenn Rider

7 marks of a man of God

At the Men's Getaway last weekend we identified 7 marks of a man of God in the Scriptures over three sessions. Clearly there are way more, but this is a great start. . . .

Session #1: A Man and His Personal Life (1 Timothy 6:11)

Mark 1: A man of God is known by what he flees.
Mark 2: A man of God is known by what he pursues.
Mark 3: A man of God is known by who he's becoming, not what he's accomplishing.

Session #2: A Man and His Family Life (Ephesians 5:25-6:4)

Mark 4: A man of God is known by his sacrificial love for his family.
Mark 5: A man of God is known by his engaged leadership of his family.

Session #3: A Man and His Work Life (Colossians 3:22-4:1)

Mark 6: A man of God is known by how he works.
Mark 7: A man of God is known by for whom he works.

I loved this time with the men of our church, sweating and pushing ourselves up the mountains and in the sea; studying God's Word together. I loved the casual, low key atmosphere. I loved it that men had to step up and work together to figure out the food thing. Most men just ate standing up with no utensils the whole weekend. The wives would have been shocked at our savagery. I loved seeing the men get out and enjoy themselves in God's creation. I loved surfing my 6'6'' again. I loved going on a night MTB ride with 13 year old Tyler O'brien and Mark Ernstrom. I loved teaching around the campfire in flipflops. I loved being able to challenge our men.

I've got a few pics to upload if I can find my camera.
My speaking notes are available for any who might benefit from them. If you'd like me to send them to you, email me.

Some of you who went, share your experience to encourage others for next time. . .

2 spots open

I understand a couple of guys have had to back out of the Men's Getaway coming up this weekend. If you're interested, contact Pastor Ken.

I'm looking forward to the time. . .

4 spots left

Only four spots left for the Men's Retreat. . . email Pastor Ken to reserve your spot.

Vandalized!

On Friday night, while some were praying for our ministry, others were trashing it. Someone, probably a group of little hoodlums broke into and vandalized the Worship Center. So far, it doesn't look like anything was stolen, but six or so pews were broken off their floor mounts and turned over. There was also a "666" and a circled pentagram scrawled on a white board. I give thanks to the Lord . . . it could have been so much worse.

Many thanks to our facilities guys for their amazing handling of this incident. Craig Hughes spent most of the day on Saturday reassembling and reinstalling the broken pews in time for services on Sunday. James Borland handled all the incident reporting and public relations. I want to make sure their service to the Lord and His people does not go unrecognized and unappreciated. Please make it a point to thank both these guys when you see them around campus.

Here are a couple of pictures. . . .



And here are the media stories. . .

Tribune

KSBY (Video link to the left of the printed story. Wouldn't work on my Mac, but give it a try.)

taking suggestions

In May, we explored the stories of 4 Women of Grace. . . Leah, Hannah, Abigail, and Rebekah. I've been encouraged by my own study and by the response of the people to the series. Any take-away thoughts on your end? Which woman's story did you connect with best?

Beginning this Sunday, and going through June, we'll look at 4 Men of Grace. Not surprisingly I've got way more than 4 men in mind, just as I had many more than 4 women. I'm having a hard time choosing, so I'm inviting suggestions. Are there any slightly more obscure men that you like to see me tackle?

Any bets on who who we'll look at this week?