Our Core Value: CELEBRATE

Last week I started a five week series titled, "Revolutionaries". It began with looking at why David was known as, "the man after God's own heart" and why we ought to also live with God's heart in mind. Today and the next three weeks we're reviewing our four core values: Celebrate, Grow, Serve, and Multiply.

This morning Rob Comfort hosted the service for the first time, Maggie Smith gave a testimony for the first time and Dalan Zartman, our Worship & Create Arts Coach, preached for the first time. Actually he and I co-taught. I started off with reading through parts of II Samuel 6 where David brings the Ark of God back to Israel with 30,000 soldiers praising God with all their might. Dalan then picked up from there, sharing personal examples from his own life and just how important it is to worship God with a right heart not simply with our outward actions. You can listen to the message by Clicking Here. I felt that he did a great job. You can count on hearing from him again in the future:-)

First LC of 2010

Today was the first Leadership Community of the new year and there was a lot to celebrate. Each ministry coach spoke of wins in 2009 and things to look forward to in 2010. It was the highest number of people at an LC so far with 33 in attendance. It is so good to have committed individuals willing to serve in so many ways. The meeting was in the schools library b/c there were basketball games going on in the gym. I thought it worked out very well.

New Year's Eve fun and the Buckeyes win the Rose Bowl

Talk about being out numbered by kids...when the Mielke's, Zartman's and Spoelstra's got together on New Year's Eve, there were 15 children ranging from 6 months to 14 years and just six of us adults. It was a fun night that ended with me making a traditional Dutch treat called "appelbeignets" (said: apple bun-yeahs)or apple floppen. Basically they are apples that have been pealed, cored, and sliced. Then dipped in a cinnamon batter and deep fried. They are best eaten hot with icing sugar.

Then two days later the Buckeyes were playing in the Rose Bowl. We headed over to the Taylor's and met up with a whole group of people that made the night really fun.

When the game was over Phil Hill, Kristin Taylor Luke Fields and I did the traditional O-H-I-O stance. Go Bucks!

Messages planned for 2010

Today was productive. With the help of my sweetheart and my buddy Kyle, the next year of messages has been planned. We'll be talking about our core values: Celebrate, Grow, Serve and Multiply. There will be a three week series in the month of love called, "Crazy Little Thing Called Love". Ten weeks will be spent teaching about our theological beliefs and will end with an opportunity for people to commit to Encounter for a year at a time. We will call it a Covenant Commitment. The details are on our website. We'll also spend some time in Nehemiah, Jonah, and James. In November we'll talk about our finances in a series titled, "Chasing the Almighty" and then finish off the year celebrating the "Advent" of our Savior.

A little winter weather fun at Leather Lips Park

Well we finally got some snow. Not much but enough to at least get the Spoelstra, Mielke and Kearney kids dressed, sans the moms and our twins, to go sledding. Here's the proof that we went.

The twins prayed for more snow tonight at bed time so they too might get the chance to go sledding with dad:-)