Our Little Storyteller

How fun. I just came from Olde Sawmill Elementary having watched our daughter Rachel and her classmates recite stories they had memorized. The other fun thing is that three of Rachel's classmates come to Encounter Church with their families:-) It's a neat thing to be in ministry, school and neighborhood activities with so many people we love.

Rally for Life @ the Statehouse

At noon today hundreds of folks gathered in support of life at the Ohio Statehouse. It was humbling to hear the story of a lady who had an abortion over two decades ago and still lives with the sad memory of that decision. She said it was her choice and it was legal, but knows now it was the wrong choice. Over the loud speakers they patched in a phone call from Ruth Yorston, Executive Director of the Greater Columbus Right for Life. She was in Washington, DC with about 500,000 other Rally for Life demonstrators at the Capital. Ohio House of Representatives, Cheryl Grossman, was the keynote speaker. She did a great job communicating the importance of supporting life from conception to natural death.

39th Anniversary

This Sunday, January 22, marks the 39th anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade trial which opened the door for abortions to be legal here in the US. Since that date in 1973 there have been over 53,000,000 babies killed.
We often remember back in the last century of the Holocaust that saw the lives of millions of Jews killed right under the noses of the German people. How similar is that to what is happening in our own city, state and country? Here in Franklin County where I live, over 5,300 abortions were performed in 2010 - that’s over 14 per day, the second-highest total of any county in Ohio.
There is a video I was introduced to a few months ago that is very powerful and very heavy. It is not for the littles ones to see:
http://www.180movie.com/ is the website and name of the movie.
On Monday I'll be heading to downtown Columbus at noon to the Statehouse where a Rally for Life will be held. Come join me if you have the time.

Core Values Grow and Serve

Last Sunday I spoke on Encounter's core value Grow out of the book of Colossians.This coming Sunday, Jann. 22, I'll again be using the book of Colossians to speak from (1:24-29; 3:23, 24). This time about our core value Serve.

Encounter's core value: CELEBRATE

Last Sunday I spoke about Encounter's vision statement: "Seeking HIS Kingdom First", which is taken from Matthew 6:33, a powerful verse in the Bible.
The next four weeks will be used to remind the people of Encounter of our four core values: Celebrate, Grow, Serve and Multiply. We believe our vision is acomplished through our core values.
I'll be teaching them through the book of Colossians.