Back Home

We enjoyed our vacation. But it's good to be back home.

Have a great weekend everybody!

Heading Home

Vacation time always passes too quickly. We enjoyed our stay in Mackinaw. there's just something about this place that makes me feel relaxed. Mrs. Soren and I awakened early today and strolled into town for coffee and donuts. Were heading back downstate today, but I still have another week to goof off!

At Days End

We had a great time on Mackinac Island. It was a picture perfect day. We rented mountain bikes and cruised around the island for a couple of hours. Got some lunch and enjoyed the goings on. Later, we returned to Mackinaw City and went to Thunder Falls Water Park. Yep, I went down both of the big slides (pictured here).

Later I went for a run along the shore of Lake Huron, then we enjoyed another nice evening checking out Mackinaw City.

Mackinac

We made it to Mackinac (sometimes spelled Mackinaw, which is how it's pronounced) yesterday afternoon. We walked around Mackinac City, hitting one of our favorite pizza joints for supper. Later, we watched the laser light show (the kids were bored -- what's with kids these days? More and more I find myself saying, "Why when I was your age....blah blah blah" like the Grumpy Old Man from SNL -- "We didn't have fancy schmancy laser shows, we lit matches and waved 'em around, burning our fingers. But we liked it, we liked it just fine.").

We're getting ready to ferry over to the Island. It's a perfect Northern Michigan day.

Vacation!

We're leaving for vacation today. Heading "up north" to Mackinac Island. Tracy and I have been there, but the kids have never been. Later, we'll spend some time with relatives. Next week, we're going to Clinton, Iowa to spend to 4th with family. Will blog if I have internet access.

Have a Great Weekend Everybody!

Cedar Creek Softball

Both of our church softball teams won last night. Inspired by Sammy's 600th homer, I went 4 for 4 (steroid free!), scoring twice. Cedar Creek 19, Hicksville 13.

Pirates 3

Luke and I went to see Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End last night. Ugh. It was way too long with a confusing plotline and excessive violence. He got bored. But after springing nearly $25 for tickets and popcorn & drinks -- we stayed 'til the end.

Sammy Sosa Blasts #600

Despite the fact that he is no longer a Chicago Cubs player, and I know about the allegations about "juice" -- I can't help it, I still like Sammy. Last night he joined the 600 club.

iPod Woes

My iPod has been acting weird lately. I had to "restore" it a couple of times; it freezes up occasionally; and finally it stopped working altogether (it wouldn't complete the "restore" cycle). I called Tech Support and the guy walked me through several attempts to fix it. Finally he told me that I need to send it in to be repaired or replaced. I've only had it for six months, but I'm glad that I bought the Apple Care Plan.

Camp Update

Camp is going great. I'm spending some fun time with my son Luke, and I am getting to know some other kids. We have a good faculty, and the responsibilities are spread out so nobody is overwhelmed (for example, I only teach one class per day). We have some free time too. Weather is perfect.

Church Camp

I will leave Sunday to go to Lake James Christian Assembly. There will be several dozen 6th & 7th graders. I’m serving as a teacher and a “dorm dad.” One of the reasons why I love Christian Service Camp is that it had a tremendous influence upon me when I was young. Life-changing decisions are made at Church Camp. It was there that I became convinced of my need to accept Jesus as Savior. It was there that I decided to give my life to the preaching of the Gospel. It was there that I met other Christian young people, developing friendships that continue to this day.

Please pray for us this week.

LeBron!

Even though I was dead tired, I couldn't stop watching the Pistons-Cavs game last night. That game was awesome! A double-overtime nail biter. Even though I'm a Detroit fan (well, not really a fan, but if I follow any team, it's the Pistons). LeBron James played out of his mind -- draining three's and jamming over people. 48 points, including 29 out of the Cavs last 30!

One of the guys on ESPN radio said it was like the Michael J. Fox character in Teen Wolf (sadly, I knew exactly what he was talking about -- Fox turns into a werewolf and his teammates stand around watching him dominate on the court). Another guy said it was like the dream sequence in Fletch (one of my all-time faves) where Fletch played for the Lakers ("6'-5", 6'-9" with the afro") and dunked over everybody. Scary thing is that this guy is still developing. He would be a college senior.

Spiderman 3

Went to see Spiderman 3 with my son on Tuesday night. Very cool.

We Will, We Will MOCK YOU

This made me smile.

Memorial Weekend

I remember. Freedom is never free.

Reflections on the Ministry

Today marks 20 years since I was “set apart” or formally “ordained into the ministry” by my home church in Three Oaks, Michigan. I’ve been doing a lot of reminiscing about the things that God has allowed me to do for Him over the past two decades. I don’t deserve to be saved, let alone serve as one of God’s messengers. Yet, because of His grace, the Lord grants me the wonderful privilege of proclaiming the Good News.

In 1987 I never could have imagined that I would have the privilege of serving a wonderful church in Virginia for 12 years, winning many to the Lord, developing deep friendships, and ordaining several young men into the ministry. Nor did I have any idea that I would come to Fort Wayne, Indiana to serve with another great church. God has blessed me with the privilege of preaching in many places, (Revivals, Campmeetings, etc.), meeting some great saints along the way. Thank you Jesus!

I’m just as “fired up” today as I was 20 years ago. Like the prophet Jeremiah, I can say, “His word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot!” With the apostle Paul, I say, “I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!”

Idol Thoughts

I have liked Blake from the beginning. But I think Jordin is a lock to win it all. We'll all know tonight.

That's It?

THAT was the twist ending? THAT is how the writers are starting off the reinvented, re-imagined 24!?! You've got to be kidding me. People, they're grasping at straws! They were so ready for this lost season to end that they tried everything they could to get you to watch. Even the small promo for season seven promised it would be the best season ever... Uh huh. If they just replayed season one next year, I would agree with that claim.

Class of 2007

On Saturday I had the honor of being the Commencement Speaker at my alma mater, 20 years after my own graduation. Back then I never could have imagined it. In fact, my good friend Mark Christian (now the Academic Dean), whom I have known since the fourth grade, said to me right before the ceremony, "How scary is it that you and I are doing this?" Just another reminder of two truths:


1. There is a God.


2. He is full of grace.

reIGNITED

Last year I met a guy at the North American Christian Convention. His name is Jim Tune. Jim and I had already met in cyberspace via an online discussion group called Christian Church Today. Brother Tune serves as Executive Director of Impact Canada, an organization devoted to planting New Testament churches in Canada. Despite the fact that my knowledge of all things Canadian is pretty much limited to the old Bob & Doug McKenzie show and Red Green, Jim and I developed a friendship, and he invited me to write a column for a new quarterly magazine called reIGNITED. He wants me to emphasize Restoration Movement principles, Light from the Old Paths. Beauty, eh?

The inaugural issue was just published. You can get a sneak peek here or click here to subscribe.

Jerry Falwell

By now you've heard about Jerry Falwell's passing. I rarely watch the drive-by media (6:30pm networks news), but I happened to be watching on Tuesday night (mainly because I was trying to get the severe weather updates for our area). Each network led the broadcast with the news of Dr. Falwell's death. Predictably, they focused on the "controversies" and "ultra-conservatism" while all but ignoring the other things he did.

I didn't know Dr. Falwell, and anyone who knows me will recognize that we had some doctrinal differences, but I appreciated his stand for decency, morality, and the Lord. In the age of televangelist scandals, Jerry stayed squeaky clean. Ann Coulter has a nice tribute here and my friend David Willis weighs in here.

Old Dudes

I was watching ESPN this morning, and they were talking about the return of Roger Clemens. The guy is three years older than I am! Randy Johnson and Jamie Moyer are also active pitchers heading toward their mid-40's. Wow. It seems like Jamie Moyer has been playing for as long as I can remember (a little trivia: Jamie is Digger Phelps' son-in-law).

I enjoyed this recent Letterman Top 10 List:

Top Ten Signs A Baseball Player Is Too Old
10. Gets winded putting on his socks

9. Hard slide into second triggers Life-Alert pendant

8. While playing outfield, yells at teamates to get off his lawn

7. When buying performance-enhancing drugs, gets the AARP discount

6. Claims he killed President McKinley with a line drive

5. Often begins sentences, "As Shoeless Joe Jackson once told me . . ."

4. He's almost as old as the hot dogs — seriously, have you ever eaten one of those things?

3. Lost part of his career fighting in World War I

2. During interviews, he thanks the Lord and the makers of super Poligrip

1. When he's in the on-deck circle, asks bat boy, "What did I come in here for?"

Shaking 'Em Out

Here's a preacher problem to ponder. Many of us like to greet people after the worship service (shaking hands, exchanging pleasantries, etc.). This is known as “shaking ‘em out.” One cynic said that the reason why we all rush to the door to do this is that we are all egomaniacs who can't wait for people to tell us how wonderful we are. Most folks are generous with their lies, er, um, I mean compliments (one of my friends told me that he always knows when the sermon tanked: the sweet elderly women say, "You look nice today."). Although I have had my share of uncharitable remarks (e.g. "you offended my mother", "where are the flags?", "my kid's name wasn't in the bulletin", "I think you are arrogant", "the music was too loud", etc.). Also, there is the occasional person who wants to tell his/her entire life story at the door (while others are waiting to get out).

As the church grows, it becomes increasingly difficult to know, touch, and minister to everyone. Several years ago, while at a conference, I heard a speaker discourage preachers from shaking people's hands at the door. The reason? There will come a point when the church will become too large for that practice to be practical. So if you stop doing it, some people will think, "He doesn't like us anymore."

But I think I’m going to keep it up.

Cubs Win!

The game yesterday was a lot of fun. Zambrano got rocked in the first inning, but the he settled down. Cubs won 6-4. A great father son memory.

Wrigley Bound

My son Luke and I are heading to Chicago tomorrow (for his class field trip). We're stopping at the Museum of Science and Industry and then going to see the Cubs play the Nationals. And Zambrano is pitching! Go Cubbies!

National Day of Prayer

Just returned from the National Day of Prayer service in downtown Fort Wayne. It was a great service. And I got to be on live TV. I know the reporter who was covering the event. When he saw me, he asked, "Hey, can you give a two-minute interview when we go live at Noon?" I said "sure." I don’t know if he liked it when I said, "I want to give a shout out to my peeps at Cedar Creek. Woo Hoo!!"

Just kidding.

A Nosefrida Nasal Aspirator by Any Other Name

This is a real product. A Nosefrida Nasal Aspirator is a Snot-Sucker. I'm not making this up.

I love what Mark Oestreicher said about it:

really, this product is listed as a “cool tool”. and, really, it’s a snot sucker. that’s right. really.
...this is copied straight outa the description:
You put the mouthpiece in your mouth, press the open end of the snot-collection chamber against your kid’s nostril (it doesn’t go very far inside the nose), and SUCK.
later in the description…
It sounds disgusting and bizarre…
ya think? those are the five most honest words in the whole thing.
yes, i have two kids. and, yes, they were snotty from time to time. and we had a little turkey-baster-like snot syringe. but a snot sucker? really?

Heller Highwater

A lot happened on 24 last night. SecDef Heller is back? Huh? I thought he pulled a Toonces the Driving Cat move and died last season? Next thing you know, Nina will come back to life. It's hard to keep up with The Bauer.

My Weekend

On Friday I will drive to my alma mater (Great Lakes Christian College) for a Trustees' Meeting. Then back to The Creek for a Teacher Appreciation Banquet. Saturday brings a birthday party for my son Luke (he will turn 12 next week).

Preaching from Ephesians 4 on Sunday. I'm tempted to go all Ray Bennett.

Have a great weekend everybody!

Praise Bands

I like Praise Bands, but this made me chuckle.

Wipe Out Global Warming

Cheryl Crow says that we should limit our toilet paper use (I am not making this up, check it out here). "We can make it work with only one square per restroom visit, except, of course, on those pesky occasions where 2 to 3 could be required"...

Um, yeah. And don't worry about the pesky stains either, they will be a badge of earth saving honor.

Shut up and sing.

Buh-Bye!

I'm sorry, what? What part didn't you understand? The buh or the bye?

Buh-bye!

Virginia Tech Tragedy

My heart is aching over the news of this morning's shootings at Virginia Tech.

I can't imagine the sheer terror that those students faced. My prayers go out to the families of the victims.

A Foxworthy Moment

A week or so ago, I decided that I should get my lawn tractor serviced before mowing season started. I thought I could probably borrow a trailer from a friend. Then I thought, "By the time I call him and get things hooked up, loaded, etc., I could drive the mower there myself" (the dealer is only a mile from my house). It seemed like a good idea, until I got about halfway through town and saw my reflection in the window of the pizza place --tooling down main street on my mower, wearing blue jeans and a faded, ragged out, cut-off Christ's Church of the Peninsula t-shirt (yes, Dave I still have it). I thought, "I must look like a total redneck", hoping that some church member didn't drive by and see me. I had called my youth minister to meet me there and give me a ride home. When he saw me, the look on his face said it all. "If you ride your lawn mower down main street, you might be a redneck."

Have a great weekend everybody!

Feeling Creative

Some of you read my rant about church names. I appreciated your comments (both on and offline). It got me thinking, what are some cool names that I could re-name the church I serve?

• Cedarville Bible Fellowship in Christian Union


• Mars Bar Christian Assembly of God


• Whatsthepointe Chapel


• Pragmatists R Us


• Leo 2/38 Community of Faith


• Church Up a Creeke

Sarcasm is just another free service we offer :-)

Resurrection Sunday

Easter rocked! The Cedar Creek folks gave themselves permission to really worship. The service was great and the spirit was vibrant. One of our ladies gave a testimony about her cancer treatments (the final one was on Good Friday) and how the church family has ministered to her and her husband. People didn't want the church service to end. Glory to God!

Church Planting

I recently perused the newsletter from a Restoration Movement church planting organization. The newest church plant is something called Grace Community Christian Fellowship. The nebulous name isn't a new thing. They seem to be planting EVERYTHING BUT Churches of Christ. No, I don't believe that the sign must say "Church of Christ" in order to be a true New Testament church. But are they ashamed of their heritage? It ticks me off. Little gray-haired old ladies thinking that they are sending support to churches that are just like the ones they have come to know and love. Ten bucks says that these guys are padded. It seems that these fellas want to have nothing to do with "us" except when it comes to providing the funds for their new venture. "Senior Pastor" this and "Associate Pastor" that. That's the language of Ashdod. They go out of their way to steer clear of anything that smacks of Restoration Movement. Fine. Let 'em get some Grace Community church to provide the funds.

Opening Day

Today my beloved Cubs begin the 99th year of their rebuilding program. Maybe this will be "The Year." Hey... it could happen.

Funny Dubya

President Bush was hilarious at the recent Radio/TV Correspondents Dinner

Rainy Tuesday

I'm blogging from Modoc's Market in downtown Wabash, Indiana (I'm here preaching in a Revival Meeting with the Church of Christ at Wabash). This place has an interesting history. The Market's location was once Bradley Brothers Drugstore and in 1942 a circus came to town. At some point an elephant escaped and made a beeline for downtown and the drugstore specifically. The elephant seemed to know what he was after because his destination was the store's peanut roaster. Modoc, the elephant, became an instant legend. The current market capitalizes on that legend with lots of pacaderm paraphernalia. The store has a espresso bar, a small grocery store, and offers free WiFi.



Yesterday I took a trip to nearby Peru, Indiana to visit Summit Theological Seminary. George Faull, one of my mentors in the faith, greeted me and gave me the grand tour of the place. Over the past 20 years, I have probably learned more about the Bible from this man than from anyone else. Thanks George for taking the time to teach and encourage me.

Revival Time

Tonight I'm headed to the Harlan Church of Christ to hear Evangelist Ed Bousman preach. Brother Bousman is a legend among the conservative churches of our Movement. 88 years old and still preaching! (Ed is the one on the left -- standing with Bob Stacy and Lloyd Pelfrey).

Tomorrow morning I'll leave for the Wabash Church of Christ in Wabash, Indiana. I will be preaching there through Wednesday night. I appreciate your prayers.

A Visit with the Church Doctor

This morning I joined about 18 other ministers for a visit with the Church Doctor. I first became familiar with Dr. Kent Hunter a number of years ago through John Maxwell's ministry. The session was very informal. It was called a "Roundtable Discussion" in which we could ask any question that was on or minds. There were several good questions asked about staffing, breaking through growth barriers, worship styles, and postmodernism.

The man knows his stuff (and does anybody agree with me that he looks a lot like a younger Ken Howard -- aka The White Shadow)?

Sweet Six?

Only six of my NCAA tournament teams remain. Good thing I'm not a betting man, eh? The good news is that three of my Final Four picks are still alive (Florida, Kansas, and Ohio State).

Probably will watch a lot of hoops this weekend (Tracy and the kids will be out-of-town). Then I will head to Wabash, Indiana on Sunday morning to preach in a Revival Meeting there.

Saturday

My NCAA bracket continues to get pummeled, so perhaps it's a good thing that I'll be distracted a bit on Saturday. The day begins with teaching at the 6:30am Men's Breakfast at Cedar Creek. Then I will head north to the Stroh Church of Christ. I will be speaking at its Men's Retreat (along with Gerald Moreland).

Brackets Busted

Why did I pick Texas Tech to make it to the Elite Eight? What was I thinking? It must have something to do with living in Indiana. Somehow it makes you think that Bobby Knight will always win. We're having a March Madness contest among the staff here. CBSsportsline makes it easy. Probably the person who will win is the one guy on our staff who knows nothing about sports.

March Madness

I've got my brackets filled out. Final Four of Florida, Kansas, Texas, and Ohio State, with Ohio State over Florida in the Championship Game.

How 'bout you?

24 -- Hour Two

I'm fired up about preaching this week.

It's week two of the 24 series: Witness -- Living My Faith

By the way, it’s not true that we’re going to pass out WWJD bracelets – What Would Jack Do? This is all about Jesus.

Christ’s
Tactical
Unit

That’s the church!

I love what Paul Coughlin writes in his book No More Christian Nice Guy, which has as its premise that being a Christian man doesn’t mean that you have to become a spineless, effeminate wimp: “The Gospel includes dirty feet, stinky hair, fish guts, bugs between its teeth, dirt under its nails – its entrenched in life’s day-to-day. Smell the adrenaline, feel your heart pound, taste the locust that lingers on your lips. God is on the loose. Hunting us down. Warring to liberate us from anything and everything that seeks to diminish who he made us to be.”