Monday, July 28, 2008

What fun!!

Well, fair week is over. Man was that fun or what? Wednesday night and Friday night were the nights we had signed up to run the booth. We had a blast talking to people those two nights. We witnessed to several people through out the week, and I had two, really good, hour plus long conversations with people about church, Christ, salvation, and religion in general. During Sunday morning adult class, we de-briefed about how the week went and shared stories about our conversations. That was neat to hear all the conversations that took place, we even got some of the fair conversations on tape, which will be put into a montage with music within the next few weeks. (gonna put the mac to the test.)

We had a ton of gospel tracks to hand out and they went fast. We had million dollar bills, books with the title "Everything men know about women" (which is nothing, the book was blank, filled with white pages and a gospel message on the back.) Frisbees, brochures from the church, information about the carnival in Sept......... It was just a really neat thing.

During our S.S. de-brief, one gentleman said what he thought was neat, was that you could go anywhere on the fair grounds and see one of our tracks somewhere. He said even in one of the 4-H pig stalls, there was a big million dollar bill hanging right above the stall. How cool!!

Anyway, I am looking forward to the Sept. back to school carnival that we always have at the church. We expect about 600-800 people to visit that day and that will give us another opportunity to share the love and message of Jesus Christ with our community. Come join us! Sept 6th

Make sure you share the love and message of Jesus Christ with someone today!!

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

A Night at the Fair

Well, tonight we spent about 4 1/2 hours at the fair, being available for God to use how He saw fit. My wife and I prayed before we went in, asking God to give us strength and opportunities to share about him. We had a good night, talking to people, planting seeds, listening to people and making friends. Our booth is modest and not flashy, but it seemed to come to life after dark. During the day it's a white tent with two tables. After the sun goes down, our patio string lights light up the tent, the music we are playing seems to get a little louder, and the evening becomes a little more personable. I enjoyed tonight, even though I was a little out of my comfort zone at first, the more I talked to people, the easier it was to talk to them about Christ.

We are going back on Friday night (usually one of the busiest nights), and I am looking forward to spending time there again. There are many seeds to plant, so that is what we will do.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Calling All Fisherman

This week, Union Chapel Church will have a booth at the Allen County 4-H fair grounds. We will be handing out information to those who walk by, and some of us will be sharing our faith and spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. We are excited about this opportunity to be light in a dark world, and are looking forward to meeting and talking with people from all over Allen county and the state. If you are not signed up to come out and help at the booth this week, we ask that you would devote yourself to praying for this time of evangelism. Pray that those who are serving, will be strengthened by God's power and be given the spirit of boldness that can come only from Christ. We will look forward to sharing our stories of those that God placed before us with you soon.

God Bless,

Chris

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

A Dead Vine



Yesterday, I went out and trimmed up the grape vine in the backyard. I think I have blogged about this before, but it pruning the vine always reminds me of John 15:1-3.

As I pruned the vines that had no fruit, I watched myself as I had no mercy for the vine that bore nothing. I lopped it off without a second thought, set it aside to dry so it could be burned in the fire later. My concern was for the vines that had clusters of grapes on them, getting the extra nutrients to them instead of growing pretty green vines that did nothing for my grape jelly.

I thought about God and how quickly He must cut off those dead or non producing vines. Does He think about it or does He do it with only the healthy ones in mind? I'm not sure, I would think that His concern would be for the vines that are producing fruit.

As Christians, we are called to bear witness of Jesus Christ to the world, thereby making disciples of all nations (fruit). If we are not doing such things, we risk being cut off and thrown into the fire.

What are you today?

Sunday, July 06, 2008

What A Joy


Have you ever had one of those days that you were reminded just how blessed you are?

Today was one of those days. The day started off with the opportunity to go to another church and worship. It was nice to go and not be responsible for anything but my family and my connection with God. The service was good and I enjoyed my time there. The afternoon was filled with getting last minute things ready for a Ward family reunion here at our house. As everyone started to show up and fill the house and backyard, I found myself standing at the grill cooking. I listened as brothers gathered in a circle, talking and catching up with each other. I heard the sound of laughter from the kids playing in the pool and moonwalk. People enjoying themselves in the house and yard that God blessed me with, that I so often take for granted. I silently thanked him for giving me such a big home and a wide open yard for games and running and playing. It was truly a gift to be able to host our family get-together today.

What has God blessed you with today? What is it that you take for granted that is truly a blessing from God?

Take time to thank Him, and tell Him how much you love Him.

Thursday, July 03, 2008

Independence Day


Happy Independence Day to all. I had the chance today, to listen to a talk show while I made some deliveries for work. They were talking about the history of the Declaration of Independence and what it meant. I have to admit that I didn't remember exactly all that it said, so tonight I sat down and read it line for line. I found it to be very inspiring that a group of people that had been oppressed, ignored, and pushed down, found it within themselves to stand for what they believed to be right and in their best interest. They rallied together and drew up the Declaration of Independence thereby separating themselves from the world super power Great Britain.

I think about where we are as a nation, and how we seem to loose sight of where we came from and what this country stands for. Although at times we feel oppressed (allbeit in small ways compared to the start of this great nation) but when you look at what is happening, we are slowly loosing our civil liberties, and we are being forced to pay outrageous prices for fuel. Obviously these are just few, but I did not intend this to be a rant. Rather, I intended to encourage us in this, That we are the United States of America. We are a free nation founded by men that feared God and knew how to stand up for what they thought to be right. I believe that this is still part of the American DNA. I have faith that this great nation will continue to be a free nation, a nation that sometimes strays from it's roots, but will ultimately come back to what it was meant to be. I believe that this can happen when the free people of this nation continue to stand up for what is right, true and just; and continue to be a God fearing nation

I would encourage you to read the Declaration of Independence, if for nothing else, to remind you of how we came to be, and from where we get our great resolve and tenacity.

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Rest at last

Well, it has been a long five weeks. I have been taking my Old Testament Survey class, and it has been interesting. I have thoroughly enjoyed this class, because it has given me a better understanding of the O.T. and God's plan for humanity. I have never really spent much time in the O.T. just due to the cultural differences. It has always been hard to understand the practices of the culture and symbolism, but now I have gained an appreciation for what the O.T. can teach us. I usually spend most of my time in the New Testament, but I feel now I will have a better understanding of it and what it means for humanity and our relationship with God.

I am now enjoying a week off of school and other responsibilities just being a dad and husband. God has blessed me with a great and supportive family, and it is good to be able to enjoy them during this break. Maybe I will finally be able to figure out how to beat my 5 year old in baseball on the Wii.