Christmas Day

Today has been a great Christmas!! This month at Eden Church the messages have been all about having the best Christmas ever. Well, today certainly makes the list of best Christmases. Christina and I left her house at 8 a.m. this morning and arrived at my home at 9:30. We opened gifts at around 10:30. It seems as though we had fewer packages this year, but in reality, I think that we had more gifts but they were in smaller boxes. Some great gifts:

• My brother Aaron received: toilet cleaner (he is a bachelor who lives like one), gift cards, a fire exting., and a few other things.
• Dad got a a few DVDs and I gave him a gift card to Borders because I forgot the books he wanted.
• Mom got a new angel for the top of the tree from Christina and I; a biography on Condelizza Rice from me; A candle from Christina; a DVD from dad; a calendar from Aaron; and some other stuff.
• Christina received: A computer game from me; a book from me; some clothes from Mom; a stereo from Dad; I got her several other nice things. This year we started our Christmas Village. Mom got Christina and I several new accessories for our village.
• Here's the run down of what I got: From Chrissy-- The Purpose of Christmas by Rick Warren, The Complete Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, a blanket she crocheted for me ( I LOVE IT!), a DVD, and a bunch of other things; from Mom-- a Hallmark ornament, a few books, some clothes, including a new dress shirt which I desperately needed, and a few other things one would expect from their mother. Dad got me a gift card to JC Penney's and Aaron got me a gift card to Olive Garden and a new wireless Internet router. Yea! Now I can surf from the comfort of by couch or bed. Gee... Could I get any more lazy?!

We had a great home-made meal today at 2 PM. Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, dinner rolls, home-made 12 grain bread, corn-cornbread casserole, and a green bean casserole. An older couple who are very dear family friends (the lady was my baby sitter and is like another grandmother) came down and gave us a wonderful home made red velvet cake. Awesome.

As I write this, surrounded by the lights and loved ones watching Christmas movies, I can not help but feel very blessed. At the same time, keep thinking about others. My mind keeps going back to the first family we took a food basket to a few weeks ago. My heart just keeps breaking for them. I had no idea that they would be gone the next day. The youngest girl of those three (who couldn't be more than 4 yrs old) told us, "Thanks for all the presents!" The oldest, who was probably 8 said, "Look, mom! There's more!"

I'm not rich. If I didn't still live at home, I'd be way below the poverty level. But, I am so blessed. God has given me so much. I am so very grateful for His Son Jesus, my Forgiver and Leader. That is the greatest gift of all. But on a more earthly level, I am so blessed. These people who go without. I don't mean going without getting the latest I POD or going without a new PlayStation 3 or what ever. There are people going with out food and shelter and love and peace, and people who are going to hell without Christ Jesus. We are called to be the Church, the body of Christ, but how often are we reaching out to others with the Love of God?

I am really praying that God will richly bless that family. I want to see them accept Christ and get back on their feet.

Merry Christmas to All!

Christmas Caroling

Last night, Eden UB Church went Christmas Caroling. This was our either our third or fourth year going. Well, this year was by far the best!

This fall, when we had our Fall Festival, we took all donations from that, plus other gifts from people in the church, and decided to give away food baskets. In the last two months, we've had people bring other things to church with them. In addition to food, we collected soap, shampoo, paper towels, toilet paper, toothpaste and toothbrushes, deodorant, detergent, and other stuff. We also supplemented each food basket (which is designed for Christmas dinner complete with a frozen pie, bag of potatoes, and a ham) with fresh fruit. But we didn't stop with just the 9 food baskets. We also made up about 10 fruit baskets to give to everyone who was nominated for a food basket.

Ten of us showed up for caroling, and IT WAS A BLAST! We were out for nearly two hours but it zoomed by fast. In addition to the baskets, each home got a Christmas Gospel of John and an invitation card to Eden. But we didn't go out looking for people to come to church. We went out to BE THE CHURCH. I got to pray with almost every family. We just wanted to show people the love of God. That is what Christmas is all about: Jesus came to earth and became flesh and dwelt among us. He left heaven for us! So last night, we left the warm confines of our building to go and share the light and love of Jesus Christ with those who are in so much physical and Spiritual need.

The first family was really poor and, as I understand it, about to be evicted from their rental, about 1/4 mile from Eden. The mother was already in tears when we crossed the street singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." That family consists of parents, three little girls under 10, and occasionally the grandparents. All living in a 4-5 room house.

Another stop was to a family where the grandmother's trailer had burned so she was living with her daughter and grand kids. There were 4 boys there. They were really surprised.

A fruit basket went to a family of 4 brothers, middle aged, who have severe mental disabilities. One of the brothers is crippled. It seems like their legal guardians take advantage of them, but I'm not sure about that. They have so little.... I drive by their house every time I go to Eden Church. I wonder how many people just drive by, with out ever trying to help; without ever being the Light of the World. Folks, these people need help! All of these people need Jesus Christ in some way or another, like the rest of us.

Its time for the church to be the Church Jesus wants us to be!

It is times like this that I go home and sleep, knowing that I was being a little more like Jesus. That is my prayer for today: that I become more like Christ Jesus in every area of my life and that I give my life completely over to Him.

"Let it snow..."

Yesterday was the first significant snowfall of the season. Disclaimer: I should say compared to the flurries we've had thus far. We were supposed to get a dusting. Well, the dusting came and the snow was still falling. All in all we've probably had close to an inch. I love the snow. Winter is ugly without a nice dusting of the white fluff.

So whats so bad about a little snow? I mean we SE Ohioans can handle blizzards and floods and bad windstorms and the occasional ice storm. Well, it was dry snow, so it would not compact on the roads, making driving very hazardous. Plus, most people were unaware that a snow clipper had set it. One of my best female friends was in a bad accident. She was on her way to a wedding (one which I was also to attend, but soon opted out due to the conclusion of this short tale), and her truck flipped multiple times. We were on the phone just about three minutes previously. I called her and asked how the roads were.
"Hey Tiffany, how are the roads?"
"Adam."
"huh?"
"Adam."
"yeah, what?"
"The roads are bad. I just flipped my truck."

Thank God she is okay, just a few stitches.

So, we made the choice to cancel church services. I hate doing that! Eden is located on a state route and is normally okay on the main road. But our parking lot, if you can call it that, is right off the road, so any plowed snow greets people as they pull in. Also, many of our older core group lives on the main roads, but most of our new people and young families have to drive on slick county or township roads.

A pastoral confession: I hate to disturb my Christmas sermon series that I've been working on and praying about for 4 months. In two weeks, we are having our Christmas Program (which everyone should come to if you can!), but today was going to be our first real practice. Well, that's kinda been put off. I wonder, can you conduct dress rehearsals via telephone?

We serve a great God. And to be honest, (this is another thing pastors always think but never tell) I am kinda glad I didn't have to preach today. Even with all my planning and praying, I felt unprepared, mentally. This week has been a rough one for several reasons.

But this snow reminds me that God is always in control. He kept my friend safe, He kept the Eden congregation safe but not letting them try to venture out today. And that wedding? I'm sure it went off great.

So, God, let it snow. 'Cause I reminded of His purity and how He has made me clean by the washing away that comes through the blood of Jesus, the Lamb. And as a good friend told me, "That'll preach, brother!"

God Bless!

It's That Time Again...

This week Eden decideded to have our Wednesday small groups on Tueday due to Thanksgiving and travel for the holiday. Well, I was on my way to the church when I got a call from my lay leader. He wondered if we should cancel.

I guess that one of our regulars called him and stated that the roads were getting slushy in places and it was only going to get worse. So, I told him to call the groups and cancel. Not even December, and we're already canceling due to the threat of snow. Its going to be a long winter!

Recent Happenings At Eden UB Church

I thought that in the midst of talking about other churches that I have visited in the recent past, I should give an update about Eden UB. After all, it's my hope that this blog can be a communication tool. So, here is a brief bit about the last several weeks at Eden.

• On Saturday, Nov. 1, Eden had a Fall Festival. It was a huge success! We had a couple of hayrides around the community. There were games for the kids, plenty of food (the deserts were awesome), and just a bunch of fun. People from the church brought family and friends who don't attend church anywhere. It was a great thing. Eden is trying to make some inroads into the community, and we did it. We estimated that around 50-60 people total showed up. It was such a blessing for me. The Lord has been dealing with me about empowering others to do the ministry and to trust Him for the results. So I asked Carla Browning to do it, and she did a fantastic job. God truly did bless the Fall Festival!
• Last Saturday, Nov. 15, Eden Church had it's second annual Thanksgiving Dinner. The church I grew up at always had both a Thanksgiving dinner, and a Christmas dinner. Both were mostly fellowship events, and rarely did many guests from outside show up. So when Eden started having a Thanksgiving dinner, I was adamant that it be both outreach and in reach. I have a conviction that the best bonding between Christians occurs when we are serving others. Well, we had a really good turnout. We had the about the same as last year (around 40). This year, we tried an experiment: We only advertised by our church bulletin and through our outside sign. No fliers, no newspaper. We got the same results. Point? Evidently people at Eden are starting to get excited about what God is doing, so they are inviting more and more people to come! This is a good thing! Melody Hauber coordinated the meal and she did a great job!

In our denomination, we are talking about if the UB Church has started to make a turn around. Folks, turning around a church is much more slower than turning around a business. But Eden, I pray, is starting to move in the right direction. We're not there yet; With God, you never are finished until you get to Heaven. But we keep seeking God and doing His will, the congregation's best days are still to come!

Hey, if you want to come and experience what God is doing in the life of this congregation, come be our guest! 11 AM Sunday is our Worship Celebration.

My Hajj to Huntington-- New Hope Church

The Sunday night before Labor Day, Christina and I decided to go to New Hope Church in Huntington. They were the only UB church in Huntington that stated they had Sunday night services. Now, I don't think you must have Sunday night services. Eden has Bible Study on Sunday nights because in June I stopped preaching in the evening and we switched to something I thought would be effective.

Anyway, the reason we were going is because we wanted to attend as many UB churches as possible. Well, when we got there, we were the only ones. No body else showed up. We were at the right place, but evidently they had cancelled their services. That was their peroggitve. But I was wondering if they even had Sunday nights anymore. Here is my point: Miscommunication is bad for ministries. If the cancelled for any reason (and there are plenty of good ones, I know) they needed to let others know. They have a nice sign out front. They should have used it. If they no longer have Sunday Night services, they need to adjust what their website and the UB website says.

Now I realize as much as any one person out there that un-saved people are most likely to come Sunday Mornings. However, I have learned a very painful lesson in my ministry: When the Church says something or starts something, we have to follow through until we come to a new change of pace or direction.

I know the pastor of New Hope: Bishop Ray S. He is the former Bishop of the UB. He's a passionate man. But my evaluation of New Hope is a C-. They have a nice facility from the looks of the outside, and a nice parking lot; a well manicured lawn, but not much landscapping. They seem to have a decent amount of property for the future. But the communication problem really prevented me from giving a full and accurate report. Hence the C-.

When I come out to Huntington again soon, I'll try it again.

M Hajj To Huntington IN- Conclusion Part 1

Here's a confession of a young pastor: I sometimes get distracted from things and move on. I have abandoned numerous sermon series part way through, but that is a topic for another post. But I am now going to start finishing (an oxymoron, I know) the blog series I started Labor Day Weekend.

I went to Huntington IN in over Labor Day weekend and I experienced the best UBdom has to offer. I attended two churches: College Park (which was for a long time considered the flagship of the denomination) and Emmanuel (a 1970's plant by College Part, now three times the size). I really wanted to go to Anchor Community, but time didn't permit it.

So, after reading a book called "Jim and Casper Go To Church", I thought that I'd do a review of each church I visited.

So they will now follow in the next few posts.

My First Catholic Mass & What I Learned from Chad

Today marks a first for me. I attended my first Roman Catholic Mass.

I am in Columbus for an Ohio School Board conference. One of the people there with our team is our librarian/teacher/media specialist. His name is Chad and he is a remarkable guy. I've known Chad for about 14 years. When I was but a wee lad, Chad attended my church, Mt. Hermon UB, for a spell when he was in high school. When I was in high school, he was the geography and British Literature teacher. When it came time for me to take his class, he transferred to the hybrid position he has now. In 2003, he re-enlisted in the Army Reserves. In 2006, he was sent to Iraq as an intelligence liaison. Needless to say, he is a pretty cool guy. He is the kind of person you enjoy being around. I've enjoyed discussing everything from teachers contracts to the finer points of theology. What does this have to do with a Mass?

Between sessions, Chad and I decided to walk to the historic St. Patrick's Church in downtown Columbus. On the way, Chad told me that during his time of church hoping, he found his home in the Catholic Church. I was surprised. I didn't know he espoused any particular faith, let alone Christian. We talked all the way to the church. When we got there, we found out they had a daily Mass at 11:45. It was 11:50, so we went in. Now I know a lot about Catholicism, but even I was slightly lost during the service.

I enjoyed the priest's homily, but we missed nearly half of it. He was talking about a saint from Italy during the 4th century who was a pacifist. Then I remembered, it is Veteran's Day. The majority of the remainder was taken up by the Eucharist. Chad was considerate to stay kneeling with me in reverence while the others went up for the sacrament.

Now, I do have serious qualms about the Catholic church and it's teaching. But, I only heard one mention of Mary as the "Mother of God" and to be honest, it reminded me of a very liturgical United Methodist wedding I attended a few years back.

Chad and I walked to an indoor market place for lunch and we continued our talk over NY style pizza and curried Indian vegetables. I was always quite impressed by this man. But today I saw a new side of him. Is Chad an evangelical? I'd say close, but not quite. A true Christian? I saw more of Christ in him today than I see in many people who claim to be. As he and I both said, God looks on (and knows) the heart.

We interrupt this Blogcast...

Okay, I realize that I haven't finished my Hajj series. I will try to have that posted by the end of this week. But I found out something today and was absolutely shocked. The contemporary Christian singer Ray Boltz came "out" as homosexual. This is the link to the story. This guy wrote and sang some amazing stuff like "Watch The Lamb" (which we acted out for Easter at Mt. Hermon UB when I was a kid... I was "daddy daddy"), "I Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb", and many others. The guy was married for some 30 years until he divorced his wife this year.

Should I be so shocked? I know I am naive, but shouldn't believers give other people the benefit of the doubt? To be honest, I would understand it more if this guy had more of a liberal theological background. Maybe he did. Obviously he forgot what God's word has to say on the subject.

Now, don't get me wrong. Heterosexual sin is damnable just as homosexual sin. But to me, homosexual sin just shows how far down in the depths one has fallen. But Christians need to respond to this just as we would with any other brother or sister who has "fallen". We need to pray for Ray and his family. Pray for him to be convicted by the Holy Spirit, not by men. Jesus said He came not to condemn, because sin has condemned us already. We need to confront this sin, but not condemn the person to hell because that is the job of God.

If anything, this story with Ray Boltz teaches us to be on our guard and to (as Paul says) build up the body until we come to the maturity of Christ Jesus. Remember to keep growing in your walk with God.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled blog, already in delay...

Day One: My Hajj to Huntington

My Hajj to Huntington—Day One


In my last post I introduced my trip to Huntington, Indiana. Well, I am going to leave tomorrow and it is about time that I write about my first day, even if it was only a partial day.

We arrived in Huntington mid Saturday afternoon. We had made reservations at the Vista Hotel, not far from Huntington University. We were supposed to have two adjoining rooms. I was to stay in a room with a king bed and my mother and Christina were to take the room with two doubles. It seemed like a good idea. We were originally going to stay in new Staybridge in Fort Wayne, but it seemed too expensive.

When we arrived, I was really disappointed. The hotel, which guaranteed our accommodations, gave our adjoining rooms away and gave us two rooms that we on opposite sides of the building. This just was not acceptable to me. Not only were we guaranteed two connecting rooms, but it would be difficult to spend time with Christina. My legal training (which consists of all the Law & Order shows & a few collage law courses) did not prepare me to deal with this bad business practice. At my suggestion, and slight temper tantrum, we re-confirmed our reservations at the Fort Wayne Staybridge. It really didn’t cost too much more.

We came to the hotel and we were instantly impressed. Not only is the facility new, but the staff is extra friendly and the accommodations are excellent. The high speed internet is a big plus, now that I finally have a laptop. The pull-out couch is actually pretty comfy, and the fully equipped kitchen saves us money on eating out. Oh, and did I mention the pool? Its one of the best indoor pools I’ve seen—and I’ve seen a lot of them.

When we finally settled in and took a swim it was time to go to bed. We were planning to visit several UB churches in the area so we would be getting up real early.

That’s it— my first day in the Holy City. No fasting, no prayers addressed towards 302 Lake Street, but a good day. Five hours of traveling, 1 hour of hotel problem solving, and raw nerves. But here we are.

My Hajj to Huntington— Introduction

On of the five pillars of Islam is the Hajj, or pilgrimage that every faithful Muslim must make to Mecca at least once in their lifetime. Well, I am not a Muslim, I am a Christian who belongs to the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. So where do I go for my pilgrimage? The Vatican? Jerusalem? Lourdes?

None of those. I find myself, a guy from the Ohio hills in the middle of flat Indiana. Now I need to say upfront that this trip is not a requirement of my faith. Nor am I visiting any shrine other than perhaps the Bishop’s office. I don’t even get an indulgence.

You see, for us United Brethren, Huntington is the closest thing we have to a shrine. Nothing super spiritual about the place, it is just the HQ for this branch of the universal Army of Christ. I was invited to leave my home in SE Ohio for a few days in Indiana. Flat. This hillbilly has a hard time adjusting. (Where do the kids sled in winter?)

I didn’t come on a pilgrimage for forgiveness. But to me this is kind of a pilgrimage. You see, I am on a search for answers. Not about heaven but about my life before going there. I am on a fact-finding mission. Where am I supposed to be right now? Am I supposed to stay at Eden for the rest of my life or does God have other plans for me? What do I need to do to be in the center of God’s will? Am I being disobedient in my life and ministry? Am I following God’s plans or my own?

I haven’t written for this blog for a long time, but I want to document my “hajj.” Not only for others to read but also that I can reflect and have resolve that God has and is directing me. So join me as I take the plunge into discovering God’s will for my life. I’ll be blogging about the entirety of my pilgrimage to the Holy See of Huntington.

Mothers' Day-- Why Not a Week Later?

I am excited for this Mothers' Day! That said, I wish it was a week later. This past week, I have spent much time in prayer and meditation on God's Word. And I am sure that the Lord has given me several great messages to share with the congregation. As I was contemplating each message's application a thought dawned on me. I had completely forgotten that this Sunday is Mothers' Day! I mean, this is tantamount to forgetting the Apostle's Creed, especially since I still am living with my parents!

So, I have spent the past two days searching the scriptures like the Bereans, looking for something I can use that is different than the past three MD sermons I've given. I thought I had it when I came to Proverbs 31:10-31. Most Christians are at least familiar with the passage. But then it hit me. We need to be emphasizing Christian Women, not just wives and not just mothers. We have a number of women in our congregation who are not mothers, in the biological sense anyway. It is my belief that Christian women everywhere can and should be people of influence for the Kingdom of God. We have a lady in our congregation who has one son but she is a spiritual mother to most of the kids that ever enter the door of our building. She is what larger churches would call "Head of Children's Ministries". In our church, she is the children's ministry! I think that she deserves more recognition that for just being a biological mother. It is the same with men & father's day. The Lay Leader of my congregation has no kids, but he is definitely a spiritual father.

So what is the point of this ramble? First, Mothers should be celebrated every day, not just on the 2nd Sunday in May. Secondly, all Women of Faith need to be celebrated and encouraged to keep up the fight for the Kingdom. Lastly, I need to work on my sermon instead of blogging!

Revs on Revelation

For a long time now, I have struggled with the book of Revelation. It is not that I find it unbiblical. The problem is that it is scripture. All Scripture is God-given and God-breathed. What is the problem then?

The problem is that I have no idea what I believe will happen in the "end times". I believe that Jesus is coming back in power & glory & in a physical way. I do subscribe to the pre-millennial view. Just which one?

I am not amillennial. I believe that there are good Christian people who hold this view. I am not one of them. I think that to assume this view, you have to stretch application of certain verses and take others out of context. Plus, this view didn't really exist en masse until the 5th Century. That, to me is important.

I am not post-millennial. The way I see it, things are getting worse, not better. The universal c Church is having less of an impact than it was 100 yrs ago. This was a view held by some early christians, but as time went on, Jesus' prophecies made on Mt. Olive and those elsewhere in the New Testement led people to believe that this world is going somewhere in a handbasket, and it is not to "Glory".

I am pre-millennial. Pre-trib, mid-trib, or post-trib? I don't know. I am fairly certain there will be a "rapture". Am I dispensational? I say yes, but not to the degree that others are.

Last night, I heard Rev. Jim Blaine (my cluster leader) preach a sermon on Daniel 9. He is doing a revival series at Mt. Hermon UB on the 2nd Coming of Jesus. He did a marvelous job. I am not sure I agree with him on everything, but that is okay. Do I believe Jesus is coming back and back soon? Sure. I'd even take a bullet for that. But I am not going to take a bullet on where this all fits into a timeline or is the rapture pre-trib or mid-trib. That's not what I call bullet theology. Others would take a bullet for this belief, and I salute them. I'm just not one of them.

I wish I had firm convictions like other pastors do regarding the end times. For now, I will just have to preach the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ by explaining all views and giving some evidence or critique of each one.

3 Focuses For Adam Will

Last week, I attended the "Hit The Bullseye" conference in Lima, Ohio. It was worth going! I am a big believer in continuing to learn all you can about your passions and vocation/calling. While there, I got to spend some time with my Bishop, Ron Ramsey. He is an incredible inspiration to me. I told him of some of the situations I find myself in as pastor of Eden UB Church. He gave me three things to focus on in the few weeks and months:

1. Sunday Morning Worship/Sermons- Have the best worship services possible and work hard on my messages.
2. Sunday Night Service- Transform our Sunday night service from a worship service to a Bible Study. This will take some getting used to, but will help develop and grow people in their walk with Christ much more than the current situation.
3. Wednesday Small Groups- We already have a Wed. night group. But we are going to transition them into a small group ministry, focusing on community. By going to curriculum, this will save me a great deal of prep time and enable others to teach the group.

So, there you have it. I am going to be working hard on each of these 3 things and not worrying so much about the other stuff. By making some of the above changes, I should lighten my work load and free up more time for studying, vision casting, and personal work.

I am tired and I am going to head off to bed. Maybe I'll have an even better picture/vision in the morning.

Good Night!

Up Late, Thought I'd Blog/ Accepting Resposibility

So it has been almost two months since I have "blogged". Wow... I haven't intended to be so prolific! Ha! I reall do wish that this would be a regular habit for me. Good disciplines are hard for me to establish. Blogging is not the only area I struggle with. I also struggle with keeping an in-depth prayer life and daily Bible readings. I have read all the Spiritual Self-help books to no avail. I guess I just have to buckle down and do it!

I find that we as humans have a very hard time accepting responsibility for our lives. Not only do we have a hard time accepting responsibility for worldly/secular things, but spiritual things as well. We argue over who was supposed to take out the trash, why the lawn wasn't mowed, why no one called Grandma, nobody fixed the sink, and a million other things. We try to find excuses fo why our churches aren't growing. "We've been overwhelmed by all the work days." "We don't have enough youth." "We couldn't find the right music or the right program." We need to accept our responsibilities. I should have been the obe to take out the garbage, call granny, fix the sink, and invite my neighbor to church. Oh, by the way, I should be the one who makes myself begin my day with prayer to my Father. It's up to me to read my Bible, not just devotionaly, but to study it and learn God's Word.

So maybe this whole blogging thing has taught me one thing I didn't expect it to: I can only blame myself for not following through on the things I start. It is up to me to grow in my walk with Christ and up to me to make my life all that it can be for His glory!

My Goals For "Out of Eden"

I know that this is something that I probably should have done when I first started this blog, but I didn't so here it is.

I have come to the place in my life where I realize if something has no purpose, then I have no use for that thing. Therefore, I need to set some goals for this blog and describe what the purpose of my typing away is

My Goals for "Out of Eden" are

• A Record. By writing this blog I can keep a record of my thoughts and things that happen without trying to look for that composition notebook I try to journal in. The net is here and here to stay. Also, I can look back over time and see what God has done and how I have grown and (hopefully) matured.
• A Communication Device. Now I realize probably only 5 people at Eden have even been to a blog before, but hey, that is nearly 15% of the congregation! I hope that as Eden grows and has more tech and web savvy people that this blog will be a method of keeping in touch and keeping people informed. Just because we have blogging people at Eden doesn't mean they will read my blog. One can hope, right?
• An Outreach. I know, I know. You're thinking, "Outreach?!" I realize Reedsville is not exactly silicon valley and that the percentage of homes with reliable web access is relatively small. Yet I think that this gives people an inside look at our congregation at Eden, as well as a chance for Christians to be encouraged and hopefully inspired. I'm not talking a full-fledged on-line ministry, but whatever works.
• A Kingdom Thing. I know I don't show it enough, but more that anything I want my life to give glory to God. If this grows the Kingdom or encourages my spiritual brothers and sisters, great. I think that we should do everything as unto the Lord and He gets glory in it all... Including blogging!

It's Been Awhile

So I haven’t “blogged” in a month… wow… I was hoping that this would be a regular thing and a way for me to expand Eden and stay in touch. Kinda dropped the ball on that one! Anyway, I do seem to have a problem writing down my thoughts. Christina gave me a journal for Christmas and I was doing really well; writing every day until around Jan 25! Having said that let me list some of the things that have happened over the last month:

• Eden went to a new music system on Feb 24. We are now singing to CD’s. This makes it so much simpler, in that I don’t have to practice the piano/organ for hours and we can learn some newer songs. We also are now projecting the words to the songs on the wall. People were a little uneasy at first, but now it seems that the congregation rather enjoys it. People are using the hymnals less and the singing is much better. Singing along with people helps too.

• Christina and I celebrated Valentines Day. What a weekend! Her birthday is the day right after valentines, so I naturally spent way too much money in just a few days time. But we had a good time together. Each day I am amazed that God has brought us together. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for us.

• We had Wednesday night Bible Study maybe two times 5 weeks. The snow didn’t fall on the weekends, just on Tuesdays. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away.

We started our first men’s group at Eden! Praise the Lord! I really believe that the more men there are who are living out God’s plan for their lives, the more people will come into the Kingdom of God.

I plan to write about all of these things in the next several posts, so bear with me.

Brooklyn Park UB Church / Eden UB Church

This morning I got up, and as usual, one of the first things I did was to check my e-mail. Surprisingly, I only had 4 messages and (can you believe it?) NO SPAM! But anyway, I received an e-mail from John Christophel who is the Senior Pastor of Brooklyn Park UB Church near Baltimore, Maryland. The point of the e-mail was to ask other UB churches for support in their creating of an after school program, called UB Lighthouse Youth Mission. I won’t go into all the detail about all the violence and problems right near the church, but there seems to be a great need for this mission. I plan to ask Eden to join other UB’s in helping to assist Brooklyn Park.

After reading this, I got to thinking. I know that can be dangerous for some people like me! I am really impressed with Brooklyn Park’s vision and desire to see this happen. Then I look at the church I pastor. What is our vision? We are still working on that. What is our mission? I still think that is unclear to some of our congregation.
Our mission is to seek and save the lost. Our vision is to love God, love people, and serve others. We do have a set of values and goals that is formed from an acrostic:
Evangelize the Community
Disciple converts & church family
Experience: God
Fellowship with church family
Nurture Leaders and Ministries

I would love to see our congregation at Eden get behind the mission wholeheartedly. I realize that I need to pray and seek God’s guidance to clearly communicate the burden God has given me for lost people.

Now as Paul Harvey says, “Page Two.”
The Reedsville/Hockingport and surrounding communities have a need for the type of program that Brooklyn Park is implementing. We have an escalating drug and alcohol problem. I have dreamed of establishing a mission here, similar to the one at Laurel Mission in Kentucky. But, God will build His Church. Maybe this is not Eden’s time for a “mission”, but rather for us to simply get on task. I thank God for the drive that Brooklyn Park Church has. I pray that they are successful.

P.S. Click here for Brooklyn Park

Super Tuesday

Yesterday, we had the closest thing ever to a national primary election for the Republican and Democratic canidates for president. I have to say that I found it exciting to watch. Some people are understandably tired of the political stuff by the point. But I see this as history being made. For the first time since 1928 (or at least that is what I am told), we have no incumbant running for the presidency.

Barak Obama came out with 13 prizes, compared to Clinton's eight. Doesn't look like the results for New Mexico will be in until later today. Clinton has the advantage, winning big states such as California and New York. Obama still lost Massachusetts even after the Kennedy clan threw their support behind him. I was hoping Obama would pull out a win against Clinton, but I am not so sure that is going to happen. Change is a good thing, and while I don't think Barak Obama would be a good change agent, he would be better than Clinton. The Clintons had 8 years to change the country and instead they left us with the same problems Hillary blames on the Bush Administration. Just more of the same. I do agree with Mitt Romney... Washington is broken.

So, on to the Republicans. McCain had a huge night, winning 9 states, some of them "winner take all" states. Romney won 7 races, but most of them were in smaller delegate states. The only real prize Romney won was Masssachusetts, his home state. I think the real story of the night was Huckabee. He started out with a win in West Virgina, aided by McCain supporters, and then proceded to win 4 other states with a very close 2nd place in Missouri. Huckabee was underdog until he won Iowa and again until last night.

Here is my take:

• I like Romney because he is the most conservative. But to me, he has credibility problems. He does look the most presidential, if that really means anything. I won't vote for him except for in the general, if for no other reason than he went too negitive, too soon. He seems almost like the Clintons of the Republican party, as far as negitive campaigning goes.
• McCain. What can you say, America loves an underdog. He has real problems with conservatives and his absolute stance on global warming bothers me. The science is still not exact, so he position shouldn't be either. I like the fact that he is a moderate. I am a conservative, but want to see us become a party of inclusion, rebuilding another coalition, like Regean did with liberals and moderates as well as conservatives.
• Huckabee. My Hero! I don't agree with all of his positions, but I think he is very qualified with executive experience. He did raise taxes, but he did it to improve the infrastructure of his state. There are (gasp) good reasons to raise taxes... just not many of them. Huckabee will probably end up VP for McCain, which I am really hoping for.

I'm Just The Preacher

Last night, as I reading my Bible before I went to sleep, I had an epiphany. I am not the Savior of the world! Now, those of you who know me have known this from the first time you met me. But let me explain this to everyone.

I have noticed in my experience (granted, not too much here) that people in ministry of any level tend to feel absolute responsibility for those in their flock. If someone has a moral fall, well then you can blame the Sunday school teacher… After all, wasn’t that teacher in a mentoring relationship? Or when people have a hard time grasping a truth, especially an important doctrinal position, isn’t the pastor at fault for not teaching enough on the topic and to the full extent of his ability?

This past week, I ran across something that surprised me. I found that someone who has attended Eden said something that indicated a possible error in important theology. I say possible because what they said could just have easily been taken out of context. I realize that sort of thing happens all the time. But within minutes I found myself wondering why I hadn’t preached more on the subject. Maybe, I thought, we needed to form a small group to study the issue. Then I started wondering why this person wasn’t growing. All the other indicators of Spiritual growth are present, except this statement.

Finally, it seemed as though the Lord took me aside. I imagine the dialogue as this:
“Adam, take a break from your thinking and let’s reason together” God says that in a Sean Connery voice (hey this is my epiphany, God used things I would get!).
“Now Adam,” he continues “You don’t know what this person meant, although it could be troubling. It is not your job to sanctify them. It’s not even your job to save them. All I ask is that you preach and teach and lead from my word.”
“Okay, Lord. Whatever you say… And thanks.”

Like Paul says, it’s God that gives the increase.

What a relief… I am just the preacher.

A New Year; Same Direction.

Today is Februrary 1, 2008. January is gone. Before we know it, so will February. There is so much I want to accomplish this year and so far I am lagging behind. Christina and I decided that we would read the Bible through this year. I have never done that before. I have started reading through and made it all the way to Isaiah, but failed to continue. Anyway, according to the calendar, we are supposed to be in Levitcus and we are not even in Exodus!

Its another year, but so far I seem to be moving in the same direction. Eden had a great year last year. We declined a few percentage points last year, but in realilty, God seems to be working now more than ever. New Year; but same direction... No new surge, no new vital growth... Yet.

Its a New Year, and I believe that God is moving in the same direction... Forward! We may fail in our resolutions, but not God. He still loves us inspite of our faults. Even when the Church of Jesus is undergoing some promised pruning, the gates of Hell are still being pushed back.

Yes, I believe that Eden is moving in the right direction. I am sure we need to move faster, but finally, I believe we are starting to point in the right direction.