Robert Howard

2010-02-23T08:05:00.000-08:00

Below is a letter that I received from a dear friend of mine, David Killough, outlining what God has done through he and Overland Missions in the past year. David and I have served alongside one another for some time, attended and graduated Vineyard Leadership Institute together, and been great friends for years. Angela and I are excited about what God is doing through David and Overland and we've chosen to support him monthly financially. Will you consider doing the same? Just check out this fruit and examine the Kingdom return. Blessings and peace.

January 2010

Dear Partner,

These past four months have found me traveling all over the globe. From Phoenix, AZ to Portsmouth, England, I’ve been recruiting, raising support, preaching, delivering vehicles, planning conferences, attending staff retreats and everything in between.

I want to give you an account of what has happened this year so you can get an idea of the return on your investment into me and Overland Missions and how God is using your time, energy and money to change the world through me.

The Adventure
Matt. 25:20-21 "The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master." Numbers are not typically an important thing to me. It’s not that I don’t like to see many people saved, healed or reached; it’s that I cannot place a price on the value of one person’s life being changed. This is why I will travel days on end, risking everything, paying a tremendous price in time, energy and money to reach one person. The knowledge that Christ gave the ultimate sacrfice and paid a price for each of us as individuals compels me do the same. Wether it be in an office calling people, interviewing them for expeditions, encouraging them in Christ or leading trips, I see the value in all that I do and how the job God has given me in recruiting is changing the world, one recruit at a time. For this reason, I would like to show you the impact of my work within the recruiting department on Overland Missions and the rest of the world. Please bear in mind that everything I have a part in you also have a part in.

Preaching in 1 of the 201 rural villages
reached in 2009

The Battle
Matt. 28:19-20 "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Recruiting Statistics:
Number of people connected with one-on-one: 289
Number of locations recruited at: 18
Number of people mobilized: 130
Number of missionaries trained and mobilized: 28

The impact of my recruiting around the world has touched 33,873 people in the rural areas of the world with at least 9,165 decisions for Christ, and 834 of these poeple becoming disciples trained through our Rural Pastors Network and long-term missionaries. These numbers don’t include the countless people that were healed and delivered from sickness and demonic oppression.

Village Statistics:
Number of trips: 155
Number of people reached: 33,873
Number of salvations: 9,165
Number of villages reached: 201
Number of disciples: 834

The Future
I am returning to Phoenix, AZ on February 8 to attend a support raising seminar. I will then stay in AZ through March 17 using what I have learned to meet with new partners. For all of you in the AZ area, I can’t wait to see you! After
March I’ll return to FL where I’ll continue preparations for purchasing a Land Cruiser for Angola and preparing for the Angola and Amazon teams. I will then leave for Africa in mid-April and will be in Angola all of May and June. I then fly to Brazil where I’ll be leading our teams in the central and western Amazon the months of July and August.
7 of the 9,165 new believers that came to Christ in 2009

Prayer & Praise
Here are a few things to keep in prayer:
1. Pray for more opportunities for us to preach and recruit here in the USA, the UK, South Africa, and Brazil.
2. Pray for divine provision as I look for a Land Cruiser for the work in
Angola.
3. Pray that I’m able to recruit more Brazilians for both Angola and Brazil, and that more Brazilian people would rise up and answer the call to minister in Angola.
3. Pray for boldness and wisdom as I preach and minister to people in the USA and all over the world.
4. Pray for more workers for the harvest. We need additional people in
media, recruiting, administration, operations, sector management as well as other places. Pray that God will send us these long-term people.

Things to Praise God about:
1. A tremendous harvest this year! God used what we had and turned it into a great harvest of rigtheousness!
2. There has been a great increase in people joining us as staff this year. We will have a few new sector managers this year as well as more expedition
leaders!

RPN Director Jeff Martin ministering to 1 of our 834 disciples
Recruiting for Overland on a UK radio show, Terry in the Building
"The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor." Luke 7:22

Your Partner in the Gospel ,
David Killough

To join with me in what the Lord is doing in this ministry, please make
financial contributions payable to Overland Missions and do not include my
Overland Missions
PO Box 566
Cape Canaveral, FL 32920

2010-02-18T07:23:00.000-08:00

This is the most moving song I've heard in while. It's from the movie "Once".

I don't know you
But I want you
All the more for that

Words fall through me
And always fool me
And I can't react
And games that never amount
To more than they're meant
Will play themselves out

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice
You'll make it now
Falling slowly, eyes that know me
And I can't go back

Moods that take me and erase me
And I'm painted black
You have suffered enough
And warred with yourself
It's time that you won

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you had a choice
You've made it now
Falling slowly sing your melody
I'll sing along

2010-02-08T07:36:00.000-08:00

I just love this song. It's gotta be the most moving song for me.

Under Bridges by Brave Saint Saturn

Yesterday while walking,
Beneath an overpass,
I saw the figure of Jesus,
Standing barefoot on broken glass.

His beard was graying,
The smell of urine filled the air,
Asking if I had some change,
Anything that I could spare.

Under bridges, With hands raised,
From the ghettos they praise his name.
Broke and crippled in the dark of night,
Raise your voices to Jesus Christ, Hallelujah

Emaciated, His shaking fists balled up,
Influenza and pneumonia,
Begging God to take his cup.
So different from his pictures,
Breathing air through yellowed tubes,
Jesus Christ, dying of AIDS,
Can look right through you.

And all have hated,
Crucified and walked away,
The Savior of the prostitutes,
Drunkards, rapists, and the gays.

Under bridges, With hands raised,
From the ghettos they praise his name.
Broke and crippled in the dark of night,
Raise your voices to Jesus Christ, Hallelujah.

2009-03-25T08:50:00.000-07:00

I heard a sermon by Matt Chandler of the Village Church in Dallas, Texas today and a part of it was regarding the importance of community and discipleship and I wanted to share it with you.

I’ll tailor his illustration to a true story for in life.

A while ago, I had a desire to pick up the guitar and be able to play it like Dave Matthews. I got one as a gift for Christmas when I was 16 and had the intentions of picking it up and just doing it. I began to pick, pluck, and awkwardly try to move my keys long the neck of the guitar with no success. All that came of a couple of years of this was my being able to play jingle bells and frustration. The sounds that were coming off of the guitar were void of rhythm and melody and brought my family to the brink of wishing the torture would stop. If someone were to put sheet music to a Dave Matthews song in front of my I would not be able to do it. It doesn’t matter HOW bad I wanted to be able to play it…It doesn’t matter HOW disappointed my family was that I couldn’t play it…It doesn’t matter HOW much it bothered me that I wasn’t the musician I wanted to be…It doesn’t matter that my friends would say, “Oh man, I can sit down and just rip that one out.” I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DO IT. It wasn’t until someone older, wiser, and further down the road in their musical journey came to me and began to teach me. He taught me fundamentals. “Here’s the neck of your guitar.” “Here’s the fretboard.” “Here’s the E String.” “Here’s how you hold a pick.” “Here’s how you strum the strings.” “Here’s the best strings to buy for your skill level.” “Here’s where you put your fingers.” Slowly, this man began to feed me more and more technical things. I would watch as he did it on his guitar and then I would try it on mine. It came awkwardly…slowly…and embarrassingly at times. I learned how to transition from one cord to another. I learned how to strum well. As time went on, victories would come my way…and increasingly, this teacher would challenge me to do better, try harder, practice more and would hold me accountable to a higher standard. Today, though I am no musician, I am able to pick up a guitar and play it with relative ease. When I look back on that time of awkward beginnings and frustrating nights of playing, I often think about the teacher that cared enough to invest into my life. He cared enough to see me improve and to achieve my goals. He sacrificed some family time, money, and lots of energy for no gain of his beside the satisfaction of seeing a young man be who they want to be. That is what discipleship is. If he had not made these sacrifices, I would have either given up or would still be picking “Jingle Bells” and full of musical frustration. Paul writes in Titus 2:1-8 as instructions to the church, 1But as for you, teach what accords with sound] doctrine. 2Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. 3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands that the word of God may not be reviled. 6Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. 7Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, 8and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. As friend of Jesus, we should be being invest into by the “older men and women” in the church…while investing into the “younger men and women” ourselves. We have to seek this out because it rarely will just “happen” on it’s own.

This is discipleship. This is community.

In love,

2009-03-24T08:34:00.001-07:00

A Section taken from "The Imitation of Christ" by Thomas Kempas sent to me by a friend. Solid.

So long as we live in this world we cannot escape suffering and temptation. Whence it is written in Job: “The life of man upon earth is a warfare.” (Job 7:1.) Everyone, therefore, must guard against temptation and must watch in prayer, lest the devil, who never sleeps but goes about seeking whom he may devour, find occasion to deceive him. No one is so perfect or so holy but he is sometimes tempted; man cannot be altogether free from temptation.

Yet temptations, though troublesome and severe, are often useful to a man, for in them he is humbled, purified, and instructed. The saints all passed through many temptations and trials to profit by them, while those who could not resist became reprobate and fell away. There is no state so holy, no place so secrete that temptations and trials will not come. Man is never safe from them as long as he lives, for they come from within us – in sin we were born. When one temptations or trial passes, another comes; we shall always have something to suffer because we have lost the state of original blessedness.

Many people try to escape temptations, only to fall more deeply. We cannot conquer simply by fleeing, but by patience and true humility we become stronger than our enemies. The man who only shuns temptations outwardly and does not uproot them will make little progress; indeed they will quickly return, more violent than before.

Little by little, in patience and long-suffering, you will overcome them, by the help of God rather than by severity and your own rash ways. Often take counsel when tempted; and do not be harsh with others who are tempted, but console them as you yourself would wish to be consoled.

The beginning of all temptations lies in a wavering mind and little trust in God, for as a rudderless ship is driven hither and yon by waves, so a careless and irresolute man is tempted in many ways. Fire tempers iron and temptations steels the just. Often we do not know what we can stand, but temptation shows us what we are.

Above all, we must be especially alert against the beginnings of temptation, for the enemy is more easily conquered if he is refused admittance to the mind and is met beyond the threshold when he knocks.

Someone has said very aptly: “Resist the beginnings; remedies come too late, when by long delay the evil has gained strength.” First, a mere thought comes to mind, then strong imagination, followed by pleasure, evil delight, and consent. Thus, because he is not resisted in the beginning, Satan gains full entry. And the longer a man delays in resisting, so much the weaker does he become each day, while the strength of the enemy grows against him.

Some suffer great temptations in the beginning of their conversion, others toward the end, while some are troubled almost constantly throughout their life. Others, again, are tempted but lightly, according to the wisdom and justice of Divine Providence, Who weighs the status and merit of each and prepares all for the salvation of His elect.

We should not despair, therefore, when we are tempted, but pray to God the more fervently that He may see fit to help us, for according to the word of Paul, He will make issue with temptation that we may be able to bear it. Let us humble our souls under the hand of God in every trial and temptations for He will save and exalt the humble in spirit.

In temptations and trials, the progress of a man is measured; in them opportunity for merit and virtue are mad more manifest.

When a man is not troubled it is not hard for him to be fervent and devout, but if he bears up patiently in time of adversity, there is hope for great progress.

Some, guarded against great temptations, are frequently overcome by small ones in order that, humbled by their weakness in small trials, they may not presume on their own strength in great ones.

2009-03-11T22:03:00.000-07:00

Video Test

2009-02-02T21:16:00.000-08:00

I was listening to a family ministry podcast today and the topic was Christian film making. In the segment, the interviewees discussed how great it was to go to work and find scripture stapled to your socks, prayer before work and during work when things were tough. I asked, "Why couldn't that happen here, Lord." In MY workplace I asked. I thought, How great would it be to start your work with prayer as a team and live in a world where EVERYONE sought after God and His heart and will above their own. My mind then raced to how we would get there...and I don't think the answer is good at this point. You see, I've never been the "doomsday" Christian that insists Jesus is coming back after hell on earth...but I found my mind confirming the thought that it is going to take hell-like trials to get folks to turn to Christ...and then I found my prayers for Jesus to make our world a place that ALL folks sought him ceasing immediately. I am afraid to pray the words "Whatever it takes, Lord."...because I know stubborn America will need a huge shaking in order for that to happen. I'm fearfully asking for You to draw us to you Jesus. Thank you for your mercy and grace.

2009-01-12T19:35:00.000-08:00

Okay...so I AM that soccer dad.

Last Saturday, Trinity started soccer. She's playing in a 3-4 year old league and it is hilarious. Kids run around, kicking the ball here and there, and score every once in a great while. Score isn't kept so the kids can just get the feel of the game. However, if the other parents are like me...we don't need a scoreboard to keep score...we can do just fine by ourselves! 3 to 1. That was the score on Saturday. Unfortunately, the T-Rex's, Trinity's team, did not find themselves on top this time.

Trinity did great! I know that every parent thinks that their kid is the best...but Trinity did great! On the first dribble down, while some of her teamates were crying and running off of the field, Trinity dribbled the ball down the field and scored! My little Trinity...3 and a half...schooling the Orange suited opposing boys in how to score.

She was the star. And I am very proud of her. I found myself jumping for joy and screaming in my mind as she ran down the field. I had to try very hard not to be "that" soccer dad...though I don't believe I succeeded. I also kept telling Trinity very calmly how great I thought she did...though found myself trying not to letter her think that my love for her is only when she does well. I would be proud no matter what happened. I love you Trinity. You are amazing.

2009-01-12T19:25:00.001-08:00

Another battle amongst the war in the soul...

There is a constant battle raging between my flesh and the Spirit. From lust to pride to gluttony...there's always a battle.

The latest battle that has been waged in my soul is the war of my spirit against the flesh when it comes to ministry. Recently, A and I have taken over the high school group at Amadeo whereas M&B S are leading the jr. high. My flesh says that this group should be a high glitz and glam, all about the event to event type of youth ministry that I have seen many "larger" churches run. However...the youth at Amadeo are being called to something different. Our youth are being called to a depth in the word and knowledge in Christ. Our youth are being called to a deep, deep passion and relationship with Jesus. This fact has been hard for me to process through. Honestly, I'm still not sure how this is going to look...but I give it to you Jesus. Will you give us youth that yearn after you? Will you give us youth that lead the group? Will you give us youth that will lead their parents to your throne? Thank you Jesus. Thank you.

2009-01-12T19:00:00.000-08:00

A new dawn...

The intent of this blog is going to, from here on, be a place where I jot random thoughts and whereas my journal is kept. It is a place for me to put my emotions into words, track notes, and make lists. If it blesses you, please be blessed. If it confuses you, I'm sorry...but the intent of this blog is changing. Bless you.

2008-11-13T19:52:00.000-08:00

Requirements of a Pastor:

1 Timothy 3:1-7:

The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be:

above reproach
the husband of one wife
sober-minded
self-controlled
respectable
hospitable
able to teach
not a drunkard
not violent but gentle
not quarrelsome
not a lover of money.
He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?
He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil.
Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.

2008-11-13T10:34:00.000-08:00

Ministers, in order to be burning and shining lights, should walk closely with God, and keep near to Christ; that they may ever be enlightened and enkindled by him. And they should be much in seeking God, and conversing with him in prayer, who is the fountain of light and love. -Jonathan Edwards.

2008-11-11T20:55:00.001-08:00

Personal Study.

As a part of a personal study, I'm going to blog some of my ideas here.

Requirements of a deacon:

1 Timothy 3: 8-13:

Deacons likewise must be:

dignified
not double-tongued
not addicted to much wine
not greedy for dishonest gain
They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.
And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless.
Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. Let deacons each be the husband of one wife
managing their children and their own households well.
For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

2008-10-27T09:26:00.000-07:00

Last night, we were watching ABC's Extreme Home Makeover like we do every Sunday and it featured a Christian family. The youngest son, Job, is battling leukemia and diabetes and is in pretty bad shape for a 10 year-old. During the episode, the family was singing with Mark Scholtz and it made Job "feel better". After the song, my oldest daughter Trinity sincerely said, "Daddy, let's sing a song so that he will feel better." It took me a couple seconds to put two and two together and I said..."Well, I don't know if that would make him feel better but we can pray for him." So, without hesitation, Trinity broke out in a beautiful prayer asking Jesus to make him feel better.

Jesus, I am blessed and honored that you have chosen me to raise these two daughters of yours. Please continue to grow in them and bear much fruit through their lives so that you may be glorified.

Thank you.

2008-10-16T19:53:00.000-07:00

Jesus speaks through a Starbucks cup?

The Way I see It #296:

By the time executives get married,
Take on a mortgage, raise kids, cope
with the crabgrass, climb the
corporate ladder, do their best to
manage career pressures, build
their net worth and get into their
40's, they've lost touch with what
they believe in and care about most
deeply.

--Allan Cox
CEO coach and author of
Your Inner CEO: Unleash the
Executive Withing.

2008-04-27T15:54:00.000-07:00

the day I died...Part 2 (Note: Rated PG 13 for language)

...We were in the busiest time of our lives. We had had our house on the market for 6 months with no takers and finally someone bit and we sold. We closed on our house on July 25th, 2008...the very same day Angela gave birth to our little Liberty. We had been signing these papers and those papers and coming to this office and going to that one. Then Liberty came...and we were homeless. Thankfully, Angela's parents said that we could stay with them for a while so we moved the majority of our things into a storage unit and moved the necessities into their house. We had been looking at several houses and none were attractive. Our stay with my in-laws was much appreciated but caused strain to everyone involved. We couldn't relax because we weren't at home and they couldn't relax because they felt like they had guests in their home. Trinity had 4 adults yelling at her, telling her to different things. Needless to say, a restless time for all.

We continued to look...then found our house. We closed on August 11th and moved in. Finally, we were home but had a lot of work to do. No relaxation until it's all done.

At this point, I was REALLY ready for archery deer season to begin...I bought an archery deer and archery turkey tag. I was ready to kill. We hunted a couple of weekends with no luck. On the last Sunday of our last trip, I ran into a flock of turkeys. I jumped off of the Kawasaki Mule were were driving in and began to stalk...I crept...trotted...and watched as the turkeys ran to and fro...I took a shot on the last hen and missed...but man what a thrill. We jumped back onto the Mule and drove on down the road. Not minutes later, there he was! A fork-horned buck off the road about 40 yards. Ron stopped the Mule and my father-in-law and I jumped off of the Mule. I moved as far off of the road as the overgrown bushes on the side of the road would allow. My father-in-law was in the middle of the road. I drew my bow...sighted him in...and "THWACK!" I heard my father-in-law shoot. I heard the arrow hit a solid wood surface. "He missed" i thought. I left my arrow fly. "THWACK". My arrow hit the deer and sounded solid, too. "It's someone's decoy" I said as I stood up. As soon as I was to my feet, I heard "Game and Fish, Game and Fish" coming from behind the brush on the other side of the road. "What could they want" I questioned in my mind. Then...it dawned on me. "Shit!" I said in my mind..."I wasn't all the way off of the road when I shot". A clear violation. I didn't even think about it...I had NO intention of doing something illegal. It was a sting operation the AZ Game and Fish Department had set up. I had heard about such decoys and sting operations but I never thought I was stupid enough to fall for it...but I am. They wrote my father-in-law and I a ticket and let us keep hunting. We didn't feel like hunting, though. You see, AZGFD violations are a big deal. They take it very seriously. One of my dreams was to be a hunting guide and this violation took this almost attainable dream and killed it...no guide's license for offenders. Also, a violation will stick with a person forever...never being expunged from the record. My heart hurt. I couldn't do anything right! Not even hunt. We packed up and left. I stayed silent for the rest of the day...crushed...pissed off...and angry. We went to our court date on November 2nd and received a Class 2 Misdemeanor, a fine, and a permanent record. The violation is on the same level as a burglary conviction. I cannot pass a background check. I cannot pass a finger-print check. I could be denied a guide license. The AZGFD will always look for me in the woods while I'm hunting and track me to see if I do something stupid. I will have to check the box "yes" for the question of "Have you ever been convicted of a crime?" on every job application I ever fill out for the rest of my life. I will forever be tainted with this mark. I am a convicted criminal. Damn it!

(End Part 2; Part 3 soon to come)

2008-04-20T20:41:00.000-07:00

the day I died...Part 1

Sometime when I was about 18 or 19 years old, I had what I believed was a vision or prophesy about my life that I would die when I was 27. It was a heartfelt conviction that I was never able to shake. I remember thoughts about my early death affecting what I thought about a career, marriage, kids, and the like. My dreams and aspirations were definitely set on a "short-term basis only" tract. When Angela and I married, I remember thinking about this "vision" and wondering what she would do when it finally came to pass. I bought insurance enough to cover her when I went home and continued to pray about the anxst I felt in my heart. The years clicked by...23...24...25...26...

I always debated with myself in my mind about if I should tell Angela or not. I decided against it...no sense in both of us worrying about it. I have had these sort of "gut feelings" or "hunches" before but I have always been able to shake them...and they never came true. But this one plagued me often...

...26 and 2 months...I decided I had better talk to a few friends about my fear and have them pray for me because my anxiety was growing...and I was praying hard but was never able to shake the feeling that my life on earth would soon be over. To be fair, I really had a peace about going home...but as I go(e)t older, I bega(i)n to think of my girls and my wife...and how much I would miss them.

I spoke with Dr. B. and told him how silly it must sound but that I needed prayer for it. He thought it was strange but did what any good friend would do: prayed. I also talked with Pastor C. and immediately, he had an interpretation. He said that the death is actually a death of something big, sin issue, etc. that I have been fighting for some time and that it wasn't a physical death. Peace came...but didn't conquer my thoughts. "What if he's wrong?", I thought. I prayed and sought after Jesus as I approached the fall of 2007...the fall in which the dreaded October 26th resided. My birthday. It was coming soon.

As the summer was ending, things began to tremble in my life...home, work, hobbies, church...everything I touched began to crumble...

(End Part 1; Part 2 soon to come)

2008-03-13T15:09:00.000-07:00

Lyrics to the most influencial song in 2007 for Robert Howard:

When you cry be sure to dry your eyes,
cause better days are sure to come.
And when you smile be sure to smile wide,
and don't let them know that they have won.
And when you walk, walk with pride,
and don't show the hurt inside,
because the pain will soon be gone.

Chorus:
And when you dream, dream big,
As big as the ocean blue.
Cause when you dream it might come true.
So When you dream, dream big.

And when you laugh be sure to laugh out loud,
cause it will carry all your cares away.
And when you see, see the beauty all around and in yourself,
it will help you feel okay.
And when you pray,
pray for strength to help to carry on
when the troubles come your way.

Chorus:
And when you dream, dream big,
As big as the ocean blue,
Cause when you dream it might come true
When you dream, dream big.

And when you laugh be sure to laugh out loud,
'cause it will carry all your cares away.
And when you see,
see the beauty all around and in yourself,
and it will help you feel okay.
And when you pray,
pray for strength to help to carry on when the troubles come your way.

2008-03-05T14:45:00.000-08:00

Graces.

Jesus, I confess my recent blindness to the graces you have blessed me with. Thank you for your grace and hand in my life. You are amazing.

Thank you for the grace of:

Dying on the cross for my sins.
The Gift of your Spirit to dwell with in me.
A great father who raised me in such a way as to be a man and work hard.
A great mother who raised me by herself as she struggled against the world to be everything to me.
A great wife who loves me more than I know and seeks to serve you in everything.
Great girls who teach me more than I have taught them combined.
28 years of great health.
Awesome friends who are always there to listen to my wacky ideas, teach me more about you, and rebuke me when needed.
A great job that you blessed me with and have shown me favor in.
A great church to put my hands to the plow with.
Great family to support me in whatever I do.

Thanks for your grace, Jesus. You are my best friend.

2007-11-05T18:55:00.000-08:00

Saints,

Recently, I was talking with a Christian brother of mine and in the course of our conversation, he said something that stuck with me...and prompted me to action. He was talking about inviting people to church and the thought occurred to me that...well...I hadn't done that for a while. Unfortunately, I think I got stuck in this sort of "Tired of people saying no, I'm comfortable and don't want to 'mix it up', I'm too busy to ask someone to come to church with me, it's not about going to church but living out Jesus to them" mentality. But something seemed fresh and new about inviting people to church...so I tried it. I invited the first family member I talked to, and she said to talk to her husband as he is the one who doesn't like church. Then I invited someone I work with...and he said that he really needed to come but the time wasn't right. Then, I invited my brother...and he accepted my invitation! He came to Amadeo on Sunday and seemed to really enjoy it. In fact, there was a hint of coming back sometime in the future.

This made me wonder why I am not doing this as a regular practice. Afterall, what's the risk? They may so no?! I can live with that outcome.

I took the following excerpts from an article in the Autumn 2007 Cutting Edge Magazine and wanted to share with you.

"For gathering to work it must be intentional and cannot be haphazard. It must be planned, really written into your time-line, it must be thought through and budgeted for. We all need to know the steps like rungs on a rope bridge. How do we meet, invite and draw people in?...

Every time I stopped to fill up with fuel and get back in the car after paying Maggie would ask 'well, are they (meaning the fuel attendant) coming to a BBQ?' The more people we could talk to, invite to our home, to our dinner table, to our local coffee shop, to a BBQ, to anything where we could connect the better. Anyone who phoned or e-mailed to inquire about the Church, anyone new who showed up at a meeting would usually be invited back to our place for dinner where we would tell them our story, talk to them about Jesus, pray for them-anything we could do to get them! I recond for every 10 people we met, only 1 stuck.

To think after that once we have gathered ten or twenty people that everyone else will do the gathering is not true. You will stop dead in your tracks if you count on that. So you say, 'But I can't look after those I have time, I don't have the energy, I'm bi-vocational...' " Mike Pearson, 'A plan of action: Getting unstuck in church growth'

Though this article was written specifically for church planters, I believe that it's our charge, too.

Let me encourage you to step out in faith an invite people in your "circle" to come with you to church. You never know when they'll say yes and begin a fresh or new relationship with Jesus.

Robert

2007-10-02T20:37:00.000-07:00

The breaking of a drought...

Lately, I have been dealing with a very tough project a work and I had a very long week last week. By the time I got home on Friday, I was done dealing with life's issues. I was totally beat down, exhausted, and frazzled.

2007-06-20T09:52:00.001-07:00

217.0 to 196.5...

2007-06-19T16:06:00.000-07:00

2007-06-19T16:05:00.001-07:00

216 to 196.5...still looking at the wall...

2007-06-18T08:42:00.000-07:00

218.5 to 197...prime rib at dad's house for Father's Day did help.

2007-06-15T09:56:00.000-07:00

Blue is me.

Green is Worm.

Includes trendlines.

2007-06-15T09:34:00.000-07:00

217...really need to start excersizing to get to the next level...I hate that.

2007-06-14T08:47:00.000-07:00

218.0 today...had a chance to work out with a great friend and brother at the boxing gym that he goes to regularly. Let me tell you, I have MUCH more respect for boxers after going a few rounds on a heavy bag. I have NEVER worked out that hard and I played high school football for 5 seasons. (no, I'm not a Fifth year senior, played after high school one season) I am hurting today but it feels good.

2007-06-13T09:56:00.000-07:00

219.5...must be XL shirt, jeans, and boots... :) Oh yah, and the scale's probably off.

2007-06-12T07:47:00.001-07:00

216.5 to 194.0...back on track!

2007-06-11T07:09:00.000-07:00

219.5...had too much fun eating italian with the Kilpatricks and barbecue with the Gregory's...well worth it!

2007-06-08T09:39:00.000-07:00

216 to 195.5...hit the wall.

2007-06-07T11:17:00.000-07:00

After Lunch Weigh-in: 217.5 to 195.0...I only had a Subway tuna (6" on wheat) but have been slamming the water. Still going in my favor. :)

2007-06-07T08:02:00.000-07:00

215.5...how'd that happen?

2007-06-05T07:22:00.001-07:00

219.5 to 195.5...had a bad eating night last night...

2007-06-04T20:27:00.000-07:00

Feed what you want to grow...starve what you want to die.

One of the most powerful things I have had passed down to me by a mentor of mine regarding discipling people is that you have to feed those things you want to grow in people and starve what you want to see die in people. For example, suppose you are working with someone that has a hard time refraining from gossiping and you're standing with them while someone comes and tries to provoke them to engaging in a gossip-filled conversation and they tell the other person they're not interested in talking about it because it's wrong. In this case: you feed the good action by telling your friend: "Good job! That was freaking awesome!" Meanwhile, your friend starved the gossip by stopping it in it's tracks. Continue to feed these things when they come up and they'll continue to grow. Starve the bad behavior and it will die.

Tonight when I was waiting in line at the deli at our local Power Ranch Albertson's, I was eavesdropping on a conversation the young, innocent and reserved (about 35) deli clerk was having with a young, scarier looking, edgy couple. The scary couple was showing off their tatoos. The young woman ordering the food showed off her wings on her back and said she's going to be an angel. The man took off his shirt and showed the clerk his tatoos on his back. Didn't get a good look. The young woman said, "Yah, we don't believe in God". The clerk said, "You know, if it wasn't for God, I wouldn't have a marriage today." The young woman was egging the young man on to say that he didn't believe in God. The clerk asked for his name and when it was given, she said pleasantly, "I'm going to be praying for you." When I could get her attention, I said "Great work, Maria. You made my day!" She said sheepishly, "I did?" I nodded my head and put up my arm in the air with a fist in victory.

You see, I'm just praising God for Maria's opportunity to share her faith with and her faithfulness. I felt Jesus pressing in on me to affirm her action.

I encourage you to feed those things that you see in people that Jesus would want to grow and starve (or prune as Pastor Ben talked about on Sunday) those things that Jesus would want to have die.

Be Moved!

2007-06-04T10:23:00.000-07:00

217...scale seems to be off. :)

2007-05-31T15:26:00.001-07:00

Holding...

2007-05-30T14:40:00.000-07:00

215.5 to 195.5...

2007-05-29T11:04:00.000-07:00

218 to 191.5...

2007-05-24T20:22:00.000-07:00

I've decided to pick a battle with a friend of mine...a battle against my bulge. Mr. Worm and I have decided to race to around 200 pounds. He is gaining and I am losing...sort of. My official beginning weight was 226 pounds and his was 190.5. Yesterday, i was a trim (ha!) 220.5 and he a large (ha!) 189...Winner buys dinner for both couples at Outback including babysitters. It has been going pretty well but as many of you know, food is my addiction. So, here we go. It's been quite a few months before I've seen 200. It won't be long now...

2007-02-25T18:44:00.000-08:00

I want to be...

I want to be the guy who reads the Scriptures with my family every night...
I want to be the guy who
I want to the be the guy who is home every night by 5PM to be home with my family...

2007-02-07T19:20:00.000-08:00

Momentum...

Momentum what a train has to gain before it can maintain it's optimum speed.

Momentum is hard to stop once it's moving forward.

Momentum usually takes a major roadblock to stop it.

As I participate in what Jesus is doing at Amadeo...I hear the momentum quietly gaining speed. Jesus is doing a great work there...and it will continue to grow.

2006-08-21T10:45:00.000-07:00

It is that time of year...

...When my heart begins to dream of pine tree forests with the cool wind chapping my exposed face...

...When we sit around the campfire, drinking back our favorite adult beverage and tell the same old stories we've told and heard dozens of times laughing and joking as we did the other dozens of times...

...When I dream of my dream job...working full time as a guide...part time as an hourly labor hand at Sportsmans...

...When I realize what I was made for and what my heart truly longs for...

...When I decide that Phoenix is too hot and it's time to retreat to the home that becons my spirit as did the heart in "Tell tale heart"...beating in my drums...

...When every set of hoove prints makes my heart quicken...

...When I wake up to the call of the wild...the bugles and the yelps...

Very few people realize it's importance to a man who is locked in the Cage for ten months of the year...people even question one's priorities when they make this one.

Very few people understand the fun, the sport, and the thirst...

It is hunting season...and man did I miss it.

2006-07-11T13:01:00.000-07:00

So today I was eating with a Worm Diet, bit into the taco and got hot salsa juice in my sinuses...ouch.

2006-06-26T20:47:00.000-07:00

Here are my notes verbatim from Sunday:

Introduction:
“Hello, for those of you who are wondering who I am, my name is Robert Howard. I am the Junior High Pastor here at VCCG and recent VLI graduate.”

Thank you to Pastor Jack and Pastor Danny

Cruel joke-VLI student worst GPA to speak.

What's next after VLI.
Amadeo Church Plant in the near future
The Howards’ Roles
Youth Group
Small Group Ministries
Facilities
_______________________________________________________________________

Pray over the word.

Friends, I believe that some of us need a holiness make over from God.
Some Christians have taken on the worlds patterns while maintaining a façade of holiness and they make it hard to tell that they are Christians. Maybe you work with this guy. Maybe you’ve run into that Christian.

People I work with that I can tell they are different.

Let’s Read 1Peter 1:13-16:

“13Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 14As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."[a]

This word holy comes from the Greek word Hagios which means “Set Apart”.

This morning, we’re going to look at four calls to be set-apart from 1 Peter.

Prepare your mind for action
Soldiers don’t get drunk at war time.

Our minds are the first step in action. We must get our minds in line with God’s truth if we want to live an effective Christian life.

What are your thoughts like?
Do your lusts and anger play out in your mind like a never ending Saprano’s Episode?
Do you cuss out you co-worker in your mind when they make you mad?

If your thoughts are out of control, you will not be ready to do God’s work. You need to repent and take captive every thought.

Phillipians 4:8 says “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

Your mind makes the decision to be holy.

If you want to live a holy life, you must get your mind set apart for God’s glory.

Be Self-Controlled
Self-control in America seems to be a major issue. We have a help group for just about any addiction you can think of. We are called to be self controlled in all areas of our life.

What’s your addiction? For me, it’s food. You laugh, but I’m Serious. When I’m looking for something for breakfast and I have to choose between the Power Bar and Bonus 4-pack of Zingers, I’m going for the Zingers baby!

What’s yours?
Maybe you a closet alcoholic?
Maybe you checking out porn on your computer?
Maybe you gossiping uncontrollably about your friends?
Maybe you’re sleeping with someone that you’re not married to?
Maybe you spending 10 hours a week watching Family Guy and CSI while you neglect your kids and relationship with God?
Maybe you swear like a drunken truck driver with Tourettes?
Maybe you blowing your cash on beer and your quad but can’t a way to be consistent with your tithes.

If you want to live a holy life, you must be self-controlled! Get your desires and your lusts under control and set yourselves apart for God’s glory.

Do not conform to your old ways

(Story of shortly after I was saved with cussing, etc)

If you are a Christian, you will have noticed a radical difference in your life from when you didn’t have a relationship with Jesus and now that you know Jesus.

We all followed the pattern of this world. We looked just like everyone else. We talked like the world. We stole like the world. We cheated like the world. Now, hopefully, you have a different life.

Peter, here, is telling us not to go back to that way.

We have to be different. We have to be set-apart.

If you want to live a holy life, you must live differently than you did when you first met Jesus.

The final Exortation:

Be Holy like God’s holy
If Jesus is your Savior, you will begin to look like him.
You will walk like he did.
You will talk like He did.
You will pray like he did.
You will study like he did.
You will live like he did.

Just as a child steps into the mold of a life that is set out before them by their parents, so we step into the mold Jesus has laid before us for holiness.

Be Holy in all you do!

If you want to live a holy life, you must live as Jesus Did.

“How little people know who think that holiness is dull. When one meets the real thing, it is irresistible.”
C. S. Lewis

Illustration of counterfeit next to real thing

Call to holiness:
Holiness. Holiness. Christian. Brother. Sister. Jesus is and has been calling you to live a holy life. This doesn’t mean that you have to lock yourself in a closet and pray and sing hymns for the rest of your lives. But what it does mean is that some of us here need to change. We need to repent of the thoughts we think. We need to get rid of the garbage we have in our home, and we need to focus our lives on Jesus Christ. YOU NEED TO BE SET APART. BE DIFFERENT.

“A holy life will make the deepest impression. Lighthouses blow no horns, they just shine.”
D.L. Moody.

Let’s pray:
Committing or recommitting your life to Jesus.
Asking for God to come and purify your hearts and minds…making you Holy.

2006-06-23T11:55:00.000-07:00

So, maybe some of you can help me out. I've been in several situations where I didn't know if I was supposed to tip or not. What do you think?

Here's the scenario: I ordered Macaroni Grille via the telephone and said I'd come by to pick it up at the take-out bar. When I went in and paid, the receipt had a subtotal, blank for you to write in a tip, and a total. I didn't tip. Am I supposed to? Where else should you tip and when should you not?

Socially retarded, Robert.

2006-06-20T21:10:00.000-07:00

Man...what a bummer.

Maybe some of you men can identify with this: Last night, my beautiful barber with whom I am totally infatuated with...and I really think she's soooo hot....was cutting my hair when she stopped, ran her fingers through my hair, giggled like a school girl and said innocently: "Wow, you're hair's getting thin back here, too". Talk about a blow to the old Macho Man..."Twelf wound nokout". I do have to say, though. My wife is the best barber there is...although she doesn't mind finding my bald spots.

2006-05-10T09:10:00.000-07:00

Brothers and sisters,

Let me begin by thanking you once again for your service and love for the children we have been given steward over. I say thank you often and I hope that you understand it comes from the depths of my heart and is not a trite statement I make. Thank you, thank you, thank you. If it weren’t for each of you and your service, we would be severely limited in perspectives, knowledge, abilities, time, and energy. Thank you for what you do.

I this letter, I will be making a play on words that is not theologically founded or grammatically correct. However, I think it helps to make my point.

Today I want to invite along with me on a journey; a journey that, tragically, few adults take in their life. I believe it is a necessity to visit take this up regularly…please join me on the Great Co-mission. The “Co-“ in my broken down word means that you and I need to do this together. It is a journey that is much more fun and productive if we do it together. The “Mission” in my broken down means that you and I have a goal in mind…a mission in our journey. This mission is the driving force behind what keeps us going when: we face fierce opponents, get wounded in battle with gaping wounds, fall on our faces in some gross sin and keep beating ourselves up, and when leaders cut us to the heart due to some sin in their life. This mission is detailed in Matthew 28:18-20: “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”

The Great Co-mission that we have been called to is this idea of discipleship. Sadly, much of adults’ time, energy, and talents are wasted away in frivolous spending acts of those gifts. We spend 60 hours a week at work, 10 hours a week watching “American Idol” or some other distracting show, 12 hours a week on the computer…only to neglect the things in life that really matter. (Please note: I am guilty of this myself and ask God to straighten my priorities on a regular basis.) We should come to a point in our lives that we select a few people that God is working on and through and devote time to them. This doesn’t have to mean that we lock ourselves up with our disciples in 40 hour prayer meetings in the mountains but what it does look like is give them your favorite book and ask them to read it, hold them accountable to spiritual growth, call them throughout the week to make sure everything’s going okay, and spend time with them in our meetings, taking them on family outings, etc. Again, you don’t need to devote all of your time to these people but it is healthy to spend maybe 10-15 minutes a week speaking to them and helping them work through issues.

When I look back at the past eight years of my spiritual life, I can identify people that have helped me go to the next spiritual level. These are for me: my Grandmother, Greg Brewer, the entire Ferguson Family, the Gamel Family, Ben and Mandy Cloud, Paul Beaulieu, and several others on a smaller scale. These folks have invested in me spiritually, often asking for nothing in return. We have built a great bond over the years and continue to do so. They invited me camping, helping them work on their homes, talked on the phone, gave advice, and just made themselves available.

I then look at our group and see many kids that may not have that. Please take time to pray about this and ask God to identify a few kids that you can disciple. Pray for those kids daily, spend time with them in our meetings, and invest in their lives. You never know…you may be discipling the next Mother Theresa or Billy Graham.

2006-05-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

God has been so good to me always. About 4 months ago I was coming out of a dry spell spiritually speaking and since then, it's been amazing.

I have been trying to be more spiritually disciplined and that has helped my walk tremendously. I was listening to secular music because I was totally bored hearing the same christian songs looped every 28 minutes. Unfortunately, I was so bored with music (because I always listen to it) that I switched over to 101.5 when Stern left...praise God for Stern leaving. Unfortunately, I traded Stern for Corola and Lykus...both equal knuckleheads with Stern.

Long story short, feeding my flesh with the trash that came from their mouths created many stumbling blocks for me. Once I realized that my auditory system is a major contributor to some repetitive sin I was battling, I gave that up and have been feeding the spirit since. I listen to audiobooks, sermons, and chirstian music now. Again, this isn't a boast in my "piety" but a confession of weakness.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think that secular music is all bad. However, I do believe that there is some that should not be listened to.

In my newfound commitment to purity I began identifying areas in which I wanted to grow spiritually. One was my food intake and the other was prayer.

The food intake has been going pretty well for about 6-7 weeks now. I asked a close brother to hold me accountable in my gluttinous shortcomings and he has been doing a pretty good job. I have also taken Pastor Ben up on his challenge to be the biggest loser... I think I'm losing the Loser battle.

As I said earlier, prayer was the other area in which I wanted to grow. I wanted to commit to daily intercession for people and situations that God laid on my heart. My problem was, and continues to be in many areas in my life, consistency. I will do great, give the great hoo-rah, only to find myself pitter out like I tried to take on a marathon without training.

I was meditating on ways to stay consistent with prayer when a memory popped into my head. Obie, in one SALT meeting, gave us all index cards with kids' names on them in the group and we all to a stack to pray for. Though, admittadely, I thought it was a little uncomfortable at the time, it now seemed like a glimmer of genious. I hurriedly grabbed a stack of index cards and started writing requests from friends, things that are on my heart, and people and their situations whether they asked me to pray or not. I have this stack of cards in my truck and pray every morning while driving. God has granted me good consistency...I have only "forgotten" a few weekend days since I started weeks ago.

I have found that it's a great way to start out my day. In addition to that, I am seeing God move in the situations I am praying for. Now, carefully I say: God is moving all the time and had planned on doing these things before I prayed for them, I'm sure. However, it gives me great encouragement to be a part of that process. Again I stress: It is ALL about God and NOTHING about me. God is good.

Some of the prayer requests I have prayed for and God has granted are these:

I pray for Mandy Cloud and her health every day. Recently, Ben told me that Mandy has gone a few days without nausea isn't as miserable feeling as she was. Praise be to God!
I prayed that God would bless Amadeo Church with a trailer for toting things around from VCCG. God granted that trailer and Ben will pick up the new one today. Praise be to God!
I prayed that God would bless Erin's giving birth to Zariah and Zariah's health (Sorry I spelled that wrong!) and though they had to take her cessarian, Zariah is happy and healthy as a horse. Praise be to God!
I prayed that God would bless Brandon with a great job that he loves and he started a new job about a week ago and thinks it's the best job. Praise be to God!

That's all that I can think of now but God is always doing things.

The reason I tell you all this is this: God has called all of us to be in prayer without ceasing. My commision to you is to pick up your prayer plow and begin blessing people with your intercession. I am a lowly servant who has chosen to bless God and His children by doing the simple act of prayer. Pick up your cross and follow Him.

Blessings.

2006-03-14T10:52:00.000-08:00

Today I read a friend's blog that had the best idea yet this century and the most creative fundraiser to promote Christ I have ever seen: Please check it out...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5676698955

http://www.klaobeforehim.blogspot.com/

2006-03-05T20:23:00.000-08:00

"Look at your life, are you who you want to be?" These lyrics have made me think the most about my life in the past 6 months. Am I who I want to be? Sadly, I cannot answer affirmatively on that one. There are several things in my way that hinder my ability to be who I want to be. I want to be a great dad, a great husband, incredible leader...but I'm not there yet.

2006-02-17T15:18:00.000-08:00

A little bit of freedom...praise the Lord.

We paid off a loan today. Nice. I like it. One down...

2006-02-06T16:26:00.000-08:00

Alrighty. Thanks for all of the healthy and hearty answers.

Well, to answer the question of what decision I made, I helped my sister (Step-sister that I have adopted as my own) and her fiance move in together on Saturday. I made this commitment over two weeks ago. My initial gut thought was, "Oh, no. What do I do?" Immediately I said, "Of course" and got off the phone. It didn't phase me for the following reasons:
1. My sister and her fiance are not practicing Christians and they would have probably taken my saying no as a judgment and could have been turned off just like they were with the last 50 zealous Christians.
2. My dad and me (Step-relational to her) were the only ones on our side of the family helping her out until her mom got off of work. This was a testamony of love for her.
3. When she sees my love, she will she Christ.
4. As Obie expressed, they would not have understood if I said "no" as they don't see it is a big deal.
5. Bottom line: If I were to say no out of judgment, Christ's love would not have been expressed and they would have been turned off not only to me and Jesus's word now but for a while. I am praying that God will reveal Himself to them. If they ever ask, I will tell them the truth in love. Love without compromise.

Weak answer to a big question, I know. But love, love, love.

2006-02-06T15:59:00.000-08:00

There is a gem more beautiful than platinum, more precious than diamonds. When people first find it, they don't know right away what sort of treasure has captured them. Have you seen it? Have you seen this gem that has been refined in the fire? Can you see the beauty in the edges that aren't so smooth the gem is worthless? the edges have life and the glisten shines for miles? Have you seen it? Have you seen the gem that makes you smile with pure joy because you just can't help but to? The gem is a Blindside Blessing, a brother to the end. If you see him, please tell him that you love him and how valuable he is to you and me, and God's minsitry, and the lives he touches...I can't express it enough alone.

2006-02-03T14:46:00.000-08:00

What do YOU think?

Suppose an immediate family member or close friend asked you to help move her and her fiance in together by moving furniture, etc. This person is not a Christian but knows that you are. Knowing that cohabitation usually leads to sex outside of marriage and that sex outside of marriage is a sin, what would you do?

Before I tell you my decision and on what basis I made that decision I wanted to throw it out there to see what you would say and why.

2006-02-01T09:48:00.000-08:00

Ever have something happen to you or witness something that illustrates Christ beautifully? I had one this morning.

Let me give you some background to the situation. As you know, Missy died in a car accident on January 15th in Colorado. In the car with her was Nicole and two of Missy's friends that are native American. (You'll see where their nationality comes in a minute) On the drive, and right before the car went out of control, Missy saw an owl fly across the road. This made her native friends nervous because, apparently, in their culture the owl is a symbol of death. Seconds later, the Blazer was tumbling and Missy went home...

So this morning I was driving to a jobsite before the sun came up and I was behind a cement truck lumering along at about 40 miles per hour while listening to 1Thesselonians 1 on CD. On the shoulder about 70- yards in front of me there was a white owl. For a second, the thought of Missy's death and the coincidence of the owl crossed my mind. The owl swooped up and flew in front of the truck. The next time I saw the bird, it was rolling in the center lane of the road, dead as a doornail. I though, "Wow...what a beautiful illustration of Jesus. He came to crush death."

Read 1 Thes. 1: 1 "Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you.
Thanksgiving for the Thessalonians' Faith 2We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. 3We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
4For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. 6You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. 7And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8The Lord's message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, 9for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath." The owl rolled past when the final words were spoken..."Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath".

Funny and good.

2006-02-01T09:28:00.000-08:00

Thank you all for your support. We love you all. Please keep praying for healing of the families' hearts. Thanks. (Please feel free to contact as you feel led now. thanks for giving the space)

2006-01-23T08:17:00.000-08:00

Icy roads cause two rollovers on U.S. 550

Above is a brief article from the Durango Herald in Colorado that will give you an idea of what happened.

2006-01-23T08:08:00.000-08:00

Memorial Service update:

All, thanks again for your prayers. Please keep them up.

We are going to gather at Vineyard Community Church on Tuesday, January 24th to celebrate the life of Melisa Ann (Missy) Piekarski from 6:30pm to 7:30pm. All are welcome and invited to share this time with us and Missy's family. We will have a time of open mic if anyone would like to share something about Missy.

Please visit the Church website for location and phone number. www.vineyardaz.org

Thanks.

2006-01-17T12:42:00.000-08:00

All,

Thank you for your prayers and blessings. We are going to have a memorial service for Missy early next week, either Monday or Tuesday evening (January 23 or 24, 2006). Once I know what's going on for sure, I will post a blog and call most of you to let you know.

Thank you for your patience and prayers. I will keep you posted.

2006-01-15T19:17:00.000-08:00

Ode to a friend...

Missy, we'll miss you. We'll miss the way you made us laugh. We'll miss the way you dance like me. We'll miss your tenacity and determinedness. I wish I had half your courage. We'll miss the way you will try something new and succeed right away at it. We'll miss you company. We'll miss your friendship...especially that which you were to Nicole. We'll miss your love. We'll miss you...Go to be with Him.

We'll miss you.

(Out of respect for the families involved in this, please hold your contact for the time being. Thanks for understanding.)

2006-01-14T08:44:00.000-08:00

David:

You are a warrior that fights His battles without fear and recognizes where his strength comes from. I recently spent time in your death and met that realization with broken-heartedness. You are my friend. You are faithful. You are amazing. God bless you.

2005-11-14T17:05:00.000-08:00

Are you tired?

Are you being lulled to American sleep?

I often wonder if, as Americans, we are being lulled to sleep by our possesions, comfort, and time. We become satisfied with "normal" and don't push for "God's standard". Why not? Are there still Violent men in America taking the Kingdom by force? I see a few hundred in the spotlight and most of those paid by churches. But what about us "work-a-day" Christians? What are we doing to see His Kingdom progressed? Are we being challenged? Are we being stretched?..or are we just comfortable being comfortable. I think of the Luke's that take a risk and serve as a youth pastor in a foreign land for no monetary gain. I think of Micah and Chrissy moving their youth family to Ecuador to see God move in the lives of His people there. Then...I think of me. Sitting at work, getting fatter, typing a Blog.

Lord, help us to keep perspective.

2005-11-14T16:59:00.000-08:00

Buying gas to drive 1960 miles round trip to see your wife's grandparents: 1960/20*$2.75: $269.50

A bag of Gummi worms and a cup of coffee every 50 miles: 1960/50*$4.27: $167.38

One box of ammo for your new 300Win Mag: $31.50

Shooting your first Texas Whitetail: Priceless.

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That's right: I'm on a mission to kill the Prince of the Forest...and smile as I pull the trigger. We're going to Texas for Thanksgiving to spend time with Angela's grandparents. We'll do much traveling, check out the Alamo, and kill some stuff. Sounds like the redneckedest trip ever...I can't wait.

2005-11-14T16:52:00.000-08:00