Sledding Fun

Hit the slopes of Sugar Creek this week for some snow sledding. Had a great time with our friends The Wilson family from Orlando, Florida. They are in town visiting their parents/grandparents, Jerry & Sharon Snelling. It was cool because some of their kids have never seen snow! Also caught the new National Treasure: Book of Secrets movie-- it 's really good.

MerrWii Christmas

We hope everyone is having a great holiday season. Brian and I have enjoyed spending time with our boys and extended family in the St. Louis area. We have been very blessed/spoiled this Christmas, as usual. The kids received many great gifts, including a Wii. We thank God for our faith, family, health, and so many awesome friends that add value to our lives. Happy Holidays!

Joy Barnett

Our good personal friend, and friend of Englewood Ministries, passed away on December 14 (obitutary).

Joy Barnett touched so many lives as evidenced by the number of people who attended her funeral. As I sat there listening to some of her grandchildren (Drew Boatwright, Matthew Barnett, Luke Barnett, Kristie Sexton) and her son (Tommy Barnett) speak about her, I realized that words cannot express the person we knew as Joy Barnett.

The Spirit of God was so rich in her life that every charateristic, every attribute and every gift she possessed was magnified to a place few attain. And she used all of these to reach people for Christ. She exhibited a love and concern for others that was so strong, you felt it.

I will greatly miss our times at lunch and dinner talking about the ministry, sharing ideas and dreams. She encouraged this young pastor to get back in the game at times and inspired me to believe God for great things. Often, when I felt overwhelmed with ministry, I would look down at my calendar and see a meeting with Joy already scheduled. And her words of wisdom, nuggets of truth from seasoned experience, would penetrate my soul and cause life to flood in again. My family and I loved her very much and she will be greatly missed.

To order a copy of Joy's latest book, Make a Difference Mentoring, click here. Joy signed a personal copy for us a few months ago and Jennifer has loved reading this book.

I am preparing a very special message for Sunday, Dec. 30 in which I will share more about Joy Barnett and the qualities of her life that we can all learn from. I was so touched by her son, Pastor Tommy's remarks at her memorial, that I will pull from some of these points and add in my own to form a great message I'm already excited about! Don't miss this service as you will be encouraged and inspired for the new year.

Kansas City Dream Center video

This is the video that was shown at our annual Dream Center banquet. It was produced by Karissa Merritt, a member of Riverside Church in St. Joseph, Missouri. Karissa is a member of the student ministry there under Pastor Ben Montgomery (former worship leader at Englewood !)

This video provides a great look at the ministry of the KC Dream Center. By the way, Karissa won first place in the Video Production category at the Assemblies of God National Fine Arts Festival (Aug. '07).

Monday Night Football

I've watched MNF regularly since I was a kid like many others across America. I especially like watching when my favorite team, the Chicago Bears, are playing. So tonight I find myself in a familiar place, and I'm witnessing a third string quarterback look good at times and very bad at others.

At one point in the game, the Bears had 4th and 1 and decided to go for it. It was the right call, but the wrong play. The Bears don't have a great record this year, but they are still one of the best teams on short yardage in the league. Most of their success comes off of the run. The 4th and 1 call was for a play action pass and the third string quarterback couldn't execute a simple roll out. Note to Bears coaching staff: "Run the football!" Keep to your strengths.

But it got me thinking, how many times do organizations (churches) go away from something they do well. They get away from their strengths. Instead of staying focused on the one thing they do best, they expand their service and become mediocre.

For us, we are called to save souls and to be an outreach minded church. Even though we may add something to our overall ministry that serves the church body or community, our goal is to win souls. Though the methods may change, our focus is to share Christ with as many people who will listen. I pray we always keep the main thing, the main thing. Let's play to our strengths!

Berna Hays-Moving Forward

Berna Hays, long time member of Englewood Assembly of God, recently moved to live with her daughter in Colorado. Before she left, Jennifer Ross and I had the chance to sit down with her and pick her brain about life, church, being a Christian, facing cancer, and many different things.

Even at her age and despite her circumstances, it was inspiring to hear Berna talk about "moving forward". The apostle Paul put it this way in Philippians 3:12-14...

"I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward (forward)—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back."

We put together a video for our Great Gobble Giveaway Outreach service. Berna is a wonderful lady and loved very much!

12: 12/12

Hard to believe, but our son, Joe, is 12 today. We celebrated last night with cake and also presented him with a new baseball bat. It's great to see Joe growing up both physically and spiritually.

Our biggest job as parents is to make sure we lay a solid foundation that our children's lives will grow from. This includes a passion for God, emotional maturity, respect for others, a will to succeed, and a good work ethic. The years ahead will be both challenging and rewarding! --Happy Birthday, Joe!

Dream Center Banquet

On Friday Dec. 7, we held our annual Kansas City Dream Center (KCDC) Banquet. Pastor Brad Oyler and his team always do a wonderful job, and this year was no exception.

Independence Mayor Don Reimal opened up the evening encouraging all those involved with the KCDC to continue serving out of a "higher calling." And he thanked them for their continued community service. Independence School District Superintendent Jim Hinson brought a challenging message on being transparent in our witness and maintaining our personal anointing.

This banquet enables us to re-cap what the Dream Center does throughout the year, celebrate our volunteers, and gather important financial support. The volunteer of the year was given to Jerry Smith who continually provides multiple services to the building, workers and to those we minister.

Here's a great video on the Dream Center put together by Karissa Merritt, a high school student from Riverside Church in St. Joseph, Missouri. After several trips to capture the true essence of the KCDC, she edited and produced the video that won first place in the nation at the annual Fine Arts Festival. Her reward, a full ride scholarship to an Assemblies of God school! Those in attendance, after viewing, gave her a standing ovation.

The bottom line is our church cares. We care about all individuals, from all walks of life. We are serious about sharing the love of God in tangible ways and living out our faith. I'm proud to pastor Englewood Ministries, but even more so of the wonderful people who are making a big difference!

10:45 Service Only!!

Just got in (6:30 pm) from being out multiple times today. And honestly, the roads are better now than at any other time in the day. However, they say the worst weather will be from 3:00 am til 9:00 am Sunday morning, so we will have only one service on Sunday, at 10:45 a.m.

Please drive carefully and come prepared to worship the Lord. I will be speaking on "Home for the Holidays." This will be an inspirational and warm-hearted Christmas message. Hope to see you there!

P.S. Don't forget all weathermen are of the devil :)

Posted by Pastor Brian

Community Outreach

The following is an article taken from Outreach Magazine:

Many people ask me how they can get involved in community ministry. Helping kids do their homework sounds appealing. Leading a volunteer group that builds something of lasting significance is motivating. Serving in an evangelistic outreach and seeing people come to Christ that night, inspiring.

Our desire to do outreach ministry has elements of personal gratification mixed in. We want significance. We look for activities with measurable results, preferably in the short term. I say go on and do it. Seek it. Try it. Often, Kingdom advancement occurs through short-term ministry efforts, where we get as many of our needs met as those of the people we seek to serve.

Just leave space for the idea that the most lasting fruit of your outreach efforts may not be in what you personally accomplish. Your most lasting fruit may come when you serve in a support role for someone who was there before you showed up.

I remember the day in 1998 when two teenagers, one black and one Mexican, duked it out in a raw fistfight at the corner of Howard and Navarro streets, where Harambee Ministries is located. Man, were they mad at each other. They were both in our Harambee teen Bible study that met on Tuesday nights. We could stop the fight, but I didn’t know how to bring peace between these valuable young men.

But Derek Perkins did. He was the leader of Harambee, a community ministry veteran who helped start this ministry back in 1983. Derek wasn’t too disappointed about the fracas because he saw an opportunity to go deeper with these youth. First, he stopped the fight and made them go, well, not to opposite corners, but to different parts of the block. He didn’t lecture them.

But that weekend, he invited them on a fun fishing trip to Mexico. Both went. They were still angry, but they respected Derek and trusted him to keep the other calm.

They returned with a tale. Out on the Sea of Cortez, the wind kicked up, and waves splashed seawater into their small boat. Slowly, it filled up with water. Far from shore, these two tough guys bailed water, wiping back a few tears of fear as they scooped. They made it back to shore, back to America, back to the ‘hood. And they were friends after that.

While Derek was away on that trip, I held down the fort doing mundane organizational stuff. They fished for dorado; I got out the receipts for donations. As he explained to them from the scriptures that Jesus wasn’t just for women or white people, I met with volunteers to plan their service activities.

There were other times when I was Derek’s direct backup. Some crazy guys were doing selfish things on the corner. Derek was about to walk out the door to confront them, but he needed backup, or at least the appearance of it. I went with him. We grabbed an intern on the way. The intern and I stood there, trying to look tough, while Derek talked to the guys. Crisis averted.

Other occasions were not so dramatic. Once, while Derek focused on preparing a lesson for the Tuesday night study, I made a Carl’s Jr. run for 40 of the 99-cent burgers. It wasn’t a real spiritually significant task but important nonetheless: Two burgers each filled up the guys and kept their attention on Derek and his teaching.

I affirm the desire of individuals and churches to create or lead a unique community outreach ministry. Just know that sometimes we hurt our cause if we cannot flex, like a basketball team, into a support role when necessary.

In our outreach efforts, we’re often like baseball players—we have our position, that’s the only one we play. But basketball players can play any position—bring the ball up the court, guard any player, take any shot. In community ministry, we need less baseball players and more basketball players.

I would be amiss if I failed to mention the joy of supporting others in their community ministry. It was a joy to play backup to Derek. I knew firsthand the need to dramatically reach out to youth in the community, but I didn’t know how to go about it. Derek did, and in a real sense, I too helped turn many young people to the hope that is in Christ.

It felt good then. Looking back, it feels great now.

"Playing Backup" by Rodolpho Carrasco--Outreach magazine, "Community Onramps," May/June 2006

Bobbie Houston's Testimony

I love learning someone's testimony, don't you?

Click here for a great faith building testimony and encouraging word from Bobbie Houston, pastor's wife at Hillsong Church in Sydney, Australia.

Sample paragraph:

Should you find yourself in a position of leadership with the responsibility of influence over others, then understand that you are commissioned and expected to excel. This is the beauty and price of leadership. Leadership is about giving people something to follow. Don’t add unnecessary pressure or demand to this statement because all you have to be is the gorgeous person that God calls you to be. If you achieve that, then you will find yourself fulfilling your part.

The Golden Compass movie

Maybe you've heard some of the rumblings about The Golden Compass that will be out Dec. 7. I know there are a lot of e-mails flying around.

It appears (to me) to be very Chronicles of Narnia-ish, i.e. children's fantasy type movie. We see most kids movies that are released, so I was glad to be tipped off to the dark, anti-God background of the movie. We will not be seeing this movie. There are plenty of others.

But before you take your kids READ THIS from Focus on the Family's movie review site.

Also, can I just say that I hate it that Nicole Kidman is in this movie. She is one of my favorites :)

Confession is Good for the Soul

Confessed anything lately? Recently, I had sat down with a good friend and I did just that-confessed something.

During my prayer times, God had been dealing with me about a certain conversation we had months ago. Trying to be funny (this usually gets me in trouble every time) I said something that seemed cute at the time, but I grew to regret.

Although my comment wasn't directed at my friend, I still said it in her presence. I really felt I needed to get it cleaned up and grow up. So I did it.

This is what we're supposed to do as people who claim to have a relationship with Christ. James 5:16 tells us to...

"Make this your common practice:

confess your sins (your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins)

to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together

whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God

is something powerful to be reckoned with." (MSG + AMP)

I mess up a lot, so I could probably do this quite frequently if I really thought about it!

So, what do you need to confess? In addition to confessing to God, we must get better at James 5:16. This requires a laying down of pride, a little bit of courage, and an increase in maturity--but it's worth it, so do it soon!

Is the Multi-Campus Church Concept Biblical?

The following article was posted is by Pastor J.D. Greear of Summit Church in Durham, NC. I thought it was interesting and worth passing on:

Is The Multi-Campus Church Concept Biblical?

John Piper shared some interesting perspective on this question I thought was worth passing on to you (mixed in with this are some of my own thoughts… so, the parts that don’t make sense you can blame on me…). I found this very refreshing since many of those promoting multi-site don't seem to have wrestled with the biblical implications of the approach... they only have a "this works so it's got to be right and don't criticize me or slow me down with the Bible" kind of attitude.

Let me say right up front: you can’t mandate from Scripture that all churches should be multi-campus. But.. with that said…

Consider the church in Jerusalem. Here’s a few salient points to let marinate:

They had a massive growth problem: The 2nd chapter of Acts tell us that within a few weeks well over 10,000 people had come to Christ (5000 men…) and people were being added “every day.” Acts 2 records the crowd’s response to Peter’s sermon as, “What should we do?” Peter tells them and 3000 souls respond, and in Acts 3 5000 responded, and they are only counting the men. That created a “Holy cow, what should we do?” question for the 120-person core group also! They were dealing with going from 120 to over 10,000 in one week. No conscientious Christian ever says “we’re growing too fast” any more than a cancer patient says “I’m healing too fast.” The Jerusalem church scrambled to do what it could to accommodate that growth.
The Jerusalem church remained as ONE church: Three times in Acts a reference is made to the church in Jerusalem, and each time it is referred to in the SINGULAR. Acts 8:1: “There arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem.” Acts 11:22: “The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.” Acts 15:4, Luke describes Paul and Barnabas’ return to Jerusalem: “When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders.” Each time, it does not refer to churches, but church. Not once, that I can find, is it referred to as MULTIPLE, independent congregations.

The church devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teaching: Acts 2 says that the new church gathered around the teaching of the Apostolic team.

There is no way they could have been gathered as one large group: There was simply no facility that could hold them in Jerusalem. Acts 2 tells us they were meeting to hear the Apostles’ teaching daily “in the temple.” The temple was only about 26 acres, and a lot of other stuff was happening there. Plus, this was before microphones and video projection. Thus, it would take multiple, smaller gatherings for 10,000 to devote themselves to the Apostles’ teaching. That’s probably why it says they met “daily.” You see, it never says that all 10,000 met every day, just that every day some portion of them were meeting to hear the Apostles’ teach. Do you get what that means? A “teaching team” of Apostles were holding multiple services in the temple. I’m sure each Apostle was teaching the same sermon multiple times each week. You can’t tell me that each rushed home and prepared a new message every day. And you can’t tell me that if they had blogs, video and T-1 internet connections they wouldn’t have been using thme.

Eventually, the one church met in multiple houses every day to devote themselves to the Apostles’ teaching. This seals the deal for me. One church, meeting in multiple houses. A traveling group of Apostles’ teaching every day in different houses and different locations in the temple or wherever else they could find space.

Their megachurch had massive organization problems and members who felt left out. In Acts 6, people were complaining that in the Jerusalem megachurch member-care was not happening. Notice the Apostles’ response. They didn’t start reading Brian McLaren books and declare themselves post-megachurch and poopoo the whole idea of a big church. Nor did they read George Barna books and start meeting on the golf course with their Ipods. Nor did they complain that as trained ministers they weren’t able themselves to do the member care Jesus had ordained them to do. They appointed another organizational structure within the church to minister to the needs of the growing body. Big church is messy. But it’s better than letting people go to hell.

Happy Birthday to My Little Buddy

Our son, Braeden, was born 5 years ago today in Overland Park, Kansas. Yes, Braeden is a Jayhawk! Our other son, Joe, was born in Missouri, so we are a divided house by birth. But not in loyalty, go Jayhawks!

Today, Braeden requested Krispy Kreme doughnuts to pass out in his pre-school class. We will also take him to one of his favorite places, Fritz's (the train restaurant), at Crown Center.

I pray our sons become great men of God, husbands, and fathers someday. I treasure every moment with them as they grow.

(below is us cruising Animal Kingdom on our recent vacation in Florida)

Courage Under Fire

This was the scene in our backyard today. These turkeys looked very nervous! What a gutsy move, being out and about--it was definitely some courage under fire.

Hope your holiday was great. We've done a little bit of everything: took in the Christmas In The Sky fireworks @ Longview Lake last night, had a great meal today, watching Hairspray & Shrek 3 tonight because we can't move.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Ross family!

iPod Music Video

Below is the video we used as an intro to our "iListen" message. It was a huge hit. We used it to illustrate the point that "music speaks, music has a message, and music creates memories." It was all part of our annual Thanksgiving Outreach.


This video was produced by Granger Community Church in Granger, Indiana. If you've never heard of Granger, they are at the top of the list of innovative churches. Check them out sometime.

Thanksgiving Outreach

We had our annual "Great Gobble Giveaway" this weekend, giving away 200 food boxes and 229 turkeys to families in the community. This is a tremendous outreach that many in our city count on every year. Our school does a food drive to fill the boxes and our church gets the turkeys. We invite people to a service and hand out the food afterwards.

It was standing room-only Saturday night for the illustrated message, "iListen".



Our guests were really into the whole service. The band and media team were amazing all weekend. Our outreach team, led by Pastor Brad Oyler, did a great job as usual. Sat. night alone saw between 75-100 adults come forward to begin or renew a relationship with Christ.

Sunday we did it all again (twice!) followed by an all-church dinner, serving about 400 people.

Events like this don't just happen. It takes a lot of teamwork, a lot of planning, and a lot of prayer. Thanks to all our pastors, staff, volunteers & contributors who made it possible.

Using secular music within the backdrop of a TV game show ("Don't Forget The Lyrics") may not be something a lot of churches would do. But, we must remember that The Message is Sacred, Not the Method. If we really want to reach the lost, we've got to take creative risks once in a while and let the Holy Spirit do the rest!

Click here for the iPod music video we showed during the service.

iListen

This is going to be an incredible weekend! Last night we had rehearsal for the up-coming illustrated message entitled, "iListen." The idea comes from the TV show "Don't Forget the Lyrics."

We are going to use four songs: "Jump", by Van Halen, "Every Step You Take", by The Police, "Life is a Highway," by Rascal Flatts, and U2's "In the Name of Love." Our band is doing all of the songs live, and they sounded great! It should be a lot of fun presenting Christ this way!

I love our church for things like this. Some churches wouldn't allow illustrated messages like this, but we've found that unchurched and de-churched individuals really enjoy coming to a worship environment that isn't afraid of culture.

Along with our illustrated message, the community is invited to come and receive a FREE food box and 10 lb. turkey while supplies last. We call it the "Great Gobble Give-a-Way." Pray with us that many souls will come into the Kingdom through our three services this weekend.

Love the Bookstore!

Got to hang out with Sarah Elrod last night, our worship pastor's wife. The guys all went to the CBC (our alma mater) basketball game in Belton. It's always fun to be around Sarah; even though we're not close in age, I still manage to trick her into hanging out with me :)

First stop was the Christian Bookstore to pick up a couple new Frontline Worship CD's. We both started saying how much we loved coming to the bookstore. We sorta wandered around checking out all the new stuff! Here's a few books we looked at and I put on my radar to read soon:

Deanna Favre - Don't Bet Against Me

Joyce Meyer - I Dare You

Joyce Meyer - A New Day, A New You

Joyce Meyer - Woman to Woman

Greg Hawkins - Reveal

Next stop: Salty Iguana for dinner. Then Shoe Carnival (I am shoe-challenged and I need help picking out shoes!) and finally home.

Dave Ramsey's Holiday Spending

Brian and I were just recently discussing what our Christmas budget would look like this year. How much do we spend on everybody? How do you make it really special for your kids, without neglecting your extended family & friends? Think about this too long and you'll get a headache.


I just heard Dave Ramsey speak about holiday spending on the news. Here's a few of his points:

-TREAT CREDIT CARDS LIKE THE GRINCH!

-Last year, the avg. holiday credit user put $626 on credit cards

-It takes an avg. of 6 months to pay off holiday debt

-17% of shoppers charged $1000 or more

Talk about stress! Dave says if you can't afford the holiday gifts you want, too bad. Get creative and come up with cheaper alternatives.

That's great advice until we actually start shopping, right????

Dave's Bottom line: Christmas can't be on credit!

Frontline Worship CD Release

Just thought I'd put a plug in for the Frontline Worship CD (Phoenix Master's Commission). It is being released today, Tuesday, Nov. 13, at Family Christian Stores across the country.


Please buy a CD and support this awesome group!

Tattoos, Drinking, & Gambling

Today we finished our series, "Got Questions, Get Answers." I've already gotten a lot of good feedback. You may not agree with everything I said, but it sure created a lot of discussion. And I think that's a good thing!

The message today dealt with what many would call "grey areas." I have found that most people ask one question when dealing with these questions: "Why not?"
"Why not get a tattoo?"
"Why not socially drink, as long as drunkenness doesn't follow?"

"Why not gamble, as long as I'm responsible and it doesn't cause my family financial loss?"

(For the answers to all of these questions and more, get the cd's of the services. You might be surprised by some of my answers.)

I think there is a better question to ask. Many times we don't get the right answers
because we don't ask the right questions. The better question might just be, "Why?" Why do some of the things that are considered to be in the grey area?

"All things are permissible, but not all things are beneficial" (1 Cor. 6:12). Remember, you have been bought with a great price and "you are not your own... glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's" (1 Cor. 6:19,20).

Scripture makes it clear, "Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31). Maybe if we asked, "Why," we could find the motive behind are actions. Maybe we would find we are doing whatever it is out of rebellion, pride, selfish ambition or simply out of our sinful nature. The Bible is clear here, "We should avoid every kind of evil" (1 Thes. 5:22).

Maybe as you're trying to decide how to live your life this week, instead of asking "Why not?" Try asking, "Why?" Realizing that for us as Christians, we should glorify God and seek to please Him in every area of our life.

Suicide

Part 2 of the God Questions series: One of the questions from Sunday's message was, "Will Christians who commit suicide still go to heaven"?

Well, this is highly debated and the Bible is not crystal clear on this issue. Here are some related Bible passages that would seem to caution us away from suicide:

1 John 3:15 - "The way we know we've been transferred from death to life is that we love our brothers and sisters. Anyone who doesn't love is as good as dead. Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know very well that eternal life and murder don't go together."

Romans 5:1-2 "...didn't you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don't you see that you can't live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body. "

Ecc. 7:17 "Don't die before your time by being too evil or acting like a fool."

All that being said, I do believe in a loving and merciful God. A God whose grace knows no bounds. It is hard for me to imagine someone who has given their heart to God, and goes through a time of emotional/mental torment, and is denied heaven.

The Bible tells us that only God can judge the intentions of each person's heart. This is a question that will only truly be answered when we get to heaven ourselves. The bottom line is why take a chance? If you struggle with this spiritual issue, ask God to give you a peace about your personal conviction. And if you are in a suicidal situation yourself, get help. Confide in a friend. Speak to your pastor. Talk to your doctor. Don't take a chance!

Halloween Alternative

What are your Halloween traditions? When I was growing up, we did the usual: dress up, get a pillowcase to load w/candy, and hit the neighborhood. I think us kids even went by ourselves most of the time.

There were never any worries about weird stuff happening or weird people. I know a lot of families who still enjoy the traditional trick or treat, and that's cool. Our kids don't miss it, because they've never done it.

Our church just hosted it's 13th annual Kids Fest on Oct. 31. Even though it has become a tradition, it has evolved over time. For many years, we had an event with games, inflatables, food, etc. in our gym. Then, to relieve crowd pressure on the gym, we added a drama in the auditorium. And last year, we took it on the road by renting out Paradise Park in Lee's Summit.

We always have a tremendous turnout, usually over 400. Our kids absolutely love this night! They hang with their friends, there's plenty to do inside and out, and they still get CANDY! It's also the perfect night for our people to invite their un-churched friends.

Brian and I really enjoy meeting new people and connecting with our church family on this night. It's a perfect time for adults to connect while the kids are having fun. Just as our personal relationships must be intentional, so do our church relationships. They are fostered through opportunity. Kids Fest is one of those opportunities! See you next year--

"Chasing The Lion" @ Disney

Brian took these vacation pictures while we were on the Kilimanjaro Safari ride at Disney's Animal Kingdom. Although we've been on this ride several times, we've never seen a lion quite like this (you know, they sleep most of the time).

We spent the rest of the safari trying to think of a cheesy saying like, "In Disney World, With A Lion, On A Hot & Humid Day..." Corny, I know. But our kids laughed! Vacations are perfect for accumulating experiences.

By the way, if you haven't gotten around to reading In A Pit, With A Lion, On A Snowy Day yet, I would challenge you to do so. You won't be sorry! Click here for the Lion Chaser's Manifesto by author Mark Batterson that we handed out to conclude our Chase The Lion series.

Beth's Personal Pink Impact

To conclude our recent series, "Chase The Lion" (adapted from a book by our friend Mark Batterson), we passed out the Lion Chaser's Manifesto. One of the edicts of the manifesto is to "...worry less about what other people think and more about what God thinks."

Beth Wagner, who is part of the Wed. night worship team @ Englewood, and leads worship @ Eastpoint on Sundays, participated in a hair show on Saturday night. She, along with brother Lance, walked the runway for B Vogue Salon. She was definitely living out that part of the manifesto!

Courage is a wonderful thing. Did I mention it doesn't wash out?? A very personal "Pink" Impact! :)

Got Questions- Part 1

We began a new teaching series yesterday called, "Got Questions? Get Answers." People had the opportunity to submit questions for me to research and answer. We got a lot of good questions, many on "grey" areas of Christianity, such tattoos, social drinking, etc.

This Sunday, we began with the following questions:

• What happens when you die? Do you go to heaven or a resting place?
• Why does hell exist?
• How many layers of hell are there?
• What will hell be like?

Sounds a little dark--but I felt like it was a gentle reminder of the truth. The format was a good change of pace. I also sensed people were receptive and interested. We had a great altar call for salvation and Pastor Ryan and the worship team did a fantastic job yesterday!

I can't wait to tackle next Sunday's questions!

Sunday night I went over to Eastpoint. Pastor Claude brought a great word and there is such an air of genuineness and fellowship. I enjoyed myself and it was good to see those I don't get to see as often anymore.

Lion Chaser's Manifesto

Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Consider the lilies. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshipping what's right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze a new trail. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don't try to be who you're not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away. Chase the lion!

Author: Mark Batterson

Who Painted The Trees?

This is the typical Midwest fall view we returned home to out our backyard after vacationing in Florida (88, sunny....ahhh). Braeden (4) ran to the back windows and shouted to his Dad, "Whoaaaaaaaah! Dad! Dad! Come here right now! Someone painted our trees!"

Braedenology.

Remember Jeremy Affeldt?

The last couple of days we have been watching former Royals player Jeremy Affeldt fulfill an awesome dream. He has pitched twice in the World Series! Jeremy's a genuine Christ follower who went to a small Christian high school and made it all the way to the big leagues.

About 2 years ago, Jeremy came on a Sunday night to speak at our church. He did an incredible job. I still remember the message: "The Heart of The King".

He used the movie BraveHeart to illustrate that when an opposing army would kill the king, the king's soldiers would cut his heart out and carry with them to the front lines of the war. The battle cry then became "Follow the heart of the king!"

If we're going to win our battles (personal, relational, financial, spiritual), we must pursue God's heart with a relentless passion. Here's a little William Wallace for your weekend:

Aye, fight and you may die, run, and you'll live... at least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willin' to trade ALL the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take... OUR FREEDOM!

Like A Good Neighbor

We all know this tag line/song by heart. It's meant to invoke a feeling of security. No matter what you're going through help is on the way. We had a great service tonight where I taught out of Luke 11. *Click here because you need to read this cool version!

Sandwiched between 2 famous passages on prayer, Jesus tells the parable.

The point I brought out tonight was that the need was met due to the neighbor's boldness. Remember, Jesus was in the middle of teaching on prayer. Sometimes our own lack of boldness keeps us from seeing our God-given dreams fulfilled and our prayers answered.

Is your lack of boldness with God delaying your dreams? Have you stopped praying that one big prayer just because you're tired of praying it?

Just like the good neighbor in Luke 11, we can boldly approach his throne of grace!

Tony G and The Wilsons

Favorite Chiefs player: Tony Gonzalez. Has been for a long time. Good to see him break the record for most career TD's by a tight end.

Got to see that piece of history take place while watching the game here in Orlando. We were hanging out at the home of our good friends, and NFL Sunday Ticket subscribers, Johnnie & Jamee Wilson. We all went to college together and the Wilsons became our link to ending up at Englewood. Great people, good times! They even have a dog named "Chief"!

Johnnie is one of the best youth pastor's in the country, not to mention the funniest. In a weird twist of fate, he will be speaking at Englewood this coming Sunday morning, Oct. 21 while we're down here in Orlando. Don't miss it!

tpc makeover '07

This is Pastor Kevin (who?) from Turning Point and I am invading your blog today. Jennifer asked me to share with you about our latest Extreme Makeover project. I'll keep it as condensed as possible.

This year's project home belongs to Wanda Patterson. Wanda is a wonderful lady in our church who lost her husband last year. When I made my first visit to her home, I walked away nearly in tears. I told myself over and over again, no person, especially a widow in our church should have to live in a home like what I just saw. It was literally falling down around her from so many years of damage. James tells us "true religion that God accepts is to look after the need of widows and orphans in their distress." So even though the project in the natural seemed overwhelming, we trusted God.

The first day was demo day where we literally had to tear down part of the house and gut 80% of the rest to even begin renovation. For seven days we watched prayer after prayer being answered.

One of the great blessings of this endeavor is the effect it has on the neighborhood. For example, there had been a lot of tension between the next door neighbor due to a tree that had fallen partway and no one claimed ownership. So one day we took the tree down and cleaned up all the debris around his house. It changed the whole neighborhood. From then on, people from all over the area began to work on the house with us, bring us food, equipment, anything we needed. It was incredible. I could go on and on with the miracles that God provided such as favor with businesses and how he always had the right people show up just when we needed them.

The project was completed at 5 a.m. 6 days later. On Sunday after church, Wanda was picked up in a limo and brought to the revealing. Needless to say, her life has been changed. The longer I am the pastor here, the more I realize I do not deserve to lead this group of people. This church is made up of a group of people with selfless attitudes and a willingness to follow the heart of God. They preached a message to a community every day for seven days of this project with their sacrifice. I am humbled to work beside them.

Jennifer asked me to post some before and after pictures of the house, I am still trying to track those down. However, if you would like to see the video, you can go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rj9oWXx7j6o.

Vacation

The Ross family is on VACATION! We're in Orlando for a few days (shocking development), just the 4 of us.

We used to take a lot of trips with other families and friends,and still enjoy doing that. But as life gets more hectic and the kids get older, we have found a haven in getting away alone.
Check back this week, if you're interested, and I'll try to post some fun stuff about our vacation. Otherwise, have a great week!

True Colors

Just returned from our "Pink Impact" ladies retreat. We had 50 ladies attend Friday & Saturday. I won't bore you with all the details, but everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves and had a good time.

We had some wonderful times of fellowship, great giveaways, fun games, and of course FOOD! Friday night Heather Baker led us in worship and I spoke on "6 Steps to Restoring Relationships":
1) Ask God for help -Job 22:23
2) Affirm Value- Phil. 2:3
3) Acknowledge Your Responsibility & Sin- Gal. 6:3-5
4) Allow People to be Human- Eph. 4:2
5) Adjust to Their Needs-Phil. 2:4
6) Give Up Your Rights- Gal. 5:13-15

We stayed up LATE Friday night hanging out---Room 422 was out of control! I know this because I had the adjoining room of 424.

Saturday morning we had a cool panel Q & A with the pastor's wives and then Bonnie Cowan brought a great message on maintaining your "covering".

I just felt like everybody was relaxed and could really show their True Colors and let people get to know them. We all need times like these to know and be known!

New Frontline CD

Just got word of a new Frontline CD (Phoenix Master's Commission) that either has just been released or will be soon. Click the picture (to their MySpace) or the link (to their website) for a 4 song preview. They were awesome at Englewood in Summer '06. Can't wait for the whole CD!

Amazing Love

God's grace & His love are simply amazing! We used this video recently as a "bridge" between worship songs, leading into the song "Amazing Love". Angela is part of our worship team and God has worked mightily in her life.

Amazing love, how can it be
That You my King would die for me
Amazing love, I know it's true
And it's my joy to honor You
In all I do, I honor You

Watch Angela's testimony of where God has brought her from.

Fire Away

We have a Prayer Partner ministry here at our church that meets rotationally during the Sunday morning services. Each week a team of people, led by a Prayer Captain, pray over the service, guests, and church family. This ministry is so vital to everything we do.

One of our prayer captains, Keith Prince, gave me his team's strategic prayer sheet. I was so impressed with the content, I'll post it in segments. (Most of the content comes from the book God's Armor Bearer).

Today, I want to share with you the illustration on Strategic Prayer. Strategic prayer is likened to firing a rifle and Common Prayer to firing a shotgun. The results vary greatly. Both can get the job done, but a rifle shot can travel a greater distance and has a powerful impact on a specific target. Also, rifles have the ability to rapid fire multiple shots. With a shotgun, you point and spray, hoping to get a few pellets into the target.

While shotgun prayers have their place (when we're in a hurry, emergency, or simply don't know how to pray), rifle prayers have the greater impact. Knowing what you're aiming for and firing in the same direction will yield powerful results. Fire Away!

Lights Out

The Chiefs had a "lights out" performance against the Chargers yesterday. It's about time! There was also a little "lights out" action for the Ross family yesterday. We were invited to some friends' house to watch the game and.....the lights went out! A storm came through at halftime and with one crack of lightning that was it. As much as we stared at the big screen TV, the power never came back on.

Brian gave us a play by play through his phone by candlelight. Thank God for Blackberry's!

Eastpoint 1st Sunday

The first Sunday services were held at Eastpoint Family Church on Sept. 23. There were 41 in attendance in the AM and 76 in the PM! The next few weeks are sort of a "soft opening" with the "Grand Opening" service to be held on Sunday, Oct. 7. Click here for the Eastpoint story.

Pastor Claude Cowan said that everything went great; the sick and needy were prayed for and many responded. Here is a picture of those in attendance: Keep Pastor Claude & Bonnie and Eastpoint in prayer as 1000 door hangers go out Sat. Sept. 29 inviting the community to the Grand Opening. If you would like to help, contact Pastor Claude: claude_cowan@sbcglobal.net

Why, God?

READ TIME: 60 SECONDS (it just looks long!)

Confession: I ask that question a lot! I like to have things figured out, but that's just not the way life unfolds most of the time.

As a pastor's wife, I get to rejoice in all the great things that go on at Englewood. I also hear the negative and feel the burden and pressures of my husband and our staff as they handle problems and issues. It's clear that we're not in control of the good or bad.

As I was thinking and praying today, I read about King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel chapter 4. Daniel had just interpreted some dreams for King Neb which basically said God was going to send the King to live outdoors with the wild animals for 7 years. Sounds like a Brad Oyler dream vacation :)

God was sending him away "...until you learn that the God that rules from heaven is in control."

After the 7 years, Scripture tells us that King Neb prayed to God and his mind was healed. You know, we can let our mind take our spirit into a scary place by constantly questioning God. We all do it, but we must be very careful. King Neb offered this praise to God after his time away, "...God controls the stars in the sky and everyone on this earth. When God does something, we cannot change it or even ask why." (Dan. 4:35b/CEV)

Seems like King Neb got humbled a little. Is it our arrogance that causes us to question? Maybe humility is the key to handling questionable things. Interestingly, God returned King Neb's kingdom to him and the Bible says he "had greater power than ever before."

The Tortoise and The Hare

You know the story. Hare brags. Tortoise challenges. Crowds gather. Hare becomes bored and distracted. Tortoise wins!

We had our annual business meeting last night and I shared a few thoughts about getting where we want to go and being what we want to be as a church. We have a great church, with a lot of great people, and we do a lot of things right. That's the easy part. The hard part is examining what's not so great about Englewood.

Exams (educational, spiritual, and esp. physical!) are no fun. Read this: This Church Is Not Perfect. Most pastors do not like admitting shortcomings about themselves or their churches. But, in order to be what God has called us to be, we have to re-examine the way we do ministry both inside and outside our walls. This is necessary to moving forward.

Ahhh...moving forward. Is it me, or does it seem like some things just take a long time at Englewood? It's easy for me to get frustrated with myself, God, finances, people, facilities, etc. All of these things faced day after day can bog me down. I want things to happen yesterday. I encouraged those at the meeting to stick with us, keep pressing on, get in the game and make a difference in areas that need enhancing.

Remember a few weeks ago I preached a series of messages around finding your call and place. In that series, I said that many times the very thing God is calling us to starts when we become frustrated or burdened for an area or a group of people. Maybe what we are needing as a church to enable us to move forward is found in your area of "Holy Discontent."

A good friend sent me a great encouraging and wise e-mail relating to my frustrations. In summary, they said, "Pastor don't get frustrated. Direction is more important than speed." Whoa. That spoke to me. If we can just keep moving in the right direction, then we'll be in the right place when God's timing kicks in. We've got to reign in our frustrations from getting ahead of God.

It's the Tortoise and The Hare principle: "Don't brag about your lightning pace, for Slow and Steady won the race."

Pink Impact Video

As a church, we're just starting to get our feet wet with videos, etc. and our use of technology to enhance our ministries. We're not where we want to be (See: no website), but with the help of several talented individuals, we've come a long way! This is The Age of Technology. We will embrace it and use it for God's glory.

Click on the graphic above to see a little video we did for our upcoming "Pink Impact" Ladies Retreat. It got a lot of laughs on Sunday. By the way, there's still time to sign up--it's going to be great!

Crunch Time

Well, the new chairs are in. This is only good news if you are 5' tall or less. Or you sit in the balcony. If you were here Wednesday night for the Cowan appreciation service, then you know what I'm talking about.

But it's OK! It was a mistake and the installers will be back on Monday, Oct. 1 to re-install the chairs. We will, however, have to go through 2 Sundays with the short seats. By the way, they look and feel FANTASTIC. Sharp observers will notice that there are a few random rows and an entire section (far right, closest to the nurseries) that were installed at the proper measurements. Tall people are advised to arrive early the next 2 Sundays! :) Does anything ever turn out the way you planned? "Be anxious for nothing..."

Overhaulin

Today was an exciting day! I simply couldn't help myself. All day long I kept sticking my head in and out of the sanctuary to watch the progress. The installers arrived very early and got to work. They first lined the floor, and then placed the screws into the concrete to help anchor the chairs.

A few hours later, the arm rests were almost completely installed with a promise that the seat backs and bottoms will be done on Wednesday. I know this has been a long process, and maybe that 's helping add to the excitement. The sanctuary already looks great! I can't wait to see it finished.

Movie Review: Disney's "The Game Plan"

Earlier this week, the kids and I attended a free preview screening of the upcoming movie, Disney's The Game Plan. It's no secret---ever since 2004's The Passion of The Christ, Hollywood has made efforts to produce more PG family films.

Ironically, Passion was anything but a traditional family film. But film studios recognized a demand for movies that would appeal to conservative values, yet still entertain.

They want our money. We want a selection of movies without cursing, sex, murder, violence, etc. The Game Plan, starring The Rock, Kyra Sedgwick, and Madison Pettis from Disney Channel's "Cory In The House" is good! Squeaky clean, well-known stars, good family fun. It opens on 9/28. Here's the trailer:

Should I Stay Or Should I Go?

Monday night Pastor Claude and I met with 32 people who wanted to know more about our new satellite church, Eastpoint Family Church (video). I couldn't help think of what a significant moment it was for all of us. Sometimes you don't always recognize a God-sized opportunity until later. But I sense God is up to something special at Eastpoint.

One of the really awesome things about a multi-site church is the strength it provides. Click here for an article on the strengths of multi-site. When a church grows, sometimes people don't feel needed or that their spiritual gifts aren't required. That's usually not the case, but that's their perception many times.

When we unselfishly encourage a part of our church to go contribute at an alternate location, it allows those people whose gifts have laid dormant to become re-activated in building God's kingdom. They begin to sense a new satisfaction and fulfillment through serving. Their vacancy also opens up similar doors at the "parent church."

Some wondered about allowing people, some who are leaders in ministry, to leave and serve at the new site. Although it's hard for my flesh to let go sometimes, it was never an issue with my spirit. It is as simple as the Law of Sowing and Reaping. Scripture is clear, "a man (church) reaps what he (they) sow." As we sow into another part of our community for the winning of souls, God promises to bless us abundantly. We become a Reproducing Church.

What are you sowing into the Kingdom? How are you using your gift, talents and strengths for building the people of God and for the saving of souls? Should you stay or should you go? Only God can answer that. Maybe you should take a moment now and ask Him how you can make a difference wherever he places you!

Want to learn more about the multi-site philosophy? Read a great article here on "5 Things Every Pastor Should Know About The Multi-Site Church".

Guy's Night at the "K"

Awesome time last night. 50 or so guys from Englewood and Turning Point invaded the Kauffman Stadium parking lot for a first ever "Tailgating with the Pastors" pre-game cookout followed by Royals vs. Yankees. Great turnout, great food, great weather, great community!

The 'dogs, brats and burgers were good, but seeing the guys connecting was the best. Loved seeing the multi-generations represented too! It's cool to do the "guy thing" with your sons & grandsons once in a while.

I enjoyed being able to get better aquainted with those I see regularly, but don't get to talk to at length. The only bummer of the night, Royals lost. What's new? At least we had fireworks!

Taking Time To Honor

Last night we took time to honor a group of young people for their achievements in Mpact Girls Clubs (formerly Missionettes) and Royal Rangers. I couldn't have been more proud of everyone involved!

The service began by recognizing six new Honor Stars: Hanna Jo Kimble, Angela Nigro, Ainsley Rice, Catherine Rose, Katherine Van Drie, and Caitlyn Wicks. Requirements were: complete 27 badges, complete 9 Honor Steps in the "The World of Truth," earn the 4-step badges of a STAR, read the New Testament, and pass a comprehensive exam.

Royal Rangers recognized three Silver Medal of Achievements: Drew Coletti, Michael Jones, and Matt Pace; and one Gold Medal of Achievement: Christian Prince. Christian completed 30 total merits, service activity within the local church, service in a leadership position within the outpost, Silver Medal of Achievement, and a 500 word essay among many other activities. There are more requirements for earning a GMA than an Eagle Scout Award!

The ceremony included Jerry Millhouser, District Commander; Don Bixler, NW Divisional Commander and Fred Lipowicz, FCF President. The Mayor of Independence, Don Reimal, was also in attendance.

Hats off to those who serve these ministries. All of you did a great job. Last night's service was a testimony of your involvement and influence. Thank You!

New Satellite Church

This past Sunday was Part 2 of our Chase The Lion series. We talked about Facing Fear. One of the points was "Courage is Required".

To illustrate that point, I had the great privilege to announce a new satellite church for Englewood Ministries. It will be pastored by Claude and Bonnie Cowan. Through some miraculous circumstances and a major amount of courage, God has united us with a local church that was no longer having services. And in the process, called Pastor Claude and Bonnie to be in leadership there. Click the above graphic for the video story.

We are asking our Englewood church family to do three things:
1. Pray for the church (formerly Eastside A/G church) and the surrounding community.
2. Pray for Englewood's leadership as we launch this new site and for Pastor Claude and Bonnie as they move into another area of ministry.
3. Pray about your involvement. I am believing God for 40 individuals to go and help serve in ministry along side Pastor Claude and Bonnie.
4. If interested, come to a meeting @ Eastside (directions) on Mon., Sept. 10 at 7:00 p.m.

This is undoubtedly a God thing and we thank Him for the opportunity to serve our community in a new way. Pastor Claude and Bonnie are two Courageous Lion Chasers who are living life in a way that is worth telling stories about.