HALLELUIA!!

As many of you recall, I spoke of the "what, where, why, how, and who" of praise this morning as found in Psalm 150. And how like God to bless us in all 3 of the services as we made it a priority to focus on Him by praising His name. What a wonderful morning as we experienced worship as both a noun and a verb.
Now here's my question for you. What leads you into the holy of holies? What enables you to praise the Lord? What inhibits you from doing so? What can be done in our worship service to better provide an atmosphere for praise and worship? If you are not from Mulvane, I'm curious how you would answer these questions in your setting. Just click the comment button and offer your thoughts. I'm interested in what you have to say.

R & R

ML and I are taking a couple of days to catch our breath following the move and all the transitional stuff. Taking time to "Be still and know that I am God" and time to spend with each other. Praying that God will direct our path as husband and wife, mom and dad, gramps and grammy, and ministers of the gospel.

Staying at a Bed and Breakfast owned by some friends of ours. Great place!

32 YEARS AND COUNTING!!

Believe it or not, Mary Lou and I will be celebrating our 32nd year of marriage this Thursday, August 20. Wow, where does the time go? But let me tell you all this, every day has been a blessing to be married to Mary Lou. For her to put up with me once again proves that God is a God of miracles (Careful with the comments).


Mary Lou, I love you with all my heart. Can't wait to see what the next 32 years have in store for us.

WEDNESDAY WONDERINGS!

Just wondering...

• Do sacred cows really make gourmet hamburgers?
• Did God create humidity or is it a result of "the fall"?
• Did Kevin F. really run a half-marathon on purpose?
• What does "relevant" mean when people talk about the church?
• How do you define "worship"?
• Is facebook a good thing?
• If my grandkids will learn and sing the great hymns of the church?
• If my love for good coffee is a vice or a habit?
• If anyone can truly understand "agape" (unconditional) love?
• If we really can be silent so we may hear the whisper of God?
• Where our country is heading?

Just a few thoughts. Lots more running through my mind. What's on YOUR mind?

CHANGING OIL!

As you know, everything in life is a sermon illustration. Yesterday, I found myself changing the oil in my car. You know, 3,000 miles or every 3 months, whichever comes first. It got me to thinking - we as Christians should be doing the same. Every so often it would "behoove" us to do a little spiritual maintenance. Just like a car's engine that gets full of sludge and slime, dirt and grime, our lives get messy with all sorts of junk. Busyness, wrong priorities, anger, bitterness, frustration, anxiety - on and on. These things begin to take hold of our lives and it's not long until our productivity, effectiveness, witness, and impact for Christ is reduced. Needless to say, "it's time for an oil change". Confession and repentence are 2 of the great spiritual engine cleaners that can keep us running smoothly for Jesus. As a result, "the old has gone, the new has come" (2 Cor. 5:17). And we all know how much better a new clean engine runs than one that has been neglected, run down, and ruined because of bad maintenance. So, if you feel bogged down, it might not hurt to check your spiritual dipstick. You might be due for a spiritual oil change.



Have a great week!!

"JUST" US!

Wow! We've been in Mulvane almost a month now. It's hard to believe! We are slowly getting settled but still have a lot to do. We don't have anything on the walls yet but we're getting there. The pics above are of the house with a rock with our name out front. One of our neighbors made that for us. Ironically his wife grew up only about 6 miles from me or so. Small world.

Things are busy at church - meeting new people all the time. I am trying my best to take it slow but for those of you who know me, it's hard to pull in the reigns. Mostly I am trying to observe, listen, evaluate, pray, pray, and pray. I have lots of idea but there is plenty of time to address them at a later date.

It's been great having ML at home. Hopefully it can stay that way. We'll see. One thing for sure, it's weird being so close to things - stores, restaraunts, family, etc.. But I think we'll manage.

Had the privilege of going to Leah Rankin's wedding on Saturday at Winfield. A wonderful Christian service. Steve (her dad) officiated and did an awesome job. He only cried 2,3,4,5 times or so. That a boy, Steve.

God is indeed good. I pray you are experiencing Him to the fullest. Have a blessed week!

"AWAY FROM WORK" - THE ASHRAM

Just returned from the Kansas Christian Ashram at Sterling where I was the Bible teacher for the week. I used a theme of "greatness" - The Great Sermon, The Great Commandment, The Great Commission, and The Great Life. It was a "Great" time! "Ashram" is a Hindi word which means away from work and the concept was transferred to a Christian time for spiritual retreat by a former missionary to India, E. Stanley Jones. At the Ashram, an evangelist, a Bible teacher, a youth leader, and a children's leader work with the various ages of those who attend to offer some Christian teaching, Christian fellowship, and just some plain old fun together. It was a real privilege to work with Todd ( my son), Mary Beth, (my sister-in-law), and Kevass (my brother in Christ) for the four days together. It was also a great time with my wife, ML, and little Owen (grandson) and Melissa (daughter-in-law). The pics below show some of what was going on. It was a blessed time. Hope some of you can go next year.

Mary Beth with the kids as they told us about Joseph. She did such a great job!

Grammy (Mary Lou) with little Owen. Can't tell they are having fun, can you?

Todd teaching the youth during one of the their sessions. Uses his hands to talk like someone else I know.

Kevass Harding was our evangelist teaching us about Godly character - Obedience, joy, patience, and self-control. He was awesome!

Notice, my mouth isn't open. Thus a miracle occurred at Ashram! (no comments Jo)

GETTING SETTLED

Just a quick update. I have some pics I want to show and some things to talk about but time does not allow this morning.

• God is good! He remains faithful even in the craziest of times.

• Thanks to all you Leotians for your help in the transition and for the wonderful sendoff a couple weeks ago. (A formal thank you is coming)

• Thanks to all of you from Mulvane who have so graciously welcomed us. It is deeply appreciated, more than you know.

• God is definitely at work. I've had some great conversations with some folks, churched and unchurched. We better fasten our seat belts.

• We finally have our utilities straightened out. Wow - what a hassle. But we're good to go.

• And yes, JESUS IS LORD!!

WE HAVE ARRIVED!

Well, it definitely has been a moving experience. Something I don't want to do in a long long long time. We arrived in Mulvane around 9:45 pm on Tuesday evening. Had to unload the aquarium at the church - yes, the fish all lived. The truck came Wednesday morning a little after 8. Finished by 1:00. Then the process of unpacking. Still looking for things. Couldn't find a black belt so I went to Dollar General and bought one - (had to help with a funeral on Thursday). Couldn't find coffee either- woe was me! But overall, the move went great and the movers did a fantastic job. Nothing damaged.

A special thanks to all you Leotians for helping with the boxing, packing, loading, and house preparation for the Howards. You are and always will be a blessing. You will never be forgotten. Please make the Howards feel as welcome as you did us.

For you folks in Mulvane, thanks for all the hard work for the painting, the new dividing wall, the food, the warm welcome and for seeing that any needs that we might have are being met. It is deeply appreciated. We are slowly getting thing unpacked but it will be awhile.

It is so great to be a part of the church, the body of Christ, that no matter where we are, we are a part of the family of God. Stay tuned. Hope to do a better job of updating. Blessings to you all!

TICK, TOCK!!

Time is ticking away. Only a few days left to do a months worth of work. Thanks to all of you who are praying for an extra measure of grace during these days. Believe me, it is needed. Have to go.. I'll keep you posted.

PASS THE ROGAINE!

Okay, I'm beginning to pull out my hair. The move is 2 weeks away, a garage sale just completed, we're in the thick of VBS, a wedding to officate this weekend, boxes to pack, the last "this", the last "that" etc. etc.. So needless to say, the blogging is minimal. How can you beat last week's anyway? The little princess!!

In the midst of it all the Lord is good, He sustains, He provides, He gives strength. So, knowing that, I keep on keepin on - "pressing on" as I said Sunday morning. So here's to a good couple of weeks in Jesus! (I covet your prayers.)

GRANDBABY #3

God has blessed us once again as we are the proud grandparents of our first little grandbaby girl named Adelyn Anne Just - daughter of Eric and Andrea and sister of Brayden.

Adelyn was born June 4 at 2:11 p.m. - 8# 6 oz., 21 inches long and is doing fine.

Thank God for kids!!

BABIES, BOXES, & BROKEN TEETH!

Okay, so this is a little wierd, but that's what moving will do to you. Yesterday was such a great day in worship as we celebrated Pentecost. The Spirit was truly present. But today is Monday and I could use a little Pentecost even as I write. All this leads me to the letter B. (Told you this blog is wierd).


First, and most important, is the fact that I am going to be a grandpa again come this Thursday. Grand "B" aby #3 is on the way - a girl! Eric and Andrea are scheduled to be mom and pop Thursday in Topeka barring Andrea going into labor before then. So keep them in you prayers if you would. Gramps and Grammy will be heading to the big city the end of the week.


Which leads me to the 2nd "B". Saturday I was eating breakfast and felt something strange in my mouth and I knew it wasn't bacon. Sure enough, half of one my back molars on top broke. That's what happens when you don't brush (kidding). Anyway, I am scheduled for a crown or a tooth to be pulled on Thursday in Salina on the way to Topeka. Is that crazy or what??


Now, for the 3rd "B". Boxes, boxes, boxes! Will it ever end? My office at church is a shambles and the basement of the house is close behind. We are trying to keep the upstairs somewhat respectable. The move is scheduled for Tuesday the 30th. We plan on taking a load to Mulvane a week or so before. We'll see.


So, "B" praying for us if you would be so kind. Time is getting short. Bless you all!

P.R.

(p.s. - go to Todd's blog and vote for his ugly backyard. Click on yard D when it directs you to vote - thanks)

MONDAY MEANDERINGS!!

First of all, I want to thank all who prayed for me on Friday when I preached at the Memorial service at Annual Conference in Salina. I truly felt your prayers - no doubt about it. Thank you! As far as the rest of Annual Conference, all went well. Debate was civil. Worship was good. The ordination service was wonderful. The KfUMR banquet was a blessing. And the fellowship throughout the week was great. However, I did come home exhausted! Now, a few thoughts:

• One month until we move. Our house is beginning to be a mess. Boxes all over the place. It looks like the 29th of June is the move date. (Maybe the 30th)

• Kyle leaves for Dallas on Friday for the summer. Keep him in your prayers - traveling mercies, as well as a great summer of learning and growing in the Lord.

• Anticipating the birth of a granddaughter within a few weeks. Pray for Andrea (and Eric and Brayden). Can't wait!

• If you are having trouble with the church's website it may be because of the browser update. Those who have updated to Explorer 8 are not able to open the links for some reason. We're checking on it.

• Check Todd's blog (toddjust.blogspot.com) and vote for him to get a new landscaped backyard. He's leading the vote. Help him win it.

• Does anyone read this blog?

• NBA playoffs? Again, does anyone care??

• Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus everyone. Have a great week!!

THE "ANNUAL" ANNUAL CONFERENCE

I leave in the morning for Salina where I will be attending the Kansas West Annual Conference in which I am a member. It will be a busy week as I attend a Board of Ordained Ministry Meeting at 1:30 tomorrow until?? The evening will be the clergy session which will get us started for the conference. Wednesday morning I will have to drive to Wichita to pick up Kim Reisman, our speaker for the Kansans for United Methodist Renewal banquet. I am in charge of the banquet which will be at Grand Ave UMC around 5:30 pm. Should be fun.

Thursday will be busy as we begin debating the various ammendments to the Church's constitution being proposed by General Conference. Pray that all will be civil and that God's will be done. There will also be great plenaries with Bishop Schnase speaking several times. I am looking forward to that. In the evening will be the ordination service which is a great milestone for those who have been working through the process.

Friday morning at 11:00 am I will be preaching for the Memorial Service at the conference. If any of you are in the area, I invite you to come. The rest of the day will consist of the setting of the appointments by the Bishop followed by whatever business we need to do to finish the work of our time together.

Please keep me in your prayers. It is a busy week. Pray that God will be pleased with us as we gather to "conference" together.

THANK GOD FOR KIDS!

Had a great weekend in Salina with Owen turning the big #1. All our kids were there including Brayden, our other grandson. What a wonderfult time. We are blessed, blessed indeed!

Owen and Brayden having fun together.

Gramps and Grammy with the little man.

Firing up the Kawasaki

Ah yes, Gramps and Owen cheezing it up.

Ashram - "away from work".

Just returned from Estes Park Colorado where I spoke at the Colorado Ashram. "Ashram" is a word that in India means "away from work". It is a time to spend in worship, prayer, teaching, fellowship and centering on Jesus as Lord. I spoke 4 times between Friday night and Sunday morning and had a great time - speaking on the Great Sermon (Sermon on the Mount), the Great Commandment, and the Great Commission with a healing service in between. We met at a lodge on the outskirts of Estes Park - wow what scenery! It was beautiful. I even was interrupted by a couple of elk walking behind the lodge while I was preaching. Unbelievable! God blessed us all. Thanks to Dorothy Davis from Oklahoma for contacting me to speak.

You might notice the elk in the background. It was a cow and its coat was shedding so it looks pretty shabby. There were a lot more in the area but I didn't have my camera at the time I saw them.

This is the lodge where we met. It had a wonderful meeting room, a kitchen, and sleeping quarters. Great place to meet.

Yeah, that's me preaching on the great commandment to love God and love others.

Mary Lou and I at the entrance to the Glacier Lodge. It was pretty cold at the time. It even snowed on Saturday night.

Read Psalm 8. That's what went through my mind.

WEEKEND WONDERINGS?!?!

• If Jesus didn't rise from the dead, why bother?

• How can we keep offering bail out money when we have no money?

• Does the world stop for the NFL draft?

• Is it okay for Christians to smile?

• Do all animals go to heaven or is it just dogs?

• Is moving of the devil? If only I could snap my finger and it would be done.

• Who is the lady who talks on the GPS devices? And where does she live? And what about the guy on the weather channel?

• And can it be that I should gain, an interest in the Savior's blood? Died , He for me, who caused His pain?

• How about some comments? I'm interested in what you have to say.

BEARING FRUIT!

GOD SQUAD!

What a couple of clowns!

Part of the God Squad crew at the children's Easter party.

Aimee teaching the kids about the Passover/Last supper

About 6 years ago we sensed God doing something in our midst as it pertained to the kids in our community. So by the seat of our pants we began a ministry called "God Squad" for kids ages 5-6th grade. The first year was pretty much a hodge podge of ideas that reached mostly the kids of the church. We probably averaged about 18-20. Well, as God would have it, the vision turned into reality as we now have seen the fruit of what God was up to, should we just pay attention. And because of the help of many volunteers we have been averaging between 70-80 kids on a Wednesday after school and evening that involves a meal, drama, high energy music, scripture memory, a lesson, and prayer. And the greatest thing - most of those attending now are unchurched kids who are hearing for the first time of God's love for them through His Son Jesus. So praise Jesus for His most unbelievable work. And thank you to all who have helped over the years. Carry on, good and faithful servants!

HE IS RISEN!!

HE IS RISEN!

HE IS RISEN INDEED!!

There ain't no grave, gonna hold this body down!!