Grow2Go

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  • Friday, January 27, 2012

  • Matthew 28:18-20 / Acts 1:8

    Our mission is the "equipping of God's people THRU God's Word for doing God's work in God's world."

    The Great Commission, simply stated is this,  "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." Matthew 28

    His name is engraved on the memorial wall. But long before he lost his life on the fields of Vietnam conflict, he found his life by simple faith in Christ. His name was forever engraved in the Lamb's Book of Life.

    My Mom would often restrict our playtime, probably for good cause. The kid next door seemed to be--at times--a bad "mix" for me. The neighbor's calves just begged to be ridden! And the out-building on the boundary line of our two properties was an incredible launch pad for early Super Man flights. If mischief had a logo, the images of Larry and Tom would have fit it well.

    One afternoon on a day of creative energy burning, two neighbor boys got into a serious discussion regarding matters of life and death. The conversation ended with an eternal conversion. Having heard the good news of eternal life as a free gift offered to all who would believe, the time seemed right for a declaration of commitment. My childhood buddy and I knelt by my red American Flyer wagon and he "asked Jesus to come into his heart." We were only in the first grade…but one of us was a brand new baby. Larry had been born again!

    Unleashing the Church: Finding Your Fit and Blessing the Family 1 Cor. 12

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  • Friday, January 20, 2012

  • Unleashing the Church: Finding Your Fit and Blessing the Family 1 Cor. 12

    An insignificant village became the launch pad of world evangelism. Simply because of the faithfulness of one selfless saint!

    In the hands of God, the seemingly unimportant becomes great. Such is the tale of one of the cities founded by one of Noah’s three sons. Thirty-five miles to the northeast of Jerusalem stands one of the world’s oldest seaport villages. Though hardly memorable for its own sake, the very mention of its name produces a flood of stories in the minds of those who read the Scriptures. Joppa!

    Seeking to provide the finest materials the world had to offer for the construction of one of the world’s most significant projects, Kings David and Solomon imported cedar trees from the north nation of Lebanon. The logs were first placed into the sea and floated south to the seaport of Joppa where they were then transported 35 miles over land to Jerusalem. There they were milled for glorious adornment for the temple of the Living God.

    Loving God but hating certified sinners, Jonah ran west when his commission from the Lord should have sent him east. From the ancient seaport of Joppa he boarded a ship for the 2600-mile journey to Spain.

    Some three and a half centuries before the birth of Jesus, the booted heels of the warriors of Alexander the Great’s conquering armies struck the cobblestone pavement of the city of Joppa. By the end of the first century A.D. those same stones became a riverbed for the flowing blood of the 8400 Jews who were bludgeoned to death at the hands of the Roman army.

    Equipping For Serving

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  • Friday, January 13, 2012

  • Back in the day, we called it "Going Cheap." Today I think it would be called, "Going Green." If you visit our home, you will notice that we live with lots of furniture bearing the "patina of life." Each well-worn piece has its own story to tell. (Linda worries that I will bore you by telling their story for them. :-)

    We learned the value and promise of furnishing a home with reclamation pieces from the example and coaching of Pastor Moore. Our meager possessions, after five years of Bible college, were far from sufficient to outfit our first parsonage. But Pastor Dewey and his wife, Ruth, proudly displayed their amazing collection of beautifully restored antiques. Most were either hand-me-downs from church members or rescued from the trash before the refuse truck hauled them away. So thirty-eight years ago, Pastor Dewey taught us the basic principles of restoring the broken and discarded and making them useful for service.

    The Household of God is well-furnished with the "patina of life." God has graciously and miraculously rescued, restored, refurbished and renewed lives that were broken and discarded. Paul describes these as "trophies of grace." God has taken what was no longer useable and "equipped us for His service." His grace is making us useful again. He is doing this work in His world through His Word in His Church!

    In the corner of our living stands our pride and joy. The grand wardrobe cabinet has an amazing story to tell. We went northwest of G-burg to the Puhls' farm auction. The merchandise to be sold was remarkable for its age and its variety. We were optimistic that we would successfully outbid others for some select piece to "equip." We were wrong. The number of collectors and dealers present blew the prices out of the budget of this Baptist preacher. And the one piece we had set our hearts on shocked us the most. Bound together with bailing twine, nearly black because of its aged varnish finish, it attracted numerous bidders. Its price quickly blitzed $100 and it was finally sold to an elderly gentleman wearing bottle-top glasses. We concluded he simply did not know what he bought. Until...

    Six months later we visited a neighbor's backyard barn. As the in-laws surveyed his inventory of restored antiques, Linda and I were stopped in our tracks. There stood the grand wardrobe cabinet. It was a gorgeous golden oak masterpiece, fully restored to its original beauty, but now with an incredible story to tell. Seeing our love for it, he offered it to us at a steal.

    The household of the Lord, which is what we are as the Church, is marvelously furnished with reclaimed discards, masterfully reclaimed and restored. We who were totally useless are being mended for His glorious use. We are being "equipped."

    "For we are His workmanship, created (recreated!) in Christ Jesus for good works..." Ephesians 2:10

    We were going cheap...rather...we are going "green." In the corner of our living room today stands a masterpiece with its own story to tell!

    See you Sunday, Church!
    Pastor Tom 

    You can tell them, "Pastor Tom says I don't have to go to church anymore!"

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  • Friday, January 6, 2012


  • I think my record is 53. Understand that I am seriously IT challenged. I finally get the concept that perhaps my MacBook is running slow because of embedded 'cookies' and cleaning those out often restores power. But when my iPhone slowed, I had to turn to my 10-year-old granddaughter for help. With the double tap of the lower button, she began to close Apps. "Papa, did you know you had 53 Apps running? That is amazing!"

    As we, the Faith Family, rapidly approach our 20th birthday (April 25, 2013), it seems appropriate to do a ministry "re-boot." We will no longer be considered adolescent but instead fall into the category of adulthood. As the years of our youth fade in the rear-view mirror, excitement grows as we lean forward to grab hold of those unique opportunities for which the Father has been preparing us. Now is the time to take inventory.

    · Are we the Church He called us out to be?

    · Are we faithfully doing all He has tasked us to do?

    · Are we on mission?

    · Are we as effective as His grace would cause us to be?

    To prepare ourselves to passionately and purposefully seize our moment in HIS-story, we must pause to review our core values, reaffirm our foundational convictions and refocus our ministry endeavors. Over time, 'cookies' have become embedded and 'apps' which are no longer in use, remain in place. It's time to check the embedded cookies. Time for a double click and perhaps close some apps. Simply put, it is time for a ministry "re-boot." This is Faith Mission 2012!

    We will look at the "who" and the "why" questions. We will declare again the clarity of our mission. Our corporate gatherings during the Sundays of January will be built around the theme, "I Am the Church."

    Mission 2012: Reboot Faith!

    So, go ahead and tell them, "Pastor Tom says I don't have to 'go' to church anymore!"

    See you Sunday, Church!

    Pastor Tom