An Afternoon At Arrowhead

Left: Arrowhead Stadium
Right: The ticket (a real good one)

Left: The blimp
Right: The view

Above: The crew, Roger (white hat) and AJ (yellow shirt)
Outcome: The Chiefs 27 Bengals 20

MasterLife Begins

Below: photo of this sessions' class

Our church has begun the next session of MasterLife. The goal of MasterLife is your discipleship-for you to become like Christ. To do that, you must follow Jesus, learn to do the things He instructed His followers to do, and help others become His disciples. MasterLife was designed to help you make the following definition of discipleship way of life:

Christian discipleship is developing a personal, lifelong, obedient relationship with Jesus Christ in which He transforms your character into Christlikeness; changes your values into Kingdom values; and involves you in His mission in the home, the church, and the world.

I was a student last Fall/Winter in this class and God has used it to continue the mold me into the disciple he wants me to become. In the Spring/Summer, I felt led to help teach the class along with several others that was in the class I was in last session. This Fall/Winter session, there are eleven enrolled and after an opening session we break into small groups...guys and gals. It is amazing to watch as each of these repenters struggle (with such things like; finding quiet time, time to do their daily study; praying with their prayer partner, reading their Bible) as God begins the molding process in each of their lives. I am humbled that God would choose me to once again to help Michelle teach this class. I learned several years ago when you tell God here I am, He will take you way out of your comfort zone to test you...then He will begin to shape you into the person that He can use to do His Will. The question now becomes, will you surrender your will to his...

If you have ever thought about taking the Masterlife class, pray about it and let God lead you to a decision next Spring when another session begins.

Back In Action

Whitney was cleared to return to competition on October 8th after being severely injured by a crank handle (that dislodged from its position on the crank set-up) after practice on September 24th. She suffered a broken nose, fractured orbital socket below her eye, fractured sinus cavity, several stitches (to sew up a puncture wound between her nose and the corner of her eye), quite a bit of pain , and a deep color of black/purple eye that was completely swollen shut for the next two days. In all this, Lila and I know that God was watching over her...her eye had only a small injury and was slightly scratched at the bottom. Her vision and all important parts of her eye ball were not damaged. I do not know what good will come out of Whitney's injury, but Philippians 4:6 (Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.) tells me how to approach God with my concerns. John 15:7-8 says,"If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given to you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." Our children do not belong to us, God has given Lila and I the awesome responsibility to train them up according to what the Bible teaches. I thank God for trusting Lila and I enough to do this job.

The Ordination

You did not choose me, but I choose you, and appointed you to go and bear fruit-fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other. John 15:16-17

In the evening service last Sunday evening, I was ordained as a deacon after serving as a junior deacon since May of 2006. Jerry Palmer (the Director of Missions for our Heartland Baptist Assoc.) served as moderator for the ordination service. The message was delivered by Rev. Tommy Blair. I have known Tommy practically all my life; he was one of my father's dearest and closest friends. I was very honored to have him come and be part of the ordination service . An ordination service is not intended to bring glory to the person being ordained, but to bring glory to Jesus Christ. The scripture above says that I did nothing to be chosen, God does the choosing, I just need to be obedient in what God has planned for my life. I do not know all the specifics of what God has planned for me, as he continues to mold me into the man he desires me to become. The word "deacon" means servant: What an awesome responsibility and privilege it is to be a servant of our savior Jesus Christ.


After the pastors and deacons and passed by us, the congregation was given the opportunity to pass by and pray with us or speak with us during one part of the ordination service. Below are a few photos of some those in attendance stopping by Lila and I.






My Nephew Jayce and my mother (above);
Sister Debbie and husband Daniel at the
reception after service (below).


A big thank you to all those involved in the reception that followed the ordination service...I truly appreciate all the planning and work that was involved.

God Is In Control

Day one, book one, lesson one, first scripture listed under Daily Master Communication Guide (Matthew 6:25-34) of Master Life was about to introduce me to a practical application in my life that afternoon. To make a long story short, my oldest daughter, Whitney was pretty severely injured taking down the volleyball net after practice (around five o'clock). The metal crank struck her between her left eye and the bridge of her nose, requiring her to make a trip to the emergency room. When I arrived to take her from practice (to the emergency room) and saw the injury, I thought her eye would be damaged due to the trauma of the injury. The doctor on call was a skilled surgeon and very diligent as he tended to the injury Whitney had suffered. As far as he could tell, no damage to the lens, pupil, nerves, tear gland or duct, only a scratch or two on the lower part of the eyeball. After a katscan, several episodes of nausea, and pretty sever pain, she was admitted for the night around ten o'clock.

The last verse of scripture says,"Therefore don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Whitney doesn't belong to Lila and me. We have been given the responsibility, by God to raise her the best we can according to what the Bible instructs us to do. She is truly a blessing to us and to those she comes in contact with.

After all the dust settled I know a few things: (1) What are the chances that the crank handle would strike her where the least amount of damage would be done...in man's logic, she was pretty lucky. In God's logic, it hit the spot that would do the least amount of trauma. (2) No broken bones, two fractures. (3) The ear, nose, and throat specialist thought the damaged sinus cavity would heal on its own. (4) The important parts of the eye were not injured (she was given an eye test when she arrived and there was 20/40 vision in the left eye. (5) A skilled surgeon, "happened" to be in the emergency room; nearing the end of his shift. (6) God has even the smallest detail of our life planned out. He doesn't promise to take us out of difficult times, but instead, He promises to take us through them as we learn to trust Him in every difficult time in our life...not to worry. I know ALL things work according to His plan, even though I don't understand many of them.

Tomorrow Whitney goes to the eye specialist; pray that God's will is done in her life.

Sunday School Picnic At Lake Viking

Tonight FBC had their SS picnic at Lake Viking with music and a lake baptism to conclude the evening. Above are some random photos of the evening.

Landon Surrenders, Team 3 Reports

Team 3: Evelyn, Rosemarie, Nancy, and Landon (pictured above) told about their experiences while they were in Romania this past July during the evening worship service. It was evident that first timers, Evelyn and Rosemarie had been touched by their obedience to follow God's call to minister to the people in Galati. Landon (second trip to Romania) told the audience that he knew why God had sent him...to disciple a young lady named Roxanna (Bogdon's sister). While we were there God used Landon to bring her to a place of repentance and a changed life...to begin to follow Jesus. Nancy (fourth trip to Romania) spoke about her adopted Romanian family, Bogdon, Paula, and their two small children, Gabrilla and Robert: They are a very special family to her. God works in our lives many times and we don't know or see the fruits of our labor. But being obedient is the identifying mark of a disciple.


Landon surrendered to God's call to be licensed to be a minister today in the 10:45 a.m. service. He has a passion for the lost of the world, to tell them about the life changing power Jesus can bring into their life. It is truly amazing what God has done in his life...and what He will do as Landon continues to grow .