JANUARY UPDATE

In keeping with my new format, I wanted to give you an update on how the beginning of the year has gone. I'm always worried when we go through a season where things drop off a little. The ever-present question is "Is this temporary and going to reverse soon or is it a trend that should invoke mind-numbing panic?"

Well, we had a little "Holiday Season Droop" but we've rebounded well the first of the year. I've started focusing on our adult numbers (because they give a more accurate measurement). We had 52 adults last Sunday and 47 this Sunday, so things are going well; everyone is excited and encouraged. Good times. 2009 is going to be great!

This year I'm intensely focused on taking some serious strides in my personal leadership. I've set some ambitious goals and I'm really excited about the shifts taking place. Here's some of what I'm doing in 2009:

- I will read 52 books.

- I will read 30 chapters of Scripture a week.

- I will lead a Pastor's Network with area pastors so that we can take Jesus' church to the next level.

- I will lead Redeemer to average 100 adults by the end of 2009.

- I will finish a marathon in 2009. I'm looking at Fargo, ND to knock out a marathon and check off three new states on my list.

Just figured I'd get those out there . . .

Here's the thing . . . these are some of the easier things that need to take place. If they are to happen, there are deeper things that have to take place. People need to throw themselves on Jesus' grace, attitudes need to change, obstacles have to be moved, in short, God has to come through.

We really need your prayers to see these things happen.

Several things that I am particularly burdened for this year are:

- People to encounter and follow Jesus. I'm tired of playing around. Time is short and people need Jesus.

- Training leadership. Honestly, I've always been lousy at this. I need serious help with this.

- Financial provision. We need to be able to stand on our own two feet by the end of the year. That's a big step.

Grace and peace.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I spent the other night reviewing the things that God has done in 2008. It's been a really exciting year.

We've seen:

- 3 people baptized (and we already have 2 waiting for this year).

- Redeemer grow from my family of 5 to an average of 62.

- Jared Totten join us as Worship Pastor. He's doing an incredible job. We've also added Matt LeFeber who plays bass and djimbe (hand drum).

- Over 30 adults participate in Community Groups in the Fall semester.

- I was accepted and participated in a Pastor's Coaching Network with Nelson Searcy. It was probably the greatest thing I've done to grow as a Pastor.

- We helped furnish a new home for a single mother who lost everything she had in a fire.

- Almost every week, we get a comment about how God is at work in people's lives. One example is this note I received - "By the way, great service today! It was like you heard our conversation on the way to church! It seemed like you were talking directly to us! Kind of scary:)

Requests for 2009:

1. God, make me the leader that I need to be to help Redeemer fulfill all that God wants for her. If Redeemer is going to take the next step as a church, I have to take the next step as a leader.

2. God, help me to ask, equip, and involve people in your work at Redeemer. I have to do a better job of asking people to get involved, casting vision for them, and working with them to find the best fit for their gifts.

3. God, give us 100 adults a week in 2009. This would basically double what we have now and allow us to become self-sufficient. Most of our support is ended this year and the rest will cease at the end of 2009, so that is an important goal.

I'm excited about 2009 and the plans that we have. God is doing some amazing things in bringing people together. I look back and see that He has been in control and provided at every step. Thank God, He never changes!

One final administrative note:

Everybody's been asking why I haven't been posting the blog as often. Quite frankly, I've gotten a little burned out on it. It seems like I keep saying the same things over and over.

I'm planning to re-focus on posting once a month (probably around the 15th). That way, I can give you a picture of what the month looked like, as well as more in depth requests that you can pray for. Additionally, it will allow me to concentrate my efforts so that I can post on the blog and get the newsletter out. Lately, I've gotten neither done.

11/17/08 UPDATE

So I've been reminded by several people that I haven't updated the blog in a few weeks. 2 reasons - I've been really busy and I've gotten tired of just saying the same things.

With that said, I'll try to bring you up to speed.

We've been in the low 60's in attendance every week.

I had one person indicate that he wanted to become a follower of Jesus and be baptized. I'll be following up with him.

I've had several great discussions with relatively new attenders. I always get excited hearing from people who haven't been going to church that get involved with Redeemer.

You can pray for us as we are making our plans for next year. There are tons of things to be planned - community groups, outreach events, sermons and worship services, budget . . . It's just all a bit overwhelming at the moment.

10/27/08 UPDATE

We had a great day on Sunday. Actually, it was a great week for me. I spent a lot of time reviewing where we are and where we've been and its been great to see God's faithfulness.

We had a celebration service. Jared had a couple of friends come in, so we had a full band and spent most of the service singing and worshiping. I set a record for the shortest sermon I've ever preached (which isn't saying much).

Here's some of what I shared with the church:

The first two weeks of the year we had 25 people (after 16 to close out the last Sunday of the year - Yikes!).

We averaged 42 for the year until September.

Our previous high attendance was 74 - 50 adults and 24 kids. Our second highest attendance was 62.

During the last 7 weeks, 5 times we had more than 62 people. We averaged 60 for that time.

The last two Sundays, we've had 50 adults and 49 adults (our record is 50).

We had about 80 different adults attend during those 7 weeks.

We had 32 adults participate in groups.

Twice we set a record for offering.

Following the service, we baptized 3 people. There are several others who want to be baptized but couldn't participate on Sunday.

In short, its been a good several weeks. I challenged everyone to continue to do the things that they did to get us here - invite their friends, read the Bible, join a group, serve, and take the next step.

It's a good time to be at Redeemer. Thanks for your help in making it happen by praying and supporting.

10/20/08 UPDATE

What a week! I traveled a lot this week. It was good stuff, but it was tiring.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, Jared and I traveled to Tampa. I had my coaching network, which was challenging as usual. This month, there was a training time for worship pastors as well. There were several things that really "clicked" for me. I'm really excited about the next couple of months.

On Friday and Saturday, Jacqueline and I went down to Kansas City. She ran her first marathon and finished in 4:37. I was really proud of her - she set a big goal and did what was necessary to get it done.

I was really kind of struggling on Sunday. You just never know from week to week what can happen. I was pretty tired, so my faith and energy were on low ebb. At 5 till there was only one other family in worship. However, God came through yet again. During the second song, I started noticing movement as people were coming in. We ended up with a great crowd - 63 (with 50 adults). Again, we had several first time guests.

Pray for me in the coming weeks. There is a ton of stuff to get done . . . and most of it involves some concentrated time to think things through, plan them out, write it down. Really exciting, but necessary, stuff.

Also, we're having a celebration service this Sunday. After that, we'll be having a baptism and cookout. Pray for me as I follow up with several people to see if they are going to participate. I know I have several opportunities to share the gospel through it.

10/13/08 UPDATE

Growth is good . . . but it can come with pain. Just ask a growing boy. The pains usually aren't debilitating, just uncomfortable. Well, good news/bad news is that we're growing. With that growth comes pain and discomfort. Every time we add another 20 people or so, it requires adjustments. Pray for us in that process - particularly regarding our children's ministry.

Yesterday was great. The numbers were down (47), but we still had a good day.

One praise - we had a lady commit to following Jesus last week. She was back yesterday and really excited about it. I also made arrangements for our first baptism on Oct. 26th. We're renting the pool at the Holiday Inn Express. It should be fun. There are around 10 people who have expressed an interest in being baptized, so I'll be following up on them. Pray for them!

Also, we have a busy week this week. I'm going to Tampa tomorrow for my coaching meeting. Jared (our worship pastor) is accompanying me on this trip for a coaching meeting of his own. Pray that we will have a productive couple of days.

I get back and go to Kansas City on Friday with Jacqueline. She is running a marathon on Saturday (her first). She's a little nervous, so pray that it goes well for her. It's a big accomplishment and she's excited.

10/06/08 UPDATE

Another awesome day yesterday. It is so cool to be in the middle of God at work. We had between 59 and 62 yesterday. I'm not exactly sure.

We had 19 kids again (of that I'm sure). We're trying to add more structure so that the little boogers don't take over the asylum. Pray for me as I try to find ways to help people lead their families spiritually.

We had 6 first time guests yesterday. One came because she had been listening to our services on the website (thanks Rick!). I had to explain that 2 out of the 3 aren't me due to technical difficulties. We'll see if she liked me or the other guy better!

I preached on suffering. Not really the most exciting subject. When I'm preaching on a subject like that, I always like to see it in the rearview mirror. I got up this morning, went to the gym, put on my headphones and fired up the next sermon on my podcast list. What did he preach about . . . suffering. Makes you wonder.

9/29/08 UPDATE

I was worried about yesterday. We had several people out. Once we got to the school, we had "issues". We kept turning off the lights and then a few minutes later, they would just turn back on. The computer just stopped working. We finally got it started and then it died again just as we were going to start worship. It was a crazy day all the way around.

Despite all that, we set another record for our second highest Sunday. Keep praying we break 74 cause I get tired of typing "second highest." We had 65 (46 adults/19 kids). Again, we had several first time guests. Again, they were there because someone invited them.

In addition to that, we had 30 adults in Community Groups last week.

Please pray this week, because I am working through several difficult projects.

- I am attempting to finalize some of the documents that we need to have to receive members and become an "official" church. I think God's ok with us, but I have to square it with my "superiors":).

- I am preparing for an upcoming series through the Gospel of Luke. Pray for God to open the Scriptures for me and give me understanding.

- I am meeting with someone concerning a possible mission trip to Mexico.

09/22/08 UPDATE

Great day yesterday! We had 63 (47 adults/16 children). That is the second highest attendance we've had. We also set a record for offering received for the second week in a row.

This all followed up a week where we had 23 people attend Community Groups. We have three groups and I only attend and lead one - that's a big victory. In the past, I had to be at and/or lead them all. Every one seems to be going well.

I can't express how proud I am of our church. Every week I preach way too long and get in everybody's face. Every week they take the challenging things God has to say and respond positively to them. I've tackled money twice and people responded by tithing. We hit evangelism and people started praying for their friends and inviting them to church. Almost everyone serves and works to make things happen. It's a great place to be!

SPECIAL REQUEST - 9/20/08

***Just got an update (9/24). The lady (Deb) had surgery yesterday. She made it through fine and is now in ICU due to the severity of the surgery. They removed the tumor and 20 miniature arms. Thanks for praying.

One of our members asked that I post a special request on here. She works with Scott and his mother has cancer. They have been treating it unsuccessfully with chemo. She will undergo surgery on Monday to remove her kidney and the tumor. The surgery requires that they move most of the organs in her abdomen, so it is very difficult and risky.

Please pray for her.

9/16/08 UPDATE

Most guys like to find ways to gauge interest in their blogs by encouraging comments. I've found the best way is to simply not post anything:)

Actually, things have been crazy busy around here. Good crazy, but crazy nonetheless.

Sunday was really cool. We had 60 (45 adults/15 children). That's our third biggest Sunday to date. I think we could have had a bigger turnout if I had done a lot more mass publicity, but I chose to challenge everyone to take responsibility for their own neighborhoods, friends, family, etc.

It was cool to see everyone seated with their friends. We had 8 first or second time guests. Of them, 6 were invited by a friend. I heard/saw several people who are admittedly not close to God making comments, taking books, signing up for groups. Pretty exciting stuff.

We also had 30 people sign up for Community Groups. Our first group was last night and they all said it went well.

One final note of praise - our treasurer told me that we had the largest single offering to date. We've paid for everything involved with the campaign and God provided all that was needed. One thing I've learned in this process is that when you use money for evangelism, God sends it back to you.

I'm really excited about the way that people are taking steps to follow Jesus. I can't really explain it all . . . but trust me . . . people are taking huge steps to put Jesus first. I'm really proud of them.

Keep praying for us, I'm excited to see what God does through the next 40 days.

09/01/08 UPDATE

Sorry I'm late. Things seem to be coming together around here even though it feels like they're coming apart. As we ramp up for the 9/14 service, there is all kinds of stuff to be done. It's exciting, but crazy.

Sunday we had a good crowd, especially since it was Labor Day. We had 42 (29 adults/13 children).

Pray for us this week:

- On Friday, Jared and I meet with the students at a local Christian college to see if any are interested in some on the job training with Redeemer.

- That our work will be efficient and effective in the coming weeks.

- Wisdom as we put together our community groups that begin on the 14th.

- I am preparing for my Coaching Network next week, too.

- Our mailing will be going out in the next day or two. I am also encouraging everyone to invite their friends. Pray that the invitations will be fruitful.

08/24/08 UPDATE

Yesterday was a weird one. Our total numbers were way down - mainly because we had almost no children. We only had 4 and we usually have 15 or so. It was just a strange confluence of events.

There were several really good things that took place. I had one couple commit to leading a small group. Another agreed to host a church fellowship at their house. We also had lunch after church and 23 people came. We had a good time getting to know one another.

The service was pretty challenging yesterday. I had a few cards that we will be mailing out for our service on the 14th and challenged people to come up and take one if they would use it to invite someone. The first person to do it was a lady who was at church for the first time! Several people took one and I had them put the person's name on it and we prayed for all those who would be invited.

I'm excited to see what's going to happen!

08/18/08 UPDATE

We had 47 yesterday (33 adults/14 children). We had 4 first time guests. One was from a family where the wife came a few weeks ago and brought her husband back this week, so that's a good sign. The worship was especially good - we've added a guy who plays the bass and djembe.

I've really been praying for new people and salvations the past few weeks. We stared mailing hand-written cards to people who have moved into the neighborhood. Pray for fruit from them. Also, I received notice that there were 3 people who accepted Christ at the Sturgis motorcycle rally through a evangelistic outreach there. They all live in our neighborhood and I was given their contact information. Please pray for the follow up on that.

Continue praying for our upcoming launch on September 14th. I'm working on the Community Groups this week. There is a lot to prepare, but it sure is getting exciting.

Remember to pray for:

- 100 people on the 14th
- 80 people in small groups
- 5 salvations
- $5,000 to pay for it

08/11/08 UPDATE

The meeting I asked you to pray for last week went really well. We had 13 people at the house on Wednesday. I shared with them our goal to have 100 people in attendance on September 14, 2008. I asked the question, "What would it take for us to have 100 people in attendance?" and got some really great ideas and feedback. As we talked, it really created a "buzz" and people got excited. I even had a few that said we should have more than a 100.

They are also following through on a lot of the things we discussed. It's really exciting. I asked everyone to commit to 4 things:

1. Pray for three lost friends daily and prayerwalk their neighborhood once a week.
2. Invite 3 friends on September 14th.
3. Give 10% of their income to God's work.
4. Serve by contributing at least one hour a week.

I also asked them to pray for some specific goals. I'd like to ask you to pray for them too. Ask God to:

- send 100 people to Redeemer on September 14th.
- save 5 people during the WHY> Campaign.
- provide $5,000 so that we can complete everything we planned for the campaign.
- 80 adults to participate in Community Groups during the campaign.

We'll see what happens . . .

Yesterday went well. We had 44 (29 adults/15 children). Of those we also had 5 first time guests.

08/04/08 UPDATE

Well, we're back in the saddle again. I had an awesome vacation last week. I purposefully did not let myself take anything work related and enjoyed a week away (with the exception of a couple of phone calls). We had a blast in Fishkill, NY. The boys swam almost every day (almost all day), caught about 4,000 fish, saw the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, the New York subway system, Journey Church, Dylan's Candy store, Orange County Choppers, West Point, hiked Bear Mountain, and saw Wall-E. It was a fun, but busy week.

The only glitch took place on Sunday morning. We had our first horror story of meeting in a rented space. I got a call from the guy who was picking up the trailer and he couldn't get the lock off the hitch. I called to tell another guy to tell him the stuff would be late and he said, "Oh, we've got a bigger problem than that. We can't meet in the cafeteria. They waxed the floors this week and we can't get in there!" Long story short, they finally got everything worked out - cut the lock, set up in the hallway, and finally got started about 10 minutes late.

The exciting thing about it was that I was gone on the worst possible Sunday . . . but the team pulled it out. I can't tell you how awesome that makes me feel to know that we've got people who can and will pick up the slack. From what I hear, everybody was pitching in to help out. That's awesome.

Yesterday went pretty well. We had 43 (27 adults/16 children). We had to meet in the hallway again, but it went well. We also had 2 first time guests.

This week we're having an important meeting on Wednesday night. We're meeting at our house to discuss our plans for the Fall and pray. It will be really important because it is an entry point for several of the people who have just recently begun attending and want to get involved. We're also focusing a lot on what needs to take place in September when we do our Fall Launch. Pray that God will give me clarity as I express where I feel He is leading us. Also pray that the Spirit will be moving and we'll hear what God is showing others as well. Finally, pray that our prayer time will be open and encouraging.

07/20/08 UPDATE

Last week, I was in Tampa for a coaching meeting with Nelson Searcy and 19 other pastors. We were studying Stewardship and how to develop it within your church. It was very beneficial since there is little being done to communicate the need to give within Redeemer. We take great care to make sure it is handled above board, but little to communicate the need for giving to our people or our gratitude when they do.

The more I study money in the Scriptures, the more I become convinced that we (as pastors) have done a disservice to the people who attend our churches by not teaching God's plan for money (including giving) more. One takeaway I got from the meeting was "Do you want to live on 100% of your money that is cursed by God or 90% of your money that is blessed by God?"

We had 42 people yesterday (31 adults/11 children). That is about our summer average. The really exciting thing about that number is that 12 of those people had not attended Redeemer before the summer. After church, I talked to one lady about baptism. God is really moving in her life and bringing some major changes.

In spite of that, Sunday was one of those Sundays. I don't really know why it happens. There is usually no discernible reason, but I walk away feeling beat up, discouraged and down. Like I said, I don't know why, it just happens. I guess I only really tell you for two reasons. One, so you can pray for us. Two, so you can pray for your pastor (because I think we all confront it).

I guess I just need a vacation . . . speaking of which . . . we are taking our first true "our whole family is going somewhere together with no purpose except to just have fun" vacation in a really, really long time. Pray for us as we travel and pray for Jared as he fills in preaching for me on Sunday.

There will be no post next Monday because I'm vacating:)

07/14/08 UPDATE

This week, we had a mission team from Central Baptist Church in Jonesboro, AR. For some of them, this was their third trip to Omaha. They worked really hard and contacted close to 2,000 homes and hosted two block parties. Friday night's party went pretty well - we had over 50 people come out. Saturday's party went really well. I'm guessing that we had close to 100 people. Those who came were very open and appreciative. When I finished our giveaways, they even applauded to say thank you.

Sunday continued our summer roller coaster. We had 52 (35 adults/17 kids), but 10 of the adults and 4 of the kids were from the mission team.

After church, we had a meeting with several of the mother's in the children's ministry to discuss improvements that we could make there. It was a very productive meeting. They had some great suggestions and are taking charge of them. While we were meeting, the guys got together for lunch and discussed ways that they could get together for men's meetings. It's great to see the ministry growing and me not having to drive it.

Keep praying for us as we push towards a Fall Launch on September 14th. I think this fall is going to be very exciting.

Also, be praying this week for the coaching meeting that I am participating in. We are dealing with finances and it is very timely. In fact, I get back on Thursday and have a meeting to try and develop a strategic budget for the fall. We've had a lot of changes since I put the one together at the beginning of the year, so we'll rework it with our latest information. Pray for us as we seek God's wisdom for the things we need to do in the future and trust Him to provide the needed funds.

07/07/08 UPDATE

We had a great Sunday yesterday. There were 43 (34 adults/9 children). The exciting thing was that we had 7 first time guests and 2 second time guests. Of these, all but two came as the result of a personal invitation. It's great to see people taking ownership and reaching out. Strangely enough, one family was invited, came and realized that another friend of theirs is coming to Redeemer too.

As I write this, we have another mission team in route from Arkansas. We'll be passing out fliers door to door tomorrow and Wednesday and then hosting two block parties on Friday and Saturday. Pray that God will connect us with people that He is seeking and that we will have productive interaction with them. Also, pray for good weather. At the moment, they are not calling for storms (which could change), but it has finally gotten hot up here.

We're also doing more planning to get ready for our "Fall Launch" on September 14th. Sunday, we're having a meeting after church to discuss our children's ministry. Also pray for Jared as he continues to develop the music ministry. We're also doing a lot of work getting our worship atmosphere improved by decorating, etc. It's all in an effort to put our best foot forward, but if feels like changing the tire on a moving car!

06/30/08 UPDATE

Yesterday was a great day at church. We were running summer numbers - 37 (27 adults/10 kids). However, we had several really cool things. For one, a lot of our "regular attenders" were out and most of the crowd were "newer" faces. In fact, of the 27 that were there, only 8 were with us before the first of the year and 18 have only been coming since the first of march. I think it will be exciting in a couple of months when school starts and people become more regular.

Also, several of these "newbies" are getting involved and helping out. In fact, we had a "band" yesterday for the first time. It was just a guy playing bass guitar, but it was still a big step forward. I asked for volunteers to help with an outreach we're starting and had 5 volunteers. It's good to have people who are getting involved and serving.

Please pray for:

- Our continuing efforts to reach new people over the summer.
- The mission team that will be coming July 7-13.
- The block parties on July 11 and 12.
- Relationships to continue developing among those who are attending.