Life in the Big Potato

NorthStar has been approved for a loan to cover the construction of a new building! If you've been following our story you know that this has been a long time coming, and it is a major blessing. This means that construction can begin (barring any surprise setbacks) in a week or two. This means that volunteer teams that are planning on arriving in early May will actually have something to work on. This means that we could be worshiping in our new building by September...of THIS YEAR! Our church decided to seek this loan as a means of making the best use of volunteer labor to accomplish this build quickly and cheaply without delays due to a lack of cash. Our desire is to raise as much of the construction costs as possible before construction is complete, thus avoiding a large mortgage. When construction is complete we plan to move out of our rented facility as quickly as possible so that our lease expenses can go to cover any remaining monthly payments from the loan. As you can imagi...

When I am preparing for a sermon I sometimes just start writing speculative essays to get the creative juices flowing. I thought I would share this along with the previous two posts. Thanks for indulging me. Perhaps it will inspire you to write some of your own... ANGEL BLOG By now you’ve probably heard about the terrestrial events from yesterday. Most of you have been busy with HIS reception and the establishment of the Holy Ministry of the Light.   When you get a chance you should catch up on the story of HIS exodus from the earth. You can get a good play-by-play from Lucious’ post from last night. We both had a ring-side seat, and even got to be a part of the action. I won’t retell the story, but I would like to give my thoughts on what happened. Of course, all of us knew part of the story before it happened. We’ve been gazing at it for all of eternity. But what we didn’t get to know until now is what part the humans would really play in all of this. What amazing creatures ...

Maybe this is how the meeting went before they got to Acts 1:8... “Ok, friends, there are a few more things I need to share with you. I noticed some of you came prepared to be here a while. That’s good. I want you to stay in the city until you receive what’s coming. Don’t look at me like that. I’ve explained everything before. Its the gift from the Father that I spoke of. John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. What I have to say is very important so could some of you lads go tell the latecomers to hurry it up! While we wait let’s sing! ****** Andrew, Peter, nice of you to join us. Peter! Your beard looks beautiful today. Thanks for washing up for the occasion.” “My beard is not nearly as clean as you have made my heart, My Lord. If you’ll permit, before you speak on, some of the brothers have a question.” “When have I ever denied the curious? Indeed, I am so amazed by the refreshed appearance of your groomed visage I could wat...

If they'd had text messaging in the first century... Ptr : Big Mtg @ Zchra’s house 4 lunch tomorrow Andrew : What’s up? Ptr : Not sure, but everybody’s gonna be there. He’s got something major to share. Andrew : Its about time. Everything’s turned out better than expected, but what now? Ptr : I’ve got a weird feeling. He’s been “finishing” things again if you know what I mean. Andrew : You mean like before Jerusalem? What do you think he’s planning? Ptr : I can’t get a thing out of him, but it seems like he’s been preparing us for something. He’s been asking me some weird questions ever since the day on the beach. Andrew : I’ll never forget that breakfast! What kind of questions? Ptr : He keeps asking me if I remember the things he did. He want’s me to retell the same stories over and over again. Its almost like he doesn’t remember. Andrew : Weird. Maybe he doesn’t want you to forget. He introduced me to some new believers as, “Pastor Andrew”. last night. Ptr : He’s been doing that...

According to the 2000 Census for the cities of Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls, and Hayden combined there were: 1,790 Single Moms 1,326 Households living below the poverty line 5,833 Households of married couples living with children 2,433 Seniors 65+ living alone 6,138 Divorced (661 Separated) 423 Grandparents caring for their grandkids According to another report there are 644 homeless people in our county. In contemplating Christ's command to "love your neighbor" I've been doing a little research to better understand who my neighbors are. I know these statistics don't really tell me who these people around me are, but it is a place to start when I pray for my community. Instead of just praying, "Lord help all those people out there," I can pray for the 1,790 single moms who I know are facing difficult daily issues or the 2,433 seniors or live their days without much human contact. Please join me in praying for our community.

Report problems to embedding@chartle.net Coeur d’Alene Idaho is the largest city in the North Idaho Panhandle. Its cultural influence extends north into Canada, east into Montana, and south to Moscow and beyond. It is in some ways connected with Spokane, Washington, but maintains its own distinct culture and feeling of community. Coeur d’Alene along with adjacent towns (Dalton Gardens, Hayden and Post Falls) has been a major population growth area. With this explosive growth there has also been some addition in the number and size of some churches. However, Southern Baptists are sparsely represented. There is one other SBC church in Coeur d’Alene and one in Post Falls. There are currently no Southern Baptist churches in Hayden where we are planning to build and relocate. The spiritual climate of the area is one that for many people may include some church attendance, but there is often a lack of commitment in the form of church membership, tithing, or serving in the church. Also, beca...

We've been praying and seeking ways to minister to some of the thousands of people in multifamily housing in our area. It hasn't taken long for us to get connected to an apartment complex where one of our members lives. Our ladies took the first step by hosting a Christmas party for the residents. Now or men are hosting a Super Bowl party. As a result of organizing these events I've now met all of the apt. management staff (I think) and built a good working relationship with them. They are great people and seem to like us! After initiating this work I was surprised to find out that a man and his wife had been praying for a church to reach out to these apartments! God has already been paving the way for us and perhaps been waiting for us to follow his direction for a while now. In any case, our next step is to start a Bible study for ladies meeting in the apt. club room. Assuming no problems it will begin next Thursday. Please pray for a continued good relationship with the ...

In my last post a few minutes ago I referenced the efforts of the Women's ministry at our church.  I praise God for a group of women in our church who have followed God's calling on them to minister to the hearts of women. When planning 2010's Ladies Christmas party our Women's Leadership team had a problem.  They realized they had become too successful.  After a few years of great Christmas parties that were very well attended and memorable, they were yearning to do something that wasn't "all about us."  Someone suggested the simple idea of hosting the party away from the church and doing it in a way that could benefit some ladies outside the church.  What a revolutionary idea!  My wife asked me what I thought about them having the party at a nearby apartment complex.  I thought it was a great idea in theory, but I had my doubts about the possibility of it. Showing uncharacteristic optimism I went to the apt. management office to ask for permission to ha...

Whoa!  Over a month since I've updated.  As a result, I'll just give you some random summaries. The building process is currently delayed while we put in the work to discover the possibility of getting a loan should we decide to get one.  We have found that it is very difficult to get approved for a construction loan if you have already begun construction.  Good to know.  Fortunately, the weather seems to be keeping the door open for us to begin once we have the approvals, permits, etc. we need.  Also we have received some outside support for our building project.  In fact we've received more than $4,000 from donors whom we have never met!  This is very encouraging for our church to know that others are willing to support the work we are doing here.  Now all we need is another $246,000!  Actually, the final figure for our estimated need has not come in yet.  We have estimates from $150,000 to over $300,000.  We hope to have a more precise figure soon. In any case we are gra...

Several weeks ago NorthStar Church voted to embark on a building project. This is something that has been in the works for years. The dream of building a new building for a Southern Baptist church in this area predates the the planting of NorthStar. Since the land was purchased major new neighborhood developments have sprung up around the property ( satellite image ). The road just south of the land has become a major thoroughfare, and they built a Wal Mart nearby! Since the beginning of NorthStar plans have been made, funds have been solicited, the neighborhoods have been prayer-walked and surveyed. We had a meeting with the city of Hayden to get a special use permit. Still, after setbacks along the way, the dream of an established, church-owned place to meet seemed just out of reach. Well, now we have a set of plans and we have enough money to get started on them. God has provided us with funds to complete the "shell" of a building. Our roof, windows and exterior w...

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I'm taking a break from sermon writing to bring you this very important information about the culture in North Idaho. Enjoy. 10. You have to wear a jacket when you mow your yard. I grew up in Mississippi where the grass stops growing and turns brown before the leaves fall off the trees. Here in Idaho the grass only seems to slow down and won't really stop growing until we've had a good freeze. In fact, I have even mowed while ice was pelting me in the face. Proof of the fallen state of Creation. 9. The Cars sound like bees. Two words-- Studded Tires. This time of year all those super-prepared non-procrastinator types get their studded snow tires put on. On the dry pavement it makes this annoying buzzing sound that makes me think of the dentist's office. This also results in all of our roads needing to be resurfaced every two years or so. The plus side is, once you get into the right ruts your car will steer itself. 8. Steam is shooting out of the ground. In ...

Happy Birthday

A couple of weeks ago NorthStar Church voted and elected me as lead pastor. Let that sink in for a minute. Lead pastor? Does God know what He's doing? Those of you who know me, I'm sure, will agree that it is an unexpected play on God's part. I'm 100% sure that my high school guidance counselor would not have picked "Pastor a freshly formed church in North Idaho" as my vocational path. When I first began my path toward vocational ministry, "sr. pastor" was about the last thing I thought about doing. However, here we are. Sure of God's calling. At peace with his direction. Yet, surprised. My church members assure me that they know what they are getting into. I doubt any of us really know that at this point! Still, we will move forward in faith, excited about seeing God work around us and through us. I know I have a lot of growing to do. My prayer is that I won't compromise or hold back one thing from God. About an two hours ago in ...

We took a vacation from North Idaho and visited family.  It was great.  We got to see so many people and even attend a wedding of an old friend.  Now we are back in Idaho working with NorthStar church.  There are a lot of exciting things going on at the church.  After discussions with the Pastor Search Team and much prayer and consideration, they have decided to ask the church to vote on calling me to be the lead pastor of NorthStar Church.  This past Sunday I preached "in view of a call" and answered questions from members after the service.  Next Sunday the church will vote on whether or not they believe it is God's will for me to be the lead pastor. It is an interesting and, for me, a unique situation.  I've sought a lot of counsel and tried to proceed with wisdom through this potentially tricky situation.  What I've learned is that often there is no such thing as a sure thing.  Any decision we make could go wrong or lead to risk and trouble.  There comes a poi...

I was recently asked to write down my testimony.  I thought I would share the result with you. Salvation Testimony My ancestors identify themselves as Christians as far back as I have been able to research it.  I was born into a Christian family who saw church attendance and moral living as the expected way of life without other options.  My early life provided a spiritual environment where I consistently learned biblical truths mostly through church attendance.  Before I could read I had been taught by my Sunday School teacher, Mrs. Mary Smith, to recite a simple Gospel message: “Jesus is God’s son, and He died on the cross to save ME from MY sins.” So before I knew what sin was exactly (I remember thinking “sins” were tiny black rats that would infest your home) I had a strong confidence that God generally loves us and wants to help us.  When I was 6 and a half years old I was attending a winter revival at our church.  I do not remember who the speaker was or what he was talking abou...

Yes, summer is awesome here.  There are tonnes of stuff to do.  The weather is generally great.  And God doesn't take summers off! Yesterday was a very good day at church.  We had around 70 people (which is pretty sweet for summertime).  We had returning visitors, new visitors, and guests just passing through.  It is always encouraging when people who are on vacation chose to stop in and worship with us.  One family from Canada was with us this week, and they went out of their way to encourage us and tell us to keep serving faithfully.  Another couple was in town for only three weeks, but they faithfully attended our services and even attended to Sunday morning Bible study.  The returning visitors are very encouraging because it reminds us that we are a part of something special. Kid's Camp Last week I was privileged to take part in a Children's summer camp.  A couple of our members were serving as staff for the camp and they couldn't find a worship leader.  So a week ...

Hey there, faithful blog readers.  I see its been over a month since we have updated.  Here's what's up. This summer we have been challenging the church to take part in a series of tasks we are calling Journey 2010.   So far this has included doing a drive-through prayer for a neighborhood, praying through the phone book, praying for a stranger, and handing out a Bible.  These are not tasks meant to boost our legalistic tendencies but rather meant to help us encourage one another to good deeds.  Its so hard to schedule things together during the summer, we've given the church tasks they can accomplish on their own time yet still be doing it together.  We have recently formed a pastor search team and will begin the process of finding and naming a new pastor soon.  Please pray for our search team and church as they seek to discover God's will for our church I've been leading a weekly music activity for kids, creatively named "KidSing".  Basically, parents br...