Familiar Faces

This past Sunday (May 6), the family and I took a trip back to New Beginnings A/G in Tiffin.  A place where I no doubt learned the majority of what I know now and where I first served in full time ministry.  The four years of ministry in Tiffin was a tremendous time of learning and doing, often times taking on a task or role that I never thought I would be able to do.  This weekend was a special one for us.  As we walked in the church it was so great to see so many people that have impacted my life or the life of my entire family.  The kids saw friends they haven't seen in quite sometime and Amy and I enjoyed shaking hands and getting hugs from those that we were close to.  Even though time and distance keep us from seeing our New Beginnings family at times, I am excited for the day that I will spend eternity in Heaven with them and so many other "Familiar Faces."

1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 (ESV)  ¹³ But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. ¹⁴ For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁵ For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶ For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. ¹⁸ Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Checking In

It has been a ridiculously long time since I have shared some thoughts on here.  Fitting I guess since the last post talked about shifting gears.  Guess I finally down shifted, haha. It has been a little over a year now since I have been serving Velocity Church as lead pastor.  It has by far been a fast, fun, enjoyable year.  There have been some tricky times here and there and some decisions to make that I didn't expect to face in the first year but all in all, I would do it all over again.  The family is doing very well and things at the church are going just as good.   I'm just glad that God doesn't forget about us and that he isn't about "Checking In" from time to time to see how we are but that he is always there.  In the last couple weeks, I have been really evaluating my time with God.  I have been trying to focus on him more throughout the day and not just try to get in my 15 minutes in the morning and then never look to or think about God again.  God is always there and as believers, we need to always be mindful of that.

Deuteronomy 31:8 (NIV) The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Shifting Gears

As I go in to my 8th month as pastor of Velocity Church, I have had some time to get a feel for things here.  I have taken most of this time to figure out the mindset of the church body and get a feel for how committed people are to the ministry of Velocity Church.  After visiting with some friends this past weekend and hearing a GREAT message while attending their church and meeting with two couples from Velocity, I have realized one thing...it's time we start "Shifting Gears."  Here's the thing, some of my ideas and plans that I have, I was looking to begin and put in place between January and April of 2012.  Hearing from the pastor of the church I attended Sunday "Now is the time to get started because prolonged idleness paralyzes initiative," and after having someone in the meeting share some of his thoughts, I know that we have to step things up...NOW!  At Velocity Church, we are about to kick things up a notch as we look to add to the Kingdom of God. What about you...do you need to shift gears in an area in your life?

Ecclesiastes 11:4 (NIV) Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.

Press On

As I approach the 7th month mark as lead pastor of Velocity Church, I can't help but think about some of the things that have went on.  I think about the messages that have been preached, the Bible studies that have been taught, the fellowship that has taken place and the hard work that has been done.  Not only my hard work, but the hard work of the congregation of Velocity Church.  I think about the time they have sacrificed, the ideas they have come up with, the physical and mental labor that has gone into many events and services.  My heart's cry recently has been for them to begin to see some fruit of that labor; to see people come through our doors on a Sunday morning and come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  I know it is all in God's time and His timing is perfect, yet, my hearts desire is to see people added to the Kingdom of God and I know that time is short.  At the same time, my prayer is that the people of Velocity Church would "Press On" and know that the harvest is right around the corner.


Philippians 3:12b-14 (NIV) ...but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ¹³ Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Seeking Him

As a pastor, many things can interfere with trying to live a Christian life.  That may have caught you off guard, allow me to elaborate. If I'm not careful, I can get too wrapped up in helping others, managing the business affairs of the church, and spending countless hours in sermon preparation.Though all those things are necessary and important for the work of the ministry, I know that the number thing on my list needs to be "Seeking Him."  Sure, when my life is over, I want people to think of me as a person who was there in their time of need, as someone who did all he could to protect the integrity of Velocity Church, and a preacher that was used by God to transform lives beacause of a relevant word; but, above all, I want to be known as a man who sought God with all he had. 


Ephesians 5:15-17 (ESV) Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

By Faith

So many times as believers we can get wrapped in figuring out if the things we do are by chance or what God is asking us to do.  As a new lead pastor, I have been thinking about this a lot lately.  As I bring a message with a word that inspires someone, did I do it by chance or because God laid it on my heart.  As I try and get the people of Velocity Church to be faithful in their finances and missions, will they do it by chance or because they know it is what God is asking them to do.  Well, coming up in 8 days is a large outreach for Velocity Church called Party in the Park.  This is costing us time, energy and lots of money, but, I am certain that we are doing this outreach because God has set aside this time for us to do this, we are doing it "By Faith."  Even though we do no not know how many people will be impacted next Saturday or how many families may soon call Velocity Church home, we will do it because of our hope in Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 11:1 (KJV) Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen

Challenge Me

As a pastor, I tend to put a few messages together that are geared for one purpose...to challenge the believers in the room.  Many times, those messages come from something that the Spirit has laid on my heart as a personal challenge, but other times, I feel that it is good for Christians to be challenged in their thoughts, their views and their walk with Christ.  Today, I got my challenge form a book I started reading called "not a fan" by Kyle Idleman.  With just the prologue and first chapter, many of the things I have thought as a pastor or Christian, have been challenged.  It's one of those times where I believe as leaders, if we are going to challenge others, we must be willing to be challenged by others.  As of this morning, I'm hoping to be challenged more and more in 2011.  I hope that you too will say, "Challenge Me."

Proverbs 27:17 (NIV) As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.