Not much time to write. The deacons pray at 6:30 (Newcastle Exit - I-80) on Fridays.
New York Times Bestseller:
Irene Spencer will be at our church tonight at 6:00pm. Here is her video testimony from the 700 CLUB
Irene Spencer: Click Here
If you would like to share this story with anyone, check out the new posting at the Auburn Journal: click here
I received a long-awaited call yesterday. Evangelist Rick Stanley (Elvis Presley's brother) has agreed to come to Bell Road on May 18-21st.
I was on his website and saw that the schedule said he would be in Kentucky on the 21st so we may have to adjust the dates a bit. More on that later.
We hosted Rick in Galt several years back. He is a godly man with a unique life story that God has used.
www.rickstanleyministries.com
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Here is a 3:09 audio-slice of
thoughts that were spurred on by
yesterday's meetings with Jimmie,
Curt, and Jean:
A Slice of Life:
CLICK HERE
I had two primary Office
Visitsyesterday. As with all of
them, both of these were very
valuable to me--especially as I am
currently reading the revised,
updated edition of Blackaby's
'Experiencing God'. Our group is
currently in Week Eleven (of 12).
At 4:30,
Doc Harris and I went out
to the Placer site of the
California Conservation Corp
yesterday. As we were driving up the
entrance we prayed for the Lord to
direct our steps and to open doors
for us. After a walk past the
theatre, the library, and the dorms,
we went to the Administration Bldg.
to see about making a formal
contact.
Deborah allowed me to
leave a note for the Director,
a brochure, and a copy of
the article I wrote for last
Friday's Auburn Journal (Yo' Faith).
Later, we saw four counselors
sitting at a picnic table. One waved
and greeted us so we felt prompted
to walk up to them. After a brief
time of introduction, they took us
inside the cafeteria and we had the
opportunity to meet the Driver and
the Director.
Our evening hymn-sing and prayer
meeting was practical and visionary
toward new-year goal of developing
an intentional, evangelistic action
plan for our entire church. Further
meditation as I live through this
day's circumstances, I will meditate
upon this coming Sunday Message:
I will SERVE
the Ministry
of my church
...by discovering my gifts and
talents
...by being equipped to serve by my
pastors
...by developing a servant's heart
I will SUPPORT
the Testimony of my
church
...by attending faithfully
...by living a godly life
...by giving regularly
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
We have
been enjoying listening to Duncan
Holmes's prelude from the direct
microphone (the video has crowd
noises).
Feel free to burn it to a CD and
listen for yourself:
Duncan's Prelude Music
Duncan wrote about his visit to
Auburn in his journal here is an
excerpt from his email newsletter:
I shared at
the morning service of Bell Road
Baptist Church. As for the service
itself, we had a baptism of a young
mother and her nine-year-old child,
new believers in Christ. And we had
the Lord's Supper. Weak moment: I
did terribly on the song "I Am the
Bread of Life." My voice was still
on Central Time, I think. But one
great moment: one young child gave
her heart to Christ that morning,
and that in itself was worth the
trip!
You can view
video clips and hear audio portions
of that service on the church's
website. Rob and his staff there are
very high-tech, and they have many
of their sermons on mp3 and other
things on video.
Duncan's Testimony and
The Lord's
Supper
1 Chronicles 16:1-12
Duncan and Rob
On the way to Modesto, we stopped
for lunch at a small cafe in the
little burg of Galt, where I treated
Rob and Cathy to lunch. Touchy
moment: one ill-informed kitchen
staffer told us (while we were in
the middle of our meals) that the
dog would have to go outside, but
Rob gently pointed out to him that
by law and the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA), we had every
right to have the dog with us. A
nearby patron, probably a civic
leader in Galt, pointed out to that
man that he knew the restaurant
manager and that we were right and
that this civic leader would himself
contact said manager. End of
discussion!
BTW, Rob and my blind friend Greg
Brayton grew up together in
Coldwater, Michigan. They've worked
together on many of Rob's cd and
other audio projects. (We talked
with Greg via phone that Saturday
evening while on our way to Auburn
from the airport.)
Much to say too little time to
write. Maybe in tomorrow's entry,
I'll tell you about tax day with the
Pattersons.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
By the grace of God, my eyes opened
around 5:00 a.m. There is some
'Uncle Sam' stuff that I must
postmark by today and a signed
wedding license that needs to be
sent off as well. So, I'll leave to
get BSF set up sometime soon and get
a proactive start on my duties and
obligations.
I did some work on preparing audio
sources for the public record. It is
sometimes hard to hear myself
preach. I surely want to be faithful
as one of the preachers that has
been chosen by God to speak during
this generation.
Since all have sinned and fall short
of the glory of God, then of course,
I should be concerned with the
potential for mixed motives. We
never want to ignore real,
Spirit-given 'conviction' however.
It is important to examine ourselves
each day so that our walk will be
faithful.
Yesterday, a feeling of condemnation
came over me while I was sitting
next to Cathy at a movie (Nim's
Island). Since I had invested much
of the day in a technical
mindset--handling raw audio--the
Shield of Faith set down in the
midst of the busyness. I became
susceptible to fiery darts aimed at
my heart and soul. Cathy told me to
"shake it off..." (my primary
pastoral message at Special
Ministries Camp last year). Gracious
Lord, help me to take in this new
day slowly and proceed with careful,
prayerful deliberation and
consideration of others.
By the grace of God...
I'm reminded of this song that Jebby
wrote. Cathy, Jerry, and I went into
Greg's Studio back in 2006 and
carried with us an mp3 draft of
Jebby's song by that same title. We
experienced the joy of doing four
songs during two days in the studio.
I had to hunt a bit but I located
the myspace entry I had journaled
with all four songs: click here for
Studio Summer 2006
Our newly-formed Tuesday afternoon
Visitation Teams are heading out at
4:00 p.m. today. At Sunday's Iglesia
Bautista, I committed some
organizational time to map and
record our involvement at two
housing complexes toward our goal of
intentional, evangelistic
visitation.
Here is
Duncan's Prelude Music:
Duncan said that his voice wasn't he
had wanted it to be on the song "I
am the Bread of Life" but...I had
faded it out anyway. I was mostly
concerned with the spoken messages
and prayers for our church. There
are only wanted musical excerpts
during the actual time the bread and
cup was passed out.
Duncan's Testimony and The Lord's
Supper
Tuesday, April 14, 2008
Busy, busy. Non-stop. Refreshing.
I woke up this morning before 4:00.
Ready to run the race marked out for
me. The Courthouse Athletic Club
opens at 4:30 so I'm gonna wake
Cathy up soon and see if she wants
to get 'her day' started as well.
Check back to hear the Message later
this morning.
Here's this week's 'Expert Advice'
as it appears in today's Auburn
Journal.
Click
on this box
to see the Sunday with Duncan Holmes.
Once you get to that page, you can
click on 'Details' and there will be
separate frames which allow you to
get to different points in the video).
April 6th is the Sunday that we
brought the Children's Church up
into the Choir Loft.
This morning I hope to upload an
audio track of last Sunday's
complete service with our guest
minister, Duncan Holmes.
I also will
try to upload Message No. 44 (from
our Acts-Luke-Romans series). I may also upload Pastors' Reports (and
other communicable Vision) from
yesterday's business meeting. Yeah,
just thinking...the phone call from
Bob Knapp is 'on record'.
Congratulations, Bob and Diana
Knapp. Yesterday, Dunsmuir Baptist
Church formerly 'called' Bob to
become their pastor with a 90% vote
of affirmation. Subsequently, they
formerly asked Bell Road Baptist
Church to ordain Bob to the Gospel
Ministry. That joyous 'new business'
was passed unanimously so today we
will set a date for an ordination
council of pastors and deacons in
the Foothills Association to examine
Bob.
Tom, Christene, Katey, and Daniel
Santillan surprised us by driving
Galt to Auburn yesterday in time for
Sunday School. We had our Quarterly
Business Meeting after church, so I
suggested that Daniel, Mary, Joe,
and Cerissa go out to eat with them
during our meeting. Kyla Ruth went
with them to eat as well. Then, most
of them took the Santillans to visit
'the Biblical Gardens'. By the way,
we're gonna baptize Polly Jones at
the Biblical Gardens one of these
days when the timing is 'just
right'.
Iglesia Bautista de Bell Road (2:00)
was a joy for the five of us who
were there to worship and pray
toward the future.
On Mondays I like to do what it
takes to keep momentum rolling from
Sunday's gathering. Checking my
notes from the day before and
responding to inquiries and visitor
records helps me to keep positively
engaged in the overall mission of
our local church.
My primary goal on Mondays
is to upload Sunday's Message online
and distribute CDs to our
hard-working volunteers who missed
out in order to allow others to have
childcare. Cathy, Mary, Karla, and Cerissa worked in
the nursery yesterday morning. Heidi
and Robin were in the BellRoad
Express with the older kids. At this
point Cerissa are the only ones who
haven't received a CD of the SundayMessage. I've already listened
to it during drive-time to-and-from
'Experiencing God' last night.
Saturday, April 13, 2008
Today,
Duncan Holmes will fly back to
his home in Texas. He has had four
performances since his time with us
last Sunday.
Grace Earl shot video
footage of last Sunday's entire
morning service. I have enjoyed
watching it and have made copies for
those who worked in the Nursery. As
possible I will upload the Duncan
Holmes Sunday to the Internet.
Our second son,
Jeremiah,
came up to Auburn for a couple
hours. I asked my boy to help me
move things around at the church.
Then, the two of us went out to the
California Conservation Corp to
gather more information. In the
administration office, we spoke at
length with Debbie and Deborah about
the program. They located some of
their brochures for me (I'll promote
the program to young adults I know).
I left a church brochure with them
to see if it can go up near the
mailboxes.
Last night was the first of our
Friday Night Concert series
featuring the Johnson Family
Singers.
Tom, Francie, Bob, Ann, Rachelle,
Clyde, Faye, Cathy, Matt, Larry,
Wanda, Christy, Mike, Nancy
and others were there early to help.
Unforeseen circumstances kept
Les & Bobbie and
John & Patty
away. So, our key leaders took on
extra jobs. I thoroughly enjoyed
praying with our local workers
earlier in the evening. Grace came
to videotape the event.
Just prior to their performance we
also gathered with the family
singers. I was asked to speak toward
the Offering for the Singers during
a break in the concert. Then, I
showed the audience a hardcopy of
Friday's article in the Auburn
Journal and read a portion as part
of my brief testimony. Here is an
online version of the article. I
think the hardcopy may be useful as
we continue to go out door-to-door.
Yesterday, (with Cathy's help) I
tracked the calories of food I had
eaten. She prepared tasty, real food
to chew on and my caloric intake was
about 1200. I also drank 90 oz. of
water throughout the 24 hours of Day
One. I won't write about this
adventure much but it does feel
somewhat like fasting so I'm
enjoying the fruit of self-control
(and self-examination).
My sermon outline is finished,
printed and in the bulletin.
Sunday's Sermon will be the 44th
Message in the Acts-Luke-Romans
series (even though it is a
fast-forward to the 14th chapters of
Luke and Romans). Tomorrow's is a
topical message built upon the four
points of BellRoad's Membership
Covenant which was established in
January, 2006.
While looking over archived sermons
of preachers-past, I located rare
footage of
Billy Sunday speaking in
the open-air on the subject of
Prohibition. The 6-minute film clip
shows Homer
Rodeheaver with his
trombone introducing the aging
preacher:
click here
Friday, April 11, 2008
I awoke at 3:30 this morning.
Figured since I was up I'd check the
online version of the Auburn Journal
to see if my article had yet been
posted. Noticing that the link to
this website was incorrectly
spelled, I left a comment to that
effect. I had to register to leave a
comment but that led to seeing how I
could now post upcoming events,
stories, and even videos.
So, from my bedside laptop I found a
jpeg to post, copied the story but
was able to add a photo (cool), and
listed that the Johnsons will be in
concert at Bell Road tonight.
Check out the Journal Story:
click here
Now compare my own version of the
article with the original title:
click here
After just an hour it has
significantly more page
views--probably because ...um who
reads the Religion section? The 2nd
version of the story is accessed
through links for those who are
registered to comment. Hmm..
See my spot as pastorob on their
website:
click here
Did you know that Pastor Matt now
has an online journal?
Matt:
you'll be happy to know that
I purchased
www.mattsjournal.com this
morning
Oh, I'm starting PRISM today. More
on that tomorrow maybe. Gotta run to
Deacons' Prayer meeting at 6:30am.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Yesterday,
Doc Harris came in to
visit with me. He had some great
suggestions to grow our local
church. As we closed I felt prompted
to invite Doc to go out with me for
door-to-door visitation. We went out
into the community for 2 hours. Our
final visit was with a woman who
follows the Brahmin belief system.
She shared that she had received a
'notice' at her shrine that very
morning. The notice was that she
should expect visitors at her door.
Her hospitality toward us included a
great cup of Chai. I gave her a
copy of the Matt-Rob CD and told her
that I'd be back with my wife,
Cathy, someday soon.
This morning I wrote the following
500-word essay for the Religion page
in this Friday's Auburn Journal.
Yo' Faith
by Pastor Rob Patterson
"Don't put yo' faith in yo' good
looks;
you can lose yo' good looks!"
Years ago, a 'street preacher' had
grabbed my attention with those
words. Not that I had been
particularly faithful toward my good
looks but the old man had just made
a good point. I had heard preachers
on the street in years past but they
had seemed sleep-deprived and manic.
This old man's rhythm was engaging
so I stopped to listen:
"Don't put yo' faith in yo' car; you
can lose yo' car!"
I noticed that he was connecting
with other passersby--even if just
for a moment:
"Don't put yo' faith in yo' job;
you can lose your job!
"Don't put yo' faith in yo'
relationships;
you can lose yo' relationships!"
Put yo' faith in Jesus!"
That old preacher's memorable
message spurs me on to ask you
today, dear reader, "Have you
accepted Jesus as your Lord?"
Sometimes circumstances allow me the
opportunity to present a balanced
presentation of the scriptures to an
individual who is already seeking to
know Truth or to experience Peace.
In friendly settings, it is a
privilege to freely open the Bible
and share passages which point out
that 1) all people have sinned, 2)
the wages of sin is death, and 3)
the gift of God is eternal life in
Christ Jesus.
I have come to believe that certain
encounters with individuals are
sometimes 'divine appointments'.
Whenever I am aware of such
opportunity, I am compelled to share
this fact from the Bible:
"Everyone who calls on the Name of
the Lord will be saved."
Right then and there, I like to ask
people if they want to be saved from
death and eternal separation from
God. For those who do, I try to
steer them straight to Jesus for the
rest of their lives. Some people
only get enough 'religion' to make
their lives miserable. Accept no
substitutes! Don't allow anything to
keep you from the joy of a saving
relationship with the Lord Jesus.
Being saved goes beyond the hope of
heaven after this life. Eternal Life
is also for here-and-now. Just as
the divine appointment may lead to a
sinsick soul getting saved, there
will surely be hindrances to that
soul's spiritual growth.
The gentle shepherd tends His flock
with these words:
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they
may have life, and have it to the
full."
Maybe it won't be the devil himself,
but one of his small-time minions
may attempt to steal, kill, or
destroy your ability to enjoy God's
blessings. The Thief may need no
outside help to work his agenda. An
unconfessed sin simmering on the
back burner of your mind will slowly
and insidiously steal your joy.
Here's the key: Love God. A loving
relationship with the Lord Jesus
will lead to fullness of joy. Love
God and share His love with your
neighbor. Love Him with all your
heart, soul, and strength.
Don't put yo' faith in anything or
anyone else!
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
The workday ended at 'yesterday'
at 12:45am. and started again at
6:30am. These are busy days of real
ministry. 9 year old
Abigail
was saved on the first day of the
week. There is much to do to assure
the best environment for Abigail to
grow at First Base and to begin
running the bases in her faith
development. I really don't mind
working really, really hard when I
see that people are being saved,
baptized, and becoming known by
name.
During a break last night, I looked
up the story of the YouTube beating
of the Lindsay girl by her fellow
cheerleaders. I had seen it while
running the treadmill at the Gym
yesterday morning.
The abundant life of Jesus is just
the opposite of Ms. Lindsay's
persecution. My choice today is to
be part of the solution instead of
one wringing my hands wondering
aloud how all of this trouble is
ever gonna cease.
Yesterday morning, BSF was
interrupted by Thursday night's bat
flying around the foyer and even
into the sanctuary. Apparently I was
the only experienced batman so I
decided I'd better do what I could
to save the day.
At my childhood home in Michigan the
bats had access to the Victorian
attic and would periodically find
their way into the human living
space. We were trained by my Dad
with a broom and we usually killed
the little mammals until my great
Uncle interceded on the behalf of
one. "Bats eat mosquitoes!"
From thereon, I always spared my
captive's life--until yesterday.
After batting it down with my
"Experiencing God" text, the little
thing appeared to be dead. I took it
outside and set its body by a tree
then went back in to get a ladder.
The BSF ladies had told me that they
were squeaking of baby bats in a
corner of the high foyer window. So,
I returned with our longest ladder,
climbed up to the alleged nesting
spot to find no babies and no
squeaking.
That was the beginning of my
workday. Much more happened with
door-to-door visitation, a seniors'
ministry visit at Fair Oaks
Presbyterian, a quick hospital
visit, emails, and a late night
staff meeting. Again, no time to
write more.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
This morning at the Gym I met a
grown pk named Bill.
He wanted to share with me his
different interpretation of the
Bible. Overhearing Bill's views,
another guy, Ken, announced
that he is a faith-based democrat.
Although I did much writing last
night I have no time to publish at
the moment, so I may have a lengthy
entry tomorrow.
Yesterday, on the way to Modesto,
Cathy and I dropped by Jebby's house
and introduced him to Duncan Holmes.
Duncan played to songs for us.
On the way home, we stopped to get
coffee and Ted recognized us. We
gave him a copy of the
Matt-Rob CD.
Monday, April 7, 2008
I hurt my lower back yesterday
morning when I moved the Grand
Piano. I didn't stop to think about
asking anyone. Bob was there but his
back's been hurting so ....
oops--that should have tipped me off
that these guys with hurting backs
did something to cause it.
I didn't even notice it until after
church. It still aches this
morning--just a dull pain.
I went to the Gym and did some
running then rested in the spa but
it still hurts. I am a 'whiner' when
I'm sick or in any type of physical
pain. Maybe this published report
will suffice to satisfy my need to
let the world know that I am in need
of Jehovah-Raphe
today!
We have started Week 10 of
'Experiencing God' today. Last
night's weekly small group was full
of wonder (as usual).
Bob, Ann,
Tom, Francie, Patrice, Ben, Caitlyn,
Danielle, Rachelle, David, Mary, KC,
Polly, Paulie, and yours
truly. God continues to bless my
heart and soul through Blackaby's
legacy.
Even at the Gym today I met a guy
named Mike
while I was reading my lesson
(its called multi-tasking). Mike
asked me to clarify the name of the
Study and the author's name.
We experienced another multi-media
firstfruits yesterday. A close-up
video of Duncan Holmes was on
BigScreenLeft
and a close up of the piano
keyboard was on
BigScreenRight.
I lost count of how many children
came up to sit in the Choir loft but
it was a healthy number. The seats
on the BellRoad Express were fulI as
we were also joined by the childreni
n the 2s and 3s class. I hope that
Grace Earl's
video of the entire morning service
turns out well. If so, we will post
it online (if permission is granted
by the parents).
Michael
and Andy attended the
Worship Service to support family
members by watching the public
baptism of
Beverly and Lacey.
They wanted me to get on their
church website and write a note to
Pastor Tim
Blackmon to testify that
they had been among us.
So, I did as requested. I learned
that our visitors' church is in
Folsom, has a Christian Reformed
background, and they maintain a
well-organized website:
click here
We combined a membership class with
lunch after our morning service.
Mary, David,
KC, Polly, Brenda, Keith, Melody,
and Daniel received the
tri-fold membership vision
(doctrinal-methodological-attitudinal
distinctive) as discovered upon a
close examination of our By-laws.
After the Membership Class,
Karla,
Melody, Cathy, and I met
for Iglesia
Bautista de Bell Road.
Elba and Jesse are on another
vacation. We reviewed the
door-to-door visitation results of
the prior week and made plans for
this coming Tuesday. We also
worshiped together in Spanish and
prayed bilingual prayer.
We will take Duncan Holmes down to
Modesto this morning. He has gigs at
schools both in Modesto and in
Merced. It has been great getting to
know Duncan personally. Thanks to
Les and Maria
Scoggins for hosting
Duncan and Lucky in your home.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Rev. Aaron Cool (from 1856)
came to speak at the Men's Breakfast
this morning. I uploaded his sermon
to the web last night, but it is
'unpublished', so if you would like
to see it, please write me at
pastorob@bellroad.org
and I'll send you a link.
Jeremy and his baby son, Hunter, were guests of Matt Woodin. I invited Jeremy to come hear Duncan Holmes. I hope he will come. There has been a fair amount of door-to-door visitation this week. I hope we will see some fruit from that loabor of love.
Last night at Applebee's a guy
named
Kutter came up to pet
Duncan's seeing-eye dog, Lucky.
Kutter
and his girlfriend
Brandy
are from Roseville; he is working in
Fairfield; but his sister lives in
Auburn. I gave them a CD and a
brochure.
Natalie
was our waitress. We gave her a
brochure and a CD.
In the afternoon, Cathy and met with
Omar
and about four other guys at CCC
this afternoon. Omar said that they
were coming back.
I also met with
Nick
(9) about his conversion, baptism,
the growth plan (bases loaded), and
the Lord's Supper.
Ann
Arthur asked me if I had
a copy of the 'testimony' for our
upcoming speaker,
Irene Spencer. From our
church website, I got on Irene's
website and found her testimony from
the 700 CLUB
Irene
Spencer: Click Here
Duncan Holmes is here today. Please come to the church by 10:00 because he is playing the prelude as well.
Our church website now has links to all upcoming guests, please find them on the home page: www.bellroad.org
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Bob and Diana Knapp have headed up
to Dunsmuir where he will preach
tomorrow. He is quite excited about
a message he has planned. We both
got online and briefly discussed the
Greek words
in Matt. 24:14
I'm at the church for Men's
Breakfast. Don't forget that blind
pianist,
Duncan Holmes, will be
with us tomorrow at 10:00am. I'm
picking him up from the Sacramento
airport late this afternoon.
Pastor Matt and I have set up large
screen projection of his face and
the keyboard to assist those who are
hard-of-hearing.
Click here for a copy of the
Bulletin. We are preaching through
the drama of both Baptism and
Communion during the service. I'm
especially excited about Duncan's
Children's Message.
Here's an excerpt from a morning chat with Eva Moore in Michigan. She used to be a member of our church in Galt.
5:56 AM
me: Hi Eva
eva:
good morning Rob.
me: your mom and dad sent an
offering to our church
eva: ya I know. They
didn't really feel a connection with
any churces here, and wanted to
still give to whereever you were.
me: but it seems like it was
sent before you and I had chatted
about them. Is that accurate?
eva:
yep.
me: WOW
eva:
they had planned that for a while. I
am glad that it helped lift your
spirits then. They have always loved
you.
me: ...so it realy blessed me
as if to hear God still saying,
"You're doing OK, Rob."
eva: ah. I am so glad.
That is awesome.
me: Yes, I love them too. I
still remember meeting your mama and
you back as a teenager
...but when I first met your Dad, I
felt right at home with him
eva:
oh yes...back when I was a wonderful
well mannered young woman. lol
me: haah. You were quiet and
well-mannered upon that first
introduction, yes. in the pews
eva:Yah
I was pretty good--compared to most
teens. My grandparents were pretty
good about makings ure I knew how to
act in church.
me: That's interesting. Yeah,
I remember going out to meet your
great-grandma, Mrs Wright, right?
She was working really hard!
eva:
thats right. lol
me: had the lawnmower turned
over
fixing something on it
I met your great-grandfather too
eva:
she is a hard working lady. Just
turned 90 too.
me: both were very nice to
me. was that Scofield bible you
carried his?
eva: My great grandfather
was amazing....I still miss him. But
i have his Bible...which keeps me
close to him.
yep! lol
me: I've never read the
Scofield bible notes
eva: I still use it and I
love how whenever I am at church ad
they want us to go to a certain
verse my grandpa already has it
underlined.
me: but apparently they have
influenced the people who have that
Bible
yeah, that underlining is wonderful]
it shows a time in a person's life
when they were really learning God's
Word
and excited about it
eva: the Scofield notes
are good, they don't have
everything, but they have lot. I
have learned though not to just take
all the notes as truth tough, my
bible study classes have been
teaching me to research the bible by
using the bible.
me: that's what I wanna
hear!!!
eva:
oh yah. My grandpa read the
bible everyday and read it through
over 10 times I think.
lol
Well, you would be proud of me...I
have really been growing with God
and learning a lot....changing a
lot. Although I am still a smart
a--.
me: Does your g-grandma still
live in the same house?
eva:
lol yep she does. We will be back in
California in July...so maybe as we
are driving in we can stop by your
church or something.
me: Pastor Wesley is coming
to America
sometime late April
eva: that will be
awesome.
how long is he staying?
me: Probably a few weeks.
I am gonna try to help him raise
7500 dollars for the Transmitter,
Tower, and Studio equipment
He was granted a license from the
government
eva:
wow that will be a big project.
I hope he gets it.
me: and has already built the
little building for the studio
if you look on my journal page at
the RockYou slide show...
you'll see a small, 2 story square
bldg. between the sanctuary and the
medical clinic
---that will be home to the radio
station
eva:
Whatever happened to ...oh
whats his name......the guy who came
to live here from Liberia....
me: Macdonald is in
sacramento
eva:
macdonald!!!
yes.
me: he works as an LPN
at a nursing home Yah, it's kinda
hard to get ahead anywhere right
now.
eva:
the economy is dragging
everyone down I think.
but that is whole different topic.
lol
me: not really
I was just thinking about asking you
if I could use excerpts for my
journal entry today
haha
eva:
of course you can....
me: so the economy is very
important
HOWEVER
my weekly 'retirement' report came
in this morning
and it has made a significant leap
in one week
eva:
awesome. We have an IRA
now too and have been saving up for
when we are old like you. lol j/k
me: it still is far from
where it was last October
but that's OK
cuz the ol' street preacher would
say...
"Don't put yo' faith in yo'
retirement account..."
....You can lose yo' retirement account!"
eva:
lol very true. That's good that you
have it though, I think a lot
people are realizing that they
didn't plan a head and they don't
have anything saved for when they
can't work.
Wish my parents would have had
something like that...but sadly no.
My mom has her retirement from work
I think, but it's not gonna be
something significant to live off of
for the rest of their lives.
me: mine isn't much compared
to people who have made 'making
money' their primary goal
because I've been self-employed for
so many years
I've had to pay my own social
security contributions
but the annuity fund was something
that old preachers drilled into the
younger guys
eva:
that is awesome.
me: so they wouldn't be
totally broke when nobody wants an
old preacher
eva:
lol
right....
old preachers are SO
useless.
me: We'll see about that!
eva:
I can't see you ever acting old.
me: Your Dad and I are the
same age, I think
eva:
My dad turned 51 last month.
me: Yeah, I'll be 51 in July
eva:
bunch of old guys. ;)
me: rock and roll
Friday, April 4, 2008
Other than his roles in Ferris
Beuler's Day Off, the Wonder Years
(and a more recent TV show about his
money), I don't really know anything
about Ben Stein. Today, however, I
have come across this blog about a
movie that is being released. This
film pertains to my entry today:
Expelled
On Tuesday, I met
Andrew Edwards at the
pastors' prayer meeting. His pastor,
Cedric Lee, introduced him to us.
Andrew began sharing his purpose in
coming to us by showing us two
magazine covers (Time and National
Geographic) with 'scientific' proofs
for the evolution of man.
He asked us, "How do you respond to
stories such as these? How are our
young people supposed to respond?"
Andrew adequately addressed my
concern in approaching the topic of
Creationism vs. Evolution.
Unfortunately, some who hold to a
6-day literal view of creation have
brought unnecessary dissension to
those who might desire the
intellectual freedom to think
differently about whether God's Word
intends for the reader to believe
that each day of Creation was an
earth-centered 24-hour day.
It is important to present a humble,
balanced presentation of the
biblical materials which will help
our young people to be informed
contributors in their cultural
setting at public schools, community
colleges, and at the University
level (and in the popular culture).
Andrew told us that he holds to a
view of the Earth as being about
6,000 years old. I would like to
hear more from him simply because I
like his attitude.
FAQ about Andrew
and his third-base interest
By looking at Andrew's website it
appears that he has prepared himself
to help pastors and teachers better
equip our precious young people. I
have watched my own teens begin the
process of reconciling what they
have already been taught with their
own unanswered questions and
uncertainties as they have surfaced.
They will surely face more
challenges in the years ahead.
Last night before going to bed, I
got online and another evoution-based
'teaser' from WIRED popped up. It
opened with a line that affirmed the
scientific community's widespread
acceptance of evolution ("except
for a few dogmatic religious types").
Welcome to the way it is.
May God bless Andrew in his ministry
of sharing information and
challenging the prevailing
presuppositions of our culture.
Don't forget: Duncan Holmes
is ministering at Bell Road on
Sunday morning.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Last night I wrote letters to all
the CCC visitors who were among us
last Sunday. I also wrote to a
couple other people who needed some
contact.
Slept in until 6:30 this morning. I
immediately sensed a need to write
letters of a similar nature to two
sisters in our local church. I have
heard people note that they thought
my last Sunday message (Obedient
to the Vision) was better
than most.
Having preached hundreds of messages
since I was called to preach, my own
evaluation of a message might differ
in criterion.
I recall from my earliest study of
Jeremiah
that his messages are
assembled in a unique way. Like
letters stored in a shoebox, the
reader might reread the messages out
of sequence but the overall message
is still intact.
I learned this from the introductory
notes of the NIV Student Bible
(Yancey, maybe?). We gave a
significant number of those Bibles
to teens in the eighties. My old
friend, Al Dines, served as the
benefactor for those Bibles (as I
fondly recall the spontaneous
gifting of an older couple...hah).
That's my view of the messages God
has granted for me to preach. The
effectiveness of any given message
has yet to be realized.
"As much as someone may like Brother So-and-So's
preaching, the message ain't much unless it has
impacted someone's mindset, attitude, and ultimately
her/his faith-based behavior."
--Brother
Do-and-Do, 2008
Reflecting upon
Brother DD's
quote strengthens my own assertion
that one message truly
'heard'
by one chosen soul might be worth
more
than
a steady diet of messages
which bear
the
'God-Housekeeping Seal-of-Approval'.
Tom Shoneff once shared that
a message from God ought to
comfort the
afflicted and
afflict
the comfortable.
I don't know the origins of that
pithy saying but it rings true to my
heart. My own conviction about the
purpose of any given message shared
from my heart is tri-fold:
Comfort for the one who has been hurting
Correction for all assembled sinners
Confirmation for one who is
seeking direction
It was Mike Bowling who told me that
in the minds of most 'a preacher is
only as good as his last sermon.' I
think I've observed that truth over
the years of preaching inside the
walls of weekly congregations.
One who is a receptive listener can
hear the same message over and over
and yet continue to receive fresh
manna. Here's is one brief message
that I have pulled out from my own
stash of letters. It is a simple,
three-point message (with thematic
repetition and guitartistry). Click
on the title if you have 2:30
minutes to spare.
Give
Thanks
1. Give thanks to the Lord
2. Call on His name
3. Make known among the
nations
what He has done
This message is only 2:30
minutes long. Because of the brevity
of this sermon, one might mistakenly
call this a 'sermonette'. The length
of a message should not be a primary
concern. This short message stands
the test of time. Contrary to a
misguided view of what to do with
God-given talent, the guitar solo is
not irrelevant and unnecessarily
showy. If one would want to argue
that point, the argument would be
best taken up with the Creator of
blind eyes and visionary fingers.
Actually, when the lyrics to that
song were first voiced, a certain
critic (Michal) watched from her
window with disgust. We might wanna
be careful around Michal. "Bad
company corrupts good character."
...as soon as Jesus was alone,
"His followers, along with the twelve,
began asking Him about the parables.
He was saying to them,
"To you has been given the mystery
of the kingdom of God,
but
those who are outside
get
everything in parables,
so that
while seeing,
they may see and not perceive,
and
while hearing,
they may hear and not understand.
Otherwise they might return and be
forgiven."
The reader might ask,
"What was bothering Jesus that day?
Others might choose to invest their
precious opportunities in the
knocking down of straw men that
they, themselves, have created.
I'd rather just set fire to my
convictions. That is what I hear
Paul saying at the Lord's Table:
"judge yourselves". The legitimacy
of what we do will be judged by God
anyway.
The local context within which and
with whomever God has chosen for us
to work remains His process.
Enough of that.
Back to the
black-and-white
of the
day-to-day:
Yesterday,
Matt, Emma, and I had a
2-hour staff meeting to work on
tightening up the role of 'Pastoral
Staff' as we relate to making our
Leadership Council fulfill the heart
of the church constitution.
Point-by-point, we addressed the
primary issues involved.
Then, it occurred to the hungriest
of the group that there had been no
provision for food so we went to
Chevy's for lunch mid-afternoon.
A couple
last-night chats:
9:39 PM
me: What did you do tonight
during classes?
Matt:
I was in youth
me: mm
prayer was good. we really focused
on intentional ,directed prayers
small group but powerful
Matt:
cool
me: Faye
was really happy tonight
She attended the
promo mtg
with Les, Tom, Bob,
Cyde, and whoever else
She was really
excited about it
Matt:
yeah... I saw them
through the window
me: let's move that piano
tomorrow
and set up a camera and see what
stuff looks like
Matt:
sounds good
me: oh
I talked to Duncan Holmes
He's fine with doing something
special for the kids
Matt:
cool
me: ...and Heidi too.
She really wants to
keep them in for it
Matt:
that will be nice
...and this short chat before my
connection was lost:
9:50 PM
me: you there?
how was youth tonight?
Brandon:
good
we prayed for revival in the youth
group again
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
I awoke around 5:00am. today. I
messed around a bit with a graphic
idea in the process of setting up a
new webpage design for this daily
journal. As you'll see below, before
I went to bed, I chatted with Matt.
He had made a mock-up header for a
new webpage and had wondered what I
thought of it.
The chat involved the creative
process and I ended with "I'll think
on it."
So I woke up thinking on it. In the
process of thinking I had to get
this idea out of my head and into
paint. Probably won't use it but
here it is. Click on the
photo.
The top part is the current header
that Pastor Matt created for the
homepage at
www.bellroad.org
So, in this quick idea, my
journal page would be leaving the
walls of the church building and
entering an oceanic voyage (with the
all the real possibility of 'sea
billows rolling' and other such
hymnic poetry).
Then, of course, I have to add this
version just to remind
me
of my original waking-moment idea
(though is really much different).
editor's note:
This is strictly my idea. All
potential questions of artistic
vision should be directed to me
alone.
Some don't understand allusions to
rolling sea billows and the like.
Maybe I'll have an over the shoulder
of my desktop,
concordance, dictionary, papers,
all kinds of research...
and then something out-of-place in
the corner
or something like that
I saw Randy at the Gym yesterday.
He's a biker (a couple years younger
than me). I met him there during the
week before Easter. Randy is a new
member at the Gym.
He told me that he had wanted to get
online and see this page but hadn't
yet. He also mentioned that his
girlfriend and he had planned on
coming to church too! That sure was
a good feeling.
a chat earlier
in the evening last night:
7:25
me: I pulled an April Fool's
Day Joke on Matt today.
Christy:
where is that boy!
me: he's at home now
why?
Christy: i IM'd him to
send the sac bee a pic of the
Johnson Family - they are going to
give
us a bigger spread than the usual 4
or 5 lines
me: he's not online that I
can see
Christy:
I will email him
me: I just sent you the joke
I pulled on him
Rena and Wanda were also in on it
Christy: ok
you guys are bad!!
me: it was about his Youth
Room...
I think you'll enjoy it.
Christy: knife in the
heart
oh that is bad - did he just croak
or what?
me: Since I had to leave to
pick up Clarice,
the letter gave him about 20 minutes
to sweat it out...
THEN, he turned around and put my car
for sale
for $1 on Craig's List...
but I made him take it off...
I said, 'that's not April Fool's..
that's just an annoyance.'
Christy: hah!
me: he tried to disprove it at
first by checking
my email on my desk computer but he
seems
to have convinced himself that it was
bonafide.
So..that worked.
He was thinking through the
constitution and stuff
so I guess I pretty much had him!
Christy:
that was a good one
me: Cathy and I prayed a
sinner's prayer with
a 27 yr. old today. Hillary...a
girl that we had met
a week before.
I figured she wasn't saved so I
started emailing her.
Christy: how awesome -
praise God from whom all blessings
flow
--and this
chat happened last night too
8:06 PM
me: Hey Karla. Are you
online?
Alba, Jesse, Cathy, and I went out
door to door this afternoon
Karla:
hi, how did it go?
me: We did really well. We
handed out fliers, brochures,
Karla: oh good
me: CDs, and a few Jesus
Spanish videos
Alba went with Cathy
and Jesse went with me
Karla: when are you
planning in going again?
me: We will decide on Sunday.
Alba made a good Spanish contact with
a lady
named Angelique who was part of a
spanish
fellowship at another church with
about 20 people
cathy just told me that it is a
current group
that went from 4 to about 20
anyway, Alba went back and took her a
video
Karla:that is great
me: and she says she may come
this sunday at 2
Karla:
I meet a lady in the mall the used
to go to a church in spanish in
auburn, but she say in the end
everybody start fighting, so she
only go to English church, but she
call me to go this sunday with me,
but we left with david, and my
cellphone was not working during the
weekend. I had her voice mail, but
not her number. I am hoping she
calls again
Monday, April 1, 2008
Up before 6:00 today. Duncan
Holmes will arrive in Sacramento
on Saturday--much to do before he
gets here.
Cathy is going to go to
the Orientation for Bible Study
Fellowship this morning. Since
before we started hosting BSF at
BellRoad, we felt it was important
to have our ladies involved. Thus
far,
Phyllis and Faye
have been our primary ambassadors.
Last week,
Clarice attended.
Today, at 4:00pm,
Jesse
and
Alba
are going to meet us at the church.
We plan to take Spanish 'Jesus'
videos to the Latino neighborhood
nearby. At 5:30, I have another
appointment at the church. I'd
rather not put the Spirit on a
time-limit, but we'll see what
happens)...
On Easter Sunday,
Caitlyn
sat in the balcony and shot footage
of our program (No More Night).
Yesterday, I converted the DVD of
Caitlyn's angle to an mpeg4 and
uploaded it. Last week I was told
that our CCLI license covers the
internet presentation of the musical
score since it was presented in a
live setting.
So....if you have an hour click on
the player below. Thanks to
Patrice
Rosenau,
Curt Harjo,
and
Matt Klein for their
collective efforts. This is the
firstfruit effort for our
nearly-new minister of media. The
vision to get our projectors, center
screen, and videos online is
yet-in-process.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Daniel
returned from Camp Cazadero rather
late last night. So,
Cerissa
and he stayed over and are leaving
for their classes soon. I burned a
copy of yesterday's sermon for him
to hear on the way, then he will
pass it on to his brother,
Jeremiah.
Click here
for "Obedient to the Vision
I also burned a copy for
Mary.
She is leaving for Sierra College in
a couple minutes. Mary doesn't mind
working in the Nursery on Sundays if
she gets a CD of the message.
Wolfgang
was in the Nursery as well, so he
got his CD last night (as did
Mike
& Nancy
who were still on vacation that
morning).
Last night we also delivered CDs to
BellRoad
Bob,
Conductor
Jane, and
BellRoad
Heidi--our Children's
Church ministers.
So...one more to deliver (to
Karen)
today and we'll have taken care of
our children's workers for this
week! I'd like to have copies for
our other missionaries who went to
Camp Cazadero (Tom,
Dan, and
Rachelle).
All of the child care workers for
last week's Easter program have now
been given a copy of the DVD as
well.
Our precious
Minister of Music-Media & Youth
has been
working his altoids off
making sure that we have what we
need to minister to God's ministers!
Thanks, Pastor Matt!
See the church's media page:
click here
and the brochure's page here:
click here
Someday, most of these people will
be all be set up to 'burn' their own
CDs or iPod recordings from
their computers or phones...
...but all-things-tech move a bit
slower up here in the foothills than
they did down in metropolitan
Galt (or even Huntington Beach,
I suppose). Still, Cathy and I don't
mind delivering the CDs
house-to-house...like "Little House
on the Prairie".
We have a 10:00am. home visit
scheduled with a couple of our
seniors this morning.
If you're already digitally-versed,
just click here:
www.bellroadradio.com
You can access or download all the messages for the last year in a variety of formats.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Here is the sermon I preached this
morning:
Click here
for "Obedient to the Vision
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Last Sunday our church presented a
dramatization of the Gospel for
Easter. In the program was a song
interpreted by two sisters (Polly
and Cathy). This is one camera's
view from the front row.
Click here
for Amazing Love (in
stereoscope)
There were a couple other
cameras running from different
angles. If I find some time to do
it, I may mix in some shots from
that footage.
Today, Wolf and the guys are gonna
help move a newcomer to our church.
That's where I'm headed now.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Wolfgang and I met for prayer
early this morning. Cathy and I met
with a senior couple for their
check-up at 10:00. We closed in a
circle prayer at 1:05; I don't think
that any of us had realized how much
time had elapsed.
There is another group from our
church headed up to Camp Cazadero
today. Our son, Daniel, is going
along for another working mission
trip.
Yesterday, Pastor Matt and I further
discussed theological and
methodological convictions. A side
issue that came up is the nature of
study that I undertake in order to
nourish a pastor's heart in my
ministerial context.
One issue I have considered in the
last couple days involves the burial
of
Michael Elledge in nearby
Placerville. I had been looking at
the website of the 'church' that
pickets military funerals and saw
that they had placed this memorial
on their schedule. Apparently they
don't always show up for the
scheduled picket but they cause a
stir by even stating that they plan
to.
From that thought, I also felt the
need to study through a couple other
'related' issues. Nothing that I
wish to go into today but only need
to journal a mention for future
reference.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Joe and I watched "The Apostle" last
night before going to bed. My
favorite scene is when the
antagonist shows up with a bulldozer
and says he's gonna take out the
church. E.F. places the Bible
down on the ground in front of the
bulldozer and says, "Nobody moves
that Book".
The radio announcer watches on and
whispers about the importance of the
moment. The antagonist winds up
kneeling down as E.F.
(Duvall) places his hand on his back
and tells him to receive the love of
God.
The announcer whispers that this is
their first on-air conversion. Joe
and I enjoyed listening to the final
sermon that Duvall 'preaches' before
the cops take him away. He uses the
A.B.C. plan of salvation. When he
lifts up a little baby's hand to
speak of a father putting a nail
through his son's palm, he says,
"I couldn't
do it; there not enough love in me."
That was the movie that Robert
Duvall wanted to make for many
years. I listened to Duvall's
commentary on it a few years ago. He
said he picked up pointers from
actual sermons he had heard. I
enjoyed his insights about the
subculture he had encountered in his
earlier days.
Here's something kinda fun:
Keith Green at age 11 on TV:
click here
If you watch through to the end, he plays a song with the band. Quite a talented youngster. It makes his biography more meaningful to understand how dashed his hopes would become at age 16.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Thank you, Lord, for another sunny
day in northern California. Early
this morning I received direction
from the Holy Spirit about Sunday's
Message. The connection that God
chooses to make between Ananias and
Saul has relevance for us today:
Click Here
Yesterday, Cathy and I had a 10:00
checkup with yet another widow in
our church. We discovered that her
ministry within the church is
washing dishes and keeping everyone
encouraged. What a blessing to know
the value of one's calling!
Afterwards, we ate lunch at a place
called Edelweiss in downtown Auburn.
I left one of
our church brochures
along with the tip.
Pastor Matt just finished burning a
master DVD of last Sunday's Easter
Program. If you didn't get a chance
to see it, we will post the entire
live performance online later today.
Here is another testimony that was
part of the program. I trust that
Rachelle's story will touch your
heart.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
We left our evening 'check-up' at
10:15. This couple (just a bit older
than us) have lived out a very
interesting calling from the Lord. I
wonder what God has in store for us
as we further commit ourselves to
one another.
Earlier in the evening I met with
the granddaughter of one of Bell
Road's longtime members.
Hillary
and her fiance,
Joe,
have asked me to officiate at their
wedding. I gave each of them a copy
of 40 Days of Purpose that I had on
my shelf. Hopefully, we will be able
to interact online about issues
discussed in that book during the 40
days ahead.
Cathy and I also had a checkup with
a senior yesterday. She has agreed
to be set apart for prayer on Sunday
mornings and also showed an interest
in BSF, so I am going to pick her up
this morning to try it out.
There's yet another 'check-up'
scheduled for 10:00am. These have
been very fruitful times for all
concerned.
Monday, March 24, 2008
I'm not writing this journal entry
until nearly 11:00am today. Our
weekend had been packed and
yesterday (Easter) was non-stop
people groups from 6:30 Sunrise
Service until we left "Experiencing
God" at 9:30.
God is at work around me. I like to
journal in order to give myself
reminders of whatever I have
learned, received, seen, or heard on
any of the Lord's Days. Putting
revelation in practice (or faith
into action) requires some way to
evaluate my own degree of obedience.
I drove to the Office at 8:30am in
order to open the door for BSF
Leadership. Then, Cathy, Joe, and I
went to the Gym where I started
reading Week 9 of Blackaby. This has
been an important book in my journey
as a pastor-teacher-leader since
first being given a copy by Nan
Bragg (Home Missionary: Michigan c.
1990).
This same book has helped me
interpret God's Voice as Pastor at
Praise Baptist Church (Kalamazoo),
Snyder Lane Baptist Church (Rohnert
Park), First Baptist Church (Galt),
and now, afresh, at Bell Road
Baptist Church (Auburn). Mr.
Blackaby's teachings were not really
new concepts to me. Most of what I
read at the onset already resonated
with my own developing theology and
prayer life. If anyone has
difficulty understanding why I do
the things I do, reading Blackaby
might help...
On Friday, Pastor Matt suggested we
make a gift CD for Easter, so into
Studio 1 we went. Here is the
result:
click here
for Easter 2008
Free Gift CD
The sound has been compressed at
64kbs for the Internet. However, if
you would like a copy of the 5 track
CD, just write to me:
pastorob@bellroad.org
I preached at the Sunrise Service
yesterday. I hope to take some time
today to journal the flow of thought
that was spurred on by the Scripture
verses and the gathered people of
God, the intimate setting, and the
rising sun.
As well, I hope to put together a
glimpse of
Polly and Cathy
and their stereoscopic
interpretation of 'Amazing Love'.
Then, our missionary to the Deaf (Alisha)
will be able to enjoy a bit of our
Easter program yet today.
Alisha
is stationed at Rancho Sordo Mudo in
Mexico.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Up at 4:30 this morning. Since I'm
up, Lord willing, I'll drive to the
Three Crosses around 6:00 and see
how the weather feels at this time
of year. Tomorrow, we are starting
our Sunrise Service at 6:30.
Last year, Easter was on April 8th.
Cathy,
Mary, and I had stayed
the night in the trailer next to the
Reeves home. I remember clearly the
sense of mystery we experienced as
we arose while it was yet dark (and
made our way East on I-80 toward
Exit 123).
Brandon,
Vicky, and I had agreed
to meet with our acoustic guitars
and provide simple music as a
backdrop for the other pilgrims who
would make the early morning trip to
the hilltop.
We provided a half-sheet, Songs &
Scripture page for those who joined
us. Meanwhile, at the bottom of the
hill, we saw the picketers beginning
to arrive. That surreal scene may be
a kairos
moment for the church that gathers
at 707 Bell Road (rob's journal:
April 2007)
Here was an extra seven-day
devotional I shared online in order
to prepare myself for Good Friday
and Easter Sunday in 2007 (click
here)
This year, personal preparation for
Holy Week has been accomplished
primarily by reading Week 8
along with my 'partners' in
"Experiencing God."
For Good Friday, I had lunch with
Cerissa,
Daniel, and Mary. We
rehearsed the 7 Words from the Cross
that we had taught Cerissa a few
months back at the Biblical Gardens.
In the evening, Joe, Cathy, and I
went to the Community Good Friday
Services, sang corporately, heard
the Word, and shared the
Communion.
After the service,
Diana, Bob,
and Aaron Knapp
joined us at Applebee's.
Today, we are driving to Galt to
visit a wayward soul in need of a
pastoral house call. We will then
attend the matinee of
Picture of Jesus (Jebby's
Rock Opera in Lodi), and drop in at
a surprise birthday party for one of
our dearest friends. At 7:00pm,
we'll meet with BellRoaders at the
Union Gospel Mission (Sacramento) on
our way back home.
A couple years ago (while trying to
help James
and Eva Moore
transition from California to
Michigan), I met
Bobby Gilstrap
online. He is the Director of
Missions for two different Baptist
associations there.
Bobby went to Michigan as a
missionary himself. I was impressed
at how well he had managed
technology to provide learning
opportunities for the people of his
association. As Pastor Matt develops
the infrastructure for our new
website, I will probably pass on
some ideas gathered from Bobby's
work. Bobby Gilstrap's Resource
Page:
click here
Here's one of the pages he linked to
from a local church in Tennessee:
Church health and Growth (click
here)
Here's a chat I had with
Christy
Sandhoff yesterday.
me: Hi Christy
How you doing today?
Christy: typical Friday -
hurry here, hurry there,
hurry everywhere for everything -
and you?
me: We have new brochures for
giving out on Easter...
got 1,000 color tri-folds
printed for FREE by a friend
Christy:
FREE , my favorite price
me: and then today, Matt
and I recorded a bit of
'radio-like' banter to piece
together three of my
songs and two of his songs as a
special CD
gift for visitors.
Christy: on your blog???
me: we can put it up, yeah...
Christy: I would like to
hear that
me: but the CD will have
tracks so it can be played over
and over
Christy:
even better still!
me: Hey, can you get the
WELCOME TEAM together?
for AFTER EASTER service in the
foyer and
hallways to gather names of
unknown faces?
I'm gonna try to
'connect' before the presentation
and introduce Matt after
the program which will be
quite good...
Christy: I am really
looking forward this Easter.
It is going to be special for us
being as it
is our first Easter with our new
church family,
so to speak.
me: I've asked the Choir,
Testimony people, and
narrators to step down to the altar
to serve as Prayer
Intercessors
...then, we'll invite people forward
but we won't draw that out. Like
other times,
I'll dismiss in prayer and ask that
the altar stay
a place of prayer..but if we could
have you,
Kurt, Bobbie, Les, Tom, Francie,
Jimmie,
Christy:
Sure. I heard from Olan Mills this
week, and
we should be getting our black and
white proof
directory soon
me: etc. already be in the
foyer, then we could do
a good job of gathering names and
numbers
for follow up
Christy:
sounds good to me
me: anything we do will
help..
Good news about Olan Mills
Christy: do you know if
any of the 3 new couples
are coming
me: Rex and Janna might be
here.
Their son has been hospitalized in
San Jose.
Did you see the brochure page on our
new website?
Christy:
not yet - haven't looked yet today
me: The other two couples
probably will be here..
then, there's others who have
just been slacking
on Sundays...who aren't going
anywhere else..
but who haven't
'connected' more than the 10:15
service...periodically
(Here I have some omitted some
time-sensitive 'sending'
stuff that cannot yet be published)
Background for what follows
Comedian: Stephen B
(click
here
for video)
*If you aren't able to stream videos, you can still learn
more about Stephen B if you'll
click
here
me: Hey I spoke with the
Comedian yesterday for about
an hour. He told me that FBC Galt had
given him
his first 'entry' into doing Comedy
at a church
He had done clubs for over 20 years
but hadn't gotten
serious about Christ until 2000
and later felt led to try to
'minister' through his gift of
'getting people to laugh.'
That's when we had him do a COMEDY
NIGHT
in our fellowship hall.
Man, he was FUNNY...for all ages!
Christy: I think a
comedy night performance would be
awesome
me: He's ready to help as much
as we need
God can really use outside
relationships like that
Christy: I would like to
put his performance
on the concert calendar ASAP.
me: to come in once in awhile to
touch base
Are you coordinating calendar with
Tom and Les?
Christy: I think it would
be a BIG draw, and a good
change-up from musical concerts.
me: Yeah, me too. He has
PLENTY of material
that is REALLY funny
Christy: I am letting
them do the scheduling
and I am doing publicity.
----That's over an hour of
journaling.
Time to head up to the hilltop.
I'm gonna wake up Cathy to go with me.
Friday, March 21, 2008
I'm about to leave for our Deacons'
Prayer Meeting but first, I would
like to invite everyone within
driving distance to come to the 7th
Day Adventist Church in Auburn
TONIGHT at 7:00pm. for a
Community Good Friday Service.
Nine area pastors are sharing the
pulpit. Our focus is the "7
Words of Christ on the Cross".
Last night I watched the entire
presentation of 'No More Night'
which will be presented at our
morning service on Easter. It will
touch hearts and minds.
I have been up since 4:40am checking
out our NEW website design
www.bellroad.org put into place
yesterday.
It shows signs of intelligent
design: Our own
Pastor Matt
Klein (Music-Media-Youth)
is the man behind the curtain.
There are some
cool
new features will should prove to be
quite helpful to those who want to
expand their personal borders and
start 'reaching out'. There is now a
way to download brochures, tickets,
and posters to publish at home (or
Kinko's). This will make 'outreach'
much easier for those who
spontaneously decide to promote an
upcoming event.
This morning I began to prepare
myself for the upcoming
Duncan
Holmes visit by listening
to the interview:
Radio Interview
with Duncan Holmes
Meanwhile, I read his biography that
Pastor Matt uploaded on our website
(click
here). Duncan will be our
special guest on Sunday, April
6th morning service. I am
beginning to get excited about
picking him up from the airport and
having him stay with us a few days.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Check out our NEW website design:
www.bellroad.org
Yesterday was a great day full of
action. Fruit from the outreach of
Iglesia
Bautista de Bell Road has
come in the form of a boy named
Victor.
His mother,
Carmin, was in prayer
meeting with Karla, Chet, Jimmy,
Joe, Christy, and me.
Sometime last night,
Victor
prayed to receive Jesus as his Lord
and Savior.
Jesse (who also
volunteers for our Wednesday night
TeamKID program) has been able to
build a relationship with this
precious young soul.When this was
reported last night after Choir
practice, someone asked,
"Is that 'Victor' from the CD?"
"Yes."
I don't recall who asked
the question but it most likely came
from someone who worked in
Nursery,
the BellRoad Express, or
who had been away on the
Men's Mission
to
Camp Cazadero.
The CD referenced would have been
the
BellRoad Radio edition of
Bases Loaded. That
message featured
Jesse
Medina.
SG
Spirit-Guidance suggested
In seminar and in the annual
checkups, I am learning of those who
have never had the experience of
'leading' a person to pray for
forgiveness of Sin and to receive
Christ Jesus as Savior. My hope is
to personally take individuals 'out'
on spiritual adventures. My greater
hope, of course, is to watch as
souls are born again.
There is no greater joy!
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
I am looking forward to Easter
Sunday here at Bell Road Baptist
Church. We are starting with a
Sunrise Service at 6:30 a.m.
Patrice Rosenau, Curt
Harjo, and Pastor Matt
have worked together to present a
very special musical dramatization
with which to present the Gospel
Story at our 10:15 service.
Yesterday a friend of mine agreed to
print 1,000 free copies of this
church brochure that Pastor Matt
and Les Andrews designed.
Click here
to take a sneak peek.
The price is right! If you would
like to share some copies with
people in order to invite them to
church this Sunday, send me an
email:
pastorob@gmail.com
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
There are some memorable moments and
quoteable quotes on it. Before the
Message, you'll hear the Bell
ringing as the kids head off to
Children's Church. I left this
transition-time on the audio track
so I wouldn't forget some of the
context.
If you have find that the audio
download is moving slow today, try
listening to the message on the
SermonPlayer (click
here).
I slept in until 6:00 a.m. today.
Must be in at the Office by 8:45 to
set up a microphone for BSF (Bible
Study Fellowship). Pastor Matt
better sleep-in himself this
morning. It looks like he was up a
little later than me!
We had a late night with the
Saints last night.
G.R.O.W
covered some most-important
biblical territory for how best to
conduct ourselves as 'leaders' in
our local church.
Since we didn't video (or
audio-record) the session, we will
probably need to provide a way to
recreate the Message. This
particular message ought to be up on
our webpage (accessible for anyone
who wants to come alongside us on
the Journey ahead).
I'm happy to report that we're gonna
move full-speed ahead with video
testimonies at
BellRoad Radio.
Last night (after
G.R.O.W.)
a few of our folks went into the
producer's 'studio' to do their
interviews.
Click on the photo to see and hear
the testimony of David Browning
and his wife, Rita: