• Love God with all my heart!

• Think, decide, and act biblically... in other words, to have a world view that is determined by the Bible, not popular culture!

• Love my family and lead them towards God.

• Make my life an act of service to God.

• Take as many people as possible to Heaven with me by being available to share the Good News of Jesus wherever possible!

• Be as fully immersed in the local church as possible, knowing that it is where the real God action is!  God is working through the church!

• This week will be busy!  We have First Wednesday service, Friday is July 4th, and I begin a brand new sermon series on Sunday!  (Believer's Baptism this Sunday as well!)
  

• That sermon series is going to seriously rock some people's world!  "One Life To Give" is going to lay out some life principles that, if applied, will radically change our lives!  I am not exaggerating in the least bit.  You have to do everything you can to be at all four Sundays in July!

• I was encouraged by the reaction and response to the One Prayer series, particularly to the three video sermons.  Each pastor, Ed Young, Perry Noble, and Steven Furtick, really laid out the straight "stuff" from the Word of God!  I noticed that they kept everyone's attention.  Look for this to happen again sometime in the future.  Please don't forget  to PRAY!!!

• I came home Sunday afternoon to a broken air conditioner!  The central air conditioning system in our house is old and has needed replaced for some time, along with our old oil furnace.  I am trying to research my options.  None of them are inexpensive!  If you have any good connections, I'm open to suggestions!!!  It's pretty warm in here!

• I have a ton of tomato plants in my back yard... somewhere around 30!  When they start producing, I think I'll open a stand!    Seriously, if you like tomatoes, let me know!

• I am thankful for the Youth Camp in West Virginia last week!  I have received great reports!  Pastor Bobby tells me that it is the best one yet.  Forty students, along with 15 adults, were there.  The theme was prayer.  They did lots of challenging activities, including hiking, frisbee golf, canoeing and kayaking, and running an obstacle course.  More importantly, young lives were impacted for Christ!

• Check back tomorrow for another post...

• Determine to pray regularly for and with your pastors! 

• Ask them how you can help them, perhaps in small, practical ways.  Be a willing to serve alongside them. 

• Let them know that you hear, understand, and buy into the vision God has given them for your church.

• Make it possible for them to take time off and away to rest, be refreshed, and to re-fuel!  Insist that they do that!
  

• The monthly Pastors Prayer Breakfast on Saturday morning was really good!  We met at Middle River Baptist Church, hosted by Pastor Don Satterwhite and his wife Marie.  It was obvious to me that God is at work among us.  We have been praying together now for about six years.  There is a unity in the midst of diversity.  NOW, it appears that God is moving us towards beginning an organization through which we can, together, reach out to the Eastern Baltimore County region.  We will provide food, clothing, and direction for the hurting, as well as give them the Good News of Jesus!
  

• This morning, Bobby, Jeff, and I met with seven other men of LifeBridge!  These guys are leaders and future leaders in our ministry.  I am always encouraged when I get around these men!  Today, we discussed the upcoming Men's Challenge Advance on September 4-6 at Skycroft Conference Center.  It will definitely be radically different from anything we've ever done before with our men.  The theme of the event is "Running To Win".  The three days will be packed with competition between 6 teams of men.  They will be competing in events such as wallyball, fishing, rock wall climbing, horseshoes, etc.   We will be talking about how to win in life as men who are Christ followers.

• Today's worship service... a highlight in the worship music came when Anna Mayr sung that song about the cross of Christ and choked up emotionally.  That was awesome and moving. 
  

• Again, there were several first time guests and I got to meet some of them.  They told me that they would definitely be back!  YES!

• Pastor Perry Noble preached and hit one out of the park!  The reaction from our congregation was overwhelmingly positive.  May we be a "dangerous" church, one that dares to trust Jesus for great things!

• I am preparing for a brand new sermon series in July.  When our "One Prayer" series ends, "One Life To Give" will begin on July 6.  I am looking forward to this one! 
  

• Pray this week...  for the Youth Retreat... 42 students, 12 adults are going to West Virginia for three days.  Pray that God will move mightily in the hearts of these teens!  Pray for the adults!!!  :-)  :-)  :-)
  

• By the time I was five or six years old, I was the one "preaching" when all the cousins played church.  I continued in that role for several years.
  

• At age ten I trusted Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord.  It made a definite difference in me and has lasted for over 42 years!  I haven't always been faithful to Him, but He has always been faithful to me.

• At age thirteen, I recognized and surrendered to the call of God to preach the Word.  I actually started preaching in churches and did so throughout my teenage years.  After high school I went to Bible College.

At LifeBridge Church, we have made a serious, ministry altering decision!  Actually, that decision is a further refining of our mission and vision as a church.

"Reaching People When They’re Young

Barna’s research discovered that a person’s lifelong behaviors and views are generally developed when they are young – particularly before they reach the teenage years.

First, a person’s moral foundations are generally in place by the time they reach age nine. ... fundamental perspectives on truth, integrity, meaning, justice, morality, and ethics are formed quite early in life.

After their first decade, most people simply refine their views as they age without a wholesale change in those leanings.

Second, a person’s response to the meaning and personal value of Jesus Christ’s life, death and resurrection is usually determined before a person reaches eighteen. In fact, a majority of Americans make a lasting determination about the personal significance of Christ’s death and resurrection by age 12.

Third, Barna showed data indicating that in most cases people’s spiritual beliefs are irrevocably formed when they are pre-teens.

“In essence,” the researcher noted, “what you believe by the time you are 13 is what you will die believing.

.....research revealed that adult church leaders usually have serious involvement in church life and training when they are young. ......One implication is that the individuals who will become the church’s leaders two decades from now are probably active in church programs today.

Probability of accepting Christ, segmented by age
" Children between the ages of 5 and 13 have a 32% probability of accepting Jesus Christ as their savior.
" The probability of accepting Christ drops to 4% for those who are between the ages of 14 and 18.
" Those older than 18 have a 6% probability of accepting Jesus Christ as their savior."

Are you ready to reach them?

• Friday...  I finished my jogging week by completing a 6.4 mile run to reach my goal for the week...  32 miles.  Robyn and I attended the wedding of a dear friend's daughter on Friday evening at 5 PM.  Gary Settle has been my friend for 48 years.  He has raised a great family.  The wedding was beautiful and very Christ honoring!
  

• Friday... We started our 24 Hour Prayer Vigil and it was very well attended over the 24 hours.  I am blessed to see our congregation calling on God, depending on Him to do mighty things in us and through us!

• Saturday...  I spent over 2 hours working on a 40 foot sport fishing boat that was donated to our ministry.  Dan Meyers has a vision to use it to minister to the next generation!  He will be doing various things, such as taking kids on fishing trips.  What a setting to minister to them!  Anyone willing to give some time to help fix up this beautiful vessel?  Anyone interested in becoming part of the "crew" when it is ready to go, hopefully next month?

• Saturday... I had the privilege of spending time in prayer myself in the 24 hour prayer vigil.  It was a true blessing being able to pray in that building God has given us.  It was vision expanding to see, in prayer, what God wants to do in our region!

• Saturday...  Robyn and I had dinner at LifeBridge with several other pastors.  We shared some laughs and then talked serious business.  We are preparing to begin a community wide ministry.  It will be a coalition of churches in a new ministry entitled, "WE CARE".  This ministry will supply food and clothing to the under resourced and homeless.   I am pumped about what I believe God is going to do through this!  More info later...

• Sunday...  a seriously motivating pastors meeting at 7 AM!!!  The three of us, Bobby, Jeff and I, discussed the upcoming Men's Challenge Weekend.  It is going to be unlike anything we have ever done before with our men!  September 4 - 6, mark your calendars!  More info later... (HINT: fishing tournament, wallyball competition, and much more!)  The theme... Running The Race!

• Sunday...  another 300 plus attendance day.  I personally met and talked with 7 first time visitors.  Five of the seven were next generation!  The band did an awesome job with Let God Arise!  It rocked!  Ed Young laid down the challenge as he spoke on "Make Us Wake Up!"  Can't wait for next Sunday!

• Sunday...  I rode two different motorcycles in PA and loved every minute of the rides.  I was not a passenger, I drove!  Enjoyed spending some time with my Mom and family on Father's Day!

• Pray personally and privately everyday.  Follow this blog for more!

• Join us at the LifeBridge Church facility this Friday beginning at 6 PM for the 24 hour prayer vigil!  We are asking people to come and pray, alone or with others, filling half hour time slots.  Email me with the time you will pray there.

• As a member of a local church, find a team or start a team to do ministry together!  Contribute your talents, skills, experience, energy, and time to a cause bigger than one person.  1 person chases 1000, but 2 persons chase 10, 000!!!  That's synergy!

• As a pastor, worry less about our differences and preferences and be more concerned about our commonality!  Every church that accepts the Scriptures as God's inspired Word, believes we are all sinners in need of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus, our God and Savior, and is convinced that there is a real Heaven to gain and Hell to shun, should be able to cooperate in some way as a team to reach their community!!!  All other differences should be overlooked for the good of the Kingdom.  Some of us are going to be seriously surprised when we get to Heaven!  (Maybe embarrassed!)