I'll be back

Sorry that I have been away for so long. I will be back in action after the first of the year. Hope you had an awesome Christmas.

Grace Had a Face

I was listening to the Gospel Greats Saturday on FLN. Yes, there is a part of me that likes southern gospel music. :-) A song came on by Phil Cross "Hope Has Hands". I don't remember all the words and I have added some of my own. But it was talking about what happened at the Birth of the Messiah. In the manger:

Grace had a Face

Hope had a hand

The Bread had a Basket

Freedom had Feet

Love had a Heartbeat

Truth could Stand

The Word had a Mouth

The Savior lived among Sinners

This Sunday at Praise Fellowship

Merry Christmas!!!!!!

As we approach the week of Christmas, my prayer is that the Savior born in that manger would be the true Bread of Life that you feed upon every day all year round.

Sunday at Praise Fellowship we will gather at 10 and worship the amazing Messiah. Come ready to exalt His great Name!!! Hearts of Praise Dance team will be ministering and the morning's message will be entitled, "Little Baby .... Big Deal?" Read Mt. 1, 2 and Luke 1,2

After the service there will be a Spaghetti Lunch. Make plans to spend some time fellowship with the family. All the proceeds will go toward the Sound/Tech department specifically for the purchase of a new keyboard.

Remember that there will be a very special Christmas Eve Service on Thursday night at 9 pm.

All the services including Christmas Eve are broadcast live at www.worshipplace.org

Luke 1:28

The Angel visited Mary and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. - Lk. 1:28,29 NIV

As I ponder those words to Mary, I am reminded that we as followers of Christ do have some things important with Mary. The key characteristic of Mary was that she was going to bring forth the Messiah to the world. It was through her that the world was going to meet their savior. She was going to give birth to the Messiah. Of course, we are not pregnant with the Christ child, but let me remind you that we are Christ's ambassadors and God is making his appeal to the world through us. 2 Cor. 5:18

Please also consider that these two amazing statements that God can make about followers of Jesus today. 1. You are Highly Favored and 2. The Lord is with You. Wow!!!! What could be greater than that. And I love Mary's response. She was greatly troubled. That shows her true, genuine humility. She knew her shortcomings and failures and she still believed the word of the Lord. Let me encourage you to do the same. Walk in humility and look at yourself soberly (Romans 12:3) and believe that the favor of God is on you and that the Lord is with you and He will never leave you nor forsake you.

God's Greatest Gift

The teaching series we are doing at Praise Fellowship this Christmas is entitled "God's Greatest Gift" I encourage you to come out and see how the gift of the Messiah changes, shapes, and affects everything. If you can't make it out Sunday morning, remember that our services are broadcast live on our web site at 10 am on Sundays. www.worshipplace.org

Five parts to Christmas Celebration

What follows is a very simple answer to the why of Christmas.

Creation: We were created in God's image and were in perfect fellowship with him. Adam and Eve walked with Him and truly enjoyed His company.

Separation: Adam and Eve Sinned!!! This separated them from God. Ultimately it brought death to the world and also to them. But the issue of separation from the Lord is ultimate hell. The grace of God was demonstrated in that He sought out Adam and Eve.

Hope of Salvation: Right after the first sin God promised the messiah to save them from their sin. He would crush the head of the serpent. Gen. 3:15 The entire Old Testament is the story of a people waiting for their salvation.

Reconciliation: This is what was offered in the Birth, Life, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus. This is what Christmas was about. The savior entered the world and offered reconciliation to God. Mankind has be "enemies" of God since Adam and Eve sinned. Through the work of Christ, reconciliation is offered to those who believe.

Celebration: The natural result of being reconciled is to celebrate. Let's celebrate the savior of the world coming into the world. Have a party! Decorate the house! Bake cookies! Give people gifts! Sing! Do any appropriate thing to celebrate the messiah coming to earth. That is what Christmas is all about.

Why Christmas?

Yesterday I preached on "Why Christmas?". To understand things from scripture, I believe you need to see the big picture of the plan of God. In fact, most of my teaching somehow include the book of Genesis or at least something from the Pentateuch. Here are 5 areas that I propose for the reasons of the coming of Christ at Christmas.

They are: 1. Creation 2. Separation 3. Hope of Salvation 4. Reconciliation and finally 5. Celebration.

I think I will take some time on this blog this week to expand on each one of those topics and hopefully we will all gain a better understanding of the coming of the Messiah.

This week's announcements at PF

Christmas Cookies

One of the great benefits about being a preschooler is that you get to stay at home and bake Christmas cookies Mommy. Yesterday, I came home for lunch and there was Jason grinning from ear to ear and telling me all about the baking he was doing. And, yes he was covered with flour. He had to show me all the cookies he cut out and frosted. He was extremely proud because he made the cookies. Now, you and I both know that Sandie did most of the work and she provided all of the know how, but he was feeling pretty good because Mommy had let him help and he was able to eat the final product. Maybe our "work" in the kingdom is a little bit like Jason making cookies. It's all Jesus, but we should be quite excited to be involved.

A Happy and Clean Desk

On Monday, Sandie and the boys were over at my office and we cleaned it up. It looks really nice. One of my favorite things is to have a perfectly clean desk. Any of you who have ever seen my desk will not believe that, but it's true. I love a clean desk, but the problem is that it never stays that way. I guess it is one of those life long struggles. I think Paul was on to that same concept when he talked about sin.

Romans 7:15-20

¹⁵I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. ¹⁶And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. ¹⁷As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.¹⁸I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.^{c]" style=" line-height: 0.5em; ">[c]} For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. ¹⁹For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. ²⁰Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

Trains, trees and little boys

Preparation and anticipation! Those are two words that go hand in hand in describing the Christmas Season. Last evening we got our tree platform out. As you can see, it contains the trains. One loop of O gauge on the outside and an inner loop of HO. Well, it goes without saying that there was much joy in the Rohlin household as we got all the boxes of trains out. Because we don't see the trains for nearly 11 months it is extremely exciting when they make their annual visit to the living room. For our boys, the trains are a definitive statement that Christmas is here. In fact, as we were playing with them Zachary stopped and looked up and proudly announced, "Now, it's Christmas!!"

I often encourage families to embrace the traditions that they have and if they don't have any or don't like any of them, begin some new ones. It only takes one time to begin a tradition and if you do it twice, in a kid's eyes, it is a long standing, non-negotiable event that must happen every year. So, make sure you are building great traditions that fit your season of life.

An by the way, when we go and get our tree this weekend, the boys will be a little upset because we put it in the middle of the train track.

Great Song

Here's a song we will be doing this Sunday. Take some time and worship our awesome Lord.

Give Thanks - It does you good!!

We know that the Bible strongly admonishes us to be thankful. I believe it is one of the hallmarks of a person full of faith, trust and the Love of Jesus. Today in the Warren paper there was an article that a study out of Univ. of California has once again shown the teachings of the Bible to be true. (Now there's a surprise) Here's an excerpt from the article: "Gratitude leads people to act in virtuous or more selfless ways," said DeSteno, whose research was published earlier this year in the journal Current Directions in Psychological Science. "And it builds social support, which we know is tied to both physical and psychological well being." Robert Emmons, a psychology professor at the University of California, Davis, said those who offer gratitude are less envious and resentful. They sleep longer, exercise more and report a drop in blood pressure, said Emmons, who wrote "Thanks! How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier.

Give thanks to the Lord today and everyday. It pleases those around you, it pleases God, and hey, it does you good. Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!!

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Thankful

As our nation celebrates Thanksgiving this Thursday, it would be good of us to take some time and be thankful. I Thes. 5:16-18 says, "Be joyful always: pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." And Eph. 5:19,20 says to "speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

I have a friend that for the past ten years has every day written down 5 things that he is thankful to the Lord for. It has revolutionized his life. He told me that he has become perpetually thankful all the time. That does not mean that everything has always gone the way he would choose, but it does mean that he, with thanksgiving, trusts the Lord.

I encourage you this holiday season to make intentional strides to be a more thankful person. Not only will your life be more joyful, but so will the lives of all those you come in contact with.

Mayflower Compact

In thinking about the upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday, my brother, Mike, has been teaching at the Equip 412 classes at church on the Pilgrims. As most of us know they were governed by the Mayflower Compact. It's a very short document, and what I want you to see is that a stated, primary goal of their life/journey/settlement is for the "Glory of God and advancement of the Christian Faith..." We truly have a great heritage.

Here is an excerpt from the Mayflower Compact:

Having undertaken, for the Glory of God and advancement of the Christian Faith and Honour of our King and Country, a Voyage to plant the First Colony in the Northern Parts of Virginia, do by these presents solemnly and mutually in the presence of God and one of another, Covenant and Combine ourselves together into a Civil Body Politic, for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute and frame such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the Colony, unto which we promise all due submission and obedience.

A Babe Ruth Original?

So, in preparing for the sermon on Sunday I was looking through some of my old baseball cards. (That statement there should make you a little curious as to what I spoke about.) I came across a set of 6 Babe Ruth cards that I have had since the mid 80's. (I seem to remember purchasing them at a little junk store in Erie) I looked them up on the internet to find out the history of the set and the value. They were a set of cards put out in 1928 by Fro-Joy Ice Cream company during "ice cream week". I have the complete set.

I saw that some of them were selling for $5000 on e-bay. Now, keep in mind that I have 6 of them. That means they could be valued at a whopping $30 Grand.

But here's the problem. There were also many, many, many fakes made of these. And obviously, mine are fakes. They are nice cards and they are pretty old, but they were not made by the Fro-Joy Cone company in 1928. I find mine selling on e-bay for 99 cents. They look very similar to the original. The only major difference is the creator. Who made the cards?

So, it is with people. Because people are made in the image of God, (Gen. 1:26,27; 9:6) we have value. We are the original. We are not cheap imitations. The world is continually bombarding us with the worthless copy idea. Convincing people that they must look and be like everyone else. That is such a lie. The only thing that makes us valuable is our Creator and the only one He wants us to be like is Him.

Please see your value as you are created in His image and as you look at others, see their value too. We are not just copies worth 99 cents. We are the real thing and we are worth Jesus' death on the cross.

Sunday Announcements

This Sunday at Praise

We will finish our series on "Worshiping God, Loving People" on Sunday at 10 am. The message is titled, The Worth of a Human Being - Image IS Everything! I encourage you to read and ponder Gen. 1:26,27 You are extremely valuable. We will be celebrating the Lord's supper together.

We will be having the second part of our Thanksgiving History Series at the Equip 412 service on Thursday night at 7 pm. If you have any interest in learning about our amazing, godly heritage then come out and be blessed as Mike Rohlin continues the series. Also, this 2 part series is available on DVD in the bookstore.

I am very excited about this year's Christmas Eve Service. It is on Dec. 24th at 9:00 pm. It will feature the Voices of Praise Choir and many other Christmas songs as well as the beautiful, gospel message of Christmas. This is a service you will want to bring all your family and friends to.

I love you all. Let's come together ready to worship our amazing King Jesus. He is so good and so worthy of our praises.

Continue to pray for the NYSUM team in New York City. They will be ministering there until Tuesday.

Good History

I have been very concerned that our culture is ignoring the Thanksgiving Holiday. Does it seem to anyone else that we have gone directly from Halloween to Christmas? I suspect that this is so because it is not easy to commercialize Thanksgiving.

With that in mind, tonight at PF, we will bring in my brother, Mike Rohlin, who is a true Historian. He will be teaching about the real history of the Pilgrims. You will learn about what caused them to seek out the new world. You will hear about the amazing, miraculous hand of God along the way. And you will see the great foundation that they laid for our nation. This is one of the richest periods of the New World's history and it is filled with the Divine Providence of God. You do not want to miss this two part series.

Also, we will plan to have it broadcast live over the internet at 7 pm, so join in from your home if you are not able to attend. www.worshipplace.org

I John 3 & 4

Love is a really good thing! I know that is quite obvious, but sometimes it's good to point out what we have heard our whole lives because we become desensitized with the familiar.

Here's a challenge for you this week. Every morning before you see any people, let me encourage you to read I John 3 & 4. Maybe one day read chapter 3 and the next day chapter 4. Do it for an entire week and ask the Lord to fill you with His Spirit in order that you can love. Just watch what happens.

PF Sunday Announcements

Here are Sunday's announcements at PF. Thanks Eric and Stacy Clark. You two are quite creative.

Rachel's mission trip

Here is a video detailing what Rachel Johnson is doing on her YWAM Disciple Training school. Rachel has been with us since since her days in high school. God is truly doing great things in her life. If you would like to contribute to her mission, let us know. teens@worshipplace.org

A Father loving His kids

Most of the time our two boys, Zachary and Jason really get along excellently. They play together and genuinely enjoy each other. As I watch them play, in this case football, I often think of the truth in Psalm 133. "How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity.... For there the Lord bestows his blessing."

When our boys are playing well together, I love it and I want to do anything to encourage that behavior. That usually means getting down on the floor with them and doing some tackling myself. I as their father am extremely pleased with them. I think that is exactly how God, our Father feels when His Children are walking in Unity. He desires to reward that behavior and I think it also makes Him want to get down on the floor with us and join in the play. How about that for an image of our loving Father in Heaven.

Visionaries

Sunday morning I asked the people at Praise Fellowship to answer this question: If money were not an issue, what is your vision? What do you want to see God do?

We had people write their visions down on 3x5 cards in keeping in line with Habakkuk 2:2 "Write the vision down and make it plain on tables, That he may run who reads it...."

I just got done reading about 75 of the visions that some of our people wrote down. Wow!!!! I am hanging out with some amazing visionaries. There is such a hunger and desire to see God be who He says He is. This is indeed a season to dream. No matter how great our plans are, God's are bigger. He has the audacity to desire that the "whole earth be filled with His Glory." :-)

So, my encouragement to you is to dream dreams that God has put on your heart. Share them with other people and then take action as He leads.

Why not here, why not now, why not us?

I love the Fall

There is something about the amazing Autumn season that we enjoy in northwestern, PA. Now mind you, it also means a lot of work as seemingly millions of leaves fall. But as long as you have a couple kids nothing is really work. Pretty much everything's a game and everything is fun. Maybe we should learn a lesson from them and have a great attitude toward whatever it is that we have to do. Enjoy the pics of Zachary and Jason working/playing in the leaves at Nani's house. She is my grandmother.

School Buildings?

Right now in Warren County there is a huge battle about consolidating schools. We currently have 4 high schools and there are proposals to either move to two or three. If you know anything about small towns, this is a passionately debated issue that dominates our local paper. In response to this debate I write the following:

For those of you passionately trying to save school buildings, I commend you. However, let me suggest you are fighting the wrong battle. Schools are a symptom of a community at large. Consolidation is only an issue because enrollment and cost are issues. Enrollment is an issue because of population decrease. Population decrease is caused by lack of jobs and dare I say, a lack of love and vision for a region. Let me encourage all of us to put our energy into making Warren County a much more desirable place. Catch a vision for the county that looks beyond a 1976 mentality. Work hard to speak and think well about our area. (Would you want to move to a city where everyone was against everything?) Love our region. Love the people of our region. Do anything we can to encourage growth, businesses and development in Warren. And then watch the school situation take care of itself.

A big family

I have been a part of Praise Fellowship since it began in 1993. I have to say that one of my favorite things that God has done over those years is create a family atmosphere where people genuinely love each other and care about each other's needs. I saw that truly come to life on Sunday morning. There was such a strong sense of Jesus "baptizing" us with His Love it was remarkable. And then the natural response to the Love of Jesus is to love His Body.

I John 4:12 says, "No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." May we be a people completely dominated by His love for us and our love for one another. It makes for a very good life and it is ridiculously contagious.

And by the way, I love the Family at PF. You are truly the best sample of the Body of Christ that I would ever want to be involved with. I am so excited about the journey God has for us.

PF's Sunday Announcements

Teaching Series

This coming weekend is our first attempt at being intentional about having and promoting a teaching series. It will be interesting to see the response. I will be talking about what has become PF's motto or slogan. And that is: Praise Fellowship: Worshiping God, Loving People. I am going to take the next four weeks and look at each word. This week we will be looking at Worship. It's a pretty huge topic, so a 40 minute talk will not do it justice, but hopefully the Lord will speak some great things to encourage us to be more and more the worshipers He has called us to be.

We are going to look at worship through the symbols of 5 body parts. They are our Heart, Knees, Mouth, Ears and Feet. I will just leave it at that for now. Come out Sunday morning to hear more or you can play with those images and let the Lord speak to you on how they are the anatomy of a true worshiper.

Humility

This past week we had Woody Woodson with us at PF. It was an absolutely amazing time. I saw life literally being spoken into people. It was amazing. We are now expecting to see fruit like we have never seen before. We had many meetings with him with some of the largest crowds we have ever had at special services. There is a huge hunger in our people and in our region.

There were so many things worth writing about. On Tuesday afternoon the staff was sitting around and talking with him and one of the guys asked him about how to maintain humility. (Woody is a genuinely humble guy) He was asked how to maintain humility especially when great and amazing things are happening. This is what he said. "If you compare yourself to others you are in trouble, but if you keep comparing yourself to Jesus you will always have the proper perspective. Neither too high or too low." That is the key to walking this thing out. Continually see yourself through the eyes of the Father. Nobody else's opinion on how good or how bad you are should affect you.

May we all gaze into the eyes of Jesus and draw our worth and reality from Him and Him alone.

Great People

I have had the opportunity over the years, to walk with some of the greatest people in the world. And I really mean that. God has always put me around "The Best". Well, Jim & Jess Baker, the youth pastors at PF, are no exception. This couple is awesome!!!!! I am privileged to partner with them and I am sooooo excited about what God has in store for their lives and their ministry. Check out their blog. It is worth following.

Everyone is a Worshipper

I will make the statement that every human being is designed to worship. And not only are they designed to worship, they also are currently worshippers. Every single person worships something or somebody. It might be a god. It might be a job. It might be a girl. It might be a football team. It might be a talk show host. Or even the president. Please hear this: Every person worships.

Here's my simple definition of what a worshipper worships.

We worship what we can "see".

We worship what we in some ways want to be like.

We worship something that we feel has power.

We worship something that makes us feel like we are part of something bigger than ourselves.

I don't have space here to develop any of those points. So, think about them. Test them in different "arenas". Watch how people act at political rallies or sports events or concerts or even book signings.

Here's my point. Everyone is a worshipper. Everyone has a built in, God given desire to worship. But the only true, worthwhile object of our worship is Jesus Christ. So, have your worship be directed toward Him. And if someone ridicules you for your worship. Remind them that they are a worshipper too. The difference is that Jesus as our object of worship can genuinely "deliver". And the hope and encouragement is that those who are not worshipping Jesus today are primed to meet Him and turn their worship over to him. May there be a beautiful connection between the "worshipper" and the true "object of our worship".

Don't be afraid to strike out!!

I love October Baseball. I have some very significant memories of the past 32 years of watching the MLB playoffs. My earliest memory is rushing home from school (3rd grade) in 1978 and watching the Yankees and Red Sox play the one game playoff to determine the division championship. If you recall that was the game that Bucky Dent, a weak hitting shortstop, hit the unlikely home run to win the game - Unbelievable.

I remember sitting in my dorm room in 1988 gathered around a little tv set with a bunch of guys as we watched through the "snowy reception" as Kirk Gibson hit maybe the most amazing game-winning home run ever. His knees were so injured, he could barely walk. He hobbled up in the bottom of the ninth as a pinch hitter and hit the "walk off" home run.

And then there was Yankee third baseman, Aaron Boone hitting a knuckleball from Tim Wakefield of the Red Sox into the left field stands to win the game in the bottom of the 12th inning. Wow - it was amazing!

Lest I get carried away as I stroll down memory lane. There is a point to this. All those people who had the great hits had one thing in common. I could have mentioned Scott Brocius, Derek Jeter, Joe Carter, Carlton Fisk, Chris Chambliss, Reggie Jackson Bill Mazeroski, Bobby Thompson, or many more. But all these players whose names will live in baseball history for their heroic accomplishments had one thing in common. One big thing. What was their one thing in common? They all swung the Bat!!!! None of them stood there and watched. Reggie Jackson who was nicknamed Mr. October for his remarkable feats during the playoffs and World Series made an interesting statement last week. When asked how he did so well on the "Big Stage", He said, "I stayed relaxed and I wasn't afraid to strike out."

I love that. So, in your life and in the things that Jesus calls you to, make sure you give it a swing and don't be afraid to strike out. There is no end to what Jesus can do through you when you are swinging.

And, by the way, enjoy the playoffs and Go Yankees!

Who do we think we are?

This month many of us on staff at Praise Fellowship are reading through the Book of Acts one chapter each day. It's a very worthwhile discipline that I recommend. In Acts 3:15 Peter is addressing the crowd and he says, "you killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead."

Look at the irony of the statement that we can somehow "kill" the "author of Life." Who do we think we are? If the consequences of this way of thinking weren't so severe it would be downright funny. To think that one can kill the author of life is maybe the ultimate expression of pride.

In Psalms 2 it says that the one enthroned in heaven "laughs". This may be a bit of a hermeneutical stretch, but I can just see God shaking his head and laughing and saying, "those pathetic and impotent human beings. Do they think they can really kill me? Wow, do they need to repent." The amazing thing about our Lord is that the response of God isn't to just smite us (which we deserve), but the call goes out in Acts 3:19 to "Repent, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord....."

So, when you are around people who have the mindset that God, the author of Life, is somehow dead, remember that this does not rattle God. He just smiles and laughs. But, woe to the person who doesn't repent.

72 hour Prayer & Fasting

There are people at Praise Fellowship all weekend praying & fasting. Their heart is for God to move mightily in the lives of individuals, families, communities, and nations. If you would like to join them, feel free to come out anytime. There is always someone there. If you would like to participate via the internet, go to www.worshipplace.org where the prayer times are broadcast live.

Also, if you have any prayer requests e-mail them to prayer@worshipplace.org

May God be very famous in His Lordship!!!

What are you sitting on?

We went to Zachary's open house last night at Russell Elementary School where he is a first grader. It was of course a lot of fun and kids have a ball showing their parents and grandparents around the school, showing off their projects and having us meet their teacher.

But here is what I was drawn to. I attended Russell Elementary over 30 years ago. And, can you imagine that they have the same desks today that they did in the 70's. Wow!! I suppose it's possible that Zachary is sitting in a desk that I did. So, it made me think about many things. And many memories flooded my mind. But the big thing that hit me was that the past, present, and the future are very connected. Each generation does not have to start all over from a blank slate. Instead, each generation stands on the previous generation's shoulders. And, if we are wise we will learn from the mistakes and successes of the past and will live better lives - more effectively advancing the Kingdom of God.

Be careful how you live. Look at where you are sitting and remember that others have sat there before you, and others will sit there in the decades to come. Are you learning from the past? Are you living for Jesus in the present? And are you leaving behind a legacy that someone else can follow? You never know who will be sitting in that desk after you. Take care of it and leave them something strong for them to sit on.

I think if they ever get rid of those old desks, I want one.

Great Relationships

Sorry I have not posted in awhile. Sandie and I were on a little pastor's retreat in Myrtle Beach, SC. It was a quick, but great time.

The thing that stuck out most to me while we were down there is how wonderful it is to have great friends. We were able to spend one night in Charlotte with our friends Reid and April. We went to Bible College with them and we have not seen them in over 3 years. But despite the time apart we were able to catch up and encourage each other like we still lived next door. They are true friends. And the wonderful thing about brothers and sisters in the Lord is what we can draw from them. I learned so much in the hours we spent talking. In fact, I think if I was honest I would have to say that many - maybe even most life things that I have learned have come in the context of relationships - not in the classroom.

We then were able to spend some great time with three other great friends - The Vengalas, Stewarts and Shults'. Again, the encouragement we received and the things that we learned were invaluable. Needless to say, I love people. May prayer is that you foster godly relationships and that you are always eager to benefit from their lives. Hopefully, they glean a little bit from you too.

Love Your Region

Saturday morning I was driving down off of our hill and into Warren. I was in awe of how beautiful it is in our area. It was the classic early autumn day. 40 degrees, an extremely heavy dew, and as the sun came up it glistened sharply off the dew. All the valleys and creeks were full of fog. And the hills are just starting to show off their amazing vibrant colors. It was indeed quite a site.

If you have been around me much, you know that I love where I live. A lot of people don't like our area for there are many things wrong here. We have no jobs, little sunshine, a lot of rain and long winters - just to name a few :-). But, I am convinced that we are called to love the area where we live. If we are going to believe God to move and impact our region, I believe that we should first love what we are asking God to bless.

If you only see the negative in a place, let me encourage you to ask the Lord to change your view. Let Him change your way of thinking and may He give you a true love for your "land".

The Law of Christ

At Bible Study this morning we discussed Galatians 6:2 which says, "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." Quite interesting that if want to fulfill the law of Christ we are encouraged to carry each other's burdens. And then in Romans 13:8 the Word says, "Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law."

Here lies the mystery. To fulfill the law of Christ, we are called to love. It is truly a call that is much higher than a list of rules and following a bunch of do's and don't's. So, I encourage you today. Are you fulfilling the law of Christ by loving?

And, don't worry, this burden won't crush you like this little car.

Pastoral Counseling

So, there are many questions that a pastor gets. Some are very serious - even life and death. Some are Biblical in nature as a person is seeking an answer to a particular issue. Many people want advice on their future or have relational questions. Then there are other questions that we get that are very practical.

Today I was talking on the phone in my office when a person came and handed me a note. It read, "I flushed the toilet in the downstairs bathroom and it just keeps flushing. I don't know what to do." I just laughed and smiled and when I was finished with my phone call I went down and fixed the toilet. (Or at least fixed it temporarily.)

But here's the thought for today. If we are unwilling to deal with the practical side of life, we are unable to deal with any side of life. Most of what our lives are made of are the very simple and mundane things. That is where life is lived. We like to think that our ministry is this great amazing thing that we do for God. When in reality our greatest ministry might just be in loving him in our daily lives.

So, get out there and fix some toilets. That's the real ministry.

A Player or A Referee

I had lunch today with a good friend of mine from India who is visiting America for just a few weeks. This guy travels and teaches on college campuses in many countries with YWAM. I love talking to him because he is absolutely brilliant.

He made an interesting observation about free market capitalism and the government's involvement. He said that the government's role should be like that of a referee in the free market. They should truly be governing and watching over what's going on. Making sure that everyone is playing by the rules and that they are playing fairly. However, the government is not a player in the game. Problems arise when the government decides it's time to join the game and become a player. But they do not cease to be the referee. If one of the teams in the game is also the referee who do you think is going to win? Of course, the referee. And what will happen to the other team that is not the referee? They will try very hard to win. But, they will eventually become frustrated because the other team is also the referee and can change the rules at anytime. This frustration can eventually turn into the team just giving up.

Therefore the team/referee takes over the entire game and the quality of the game dwindles and the fans become apathetic to the game and the entire sport becomes devalued.

I don't need to draw this out too much, but I think it paints a good picture of how government control or takeover of things really diminishes the spirit of the "game", the free market. May they be satisfied with being the best referee the world has ever seen and may they not get too emotionally involved in the game to lose their ability to be fair.

(This is not intended to be a politically charged entry, but hopefully puts a little light on governments and free markets.)

A big vision

I was at a staff meeting yesterday at Praise Fellowship. We did a lot of things, and the one thing that stuck out to me is our ability to dream. Pastor Peter from Kenya was there and he encouraged us to have an impossible vision. A vision so big that there is no way that a human being could accomplish it. He quoted D.L. Moody who said, "If God is your partner, let your plans be big."

Let me encourage all of us to have big dreams. God is truly about big and He is encouraging us to join Him. So, have a big vision for your family, your job, your relationships, your future. And, keep trusting in the Lord.

LRS 2009

We attended the 18th annual LRS this past weekend. Now, you have probably never heard about the LRS, but for some (well 10) it's an annual event that we really look forward to. Sandie's sister Susie lives in Kentucky and their parents live in Pittsburgh. Each fall we gather for a weekend of camping. This event began in October of 1992. Sandie and I got married that summer as did Susie and Tim Stombaugh. Their family is pretty close and we realized that if we didn't intentionally make sacrifices to be together, the family could be reduced to just gathering on major holidays. So, we met and camped in Ohio, our central state. We had so much fun that we did it again in '93. That was great so we continued in '94 and '95 and every year since. (I think we have camped in every state park in the Columbus area.) This has since grown as we have added kids and the weekend has now been moved from October to Labor Day in order to take advantage of an extra day. (It's also a bit warmer) We have a great time as we usually bike, kayak, visit some cool sites, for some reason we always visit a dam, and we eat some amazing food. The weekend got is name LRS from the three last name. Sandie's parents last name is Long, we are of course Rohlins and the Kentucky people are Stombaughs.

There is a point to this post. I hear people complain about their family and how they never do anything special or that they have no traditions. Well, gather the family together and decide to do something. As you all enjoy it, it will be special. Do it again next year and it may be extra special. If you do it again it will become a tradition that will leave memories for a lifetime.

As you make traditions, I encourage you to do things to anticipate the event. Have some fun aspects that make it bigger that it actually is. (ex. have shirts made up, or have a website) Retell stories of the previous years. Give each person involved jobs. They can be anything and any age can be involved. Even make silly things traditions. Those things go a long way in making gatherings memorable.

So, gather the family together and make some traditions. Before you know it, you might just have 18 years of the LRS under your belt.

The first day of school

This week Zachary had his first day of first grade at Russell Elementary School. He was very excited and as you can see by the look on his face, it was a genuine anticipation for the coming school year. Many young people (not all) have that same sense of looking forward to school. They can't wait to see their friends. They love their teacher. Reading and math are fun. The school bus is amazing. And, of course, recess is the best.

So, when is it that we lose that sense of wonder? When do friends become old? When does learning become a bore? And when do we begin to think our teachers hate us?

Doesn't the same thing happen to us in our walk with Jesus. Following Jesus is a lot like going to school. In our early years we are all excited and we think everyone should go. Then as we follow Jesus for a long time it may become a ritual that we do because we have to.

My prayer for us is that once again the Holy Spirit gives us a fresh start in our walk with Christ. May this year be filled with the wonder that comes from following Jesus just like that First grader who is overjoyed to go to school.

A fresh beginning

Well, tonight Jim & Jess Baker began their ministry as youth pastor at PF. That means they are now officially running Higher Calling. I am so excited to be partnering with them as they have a genuine call on their lives and they have a fresh vision for the teenagers in our region. I have never been more convinced that Jesus is up to a great thing.

I was at the meeting tonight for the beginning and I introduced Jim and Jess to the kids. Shortly after that I had to leave because tomorrow is Zachary's first day of school. (A topic for another blog). But as I left I had a wonderful feeling. Now, keep in mind that I have been leading Higher Calling since 1994. For anyone who knows anything about youth ministry, that is a long time. But as I left my feeling was so good. This was a very natural thing to happen. It was the right thing to happen. It is all good. It's not even the proverbial "bittersweet" It's really just all good.

Maybe what I am trying to say is that when you know it's of God, You know it's of God and I am very confident that it is, and I am very confident that I needed to not be leading this anymore. Now, that is not to say that I don't love the kids. They mean the world to me and I really look forward to continuing the relationships that I have and to developing new ones.

So, let me encourage all of us to step into the will of God. He takes care of everything and He makes all things the best. And let me just say with complete confidence that the absolute best days for Higher Calling and the youth ministry for this region are not behind us. Indeed they are soon to come. And, oh yeah, welcome aboard Jim and Jess. You two are awesome!!!!

Taking It Outside!!!

What a great Sunday this will be!!!!! I am very excited about the gathering on the 30th. So, here are the details.

Sunday morning 10:00 a.m. We will have our worship service at Werner Park in Russell. This is where all the ball fields are on Rt. 62 just a half mile or so south of PF. (There is a map on our website worshipplace.org) Come early - there will be coffee and donuts before the service. Bring lawn chairs.

During the worship service there is much happening. We will glorify and declare the praises of King Jesus. We will hear some great reports of what God is up to in "the field" and we will hear testimonies and baptize people. The Heart of Praise Dance Team will be ministering as well. I just got a call today that Pastor Peter from Kenya will be joining us for the service. I have to smile at the way God orchestrates things. Also, Wes and Danielle Chapman from YWAM Tyler will be there as will Brendan Halbohm who will give a report on what he has seen God do this year through Kingdom Force ministry.

After the service we will have a good old fashion picnic. Make sure you remember to bring a large "dish to pass" as well as table settings for you and your family. Water, lemonade and iced tea will be provided.

There is much to do down there, so bring your toys, softball gloves, guitars or anything else you would like.

Those of you getting baptized, please note that you are getting baptized during the morning service before lunch. A trailer will be there for you to change in afterward or you can go up to PF and get changed there.

Please be praying for good weather. But if it is bad, we will just have everything at PF including the baptism and picnic (indoors in the cafe).

How will we get the word out about bad weather? We won't!!! If you are coming from the south and see everybody at Werner park then stop. And if you are coming from the North and no one is at the church then we are at Werner Park. You get the idea :-)

Please be praying for the unchurched and unsaved to come to this - let's believe God for the harvest.

Help Get the word out about the time and place of the service.

For those of you who are internet viewers, please make note that we are not able to broadcast from there. Sorry! If you do want to join via audio, we can always have cell phones sitting in front of the speakers. Give someone a call.

A little humor

Worship

John Piper in his book, Desiring God gives an exhortation on worship that is worth considering. On page 84 he writes this: "Don't let the childlike awe and wonder be choked out by unbiblical views of virtue. Don't let the scenery and poetry and music of your relationship with God shrivel up and die. You have capacities for joy which you can scarcely imagine. They were made for the enjoyment of God. He can awaken them no matter how long they have lain asleep. Pray for his quickening power. Open your eyes to his glory. It is all around you."

The Crazy Giraffe

Yesterday, we were at the Erie Zoo. It's pretty fun to go to a zoo with two boys. They love everything and are fascinated by it all. Animals are pretty interesting to me. I think they really show off the remarkable, creative side to our Creator God. Each animal seems to have some trait or traits about them that no one but God would even dream up.

How about the giraffe? They are one the most unusual creatures out there. Who would ever design such a creature? That crazy neck and that ridiculously long tongue. Well, only God would - I suppose. Here's an interesting fact that I learned yesterday that demonstrates His remarkable creativity and yet at the same time shows His commitment to order. Do you know that the giraffe has the same amount of neck bones as we do? We each have 7. A giraffe might stand 20 feet tall. Jason, our 3 year old, is 3 feet tall. And they both have seven neck bones. That's amazing. Only our God could do such a thing.

So, whether you see a giraffe in the zoo or see one in the wild like the top picture posted (taken in Kenya) don't just be amazed by the very impressive, yet very odd creature. Rather, stand in awe of our Lord who created them.

The Exodus

In Exodus 6 Moses was sent to the Israelites to announce the greatest news they could have ever heard. They had been in slavery to Egypt for around 400 years and they were crying out to God and groaning for relief. The message that Moses had to them was amazing. God said , "I am the LORD and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord." (NIV)

Now, if you had been in slavery for 400 years and someone who had demonstrated some degree of power came and spoke the Word of God to you like Moses did, how would you have reacted? I think I would have been pretty excited. At least a little. Well, not the Hebrews. Look at their reaction in Ex. 6:9. "Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and cruel bondage."

My friends, discouragement is a crippling issue. If you are discouraged it is very difficult to believe the Word of God. The problem is that the very thing that encourages us (the Word of God) is difficult to believe because of our discouragement.

If you are in this state of discouragement, please understand that you are not in an enviable position. And most people have been there in one form or another. And the answer is not simple or easy and maybe not quick. But let me encourage you to not give up. Keep married to the Word of God - even if it's hard to believe. And put yourself around godly people who have an encouraging disposition. And, most of all - never give up. Just as the Hebrew slaves were saved and delivered (even in their unbelief) so will you also see the redemption of the Lord.

The Warren County Fair

If you are from a rural area, you know there is nothing quite like a County Fair. And Warren's is quintessential small town America fair. It seems as though no one would even think about missing the fair. People go to see the cows, the tractors, the pigs, the crafts, you name it and it's there. But the thing that really draws the people is the people.

As I walk through the grounds I literally see dozens (more like 100's) of people that I know and probably haven't seen in maybe a year or more. People at the fair know you and they know your name. Much like the old "Cheers" theme song. We all want to go where everyone knows your name. There is something in each of us that is longing for genuine community. That is one of my favorite things about the Body of Christ. It is genuine community.

Once again, this year, Praise Fellowship has a big tent set up at the fair. It is a cafe with live music, free coffee and cold drinks. 100's of people come by every day to visit the cafe. They are given coffee, tracts, people pray for them or they just need a place to hang out. It is a pretty special atmosphere as those at the tent simply serve as hosts and hostesses for the people who enter.

Hey, I love the fair. And when the fair and the Body of Christ meet it is a very good thing.

Freedom or Disaster

What a mess we had in our area yesterday.  We have had a lot of rain this summer, but the last few days it just wouldn't quit.  It came and came and came.  Well, that causes a mess.  Yesterday our streams all swelled, the rivers flooded, many of our main roads were closed and houses were filled with water.  

On a normal day in our region, we have some of most beautiful lakes, rivers and streams around.  People come from all over to enjoy the peace that comes from our waters.  However, when the water leaves it's boundaries it can be one of the most harmful and dangerous forces of nature.  What's the difference?  The difference between a peaceful little stream and damaging floodwaters is that the water has left it's safe boundaries.

Well, that's how it is in life.  Everyone wants freedom.  But freedom is only safe and peaceful when it is contained within pre-defined boundaries.  Outside those boundaries freedom is destructive.  Not just to the foolish person, but also to anyone who is in his/her path.

My friends, if you are looking for ultimate freedom, stay within the confines that God has made for us.  It is good.  Don't be like the raging river that overflows its boundaries and causes destruction.

And by the way, when the water subsides a bit, make sure you get out and enjoy the incredible beauty this area has to offer.

From my friend Mike Greiner

I saw this on my friend, Mike Greiner's blog and I thought it was excellent and worth repeating.

Pastor Mike says:

I don't fear Islam. I don't fear governments. I don't fear the economy. I don't fear plagues. I don't fear terrorism. I don't fear men and their blustering.

I fear God. 

His powerful Gospel is spreading life-fire and re-shaping the world so quickly that the story-tellers of the lost cannot even see the progress. The Gospel, the good news that God sent His Son as the greatest act of love in the universe to save those who are lost, this Gospel must triumph. Only the fame of Jesus will remain, when all the glory of men and their plans falls.

Jesus said, "Don't be afraid, little children. It is your Father's pleasure to give you the Kingdom."

Breakfast with the Guys

I just got back to the office and I am reflecting on the great time I had this morning.  Every Thursday morning a group of guys meets at Fresh Cup from 6:45 - 7:45 for a time of Bible Study and encouragement.  The Word of God is awesome and opening it and discussing it with some super brothers is a very special thing.  Each of us has unique insight and understanding that we can bring to the "table" and encourage each other with.  It seems that during my Christian walk I have always had a group like this, and I am forever grateful for each and every person that has come along and challenged me to keep seeking after the Lord.

If you have encouragement like this you know exactly what I am talking about.  If not, let me strongly suggest that you find a group or even create one.  God gave us the gospel as individuals, but it works best in community.  By the way, if you live in the Warren area you are always invited to join us every Thursday morning.

Weekend of camping at Red Oak

Psalm 133 says, "How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity?  It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard...............  For there the Lord bestows his blessing......."    

This past weekend about 60 of us from the fellowship went camping at Red Oak Campground in Scandia.  And many more came up the evenings.  Let me just say that it is truly a beautiful thing when the Body of Christ not only loves, but simply enjoys each other.  This is the type of army that God can use to change the world.

We had such a great time.  There was camping, biking, a playground, swimming pool, boating on Kinzua and great times of eating and spending time relaxing and getting refreshed.  We truly live in a beautiful area of the world and I love taking advantage of what God has put in our "backyard".  Surprisingly, we even had nice weather.  It rained all morning Friday and then was beautiful from noon on Friday through Saturday in the middle of the night.  That means we had nearly 38 consecutive hours of no rain.  Pretty good for this summer  :-)

There is already talk about how to do it even better next year.  So, make your plans now.  Hey, you all have a tremendous week.  We have much to be thankful for.  

Stuck in the sand?

If a young golfer goes in the sand they often get very nervous and they can really mess up a good round of golf.  The reason they have so much trouble is because they only see the sand.  As they stand there in the "trap" they realize that they are standing in the unfamiliar with unsure footing.  Their golf  ball is sitting right in the middle of this crazy stuff.  Here is the problem:  They only see the sand.  They barely realize that they are supposed to hit the ball and they will sometimes even forget that their goal is the pin.

When we were out golfing on Tuesday, Zachary's ball went in the sand.  He was very excited because he saw it as a big sand box.  My advice of how to get out was quite simple.  I said, "Look only at the ball, hit only the ball and aim toward the pin."  Surprisingly, he could easily hit the ball right out.  In fact, he liked is so much, he actually dropped his ball in a couple other sand traps just for fun.  The secret - don't focus on the sand, focus on the ball and the pin.

That's not a bad lesson for life.  If you are in a "trap", don't let the trap become your focus.  Instead focus on the little ball (the plan of Jesus for your life) and aim toward the pin (the future that Jesus has for you.)  And then give it a good swing.   You may find it so fun that you welcome the next trap to come along.  Well, maybe not.  :-)