faithrunner

We made it to Sonscape Thursday as planned. It was a long day of travel, but the investment was well spent when we drove up to the Sonscape retreat center. Here are Kim and I in the general meeting area where the group of a missionary couple from Kenya, a missionary couple from Mexico, a missionary from Singapore and a single pastor from Michigan meet with the host couple to process our lives together. It has been an awesome experience so far, and the group has meshed well. We all have unique stories from unique cultures so the discussion is great...and we all have our stuff, which is the point of the retreat, so, we fit right in with everyone. Here is the main room where we meet. Most of the talk is around the Myers-Briggs Type results we completed before we came and how who we are affects our relationships and ministries. Kim and I are opposites (surprise!), but this reminds us again how we really do "complete" each other. Next to the meeting room is the dinning ...

Kim and I begin our sabbatical leave in the morning . We are still amazed at the appreciation Legacy Church has shown us by the gift of these weeks and the special events to fill them. We will begin our time of re-creation at Sonscape in Woodland Park, CO, just outside Colorado Springs. The week is designed to give us time to rest, be with each other, enjoy community with other pastors, and most importantly, renew our relationship with God. We are so looking forward to the experience. Check out the weather if you want. We hope to post a note or two during our time there to let you know how we are spending our time. Thank you for your prayers, support, and investment in us during these days.

I recieved a copy of the resource I wrote for Life Bible Study the other day . I wrote it through the cold winter months early in the mornings--my favorite time of the day. It is a supplement to the online adult Bible Study literature that launched earlier this year. The group is connected to the online student material I have written for before, StudentLife Bible Study . The resource is an "inductive Bible Study lite" through the Old Testament . It's 48 weeks or chapters with 5 sections (days) in each chapter/week. If you want to see a sample of the contents, click here . Calvin Miller wrote the Forward. He's a good friend who believes in me more than I do! I hope to write the next two for the series. I'm headed off on sabbatical later this week. Kim and I will post pictures and dairies of our trip that Legacy Church gave to us as part of our 20th anniversary celebration of ministry with them.

Kim, Summer and I got up early Saturday morning to serve with a couple of local groups who are led by our friends. The first event was the Plano Fellowship of Christian Athletes' John Clark Leadership Run at Kimbrough Stadium. The run is to raise money to send student athletes to FCA Camp . The students learn how to form and lead local huddles while having a blast with other Christian student athletes. Here are Kim, Summer and I with Coach Gerald Brence and Coach Sam Shields of Plano Senior High School . Gerald is the head football coach and AD at PSHS and Sam is an assistant football coach. Coach John Clark, after whom John Clack Stadium was named, said the opening prayer, and I gave the pre -race speech. Yes, I used Hebrews 12:1-2 as the outline for my talk. The weather was good and the turnout was great. Can't wait to see how much the event raised. Summer and I run the entire 5K. I was proud of her. She never stopped running the entire run. Kim walked/ran with Liz Br...

All seven Legacy Cyclists finished the Frisco to Fort Worth MS 150 mile ride this past weekend! The ride was challenging with wind, rain and hills adding to the fun! The guys I rode with were the best. From left to right : John Huber, Kendall Brown, Frank Usnick, me, Jim Berger, and Jim Craig. (See Keith Giddens between John and Kendall with us at the starting line on Saturday.) The team raised over $20,000 for MS (Jim Craig raised over $16,000 of that) and carried "Champions Against MS" bandannas for the following people: Jan Rayburn, George and Melisa Feledichuk, Tammy Whitt, Marion Creech, James and Jody Kelley, Lisa Patton, Aunt Anita We have until June 3 to complete our fundraising so, if you would like to donate to the team's total through me, go here . We weren't the only Legacy Church participants in the event. Jacky & Ashley Johnson and Patsy, Cassie, and Olivia Weinberg volunteered at the check-in area Friday night and Joe Feather rode for his Ti ...

Kim and I will never be able to put into words what we felt by Legacy Church's actions and words toward us this past Sunday as they honored our twenty years of ministry with them. We truly had no idea that they would do so much to honor us. The gift of the summer sabbatical was more than enough, but the words of encouragement made us feel appreciated and loved. I will let our moments of speechlessness in our tears speak for the depth to which they touched us. My entire family (extended, too) was there , along with friends from what Kim and I call, "The Red River Gang," friends we have stayed connected to since college. Others who had been part of Legacy came to join in the celebration. We were blown away. I believe the day was momentous for all of us. Legacy's reminder of what being a church family really is affirmed God’s call on my life as the pastor of a local church. After twenty years, it is natural to wonder if I should be “doing more,” but Sunday reminded me ...

It's a week from this Saturday that I am riding the Frisco to Ft. Worth MS 150 . We have been training primarily on Sunday evenings at 5:00 from Legacy Church . We have had several from the biking community and the Richardson Bike Mart Team join us on the rides. Really good to join those who are part of Legacy and those in the extended riding community. Here are some pics from last Saturday's training ride to White Rock Lake and back to Legacy Church. (I was in Waco helping Storey and Graham move into their house--more on that in another posting.) Pictured from left to right at the table are: Frank Usnick , John Huber, Keith Giddens , the waiter dude, and Kendall Brown. Part of the "training" was a spot at a restaurant near the lake, but they did have to ride down there and back to eat, so, I think it all evened out. We'll do our last training rides this weekend, and then to the 150 on May 5. IF you would like to make a donation to my ride, click here ,...