Then there’s decisions in life that aren’t as easy to make.

2 examples of 2 different guys in scripture come to my mind;

In Luke 18:18-23 (the rich young ruler) and Genesis 22:1-19 (Abraham asked to sacrifice his only son Isaac)

In Luke, you see a guy that probably went to church, knew of God and for the most part, anyone could’ve looked at him and came to the conclusion that he was “all in” when it came to serving Jesus. Then, a decision comes his way. A BIG one. A decision that will affect his future, his destiny, and his eternity. He of course when asked to sell all his possessions “walks away sad” unwilling to trust that God knows and has thee best in mind for him.

In Genesis, Abraham is faced with a similar but different circumstance. Similar in that God asked Abraham to give up what meant most to him like God asked the rich young ruler to give what meant most to him. It’s different obviously because in one case it’s money/possessions and the other it’s a human life. So, God asks Abraham to sacrifice his only son (whom God had promised him) Isaac on the altar. For many of us with kids we read this story and its unfathomable to imagine killing our son/daughter. But, God tests Abrahams faith and heart to see whether he will trust that God knows best just as he did with the rich young ruler.

And, so once again…a BIG decision is needing to be made by Abraham. Of course if you’ve read this story, you know that Abraham doesn’t hesitate but in faith and obedience goes and sacrifices his son or at least raised the knife to kill him. Then, God steps in (as usual at just the right time) and tells him not to do it and that now He knows that Abraham truly has faith/trust in God that he knows best. And… Abraham “walks away blessed.”

This is a great reminder that indeed tough decisions will come along in our lives and it’s those decisions that will define who we are and whether we “walk away sad” or “walk away blessed.”

So remember, if and when God asks you to lay down something valuable to you in your life, it’s probably a defining moment taking place in your life…so remember how faithful God has always been to you and know that He has your BEST interest in mind. Reminding yourself of the faithfulness of God will help you to “walk away blessed” as Abraham did.

What a Year at Stone Church

     . . . Grab some Joe and sit with Jon for awhile . . 

This year has been marked with some big changes. Early in 2011, we announced Pastor Ryan and Annie would be planting a church in Spokane. In June, we received the largest offering in Stone Church’s history to start True Hope Church, and sent Ryan and his team off in July. We launched Pastor Gary into a Lead Pastor role (Moscow, ID) in September. Mid-year, we added an amazing new Worship Pastor (Travis Lindseth); and most recently, a multi-talented new Administrative/Operations Pastor (Gerry Galbreath) to the pastoral team.

In talking with other Lead Pastors who have sent staff and church families to other communities to plant new churches, they speak of how the ‘mother church’ often experiences a ‘season of grieving’ after these launches.  (Melodee and I kind of feel this as you can imagine.) With change comes loss, and this is what is being felt in our church. Many of you had close and meaningful friendships with our Pastors, our staff, their families and those who transitioned to Spokane with Ryan & Annie.

What do I make of it all? I see a sending church sending people out, but it’s not easy! I see an awesome church in ‘temporary recovery’ after some ‘big birthing’ events. I see being part of bringing a new church into the world as awesome. I see individuals and families prayerfully willing to step up and relocate to be part of what God is doing in another region. I see a church where people grow and develop and become passionate about God’s ‘kingdom purposes.’ I see people called of God to stay right here to help other people find and follow Jesus. I see faithful people holding steady and getting their footing in this ‘new adjusted phase’ of Stone Church’s life.

You may say, “ok great, but how do I move from feeling kind of lost to getting focused again; from grieving to being hopeful again?”  It takes some time, it takes some new experiences with God, it takes finding a place to serve, and it takes making and developing new friendships.

Lots of new people coming to Stone are excited about this church and what God is doing in their lives. Jump in again, look around, initiate, reach out and get connected!

WHAT’S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW?

Soon, I plan to bring on an Executive Pastor to fill Pastor Gary’s position. In the interim, Pastor Gerry and I are reviewing the needs of all our adult ministry areas. We will be looking to identify, develop and empower individuals / teams of people to serve in new and expanded ways.

GIVING

            As a child my understanding of heaven was a place far, far, far, away—out of our earthly and physical realm—another reality. Grandma and Grandpa went there when they passed away and the God of the universe resides there with His angels who are constantly worshipping Him and doing His bidding.

These ideas are all true and all biblical based except for one very crucial idea. When we worship God, is He so far away in heaven that we have to shout and scream so he can hear us?

In this context Heaven is not far, far, far, away. Heaven is where God resides. Where His throne room (from Rev 4,5) is centered in the heavenly courts. The throne room is the place of power and the place where all of creation worships and adores the Eternal One.

In Revelation 4, the writer John hears a voice calling him to come up to that same throne room where God resides. The first thing he describes in dazzling detail, is someone sitting on the throne and all the glory around that being.

He tells of Angels and “living creatures” constantly worshipping him day and night saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.”

Those around God worshipped Him for who He was. Later they worship Jesus, the Lamb that was slain (God’s son, equal to God) for being the only one worthy to die for humanity and ultimately save us from eternal death. What does this have to do with us, and why all the talk of heaven?

The worship around the throne room should be no different then how we worship God everyday. We have the privilege to gather weekly, and as a community of believers and worshippers praise God for who He is (Psalm 18), and what He has done. This is a great honor! And what we were created to do.

I would encourage you when you think of heaven, think of it as God’s presence. Where He is. When you and I worship Him, we are simply joining in with all of creation who is already worshipping Him (Psalm 19)!

“Heaven Fall Down” — by Phil Wickham. This is a new song I will lead (10/23/11) for the main worship service. When you sing this song I would encourage you to reflect on this idea: Heaven is not far away. Heaven is here when we do what we were meant to do. 

Link to the song :  \”Heaven Fall Down\”

This is the person that if you tell them you want to land a 747 on the stage of your church they immediately begin to brainstorm as to how it can be done.  They have a fire and passion and really do believe that NOTHING is impossible with God.

However, they ARE realistic!  I have several members on the team I serve with that will say, “I love that idea Perry, now, let me tell you what it will take in order for that to happen,” and then they proceed to tell me the things that I may not be aware of in regards to the implementation of the vision.  They aren’t saying we can’t do it…they just want me to know all that it is going to take.

I LOVE THIS…I love it when staff are realistic…every leader should.

#2 – “Can’t Do”

Many times these people like to refer to themselves as “the devils advocate,” they are always finding reasons things can’t get done and seem to bring a negative tone to every meeting they are in.  I have said it before, I will say it again…the devil does not need a freakin advocate, he is doing fine all by himself.  The person that is always saying that something can’t be done is USUALLY saying so because if the vision that is being cast is put into play then it will cause either a greater amount of work for them…OR require them to leave their comfort zone.

These people drain the crap out of you and are not an asset to your team!

#3 – “Won’t Do”

These are the people on staff that are more obsessed with their gifting than their calling…and so if they are asked to do something that isn’t in line with their perceived gift then they refuse to do it.  (Which in case their “gift” has now became their idol!)

If a staff member (including the senior pastor) isn’t willing to do whatever it takes to make the vision happen then that team will NEVER accomplish all that it could accomplish.  If someone on staff makes it a common practice to declare what they will not do in regards to executing the vision of the church then they are not pursuing Jesus (who washed feet in John 13) and need to be confronted in love and challenged that our gifting does make us unique…but we all have the same calling, to do whatever it takes to reach as many people as possible who are far from God.

#4 – “Didn’t Know I Could Do”

The disciples had no idea they could do what they wound up doing until a leader came along (Jesus) who was constantly challenging them to go beyond themselves and attempt the “impossible.”

John Mark had no idea of what he was capable of until Barnabas believed in him.

Timothy was just a guy in the church until the Apostle Paul spotted greatness in him and asked him to assist him in his ministry.

And there are people in our churches and on our staff that are able to do way more than they are currently doing…they just are unaware of it because a leader has never dared to believe in them nor challenged them to leave their comfort zone.

It is a powerful thing when the people believe in their leader…it is even a more powerful thing when a leader believes in the people he has been given stewardship over.

Are you really following Jesus or just watching?

To follow Jesus is not boring. NOT AT ALL. I look at the life of the disciples and all they got to see and experience and it was anything but boring and dull. They got to witness the greatest miracles. They not only witnessed miracles but they performed miracle. They laid their hands on the sick and they recovered. They preached and people got saved. They cast out demons. They passed out the fish and bread at the feeding of the 5, 000. A day in the life of the disciples was an exciting roller coaster ride in which they never knew what new exciting thing would happen next. This is what God is calling us too.

Which makes me come to the conclusion that maybe we are believers are doing something wrong. If we as believers find ourselves bored with church and life, maybe it’s because we really aren’t “following” Jesus. It takes more than going to church to follow Jesus. It takes more than being religious. It takes you and me daily pursuing Jesus with all of heart, soul, and strength. It takes sacrifice. It takes humility that we do really need him to have abundant life. It takes a surrendered heart to realize that it’s not ALL about me, but the people I walk by everyday that don’t know Him. It takes faith and bold moves. It takes devotion to say no to sin and yes to Jesus. It takes time. Time with Jesus. How can we be true followers of Christ and yet never (or) rarely read our bible, don’t give our time, talents, and finances to furthering the church, and never pray for anyone and if we do pray, it’s usually about ourselves and what we need and how God can help us. Now Im not saying that we shouldn’t pray for ourselves and that God would move in our lives. What I am saying is that if we are truly “following” Jesus, what he is most passionate about, we will be passionate about that too. PEOPLE. Jesus loves people. He died for people. He came to save people. He offers a better life to people. IT’S ABOUT PEOPLE!

It’s about taking the simple yet powerful truth of the gospel, and telling people everywhere about what Jesus has done for them. Everyone is always doing things for themselves which I think we can all agree is true. We live in a society and culture that screams to serve yourself, better your life, and make yourself happy. Jesus did the opposite. What he did on the cross for someone other than himself. He did it for ALL humanity. He did it to prove that His love is the greatest. He did it to prove that his love can endure anything. He did it to show that His greatest prize and what He desires most is…PEOPLE.

Today, as we continue to live our lives, let’s not forget who we are living for. Jesus. He is the one who has saved us, forgiven our sin, and given us a hope and future that we couldn’t of had apart from His grace in our lives. Let’s be reminded that to be a true follower of Christ, we must deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him (Luke 9:23). Let’s follow Him in all we do. In how we live our lives, in how we treat our family, in how we pray for those not saved, and in how we love and serve people ALL in the name above all names…JESUS.

#ImAFollowerOfJesus

Not only have we found the last decade and a half to be extremely fulfilling, but the people of Stone have continually thanked us for doing so. Our gifts, heart, abilities, personalities and experiences were a perfect fit for this assignment in Yakima. It has been an honor to serve the children, families, adults and leaders of Stone Church. The Modine family has been shaped during this extended season of your lives. We will be forever grateful.

Stone Church: You are amazing and your future is exciting. Thank you so much for including us and investing in us. We were blown away on Sunday by your gratitude, encouraging words and love offering. You may never understand how much you have shaped the next season of our lives.  Know that our pastorate at Christian Life Center in Moscow, Idaho will be profoundly impacted by you as a result of your investment in us.

That was awesome… all 14 1/2 years have been awesome. Stone Church…YOU ARE AWESOME!

P.S. Sheila articulated her feelings on her blog. Here’s a link: http://teentweentoddlermom.wordpress.com/2011/10/03/whenthankyouisntenough/

Stay awesome,

PG

Today, we were unanimously elected to be the lead pastors at Christian Life Center in Moscow, Idaho.

Steve Forrey, Herb Christianson, Dale Carpenter, Cal Carpenter and Jon Oletzke have all believed in us, invested in us and allowed us to learn under their leadership. I can list dozens of things that I’ve learned from each of them.

2 1/2 years ago, I stepped out of children’s ministry to lead small groups at Stone. Soon i began to learn and lead connections, altar work, mentoring, follow up, discipleship, and outreach.

I did not intend to take the best possible route to the Senior Pastor role….but we took it indeed. As i look back on the last year, I am BLOWN AWAY at how God has prepared me for this!

Yup, I’m a senior pastor… still hasn’t set in….

This August, I spoke at a camp in Washington state. The sinks in their restrooms were low…extremely low. It was an inconvenient height for the teens and adults who use the sinks more often than kids.

However, my boy was able to have a successful restroom experience there! Although inconvenient for me, it was possible for him. I greatly welcomed this inconvenience.

This summer’s restroom experiences made me wonder: When does our “standard height Christianity” become “out of reach” for those far from God? Without realizing it, “catering to the already convinced” creates a culture impossible for others to reach.

It doesn’t reflect the heart and life of Christ when we create experiences that are convenient for us and impossible for them. Jesus’ multiple inconveniences made eternal life possible (reachable) for everyone.

Be sure to welcome the personal inconveniences that make life change reachable for someone who is searching.

Inconvenience for us….POSSIBLE for them.

If you’ve known me for very long, you may have heard me say “I never want to be a senior pastor.” One year ago, I stopped limiting what God may desire to do in my life and through my life. This journey quickly found clarity as many things happened to confirm the stirring in my spirit to become a Lead Pastor.

A June email exchange became a conversation that turned into meetings, then interviews. The whole thing culminates next weekend (september 11) with a meet and greet in a local park, preaching on a Sunday morning, a q&a session and then they vote.

It was a bold move to announce this seven full days before the Idaho church votes. Typically, one would wait until there is something definite to announce. Imagine not being elected and returning rejected to my home congregation to announce that they didn’t want me after all. I took the bold move, because my family and I want to talk about this exciting news. I took the bold move because I will soon leave my home church to pastor somewhere, whether it the Idaho church or somewhere else. I took the bold move because I’ll put my house on the market this week. I took the bold move because I am ready to make a bold move and let go of the “known” in order to embrace the “unknown.”

I may not blog about this process until next Sunday night when I know for sure what God may or may not be putting together there.

Before the update on what’s happening over here, I want to make sure our Stone Church family knows how loved and supported we feel, there is nothing like having the family of God in your corner cheering you on! I think one of the greatest proofs of God, is the family of God! I’m reminded of Jesus’ words in the gospel of John, “they will know you are my disciples by your love for one another.” (John 13:35) Thank you for prayers, support, and encouragement during our 9 years of ministry and service in Yakima at Stone Church. You will always hold a special place in our hearts!

Practically, your love, prayer, and support as the Parent Church to True Hope Church is already yielding gospel fruit! We are meeting many new friends, neighbors, and fellow believers and joining around the mission of “helping people find their way back to God”. Our last Launch Team meeting, on Friday night, was a tremendous success! We are working through the mission, vision, and values that will guide and govern True Hope Church and we had over 40 adults there and 10 kids! We already have one young man who is interested in being baptized during our first service on October 2nd! We’d better find a kiddie pool and fill it up with some water! We are sensing God’s blessing and momentum, and that is largely due to the foundation you have helped us launch from. Thank you and keep praying!

Our plan is to continue our Friday Launch Team meetings through the fall, and to hold our 3 monthly “launch phase” services on October 2nd, November 6th, and December 4th. Pray with us that God would provide bigger locations for our meetings and that our 3 monthly services will be glorifying to Jesus, and a success in helping people find their way back to God. We are passionate about Jesus, and passionate about the city and region of Spokane, and we are excited to watch what Jesus does this fall and through the new year!

Love you Stone Church, love you Yakima, let’s live out the mission of God with no regrets!

Pastor Ryan and Annie

“Local churches are ready to move in the area of HIV/AIDS ministry. I can’t explain why…..but after 4 years of building relationships, speaking about the need for church involvement at every opportunity, and teaching the biblical basis for a local church response, suddenly churches are asking for training. Well, I guess I can explain why – it’s just time! We plant the seeds and God brings about the fruit. What a privilege to be here long enough to be involved in both the planting and harvest! Suzanne spent much of the month of May traveling around the city and speaking to groups of pastors about the issue of HIV/AIDS and how they can be involved, on a local church level, in education and ministry.”

“We have been here in the West Indies now for ten months and have completed our first full school year. We had five students graduate this year. The end of June brought our National Conference where the executives were up for election and workshops are held. Steve was asked to be one of the workshop speakers on ‘Confidence in Leadership’. “

Although I miss camp greatly, I love something even more than camp…. It’s raising up leaders and letting them lead. I could have gone to camp this year and performed most any role there, however my presence would have kept someone from experiencing their defining moment. The leaders that are at camp this year are amazing and need to be there. Under the highly capable leadership of Pastor David, our kids staff, are going to experience God in a life changing way. The leaders that went, will be changed forever. They all needed to be there.

As a pastor, my role is to equip awesome people to do the awesome work of the ministry….not always to do it myself.

I received a text form the Northwest Children’s Ministry Director that read “We are standing on your shoulders.”

Yep. That’s what it’s all about. Raising up leaders and letting them lead

“Health Update: Terence’s June 30 cardiologist appointment had the best result possible! His heart is healed 100%! Praise God! As we reflect on the upheaval of the past 3 months following Terence’s heart attacks, surgeries, and hospital stays, I thought you might be interested in taking a peek at one journal entry Jill made: “April 13 standing alone at the foot of Terence’s bed in his tiny room at Moscow Russia’s Endo-Surgery Center. The half green, half white walls give the typical institutional feel to the room as a Russian orthodox icon calls to me from the window sill. The tall, lean cardiologist came into the room and shook my hand. Then, he told me (in Russian) that if Terence had not received treatment when he did, he surely would have died. Hearing those words from the cardiologist who had viewed Ter’s heart on the angiogram (so he knew what he was talking about!) was a sobering moment for me – I never picture my life w/o Ter (of course!). Now – I’m thanking God for Terence – for each day we have together!”  Thank YOU for praying”

“Please say a prayer to ask God’s blessing on this great work that is needed to be done in The Bahamas, Belize, Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Turks and Caicos. The region is facing many needs. The development of ministry training in our region is so important. We feel that there is a lack of the following: 1) lack of Church planting and 2) a lack of Missiology- missio Dei- participating with God in reaching the world for Jesus. You are to be thanked for making sacrifices by prayer and giving that makes a difference along the way. We continue to want to make a difference in our region of ministry. There is still a ways to go. Our mission’s journey is not complete. Thanks for faithfully standing with us and praying for us.

“A professor stopped at our “Coffee to Go” table recently on a university campus in Berlin, Germany. He was not only thirsty for the free coffee but also spiritually hungry for conversation about God. The campus pastor working the table began talking to him and noticed the professor kept mentioning that groups were important. Inspired by the Holy Spirit he began to tell the professor a story from the Bible about a young man who asked Jesus what was the most important thing in the world and how Jesus answered “love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. The second most important thing is to love other people, to love groups, the community, your neighbor.”  He then told the professor “You’re on to something here. But to really love people you need to love God and to truly love God, you need to be loving people. You’re on the right road.” The professor was obviously moved and began to tear up and the pastor was able to put in his hand a copy of the university edition of the NT, printed with LFTL funds for Bibles in Germany. He showed the professor where to begin reading in the book of John and the man full of smiles and wiping away tears thanked him and had to run to teach his class… Pray for the seeds that have been sown.”

Our New Assignment…

Our new ministry roles will consist of developing a Chi Alpha university ministry here on one of the main college campuses. We will be mentoring university leaders & having outreaches on the campus. We will also be working under our new mentor missionar- ies (Steve & Lori Potutschnig) and supporting them in their minis- tries. They are Bolivia’s country coordinators for Latin American Child Care (LACC) schools, involved in Bible school training, pastoral development & church planting. We are very excited to work with the Potutschnig family, and are eager to see what God will do as we team up with them to change Bolivia!

I would like to keep you updated on what is happening with our world outreach partners. I will began posting parts of  newsletters that are emailed to me to keep you informed about what is happening around the world. It will help you see the results of  your prayers and giving. There will be reports of victories, what is happening in their life and area of the world, and prayer needs.

Pastor Larry

Our first year’s budget as a church plant is $210,000. With this generous support we are well on our way to meeting that first year projection. If you wanted to give but have not yet, you can easily give here (www.stonechurch.us/truehopechurch). Thanks in advance for your partnership and generosity!

Some of the things we will be acquiring right away with these funds are:

-trailer (to haul and store all church equipment)

-sound system and projector/screen

-kids ministry supplies

-down payments for lease contracts

-data software and accounting software

Some areas you could pray with us and our team about:

-houses to sell/rent

-jobs (transfers, and new ones)

-protection

-provision in relationships and open doors to share the gospel

We are very excited about what God has ahead of us… Jesus is being glorified! Both through the generous and sacrificial giving of our church family and in the fruit that will come from it!

We love you!

Pastor Ryan and Annie – and the True Hope Church launch team