Wowzers!

Right now I am in the mode of looking at what 2009 holds and one word comes to mind - Wowzers!

Ok, how much of a word that is I don't know, but that still is what comes to mind.

There is a great sense of momentum in all parts of my life. I feel momentum in my marriage, my family, my spiritual growth, my call as pastor, and at New Life Community Church.

On Monday, after fulfilling Staff Retreat, fun night quizzing our JBQ kids and an amazing service (and again - largest Sunday attendance since I've been there), I got hit with the sense of "Oh man, am I the one to take New Life to the next level?"

That is a dose of doubt and fear all at the same time! It made me really do nothing that day and I was in a definite funk! I had a choice to stay in my funk with my fear and doubt or take hold of the truth that I am the one that God wants to use to take New Life Community Church to the next level!

I have taken hold of that truth and acted like that from that day on! I have been called to lead this church and while doing that I have incredible individuals to help along the way! Our church staff is the best, our church elders and deacons are behind the path we are taking 100% and the people are living out the vision of "Loving God and Loving People!"

What a impact we are making! 2008 has been a great foundation year and now watch out 2009 here we come!!

Mad Man

I know, I know. I don't blog enough but I find more time to write in my journal instead.

With that said, I just wrote something in my journal that I thought was important to share in this format too. Here is what it says:

I saw something new today in the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in Daniel 3.

I saw the level of anger that King Nebuchadnezzar lived with. He had an anger problem! He was a "Mad Man."

The Bible says this about the king's anger:
Verse 13 - "he flew into a rage"
Verse 19 - "was so furious"
Verse 19 - "distorted with rage"
Verse 22 - "in his anger"

He was so fixed on his power, he didn't think that even HIS power (God) could surpass him.
Verse 15 - "what god will be able to rescue you from my power?"

Then when the three young men challenged him - HE LOST IT!

In this process people lost their lives because the king lost his temper.

Verse 22 - "And because the king, IN HIS ANGER, had demanded such a hot fire in the furnace, THE FLAMES KILLED THE SOLDIERS as they threw the three men in."

Anger can distort your thinking and keep you from responding appropriately.

God help me with my anger. I don't want lives to be lost because I lost it! I don't want to think it's all about my power but all about yours!

Opening Weekend!

Unbelievable weekend!
My Seahawks and the Colts both got beat bad!
One of my Fantasy Football teams won and the other lost (hard to beat 130 points)!
Around 120 people came to New Life for a Hunter/Safety course on Saturday! (Great chili, Sam!)
Taste of Marion at IWU was a blast! (Congrats to Chase for winning the Wii!)
The "DREAM IT!" series kicked off with a bang!
I revealed to the world my Master Jedi skills! Love it!
Garth jumped from the balcony to the stage in one gigantic leap! (No joke, check out the opening video at www.newlifecc.us)
We had the largest Sanctuary audience since we came to Marion!!
This season's Community Groups launched and were wildly successful!
My Coffee House group ended up being an unexpected but great one on one time with Tim B. (Joe made a quick appearance before going to work)!

Now, it's time to rest for a day before I get going again!

Worth the fight?

I'm sitting here at 12:30 in the morning watching the MLB All-Star Game in the 12th inning and I am truly amazed at the effort by these all star baseball players.

This game does determine home field advantage for the World Series but the players are not concerned with that I feel. I believe that they are fighting for the win, period!!

This has made me think (I know dangerous this late) about how hard are we willing to fight for what we crave, desire and/or believe in?

I think that we (including me) have a tendency to back off before we reach the point that the results are realized.

What's the key? Don't stop til the fight lady sings? Kind of.

Don't give up because God responds to those who don't give up, just ask Jacob who refused to let go of God when he wrestled with him and God touched him and left his mark on Jacob's hip and his future!!

Well the game is still going, we'll they ever give up?

I got my journal!

One thing that I have always found to be refreshing and enjoyable beyond any real way to express is writing my thoughts down or in this case typing them here on my blog.

You might then say, "Hey PD, if you love it so much how come you don't have more entries here at PD's Pages?"

Well good question, whoever asked that!

I have another version of PD's Pages that I use much more frequent than this site and for the longest time that was simply any yellow pad of paper I could find to write down my thoughts. That was good yet left me not quite completely satisfied.

So I began the quest for my own book that I could write my reflections down in forms of thoughts, prayers, or whatever! (NO NOT A DIARY) This past Monday at a Barnes and Noble in Fort Wayne with the help of Shami, and friends Lance and Rachelle (who so happen to be my youth directors now -woo hoo! That's another blog for another day) I found my JOURNAL!

It's this sweet leather bound book that has a way to keep my place and hold the book together too! (sorry, don't know technical terms for those things).

It's in there that I've been making my PD Pages. Maybe I'll transfer them over sometime,. We'll see.

THE POINT?

Journaling is a great avenue to take advantage of if you want to write your thoughts down that come throughout the day. And I have way too many thoughts that hit me without warning!

My friend and former youth pastor Troy Jones has some great insight on how to use a journal at his church website that I encourage those of you interested in journaling to go check out at www.newliferenton.com and check the video blog on journaling.

With all that I've said, I'll end with this. I got my journal maybe you need to go get yours!

Day 41

Today is the end of the 40 day GO Experiment that our church has been on.

To celebrate, we are coming together and sharing about the experience in worship, prayer, testimonies and ICE CREAM!

But what really hits me is what is going to happen on Day 41?

Are we going to go back to all our old ways? Are we going to let all that has happened just disappear from sight and think "that was nice" or are we going to allow this experiment to now become the reality of our lives!!??

We won't know until the future begins to unfold.
We won't know until the same challenges come that we faced during this experiment.
We won't know until someone needs our help and we say yes or no.
We won't know until we feel the need to pray and we do or we don't pray.
We won't know until we see someone in our 3 block radius & choose to connect or disconnect.

We won't know until Day 41.

O-M-G!!!

In this world today of text messaging, every word and expressions are being condensed into simple abbreviations of their full meaning. Here's a few I know:

TTYL - Talk To You Later
LOL - Laugh Out Loud

As you can tell I am still Texting Illiterate, but I am learning. One of the only other abbreviations I know is OMG - Oh My God! Sunday was filled with OMG moments all day long!!

We started the Sunday gathering with a great, hilarious video, "Life Tips with Pastor Garth," which you can see at our church website media section. Then our time to connect with God through worship began and as we fought through the first few songs, there was a sudden release of "something" that just energized the place and you could tell "something" was happening!!

I called people up for prayer and people just responded and what a time that was!! But it didn't feel done yet. So I called up a man named, Charles to come back up. We had prayed for his neck, and spine and he had pain just below his neck on his spine.

As we gathered around him, we prayed as if his life depended on it!! I asked how was his pain and he said, "90% was gone!!" We decided to pray again and believe that God was going to heal the rest of his pain. Those around me and Charles, as well as those in attendance prayed some more or just watched.

When done, I asked him one more time, "tell me the truth, how is your pain?" And then OMG, he said "It's gone!!!"

There was an eruption in that place! I shared a few more thoughts and then made a call for other who needed to come down for some other kind of healing.

Another crowd similar to the size of the earlier came down and we prayed for them with all we had!! After the service, I saw a man named, Larry, who had always had leg pain and walked with a cane. When I got to him, he threw me his cane!! We walked out of church that morning with a strong, confident stroll!!!!

OMG!! Oh My God is so amazing!!!!!!

(That night Larry came walking even stronger and with more confident to our Community Cookout!!! - OH I LOVE MY GOD!!!!

Be a Nimrod

I found a little unused verse of I Chronicles where we learn of a man named Nimrod during my personal time with God two days ago.

Ever heard of a nimrod before? The only time I ever heard this name was when we heard "Don't be such a nimrod!"

Well, what is the definition of a nimrod?

The American Heritage Dictionary offers two distinct definitions of a nimrod -- either a hunter, or a person regarded as silly or foolish.

The dictionary goes on to explain that the second meaning probably originated with the cartoon character Bugs Bunny. Bugs Bunny used the term in its original sense to refer to hunter, Elmer Fudd, whom he called a "poor little Nimrod." Over time, however, the "hunter" meaning got dropped.

So does the Bible say anything about Nimrod? Check it out!!

I Chronicles 1:10 - "Cush was also the ancestor of Nimrod, who was the first heroic warrior on earth."

Nimrod was a warrior, the first known warrior on earth. Before Samson, before David, before Caleb, before Benaiah, and other heroes in the Bible.

A warrior is often looked upon as foolish or silly because of their nature to take risks and do whatever it takes to save others or whatever it takes to destroy/defeat their enemy.

I guess I'd rather be a Nimrod like the one mentioned in I Chronicles than the one Bugs Bunny called Elmer Fudd. You may feel like Elmer Fudd at times, but I want to encourage you that God sees you like a heroic warrior and not a stumbling, foolish cartoon.

Which Nimrod will you believe yourself to be? I'll take God over Bugs Bunny any day!

I'm baaaaaack!

It's been almost a month since my last blog. That's what happens when you have a business meeting, go on vacation, and see your daughter get her tonsils removed. It just doesn't seem as important!

And now with almost a month's worth of adventures and thoughts I feel like I have very little to say. Is that weird or what? And for those who know me they would say that it's another sign that there are still miracles happening today!

I came back to blogging and that reminds me of our vacation.

We decided to go back to Las Vegas, and visit Shami's family that lives there, and also check out all that has taken place since we left there in September 2006 to come here to Marion.

It was great seeing her family, eating at old hot spots (i.e. - Krispy Kreme, Teriyaki Madness, Chipotle, and Pei Wei to name a few), taking a side trip to Disneyland for 3 days, and we even got to go to Blue Man Group, one of the great shows on the Las Vegas Blvd.

The other thing we naturally did was go to two different churches on the Sundays we were there. We first went to Shami's sister's church where her brother-in-law is on staff and then we went to our church from the past where we were the Youth Pastors the entire time we lived there.

What a difference! Both churches have different venues, different approaches and different feels. Even the church where I was on staff was completely different after only 1 1/2 years. I was glad I got the chance to come back and visit and also see what was happening at these unique places.

But it was not home anymore. One of the greatest feels was coming back home to Marion and being at New Life! From the moment the service began that next Sunday, you could feel that this was our place, our home, our call, our family! And we just loved being back to Loving God and Loving People at New Life!

Cinderellas

There is a new song out by the music artist, Steven Curtis Chapman, called "Cinderella." Every time I hear it, I begin to either tear up or beam with joy because of my two amazing little "Cinderellas."

I don't know why Shami and I had to have our first 3 babies go to heaven and never get to hold them, let alone dance with them at any point. I do know that I am glad that God did give me the two beautiful ones I have now!

This song reminds me of how a little innocent child can break down the barriers of a man that is traveling in the harsh reality of life and its struggles. It reminds me of how my influence is so great in their lives. It reminds me that no matter how many lives I get to help be a change agent in, the lives of the ones that God places in front of me every day are far more important for me to touch with Jesus' love!

As I was writing this I realized one other thing.

When Shami and I were dealing with the first miscarriage of the twins (my little M&Ms as I called them), we were driving to the hospital in Las Vegas and a song came on. It was "Be Still and Know" by Steven Curtis Chapman. On that day, God used this man's words to comfort us as we cried many tears of loss and grief. Now, I shed more tears as I listen to the words of a different song from this same artist,

BUT THIS TIME,

my tears are not of grief but of unbelievable thankfulness that I have been graced with my two Cinderellas!

Pregnant Man?

OK, yesterday Shami showed me that there was a pregnant man on Oprah. Now, I was trying to figure out what did this guy do to make that happen. First, I thought he did something to help make his own family because his wife was unable to have babies and for the moment was amazed that a guy would go through so much to do that for his wife.

THEN...

I found out that it was a woman who had changed herself by removing her breasts, having testosterone shots, but left her uterus and reproductive "systems" intact.

Shami was reading some comments that were made by different individuals on the Internet and she came across one that made it clearer to see.

My paraphrasing here - "It's not a pregnant man. It's a pregnant woman who looks like a man."

In our world, we have all kinds of people that want to change who they are. They go to great lengths to make these changes too. But one thing remains true - we are who God created us to be.

God has created you to be something amazing! From your birth until now, he has desired for you to discover the you that he has in mind. There is no need to take drastic measures like this to make a new you. Take the time to talk to God and ask him who he wants you to be! He answers, he really does! It might take some time to discover that you that God has in mind, but it doesn't mean changing the Creator's personal design he blueprinted for you!

By the way, if this couple ever came in contact with us at New Life, we should and would have open arms to allow them the necessary time to see the REAL design that God had/has in mind!

Let it Snow?

When we first planned to do the Million Egg Hunt for 2007, I knew the weather was going to be nothing like what Easter had been like the previous 7+ years in Las Vegas. I just didn't know how different!!

The 2007 Million Egg Hunt had snow on the ground and bitter winds that put the temperature well below freezing, but despite that around 900 people came and we went at it again this year in 2oo8.

Now knowing that Easter would be the earliest it has ever been and won't be again for over 200 years there was the possibility of some interesting weather again.

There was!

No bitter winds, a little warmer temperatures and no snow on the ground...until we started.

By the end, of the 2nd Annual Million Egg Hunt, snow was coming down in what seemed like droves and yet over 1000 people were out there hunting down one of around 35,000 eggs (exact count unavailable) and they were so excited and thankful that someone did this for them.

One family brought their daughter to the egg hunt so she could enjoy it while their son was still in the hospital with pneumonia. I got a chance to pray for that family!

Another young man, who won the grand prize bike for his age group, was in need of a new bike and you should have seen the look on his face as he rode it off the track!

One other lady had walked a ridiculous distance with her baby and other children just so they could attend. You should have seen our volunteers who made sure she had a ride back home!

Those 3 stories are just a few glimpses of what took place at the 2008 Million Egg Hunt and of what it means to see people Loving God and Loving People!!

New Life, you ROCK!!

What a year! - Part 2

A Word from PD... (continued)

In May, there were several things that spotlighted the month. From the beautiful Ladies Tea in the Sanctuary to the unforgettable Walleye Fishing Trip, the people of New Life continued to stretch their arms out to the community and region by including others in such events.

The summer months of June, July and August were filled with all kinds of memories! The trip to Ireland, the beginning of our commitment to Pay it Forward, and Summer Camp for the teenagers at Myrtle Beach all highlight the summer’s wild side!

The fall and remaining part of 2007 helped us at New Life to never miss a beat when it came to living out the vision of Loving God and Loving People. Our Hunter Safety course we provided for the community saw over 100 people attend. The creation of our Sunday Night Community Groups became a great avenue to really connect with people in a fun, relaxing atmosphere. These Community Groups, meeting the first Sunday night of every month, are our largest attended Sunday nights due primarily to the relationships that are being established, and strengthened during these times at people’s homes.

The last thing to note is the greater success of the Fall Block Party in 2007. We decided to bring nearly the entire outreach inside the facility. With doing that, it included bringing a 35 foot high slide that went from the stage to the balcony and other inflatables right there in our sanctuary. The 2007 Fall Block Party nearly doubled our attendance from 2006 with over 700 people there seeing that New Life Community Church loved them period!

As we are already off and running in 2008, and we have continued to be all about Loving God and Loving People with a definite focus on showing this love in tangible ways. People are realizing they can count on New Life Community Church to do whatever it takes to show that we love them and more importantly, so does Jesus! Watch out for NLCC in 2008!!

Let’s keep changing lives!!

Pastor David Grieve
Senior Pastor

What a year!

Let me start by first saying that I realize that it is March of 2008, but I just spent time looking back at 2007 as I am getting ready to complete New Life's annual report. I decided to go ahead and put the letter that I am including in that report here on my blog. Due to its length, thought breaking it up into 2 parts would be best. Enjoy part 1:

Word from PD...

Loving God and Loving People. What an amazing statement! Five simple words that make up one simple phrase yet have so much power and possibilities tied to them. In 2007, we began to realize what it could look like if a church and those that are a part of it took those words and did not just speak and believe them but lived them out in their surrounding culture.

In January, we had our first ever Small Group Kick Off and began a new approach to connecting with one another through various groups that consisted of Community Groups, Common Interest Groups and Coaching Groups. These groups have created a basis for all of us to connect in various ways with those a part of New Life and those not yet a part of New Life.

In February, we had an incredible time at our Super Sunday Party coming together cheering and celebrating as the Indianapolis Colts won the 2007 Super Bowl. Something my Seattle Seahawks are still trying to figure out how to accomplish. We also had our first ever Married Live event where the married couples of New Life were able to finish off their dates in a warm and fun environment and have some amazing Cheesecake Factory cheesecake.

In March, we saw the beginning of the continuing transformation of our Lobby and Sanctuary as we gave our pews to several churches and replaced them with beautiful, efficient chairs that gave us a versatile Sanctuary that was never available until now. The Lobby also received a makeover as we removed the walls of the old Library/Bookstore and converted that into a Living Room-like environment that people take advantage of every Sunday as well as for other gathering times.

In April, came the launch of one of the most daring and unbelievable outreaches that New Life Community Church has undertaken – The Million Egg Hunt!! In 2007, we laid out 25,000 eggs, gave away countless bikes, baskets and other prizes and saw over 900 people come out despite the dusting of snow, bitter wind and cold temperatures. We are already receiving calls from people about this year’s Million Egg Hunt, whew!

Crutch anyone?

I don't really know what to say today. I've had a very interesting few weeks and I'm learning so much about who I am.

I realize that life's journey is not about discovering a new you, but the you that God always wanted and intended for you to be!

That journey is not easy, and to be honest it doesn't feel simple, but as I sit here and type I realize more than ever that even that discovery journey IS simple.

The simplicity comes from acknowledging that God has the answers, that God knows better than I do, that God IS God. I feel like I struggle for words right now. I know that's hard for some to believe, but it's true.

I just keep thinking about my favorite verses that I repeated several times in the shower this morning - Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and he will make your paths straight (or direct them - you pick your version of the Bible). - Proverbs 3:5-6

People say God is a crutch sometimes, and I say sure! If I had a broken leg and I needed to lean on something or find support, I'd rather use a crutch than fall on my face alone!

But what's great is at some point, your leg is repaired and the cast comes off and the crutch is no longer needed. Now I'm not saying toss God into the closet but what I am saying is that there are areas in your life where you are weak and feel hopeless. At some point, God is able to show you how to overcome these areas and you now become a support or crutch even for others.

We wonder why we go through things in life, and I think part of the answer is to find who God intends us to be and the other is to find where we help support others! It kinda looks like a "Loving God and Loving People" kind of picture doesn't it?

T-R-U-S-T

What a big word! Yeah I know it's only 5 letters, but it can either destroy a marriage, a job, and a church or push them all to greater heights!

As I've wandered through my many thoughts on trust, I've gotta say thanks to Lance Newton for just letting me use him as a sounding board on Friday.

Trust has been so abused by people. Leaders use that trust to manipulate others into thinking their ways are right while no other way might be better. That very thought shoots fear right through my very bones. Do we as leaders, get tunnel vision on our ways that we miss out on a more effective way? Do we not listen to voices because we want to ignore them or because we should disregard them? Man! So many questions can come out of that!

I wonder what Moses thought as people complained to him at, what seemed, every chance possible. Was he going the right way? Should he head back to Egypt? Why didn't he go into the Promised Land even though those 10 spies said he shouldn't?

Moses knew one very important thing, that when it comes to trust, we must all remember to - TRUST GOD!

God had place Moses there as the leader and told him "I will be with you." Any time Moses may have doubts all he had to do was remember those words - "I will be with you."

As I go through my day, I too, need to always remember that God will be with me and he will never leave me! When decisions need to be made in my home, at my workplace, with my friends, I can remember to go to God for his help. I can ask him because he IS with me!

That's how we can learn to trust our leaders, our kids, our spouses, or employers, and yes even our pastors. We can trust God and trust his guideance in all these other people's lives!!! And yes, yours too!!!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Ok, today isn't my birthday, but it was 3 days ago.



On Monday, I had one of the best birthday celebrations I've ever had. My three ladies (Shami, Baylee and Savanah) took my out for lunch at AppleBees, then took me to Steve and Barry's and got me a shirt and pants as a gift and finally when we got home they made me a great cake that we all are still enjoying!



That day was so fantastic!



I don't know about you, but I still get that internal butterfly excitement every time I get a card or a present. I can't wait to see what it says, or what might be inside. As I think of that feeling, I can't help thinking about how God feels as He watches us receive His big "Card" or his incredible "Gifts."



I always wonder what people think the Bible is. To some its just a bunch of old, mystical writings that have symbolic meaning. Others, it's an Almighty Creators' Rules and Regulations. Some it's an instruction manual while others it's a love letter from a Father to his kids or loved ones.

I simply think that the Bible is for us to Reflect on who God is and Delight in what He has done and be Refreshed by the words that are inside.

I'll share more sometime soon. Gotta get the groceries!!!

Nothing

Is it ok to do nothing? Today, my girls and I are just relaxing, watching 102 Dalmations and playing Barbies, and yet there's this feeling like I'm supposed to be doing something and not nothing.

I had to get these thoughts out otherwise they'd bug the snot out of me!

When you think about it, doing nothing is actually doing something. My nothing is simply being with my family and enjoying their company!

Make sure you take time to do "nothing" with Jesus soon and simply enjoy his company!

Gotta get back to doing nothing!

The Human Hole

What a Sunday! I felt like we were able to make some great connections with others yesterday as we sat around the tables in the Sanctuary this past Sunday. What a great meal and a great response to the new and ongoing small groups that are happening at New Life.

As I reflect on why it excites me so much, I realize that it's because of my own need to see my craving for deep personal connection met. Don't get me wrong. I had connection at my church in Las Vegas, and growing up in my church in Seattle, but I have never felt as deep a connection with people as I do with the people that are a part of my Small Group.

If we were honest, we'd recognize that we all have that craving. We all need to have those two holes filled. First, the God Hole which we all tend to work on in some fashion through worship or study. But we don't necessaryily put effort into filling the Human Hole in all of us. Jesus knew we needed both filled. That's why he gave us to equally important calls of Loving God (with all we have) and Loving People (no matter what) in the 22nd chapter of the first book in the New Testament, Matthew.

We need to understand this importance! "Church" is more than attending. It's about connecting and connecting in that deep way that all human's crave. If you are not apart of a small group, let me encourage you to jump right in, share your story, listen to other's stories and that hole in your heart for human connection, in a deep way, will begin to be filled!

As that hole gets filled, you will notice others that have that same craving. When you see them just do three simple things - INVEST into their lives (no agendas please - other than love) - sharing your story and hearing theirs. When the time seems right, INVITE them to your small group where they can connect with other people, and finally, always INCLUDE them into this greater story that we all are privledged to live in!

As we do this, we will see the vision Jesus gave us of Loving God and Loving People become a daily reality where ever we are!!

Perfection?

Why do we strive for perfection?

The New England Patriots were on the brink of doing what only one other team in NFL history has ever done - have a undefeated, perfect season.

As we all know there were a few Giants in the way to stop them and those Giants from New York did just that, winning 17-14 in the SuperBowl and giving the Patriots their only loss of the season.

Many Patriots said that it left their season incomplete, but why?

I am one of those that strives for perfection. A very bad and nasty habit if taken to the extreme. Failure is OK. Imperfection is OK. It has to be - just look at you and me!

When you fail it is what you do with that failure that matters most. David got caught with another man's wife, murdering her husband and getting her pregnant. Peter got caught denying and lying his way through the night that Jesus was taken to his destiny on the cross. Phillip got caught saying there was no way Jesus could feed the 5,000 men on the hillside one evening. Moses got caught trying to deliver the people of Israel his way by murdering an Egyptian. Judah got caught selling his brother Joseph off. Samson got caught...you get the idea I'm sure!

All these men failed and lost their "perfect season" but take a look in the Bible and see their outcomes and you'll see that despite the failures they got back up to win again!

You can win again too! You will win again too!

By the way Colts fans and the rest of the NFL, I think that the Patriots will be out to win again!

Let the Blogging Begin!

There'll be longer posts to come but just to get this rolling - Here's my first one!

Things can seem so easy at times and so hard at other times but regardless of the level of work it takes, can't things just be SIMPLE? Do we complicate life too much?

I feel Jesus seemed to do that when he was asked to pick which ONE commandent of all the 600+ laws and decrees was the greatest. It wasn't even a question from someone who was really seeking an answer from Jesus. He was wanting to somehow trap him!

But Jesus answered anyway and gave us TWO and only TWO that summed all 611 other laws up into one SIMPLE phrase - LOVE GOD and LOVE PEOPLE!

That is SIMPLE but not always easy is it? Let's talk more about it later!