Sin's Sickness & God's Remedy

This past Sunday I preached on Psalm 38 as part of our current sermon series through the first section in the OT book of Psalms entitled "The Spiritual Life." The title of the sermon on Psalm was "Sin's sickness and God's remedy." If you would like to listen to it, click here.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Wicked may Prosper Briefly but Righteous Prosper Eternally

A couple Sundays ago I preached on Psalm 37 as part of our series through the first 41 Psalms. The main point of the sermon was "The wicked may prosper briefly but the righteous will prosper eternally." If you would like to listen to it, click here.

By God's Grace, Jeff

God's Love Supplies Hope in Broken World (Psalm 36)

This past Sunday I preached on Psalm 36 as part of our series "The Spiritual Life" through the first book within the OT book of Psalm. The main point of Psalm 36 as it applies to us today is that God's love supplies hope in a broken world. If you would like to listen to it, click here.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Trust God to Fight your Battles

A couple weeks ago I preached on Psalm 35 as part of our series through the first 41 Psalms. The main point of the psalm was for us to trust God to fight our battles. If you would like to listen to it, click here.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Emmanuel "Has" Come O Israel!

As you may know, this past Sunday officially kicked off the Advent Season and therefore the singing of hymns about Jesus' birth. Though I've always wondered why we don't sing these great songs more frequently throughout the year. I was responsible for putting together the worship service (i.e. bulletin) this Sunday and so I chose for us to sing "O Come, O Come Emmanuel." And while we were singing it I was really hit hard by the fact that God has come to dwell with us. The God-man Jesus came into the world He created and lived among sinners like me. And then if that weren't enough, He suffered and died, even though He'd done nothing wrong, so I could have life.

I watched a series of talks from a men's conference with a couple other guys last week and One of the points that the speaker made that really stuck with me was his comparison of the Lord Jesus dwelling with sinners like us to a person climbing into a bacteria filled septic tank to clean it out. That's probably the best analogy I've ever heard of explaining Emmanuel, "God with us." But even as gross as this comparison is, it doesn't even come close to the Creator dwelling with and dying for His sinful creation.

Now I usually wait until after Thanksgiving to put the Christmas lights up (out of principle) but due to suffering through poor weather in late November last year, I decided to take advantage of the unseasonably warm weather we've had this year to get the lights up early. And I even remember to hammer in the stakes for the candy-cane pathway lights before the ground froze. I missing one stake because last year I didn't consider what would happen if you tried to hammer plastic into frozen ground. Suiffice it to say I had to find a stick to use as a makshift stake. We also upgraded ladders from an old, rickety wooden one to a new telescoping variety. But even though the light have been up for a week, I refused to turn them on until after Thanksgiving (out of principle).

I'm excited that high school basketball season is starting up. This year I will be coaching the JV team (assuming we have enough guys play). I'm looking forward to reconnecting with the eighth graders (now freshman) that I coached last year as part of the Junior High team. Even though we'll probably have at best a dozen guys for two teams, I believe there's some good talent there and all but two of the guys are older than Sophmores so there's some hope for the future as well. I'll keep you updated as to how things go as the season progresses. Pray for me to be intentional about building relationships with the guys and mindful of my words and actions around them.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Life Begins to Make Sense when we Begin to Fear God

This past Sunday I preached on Psalm 34 as part of our current sermon series through the first 41 Psalms. The main point of the sermon was that "life begins to make sense we we begin to fear God." If you would like to listen to the sermon, click here.

By God's Grace, Jeff

The Joy of Repentance

This past Sunday I preached on Psalm 32 as part of our series through the first book in the OT Book of Psalms. The main point of the sermon was that repentance is a joy. If you would like to listen to the sermon, click here.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Refreshing Contemporary Worship

This Sunday my friend Tim played on the guitar and sang "Better is One Day" during offertory. Believe it or not, it was the first time that we've had guitar accompanied worship since we've been here. Now, I have grown to appreciate hymns (and praise choruses) accompanied by either piano or organ but having grown up (spiritually speaking) in more contemporary churches, it was a breath of fresh air to here strumming along with a more recent worship song. And I am excited about Tim taking on a large role with the worship team and incorporating not only the guitar and some newer songs but also his gifting in the area of leading worship singing.

However, it also reminded me that the way I feel about contemporary worship songs and music is the same way that the older members of our congregation feel about hymns and the organ. I need to make sure that in my efforts to introduce the congregation to some newer music and sound that I don't neglect the spiritual benefit that many of the older songs and hymns provide. It is unfortunate that so much of the Evangelical world is divided over style of worship music. We have elevated a matter of preference to a hill that's worth dying on (or at least spitting over). Instead we need to realize that their are both older songs/music and newer ones that are worth incorporating into the church just as their are older and newer books that are worthwhile reading. Let's not demand that we have our way but be willing to adapt and grow as a result.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Trust in the Lord in Life & Death

This past Sunday's sermon was from Psalm 31 and the main point was that we can and should trust the Lord in both life and in death. If you would like to listen to it, click here.

By God's Grace, Jeff

A Rip Roarin Carnival

Thanks to everyone who prayed for the success of our church's Community Carnival on Halloween. Based on the turnout, God answered those prayers! We had over 150 people from the community join us at City Hall for carnival games, cake walks, bounce house, food, prizes and photo booth. kids not only had a great time but parents appreciated that our church put this together. I am so proud of the members of our church and particularly our Community Group who planned and hosted the event. We are in the process of sending out thank-yous along with the picture of kids that we took so pray that lasting spiritual fruit would come out of this rip roarin event.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Praise is the Appropriate Response to Answered Prayer (Psalm 30)

This past Sunday I continued in our series through the first book in the Psalms by preaching on Psalm 30. The main point of the sermon was that praising and thanking God is the appropriate response to answered prayer. If you would like to listen to it, click here.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Pursue Mercy and Get it; Don't and your Won't

A few weeks back I preached from Psalm 28 as part of our series through the first section in the Psalter. The main point of the sermon was that if you pursue mercy from God you'll get it but if you don't, you won't. If you would like to listen to it, click here.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Those who Seek God Remain Confident amid Fears

Sorry I'm late in getting this posted but here's the sermon from October 4th. The passage was Psalm 27 and the main point of the sermon was that those who seek God remain confident amid fears. If you would like to listen to the sermon, click here.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Coaching Carousel

While we were vacationing in LA, I got a call from the high school basketball coach asking me if I'd be interested in taking over as the assistant coach this year. And after praying, thinking and discussing it with my wife, I've decided to accept (even though I'll miss a couple games while we're at the Winter Games in Vancouver). You may recall that two years ago I was the second assistant (when we had a large enough team) and this past year I coached the junior high boys team (in addition to coaching elementary boys basketball the past two years). I'm looking forward to working with the high school guys again and especially as many of the junior highers from last year are now high schoolers. Practice starts after Thanksgiving and the first game is December 11th.

Our Church's Community Carnival is this coming Saturday (Halloween). I'm really excited about this event and am appreciative to all of the people in our church that have been diligent planning and praying for it. I have heard nothing but excitement from people in the community so I think it has the potential to have a big turnout. I guess my only concern is that parent's may keep their kids home due to it being flu season and especially with the H1N1 strain this year. To my knowledge no one in our area has been diagnosed with H1N1 but I know a number of the kids in town have been hit with the flu over the last couple weeks. So please pray that we could have good attendance, that all of the details would work out and that we'd show love to our town.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Vacation Recap

Sorry that I haven't posted anything in a couple weeks. My wife and I were on vacation for a week and then I had to hit the ground running once we returned. But now that it's Monday (my day off) I have time to catch you up on our lives. Two weeks ago today we dropped our puppy off at a kennel in Bismarck and drove out to Fargo to catch a flight to LA the following day. In Fargo we were able to catch the Toy Story 3D Double Feature. I still maintain that Toy Story is the best animated movie ever (and it was even better in 3D).

We had a great time visiting family and friends in LA even though it was rainy our first couple days in town. I've been telling people that if I wanted to not golf, I could have stayed in North Dakota! But the weather cleared up and I was able to get plenty of golf in, which was a good thing since I probably won't be able to golf in ND for the next six months! By the end of the week I was playing some of my best golf ever, due in large part to some tips that I picked up from my Dad via his golf instructor. I even played night golf with a few friends while my wife was at her 10 year high school reunion.

And really that was the main reason that we traveled to LA this particular week. My wife and her best friend from high school attended their 10 year reunion. I would have gone along but the tickets were way too expensive. She had a fun time reconnecting with classmates that she had not seen in years. I expected her to win the "traveled farthest" award but apparently another classmate now lives in Canada (which really isn't much farther that North Dakota!)

In addition to golf and the reunion, we got to hang out with both of our families, spend time with my parent's two new dogs (a Portuguese water-dog and Cocker/Climber Spaniel) and reconnected with old friends. It was a very good trip but pretty busy. We flew back to Fargo Tuesday morning and picked up Lewis on our way through Bismarck. He was very happy to see us and doesn't seem too worse for where after being in the kennel for a eight days.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Mindset List

A friend posted a link to Beloit College's "Mindset List" for the class of 2013. These are "the cultural touchstones that shape the lives of students entering college." I found this list to be quite interesting, shocking (I'm getting old) and entertaining. Here are my top ten favorites:

3. The Green Giant has always been Shrek, not the big guy picking vegetables.

4. They have never used a card catalog to find a book.

7. Earvin "Magic" Johnson has always been HIV-positive.

11. Chocolate chip cookie dough ice-cream has always been a flavor of choice.

29. Bobby Cox has always managed the Atlanta Braves.

51. Britney Spears has always been heard on classic rock stations.

52. They have never been Saved by the Bell.

53. Someone has always been asking: "What Iraq worth a war?"

55. Natalie Cole has always been singing with her father.

68. Official racial classifications in South Africa have always been outlawed.

73. Nobody has ever responded to "Help, I've fallen and I can't get up."

Thought provoking huh?

By God's Grace, Jeff

No Worse for Where

This weekend my wife and I had to go to Fargo and so we left our puppy in the kennel for the first time. We dropped him off Thursday afternoon and picked him up Saturday morning. He seems no worse for where. I asked how he did and besides barking (as all dogs in kennels do) he did just fine. He hasn't had too much socialization with other dogs and so we hoped that having a chance for group play would grow him in this area. The lady at the kennel said that he played well with her dogs. She also said that he ate just fine...which was never one of our concerns with him (he gobbles up his food in no time flat and seems to always be ready to eat).

The kennel we took him to is in Bismarck and so after we picked him up we took him to Bismarck's dog park. There were about a half dozen other dogs there Saturday morning. As soon as Lewis entered the gate he began running around at full-speed and encouraging the others dogs to join him. We have concluded that he sees himself as an alpha male and leader of the pack. One of the dogs was a beagle who chased after Lewis the most. Even though he couldn't keep up with our goldendoodle, the beagle would take shortcuts to cut Lewis off. And as he was chasing Lewis, the beagle howled nonstop. It was like he was on the hunt for a fox. Lewis did well at the dog park expect for running over a Pomeranian and jumping up on a few people.

At our Community Group this past Wednesday, we began listening to a podcast from the Christian Counseling & Education Foundation on prayer requests. One of the analogies that the speaker used was that of a cameraman. Too often our prayer requests are for good things (health, finances, ministry, etc.) but we fail to turn the camera around and consider us in the midst of this issue. We don't want to just pray for situations but for "us" in the situation too. Please pray that as a Community Group we would grow in our sharing of prayer requests. Also continue to pray for our planning of the Community Carnival on October 31st and its success.

By God's Grace, Jeff

A Life of Integrity is Evidence of Redemption

Sunday I preached on Psalm 26 as part of our series through the first section in the OT book of Psalms called "The Spiritual Life". The main point that I saw in Psalm 26 as it applies to us is that a life of integrity is evidence of redemption. If you would like to listen to it, click here.

By God's Grace, Jeff

A Day with Walt Kaiser

Yesterday I took part in the one-day conference hosted by the Northern Plains District of the EFCA in which Dr. Walt Kaiser spoke on various issues regarding Christians are ethics. Included in his talks were gambling and greed, cohabitation and adultery. Although he taught at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School for many years, he had moved on a decade before I arrived. So it was a great opportunity to sit under his teaching, if only for one day. The conference was held in Dickinson at a 4Cs Congregational Church that partnered with the NPD in hosting Dr. Kaiser. In addition to the wealth of information on pressing ethical issues of our day, I also greatly appreciated his passion for expository preaching (where the sermon gets its form and content from a single passage in Scripture). All-in-all it was well-worth the 2:30 hour drive each way!

My wife and I had some great fellowship opportunities this past weekend. Saturday night we drove out to one of the families in the church that lives in the country and played Settler of Catan with them. We picked up Settlers at our previous church and have since been able to pass it on to at least one family here in Underwood. In fact, they not only have the original game but also the Seafarers expansion. Neither my wife or I had ever played this version but were able to pick it up pretty quickly. Then on Sunday evening we were invited over to the house of a new family to our church who are our age and have three young kids. We had fun discussing theology with them, playing with their kids and enjoying a wonderful taco bar. They joked that both times they've had us over it's been for Mexican food. We explained that being from Southern California, we believe that you can never have too much Mexican food!

On Sunday I announced to the congregation the plans for hosting a Community Carnival on October 31st. In our discussions the past couple weeks at our weekly Community Group, I have been so encouraged at how our people have responded very positively and have been coming up with great ideas for the event. This will be a large undertaking for such a small congregation but I believe that if we're faithful, God can use this event to have an impact on our community. Please continue to pray for our planning of this event and that it would be a success.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Whoever Hopes in the Lord is Blessed

On Sunday I preached on Psalm 25 as part of our sermon series through the first book within the OT Book of Psalms called "The Spiritual Life". The main point of the sermon was "whoever hopes in the Lord is blessed." If you would like to listen to the sermon, click here.

By God's Grace, Jeff

First Trip to the Groomers

On Monday I took Lewis to the groomers for the first time. Suffice it to say that one of us came away wet and hairy and the other now has a clean, short coat! He's five months old and so you can imagine how much hair came off! Since it was his first time, I stuck around to help hold him in place while the groomer trimmed his hair, washed him, dried him and clipped his nails. As you can see from the picture, he came out looking much more silvery than before. I told my wife that he reminded me of suede (If I rub him one way he's black but the other and he's silver).

On Saturday my wife and I drove down to Bismarck for their annual Downtowners Street Fair. A bunch of local and out-of-town craft vendors and tons of food sellers descend into downtown Bismarck where they block off a few streets for this event. The weather was great and we were actually able to find a parking spot one block away (the only time it's ever hard to find a spot)! We didn't buy much but did enjoy strolling around, "window-shopping" and enjoying the day.

On Tuesday I went golfing in Washburn (our city town 15 minutes south) with Pastor Dean. Washburn has a very nice and well-kept course, even though it's only nine-holes. I had a coupon for half-priced and so was able to golf nine holes with a cart for $14 (beat that you city folk!). It was a bit chilly and more windy than I'd anticipated but if I used those as excuses for how I played I'd be lying. I haven't been hitting the ball well the past couple times out. Hopefully my game will improve in a few weeks when we visit our family and friends in LA and my Dad and I hit the links (probably at least a couple times).

We had our third community group meeting last night and we finally finished going through the opening chapter from Pastor C.J. Mahaney book "Why Small Groups?" talking about the biblical principles and goals that should govern why and how we pursue small group ministry. Also, we discussed for a second week putting on a Community Carnival on October 31st. Nothing like this exists anywheree around and I believe this could be a great opportuinity to serve and love our community (and especially in giving families something fun and kid-friendly to do). Please pray for us as we contiunue to plan for this event.

By God's Grace, Jeff

One Pooped Pup

This past Saturday we had another family from the community over for a BBQ. They have three kids (13, 8 and 5) and our goldendoodle puppy Lewis (now five months and 43 pounds!) counldn't contain his excitement. He was a bit jumpy for the first half-hour or so but then calmed down and played nice for the most part. Although when I went to check on the BBQ, he inadvertently pulled my wife right out of her lawn chair! We had a great time hanging out with them and by the time they left nearly three hours later, Lewis was dead tired. He fell asleep as soon as they left and essentially didn't wake up until 6:45 Sunday morning (an hour later than usual). Even then I think it took him a few days to fully regain his energy (which he has now!).

Our church had our first "Community Group" this past Wednesday. In a sense this small group ministry is nothing different than what we've been doing during Wednesday night prayer and Bible study except with a greater emphasis on why we're meeting together and what we want to accomplish. We didn't finish talking about the purposes and goals but that was because we had such great discussion. Even people who normally don't say too much participated. I am excited as we continue pursuing life together by building community with us and God (spiritual maturity), with each other (fellowship) and with those around us (service and evangelism). Please pray for us to be open and honest with one another thus fostering authentic community.

I am extremely excited about a potential upcoming outreach event. Ever since we moved to Underwood I have noticed that there is nothing for families on Halloween besides the traditional trick-or-treating. In the Chicago-area numerous churches hosted outreach events around the end of October that were very successful. I've thought at different times about how our church could serve and love our community around this time of year. We've had a guy in-town visiting in-laws who's worshiped with us the last couple weeks. In addition to being very encouraging, he mentioned a carnival that his daughter's church in Bismarck hosts each Halloween as an outreach event. Ever since that conversation the wheels in my mind have been spinning. I presented the idea of us hosting a community carnival on Halloween at our Elder meeting on Sunday and am going to pitch it at our Community Group tonight. Please pray for wisdom.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Worship of our Creator King is a Privilege

This past Sunday I preached on Psalm 24 as part of our current sermon series through the first book within the Book of Psalms. The main point that I saw in Psalm 24 as it applies to us today is that "worship of our Creator King is a privilege." If you would like to listen to it, click here.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Those who Trust in the Lord, need not Fear

The sermon I preached this Sunday was based on Psalm 23 with the main point being that those who trust in the Lord do not need to fear. They don't need to fear want because God provides. They don't need to fear danger or even death because God protects. And they don't even need to fear the future because God blesses. If you would like to hear the whole thing, click here.

By God's Grace, Jeff

A Visitor's Encouragement

At our corporate worship service this Sunday we had a visitor from out-of-state, who was in town helping a relative, join us. After the service he and I got the chance to talk for a few minutes and I came away from our time together very encouraged. Not only was he appreciative of the Christ-centeredness of my sermon but was excited about the work that our church could do in the community. In fact, he mentioned something (prophetically?) that I had been pondering ever since we arrived in Underwood two years ago; our church hosting a alternative Halloween carnival. There is nothing like that in the area and it could provide a tremendous service and outreach to our community. Please be praying about whether this is God's will for us or not as I plan on bringing it up at our Elder meeting this Sunday.

This past Wednesday we concluded our four week book club study of Pastor John Piper's book, Don't Waste Your Life. I have read this book at least three times now and have been personally challenged each and everytime. Even though our attendance at the book discussions was low, given the number of people from the congregation who purchased the book, I believe those who did attend walked away with a renewed desire to glorify God is all they do (as I did). Please pray for ongoing spiritual fruit in my life and the lives of those who participated in this book club.

Labor Day was the official last day for the Crab Apple ice-cream shop in Pick City and Burger Stop in Riverdale. Although my wife and I didn't get to eat at Burger Stop this summer, we did make it up to the Crab Apple at least a few times (with the puppy!). And so Sunday afternoon we took a drive up to Pick City (20 miles) to get an ice-cream cone (or in my case a shake) before the Crab Apple closed until next summer. It's fun to have some summer related shops around but it would also be nice to have a few more year-round businesses in the area.

I am very excited for the kick-off of our church's "Community Group" this evening. We have had a Bible Study and prayer time on Wednesday evenings for many years but this summer we took a break and this gave us the opportunity to revamp what we do and why during this time. We want this time to be intentional about building community between us and God (spiritual maturity), between each other (fellowship) and with our community at-large (service and evangelism). Please pray that I would communicate the purposes and goal of this new "Community Group" clearly as we spend the first few weeks discussing what we're doing and why. Also pray that it would be successful and that God would use it for His good purposes.

By God's Grace, Jeff

God Never Abandons those who Trust in Him

Psalm 22 was the passage I preached on this past Sunday in our series through the first book in the Book of Psalms entitled The Spiritual Life. The main point that I saw in Psalm 22 as it relates to us today is "God never abandons those who trust in Him." If you would like to listen to the sermon, click here.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Something Bit Me

To quote the movie Forest Gump, "Something bit me!" On Monday evening we were preparing for our usual routine of doing some dog training in the backyard before him taking us on a walk around town when all of a sudden I felt a sharp pain on the side of my leg. I don't know if it was a bee or wasp or something else. Now I am jumpy every time I go outside without long pants on. I haven't been stung by a bee since freshman year at college while walking in Birkenstocks to a football game. By the way, does anyone still wear Birkenstocks? They seemed to be all the rage when I was in college but come to think of it, I can't recall seeing anyone wearing them recently.

Yesterday afternoon I had to opportunity to hang out with a couple of junior highers. They asked some amazing questions about the afterlife, what heaven will be like and about other religions. I am quite certain that I was not thinking those kind of thought when I was thirteen. I'm pretty sure the kind of deep, thoughtful questions I was pondering were realted to how to get girls to like me. I had a fun time hanging out with them, getting to share the gospel and hopefully shed light on some of their questions. I made it a point to let them know that I don't have all the answers but I know the One who does and can at least point them to Him.

Last Tuesday was a teacher inservice on the day before school started. The Ministerial organization in town hosted a luncheon for the teachers and staff to show our appreciation for all of the hard and important work that they do because we know they rarely receive the recognition that they deserve for molding young minds. It was fun to hang out with the other pastors in town while serving hamburgers and hot dogs and encouraging our local educators.

Next Wednesday will be the kick-off of our "Community Group." We took a break from our weekly bible study and prayer time this summer and it gave us an opportunity to rethink through why we meet together mid-week and what we want to accomplish during that time. I hope that renaming our time together will enable us to communicate more clearly what it is all about to our congregation. We want to be intentional about building community between us and God (sanctification), between believers (fellowship) and in the community as a whole (service). Please pray for us as we kick-off our Community Group in the next couple weeks.

Please pray for me to continue growing as a leader, especially of a predominatly older congregation. All of my previous leadership experience had been with those my own age or younger. I want to especially grow in being quick to listen and slow to speak (James 1:19). Pray also for my wife and I to grow in our love for our community and our commitment to prayer.

By God's Grace, Jeff

My Week to Watch the Dog

This past week my wife had a number of evening appointments and so I was on "dog duty." I sure do learn a lot about myself from spending time alone with our puppy. On the one hand, they are things that I wish were not true about myself (e.g. impatient, controlling, etc.). On the other hand, they are things that I'm glad to have revealed so that I can seek by God's grace to deal with them in my life. People, situations and even pets do NOT cause us to sin. Rather, they reveal sin that's already in our hearts. When I get angry at Lewis for not listening or being too jumpy, I need to realize that my sinful attitude is not his fault, it's my own failure. Although this can become depressing as it seems to happen over and over again, I am glad that God has opened my eyes to see these areas of my life and given me the desire (and ability) to change.

In addition, having a puppy who often acts like a puppy has made me more aware of my own life in the eyes of God and His gracious, long-suffering character toward me. How often have I not done what God has told me to do and how often have I done what He told me not to do? The frustration I feel when Lewis misbehaves is nothing in comparison to what God could rightly feel about my own life. Unlike a creature who does not have the ability to know right from wrong, I do and nonetheless continue to find willful disobedience against God in my life. Furthermore, I am not Lewis' creator but God is my Creator. Whatever allegiances my puppy owes me as his owner are nothing compared to what I owe the God who made and sustains me. I have been blown away in realizing just how patient God is with sinners like me. I am more and more grateful, since having Lewis, that although I am a great sinner, Jesus is a great Savior.

Yesterday I drove down to Bismarck and got to hang out with one of the missionaries that our church supports who oversees the Campus Crusade ministry for western and central ND. He's a neat guy and I enjoyed spending time with him at Boneshakers coffee shop and getting to hear not only about his own story but also more about his work with college students in our area. Then I had lunch with the superintendent of our district. The Evangelical Free Church is split into districts and although the churches are self-governing, we are interdependent on one another and so each district has a superintendent who is a resource for those churches. We had a great lunch and I appreciate the wisdom that God has given him in helping me work through some issues. That is why I wanted to pastor in the Free Church in the first place.

Please pray for our congregation as we raised food supplies for the McLean County Resource Center this next month, for starting our "Community Group" back up after a summer lay-off in September and for beginning an evangelistic Bible study later this Fall. Pray for my wife and I to grow in seeking the Lord throughout our days, being intentional about seeking Him together and for us to both grow in wisdom and humility with respect to the work He's called us to do.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Faithful are Blessed while Unfaithful are Judged

This past Sunday I preached on Psalm 21 as part of our series through the first section in the Book of Psalms entitled "The Spiritual Life." The main point that I saw in Psalm 21 as it applies to us today is "Faithful are Blessed while Unfaithful are Judged." If you would like to listen to the sermon, click here.

By God's Grace, Jeff

I am Thankful for Dog-Sitters

On Sunday evening, two of the youth from our church came over to dog-sit Lewis so that my wife and I could drive down to Bismarck for the Casting Crowns concert. I felt bad...not for leaving the dog but for Mark and Emily! He can be a handful in the evenings especially but I think they managed okay. He certainly seemed no worse-for-where and they were at least able to get out of the house, enjoy some pizza and root-beer floats and watch some movies. We went out to eat at Olive Garden (I know, big time right?) and made it to to Civic Center a few minutes after the concert began. It was a great show even if we knew only about half of their songs.

Earlier that day our church hosted an "End of the Summer Worship-in-the-Park." Unfortunately, the weather was not nearly as good as our two previous outdoor services. It was a bit breezy but at least the sun was out and by the time the BBQ started it had warmed up. We had six friends and family members join us for this event and had great food, fellowship and fun. This summer has been packed with ministry events, so fortunately this was the last major one of the season. I'm ready for school to start so we can get back to a somewhat normal schedule.

On Wednesday night we had our first church book club meeting to discuss John Piper's book, "Don't Waste Your Life." We had a good discussion and I am glad that so many members of the church signed up to read this book. I hope that God will use Pastor John Piper's writings in the hearts and lives of members of our church in the same way that He's used him in my own life.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Taking to Heart God's Glorious World & Word

Sunday I preached on Psalm 19 as part of our current series through the first book in Psalms. The main point of Psalm 19 as I saw it applying to us is, "Taking to heart God's glorious world and word." If you would like to listen to it, click here.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Pocket Gophers

Apparently we have a pocket gopher in our yard. These gophers do not leave visible holes but mounds of dirt covering the hole. The mounds started in our garden (which we don't use) and I thought the mounds were where I had dug up weeds. But then the mounds began appearing in our lawn. So at coffee this morning, I asked the guys how to get rid of pocket gophers. They suggested digging through the freshest mound to find the hole and then flushing it with water. So I'm going to attempt this method later this afternoon and I let you know if it's successful.

This past Saturday was Underwood's annual Harvest Fest. It included a parade, horseshoe competition, chalk drawing, Corn Pageant and strong man contest, adult and kiddie tractor races, music, dancing and plenty of food. Unfortunately, this year it happened to fall on an overcast, rainy, cool day. Our church hosted a booth giving away free bottles of water and freeze-pops but given the weather conditions, we closed up shop early. I co-MC'd the parade with another pastor from town and hosted the Corn Pageant and Strong Man contests (that involved corn-costumes, corny jokes, hog calls, corn shucking and corn-on-the-cob eating). Even though the weather could have been better, I think all who came out had a lot of fun.

This coming Sunday our church is holding an end of the summer "Worship-in-the-Park" and community BBQ. Please pray for good weather and that people from the community would come out for this event. This Wednesday we starting a book club discussion of Pastor John Piper's book "Don't Waste Your Life." About ten people from the church signed up for the book club, so pray that they would attend the discussion and grow as a result of it.

By God's Grace, Jeff

In God our Rock, Salvation is Sure & Praise is Due

This past Sunday I preached on Psalm 18 as part of our series through the first Book in the Psalms entitled "The Spiritual Life." The main point that I saw in Psalm 18 as it relates to us today is, "In God our Rock, Salvation is sure and praise is due." If you'd like to listen to the sermon, click here.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Small Town Service with a Smile

We needed to get an oil change last week but instead of taking it to the service station as we'd done before, we decided to get to know the mechanic in town so that if and when we have car problems, he'll be familiar with our vehicle. So I called to make an appointment and when I told him that I could drop it off and my wife could pick it up after she was done at the library, he said, "Oh, just leave it at the library with the keys and I'll pick it up and drop it off." Let me remind you that we have never met the mechanic. And the thought of leaving my car unattended with the keys in it was a bit scary. But everything went smoothly. This is just another example of something that is common in small town life that you would never dream of doing in urban areas.

On Saturday we left our puppy at home by himself for the longest period of time to date while we drove down to Bismarck for Starbucks, some shopping at Target and to attend the 2009 Capital A'Fair. Over 100 arts and crafts vendors descended on the Bismarck capital grounds for this two day summer event. It was a beautiful day and we had fun walking around the fair, eating roasted nuts and looking for unique gifts for friends and family members. And, in case you're wondering, Lewis was a bite hungry but just fine when we returned at 1:00pm.

We've had a very mild summer so far. It hardly reached 90 at all in July and we've yet to have anything near triple-digits. Today was a beautiful day, mid-70s with little wind, so nice in fact that I decided to get in some golf. I don't have a membership to our local course this year because, as much as I enjoy golfing, I just don't get out enough for it to be economical. And as a result, I've been out even less this summer because now I have to pay each time I play. Anyway, I had a very nice nine-holes of golf this afternoon; two pars, shot under 50 and even saw a garden snake.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Faithful Followers find Hope in a Faithful God

On Sunday I preached a sermon on Psalm 17 entitled "Faithful Followers find Hope in a Faithful God" as part of our series through the first book in the Psalms called "The Spiritual Life." If you would like to listen to the sermon, click here.

By God's Grace, Jeff

A "Likely" Good Read

I was excited to get my hands on the book "An Unlikely Disciple." It's a memoir about one non-Christian's experiences during a semester at Christian college Liberty University. A nominal Quaker journalism student from Brown University decided instead of spending a semester abroad that he'd spend a semester immersing himself in Evangelical Christian culture. As an evangelical Christian and pastor I thoroughly enjoyed his reflections on campus life, church services and Christian college students. The one aspect that I didn't like was that the author had to assume a fake persona in order to truly get an insider's perspective (i.e. he told everyone he was an evangelical Christian and acted like one while there). Nonetheless I highly recommend this book for your reading pleasure and spiritual stimulation. I won't give the end away but he certainly walked away from his semester at Liberty with a new understanding.

So with only one season left to watch (unless more come out on DVD), I'm leading my wife 2-1 on predicting winners of "The Amazing Race." We've watched three seasons (1, 7 and 13) and we've just started season 14. I was holding a commanding 2-0 lead until her team pulled out an unexpected victory over my number one team (Rob & Amber from Survivor) in season 7. The way this works is that after viewing the short bio of each team at the beginning of episode one, we each pick three teams that we think have the best chance of winning that season's race. I feel like my wife has the best team in season 14 (she picked first), while two of my three teams are strong competitors. We'll see if she can even the series or if I'm able to stretch my lead.

This past Wednesday a few of us from the church met to walk around our community while lifting up families, businesses and churches in prayer. We had great weather and it was fun to get out and spend some time walking through Underwood, pausing each block to pray for spiritual revival and the needs of our neighbors. I had hoped that the turnout would have been better and so this week I've invited people who don't think they can walk that much to drive around parts of the community and pray. So please pray that more people join us this week and that we're able to blanket our entire town with prayer.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Acceptance by a Holy God Requires Holiness

On Sunday I preached on Psalm 15 as part of our series through the first book in the Psalms entitled "The Spiritual Life." In Psalm 15 the main point as it applies to us today is "Acceptance by a holy God requires holiness." If you would like to listen to the sermon click here.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Bully Sticks Rock

So I think I mentioned last week that from about 7-9pm each night our cute, cuddly puppy Lewis transforms into "Lewis-a-fur," a wound up, jumping and biting terror. The only remedy that we have discovered to calm him down is the "bully stick." Bully sticks are a hard, smelly, "Slim Jim" looking treat that (as I understand) are made from bull's testicles. And dogs go crazy for them. In addition we've started taking him for walks around the neighborhood that seem to help as well. If anyone has additional advice about how to deal with a rambunctious pooch let me know.

On Saturday my wife and I drove over to Turtle Lake (15 miles east) for their annual "Turtle Days" celebration that includes turtle races. For a town of only around 400 residents I think they had about 250 turtles registered to race. They "ran" them in heats of about 8 from a round starting gate that was raised and the first two turtles that cross a chalk drawn white circle about 15' from the start advanced to the next round. There were large turtle and small ones, fast turtles and ones that decided to remain in their shells long after the starting gate had been raised. We only stayed for a half dozen heats or so but it was fun to enjoy another aspect of small town life.

Sunday night we had a deacon and elder meeting and spent a good deal of time talking about our church's financial situation. Please pray for wisdom for myself, the elders and deacons as we seek to addresses some issues regarding our expenses and income. Also, please pray specifically for me to grow in my leadership of this congregation. After the meeting I felt like there were numerous things that I should have done and said differently. Pray that I would truly entrust God with both the church's and our family's finances. I struggle with thinking I can control these myself instead of giving them wholly over to God's sovereign, loving care.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) our congregation will be participating in the first of two "Prayer Walks." We'll be dividing up into groups and walking around Underwood, stopping at each block to pray for the community, businesses and revival. Please pray for good weather, good turnout and that God would hear our prayers and answer them according to His perfect will.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Fools Hope in Themselves; the Wise Hope in God

In our current sermon series "The Spiritual Life," through the first book in Psalms, this past Sunday I preached Psalm 14 and the main point as I saw it applying to us today is "Fools hope in themselves; the wise hope in God." If you would like to listen to it, click here.

By God's Grace, Jeff

How Far is the East from the West?

Jesus can you show me just how the far the east is from the west
'Cause I can't bear to see the man I've been rising up in me again
In the arms of your mercy I find rest
'Cause you know just how far the east is from the west
One scarred hand to the other

- Casting Crowns "East to West"

Of Boxes and Ice-Cubes

So I don't know why we bought toys for our goldendoodle puppy when his favorites seem to be towels, cardboard boxes and ice-cubes. He's gone through at least two "Amazon.com" boxes already and is currently working on two more (one upstairs and one downstairs). Fortunately being a pastor and bibliophile we have plenty of boxes to keep him occupied for awhile. And he enjoys knocking an ice-cube across our linoleum floors until it melts enough to eat.

The sleep situation has been trying but last night he slept through the night, so let's hope this is a trend. For a couple hours each day he also turns into "Lewis-a-fer" and is wound-up and out-of-control. Hopefully this is just a puppy thing and he'll grow out of it.

Having a puppy in our home for just over a week now has already greatly change our daily routine. Instead of being able to enjoy time together whenever we want, we're at the mercy of the dog's schedule. I went ahead and reduced our monthly Netflix from 3 at a time to 2 because we've realized that it's now taking us twice as long to make it through a movie. Ah the joys of owning a dog!

I wish I had more to blog about but Lewis is pretty much taking up most of our time.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Confessing Sin & God's Presence

...why is it so much eaiser to confess sins to God than to your pastor? Why is there more shame when another sinful human being observes my weakness than when I pronounce them before an all-holy God? Could it be because God's presence is so weak in our lives? If we truly understood and cherished the beauty and holiness of God, we would shake a little bit more when approaching him." (From "Sacred Marriage" by Gary Thomas)

Get "Crazy Love" FREE

Recently I have been reading the book "Crazy Love" by southern California pastor Francis Chan and it has really challenged my life and faith. Then this morning I found out Christianaudio.com is offering the audio recording of this book for FREE this month. If you're interested (and I highly recommend it!) click here for the details. For more on this book check out the clip below.

By God's Grace, Jeff

God's Faithfulness Answers Our Questions

A couple weeks ago I preached on Psalm 13 in our current sermon series through the first book in the Psalms entitled "The Spiritual Life." The main point I saw in Psalm 13 as it relates to us today is that "God's past faithfulness answers our present questions." If you'd like to listen to the sermon, you can do so by clicking here.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Black Hills/Minot Vacation

My wife and I returned recently from a week of vacation with her folks to the Black Hill area of South Dakota. We toured historic Deadwood, visited the Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse monuments, and drove through the beautiful Black Hills countryside, including the Needles Highway. In addition we tasted wine at the Prairie Berry Winery in Hill City and went on a behind-the-scenes tour to see how Black Hills gold is made. Except possibly for the long hours in the car we had a great trip.

Then this past Saturday, my wife and I drove up to Minot, stayed at a wonderful B&B, went out to dinner and a movie, attended the worship service at Trinity Evangelical Free Church, walked around the zoo and picked up our new puppy before returning home (see previous post). It was a very nice getaway for the two of us.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Introducing Lewis

On Sunday afternoon, my wife and I picked up our new puppy "Lewis." He's a male goldendoodle who has black wavy hair that may eventually turn silver. He's named after Meriwether Lewis (of Lewis and Clark fame, who wintered in our area of ND in 1704 and 1706) and Christian author C.S. Lewis (of "Mere Christiniaty" and "The Screwtape Letters" fame). We'll keep you updated.

Busy Weekend of Ministry

Thursday through Saturday was the McLean County Fair. Our church hosted a booth in which we offered a free carnival ball toss game for kids. Members of the church put together a wonderful game board that received numerous compliments and made for an attractive booth display. I worked the booth on Thursday afternoon and Friday evening. Attendance at the fair seemed quite good this year as we had great weather and a legitimate carnival in town. At our booth kids tossed balls into three different holes in the game board. If in five tries they made one in each hole they could choose a prize, otherwise they received either a super bouncy ball or blowing bubbles.

One funny story: A 3-4 years-old girl who was showing some animals with her siblings kept coming up to the booth and asking "Watcha Doing?" When it was slow we let her play the game even though she'd already won a prize. Finally, her sister came by and said (I kid you not), "Sally, come on, time to go water pigs." Maybe it's because I'm a city boy but I find the phrase "water pigs" hilarious (by the way, it means give the pigs water to drink).

Then on Sunday our church hosted a "Worship-in-the-Park" and community BBQ event. Instead of our normal service we held our service outdoors at one of the parks in town and invited people to join us for the worship service and BBQ afterward. We had three families from the community join us and we had a beautiful day for this event. Please pray that we might be able to get these families plugged into the church. And we had tons of good food!

And yesterday I was planning on spending a relaxing day at home but instead got roped into helping one of the ranchers in our church put in new fence. He had me start by tromping through a field swinging a measuring tool the size of half a rod (8' 3") marking off distances. Then I drove the ATV while Dan dug holes with a post hole digger on the back of a tractor. We through some old railroad ties on the back of his pick-up and stuck them in the holes for posts. The hard part was tamping down the ground in the holes using an old drive shaft. Fortunately after the first two, a storm system came through and so that ended our work for the day.

My wife's parents are coming into town this weekend and after the service on Sunday we'll be heading down to the Black Hills in South Dakota for vacation. Then a week from Sunday (God willing) my wife and I will be able to pick up our goldendoodle puppy north of Minot!

By God's Grace, Jeff

Confidence in the Midst of Crisis

This Sunday I preached on Psalm 11 in our series "The Spiritual Life." The main point of Psalm 11 as I saw it relating to us today is providing us "Confidence in the midst of Crisis" through the refuge of faith in Christ. If you would like to listen to the sermon, click here.

By God's Grace, Jeff

June Snow Showers bring July...

This past weekend was cold. We went to Bismarck on Saturday and it rained the whole time we were there. We were planning on attending a classic car show but it was canceled due to the rain. The high temperature for the day in Bismarck was 47 degrees. On June 6th the "high" was below 50! In fact, closer to the Montana border some places in ND has up to three inches of snow! Sunday wasn't a whole lot warmer and we're just starting to more in the right direction. In case you're thinking that this is normal for North Dakota, our average this time of year is 75. And as my wife asked, "If May showers bring June flowers, what will June snow bring?"

Well, we are getting things ready for the arrival of our puppy later this month. For those of you who haven't heard, we're getting a goldendoodle puppy. This breed is a mix between a golden retriever and a poodle. I have some allegories to dog dander and poodle coats are less shedding and therefore produce less dander. So while we were in Bismarck on Saturday we picked up (hopefully) all of the basics we need in order to welcome our new pet into our home.

On Saturday and Sunday (since I couldn't do much outside) I enjoyed watching Tiger Woods storm back from 4 back at the Memorial golf tournament to win by one stroke; birding the last two holes and being helped by a unexpected eagle chip-in on the backside. The most exciting aspect of his tournament was hitting every fairway on Sunday and only missing a handful total. I agree with Jack Nicholas; if Tiger drives like that, everyone else is playing for second.

My wife and I have been watching old seasons of "The Amazing Race" this summer. We've enjoyed picking teams at the beginning of the season and rooting them on to victory. But I've also been "amazed" at how the stress of competition brings out people's sins. Couples yelling at each other and friends bickering are not a result of the race but a revealing of what's already in their hearts. The race is merely the arena that the sins in their hearts show themselves.

Please pray for our booth at the County Fair this weekend and our Worship-in-the-Park and community BBQ this Sunday.

By God's Grace, Jeff

First Round of the Season

My wife had a library conference in Minot on Friday so another pastor from town and I got in 18 holes. It was my first round of the season (although I did golf some in April while in LA). I shot very well for barely having picked up a golf club in nearly nine months. I shot 54 through the first nine and 47 from 10-18 (with back-to-back pars) for a grand total of 101. My goal is to shoot consistently under 100 so I'd say I'm not too far away from that. I even had to take one shot left-handed as my ball was in the well of a tree. Fortunately I began golfing left-handed since my Dad's a lefty and Pastor Dean carries a left-handed club in his bag for times like these. We had fun (except for the mosquitoes) and it was a good break from sermon prep.

Well keeping with the sports theme, on Sunday I made it back out to the school gym for pick-up basketball. There were at least 16 guys this week as we were able to run two games of 4 on 4. There were also quite a few tall, fast and athletic players there (things I am not). My strengths lie in being a smart defender, opportunistic scorer, decent 3-point shooter and above average rebounder. Even though I'm certainly not one of the better players out there, I'm able to contribute and I enjoy a good challenge. Of course, after being off for two weeks whatever legs I had gained from playing earlier this spring were all but gone. I was already pooped after the first game from having to chase a high school age guard up and down the floor.

I am getting excited about our church's summer events. Next weekend we'll have a booth at the McLean County Fair and we'll host a free carnival game for kids. Our goal is to build good will in the community, show that we're here to serve them for Jesus and engage community members in spiritual conversations. Then next Sunday we're hosting a summer kick-off worship-in-the-park and community BBQ. I'm amazed at how many people from the congregation have already signed-up to contribute toward this event and took fliers to pass out to friends, neighbors and co-workers. In July we're planning some prayers walks around the community and in August will have a booth at Harvest Fest and possibly an end of the summer worship-in-the-park. It will be a busy summer and God-willing productive.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Perceptions of the Wicked vs. Realities of God

In our ongoing series through the first 41 psalms entitled "The Spiritual Life," this past Sunday I preached through Psalm 10. The main point as I saw it relating to us today is in contrasting the faulty perceptions of the wicked versus the true realities of God. Even when God seems distant we must remind ourselves of the truth about God instead of falling for the lies of sin. If you would like to listen to the sermon, click here.

By God's Grace, Jeff

First Ice-Cream Cone of the Season

Yesterday was a rainy and overall dreary Memorial Day in our area so instead of celebrating with the traditional BBQ, my wife and I drove up to Pick City and got ice-cream cones at The Crab Apple. Pick City is a very small community that picks up during the summer as it's near the lake and camping grounds. As a result, some of its business (including the aforementioned Crab Apple) are only open during the summer months. They have very good ice-cream and it makes for a pleasant outing on an otherwise "indoor" kind of day.

Sunday was Underwood High's graduation. This year there were twenty seniors that received their diplomas. It's neat to experience the difference between a large high school graduation (and college for that matter) and a small town commencement. It included a PowerPoint slide show featuring pictures of each of the graduate's family, friends and memories, as well as shots of the whole class. Unlike larger graduations, we were encouraged to applaud as each student was handed the diploma (their diplomas were actually in the covers; they didn't have to go somewhere after the ceremony to get the real thing). At the end of the festivities the graduates formed a greeting line so that friends and family members could extend congratulations personally. The students also had graduations parties later in the day of which my wife and I were invited to one of the guys that I got to know through basketball coaching.

For those of you who are familiar with the board game "Settlers of Catan" (and if you're not I highly recommend going out to Barnes and Noble and buying it), my wife and I have recently been playing around with a few rule changes. We first played a game by placing our opening two settlements and roads for each other. The only rule was that each settlement had to be bordering at least two numbered tiles. That didn't go so well (I got whomped). Yesterday we played a two-person game but used the expanded board (for 5-6 players). I did quite a bit better that time around.

Our Congregations is going to be quite busy this summer. We're planning on hosting a couple "Worship-in-the-Park & Community BBQ" events (including a summer kick-off one June 14th), we'll be hosting a booth at the County Fair again this year but this time instead of giving away bottles of water we're going to have a carnival-style game for kids and give away prizes, in July we'll be organizing some prayer walks around the community and in August (in addition to an end of the summer "Worship-in-the-Park") we'll be hosting a booth at Harvest Fest again. The Elder Board recently came up with a slogan for the banner that we'll display at these events: "Serving Our Community for Jesus" What do you think about that?

By God's Grace, Jeff

Give God Glory even Before He gives Victory

On Sunday I preached on Psalm 9 as part of our series through the first section in the Psalms entitled "The Spiritual Life." The main point of Psalm 9 as I saw it applying to us today is that we're to give God His due glory even before He gives us the ultimate victory in our struggles. If you'd like to listen to the sermon, click here.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Knowing God's Glory Evokes God's Praise

Last Sunday I preached on Psalm 8 as part of the series "The Spiritual Life" through the first book in the Psalms. The main point I saw in Psalm 8 as it relates to us is, "Knowing God's Glory Evokes God's praise." If you'd like to listen to the sermon, click here.

By God's Grace, Jeff

What a Week!

Before recounting our full week, I wanted to mention something that I forgot about from last week. My wife and I were invited out to lunch at the Great River Energy Plant. I guess each month Great River hosts a luncheon in which they invite representative from each of the local communities as well as the Ethanol Plant and Coal Mine operation. It was neat to see the facilities up close. I had no idea of how large a place the Coal Creek Power Plant is. The highlight for me was definitely having to wear a hard hat as we walked through the facilities to the dining room. It made me long (if only for a moment) to have a job in which I could wear a hard hat each day.

On Friday my wife and I drove straight east 150 miles to Cooperstown, ND where our district's bible camp is located. Carrington was the largest town we drove past (probably about 3000). There towns spread out along highway 200 about ever 15 miles but many of them were nothing more than a few houses and a gas station. We arrived at Cooperstown Bible Camp at about 6:30 Friday night and were busy painting cabins by 7:30. The Bible Camp suffered quite a bit of damage as a result of the flooding earlier this spring and so Saturday we spent most of our time cleaning up the camp. We worked with some teens from First Free in Bismarck locating and organizing firewood that had been washed all over the camp and removing wet insulation from under some cabins that were affected by the floods. We left at 3:00 and were back in Underwood by 6:00 Saturday night.

After church on Sunday we hoped in the car again and drove up to Minot to celebrate our sixth anniversary. We stayed the night at a hotel, ate dinner at a Mexican restuarant and watched the new X-men movie. Then Monday we drove another 30 miles northwest to visit a goldendoodle breeder. We've been talking about getting a dog for awhile and finally settled on getting a doodle because of my allergies. We found a breeder north of Minot who recently had a litter and we went to see the puppies. The largest male of the litter, a black curly-coated guy, chose us. So we put down a deposit and should be able to bring him home at the end of June.

By God's Grace, Jeff

The Affect of God's Righteousness

This past Sunday I preached on Psalm 7 as part of our series through the first book of the psalms entitled "The Spiritual Life." In Psalm 7 I pointed out how God's righteousness (His holiness lived out) affects how we deal with the unrighteousness in our lives; especially untrue, unfair criticism. If you'd like to listen to the sermon, click here.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Ducks in a Ditch

Because of all the snow North Dakota had, there are literally lakes where there shouldn't be. And as a result there are ducks where you wouldn't expect them. Now ducks usually prefer to swim in actual lakes or ponds but in our case some ducks seem to be fine with swimming in ditches off the side of the road that are filled with water. It's quite amusing to be driving down the highway and see ducks congregating just off the shoulder of the road.

Well, I feel like I have taken another big step into becoming fully immersed in the agrarian culture. On Monday I rented equipment for the first time from the Farm Supply store in town. No, I did not actually rent a farm implement per se, but I did borrow a power rake in order to prep our lawn for fertilizer. If you don't know what a power rake is (and I didn't until Monday), it's the size of a lawn mower and kicks up all the dead material under the lawn. So I mowed our lawn and then power raked it. Then my wife and I spent most of the afternoon "manually" raking up the dead vegetation. After watering the lawn, I put together the spreader I picked up in Bismarck over the weekend and prepared to fertilze the lawn. Unfortunately we didn't have near enough fertilizer to go around so I'll to have to pick some more up to finish the job.

On Sunday night I played basketball for the second week in a row and was quite a bit less soar on Monday than I had been last week. We had a few less guys this week so we played 4 on 4. I have always done better offenseively playing 4 on 4 rather than the traditional 5 on 5. I can remember back to elementary basketball how I used to score significantly more when there were two less guys on the court...which isn't saying much in terms of total output!

By God's Grace, Jeff

Humility & God's Glory

"Humble people know who God is - and who they are; where God stands, and where they stand. We were made for God's glory and pleasure; it's not the other way around."

- Tom Garasha ("Vital Signs")

Confidence is Found in God's Mercy

This past Sunday I preached on psalm 6 and the main message that I saw as it related to our lives is that "Confidence is found in the mercy of God." Whether it is physical suffering or spiritual affliction, the confidence to respond in a way that please God is available because of God's mercy and specifically through what His Son Jesus accomplished on the cross for us. If you would like to listen to this sermon, click here.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Beautifying Underwood

This Saturday my wife and I participated in "Beautification Day". A bunch of people from the community got together to improve the looks of Underwood. Originally the plan included installing a new highway sign and planting rows of trees from the highway into town. Both of these projects had to be postponed until a later date but we were still able to do quite a bit to beautify Underwood. My wife and I spent time collecting trash, preparing large flower pots to be dispersed around town and plating trees in some empty lots downtown. Even though some of our plans had to be changed, I believe we accomplished a lot and had fun doing it.

Well, I thought this week was going to be a quieter one, after finishing my basketball coaching duties. But on Sunday night I heard that a family in town who tragically had lost a member a year ago, suffered another loss. If any of you remember a post of mine from last April you may recall that I was asked to officiate a funeral for a family in the community because I had a connection with them through basketball. Believe it or not, but it was the same family that suffered this loss. How do you even begin to minister to a mom who's lost two children, a sister who's lost two siblings and children who have lost a mother and now a beloved uncle? Even more so that the funeral a year ago, this one proved to be immensely more challenging. I was able to visit the family each day last week and the funeral was held on Friday. Please pray for my ongoing ministry to this family in their time of unimaginable grief.

Last night I joined a bunch of other guys for some basketball at the school gym. Each Sunday night high school guys and guys my age and older get together for some hoops. Let me just say this: my legs are quite soar today after playing for nearly two hours straight last night! I had a great time re-connecting with some of the high school guys that I helped coach last year and getting to know some other guys from the community.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Swinging Into Spring

This past Saturday my wife and I participated in Underwood's "Swing into Spring" event. This event was put together by one of our economic development organizations and included a free meal, info about upcoming economic development opportunities and Swing lessons and dancing. It was a ton of fun as many couples from the community came out for free food and to work on their dancing moves. My wife and I had taken a dance class at a community center a few years back and so it was a great refresher for us and opportunity to enjoy some social dancing. Now I know dancing is not for everyone but I can think of few activities as beneficial to marriages than dancing.

Well, if I had to describe this week in a nut-shell it would be "driving to Bismarck and back." We were in Bismarck for some part of five days this past week. Remember, Bismarck is 50 miles south of us, so we spent a lot of time on the road this past week. Our final trip to Bismarck was on Saturday to attend Child Evangelism's "Big Event Carnival". My wife and I help out with the Kids' Club here in Underwood and the regional director organized a huge gathering of families at the Bismarck Civic Center. There were three rows of carnival games hosted by various churches and ministries and the walls were lined with inflatable bounce house games. And they had about 2200 people in only four hours!

Elementary basketball is finally over for the year. It seemed like a shorter season that last year and even though I enjoyed working with the kids, I'm glad it's over. The sixth grade team (mostly fifth graders) only won one game but the fifth grade team (all fourth graders) won three times including their last game. I think this bodes well for the future of Underwood basketball.

By God's Grace, Jeff

What you Say shows what you Believe about God

This past Sunday I preached on Psalm 5 in our church's series through the first book of the Psalms entitled "The Spiritual Life". The main point as I saw Psalm 5 relating to us today is that "what you say shows what you believe about God." If you'd like to listen to the sermon click here.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Rocks & Vehicles

Now that the snow has melted and the waters (at least in some areas) are subsiding, farmers are chomping at the bit to get back into their fields. So I thought in honor of being at the cusp of another planting season I would share a couple aspects of farming that I have picked up on recently. The farmland in Central and Western North Dakota (maybe elsewhere too) tends to have quite a few rocks buried on it. So one of the first tasks that farmers have always had to perform around here is removing rocks from their fields before plowing them. Some rocks are easily dug up using tractors but others are too big to remove. In that case farmers will either designate the presence of a large buried rock by piling the smaller rocks they have dug up on it or they will dig a deeper hole next to the rock and shove the large stone into the hole thus burying it below ground.

It is also interesting to see how many vehicles there are on many farms. Notice I did not say "cars" and "trucks" but vehicles, which seems to be what they are commonly referred to around here. Anyway, unlike in urban areas where there is limited room for vehicles other than ones being used regularly, on rural farms there is plenty of room for older cars and trucks. So farms tend to be full of sedans and pickups that may or may not be running at a given time and may or may not have current registration but are nonetheless useful in a farming operation.

Yesterday my wife and I drove down to Bismarck to attend an orientation with the Northern plains District of the Evangelical Free Church. Now you may be thinking to yourself, "Hasn't he been there nearly two years?" And the answer to that is "yes." However, when we came out to Underwood, our District Superintendent himself was transitioning to another position and it wasn't until about a year ago that our current DS was installed. So there were some of us at the orientation who had been in the district awhile and others who are brand new. We had a good time fellowshipping with each other and the district staff, learning about the EFCA, the NPD and the culture of the Northern Plains, eating a meal together at the Golden Corral buffet and they set us up for the night at a motel in Bismarck. One interesting cultural tidbit that I learned is that rural folks tend to focus on natural resources and work independtly while urbanites focus on man-made resources and are interdependent.

Well, the elementary basketball season is winding down (one week left!). This past Saturday we had a tournament in Wilton and our sixth grade team (made up of one sixth grader and a bunch of fifth graders) won a thriller in the first game against Garrison. We were down 13-6 (low scoring affair) with under three minutes remaining. We had been playing great defense and getting good looks but nothing was falling for us. All of a sudden everything changed. We ran the same play (double screen for the point guard) each posession down the stretch and began scoring at will. Our lasg basket came off of an inbounds play with twenty seconds left and gave us a 15-13 victory (our first of the season!). Now we also have a fifth grade team made up entirely of fourth graders who have already beaten a couple of other teams this season. It has been nice being a co-coach this year and not having to control the kids all by myself.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Do You Know My King?

Back from Vacation

This past week my wife and I took a trip to LA where both of our families live. My wife had a cousin who was getting married this past Saturday and so we decided to use that as an excuse to escape the cold weather. We flew into LA (actually Long Beach) last Wednesday and got to meet my parents new Portuguese Water Dog, Isabelle (named after the queen who supported Columbus). We previous had a cat named Alexander (after the military leader Alexander the Great) who lived "up" to his namesake by being an "admire but don't touch" kind of pet. So I warned them about the wisdom of naming another animal after such a powerful world leader. But apparently they didn't take my advice and so now have a very precocious puppy who gets into anything and everything and doesn't have a problem ignoring the hand that feeds her or rolling her eyes when told she did something wrong. Though she is lots of fun and very cute.

The wedding didn't turn out as we had planned. I started coming down with a cold that morning (no doubt as a result of golfing for two days in-a-row, much of the time without a jacket!) and after sitting outside for an hour felt quite ill. So instead of enjoying the reception (that I heard was spectacular) we headed home early so that I could get some rest. I was out of commission for a day and a half which kind of put a damper on some of our plans. But we still got to spend quality time with both sets of parents and got to see my brother-in-law's new place. We also were able to dine at some of our favorite restaurants and catch up with our friends.

This past Tuesday we began our return by flying to Las Vegas. The airline that we take from Bismarck only flies to Vegas or Phoenix. But the nice thing is that we have friends in Vegas who we were able to get together with and had a great time catching up and encouraging one another. We also got to catch some rays by the pool of our hotel before heading back to the cold of North Dakota.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Perfect Courage vs. Guilty Cowards

This past Sunday I preached on Matthew 27:1-31; Judas' remorse and death, Jesus' trial before Pilate, conviction and sentence. In this passage Jesus stands out as having perfect courage even among numerous guilty cowards. If you'd like to hear what Jesus' perfect courage means to guilty cowards like us, click here.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Faithfulness on Trial

Two weeks ago I preached on Matthew 26:57-75 in which Jesus and Peter both face trials testing their faithfulness, but with two very different outcomes. If you'd like to listen to this sermon and to hear what Jesus' faithfulness on trial has to do with us, click here.

By God's Grace, Jeff

He does it Again...but was as Anyone Surprised?

Chores

Growing up in the city, I always associated chores with something kids do for an allowance. I remember having to do chores such as taking out the trash, vacuuming the stairs, and picking up after the dog in the backyard. So it's interesting to hear fifty-year-old farmers talking about having chores to do each morning. And although I haven't asked, I'm pretty sure they don't receive an allowance from their parents when they're done.

Well, as you can tell from a previous post, the fantasy baseball draft took up most of my Saturday. Ever since college a bunch of my friends have had a baseball rotisserie league. And over the years it has gone through numerous changes. The first year half of us drafted NL players and the other half drafted AL and one guy kept the stats for the entire league. At one point we changed it into a keeper league (you can hold over a certain number of players for the next season) but then we changed back to redrafting new teams every season.

We have guys from Wisconsin that draft Brewers, Ohio that draft Indians and Michigan that draft Tigers...way too early! It's been fun to over-the-years see who certain guys seem to always want on their team. Mike likes well-known veterans (who usually have a good year when he gets them). Matt likes speed (I think he drafted Ichiro 3-4 years in a row). And as you can imagine there have also been many hilarious moments on draft day throughout the years. The number one has got to be when John mistakenly clicked on "Roman Martinez" (a mediocre pitcher) instead of "Pedro Martinez" (the best pitcher) with his number one overall draft pick.

Even though we've all long since graduated, moved away, started careers, changed careers, moved back, got engaged, got married and started families, as many as can make it still try to get together at someone's house in the Chicago area on draft day. I haven't been able to make it the last couple years and so have had to draft remotely; online. And even though it doesn't help one's team to be present, you sure miss out on a lot of the memories from draft day.

I'm having problems uploading sermons so I apologize for the not posting the last couple of weeks yet. I hope to have this resolved soon.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Basketball Coaches Guitar Hero Commercial

Draft Results

So every year at about this time, I get together (online that is) with some old college chums of mine for the right-of-passage that is the fantasy baseball draft. If you think rotisserie refers to a way to cook chicken, let me explain fantasy baseball. You have a group of owners (e.g. a bunch of college buddies) who draft a team of all-stars from major league baseball rosters and then compete against each other to see whose team does better by the end of the season. The way we decide the winner is based on a 5x5 points system (five pitching categories and five hitting categories). Each team is made up of 20 players (11 hitters and 9 pitchers) plus reserves or bench players. Hitters are awarded points based on batting average, runs, runs batted in (RBI), homeruns and steals. Pitching points fall into wins, earned run average (era), strikeouts, whip (walks and hits per inning pitched), and saves.

So all that to say, below in the team that I drafted today. If I think about it, I'll periodically post how I'm doing during the season. Also, I'll try to post my final season roster as because of injuries, trades and additions, it usually looks quite different. Enjoy! - Jeff

C - Brian McCann (ATL)
1B - Adam LaRoche (PIT)
2B - Ian Kinsler (TEX)
3B - Kevin Youkilis
SS - J.J. Hardy (MIL)
CI - Paul Konerko (CWS)
MI - Clint Barmes (COL)
OF - Hunter Pence (HOU)
OF - Jason Werth (PHI)
OF - Xavier Nady (NYY)
OF - Mike Cameron (MIL)
OF - David Murphy (TEX)
U - Luke Scott (BAL)
SP - C.C. Sabathia (NYY)
SP - Diasuke Matsuzaka (BOS)
SP - Scott Baker (MIN)
SP - Gil Meche (KC)
SP - Chris Volstad (FLA)
SP - Jessie Litsch (TOR)
SP - Randy Wolf (LAD)
CL - Bobby Jenks (CWS)
CL - Frank Francisco (TEX)
BN - Kelvim Escobar (SP; LAA)
BN - Travis Ishikawa (1B; SF)
BN - Josh Anderson (OF; ATL)

God and His Word

"Assuredly, when the word of God is despised, all reverence for Him is gone. His majesty cannot be duly honored among us, nor his worship maintained in its integrity, unless we hang as it were upon his lips."

Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin (2.1.4)

My Off-season is Officially Over

As of yesterday I am officially coaching basketball again. I had a nice, relaxing week between the end of the junior high season and the beginning of elementary basketball. Fortunately, this year I'm co-coaching the elementary team with the girls' JV coach who also happens to have a son on the team. Steve has been coaching a lot longer than I have and so I am eager to learn from him. It also should be easier to control a bunch of 4th-6th graders with two coaches than just one. Our first practice I thought went really well and although the kids certainly have a LOT to learn, they seem excited about starting up the season and I believe this will be a good group of kids to work with. However, it's only the first week and we're already going to have to cancel a practice...

That's right, we're currently experiencing yet another snow storm. I thought that we were not only done with new snow but that most of what was still on the ground would be completely melted in another week or so. Not so fast my friend. Apparently March tends to be the snowiest month of the year and even though we been having nice weather the past week or so, we're back to the frozen tundra of North Dakota. School in Underwood is canceled and therefore basketball practice as well. In addition there's already been quite a bit of flooding in the state from the melting snow and from ice-dams forming in the rivers. I'm looking forward to our vacation to LA!

So how's your bracket doing? Well, thanks for asking. I am actually in two brackets and both of them seem to be in good shape (it helps when you pick mostly the same teams and they're all still in it). As those of you who know me could probably guess, I picked Duke to win it all. Now I know they are only a "2" seed this year and have a tough road ahead (Nova, Pitt and then a "third time's a charm" game against UNC) to even make it to the finals but what can I say?

I read an interesting book over the past couple weeks. "Odd Man Out" was written by a doctor named Matt McCarthy who in-between his graduation from Yale and beginning medical school at Harvard, played baseball in the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim's organization. He was a left-handed pitcher who was was drafted in the twenty-six round by the Angels and pitched the following year for the Provo Angels in the rookie ball league. It was interesting learning about the minor league baseball culture and experience. I gave me a whole new appreciation for what guys who've come up through the minors have gone through just to get to the major leagues.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Where We Fail, Jesus Succeeds (for us)

At the decisive moment of Jesus' earthly life and ministry His disciples completely abandoned Him. But the good news for them and for us who have also failed Jesus is that at this same moment, He succeeded. This Sunday I preached on Matthew 26:31-56, Jesus' prediction of Peter's denial and all of the disciples' failure, His faithfulness and their unfaithfulness in Gethsemane and Jesus' betrayal and arrest. The main point as I saw it relating to us is that "Where we fail, Jesus succeeds for us." We have all been unfaithful but He remained faithful and in so doing provided the solution for our failure. If you would like to listen to the sermon, click here.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Why St. Patrick Deserves his Own Day

Like many Christian holidays, the meaning of St. Patrick's Day has been hijacked by our secular culture and turned into a day to wear green, pinch those who don't and drink green beer. Now I don't have a problem with any of these practices, if done in moderation (e.g. you don't want to be overly pinching people). But they have distracted us from the significance of the person to whom this day is set aside. In fact, St. Patrick lived quite a life that's worth celebrating.

St. Patrick (well, actually long before he was a saint) was born in England in 384 AD to a nominal Christian family. But he was abducted by pirates as a child and taken to the pagan country of Ireland as a slave. During his six-year captivity he accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior and his relationship with God grew. He was able to eventually escape and return to England. But that's not where the story of St. Patrick ends...not by a long shot.

In 431 AD (30-40 years later) he has a dream in which the Irish people beg him to return and to share the Good News of Jesus with them. So even though he was not well educated, he returned to the country of his enslavement and spent the rest of his life (until his death in 461 AD) spreading the gospel throughout.

The gospel's penetration into Ireland is almost exclusively due to God's use of St. Patrick's enslavement and faithful return. That my friends is why he deserves his own day!

By God's Grace, Jeff

A Disappointing End

This past weekend marked the end of the junior high basketball season. During the regular season we amassed an 8-2 record and unofficially tied for first-place in our district. But the end of the season district tournament was another story. We were matched up (randomly) with Turtle-Lake in the first-round. This was the other top team during the regular season and we had split our two previous match-ups. I felt confident going in as we were finally healthy. We were down by one at half but I was still optimistic that if we came out and played well in the second-half we'd have a good shot. Unfortunately they outscored us 19-4 in the third quarter and even though we tried to claw our way back in the fourth it was to no avail. The guys were pretty bummed about losing the opening round as even though we still had a couple more games to play, the best we could now finish was fifth. However, even that was not to be.

Saturday morning we played Wilton and although maybe not at the top of our game, were able to take care of business and get the win. So in the afternoon we were matched up with Washburn (a team we'd beaten twice already) for fifth place. However, from the opening tip they seemed fresher and hungrier for the victory than our guys. We were down by double-digits at the beginning of the fourth quarter and again put up a furious comeback but fell a few points short. Afterward I tried to console the guys by reminding them that as eight graders their basketball careers were really only beginning and if they stuck with it, worked on improving over the summer and used this game as motivation, the future would be bright.

Other than the basketball tournament, this past week was fairly quiet. My wife and I Netflixed the movie "Changeling" which is based on a true story of a woman's fight to locate her missing son amidst a corrupt LA police department. I really enjoy movies based on actual events and this one was no different. I thought it brought out the struggle between maintaining one's position of power and doing what's right even at potential personal cost.

On Sunday we had a family from the church over for supper (i.e. dinner). Actually it was a mom who's in her 90s and one of her sons (who's in his 60s). They are both members of the church but my wife and I had never really had the opportunity to get to know Rich. Come to find out that while served in the Navy he was part of a convoy that assisted in the recovery of the Apollo X astronauts' space capsel and that he used to be an avid golfer.

And in case anyone is curious, the weather is beginning to warm up around here. The last few days have been in the 40s and the snow is finally beginning to melt.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Forgiveness for Partakers in Jesus' Sacrifice

In Matthew 26:17-30 Jesus' foretells of His betrayer while celebrating Passover with His disciples and He institutes the New Covenant ordinance of Communion. Throughout this passage the main point as I see it relating to us is that there is forgiveness for all who partake by faith in Jesus' work on the cross for sinners. If you would like to listen to this sermon, click here.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Communion and the Wedding Supper of Lamb

"We are not sharing a funeral meal together; we are having a dress rehersal for the wedding supper of the Lamb. This One who was crucified as a criminal will return as our Judge and King. That is what this Supper is all about."
- Mark Dever (Twelve Challenges Churches Face, p. 134)

Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

This Saturday my wife and I drove to Bismarck for a book sale at their Public Library. One of the features of the culture around here that I appreciate is the number of "Christian" books stocked by local libraries. I was able to pick up a copy of Richard Foster's "Celebration of Discipline" (there were actually three to choose from!), Hendrickson's "More than Conquerors" (commentary on Revelation) and a bible study guide for Romans...all for a couple of bucks (and that included the books that my wife picked up for the Underwood library!). You would be hard pressed to find another locale where you could discover such finds at a public library.

While we were in Bismarck we caught the 2009 Best Picture "Slumdog Millionare." It was entertaining and thought-provoking. Although the characters may be far from role models, you gain an insight into India's caste system and changes in that country over the last twenty years. As an editorial in this month's "Christianity Today" by Philip Yancey pointed out, America elected an African-American president within 250 years of instituting slavery but India is still struggling with the effects of 4000 years of their caste system.

I had a busy week of basketball as well. We had games on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. We won our games on Tuesday and Friday but fell by three to Garrison, a team we had beaten earlier this season, on Thursday. We were short-handed (missing two starters) and have been battling the flu and cold bugs lately. Hopefully we can regain our health and be at full strength for the end of the season tournament this weekend. On a positive note, our seventh grade team (made up of more 6th than 7th graders) won for only the second time this season on Friday, which also happened to be their last game. I am glad they could finish on a positive note.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Local Flavor

For those of you who do not subscribe to the Bismarck Tribune or live outside of central/western North Dakota, I wanted to give you a little taste of the local flavor. In honor of having recently seen (and thoroughly enjoyed) "Marley & Me" based on the newspaper columns of a Florida writer, I want to let you in on a treasure buried in the Friday edition of the Bismarck Tribune; columnist Kelly Hagen. My wife and I look forward to reading his hilarious and culturally relevant snippets each week. This week Kelly ponders the "near" miss of the recent asteroid and its impact on his life, including his advice to the Defense Department on how to deal with a future potential cosmic collision. So, for a taste of Bismarck's hidden gem, click here.

By God's Grace, Jeff

Preparation for Jesus' Death Reflects Understanding

This Sunday I preached on the first sixteen verses of Matthew 26 and the main point that I saw relating to us today in this passage is, how we prepare for (or respond to) Jesus' death reflects our understanding of it. If you would like to hear the sermon click here.

By God's Grace, Jeff