saturday
Saturday, December 29, 2007
I don't usually write on Saturdays, but we happened to be up at the church today, so I figured I would. Everything is ready for tomorrow. We are showing a funny New Year's Resolutions clip. Melissa is baking a pastry braid. I don't know if that is what it is called, but it is something she likes to make. After church we are heading off to Sioux City, so I probably won't write much while we are there, if anything. I hope you have a wonderful New Year's Eve, and a great new year.
My mom's birthday is on the 31st. She has made such a huge impact on my life. She has always been so faithful to encourage me. If it wasn't for her and her prayers, I would not be where I am today. I have an amazing mom. She has been blessed and is a blessing to others. I love you Mom. You are an inspiration. I am so glad you are who you are. Happy early b-day.
posted by Pastor Potter @ 2:14 PM,
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more snow
Friday, December 28, 2007
It is snowing once again down here in Clarinda. I love snow, but I don't like the cold. It seems like it has only snowed on Friday-Sunday this year, what's up with that? That means people have an excuse not to come to church. It seems like a lot of times we are looking for an excuse to get out of something. What do you try to get out of?
Talking to relatives?
Going to the doctor?
Tithing?
Cleaning the house?
Paying taxes?
Telling your pastor he or she is awesome? (just kidding)
Let's stop making excuses and just do these things. Let 2008 be a year of new beginnings. I know that sounds cliche', but it's true, let's stop talking about doing them, let's stop avoiding them, let's stop avoiding a confrontation. It has to be done. The time is now. Let's go.
posted by Pastor Potter @ 10:37 AM,
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short week
Thursday, December 27, 2007
I don't have a lot of time to prepare for this weekend due to the shortened week, but I have a good idea with where I am going so that will help. It is going to be a fun week though. We are showing a funny new years resolutions clip. We will be talking about receiving gifts. Everyone loves receiving gifts, but what do we do with those gifts once we have received them?
What is your normal response when you receive a gift?
On a side note, I am extrememly excited for 2008. We have some great things in store for our church. God has been so faithful and true to us as a church, we are so thankful. We are looking forward to some series we have coming, as well as our new theme. I will tell you more about that later. Let's pray for 2008 and ask God to help us be more like Jesus everyday. By the way, my article is in the paper down here. Here is the link.
http://www.clarindaherald.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19146380&BRD=2703&PAG=461&dept_id=555119&rfi=6
posted by Pastor Potter @ 9:17 AM,
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It's been a while
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
I have not been able to write anything for the past couple days due to travel. We left Sunday after our candlelight service (which went well) and headed to Waterloo. The roads were in pretty good shape, the wind was nuts though, so the last 45 minutes of driving were almost white out conditions. We spent Sunday night with my parents. Monday morning we got up and had to go to the hospital. Melissa was sick. She is still under the weather, but she is doing better. After that we went over to my bro's house and played on his Playstation 3, it was awesome. The graphics are unreal. Then back to Dad and Mom's house for the night. My whole family was there, we opened presents, then ate and just sat around and talked. It was good to see my family. My niece and nephews get so excited about gifts. It is fun to watch. We slept in on Christmas morning then ate lunch with my parents and grandparents. It was a good time. We took a nap, then said our goodbye's and headed home to Clarinda. We left around 7 and got home around 11. It was a good weekend, too short again, but good enough. This week will be busy, then next Sunday we are heading up to Sioux City. I am really looking forward to it. I hope your Christmas was great. Have a good week.
posted by Pastor Potter @ 9:46 AM,
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Where is the Outrage?
Friday, December 21, 2007
Here is my article for next weeks paper.
Where is the outrage?
A couple weeks ago there was a young man who went on a shooting spree. Not the young man from Omaha, the shooting that occurred at a Christian Youth With a Mission complex, and at New Life Church in Colorado Springs. The gunman was identified as Matthew Murray, 24, who was home-schooled in what a friend said was a deeply religious Christian household. Murray's father is a neurologist and a leading multiple-sclerosis researcher. Five people — including Murray — were killed, and five others wounded Sunday in the two eruptions of violence 12 hours and 65 miles apart. Police said Monday that forensic evidence found at both crime scenes linked both shootings to Murray. Here is what Murray said in a online post in between shooting "You christians brought this on yourselves ... I'm coming for EVERYONE soon and I WILL be armed to the @#%$ teeth and I WILL shoot to kill. .... God, I can't wait till I can kill you people." This is clearly a hate crime. He hated Christians and was going to kill as many as he could before he died. I didn't see any outrage from people on this though. If there is ever a shooting specifically because of race or sexual orientation there is outrage (which there should be if it is a hate crime). It is all over the major news media and papers. There of course was media reporting about the shooting, but not much if anything about the outrage expressed towards Christians. This is troubling for me to see as a pastor. This was a hate crime, I wish it would have been viewed as that. Unfortunately, it is going down as a shooting, one of many this year. I will be the first to tell you that no one is perfect, not christians, non-christians, agnostics, or whoever. No one is perfect. I do believe we need to recognize the fact that this was a hate crime, this was the ultimate persecution of the church, and the church needs to rise up in the face of persecution and pray for a nation that no longer respects Christianity. Our hope is found in 2 Chronicles 7:14 "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." Christians are not perfect, but we are people. We are a nation in desperate need of God. May God Bless America with His grace.
posted by Pastor Potter @ 10:42 AM,
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Evolution
Thursday, December 20, 2007
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-BFEhkIujA
This was a great answer given by Mike Huckabee when asked about Evolution. What do you think?
posted by Pastor Potter @ 11:04 AM,
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What if?
We loved God with all we are?
We loved other people as much as we love ourselves?
posted by Pastor Potter @ 9:23 AM,
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great time
Last night we had a great time. We had a Christmas party at our church. We had a bunch of goodies and games for the kids. Melissa is so great at planning and putting these things together. She made around 50 sugar cookies for the kids to decorate. She made ornaments out of card stock paper. She got frosting, glittery glue, and everything else they needed to have a great time. The kids loved it. One girl (Chloe) made about 10 cookies for her mom and dad. It was really cute. It was festive, Melissa put up snowflakes above each table, candles on every table, she made lime sherbert punch, as well as making 3 different dishes. The fun level has went up 200% since she has been here. She can really put these things together so well. We had a great turn out too. It was a great night.
On a side note, my heart has just been consumed lately (more than usual because this is something I am always thinking about) with wanting to see God work here in Clarinda. So many people don't know Christ. May we humbly pray and seek God's direction for reaching people for Christ.
posted by Pastor Potter @ 9:15 AM,
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update
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
I have updated my blogpage. I hope you enjoy it. As I go into the new year I like to make changes to things to remind myself that change is ok. Change is very hard for MOST people to deal with. It is hard for me at times. It is not easy, but here are some lessons on change.
Myth- A fantasy, story, or a wish with little to do with what is real.
Reality- Fact-based, true, current conditions. What is real.
Myths about change:
–This will go away
–It will help to get upset about this
–This may not be good for my church
–I can just keep on going to church like I have been
–Any problems we are having prove the change is bad for our church
–The pastor doesn’t care about me or my family
–I’m not in a position to make a difference
–It’s not my plan - let the pastor make it work
- The changes weren’t really necessary
Reality in change
–Odds are things will never be the same again
–Having self-control increases control over the situation
–Changes to the way we do things can feel more like trouble than progress. Give it time
–If the church is changing, we need to be changing too
–Problems are a natural side-effect of change. We’ll work through them
–The pastor must work for the greater good for all - realizing in the process, some people are hit harder than others
–You are either part of the solution or part of the problem
–If you fellowship here, it’s your plan (because it is really God's plan)
–What is necessary now is to make the changes work
Whether things get better or worse is a function of how well we learn to manage rapid, ongoing change.
Success in a church requires flexibility and adaptability.
posted by Pastor Potter @ 10:36 AM,
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harsh
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Sometimes I come across a little harsh and I hate that about myself. I don't know about you, but have you ever thought something or said something that you meant well and it came out really mean or nasty? I have done that a time or two and I can never catch myself fast enough. Our words mean so much, they can either lift someone up or tear them to shreads. I have to do a better job of uplifting and encouraging. Don't get me wrong, I don't go around shreading anyone. Sometimes I have thoughts and I am so passionate, frustrated, or upset that it just comes out in a way that makes me seem harsh.
Lord help us to uplift and encourage and take time when we talk to gaurd ourselves and those that may get the brunt of our words.
posted by Pastor Potter @ 11:07 AM,
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nothing new
Monday, December 17, 2007
Well, there is nothing specific to talk about today. We had a good weekend. I was able to relax. I watched Bourne Ultimatum again, I love that movie. All the Bourne movies really good. We relaxed a bit on Saturday. My boss invited us out to dinner, it was a fun time. We ate and played games. Yesterday church went well and the rest of the day was pretty relaxing. This week should be pretty busy. We are having a Christmas Party at our church Wednesday night. We have a candlelight service on Sunday. It should be a good week, but busy. It is supposed to get warmer as well, I am looking forward to that.
On a side note Melissa got all of our Christmas presents wrapped. I am really happy to have that done. We took our gifts to our adopted families on Thursday. I am so glad we were able to do that. I know God will bless that.
posted by Pastor Potter @ 10:42 AM,
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You cannot take Christ out of Christmas
Friday, December 14, 2007
I get to write in the local paper here once every couple months. Here is what I sent to them for next Wednesdays paper.
Christmas is about Christ. That is a fact. So many times in today's society we are bombarded with being politically correct. Unfortunately when we try to be politically correct, we usually end up being biblically incorrect. The reason we celebrate Christmas is because God loved us so much that he sent his son to earth to live in human form. Jesus came down to earth and lived here for 33 years. Most of us know this. This is the truth that most of us hold so dear. Unfortunately, we live in a world that wants to take Christ out of everything. People are even trying to take Christ out of Christmas. How is this happening you ask? Most Christmas, oh wait, holiday programs at school have nothing to do with God. Corporations won't let you tell people "Merry Christmas." Malls won't have a (gasp) Christmas Tree. I said it, Christmas tree. Holiday tree? What a joke. We have tried to make it about the "holidays". We can't have a nativity scene, but we can have every other religious symbol out there known to man except Christ. My favorite is when we go to stores nowadays we hear "happy holidays". When we say "Merry Christmas" to people at stores they won't or at least are not supposed to say "Merry Christmas" back. The explanation is because it is a holiday season (Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year's Day) and the other reason of course is that they don't want to offend anyone. If this is true (that people get offended) the question needs to be asked "why are you offended that someone loved you so much He sent his only son for you so that you wouldn't have to face the consequences for your sins?" The other question is if we are so worried about offending people over this season then "why do we all (except casey's maybe) close for Christmas?" Most businesses only close for one day a year, Christmas. If they are so worried about offending someone, keep your store open then. Don't take a day off of work. Don't get a paid holiday for a day you are offended by. It is about Christ. The reason we give gifts is because they brought gifts to the baby Jesus. If you are offended by Christmas, don't give or get gifts from people. Sounds logical to me, but it won't happen. The truth is you cannot, as much as you try, take Christ out of Christmas. It is about him, and denying that it is, is denying the truth. The saying "Jesus is the reason for the season" is absolutely correct. So when someone tells you to have "Happy Holidays" this year, you tell them "I am going to have a Merry Christmas." If you don't want to celebrate Christmas that's fine with me, but you can NEVER take Christ out of Christmas.
Maybe I am acting like a Grinch?
posted by Pastor Potter @ 11:00 AM,
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She's Back!
Thursday, December 13, 2007
My wife Melissa made a run up to Sioux City to get help with a program we will be using in 2007 at our church. It can be used for all sorts of things, but she needed a little training so she went home to get some. She was able to see her family breifly, but every minute counts when you only get to see your family once every couple of months if that. She got up there safely and home safely, thank you Lord.
As I sat around and reflected the past couple days and relaxed, I just thought about how grateful I am right now. I really have everything I need. God has blessed me so much. It is easy to complain about small things, but when it comes down to it, God has been very good to me. It was so nice to sit in the warm heat and completely relax, no interruptions (no one called me, i have no friends jk). I thoroughly enjoyed it. Take some time over this time of year if possible to just relax, I am not talking about for an hour, I am talking about for a long time. Take a night away, a day away, do something to get away from your normal hectic schedule.
posted by Pastor Potter @ 10:28 AM,
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look out for falling limbs
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
We had quite the ice storm here. Yesterday you could hear trees snapping throughout most of the day. They would crack and crash to the ground. It is a mess down here. A lot of trees and power lines down. It is a sight to see limbs hanging low or wires hanging low because of the ice. It reminds me a lot of sin in our lives. It may start out small, but shortly we will be burdened down with the weight of sin. There is a weight to it that most of us don't recognize. God doesn't want us to carry around this extra weight. It's important to keep short accounts with God. Always ask God to forgive you of things. Little things like saying something you shouldn't have, getting upset at the car that takes 10 minutes to turn the corner, or snapping at your spouse. If we don't keep short accounts with God what happens is we get bitter. A lot of people walk around feeling bitter towards family, friends, and other church-goers. Let's do our best to forgive. The bible does say that if we cannot forgive our brother here on earth, how can we expect God to forgive us? That is a powerful choice. May God grant us grace to make the right choice.
posted by Pastor Potter @ 11:10 AM,
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great day
Monday, December 10, 2007
We had a great day yesterday. We had our annual Christmas program this last week. It was called " A Mouse's Tale". It was about a mouse who was in the stable the day Jesus was born. It was a lot of fun. The crowd was laughing a lot. We were able to sing along on a few songs as well. It went really well. Everything went well yesterday. We had a great time of fellowship and donuts. We had great worship. God provided a great offering. We have raised over $300 for our Good Samaritan Fund. We are adopting two families here in Clarinda. I am excited about this great opportunity to bless a family. There was a lot of hard work and dedication put into yesterday and it turned out to be a great success. Thank you Lord.
On a sad note there was a shooting at two Christian campuses Sunday. We need to keep them both in prayer.
posted by Pastor Potter @ 10:06 AM,
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snowy day
Friday, December 07, 2007
I didn't get a chance to write anything yesterday. It was a long day. It snowed at least 4 inches down here. I love the snow. It wasn't too cold out either, so that was nice. I had a good time at the church yesterday afternoon getting ready for my committee meeting. We had a good meeting. We are trying to come up with some strategy going into next year. I believe God had a strategy when he did everything. We came up with some great stuff last night. I am excited about 2008. I believe we will be able to really touch some lives with God's help.
Have a safe weekend. We are going to Omaha to do some shopping today. I hope travel is safe, and shopping is safe. See ya Sunday for our Christmas Program.
posted by Pastor Potter @ 9:30 AM,
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have fun
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Have fun with your life. Why be upset? Why be bitter? Why live in fear? Too many people live with a chip on their shoulder. Too many people live upset at the world. Too many people are afraid of the future. Don't be afraid. I don't believe we are supposed to take life too seriously. I wish people would live life more free.
Let's try to live life to the fullest.
John 10:10 the words of Jesus
"The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life."
posted by Pastor Potter @ 3:19 PM,
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where does the time go?
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Is it just me or does it seem like life just flies by? Everything seems to go so fast these days. It seems like I just got married. It seems like I have known my wife for a long time. It doesn't seem like I have lived down here in Clarinda for almost 2 years now. Things go so fast. I can't imagine what it is like as a parent. Kids grow up so fast. The saying is "time flies when you're having fun". So that is my question to you. It is a very important question.
Are you having fun?
posted by Pastor Potter @ 11:15 AM,
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what a weekend
Monday, December 03, 2007
We got the bad weather they predicted late Friday night. Saturday morning was all wet and icey. It didn't make for a great morning. We went to Sister Gray's funeral, it went great. The family thought it went well, and so did the people from our church family. I am so glad that it went well. Our church did a great job at being hospitable for the family as they came to the church for a luncheon. As I thought last night about the weekend and how fast it went, I remembered how short the process was in the last few weeks of Sister Gray's life. I was glad I got to be close to her the past few weeks.
Sunday went well, we had a good service. We have our program next week, so I don't have to get a message ready. We had a good afternoon nap, then we had a membership class which went well. Melissa and I had a great weekend spending time together and watching tv. We didn't have a very long weekend, but it was good enough. God is faithful.
posted by Pastor Potter @ 9:24 AM,
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