Pat Hand

When God Is Quiet

2011-07-08T08:34:00.000-07:00

Ok boys and girls...gather round. Teeth brushed? Got your pj's on? Got that final drink of water? Ok sit down and Pat will tell you a story...a true story about when God is quiet.

Back in late 2007 I knew the time was near and that God was leading me back into the senior pastorate. I loved being a missions pastor in Baton Rouge and was quite content with teaching our Bible fellowship class of 60 adults on Sunday morning. I was 9 months away from finishing my MBA in church admin from California Baptist University. We had just come through a horrendous hurricane called Katrina and had worked with our great pastoral staff and wonderful volunteers as I oversaw the the relief work for 18 months working directly under our senior pastor. That is another story for another time...

Carol and I began praying and seeking God...the desire to pastor became stronger and stronger. I finished my MBA and Carol was busy selling real estate post-Katrina and she taught volunteered with a team each week in the nearby women's prison. We waited...waited...prayed....and waited. God got quieter...and soon was downright silent with us. So, we prayed some more...and waited some more all the while God was quiet...not even so much as a divine grunt!

The quieter He was the louder I became...praying, asking out loud where was He. Getting frustrated even angry. All the while I was sending out resumes and friends were recommending me to some pretty cool churches in great locales. Nights on realtor.com looking at housing in places like Washington DC (that was depressing for what we could afford there...a plastic porta-toilet like you see at the fair), Virginia, Texas, Georgia, and places in-between. I perused the pastor search pages on-line every Monday...without fail.

In March of 2008 in the midst of a spiritually dry time...I mean Sahara dry time I took a Saturday morning and checked into a local hotel with my Bible and I was not going to leave there till I heard from God!
We were 9-10 months into seeking a church with God being as quiet as an Ol' Miss fan sitting in the LSU stands at a football game! I sat on the bed with my Bible open. I intended to begin at Habakkuk 3:17 which says, "Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, 18yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. 19 GOD, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer's; he makes me tread on my high places."

I wanted God to know that I loved Him and that I did not want to be a fair-weather friend with Him. I would love Him and serve Him in the dryest of days, yet I also wanted to hear from Him! He did not have to tell me where Carol and I would be going, or even when....just that He had me and that He had plans and a place for us to pastor.

Just like God to send me to another scripture nearby "by mistake." I actually turned to Zephaniah 3:17 which says,"Do not fear; Zion, do not let your hands grow weak. 17 The Lord your God is among you, a warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will bring [you] quietness with His love. He will delight in you with shouts of joy."

WOW!! That jumped out at me at 500 mph...and my heart grew peaceful for the first time in weeks. My eyes teared up and I lifted my hands to heaven in that motel room and told God, "Ok, that's good enough for me! You are quiet on purpose but you are rejoicing over Carol and me at this moment. You are quiet on purpose in your love but you delight in us with whoops of delight." IT WAS ENOUGH ANSWER FOR THE TIME BEING! He had not shelved us in a dark attic finished or tired of using us!!

Four months later we began discussions in earnest with Woodland Hills Church in Asheville, NC. By Thanksgiving we were moved there and serving as senior pastor...that's with a 2 week vacation in Hawaii thrown in too :-)

So boys and girls our story reminds us that God is always working life for our good and for His glory...even when He is silent it is done in love and He delights in us as we walk with Him anyway because He is worthy of our faith, love and commitment to serve even in the dark arid times like right now for someone reading this story. Goodnight and sleep well boys and girls.

Extremism Causes Problems On Both Ends

2011-04-05T08:45:00.000-07:00

I gotta tell you...this stuff in Florida where the Koran was put on trial and then 2 people were beheaded in Afghanistan and several UN personnel were killed in protest of the Koran being burned is just plain lunacy.

This is the same pastor who threatened to burn the Koran last September 11th but backed down after every body and their uncle asked him not to. The White House, the Vatican, other government leaders, and more sought to have this pastor with 30....not 300...not 3000...30 in his congregation not to burn the Koran in protest to 9-11. Frankly, it was a stunt in which the media was duplicitous in escalating the tension by giving such frenzied media coverage to such a non-event in terms of national scope.

So on one hand you have a small church in Orlando putting the Koran on trial. At best this smacks of a PR stunt and at worse it is a hypocritical stunt gone awry. Why not put the Book of Mormon on trial? Why didn't they put the Watch Tower publications on trial too? If they believe the Koran is false and burned it then why not the rest of the myriad of extra biblical writings that they would oppose, as well?

Then there's the radicals in Islam....Al Qaeda, Islamic Brotherhood, the Taliban and many other similar groups who feel compelled to take life because 30...not 300...not 3000...THIRTY people don't like their holy book! Again, the media seems to be in the middle of both sides reporting "they said and then they said" and then reporting the results. Frankly, its a travesty coming out of all three groups.

WWJD (what would Jesus do?) is what should be asked. Jesus showed us how to love our enemies as He did (Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing. Luke 23:34). He taught we are to love our enemies (Matthew 5). Both sides could learn a thing or two from the Lord. Innocent deaths have come from all of this lunacy. Needless and tragic consequences because of the actions of both sides.

Lord, help us to love the Lost the way you do!! Lord, give us wisdom in how we say Truth and how we live it in front of others.

Great Food For Thought About Christmas

2010-11-27T19:28:00.000-08:00

Our son, Jon, is a pastor in PA. He writes a monthly article for their local paper. This is a great reminder of what Christmas is about...

Walking into Target, before we even got through the second set of doors, Karis says, "Daddy, please, please can I have a Zhu Zhu pet?"Last month we were watching cartoons on a lazy Saturday morning. A certain commercial appeared and the girls screamed, "Daddy, please, please can we have a Zhu Zhu pet?"Do you see a trend here?

Since the end of September all the retail stores have been ramping up to this "Season of Stuff" we call Christmas.Now I get it. Don't label me anti-business. Both the big box store manager and the mom and pop shop keeper need to put food on the table and hopefully have a little left over at the end of the year. I live in that world, too! It's just that as a pastor I see the fallout all the time.

Dec. 25 is more than a month away and already my daily news feed on Facebook is sprinkled with status update laments about Christmas gift-buying stress and Black Friday sales hysteria.Next week at this time we will read news articles about how this person got trampled or that person got into a fist fight shortly after the big box store opened their doors at 3:45 a.m. Black Friday morning.

I see the stressed-out families feeling guilty because each year they regret how much they spend on their already spoiled kids and yet somehow they feel powerless to declare a definitive "No!" to excessive spending again this year.Even in a recession, last year we spent $45 billion on Christmas. Did you know that is three times the amount it would cost to rebuild all the broken buildings and broken lives in Haiti?

Why is it that we feel panicked and nauseous if we gave a gift of lesser value to someone who bought us a more expensive gift? I see people buying gifts out of guilt because they feel an obligation to buy gifts for extended family members they only talk to once a year.Why do we think purchasing gifts will somehow ensure everyone feels loved by us? The Beatles were right - you can't buy me love. I guess we can try?Oh, and by the way - your kids and grandkids think you can buy their love, but you can't.

I'm not saying don't buy gifts for your loved ones and friends. I am saying that the real gifts we crave are not Zhu Zhu pets or the latest gaming system.Oh, so we finally gave our girls their Zhu Zhu pets. How long did the little digital hamsters hold their attention? Try a week and a half. Thus, on and on we go to the next momentary sought-after distraction.I'm not suggesting you become a Scrooge and boycott Christmas. That just creates another set of problems.

Rather, how do we redeem Christmas?You know what the people in your life really want? You know what you really want? It's not another digital distraction. The people in your life really want you.They want to know you think they are valuable and worthy, not just because you buy them gifts, but because when they speak, you intently listen. They want to know that you are their biggest fan. They long for your approval. They hope for your understanding and desire for you to know what matters most to them.I know grown tough guys, men with children of their own, who would give up all of their latest gadgets just to know that their emotionally absent fathers were proud of them for who they are, not just what they do.

Humor me. What did you get for Christmas last year? What about the year before? If you are like me, you can't remember.In the last five years the only gift I remember receiving was when my parents took everyone in our family out for a special dinner the day after Christmas. We ate, drank, laughed and talked about the highs and lows of our lives that year. It was great, better than all the gifts I've since forgotten.We don't live for stuff. We live for relationships.This Christmas, use your brain. Divert your gift-buying energy and stress into finding creative experiences that value relationships over possessions.

Jon Hand is the pastor of Engage Community Church in Carlisle. He welcomes comments at jon@engagecommunitychurch.com

Would Jesus Torch A Koran?

2010-09-09T19:02:00.000-07:00

Well, if you ask pastor Terry Jones of Gainesville, FL he would tell you heck yeah Jesus would torch a Koran in a Mecca minute! His church of 50 has caused quite a stir provoking Muslims around the world to protest the little church's planned protest. It has prompted Secretary of State Clinton to call and ask them not to burn the Korans. Secretary of Defense Gates called asking the same thing. The Vatican has also asked Jones to not carry out the protest. Wow, what a tempest in a teapot!!

So it begs the question whether Jesus would burn a Koran. After all, in John 2 of the New Testament Jesus cleaned out the Temple one day in anger and disgust at the merchants' lack of regard for God's Word. So we know He was passionate about the Law of God. So....would He torch the Muslim holy book?

Nope, not in a NY minute! Jesus taught in the sermon on the mount in Matthew 5:43-47
You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'44But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,45so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.46For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?47And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
Nope, not in a NY minute! Jesus would take the time to love Muslims and build relationships with them. He would share the Truth with them and He would work at sharing the Gospel with them. He would not go out of His way to provoke the Muslim world. Just the Gospel alone will provoke the most fervent Muslim without going out of the way to threaten their holy book too.
Sadly, Pastor Jones and his flock have sown the wind and reaped the whirlwind receiving world-wide condemnation! It has allowed the media to once again paint all churches with the same paintbrush in that we are all wide-eyed weirdos thumping our Bibles and condemning folks different than ourselves.
I will argue all day long that Jones and his church has the right, as Americans,to protest anyway they like as long as they are not violent! I will also argue that their protest is a travesty to grace shed abroad by Jesus love for this broken sinful world.

Jesus Is Always Worth It

2010-08-21T08:33:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been disappointed by life? Has life ever let you down...hard? I heard about a spunky little old lady flying to see her family. It was a stormy day so flying was very turbulent. When the pilot landed the plane fell the last few feet onto the runway rather hard. As she was exiting the pilot stood at the exit saying goodbye to the passengers. When the little old lady walked past the pilot she stopped and asked. "Sonny, did we land or were we shot down?"

Perhaps you feel like that lady...life has let you down hard! People disappoint you, or circumstances go awry when you least expected it. As Followers of Christ how do we view these let downs? Aren't we teflon from the world's hurts and people's words?

We are no more teflon from struggles, problems, and hurt than Jesus was. The Bible uses words like "wounded," "bruised", "betrayed," and more to describe Jesus' sufferings in circumstances and from people He loved but did not love Him back.

How do we handle life when that happens? How do we push on? How do we deal with disappointments?
Hebrews 12 gives us good advice.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,2looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.3Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
How do we handle life when that happens? How do we push on? We find comfort that Jesus suffered in this world and we learn to suffer as He did! We run our race in life because Jesus is worth it. When circumstances in life hurt...people in our family disappoint us...when money is short and bills are piling...we realize following Jesus and living His teachings are the priority because Jesus is worth getting up off the mat for and brushing the dirt off and keep running the race God has put us in. Where are you today? Feel shot down? Do you want to walk away from people or circumstances? Then follow great advice in verse 2 above. Then dwell on verse 3...so we won't "grow weary or fainthearted." Jesus is worth it!

A Few Thoughts on Vacation With Grandkids

2010-07-28T07:03:00.000-07:00

Yep, I'm a granddad and loving it! Yep, I have 5 of the cutest, smartest grandkids on planet earth!! No brag just fact!! Yep, I am bone tired and have fallen into bed the last two nights at the late hour of 9:30...PM. Why? Because we vacationed with grandkids all last week...who were up at 6:45 or 7 am EVERY morning ready for Pop Pop (that's Rev. Pop Pop to you WHC folks) to take them boating or swimming. Now get this...these kids run everywhere...no walking EVER...just full bore pedal to the metal running indoors or outdoors. A couple of them have only an outside voice even when inside and none of them want to miss one single solitary thing that is going on!

Confession is good for the soul...right? We even sat their clocks so they would sleep till 8 even though the clock said....uh....7 AM. I know...I know but I am thinking about trying that tonight. The last two nights we have snuggled together to watch Disney's, The Princess & the Frog. It is a cute chick cartoon that my wife and the two girls loved!!! I came away from the movie with two thoughts...
1. I am hungry for frog legs for some reason
2. I really need to see a war movie or a shoot'em up western...soon

I would not trade our time with them for all the quiet vacations in the world. We cherish every moment, every hug, every belly laugh, every "I love you NaNa...I love you Pop Pop," every rubbing our noses, and every chat about Jesus that we have had...but do you mind if I close this blog now because...yawn...I am...tired! Cherish every moment!!

Are You Growing or Shrinking?

2010-07-15T09:07:00.000-07:00

John the Baptist says one of the most interesting statements in scripture as he referred to Jesus. He sincerely said in John 3:30, "He (Jesus) must increase and I must decrease." That is one of the most declarative sentences from a follower of Christ!! That kind of thinking is not said a lot from our culture of American consumer christianity.

J.I. Packer said over 3 decades ago, "...Christian minds have been conformed to the modern spirit: the spirit, that is, that spawns great thoughts of man and leaves room for only small thoughts of God." As one guy put it, "Christians have neglected their first great calling: to know their God." Evidently they had the same problem back in Jesus' day as He ministered on earth...that is we tend to think too highly of ourselves and pursue our agenda and not God's will for us. It is too easy to compartmentalize our faith by thinking that Jesus is followed and praised on Sunday morning from 10:30- Noon and then I do whatever I want to do the other 6 1/2 days.

Even our Christian philosophy and worship can be all about us if we don't be careful. Instead of praising God for His glory, majesty, and power we end up singing junk about how God does my bidding, and jumps through hoops for me because He needs and loves me. We still find ourself thinking big thoughts about us and small thoughts about God!.

What this produces ultimately is shallow Christians who follow God until He does not answer prayer the way they think He should...or God disappoints their expectation of having their own private little God who, like a genie, grants our wishes. Great thoughts of man and only small thoughts of God!

This thinking stems from biblical illiteracy. Our great purpose on this earth is to please God and live for His bidding in our life. If we do not read God's Word and spend time learning about our God then we will naturally fill the void with great thoughts of us and small thoughts of God...God Almighty...Jehovah...our Creator, Savior and LORD.

Yet, the more we read about His nature, and character, miracles, and teachings the less we think of us and our selfish priorities and the more we praise God and let Him out of our box to be our Lord God who amazes us in His power and glory. We naturally shrink and allow Him to grow in majesty, importance, priorities, and Lord of our life. He must increase and we must decrease.

Decreasing will show up in how time is spent. Shrinking will show up in our freeing up our schedule so we can do Kingdom work in the local church, or build relationships with neighbors or co-workers so we can earn the right to witness and tell our story to them of how Jesus has changed our life.

So, how do we decrease so Jesus may increase? Think about it. How do we decrease so Jesus may increase?
1. Make the Bible part of your life. Determine to be a student of the Bible. www.crosswalk.com has an amazing Bible program with many translations, commentaries, and more...FREE!! I usually have my devotions there. This morning I read Titus and had access to some great study tools.

2. Make it a priority to say something to others everyday about God in some manner. Perhaps give testimony of what God has recently done and post it on Face Book or say it over lunch with a co-worker. Tell your kids how much you love God and that they can love and know Him too. Look for ways to brag on God in tribute to Him.

3. Re-prioritize your schedule to reflect that God's Kingdom is more importance than the small temporary plans that can eat up our time and resources. Put a hit-list together of folks you will ask God to allow you influence for Christ. Invite them to WHC. 87% of folks saved in a ministry were saved because somebody invited them to church and they heard the Gospel.

He must increase and we must decrease...for Jesus!

Some Closing Thoughts on Honduras

2010-07-08T07:54:00.000-07:00

Well the Honduras trip is now officially concluded. The trip is over but the mission never comes to an end. Our trip home was completely uneventful...that is good! We made our flight, got through Honduran and US customs easily, and even had time for Carol to sit with and help an Honduran woman on her first flight ever.

The team was tired but in a good mood the whole way home. Carol and I celebrated our 36th anniversary at 33,000 feet as we ate a chicken caesar salad from Wendy's. All in all a great way to have an anniversary. The team had our anniversary announced over the plane's PA....cute huh?

15 tired people landed Tuesday night in Asheville and were met by parents and spouses, and friends. It was a sweet reunion watching anxious loved ones hold their short-term missionary in their arms.

Was the trip a good use of WHC mission monies? Was it a good use of people's time? Did anything lasting happen? Were the 40 plus professions of faith among adults, teens and kids for real? Well, only time will answer all of those questions. However, I can tell you this...
1. Our church was obedient to the Great Commission by sending a team to share Christ in Honduras.

2. The 15 people who went will never be the same after ministering and seeing the culture and people of Honduras.

3. Eternal consequences were confirmed in the decisions to accept Jesus as Savior and sadly, those who rejected Christ may have heard it for the last time. We never know!

4. Our lot in life is better appreciated after seeing such dire third-world conditions.

5. A greater burden to reach lostness in Asheville is on each of us who went to Honduras.

6. Our faith is increased as we saw God move while raising funds to go and while we were in Honduras. We literally saw God work on our behalf as He spoke to hearts, sent a serious rain storm literally around our evangelistic service, kept rainy and hot weather away all week, and finally...in seeing God negate Satan's plans in spiritual warfare!

7. Our vision has been broadened in getting a church planted in Lizapa where 150,000 people live in and nearby villages within walking distance and help to getting a medical clinic on-line in the next 12 months.

Psalm 118:23 says, "This is the Lord's doing: it is marvelous in our eyes." That pretty well sums it up!

Give to missions, help people go...come go with us around the world and across the street telling folks about Christ! Thanks, Pat

Monday In the Valley of Angels

2010-07-05T14:13:00.000-07:00

Hi every one
I am in an internet shop paying about a dollar an hour for internet...which is cheaper than what I pay at home I betcha. Yesterday after lunch most of the team went to see the local town team play in a soccer tournament. Our translator told us it is an honor for outsiders to be invited to a tournament. Every one was so kind and glad to see us. Many of the kids were in the Bible Club all week so the ice was melted and folks accepted the team.

Well....one of the players dislocated his shoulder and guess who came to the rescue? EL DOCTOR Steve...thats who! He used our team phone to call a collaegue in the ER at Mission Hospital who told Steve what to do when the right tools are not available. He put the man´s shoulder back in place....coool huh??

God gave us favor with this village. When we all got back we filled up the big concrete baptismal and we all swam in it! Oh we have some vicious people who like to dunk poor unsuspecting pastors!! We had a ball splashing and getting folks wet. One young man about 12 or 13 named Frank got saved during the week so we explained baptism to him and we baptized a new believer right there. That was a God moment and then the team clapped and congratulated him. What a moment.

This morning we hit another school and did a play and gave the Gospel. It was our joy to give them needed school supplies. Then we had a delicious lunch with our translators and our missionary Sheila. We are spending the afternoon shopping in a little native town in the mountains called Vally of Angels to bring home souvenirs. Then back to the mission for supper and begin packing. We fly out at 12.30 pm tomorrow. Lord willing we get back to Asheville about 9.30 Tuesday night. Thanks for following along on our journey. Keep the team in your prayers as we travel. Thats all for now...vaya con Dios amigos!

4th of July in Honduras

2010-07-04T12:54:00.000-07:00

Well, I was up a little before 7 am in order to call the church to practice a call in during our morning service at WHC. So I called and it worked great for a live report during the service this morning at WHC. Hannah Edwards also gave a brief testimony of what she had been doing, as well. Our team has been great and our church should be proud of them too.

Today, we ministered in a small local church in the village. The team did a play and I was privileged to preach. This afternoon the team is at the local soccer field meeting folks. The team was invited to the soccer tournament which is an honor for outsiders to be invited to.

The rest of the day will be R and R while we celebrate the 4th. Sheila has a big BBQ pork supper for us and we hope to swim in the outdoor baptistry later this afternoon. That is all for now! We love and miss you all.

Pat

Saturday Report From Honduras

2010-07-03T13:16:00.000-07:00

Wow!! What a day we had yesterday! Our team witnessed spiritual warfare! We have noticed that there is a spirit of fear in families sending their children to Bible Club. We have had to go out the last three days and beat the bushes to bring kids to the mission. We have surmised someone has tried to ruin what we are doing or local witch doctors have tried to scare folks into not coming. Not sure which….so we have gone to the school 3 times this week to invite, re-invite, and re-re-invite! Yesterday we sent 2 teams out into the little back roads to literally pick up the kids. Several moms have attended to see what we are doing.

Bible Club consists of telling the kids to be here at 2 pm…and then waiting…waiting some more…and oh yeah wait a little longer for kids to arrive at 2 pm…Honduran time (3 pm).

The kids are divided into 4 groups according to 4 different colors. The team captains are with their kids the whole time. They have their peanut butter sandwich and kool-aid as they come in for the Bible lesson. They listen to Jon Woods teach and the team does a play. It is very good and done with a burdened heart.

Yesterday 30 kids responded to God’s Word and accepted Christ into their life. It was very exciting because children are not treated very well by adults so spiritual education is not high on the list of Honduran churches….go figure! Jesus said to send the little children to Him.

After the Bible lesson some go to crafts and others go to sports. They love “Sharks & Minnows.” It’s a game of tag combined with capture the flag. The kids love it and of course they love to play soccer. Our team is exhausted after 2-2 ½ hours.

Last night, 75 families had family photos taken at 4 stations then they stayed to watch part one of the Jesus Video. One lady and her family traveled one hour to get her family photographed!! Tonight, the folks get their photo if they come back for part 2 of the video. Please pray for the adults to be saved tonight when the invitation is given about 9:30 Asheville time tonight. We are printing off the photos even as I blog.

Let me tell you one more cool thing that happened last night during the video. Remember I told you the Devil has been trying to discourage people from coming…well, last night, right as we started to show the Jesus Video a monsoon was forming up across the valley. The clouds turned very dark with thunder & lightening and the wind picked up dramatically. The horse nearby began running and bucking at the impending storm. We saw the rain begin across the valley heading our way. I began praying…mad at Satan trying to distract. It was so moving to see our team huddle up in small groups asking God to intervene. Usually a storm comes right between the mountains down through the valley. We saw the storm go around the mission over the mountains literally raining everywhere but at the mission! Sheila, our missionary nurse was amazed and had never seen that happen before. Isn’t God good? Our team got to see God work in hearts and in nature…how great is that?

Hello from hot and sunny Honduras

2010-07-02T12:34:00.000-07:00

Hi every one

Hello from hot and sunny Honduras. This morning we had good ol' fashion pancakes and sausage with fresh mango, pineapple, and watermelon for breakfast. The mission has a guy who keeps up the place and has been getting fresh mango out of the tree for us....delicious!! Ceara Bussard won neatest bunk so the girls are tied with the guys. Funny the notes and bribes they leave behind each day for the judge.

We had a tough day yesterday. The kids just were not coming to Bible Club....missionary was not sure why. So we began beating the bushes and we had a good crowd show up...so this morning we went out and beat the bushes all morning so we will see how it goes today. I had to ride on back of a truck as we went to "Home Depot" to buy some basic tools needed on the work site. It was a little shop crammed with tools, rebar and block. We bought tools brought back some coconuts for the kids to try. Everything here just takes longer...7 miles of bad road takes 45 minutes to drive. Order a truck load of gravel and it is loaded by shovel. You just gotta go with the flow or you will go nuts!

Please pray as we give an invitation this afternoon after we present the Gospel to the kids and then we are offering a free family photo for adults and families who come to the Jesus video tonight. Then they get the photo if they return for part 2 of the video Sat. night. Please pray for these evangelistic opportunities. I am preaching at the local village church on Sunday so I hope we can see new converts in church. We hope to make a live report in the church service Sunday morning. Thats all for now. We love you and miss our church family...thanks for giving and praying for this trip to be made possible. Pat

Buenas Dias hermano y hermanas

2010-07-01T10:49:00.000-07:00

Buenas Dias hermano y hermanas...Good morning brothers and sisters!

Well we had Honduran breakfast burrito this morning. It was a homemade tortilla with refried beans, scrambled eggs, cheese, and a delicious homemade salsa. With it we had fried bananas....WOW it was good and all the team members ate some. The food has been great! Jane Wallin and her team said it would be good and they were right. Today, we had a girl winner for neatest bunk...Caroline Candler. The girls have had some guests stop by...one night it was a large mouse and yesterday it was bats in their ceiling but they got by declaring they would rather have bats than rats...not sure I follow their logic but hey....they are missionaries!!

The Bible Club went great yesterday. We had about 75 kids and our team did a wonderful job working with the kids...improvising how to communicate. The young people are doing mini plays to illustrate the Gospel and the children really enjoyed them. The kids just eat up affection and attention. We give them a penutbutter sandwich and drink and they make a craft to keep each day. Now this is big stuff down here because in America kids can go to 4 or 5 VBS over the summer but these kids never see anything like this. In Honduras the culture does not think very much about kids. Churches do not reach out to children like we do in the States. So this is a big deal here. Pray for our team as we gear up for day 2 of our Bible Club.

We had a rip snortin' frog stranglin' A # 1 first class monsoon rain after supper last night. We are so thankful it was after our clinic and Bible Club. We played Uno last night in the dining hall for awhile and every one was asleep around 11 pm. We meet each morning for a meeting then devotions and then meet after supper to debrief the day. We all hold hands and pray thanking God for what He is doing.

Please pray for Steve Zurlinden...his mom had surgery 3 weeks ago but had to be airlifted to a larger hospital. The family called our team telephone we brought here and he has been in touch with his family. She is in stable but serious condition. The phone has come in handy here in Honduras. They are waiting to see how she responds to critical care. So keep her and Steve in prayer.

That is all for today...pray for God's power to be seen and known. Pat

Wednesday Update from Honduras

2010-06-30T11:15:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

We spent most of last night separating all the meds you donated and put them into baggies with labels. That took several hrs so there is quite a bit of meds to give at the clinic. We have meds for diarrhea, sinusitis, aches and pains, antibiotics, blood pressure, stitches if need be, and general health needs. Kelly Perkins and Steve Zurlinden are doing a great job prepping the meds to set up the clinic. Kelly is a nurse and Steve is a Physicians Asst.

I just left the clinic and they are covered up with a loooong waiting line. We are treating as fast and humanely as possible but it is slow going...and the sun came out today so it is a bit warm. It is sad to see the kids with parasites and diarrhea. One adult lady had pneumonia in her left lung. We are inviting every one to come to the mission Friday evening for the Jesus video...and we will take a family picture if they will come to the video. Then we will give them the picture if they come back Saturday night. So please be praying.

Bible Clubs begin today after lunch!! That is from 3 to 5 pm your time at home. Our team is doing great!! I love hanging out with them and they are serious about being here but also know how to have fun. 5 of the girls slept in two bunks pushed together because they saw...or thought they saw a mouse or small rat scurry across the room.

The kids have bonded well and have bonded well with our teen translators. They all sit around one big table laughing and carrying on. I have been grading their beds and rewarding the neatest bunk at our breakfast meeting. Get this...Josh Hensley won Tuesday and Jon Woods won this morning!! Their beds were neat and tight...the girls....well not soooo much. We will see. Thats all for now. WE MISS YOU ALL. Pat

Team Update

2010-06-29T11:15:00.000-07:00

Well we had quite a day yesterday...Up at 3 am and at the airport at five thirty. Almost to Tegucigalpa and they said weather was poor so diverted to San Pedro Sula in north Honduras. We waited 2 hrs and they said weather improved so we landed 3 hrs late but better than going back to Atlanta. There is more to that story later.

Got to the mission about 6 pm starving...we missed lunch. it was all ready and we devoured stew and rice....yep teens ate stew and rice! We all went to bed early and had home made cinnamon rolls waiting on us...suffering for Jesus here. It very nice here with a bit of rain and cool breeze. We went to a school and the team did a play and invited the kids to Bible school beginning tomorrow. We gave the school needed supplies like pencil sharpeners, crayons, paper, and pencils. They were so thankful. They have NOTHING!!

This afternoon the team plans to prayer walk and invite kids to Bible school and work on some construction. This team is great!! You would be so proud. Keep us in prayers!

Honduras Trip T-minus 20 hrs and counting!

2010-06-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

Stay tuned to this blog for updates on our trip to Honduras scheduled to pull out of the church parking lot at 5 AM tomorrow morning. We have a full day of travel through....where else...Atlanta. Somebody said the Rapture will go through Atlanta! :-)

We are to land in Tegucigalpa about noon time. They are two hours behind our time so it will be about 2 PM in Asheville. The plan is get our stuff, eat lunch, and get on the bus for 90 min trip in the mountains to Liplaza.

We have a team of 15 going and we have a lot to do in a short period of time. Please pray for us and check back to the blog...in fact you can leave questions or comments for us in Honduras!!

Jesus is the reason for our passion and planning! Its going to be a great week...and you can be there with us on this blog. Adios y vaya con Dios! Pat

Happy Dad's Day! Not Father's Day!!

2010-06-19T16:11:00.000-07:00

It's quite easy to father a child. Just look at the populations skyrocketing around the world. However, being a dad is one of the hardest things a man will ever do...and one of the most rewarding hats we will ever wear in life. Not all fathers are good dads...in fact some are pretty sorry at it if truth be known. Many a man has fathered a child but did not stick around to be the dad their son or daughter needed or wanted. Professionals tells us that teen pregnancies would be lower if dad had been in her life. The chances a child will do drugs, or get involved in a life of crime is much lower where dad is in the life of a teenager.

One of the toughest jobs I have ever had is, quite frankly, being a dad! Yet, one of the greatest blessings and privileges in my life has been for 2 guys to call me dad! Now they are both dads and understand what it means too. To my two sons I say...drink it in and enjoy every age the kids go through. It is a blessing and it passes so quickly!

To all our dads out there in blog land...Enjoy your day tomorrow! Determine to enjoy your kids...don't miss one recital, or game they play. Be in the now with your kids. They grow up so fast. Do not endure your role but rather embrace this role in your life ...not by what you do for a living, but rather embrace your role as husband and father. Psalm 127:3 says children are a heritage from the Lord and a reward to us. Wow, how true that is!

Hug and kiss your child! My dad was affectionate with my 2 brothers and me. He told us he loved us...spent time with each of us...hugged us...invested in us. Yeah, its a huge deal and you are needed in raising your kids for Christ!! Give them great memories!

Are you closed for the summer?

2010-06-01T19:20:00.000-07:00

Years ago, Carol and I were visiting my grandparents in Seattle. I LOVE Seattle, Washington! Fisherman's Wharf, Space Needle, Pugent Sound, Mt. Ranier, and a wonderful climate (when it does not rain).

I remember we were looking for a church to attend one Sunday. We pulled into the parking lot of a church and saw a sign that said, "Closed for the summer." What? A church that is closed just because it is nice weather outside? I have heard of churches that close because of threatening weather, snowy weather, power outages, and even severe cold weather, but not because the weather was TOO good!

I cannot imagine a church shutting down so every one could go camping, boating, picnicing, or go to the beach. I'm not old fashion or legalistic but I do want to be a serious follower of Jesus Christ who is intentional...on purpose...deliberate. Taking the summer off from the Body of Christ and ministry is not the action of a deliberate, on purpose, intentional follower of Jesus. Rather, it seems like the action of just a nominal religious church member. There is a huge difference between the two.

Satan and his cohorts do not close for the summer. Darkness does not postpone till the fall to resume ruining lives. The Great Commission negates the luxury of closing for the summer. The Lost...hurting...addicted...angry...hungry do not close for the summer either.

So, are you an intentional deliberate follower of Christ, or are you closed for the summer?

One Third On Any Given Sunday

2010-05-17T11:13:00.000-07:00

One of our ministers gave us an interesting stat in staff meeting recently. On any given Sunday one third of your regular church family will not be at church! WOW...one third!! Another sad stat is a faithful church attender is considered to be faithful if they attend at least twice a month.

I would definitely call that "lowering the bar" in churches today! I realize we live incredibly hectic busy mind-numbing strength zapping lives and schedules...with a lot of that being our fault in decisions and priorities we have made. We try to defy the time continuum by squeezing in activities, games, work, leisure, grocery shopping, yard care, piano lessons, soccer practice, dance, paper route, homework, dinner....and oh yeah...church if there is any time LEFT OVER.

Now if I sound like a sour grapes pastor you would be wrong...dead wrong! However, I am a burdened pastor/shepherd concerned about Believers just cramming God in as one more thing on the To Do list. God does not deserve the short end of the stick!! He does deserve first place in our time and priorities don't you think?? Because if church attendance is treated this way then more than likely personal daily quiet time with the Lord is treated this way too. Then our quest for the American dream gets in the way of real intimacy and worship with Christ!

I would love to see TV viewing, ball games, or Sunday trips to Dollywood get the left overs in our life...and Jesus get the best of our strength, energy and passion. Hebrews 10:22-25 says,
22 let us go right into the presence of God, with true hearts fully trusting him. For our evil consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. 23Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 24 Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. 25And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near.

Who is the Devil Incarnate Anyway??

2010-05-11T10:55:00.000-07:00

Well...I am at a wonderful Bible conference for pastors in Cleveland, Ohio. It is refreshing to hear preaching on Jesus...about Jesus...for Jesus! It's all about Jesus...which is so rich and refreshing. Met a guy from PA named Bob whille on line checking email and stuff.
Bob got to talking to me while I was typing and looking at our web-site. In the course of our conversation he started naming some preachers and called them the devil incarnate!! Huh? INCARNATE?? Then he referred to some politicians in a similar manner...now I had only known Bob 5 minutes and he was pretty down on a diverse group of men...some whom I knew. Bob ran out of steam and moved on.

Just who is the devil incarnate?? The fact is we are a bit casual with the designation. Satan...Lucifer...the Devil is a real person who is pretty high on himself and actually thinks he can over throw God and be the ultimate "Big Kahuna" of the universe. He is a deceiver...father of lies, Numero Uno Narcisist...and the the victim of his own con.

It is not a particular pastor, or politician...or any one else we disagree with. The Prince of Darkness is truly the evil one and will one day be consigned to his eternal fate. God is in control and will make this broken universe new one day!

We should all be careful who we designate devil. false prophet, or a litany of other titles. Corinthians warns us that Satan has people who impersonate folks like preachers so there are false prophets to shun, but lets be careful who we put in Satan's camp because we do not like the way they do ministry! That is a big difference my friend!!

Hard to slow down...how about you??

2010-04-12T20:00:00.000-07:00

Carol and I are at the Outer Banks at the Baptist Conference Center at Ft. Caswell just below Wilmington. I must say it is one of the prettiest places on water that I have been to. The maintenance team has a lot of buildings to look after but they are in outstanding condition. The conference ground used to be a coastal fort used by the the confederates, the yankees, and then the coastal defense folks during the first world war. So the old batteries, and other out buildings making up the fort.

Now I like history and I like walking on the beach but it is hard to decompress. Are you like that? I feel guilty or I find myself thinking of stuff needing done...but I have been forcing myself to be in the moment and relax. Carol and I have a book we are reading and discussing together...and we discuss life...kids, grandkids, her family, my family, our church family, etc.

All marrieds need to develop a plan for quality time together to enjoy each other, and just converse about life together. It helps keep Carol and me connected to each other. Find some time to slow down and connect with your spouse, or a great friend. It has to be intentional and planned or it will never take place.

Hope you have a great week- Pat

Advertising in the new normal!!

2010-02-26T08:54:00.000-08:00

Ok Ok many churches advertise...nothing wrong with that. Hey when you have something that everyone needs or when you have experienced something that has helped you then telling others becomes important. I know of a church that advertises in a movie theater...another church I know uses billboards...another church uses a mail out service identifying and reaching out to certain demographics. Some churches use TV while some advertise on radio. Good for all of them!

However, there is a new normal going on out there in people-land...many folks do not watch much TV and many folks do not have disposable income like they used to so movies are few and far between. Mail out ads are tossed in the trash too often. However, many folks are using social networking like Face Book to stay in touch with family & friends, or looking up a "blast from the past" and re-connecting. So, Face Book and other on-line social sites are great places to advertise and that simple technique is what we are doing to promote ministries, events, and the church itself.

Our most recent ad is aimed at young couples who used to go to church but became disenfranchised with the stained glass Jesus that was presented to them. They never knew the Bible Jesus...the Jesus who ate with sinners...the Jesus that went home with the area's tax-collector to speak into his life. The real-deal Jesus who ministered to a prostitute about to be stoned...that Jesus is foreign to the generations below my age. Our ad has a guy holding his head and screaming at the thought of returning to church. Yet, that is right where some of these folks are living. They have young kids now and they know they need to give their children religious up-bringing so they begrudgingly are looking at where to go to church as a family. In 3 days 252,326 showings of the ad have happened to all FB folks 18-45 years of age living within 10 miles of our church. 130 people have clicked on the ad for more info. How many will ever visit WHC? Don't know but I will keep you posted. Welcome to the new normal!!

Fighting Fear & Feelings with...FAITH

2010-02-04T18:48:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday nights at WHC we have a Bible Study called The Journey. Why that name? Well, uh...because we are all on a journey in this life. We have been studying the teachings of Jesus called the Sermon on the Mount.

One of my studying sources gave some excellent scriptural reminders of how God cares about our needs and why. I hope you enjoy and profit from them as much as I have. Use these truths when fears and feelings try to deceive you and make you worry!

“If God provided me with my physical life, he will provide me with the things needed to sustain it (until his purpose for my life is completed).” Math 6:25b

“If God provides sustenance for his lesser creatures, he will certainly provide sustenance for me--his beloved child.” Math 6:26

“If God provides ‘clothing’ for transient plants, he will certainly provide clothing for me--his child destined to live eternally.” Math 6:28-30

“If God has provided salvation for me through Christ’s death, he will certainly provide for my material needs.” (Rom. 8:32)

-“If God provided me with my physical life, he will provide me with the things needed to sustain it (until his purpose for my life is completed).”