Tim and Kristen Borseth and Family

Japan mission journal

As people ask me, "So how did your trip to Japan go?" And I have honestly said, "It was phenomenal!"

God really did more than I asked or imagined before, during, and even after my trip to Japan. As a way to tell the story of all I saw and did, I tell it by way of answered prayer.

Before we made plans to go to Japan, Kristen and I counted the cost and realized that we couldn't afford it. Yet at the very moment that we reached that conclusion, Savana brought us the mail containing a card from an old friend with "a belated Christmas gift" that she said God laid on her heart to send to us. It was 3 times the amount we needed!!

My primary reason for going was so that Mune, a close Japanese friend of mine, and I could actively engage in sharing the gospel in his home country and to his friends. Mune wasn't planning on going to Japan this summer due to research he was doing for his masters, but after talking to his professor about it he was given the freedom to go.

Since my biggest prayer was for Mune to catch a passion for the gospel to spread in his homeland, I was so encouraged when on three different occasions Mune powerfully shared the gospel:
First it was with Koji. A Tokyo University student who came up to me and said, "I would like to know more about Christianity." Mune and I were with him for over 5 hours as we shared the gospel that gives freedom with him. He is very close to salvation.
The second time was with Tomoko. She spoke little English, but as Mune translated for me he added a lot of his own words and thoughts to clearly explain the gospel message.
The last time was with Take. Mune was watching an intense discussion occur between Take and a Japanese Christian, Hiroto, when Mune jumped in and showed a passion for truth and love that I'd never seen before!
As I watched each of these events unfold, I distinctly remember thanking God for his promises and his presence.

With only 10 days to engage in this mission to help the TX team discover God's specific will for a church plant, God graciously spared me from experiencing ANY jet lag, helped me learn some survival Japanese in only 5 days, and immediately opened doors for the gospel.

We arrived in Tokyo around 4pm on Thursday. By 3pm on Friday, we found ourselves speaking at an English class at the Tokyo Women's Christian University. One lady I met there, Sayuri, later joined us for a "fun day" with 13 other Japanese. Since coming home, we've been e-mailing each other about what it means to be a Christian. Her latest e-mail said,

"He is savior and taught me the importance of my life ... Now that I have something to live for, my heart feel so free. It took me so long to see Him, but I am so glad He found me!!"

That is what GOOD NEWS looks like!

I was able to share the gospel and my testimony multiple times every day I was in Japan. One surprisingly effective way to get the gospel out was through my old testimony tract. I had printed out 30 testimony tracts, but came home with only 5 in my pocket. People were eager to take one. In fact, I even gave one to a Korean kid during my flight back to the states.

Here is a list of the people I met, shared with, and continue to pray for and keep in touch with through e-mail and facebook:

Sayuri, Koji, Tomoko, Mami, Daisuke (2 of them), and Take (sp?).

Please pray for them whenever you can.

Of course, along with the joy of being engaged in the Great Commission with Mune and an old college friend of mine, Paul Scott, I also got to "enjoy" all manner of strange foods (octopus, squid, seaweed, eel, ect...), visit temples and shrines (including the latest Japanese cultural icon... the subway), and sing kareoke (the Japanese people are a very polite people, so no one ran out of the room as I sang, "Mr. Roboto".

I think you'll really enjoy watching this slide show that Kristen put together.

I miss Japan. I long to return as God wills it. May God be merciful to these people and rescue them through faith in Jesus Christ.

Off to the land of the rising sun

Whoever popularized the idea that following Jesus was dull and boring was not following Jesus. Ever since coming to faith in Christ in 1984, it's been one wild ride. And it's just about to get crazier.

I will be in Tokyo Japan from May 28 - June 6 for no other reason than because I'm following Jesus.

Here's the story:
During The Rock's fall kickoff in 2005, I met a Japanese man by the name of Muneaki Watanabe. He is an ISU student studying biochemistry and molecular biology. I pursued the relationship and over a year span we became friends. Along the way, I took Mune to see "End of the Spear" and shared the gospel with him. He thought on it and we'd talk about it for several months when one night he cried out to "whomever was listening" during a desperate moment and God miraculously met him. That was mid-fall of 2006. I baptized him a few months later.

According to Matthew 28: 19-20, we are to make disciples by "teaching them to observe all that I've commanded you". That includes making "disciples of all nations". So to help Mune develop a burden to reach the people in his homeland, I asked Mune if he'd go home this summer to join me in helping a church planting team from Hope Fellowship Church (Denton, Texas) establish themselves in Tokyo. He agreed and I'm now about to step foot on soil 6000 miles from Ames.

Here are some fun details:

We will be staying at a hostel: Sakura Hotel Jimbocho

Two churches that are helping us there are: Ecclesia Funabashi church and Committed Japan that meets at KickBack Café and is associated with Calvary Chapel.

I will be leading a sub-team of 3 or 4 people and we will focus our outreach at two universities: Tokyo University and Nihon University which is where Mune did his undergraduate studies.

A total of twelve people are involved in this church planting mission trip and my sub-team will consist of Mune, Paul Scott (an old college buddy from Minneapolis), and myself... and possibly my brother Jon who is stationed at Yokota Air Base in Japan.

In addition to surveying students and trusting God for divine appointments, we will be featured guests at an English class at Tokyo University that is led by a professor who is helping the church plant. We've been told that we can not talk about the Bible, Christianity, and spiritual things in general. Satan is on the move everywhere. So we got a short talk approved on the philosophical law of "Ex Nihilo, Nihilo Fit". Believe me, it will give Japanese students who are told nothing of God and view everything through a naturalistic lens, plenty to talk about.

You can track our mission teams exploits at: theearthwillbefilled.blogspot.com. The team is already there. We are joining them half way through their stint.

And please, please pray for us. You can be a vital part of this mission trip and reaching the Japanese people through your prayers. Thank you!

Tom Short has landed!

Campus evangelist Tom Short is here to preach and teach at ISU and Drake. I've heard Tom speak dozens of times and I've always been challenged, inspired, and encouraged by what he has to say and the way he says it... especially when confronting multiple hecklers at the same time. He is a rare and gifted man. Do all that you can to come out and see him. By the looks of the weather, Wednesday may be his only day on campus.

But you can catch him at these other locations too:
Wednesday (4/9)
9 - Noon Hand out “Why Jesus?” magazines on central campus, south of the Library.
12 – 5 Preach on campus, south of the Library
7 Speaks at youth group at Stonebrook Church

Thursday (4/10)
12 – 5 Preach on campus, if weather permits.
8:30 Speaks at Alive at Drake

Friday (4/11)
12 – 5 Preach on campus, if weather permits.
7:30 Speaks at The Rock on "All Religions are not the Same"

Saturday (4/12)
7pm Speaks at Des Moines Downtown Church

Sunday (4/13)
9am and 10:45am Speaks at Stonebrook Church

Heroes

Though you wouldn't think it based on the media's portrayal of the war, there is more than a body count coming out of Iraq. Army Spc. Monica Brown, is one of many to be honored for great acts of heroism. The story of her courage to administer medical aid to severely wounded soldiers while under heavy fire is riveting.

Accounts like this makes me think of all the unsung heroes in the church. Though I've only heard a few stories from the Rock's mission trips over spring break, there are several people that I would love to give a "medal of valor" to.

John Burdine, Jr. - After being encouraged to swing through NIU to see how we might assist whatever God is doing there in the aftermath of the brutal shootings, John and his team stepped foot onto the campus not sure what to do or even where to go. After several hours of awkwardness, God inspired John to just be honest with people. So he led his crew to tell people, "We are from Iowa State and we just spent our spring break in Chicago, and we wanted to swing through here on our way home because we heard about the shootings last month and wanted to give you our condolences and to see if things are going all right."
Upon hearing this, the students were immediately thankful and appreciative, and spiritual conversation was natural after that. With violence and death being such a hard thing to talk about, John and his team demonstrated what real love looks like.

Jenny Larson - Physically scarred from a bout with cancer, Jenny would have every excuse to be reserved and wounded, but that would be among the last things anyone would say about her. While home over spring break to help her family with the chores, Jenny would milk the cows especially early (like 5 am!) so she could drive to Decorah to help the few of us who were surveying the campus to find out what God is doing there and get the gospel out. She was not only bold in talking to people about the Lord, but she aggressively networked with local Christian leaders to help me get the big picture of the needs in NE Iowa.
On the second day of our labors at Luther College, Jenny was pulled aside by security who were concerned about what we were doing on their campus. Security directed us all to the campus ministries center for approval. As we met with Pastor Amy Larson, Jenny initiated by sharing her testimony in 15 seconds flat and proudly identified herself as "born again". Jenny modeled a confidence in Christ with such grace that it put everyone at ease in a very tense situation.

Rex Borseth - At the risk of showing nepotism, I've got to mention how proud I am of my son, Rex. This was his second spring break mission trip with college students, but this one was much more evangelical in nature sharing the gospel both in a mall in Cedar Falls and on campus at Luther. At 14 years of age, it would be very understandable for Rex to stand in the shadows in the face of 18 - 24 year old college students, but he didn't! He boldly took students through the survey and would offer comments during conversations about God and faith.
While sharing with me, Rex complained that he felt useless because I did all the talking and never gave him a chance. Surprised, I went ahead and gave him the survey and he led me and others in bringing up matters of faith in Christ. Rex reminded us all that the Holy Spirit is not hindered by age, education, or experience and neither should we.

All three of these warriors deserve to be honored among God's people!

Message outtakes

What a different church we would be (both locally and universally) if we would daily walk in the Spirit. If you missed last weekend's message "Gal 5: Dying to Live" about how to live in the Spirit, I encourage you big time to give it a listen.

Here's are some thoughts that didn't make the final cut in my message preparation:

When making a case for the necessity of the Holy Spirit's role in living the Christian life:

The God-head is a tight team. God sent the Son to be our savior; to rescue us from bondage and set us free. And he fulfilled the Father’s plan for Him. Now the Holy Spirit’s role is to keep us free… to keep us from being led into slavery again whether to the law or to the flesh. So it is imperative that we know how to follow the Spirit’s lead… how to walk in the Spirit.

Paul was not the first one to take about the fruit of a person's life:

Jesus spoke of this idea in the gospel of Luke 6:43-45 (ESV) where he says,
43 “For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, 44 for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. 45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Clarifying the definition of flesh:

The flesh is our fallen condition… what we are by natural birth… what Ishmael is analogous to (4). Whereas the Spirit is what we become by the new birth, by the promise… of which Isaac is analogous to. And just like Ishmael and Isaac, the flesh and the Spirit are in sharp opposition to each other, and one or the other will have a prevailing influence on what you do and say… the fruit of your life.

When explaining Gal. 5:24 that Christians are doing the crucifying in this verse:

Now the verb “crucified” in the Greek is in the aorist tense which indicates that this is something we did decisively at the moment of conversion. We repented. We crucified everything we knew to be wrong. Crucifixion was reserved for the worst of criminals of which your flesh qualifies… "he's too dangerous to be kept alive".

[A Star Wars III reference... did anyone notice the Star Trek line I snuck in there?]

When talking about being led by the Spirit:

Jesus spoke of this attitude in John 10:3-4 (NIV) when he said:
3 … the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.

I hope and pray that this Thanksgiving is filled with thanks for the Holy Spirit's power manifested in your life.

Political Intrigue

Biblically, God created 3 institutions: marriage/family, church, and government. All of these institutions reflect various attributes of God and are vitally important for the welfare of mankind.
Over the last 3 years, I've spoken on politics only twice and one of those times was at a Rock leaders meeting. Both times I got a very strong positive response. A far majority were thankful that I went where many fear to tread (due to the fear of offending someone and the threat of losing our tax exemption status).
There was always a vocal minority, though, that complained. From those criticisms, one had reason and value behind it. It was a request for educating the church in advance of an election. To equip the people in our church on how to vote, not just who to vote for. I couldn't have agreed more!
So a year ago, I scheduled the president of the Iowa Family Policy Center, Chuck Hurley, to speak at our church. He wasn't a flashy speaker, but he spoke with such conviction and depth of insight that even those who had to work the next day stayed until after 10pm asking questions and dialoguing over issues. It was powerful. You can listen to the meat of his message on Citizenship at the Stonebrook website.

The only thing that was missing that night was the vocal minority. Since they all spoke with me, I knew who had concerns, but none of them... not even one... came. I found that both sad and suspicious. We announced this speaker well in advance and gave a clear and strong plug for the purpose of the event. Yet they did not show (by the way, almost all of the Rock leaders chose not to participate as well).
The usual suspects for such a response is apathy, ignorance, or stubborn rebellion (and yes, for some, inescapable conflicts).
It is not for me to judge what's in a person's heart and I have no interest in doing so, but it is for me to lead the church into the whole counsel of God. If you missed Mr. Hurley's message last Sunday, I encourage you to schedule time now (maybe even do it right now) and get tutored on the foundations of Citizenship.

What a retreat!

I've got to hand it to God for showing up in classic fashion at Encounter 2007! Even though I missed most of Saturday, what I got on Friday, Saturday night, and Sunday morning is enough to keep me full for months... that is, if I choose to chew on it.

Before I reflect on some of the big points that hit me, may I depart for Christian etiquette and thank Paul and Christie Johnson by name for all the work they did to make this retreat happen? Yes, I know and the Johnson's know that God is the real hero in this story. But let's be real and recognize the fact that if the Johnson's didn't suffer and sacrifice to make this retreat happen, it wouldn't have happened… and we would have missed an opportunity to see God. So again, THANK YOU Paul and Christie. May your reward be great in heaven.

Now for a few points of personal reflection:
Friday night: Andy Gray shared his life story. As he shared about the partying, the girls, the life that the world says is "the good life", I thought, "Here's a guy that actually lived the life that sometimes I secretly desire. And he found it to be garbage… hmmm." It really helped me lose my curiosity for "the dark side" and strain ever more passionately for the light. I love the verse he shared from John 8: 12

"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." Jesus

Saturday night: This was the walk through the book of Ruth teaching. He talked about pain. The pain of death. The pain of life (Naomi changing her name to Mara which means bitter). At one point Andy said, "Pain entices us to start over." What was interesting, though, is that for one sister-in-law, Orpah, that meant leaving Naomi and for the other, Ruth, that mean clinging to her all the more tightly. Nothing more is said of Orpah, but much is said of the character and loyalty of Ruth. In fact, Ruth, a Moabite woman, went on to become the great great grandmother of David and was in the lineage of the Messiah.
That's where Andy's main point was: the blessing of commitment and loyalty to the spiritual family. The exercise of throwing the stick on the fire demonstrated how God receives great glory as we die to our stick (life) when we throw ourselves into the body of Christ (the fire). Proverbs 20:6 really spoke to me,

"Many a man claims to have unfailing love, but a faithful man who can find?"

Pain is the fire that tests every person's faithfulness to loyalty/ commitment to the body of Christ.

Sunday morning: This was a rare teaching on the importance and priority of helping the poor. Andy elaborated on how Justice and Shalom are tied together. He described Shalom as reweaving the fabric of society that has been torn by sin. Helping the poor and needy, of which Andy gave several powerful examples, furthers the gospel by bringing Shalom into the world. Andy's call to

"Do justice rather than make judgment"

was right on the mark. It's so easy to judge the poor as to why they are in the predicament that they are in and not "do justice" by meeting their pain. The parable of the Good Samaritan rang truer that it ever has before for me. Am I one who walks on the other side?
I saw a toothless woman with a "Will work for food sign" outside the expanding east Hy-Vee today. I had compassion on her.

Rock Booth rules at the Club Fest

It was more fun than a human being should be allowed to have.
I was only at the Rock booth for an hour due to other commitments, but I would have loved to have been there all day. It was so fun introducing people to The Rock, giving away free stuff, having folks fill out surveys, and meeting a few old friends. The "old" Rock T-shirts were a hot item. Even after seeing that it was simply the Rock logo, people still wanted it. All of our excess T-shirts were gone in one hour. It was crazy.

On top of the action at the booth, there was very encouraging action with our neighboring booths. I got into a great conversation with the lady running the Russian speaking group. She is a researcher at PolyBio and is a Russian Jew. We had a great time talking about faith, Israel, science, ect... I invited her to The Rock.
Nate and Steve got into great conversations with the Mormon booth on the other side of us. Nate talked a long time with former ISU wrestler Sanderson (not Cael... his older brother). He even gave Nate a tour of the wrestling room and introduced him to a wrestling coach.

I don't how the Welcome Fest booth went, but we simply had a fun time meeting people and introducing them to The Rock. Check out pictures here.

Steps to a changed life

By way of reminder (for those who heard my message last weekend on The Chronicles of God at the sweet inaugural Rock at Zeke's and at Stonebrook Church) and as encouragement for the rest of you, here are three practical steps to what I believe will change your life for the better. Consistently walk in these steps and you will live a life you won't regret... like Paul said near the end of his life, "I have fought the fight, I have run the race, I have kept the faith." (II Tim. 4:7)

1) Meet Jesus. He’s alive and He wants to live in you. Ask me about that and I would love to introduce you to Him.

2) Read the Bible daily and every time you do ask God to show you a command to obey, a truth to believe, or a promise to keep.

3) Belong to the church and to a small group. I invite you to join us in participating in this story that God that is still being played out in our day.

You only get one swing at life, and life without God is like a story that ends badly. Enter into the story of what God is doing in our world!

Quick question for those from Ames. Would you like to be involved in a noon study going over the book of Galatians? I think it would really heighten the value of the series we'll be doing at The Rock and Stonebrook.

Amazing God Stories

Week 2 of the Lincoln Infusion is over, but what God did here in one short week I will never forget.

I think what I saw was a glimpse of what "co-laboring with Christ" really looks like. Every day something happened that went against common human wisdom and experience, and every day I saw an unusual courage in people that I thought I knew. Here's a few stories:

Day one... Friday: We had been out sharing the gospel at the UNL campus all day. Many good conversations. We're passing out discussion flyers before we take off. Teply runs out of flyers so he decides to ask a passing college guy to do a survey. He agrees. Half way through the survey Teply says, "Would you just like to hear the gospel?" The kid, Justin, says yes. He listens and responds by putting his faith in Christ!

Day two... Saturday: Service project in the morning, out going door to door next to the "Rock House" in the afternoon. Door to door... the worst next to cold turkey. Jason and Eryn pass by a house with a sign that says, "NO PROSELYTIZING". The owner walks out and chases them down asking them what they want. They explain that they're with a church offering to do service projects in the area. The guy welcomes them in explaining that his wife and he have been notified by the city to clean up their place or they'll be fined, but they both have disabilities. We arrange a time on Monday to help them and we invite them to join us for BBQ on Sunday.
The wife (Kimberly) comes with us, the guy stays at home. Within a half hour of getting to the park, Eryn starts to share the gospel with Kim and she prays to receive Christ!

Day four... Monday: Hard work all day at the Rock House and at Kim and Mike's place. I ache afterwards, but they surprise us by taking us out for pizza. :-)

Day five... Tuesday: Back to campus. Back to sharing. Many good conversations. Easier than expected. Kirk and John position themselves outside the library and talk to people passing by. Good for getting lots of surveys, terrible for sharing the gospel. They end up sharing the gospel more than any of the rest of us and Kirk leads a college student (Adam) to Christ before lunch!

Day six... Wednesday: Last day on campus. John and I are sharing in the Union, but during a sparse time we go to the front of the library. Kirk and Ruth are there already engaged in survey taking. John and I approach a Chinese girl as we walk up. She is easy to talk to and understands English well. She's not sure there is a God. John slides right into the gospel as smooth as butter. She tracks well, I pray hard, and she asks Christ into her life! She is all smiles afterward and we do some immediate follow up.

There's more, but that's the 4 highlights of our time. Four salvations in six days... all cold turkey... all through the "Do You Know For Certain" booklet. Our God just can't be put in a box! Praise Him!

Is One Life Worth It?

During the Teen Retreat, I was pulled in to do a seminar on "How To Share the Gospel". I did two seminars with a grand total of 6 teen-types and 6 adults in attendance. I went home with the question buzzing in my head, "Was all the time away from my family, canceling a meeting with a precious friend, preparing this seminar and pulling it off worth it in light of the paltry attendance?" To be honest, I was feeling like it wasn't. Overall, I was a little discouraged by it all.

A few hours after I left, I got a call from Pete Grose who organized the Teen Retreat. He called to tell me that one of the teenagers who was at my seminar immediately went to an unbeliever (who joined them for the retreat because he heard it was "a good time") and shared the gospel with him. He put his faith in Christ right on the spot!
I was shocked... and God whispered to me, "Is one life worth it, Tim? Would you sacrifice all that time and effort again if just one life would cross over from death to life?" Humbled and somewhat ashamed, I said, "Yes, Lord. I would do it again if you called me to."

Just last night, I was told that the story continues...
This teenager that left my seminar and shared the gospel was Jack Redmond's son (pastor of Tri-State Bible Fellowship in Dubuque). Jack told me last night that his son has continued to zealously share the gospel and has led 6 more people to Christ!
Even more than that. Rory Whitney, Pastor of Candlewood church just told me that he went to my seminar and afterwards completely changed his entire church's summer plans to focus on how to share the gospel and be to actively communicate it. He said they are working with Luis Palau's campaign, learning the Outreach Diagram AND the Way of the Master approach, and another thing that I can't remember right now.

I guess all we need to do if offer our few loaves and few fish to God and He will multiply it.

Tragedy on VA Tech campus

Just today on the VA Tech campus 31 people were shot and killed . Great Commission Ministries' largest campus church is located on this campus, NLCF- has over 1000 students and is led by Jim Pace.
Please be praying for him and the students there that have been affected by this tragedy. Also, pray that the Christian students can be a support and give hope to those that need it so much.
I'm reminded of something that Ray Comfort said on The Way of the Master video, "Youth is no gaurantee of old age." People need the gospel. Jesus said:

“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

The Drake Invasion

Filled with faith and love, the Drake students of Campus Fellowship/ Alive have been spreading the love of Christ to ISU students all day today. 1000 Rock fliers got passed out not to mention an unknown number of gospel booklets and Rock invites.

On top of that, there have been many really good conversations with people about the offer of eternal life through Jesus Christ. One Alive student, known affectionately as Big D (see pic above), shared with about 10 people by the time he had a bite for lunch.

Several Rockers have joined the Alive students and have had their faith energized and their joy renewed. You'll all get to see some of the Alive laborers at The Rock tonight and hopefully some of the people that they have invited to The Rock too! Pray that the seeds that are sown land on good soil that bears fruit 30, 60, 100 times.

PRO-LIFE ADDRESS

One score and fourteen years ago, seven Supreme Court Justices brought forth upon this nation an unjust law; conceived without liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are not created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great spiritual war…testing whether our nation or any nation so conceived and so misguided…can long endure. Today we meet on a battlefield of that war.
We have come to dedicate a portion of our day to remember those nearly 50 million innocent, future Americans, who had their lives taken from them to uphold a misguided notion of freedom that says the choice to kill the innocent is more sacred than life itself. It is altogether fitting and proper that we do this.
But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate…we cannot consecrate…we cannot hallow this day. The innocent children who only desired to live, and were so brutally killed, have consecrated it, far above our power to add or detract.
The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but they can never forget the holocaust of the unborn.
It is for us living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work of eliminating all laws that legalize the killing of innocent people. It is also for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us…that from this slaughter of the innocents…we take increased devotion to eliminate the cause of their deaths…that we here highly resolve, that the nearly 50 million unborn have not died in vain…that this nation, once under God, shall restore our forefathers original notion of freedom…that values the sacredness of every human life…and that government of the people…by the people…for the people…shall not perish from the earth.

Composed and given by Fr. Michael G. Peters
January 22, 2007 at the Des Moines Capital
34th Anniversary of Roe vs. Wade
This material may be reproduced or quoted, with proper credit, to spread the pro-life message.

the future

At the first Friday Night Rock of the year, I shared that I’ve been asking God what I should believe Him for this year. For days nothing was jumping out to me until just before the Rock started when suddenly a verse came to mind that I hadn’t thought about since my college days. It was Habakkuk 1: 5
"Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told." (see also Acts 13:41)

Now originally, this prophecy was foretelling the coming judgment of God on Israel. That's not quite the sentiment I was thinking about... rather it was the thought that God is going to do something so shocking, so surprising that I wouldn’t believe it if I was told.

For sure this year holds a lot of changes for me and The Rock, many of which I am not even aware of at this time, I'm sure. The ones I am aware of are profound:
1) We have 3 people raising support to go on staff with The Rock (Nate, Luke and Holly) and when they are done we will have 5 people on staff (8 when you count spouses). This will really help us love and lead more people to Christ.
2) Our very own facility, Zeke’s, will open up in late spring. We have been praying, preparing, and sacrificing for this for years. When Zeke’s opens, we will have a very high profile, versatile tool to reach out to ISU and the entire city of Ames.
3) On a personal note, I now have a teenager in the house! Rex turned 13 and with that a time of transitioning into adulthood. Rex and I now get up before daybreak 4 days each week for physical and spiritual exercise. And over spring break, I plan on taking him on a “right of passage” journey to the New Orleans area (mission trip) and then into the desert wasteland of the SW United States.

I know that God is preparing many good works for us to walk in this year, and I want to be ready for them. So I am making a concerted effort to get my financial support up to par, a staff team in place, and a people filled with faith ready to do good deeds. This is partly why we are going through the book of Mark this semester, but more on that in a future blog.

My prayer for Encounter

Do you ever wonder what a guy thinks about as he's facing down his 20th fall retreat (I've missed 2 in my 22 years as a believer as of Oct. 18)? One might think that after climbing the mountain just so many times you would get bored of the same old scenery.
Well, for me, that's never happened. Why? Because my eyes are not set on the event itself, but on the main attraction of the event... oh, the speaker; they change every year. Um, no. One up from that. It's the confident expectation that God will speak.
At every retreat or conference I've ever been to, I go looking and anticipation that God will speak to me and to those I care about. And I can not recall ever being disappointed.
Encounter isn't happening because "it's scheduled" or "it's what Christian groups do" or "Christians really grow a lot at these things and so it saves the leaders a lot of work". No, it's happening because when we set aside some time, even if it's just for a weekend, to sit at the feet of Jesus He is pleased with our choice and will teach us things that we need to know (Luke 10:38-42).
This morning God gave me a passage to believe Him for regarding this weekend both for myself and for all of you.


Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people,
come to my aid when you save them,
that I may enjoy the prosperity of your chosen ones,
that I may share in the joy of your nation
and join your inheritance in giving praise.
Psalm 106: 4,5

This is my prayer. Come and sit at Jesus' feet with me.

More angels are rejoicing!!!!

I've got no fancy words to say or cute little intro. All I have to say is that MUNEAKI HAS DECIDED TO FOLLOW JESUS!!
Here's a portion of an e-mail that I just got from him:

Hi Tim,
By the way, I would like to tell you about my decision.
I decided to follow Jesus last sunday because he solved my mental ploblems. So, I promise that I'm trying to understand him and his role. Then, I became his follower. I guess I need to study more and I hope I figure out as much as I can.
Thanks,

Mune

Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, "Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep." I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. Luke 15: 6, 7

Zeke's and Strange T's photos

Have you been to Zeke's lately? You gotta go and check it out. We are at the exciting phase of seeing big stuff get done. If you have a few minutes during the 9 - 5, pop over and check it out... or at least look at my latest pics.

Last Friday at The Rock, I starting noticing the odd T-shirts people are wearing these days. So I took pics and I would like to take an informal vote of the strangest T. My vote goes to Drew. I was seriously frightened by that one. Runner up was Andrew with the home-made add on and the zombie look.

I'm with Tom!

Now I know that many people are put off by either Tom Short's message or Tom's approach, but, as a guy that knows him personally, I can not speak highly enough about his integrity and his convictions.

I first met Tom personally in 1992 when I was at a Leadership Training program in San Diego, CA. Tom was pastoring a church there at that time. When he decided to re-enter the campus evangelism ministry (something he had done years back), I was eager to bring him onto campus... and he's been coming here ever since.

Today, I stopped by around 4pm and within 10 minutes I was into a great conversation and handed out 3 Rock invite cards. Here's how it happened: I stood on the fringe and listened to the banter as most people were doing. Said "hi" and gave Nick Bal a hug (Nick leads Alive at Drake in Des Moines... an awesome campus ministry). I noticed a guy just leaning against the pine tree so I thought I'd ask him if he had been there long and if he found the dialog between Tom and critics (as well as supporters) interesting. He said he had been there awhile and was into what was going on. He was a Presbyterian kid and was somewhat interested in connecting with a Christian group.
He asked me what I knew about Tom. So I told him about him and about the sponsoring group, The Rock. It was not long after I uttered those words that two girls interrupted us and asked me for more info about The Rock. I gave them a couple of invite cards and encouraged them to join us this Friday. They said they would.
Then the young man I was talking to asked for one. By the end of Tom's preaching, I had given away my last card to an agnostic guy who was very interested in hearing more of what Tom had to say.

I really encourage everyone to check Tom out during the next few days he's here:
Wed. - Friday: next to the Hub on central ISU campus from noonish to about 5pm.
Thursday night: At Alive in Des Moines (Drake Univ.). They meet at a place called Cool Beans starting at 8:30pm.
Friday night: At The Rock, MU Terrace, starts at 7:30pm.

A night on Welch.

I just have to share about my experience on Welch Ave. last Friday night.

So I show up with the off campus team fully engaged in dishing out ice cream. They seemed a little too reserved for me (a man who loves ice cream and loves the cause for which we're giving it away... love), so I jumped right in there to "show them how it's done".

It was a blast. For as many as walked on by, there were those who were more than happy to take some ice cream off of our hands. Most asked why we were doing this giving us a very natural way to mention The Rock and mention our affiliation with Christ. It was great.

After getting into several short and pleasant conversations, I noticed Dan McGuire talking to a couple of young guys by himself. Knowing that it's usually fun to have another voice in the mix, I put the scooper aside and joined in.

I met Lucas and ??? (I'm bummed, I can't remember his name... note: write down the names of new people you meet). They both were seniors in high school. It wasn't long before we got to talking about church, God and faith. It's the most normal thing in the world when you are there (on Welch giving away ice cream), because of your faith. I found out that ??? was a Baptist kid no longer going to church. He was from the Webster City area (and yes, Matt, you guys probably know each other somehow, someway...). Lucas (he likes to be called Lou) never stepped foot in a church before.

I got to talking about my own faith journey and shared my testimony with them. Then I verbally shared the gospel. ??? knew the message; don't know if he knows the Lord though. Lou never heard this stuff before and as they were taking off I offered him a NT and a Do You Know For Certain track. He seemed genuinely interested in taking them. I pray he reads them and that I get to see them both again.

Chad told me he stayed on Welch that night until midnight +. He said the gospel got shared a lot. To get rid of their 4th 5 quart container of ice cream, they walked up to the bar lines and started to dish it out. One guy was so pumped about it that he started yelling over and over, "The Rock rocks!" ...from the mouths of drunks.

an EPIC reflection

"My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge." Psalm 71:15

I was biting my tongue during the EPIC closing ceremonies because I wanted to share so badly, but more so I wanted to see if EPIC had the kind of effect on people's lives that I was praying for. I wanted to see if God used our feeble efforts to equip "the body to grow and build itself up in love, as each part does its work." (Eph. 4:16b)

Well, I can't say that people we're pushing through the door to share what God had done in and through them over the summer (unlike the SALT prayer meeting that Angie talked about). And the lack of affirmation after a person shared seemed a little too... Baptist... for me. But I did find what people shared to be very encouraging and affirming. It would be nice to know if those who didn't share had been touched by God over the summer as well, but just were too shy to say anything. If you didn't mention something at the closing ceremonies, I'd love to hear what you will take with you from the summer.

As for me, God did a number of "righteous acts" in my life:
1) Focusing on Eph. 4:15-16 brought deep conviction on my heart of the necessity to "seek peace and pursue it" within the body of Christ. I realized that what separates the church from the world is not the absence of conflict (as is obvious with even a cursory read of the NT), but that we are committed to resolving our conflicts. It's when we fail to resolve our differences in love that we lose our testimony.
All summer long I have been involved in conflict resolution... and I have seen God bless every time... except one but I trust healing will come there too in time. My relationship with many people is and will be more centered in God's will from now on because of this summer.
2) My time on Welch was equally good for my soul. To take the church to the lost was the desire of my heart for that time. Even though that didn't transpire the way I had envisioned, God did freshly grip my heart for lost people. Getting to know Katherine, the gyro stand lady, Joe the juggler, and just looking into the faces of the "walking dead" put a burden on my heart for them that I hadn't felt that deeply for a long time.
My late Friday or Saturday nights will not be the same because of this summer. You'll find me doing what I can to hold out the Word of life to people who are seeking life in all the wrong places.
3) Hershel Martindale's message was a powerful classic that I strongly recommend everyone have on their computer and on a CD in their car for constant listening. After his challenge/ example of having a friend over for pizza with the expressed intent of sharing your life and your Lord with them, I decided to do it. I invited Muneaki to a movie (Pirates of the Caribbean) and then go out for coffee and talk about the central theme of the Bible which is God's plan of salvation for all mankind.
Mune agreed to both and we had a great time. We were up until midnight talking about Christ as I drew out the outreach diagram. At the end, he said that almost everything I shared with him was new. He had never heard this stuff before. He said that his Buddhist influence makes him feel like he could believe in Christ, but only as one of many spiritual guides. He couldn't quite accept that Jesus was God and that His death was absolutely necessary for his salvation. So after reviewing a few more points of the gospel, I gave him Tom Short's book "5 Crucial Questions About Christianity" and said good night. I'm looking forward to spending more time with him.

My heroes

A hero, by definition, is

"a person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life" (dictionary.com).

So of course, my lifelong hero is "Jesus of Nazareth... the Holy One of God". (Mark 1:24; Luke 4:34)
And, if you pay much attention to my messages, you will notice a frequent referral to such heroes as: Apostle Paul of Tarsus, Jim Elliot, and really most anyone who lost their lives specifically because they loved Christ and loved people more than their own lives.

But there are those "everyday heroes" that I become endeared to because they

"chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time." (Heb. 11:25)

Those that I wish to praise as heroes to me (see Prov. 27:2) are those that are currently sacrificially participating in the foodservice fundraiser not simply to "save face" with the ISU foodservice but to see The Ezekiel Project become a success and bring glory to God!

Can enough be said of Holly Boston, who is working full shifts (6 AM - 2 pm) all week and then closing for Stomping Grounds leaving her precious little time to sleep in between.
Or Nate Swinton who has set aside gainful employment with Carpet Steamer all week so he would be available to serve.
Or Pete and Raylene Grose... "Who?" you might say. Pete is a pastor with NewLife in Cedar Rapids. Raylene's son is Nate Marzen. They heard about the fundraiser effort while visiting our church last Sunday. They cancelled their plans to go golfing, and served food in a hot, sweaty kitchen with us instead.
Or how about those who have persevered in the gospel since the 70's like Ev Cherrington and Gene Lund. Gene called me at 11pm the night before to find out how he could participate in the fundraiser.

The world is not worthy of them. I know I have not named even half of those who are genuinely sacrificing to make not just this fundraiser happen, but the entire Ezekiel Project. Don't be annoyed even for a second if I did not mention your name. "God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them." (Heb. 6:10)

I look forward to being with my "everyday heroes" tomorrow... bright and early at 6 AM. These are the glory days, my friends. I am honored to spend them with my heroes.

Life at the Pastor's Conf. pt. 2

You just gotta love these conferences. They are like idealistic family reunions. We all love each other, enjoy each other, readily meet those we don't know... it's just amazing.

Here's some interesting tid bits of "family" news:
- Everyone's writing books! Bob Bartlett has written "Solomon's 7 Secrets to Financial Freedom" complete with 20 minute videos for lifegroups and budgets, ect... on CD; Steve Nelson has written "Premeditated Parenting" (it's even on audio!); and GCNW is putting out booklets left and right (I got 4 on hand and some are old Jim McCotter books!).
- Everyone I've talked to (and I'm not kidding) has asked me about our building project. I guess word has gotten out about what we are doing and everyone is wondering what God will do to provide for it and then to use it for His glory. Praise God that many people are praying for us!
- Mark Darling is dreaming big for Faithwalkers. He's believing God for 2000 at Tan-Tar-A this year and going to 2 locations next year.
- GCC has about 25ish campus ministries and, from the sound of things, Drake is about the biggest one we got. How cool it is that God is blessing our next door neighbors!
- The Biang's are encouraged and believing God to use SALT to win many people. All the while they are being tested as Dan Hult has not gotten a job and Peter Lemmers busted his finger real good causing him to loose his job. Their faith in the midst of adversity is an example to us all. Pray hard for them.

So that's a few things. Listen to the teachings. Let me say that again. Listen to the teachings!
Especially John Hever's, the panel on discipleship, and John Meyers on Truth.

Life at the Pastor's Conf.

I'm in the middle of my second day at the Great Commission National Pastor's Conference.
It started with the trip down to Tan-Tar-A Resort with the Bovenmyers. Dave and I talked a lot about things that are too great for us: the house church movement, raising kids, and restoring marriages when trust has been betrayed.

Then the conference "officially" started.

Here are a few thoughts I've been thinking.
- I feel young. Not because I'm around a bunch of grey haireds... the hair on my chin isn't all that black either... but because I still feel like I can take on the world... and I still want to try!
- I feel privileged. During the prayer time, I prayed with men and women who have fought and suffered for the gospel for 20 years or more... the Laugermans, John Meyer, and others from around the country whose names I've already forgotten... but God has not forgotten their prayers for the church.
- Robbie McAlister gave the first message. We're going through Titus. Simple but foundational thought: "There's power in the Scriptures when rightly divided and applied to your life and the lives of others." Does that need to be said to seasoned pastors? You bet it does! We too easily wander to church growth programs and new ministry tools and slip from the power of the Sword.
- John Hever gave the second message. A must listen!!!!! I'll post the link when I get it. He said, "Sacrifice is a glorious thing!" And from his story, it's clear that this statement was pure conviction and not some glamorized spin.

More to come. Both in my blog and in my life.

An Indestructible life and other anomalies

On Easter Sunday, I gave everything I had in me to persuade everyone in attendance at Stonebrook Community Church (which included half of the Texas A & M softball team) that every person can experience the power of an indestructible life by identifying with the life experiences of Mary Magdalene and Thomas (called Didymus), and by imitating their example of personal death and resurrection.

Except for any non-Christians in the crowd, I should have been talking to the choir. Every born-again believer should have felt that their lives in some way resonated with the dramatically altered lifestyle of Mary and Thomas. How can a man or woman, having been confronted with a man who resurrected from the dead (and that man being the Son of God, no less!) ever think they would live any other way than a bold and zealous life concerning the truth that they now know? I simply cannot imagine living �a normal life� after that.

I know I simply could not. Which makes me wonder, �Am I that abnormal?� I have for so long thought that the normal Christian life is one of deep love and radical devotion to Christ and His cause. And so to this day I�m confused by Christians who are more concerned about living like Americans than living like people who have seen the Lord. I just feel like there is a serious disconnect there.

Having gotten that off my chest, there�s something else bothering me. What is up with these testimonies of Christians sensing God�s voice so strongly that they will say something completely unplanned or do something that�s completely irrational in obedience to it?
A couple weeks ago, Wendy Rehm shared a story that while she was in Louisiana for Katrina Relief work, she found herself deeply burdened that she was at the wrong church service. She felt like she had to go to different church service and, on top of that, she had to make her way to sit in a specific chair!
Or another friend of mine who shared that he had to attend a Jim Cymbala speaking event to talk to him about his prodigal son in New York. Well, Jim was swamped by a crowd answering questions and signing autographs when all the sudden he stopped still for a moment, looked straight at my friend, and said something to the extent of �You have a son that was wandered from the faith. I need to talk to you.�
Nate Swinton shares similar stories of getting up in the middle of the night at God�s beckoning and doing something unusual. What�s up with that!!

Now it�s my turn to be missing something, because you know what, I just can�t think of very many stories of my own like that! Don�t get me wrong. I�m not looking for a buzz to override the pure, absolute Word of God to direct my life. If all I have is the Scriptures to guide me for the rest of my days, I will die a happy man. BUT, if God wants to relate to me on a more personal, experiential level and I�m missing it, I�d like to correct that in a big way!

Now, as God would have it, I�m the guest speaker this weekend at a Teen Retreat about �hearing and obeying the voice of God�. And here I am recognizing that there is a level of hearing the voice of God that is rare in my life. Not a comfortable spot to be in.

So if any of you have some experiences or insight on this realm of hearing God�s voice in this way, please post a comment or send me an e-mail. I�ll need to borrow from others experiences until God is able to get through to me and give me some of my own stories to tell.

Cross walk

I carried a cross on campus today. And I'm telling ya... what a mix of emotions.

First there was paranoia (what are people going to think of me), then there was embarrassment/ shame (I'm lugging a cross through campus like some kind of fool), then there was pain (this thing is getting heavy and it's digging into my shoulder), and lastly there was joy (it's for you, Jesus, because you did it for me... for real).

It was such an encouragement to come alongside my Navigator brothers (Brian, Luke and Andy) and my Rock brothers (Tony and Nate) who "chose to share the oppression of God�s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin" (Heb. 11:25).

During Tony Hill�s time carrying the cross, we passed by Evan. A young man I had a long talk with about spiritual things and shared the gospel and my testimony with just last Saturday. He�s dabbling in Buddhism and had a lot of the classic arguments against Christ and Christianity. I prayed for him.
During my time carrying the cross, I passed by a BBQ tent with music playing and people mingling and enjoying life. What a contrast, yet I have a food that they know nothing about. They ate and will get hungry again. (Nothing worth blogging about there.) I carried a cross in honor of my Lord and Savior. An act that was so satisfying to my soul that I had to share it.

So I encourage you guys to pick up your cross and join God's people in identifying with the One "who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame" (Heb. 12:2) You can take your turn today (Wednesday) and Thursday from 9:45 AM - 12:45 PM, and on Good Friday from 7:45 AM - 2:15 PM.
Just show up at the Campanile and they will arrive shortly to transfer the cross to someone else. It only takes 15 minutes to walk the line.
Brian said he will do it the entire time if no one else shows up to share the load. I hope it doesn't come to that, but I appreciate his faith and love for Christ.

If I were a basketball coach...

I suspect I would have been fired by now.

The firing of ISU basketball coach, Wayne Morgan, has got me thinking. Here's a guy that in 3 years took his team to the NIT final four and the NCAA second round, but after one season of struggling and losing he gets flat out fired. Ouch! So much for being able to learn and grow from his mistakes... at least at Iowa State.

So I thought, what if pastors were treated the same way as basketball coaches. Within the last 2 or 3 weeks, it's been brought to my attention that since Pat Sokoll left with the Iowa City church plant in 2003 (in other words, since I've been the lead campus pastor of The Rock), we've seen "no visible numerical growth in the Rock", "I do not feel like I am being fed" by my Sunday morning messages, and I'm failing to provide adequate "training for leaders in discipleship and shepherding".

Sounds like grounds for termination to me.

But how is effectiveness measured in God's Kingdom? Is it by measurable results: salvations, large attendance, producing lots of leaders? To be honest, I would have a hard time saying no to any of these things.

But then I reflect back on a few words Mark Darling had for me during Encounter '04. He shared with me that God measures things on a completely different economy than we Americanized Christians do. We think God's affirmation and pleasure is seen in results, whereas, in reality, it's determined by faith.

Mark pointed out that the man with the smallest discernable faith (in fact he had a bad, unwilling heart), Jonah, was used by God to see the greatest response of repentance recorded in the entire Bible. Compare that with Jeremiah who had a heart for God and did whatever God told him to do yet saw next to no response from the Israelites. So what's the deal? Why did resistant Jonah see so much fruit and responsive Jeremiah see so little?

God's ways are not our ways, are they? It's not for us to know all the reasons why he chooses to use one person over another to accomplish His purposes, but we do know for sure that "without faith it is impossible to please God" (Heb. 11:6) and that this faith cannot be measured in ways common to man.

What's fascinating about the people of faith in Heb. 11 is that "They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance" (Heb. 11:13). And to such heroes as that the Bible says, "God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them." (Heb. 11:16)and that they "were all commended for their faith" (Heb. 11: 39) even though they never saw great results during their lifetime.

If I would only have enough faith to get me included in this number (even as a alternate :-) ), I could live with that... even if I did get fired.

Carrying the load...

A few weeks back I sent a rather vulnerable e-mail to some of my ministry partners and to my lifegroup about the dual harmonies of joy and pain that seem to compete with each other in the human experience. At that time, the harmony of hardship was far louder than the one of joy.

In response, I've gotten quite a number of words of encouragement and even a few who increased their support to help me on that end of things. To all, thank you. I thought that others might be encouraged by the words sent to me by two of my missionary friends in Thialand.

[We've] have been reading Hudson Taylor's biography this month. He started the China Inland Mission and was a pioneer in cross-cultural missions. ...

"He is most holy who has most of Christ within, and joys most fully in the finished work. It is defective faith which clogs the feet and causes many a fall." Later it adds, Christ is "the only power for service, the only ground for unchanging joy."

...Hudson Taylor was one who continually tested God's faithfulness in the areas of finances, work, health and safety. And God was faithful. At the same time, there was a price to pay for his trust in God. The disunity [among Taylor and some of his missionaries who questioned his leadership and policies] made its way back to England and people cast dispersions on his name. Misunderstandings and accusations abounded. Some of his children got sick and died. He was often sick. But God's work went on. The foundation was laid for the Chinese church which today numbers in the tens (or hundreds?) of millions.

DENIED!

Well, it's come to my attention that since Darcy's quilt raffle fell under Stonebrook's raffle license, I was ineligible to win the quilt. The Borseth curse has struck again!!!

Here I am holding the coveted Rhoda Award that I won by unanimous vote by my fellow pastors and staff for being disqualified from winning a quilt AND for suspicious nepotism (my brother winning the go-cart). Sigh.

Borseth's sweep the raffles!

I've always told my kids to never have high expections of winning anything big because of "the Borseth curse". Well, the curse has been lifted!!

Kristen and I won the raffle for the quilt which was organized by Darcy Smalley! Thanks Darcy!

And my brother, Andy, won the raffle for the Star Wars go-cart. See play by play pics of the drawing.

Darcy was praying for a $100 profit from ticket sales and brought in $165. Kristen and I will be selling the quilt on e-bay and donate whatever we make to The Ezekiel Project as well. So this was a very successful fundraiser.

The numbers have not gotten all compiled for the go-cart yet, so we don't know how much we made on that. Andy is still considering donating it back to The Rock, but no word for sure on that either.

Faithwalkers Reflections

Faithwalkers 2005. It may be over now, but the impact of the time is still being felt in my life. I began to suspect that God had something great in mind for this conference when the Rock sign up shot up to 75 just a couple weeks beforehand. So many obstacles like work schedules, financial constraints, holiday plans were miraculously moved aside allowing a lot of people to go. For anyone who is tracking, THAT WAS A SPECIFIC ANSWER TO PRAYER! And along with the turnout was the courageous steps of obedience that 4 Rockers took in getting baptized... especially in the ice cold water of the Lake of the Ozarks.
There was also an strong showing of 25 community folks from Stonebrook Community Church. Overall, I heard that the total turnout to Faithwalkers was nearing the 1500 mark! As several have said to me already, "God is on the move!"

I'd like to pass along a few things that are staying with me from Faithwalkers.

Dennis Clark's message on "Commitment to God and His Word."

Show me something today that I can do so I can show you how much I love you. (see John 14:21)

John Meyer's seminar on "Why the World rejects ID"

We MUST first establish God's relationship to someone's past [God is their creator], then establish God's relationship to their future [God is their judge], before they can understand God's relevance to their present. (see Acts 17:24-31)

Hershal Martindale's message on "A Great God, A Great Commission, A Great Power"

You and your church NEEDS to have a personal strategy to reach the world in this generation. (see John 4:31-38)

Brent Knox's message on "Crucial Principles of Church Leadership"

There's no great accomplishments until there's a great desire. (see I Timothy 3:1)

Mark Darling's message on "God's Revolution on Earth" (and reinforced in Rick Whitney's message on "Preparing for your future family")

Prepare yourself to be a church planter. Raise your family that way. If the Kennedy's can raise their family for politics and the Manning's for football, I [the Borseth's] can raise my family for God. (see 3 John 4)

Tim Borseth's seminar on "Raising up an Army, pt. 2"

Hey, there's my papers. I always have a backup plan. (see II Timothy 4:13)

All these messages and more can be heard HERE!

Thankful for a new start!

In the speech that set aside the last Thursday of November as Thanksgiving Day, President Lincoln said, "No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God..."
In full agreement, I would like to point out just a few of the "great things" God has done in The Rock so far this semester.

* I got a call from Pat Sokoll, pastor of Mars Hill in Iowa City. A kid that graduated with one of his daughter's was going to Iowa State and had attempted suicide within the last few days. He asked if I could have someone visit him. We both thought that Nate (a Rocker about to go on staff with GCM!) would be the man and it just so happened that the guy lived in RCA where Nate does most of his outreach. Well, Nate just popped over and told him that "God sent me here and so you need to go on a walk with me". This young man did and shared the aches of his life with Nate. Nate was able to speak the truth and love of Christ into his life which were among the last words he heard before he dropped out of school. Pray for Jacob. God wants this young man's heart and soul.

* A Rocker�s ex-boyfriend was doing drugs, disillusioned with life, and was considering suicide. He shared his struggles with his "ex-girlfriend now Rocker on fire for God" and she told him to come to Ames and meet her friends with the Rock. He noticed the difference in the quality and character of the Rockers lives immediately. On a night that the Rock had a late-night prayer meeting, those that knew this guy committed to praying for him. From our best efforts to connect the dots, it was during the exact time that prayers for this man were being offered up, that two Rockers, Julie and Brandon, were able to lead this man, Winthrop, to faith in Christ!!

* During the Rock tour, I met Adam and Dan. Two freshmen in temp housing. They connected with the Rockers and visited the Friday Night Rock. After the Rock on the MU Terrace, Adam told me, "this is exactly what I'm looking for. I want in!" Adam then got housing in a different dorm complex, but the Rockers pursued the relationship. When the Encounter Retreat came, Adam was going to do something else until an auto accident stopped that idea in its tracks. He told me at the retreat, "It seems that God really wants me to be here."
Last Sunday, Adam took a huge step of faith and was baptized in the fridged waters at Brookside Park.

* A young girl went to a Rock hotdog BBQ at Friley for a free bite to eat. Sensing that Christians were running the thing, her roommate told her to act like she was interested. She said, "Whatever! I am interested!" Even though this girl, Alli, had been involved in the party scene and all that goes with it, she was looking for something more. She started doing EVERYTHING with the Rock... the entire Rock tour, every Friday Night Rock, the Encounter Retreat, everything. While listening to Tom Short preach on campus, I got to have a long talk with Ali about Christ and His sacrifice on the cross for ALL of her sins. A lot of things got cleared up for her and she committed herself to Christ. At the Encounter Retreat, she was the first one to be baptized as a believer in Christ!

* Another freshman, Peter, has been getting increasingly involved in the Rock. He recently e-mailed Matt to share the good work that God is doing in his life:

I used to get really uncomfortable around large groups of people. I mean I get physically uncomfortable. I would get itchy or break into a sweat and would have a lot of troubles thinking straight. I would tend to be very compulsive and it got me into a lot of trouble socially and with authorities (administrators). I don't exactly why the things happened, they just did. I'm very sensitive to light and sound. At assemblies in the gym with a thousand eight hundred people around me it was bad. But what I realized today is that it's the context that matters. I don't understand why, but I don't feel threatened at all [at The Rock] in front of the speakers with people all around and lights blaring. I just feel like releasing all the love and joy and... euphoric amazement of the beauty of the hearts of people I've met, the natural world, life, the healing power of God. It is all just welling up like water behind a dam and all I can do is pull up the gates and let the water out. I wept for joy at Alive tonight [the GCM work at Drake]. Not for sorrow. Not for hate. Not for regret or pain or fear. For love of life! For love of this wonderful life that is full of trips and falls and mistakes that can never ever ever hold us down. I still feel a little bit of the old what ever it was when I'm just hanging around after the rock, but at family time, or when ever I'm together with my life group, or just having a conversation with Luke or anyone else about the things that really matter, I'm free!

I know there's more, but this is just a simple reminder that we have SO MUCH to be thankful for... in particular, a whole new life!
THANK YOU GOD!

What I brought home from the retreat (pt. II)

The second message was loaded for bear on the way we live our lives and why:

Quote from Russian astronomer "There are only two possibilities: either God exists or he doesn't... both are terrifying possibilities."

This mind who made us has a preference, and every time we deviate from them we mess things up. Example: It's wrong and illegal for a minor to smoke cigarettes, but you will get handed a condom in school.

This is so true. Our society has demonized smoking, but celebrates casual sex. Yet which one causes more pain and death in our world? I gave a message (Israel's first failure: not taking sin seriously (Josh. 7)) where I focused a lot of the consequences of our behavior, and not just to ourselves but to those around us (What we do in the privacy of our own homes does affect others!) In that message, I quoted CDC statistics saying that

"...more than half a million people have died after developing AIDS since 1981. At the end of 2003, nearly 406,000 people were living with AIDS in the USA. 77% were men of which 77% contracted AIDS through sexual contact.
63% of women with AIDS contracted it through sexual contact.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention spends $320 million annually in HIV prevention. Harvard estimated that AIDS has already cost the world more than $500 billion.

When it comes to STDs, an increase of Chlamydia infections has made it the most widespread STD in the USA. In 1996 there were nearly 493,000 reported diagnoses; by 2003 the annual total had increased by 78% to 877,478.

And we are all upset about smoking?! Hey, I agree that smoking is bad. My dad died, in part, from smoking. But in light of the hell unleashed by sex outside of marriage, it's clear that our priorities are really all screwed up!

John's final point was that

"This world did not make me. It was made for me. And I will outlast it!"

What a refreshing reminder to live for eternity. My life is worth far more than what this world is trying to sell me for.

What I brought home from the retreat (pt. I)

Yesterday (Sunday, 10/2) marked the completion of my 20th Fall Retreat. It was fitting that our speaker, John Meyer, was the pastor that I had identified most with when I went to my first retreat (Ankeny, 1984). Pretty cool!
Here are a few of the nuggets that I brought home from his teachings:

The faith of the first century believers was not compartmentalized like so many of us do today. You'll either believe in Christ or reject Him, but if you believe in Him then all that He is and represents must take the center of your life.

Their hope was the return of Christ and it drove their faith across the Roman empire. Their faith was just as much an offense back then as it is now, because it lays claims on other people's lives. They were willing to die (and many of them did) for that faith... am I?

It started with 120 people.

My ponderings: The Rock is 120 strong (in lifegroups). If we to make Christ the center of our lives like the first century believers did and you couple that with modern technology (travel, communication, Bibles in other languages, ect...), would we be able to dublicate what they did in reaching their world with the message of Christ? What would I need to change in my life to live and to lead that way?

And that was just from the first message. More to come.

Photos for your viewing pleasure

My lovely wife has been regularly uploading pictures as this semester progresses.
Check out what The Rock did for the fall kickoff!
And there's a new album tracking the rest of The Rock's activities.
A few new photos of demo and construction on Z37 are there to see.
See what Rex and Dad did during the first Scout campout of the scouting year.
If you missed Isaac's birthday, catch it here.
There's some sweet family vacation pics to take in as well.

So there's something for everyone. Enjoy!

In the news...

Well, it appears I made the paper again. It's amazing what one little letter to the editor about Intelligent Design can do.
Also in the article is Dr. Fernando, The Rock advisor, and Sam Ose, a good friend of Matt and I.

Check it out.

Also, look at the feedback I got on my blog when I posted my letter there. Woo weeee... some people have too much time on their hands.

A brief update on Katrina Relief

If you missed The Rock or Stonebrook Community Church this past week, you missed my update as to what our church has been able to do to help those suffering from the Katrina Hurricane disaster. Below are the notes that I loosely worked off of.
All the teams are back safe, and sound and ready to go back.

Katrina update:
1. Supply line- A Rock truck-sized vehicle was taken to Baton Rouge area (specifically Mandeville) filled with supplies (diapers, personal hygiene, bedding). The initiative and concern of three Stonebrook guys (Steve, Don, and Del), the time and labor of the Rockers (organized by Teply) and Stonebrook folks, and the generosity of strangers (one person handed us a crisp $100 right before take-off) made this mission of mercy possible.
They were able to deliver these supplies to areas that The Red Cross hadn't even penetrated yet.

2. Relief team 1: Five Rock guys in the Linden team left to work alongside a crew of ten people from Mars Hill in the devastated area of Mandeville. When they arrived at Mandeville they were the first ones from "the outside" to show up. The devastation is pretty bad. They have been delivering food to a lot of hungry and thirsty people, including infants. Dan said people started crying when they showed up.
They are now working in Slidell and will continue to work their way through small town unloading trucks, delivering food, and clearing the area so people can get through.

3. Relief team 2: Thirteen Rockers are in Shreveport helping with an evacuee center (Hirsh Auditorium). They�ve been doing data support work designed to reunite separated loved ones, running security, delivering supplies, and putting a touch of the love of Christ on everything they do.
This team was hand selected by God:
Matt and Wendy worked hard in their "IT" department. Their database was simply an excel spreadsheet, and so Matt & Wendy organized it and were able to immediately reunite people with their loved ones. Matt created a web-based platform that anyone can access to see who is staying there, what their needs are, ect� www.hirschshelter.com
Dave, Mark H., Chad Z. helped with security. Dave had just finished training for the police force!
Many of the sister met one of the biggest needs to arise out of this whole mess- the need for hope. They spent time with people showing them the love of Christ and giving them a reason to live.

It took forever for them to say good bye. They didn�t want to leave nor did the evacuees want them to leave.
Matt said it seemed like they�ve been there for 3 weeks and yet it just flew by.

A post on Matt's blog said it best:

"I'm not the church going type, but if it weren't for the Christian Churches, we'd all be flat on our butts."
Red Cross Volunteer we are working with, to a reporter.

4. Until were able to arrange more teams to head south, the Red Cross in Ames needs some serious help with data entry. Direct you time there.

In the name of love...

I'm sure you've noticed that problems, accidents, and obstacles never happen at convenient times.

Such is the case with the Katrina hurricane disaster. When that tragedy struck, the Rock was going at full tilt reaching out to students at Iowa State. Over the last two weeks, we've passed out thousands of flyers, pulled off 6 Rock concert-events (at Curtis Hall, student residence halls, & the MU Terrace), organized a wide assortment of smaller team events (BBQs, sports activities, ect...) and on and on I could go.

Through it all, we've made a lot of new friends filling our time and attention. We would have every reason to forgo helping the victims of Katrina simply because of the critical juncture of campus ministry. But how could we?

God calls on us as his ambassadors to push back the affects of the curse wherever it may be found. Christ�s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. (II Cor. 5:14-15)

So despite the hectic pace of ministry right now, 18 Rockers have taken off to Baton Rouge and Shreveport Louisiana to help those who have lost everything because of this storm. Five Rockers are hooking up with 10 folks from Mars Hill Church in Iowa City to work in a Baptist church run shelter at Baton Rouge (first photo). Thirteen other Rockers (second photo) are serving at a Red Cross shelter in Shreveport that's being run by a First Assembly of God church.

What a glory to God it is for His people to lay down their lives for those who are suffering. Please be praying for the safety and effectiveness of these two teams.

The Rock Tour photolog

The Rock Tour was great!! God really blessed our efforts. I'm personally looking forward to getting to know Muneaki from Japan better over the course of the semester.
Check out the photos from all the Rock gigs! It starts with the lastest photos (RCA gig) and goes back in time.

Now we know why

I and others have scratched our heads over the statistically high percentage of Americans who claim to be Christians (88% nationally) and yet have such a marginal impact on the American society. Especially when you consider that 40% of them claim to be "born-again".

Well, thanks to a poll by beliefnet and Newsweek, we now have a better idea as to why.

According to the poll results of more than 1,000 adults 18 years of age and older, 68 percent of evangelical Christians believe "good" people of other faiths can also go to heaven with 91 percent agreement among Catholics.

Agape Press reported this:

Beliefnet spokesman Steven Waldman calls the results "pretty amazing."

"Evangelicals are among the most churchgoing and religiously attentive people in the United States," Waldman writes, "and one of the ideas they're most likely to hear from the minister at church on a given Sunday is that the path to salvation is through Jesus."

In light of that, how -- he asks -- could so many Americans toss aside such a central element of theology?

Waldman believes the best explanation is found in the Newsweek cover story that grew out of the survey. The conclusion it draws is that Americans have become so focused on a very personal style of worship -- that is, forging a direct relationship with God -- that spiritual experience has begun to supplant dogma, or teaching based on the authority of the Bible.

Ouch!

Weighing in on ID debate

Well, my arm was twisted. Rather than working hard on campus ministry stuff, I was coerced into writting a letter to the editor of the D.M. Register regarding the Intelligent Design debate.
It went through a major revision after Dr. Guillermo Gonzalez himself advised me multiple times as to what to say and what not to say. This one got his blessing.

Much has been said in the news as of late over whether or not Intelligent Design ought to be considered a scientific theory or a religious belief, and if scientists who hold to ID should be allowed to hold research positions or teach science. As a graduate in geology from Iowa State (1990) and a pastor in Ames, I feel as if I�m in a unique position to understand both sides of the issue.

The discerning reader needs to catch the underlying question here: can a person believe in a god that is, to varying degrees, actively involved in the natural world still practice viable science? Or, does one have to believe in no god or an impotent god to be considered a reputable scientist?

A brief look at history and an honest assessment of today�s scientists answer the question hands down.

Practically every major scientific discipline was founded by men who believed in a god that was and is actively involved in the universe. A few notable examples would be Robert Boyle (father of modern chemistry); Georges Cuvier (founder of paleontology and comparative anatomy); John Dalton (father of modern atomic theory); James Joule (discoverer of the first law of thermodynamics); Gregor Mendel (father of genetics); Isaac Newton (discoverer of the universal laws of gravitation); Louis Pasteur (father of bacteriology), and the list goes on to the present day.

I have personally interacted with 15 professors at Iowa State who seriously doubt Darwinism and have offered their assistance in helping college students work through the role of faith in science. Dr. Guillermo Gonzalez is by no means alone in his understanding that science points toward an Intelligent Designer. Colleagues that share his conclusions range from Dr. Donald DeYoung who received his Ph. D. in physics from Iowa State to Charles Townes who invented the laser to the catalog of 400 scientists listed at www.discovery.org

Charles Darwin prefaced the 'Origin of Species' with this quote from Francis Bacon, the father of the scientific method: 'Let no man ... think or maintain, that a man can search too far or be too well studied in the book of God's word, or in the book of God's works.'

What we are seeing in this controversy is the prodigal son of science is returning home. The fathers of science and their like-minded contemporaries are welcoming the return, but the sons of Darwin are lashing out in fear that their exclusive rights to science will be lost.

Fear not, Darwinists, and join the party!

Faith resting on facts

Matt Heerema pointed me to an article about a discovery that usually goes without much fanfare. It once again gives the believer in Christ solid reasons to hold on tight to their faith.
Last fall, a team of workers fixing a sewage pipe found the Pool of Siloam. Doesn't sound like that big of deal at first, but listen to these quotes from the article:

"Scholars have said that there wasn't a Pool of Siloam and that John was using a religious conceit" to illustrate a point, said New Testament scholar James H. Charlesworth of the Princeton Theological Seminary. "Now we have found the Pool of Siloam � exactly where John said it was."

A gospel that was thought to be "pure theology is now shown to be grounded in history," he said.

Charlesworth said. "This may be the most significant and largest miqveh [ritual bath] ever found."

Over the years, I've heard of scores of examples just like this. The city of Jericho is one notable example. Skeptics claimed that the city of Jericho never existed and so Joshua and the Bible in general could not be inerrant thus not the Word of God. Well, at least they used to say that.

Christian, hold on to your faith. God has embedded reasons to believe that are obvious to anyone who is willing to see them whether that's archeological discoveries in Israel, geological and biological discoveries in the natural world, or, most powerful yet, the personal discovery of salvation through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ and the filling of the Holy Spirit.

Joshua in series

I have thoroughly enjoyed doing and hearing the messages over the book of Joshua this summer. The central theme Victory has become much clearer to me now.
Like usual, I get the most out of the messages that I prepared for. There is no substitute for spending lots of time digging deep into God's Word. The treasures hidden in there are marvelous.
The big ideas related to Victory that I've gotten out of Chapters 1, 7, 9, and 11-19 are: God has the power and offers us the promise of Victory (but do we have the faith and confidence in Him to believe Him for it) [Ch. 1], sin will deprive us of the victory every time and not only us [Ch. 7], but it will hurt those around us too, yet even in our sin and failure God can sovereignly work everything out for the good and give us the victory [Ch. 9], and lastly, the promised victory of God may seem like it can't or won't ever happen but we must persevere because history shows us clearly that God is able to fulfill every one of his great and precious promises.

Such brief summaries don't really do the messages or the chapters justice. Please give them a listen . I hope that you have been or will be able to assimilate the truths of this series into your life as much as I have been!

New and Used photos

I know that these photos are a bit dated, but they are so good I just had to post them and invite you all to take a look. Chances are high that you are in one of them. If so, post a comment under it.

John Meyer speaks

One of the most passionate, convicting messages spoken at the Pastor/Staff Conf. you will never hear. To say that John Meyer, pastor at Summitview Community Church at Ft. Collins CO, spoke on II Timothy 3:10-17 would be doing it an injustice. The best I can do for those of you who missed it is to offer you my notes.

But there's more. John has a long history of battling evolutionism. While a student in biology at Iowa State, he became convinced that evolution is a bankrupt theory and that the natural evidence better supports creationist theory. Well, he is still doing battle with his old nemesis, Dr. John Patterson. Dr. Patterson started first with a salvo in the Iowa State Daily, and John Meyer responded in kind.

But there's still more. John Meyer will be the guest speaker at this fall's Encounter Retreat. This retreat promises to be one the best ever. Schedule for it now. It will be Sept. 30 - Oct. 2 at Sunstream Retreat Center between Boone and Ogden Iowa.

Our amazing God!

Well, The Rock has now has a permanent place! Today at 8am, I had the privilege of seeing our prayers become reality as signatures were signed and money changed hands. What a journey God has taken us on to get where we are now. I have been nothing short of amazed by His wisdom, grace, and power... and I know He is not done yet.
It made me think of what God said to Ezekiel in chapter 37, "Can these bones live?" It seemed obvious to me that the answer was no. But what is impossible for a bunch of college student types, is possible for God. Dead bones... arise!

Allow me to be the first...

I wanted to be the first to boast big time in God...
Here I am in Chicago, Ill. for the SALT program and God has done something here that is near miraculous.

Last year, the SALTers struggled along the entire summer to get jobs that gave consistent hours and decent pay. This year, we repeatedly asked God to give everyone a job within the first week of the program.

Well, of the 20 people doing SALT (not counting Chris Biang or myself), 6 didn't have jobs yet. That right there is amazing!
So here we are two days into the program and ...BOOM... people started getting jobs immediately.
Faith got a job on day one.
Alicia and Emily got hired on day two.
Amy and Alisa have second interviews tomorrow and, by all reckonings, have a job ready and waiting for them.

The only person not to have a job yet is Heather who will not be showing up for SALT until mid-June.

God has done MORE than we asked or imagined!

Now for the post you've been waiting for...

If you hang out with the Rock whether in the blogosphere or on location, then you are well aware of the Ezekiel Project.
Now that we have a signed purchase agreement, we can begin the competition. It should be obvious to all that we can't keep calling this building that we're buying "the old Audio Plus building" forever. It's time to start "name storming", my friends!

The only ground rule is: no "obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place". Other than that, let the ideas flow.

As I've reflected on this, I've had two guiding thoughts.
One is to have the name serve to promote and identify the driving purpose behind it... a place for The Rock to do it's thing in a way that fits who we are and what we are trying to do. Now, I acknowledge that the vision for this place is far bigger than The Rock, but it was a search for a Rock home that brought us here.
This has made me think we should just call it The Rock House or The Rock Shop or something like that. The cafe thingy we could just call the Rock cafe.

The second thought is that the on-going businesses will carry a lot of weight as to how people identify this place. So, there's the Giant Wash laundromat. I can see it now: "So where's the Rock at?" "The Giant Wash Laundromat, dude. You gotta come... and bring your stinking clothes with you."
If we had a Tarraccino's in the cafe area, people would inevitably start calling it by that name. That's a step up from the laundromat, but could cause some confusion with promotions or when other groups are using the place. Most coffee houses don't have a large open area where you can rock.

So, for now, I like The Rock "X" whether that's house, shop, place, warehouse, or whatever. Sometimes the best name just comes out of nowhere and sticks... but then again, sometimes we find a name we like and then just use it enough that it sticks.

Spread the word about this effort to find a name. Whoever comes up with the winning name gets a free meal at the Borseth's.

Question

Sometimes we have to ask ourselves the hard questions.
I recently had a talk with someone who said that they hadn't seen anyone's life changed as a result of being involved in the Rock. Since "The Rock" can't change anyone (only God can), the implication is that God isn't at work in and through the Rock.
Well, is that the case? Since all of us are limited to two eyes and 16-20 waking hours in a day (depending on your major), it's easy to miss what God is doing. I thought I'd take a random blog poll (rbp). It's unscientific, but interesting nonetheless.
Here's the question:
If you are involved in the Rock at Iowa State, would you say that your life has changed for the good in some demonstrable way as a result?

Feel free to make your comment anonymous if you want. And spread the word about this rbp to others so we can have a better sampling of what's really happening (or not happening) out there.

Have a nice day!

New stuff

Hit the photos button and check out all the pics from our El Salvador trip. They are awesome and will tell you a lot about the nature of our trip.

Hit the Ezekiel Project link at the bottom of the right side bar and get a progress report on the building. Please, please keep praying for this.

Back from El Salvador

All 19 of us made it to and fro from El Salvador safe and sound, and with stories to tell.
The key words from the whole mission trip are: ANSWERED PRAYER.

Here's a few of the prayers that God answered during the time:
- Wendy Korthals lost her passport in Houston. It was found at the last possible minute in Pensacola, FL.
- No one got sick!
- Terri Ashley prayed that she would lead 10 people to Christ... she led 11.
- I prayed that I would lead a person to Christ each day I went onto campus. After 4 days of sharing, I either directly or indirectly led 4 people to Christ.
- Wendy Ziebol got her passport stolen at the beach. BUT, she was one of only a couple of us that photocopied her passport and she was able to get home off of that.

There's so much more to tell, but I'll have to do it at a later date.
Bottom line: God did miracles during the trip and we count it as an honor and priviledge to be a part of it.

Letting you know before I go

Well, it's been a bit stressful getting things done around here, but I'm almost ready to head off to El Salvador. I'll be there from March 12 - 20. Please be keeping me in prayer, AND please keep my wife and kids in prayer! They will need every bit as much grace and protection as I will.

For those of you who have been waiting for the next salvo of memory verses, here you go.

Acts 20:35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: �It is more blessed to give than to receive.��

With the Ezekiel Project before us, I figured it would be appropriate to memorize the promises of God regarding giving our time, energy, and money. Jesus isn't directly quoted in the gospels as having said this, but Luke (the author of Acts) said He did so that's good enough for me.

Proverbs 11:25 "A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed."

Clear and straight to the point. I like that. This is a principle of life to live by.

Luke 6:38 "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

If you say this verse with conviction and emotion, it will grip your soul. This verse is a clear promise of God to each and every one of us.

Malachi 3:10 "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,� says the Lord Almighty, �and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it."

You just can't memorize verses on giving without getting this one in there. It's amazing to me that the only place where God challenges us to test him is in the area of tithing to the work of God. This act of faith is important to Him, because it's the clearest visible display of who really has your heart.

Great pics

Just posted some great pics of the Valentine's event and the last Rock. "Check 'em out."

Also, got some great "family pics" up too. Rex and Nina just made their presence known at the homeschooling Communication Extravaganza. Rex's exhibit was even in the paper.

A Rock to Remember

I must admit. I'm not without words very often, but last Friday's Rock was such a huge surprise that I didn't know what to say.
In case you missed it, you can listen to the unexpected interruption by listening to the "Givers Anonymous" message at the Rock site.
What happened was Pat Sokoll, Nathan Meyer, Josh Cramer and Robert Olinger and Jeff Koenig from Mars Hill Church in Iowa City stepped up on stage dressed in black trench coats and, without saying a word, un-cuffed a briefcase from one of the brother�s wrists, cuffed it to mine, and then left as suddenly as they came. It was all a little on the weird side.