Dallas Bound...!

Thanks for checking out this new blog!!

A few of us from Nazareth Evangelical Lutheran Church here in Cedar Falls, IA are headed to Dallas, TX to attend the RightNow Church Leadership Conference from Nov 2-4.  We leave early Tuesday morning!!

I love the RightNow Ministries Mission Statement:  "To help people trade in the pursuit of the american dream for a world that desperately needs Christ."

Take a peek at what they are about and what we are hoping to experience, by following the link below --

RightNow Church Leadrship Conferences

Our Senior Pastor, Brian King, most of our Student Ministry Staff and myself are attending.  I am excited to see what God might to do to us over the course of the next several days.

I hope to use this blog to jot down a few key learnings, ideas and challenges that can be of benefit to all that might be interested in wanting to make some kind of a dent in this world - for the cause of Christ.

There are few things more exciting for me than a High Quality Conference - I know many are not all that thrilled to attend these kind of events - but I love them with a passion!  AND - I am extremely excited to share the next few days with these good friends and Nazareth ministry partners.

Stay tuned..!  And pray that we might have a safe and productive trip!!

Lean In.

If you're going to lean in to something, you eventually have to give up control.  When you lean, there is that exact moment you aren't standing on your own anymore in a way where you are calling the shots.

Yup - there is a chance you might fall down.  But there is also a glorious chance that you might find yourself being caught and sustained by the Promise that God is always with us and will never forsake us.  (*)  But - you'll never know for sure - until you really lean!

There is an old church hymn I remember as a kid with the lyric: "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms..."

Lean in to the Lord.  Lean in to discover what He has planned for you.  Make no mistake, God has a Plan - and I believe it's a good one!  (**)  I am convinced He has designed for EACH of us a life of deep significance and purpose and meaning and influence - for a cause that much more important than just ourselves.  We can discover what this might be - by leaning away from our selfishness - and into His arms.

Do you want to Live and Lead well?  Lean in to the Lord - and brace yourself for an wonderful adventure of Grace and Joy and Redemption in Christ that the world - including you and me - so desperately needs to experience...

The Word You Can Count On:
*Romans 8:28 - "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, and who have been called according to his purpose."
**Jeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."