A Perfect Fit

Cholula Hot Sauce

Who says there is no such thing as a "perfect church?"

As you may know, Pastor Bob and myself are in Dallas for a conference this week. We came down several days before the start of the conference to tour several churches that recently built new facilities. This morning we visited Prestonwood Baptist Church. We arrived early so we decided to have breakfast in their cafeteria. We ordered omelets and were waiting for them to finish cooking when I spotted the collection of hot sauces. And then my eyes caught the Cholula sauce, Bob's favorite. It was then that I knew that Pastor Bob had found his perfect church complete with a food court/cafeteria that serves Cholula sauce!

Not to worry though, I pulled Pastor Bob away from Prestonwood and we will both return to Cedar Rapids late Thursday evening. We are both excited to return and share all that we have learned the past two days. Who would possibly want to serve anywhere else when you already have the best? New Covenant, Pastor Bob and Pastor Kim - a perfect fit.

And by the way, the omelets where delicious!

End of the Spear

I saw the End of the Spear last week. The movie was even better than I had expected. It is well done and tells a timeless story of redemption and forgiveness.

The movie has also generated some discussion regarding the casting of Chad Allen as Nate and Steve Saint. Chad is a gay rights activist and many Christians have been critical of his inclusion in the movie.

Regardless of where you fall on the issue, I encourage you to read the Christianity Today article that explains how the decision was made. Steve Saint takes responsibility for the decision and describes how God led him to keep Chad Allen on the project.

And then Steve Saint makes this incredible statement:
"It is hard to see people have to defend a decision that I was responsible for, for people to have ugly things said about them because of a decision I made. But I have total peace about the decision, and that Chad Allen was the man God intended to act in the movie. I knew that there would be a price to pay for any position I would take on this issue, regardless of the fact that I had not wanted to be involved. I knew one thing for sure: I would rather face the anger and even hatred of people who feel I have let them down, than to take any chance of having to stand before my Savior and have to answer for messing up his plans for Chad."

Steve is more concened for Chad's salvation than for the reaction of angry Christians. After seeing the movie I'm not surprised at Steve's response. Pray that God would use this movie to touch the hearts those who are lost without Christ. I went to the End of the Spear thinking I was going to see a movie about five missionary families. I soon realized that the movie is more about the darkness of the human heart without Christ and how God is able to transform a life that is fully surrendered to Him.

God gave His one and only Son for me, even when I was still lost in my sin. Nate Saint and his family have given their lives for the Waodani people, seeing many come to Christ. Might the message of the cross so mark our lives that we would follow in His steps and that all would know that we are His disciples by our love.

Membership Commitment

Neither snow, nor sleet, nor ice covered roads could keep this group of people away from the Membership Class this past weekend! 57 people fought through icey roads and traffic on Friday night to get to the church. This was one committed group of people!

This is the largest Membership Class in my 14 years at New Covenant! You can click on the picture above to see a slideshow of our weekend. The size of our group made it necessary to hold the class in the Activity Center. The seating arrangement around tables and the use of "huddle questions" helped people to connect with one another in spite of the large class size.

We gave out some awards on Friday night. Bob won the prize for the person who has been attending the longest (25 years), and Charmaine, and Brian and Amy won the prize for those who are the newest (six weeks). It was a pleasure getting to know this group of people this weekend.

Our next Membership Weekend is scheduled for March 24-26. Hopefully the sun will be shining and the temperature will be above 32 degrees! But regardless of the weather, we are committed to growing great lives on mission for Christ! See you at the cross.

Happy Birthday Jason

I can’t believe that you will be graduating in several short months! Wow, the time has gone fast. You have really grown in your faith during the last four years and have turned into an awesome young man. I want to share some words of encouragement as you approach graduation and the next phase of your life! These are some words that come to mind as I reflect on who God has shaped you to be.

Laughter ~ When you’re around there is always laughter! You are always coming up with new nick names, funny sayings or whacky stories. Things are just more fun when you’re around. Keep letting the joy of the Lord shine through you.
A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22

Earnest ~ You are earnest in your walk with God. You are serious about your spiritual commitments and your relationship with Christ. Your commitment to prayer and personal holiness challenge others to walk closer to Christ. Keep loving the Lord with all your heart.
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6

Athletic ~ This was an easy one! You love athletics, competition, physical activity and action! You also hate to lose, but that’s another story! God has made you this way. Use your skills and talents for His glory and enjoy every minute of it.
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Decisive ~ You are clear about what you think and believe. You may not always be right, but you are always decisive! You give specific instruction and clear direction which enable others to follow your leadership. Keep seeking Christ so that you can lead others in His ways.
But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD. Joshua 24:15

Early ~ You love being prepared. I have always been amazed at your work ethic and how early you would start on your homework assignments! You are always prepared which enables you to give your best effort. Keep seeking the Lord early in the morning and He will prepare you for your journey.
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Mark 1:35

Realistic ~ You are realistic about your strengths and weakness and who God has made you to be. You have a good sense of who you are in Christ, and you desire to change and grow. God has a special plan for your life. Trust God for big things – He is able!
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. Romans 12:3, 6

Happy 22nd Birthday Jason!

Home Brew

Well it's official, this weekend I joined the ranks of those who roast their own coffee beans. You say you've never heard of such a thing! Well, I hadn't either until a couple of months ago. And then I met Brett Mason.

Brett is a coffee connoisseur. I have always enjoyed a good cup of coffee - Java Creek and Coffeesmiths are my favorite local establishments. Jason turned Sharon and I on to Caribou coffee six months ago and we were excited to learn that we could purchase it at Sams Club locally. Little did I know that I would soon be learning to custom roast my own beans.

Brett has been roasting coffee for some time. I enjoyed some of his coffee so much that my family decided to give me a "starter kit" for Christmas. With Brett's help they selected four kinds of green coffee beans - Honduras Fabio Cabullero, Brazil Fazenda, Java Djampit, and Costa Rica La Candelita.

But the key piece of equipment for any home roaster is the West Bend Poppery II hot air popcorn popper. Believe it or not, we still had one stored away in our basement! Who knows why it hadn't been donated to Goodwill years ago. But by good fortune it found it's way under our tree this Christmas and is now being put back into service. This is taking "regifting" to a whole new level!

With Brett's help I roasted my first batch of beans this weekend. I learned about the different kinds of roast, divits, bean color, chaff, and the second crack. But as much as I enjoyed roasting the beans, I still enjoy drinking coffee even more. I had my first cup of home roasted Java Djampit this morning and it was wonderful!

Home roasted and brewed coffee - one of life's simple pleasures! It's a great way to start the day.

Friends Forever

Ella May Eggert celebrated her 90th birthday with a special party at church on Saturday afternoon. She enjoyed greeting many longtime friends and family. There were enough hugs, tears, memories, and cake to go around for everyone! You can click on the picture above to see a short slideshow of the party.

Happy Birthday Ella May!

Happy Birthday Janet

Our bulletin folders threw a surprise party for Janet Toom last Friday! Janet had to work hard to blow out all her candles! We all agreed that Janet could have another birthday next week. Cake and ice cream on Friday afternoon could become habit forming! You can click on the picture above to see a short slideshow of the party.

Happy Birthday Janet!

Better Together

ABF Training

New Covenant is a family of growing disciples. We are committed to growing both larger and smaller at the same time. And how is that done? We grow larger as people come to Christ and become part of our church family. And we grow smaller through our Adult Bible Fellowships and small groups which allow people to develop a sense of community. Our mid-size and small groups allow people to build authentic, caring relationships.

This morning we had an Adult Bible Fellowship Leadership Training seminar. We had a great time with these 39 ABF leaders. You can click on the picture above to see a short slideshow of our time together. It was encouraging to hear how God is at work in the different ABF communities.

There is great power when a group of people love and move in unison with one another. There is no limit what God to do through a people who are committed to Jesus Christ and to each other. By God's grace, we will become that kind of community. We are better together.

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work. If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Ecclesiastes 4:9

Welcome Lunch

Welcome mat made by 2nd through 4th graders this morning

We had a great Welcome Lunch today with about 100 people in attendance. You can click on the picture above to see a short slideshow of the lunch.

We like to say at New Covenant that there is always room for one more person. That a healthy church, like a healthy family, makes space around the dinner table or family room for one more person. Today we got to practice what we preach.

Pastor Bob and Leesa came to the lunch a few minutes late and all the tables were filled. So what did Bob do? What any family would do. He set up another table and and pulled up some more chairs.

No place to sit down? No problem. We can always make room for one more person. Welcome to New Covenant.