A Tradition Unlike Any Other

One of our Christmas morning traditions is enjoying Sharon's world-famous cinnamon rolls! They are spectacular. And we get to enjoy them twice. First, we enjoy the wonderful aroma as they bake in the oven. And then we enjoy the warm bundle of goodness as we wash the first bite down with a cold glass of milk!

You can click on the photo above to see a short slide show of our cinnamon rolls. And if you're curious, you can probably coax the recipe out of Sharon by emailing her at KimPagel@mchsi.com.

I personally promise to expedite the recipe to you if you promise to share a cinnamon roll with me from your first pan! It's a tradition unlike any other!

The Bottom of the 9th

Tom Rinaldi from ESPN has done another incredible human interest story from the field of sports. He is the best story teller I have ever heard. This piece on John Challis is a must see.

The John Challis story was brought to the nations attention after Mike White from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote a great article that was published May 4, 2008. John Challis was diagnosed with cancer on June 23, 2006. He was only given several months to live. He exceeded doctors expectations before passing away August 18 of this year.

John Challis was an ordinary young man who determined to use his circumstance for good. Here is what he had to say about his view of life.

"Sometimes I cry, but people cry for all different kinds of reasons," he said. "Sometimes I just want to know why, but I think I figured that out. God wanted me to get sick because he knew I was strong enough to handle it. I'm spreading His word and my message. By doing that, I'm doing what God put me here to do."

In a little over two years, John Challis touched thousands of lives. Over 1500 attended the visitation after his death. Mike White wrote about the visitation and funeral service and the impact John Challis had on his own personal life. Tom Rinaldi and an ESPN producer attended the funeral, not for professional but personal reasons.

John Challis spent most of his final 2 1/2 years thinking about how to impact others. He was mature beyond his years. John's final act of selflessness occurred during his own funeral service.

Before he died, John asked Joe Signore, a close friend of the family, to give his eulogy. But John had made Mr. Signore promise he would do one thing at the funeral. Mr. Signore asked John's younger sister, Lexie, and his mother and father to leave their first-row pew and come to the front of the church. "Lexie, Gina, Scott. John made me promise to do this," he said. "He told me that you had gotten so many people to applaud him. Now it's your turn." At once, everyone rose and gave the Challises a standing ovation.

Even at his funeral service, John Challis wanted the focus of attention placed on others. John Challis was an incredible young man who knew how to live, and knew how to die. He stands as an inspiration to every person who is ten runs down going into the bottom of the 9th inning.

Christmas Cookie Art

We decorated Christmas cookies last night. It has become an annual tradition. This is the 4th straight year that Erin has been with us for this event. Erin turns decorating Christmas cookies into a work of art! You can click on the photo above to see a slide show.

Heather, Jon's girlfriend, was able to join us this year also. Heather is a nursing major at Allen Hospital in Waterloo. She decorated the "nurse" cookie. Erin and Jon teamed up to do the "bride and groom" pair. Jon put a mustache on the groom after Sharon showed off our old wedding photos! It was all great fun!

A Swing'n Christmas

We went to the Big Band Christmas Concert last night at New Covenant. It was awesome. If you didn't attend last night, make sure you don't miss it this evening. Don't let a little snow stop you from having a memorable evening!

You can click on the photo above to see a slide show of the concert. Kudos to all the musicians who participated! And a special "thank you" to Pastor Gary! Our hearts were touched by the story of Christmas as told through the big band sound! It was a swing'n Christmas.

Dessert Open House

We are hosting a Dessert Open House for Erin and Jason in our home. You can choose between two different times:

• 7:00-8:00 PM on Monday, December 15
• 7:00-8:00 PM on Thursday, December 18

Come and learn about the Timberline student ministry that Jason and Erin are involved with. You click on the image above to see a short video on Timberline.

You can click here to get a map to our home at 712 71st Street NE, Cedar Rapids. We hope to see you at one of the gatherings.

Intellectually Bankrupt

In case you haven't heard, the December 15 issue of Newsweek's is titled The Religious Case for Gay Marriage. Lisa Miller's cover story attempts to take a look at what the Scriptures have to say about marriage and homosexuality, but only becomes a soap box for Ms. Miller's own preconceived conclusions.

The Scriptures? This is what Ms. Miller has to say about them:
"A mature view of scriptural authority requires us, as we have in the past, to move beyond literalism. The Bible was written for a world so unlike our own, it's impossible to apply its rules, at face value, to ours." "At this point the authority of the Bible is reduced to whatever "universal truths" we can distill from its (supposed) horrifyingly backward and oppressive texts."

You can read a good review of the article at CitizenLink and an even better review at Christianity Today.

But what I find most disturbing as a follower of Jesus Christ and someone who considers the Bible to be God inspired, is the editorial by Jon Meacham. Here is Mr. Meacham's view of someone who looks to the Scriptures for truth.

"No matter what one thinks about gay rights—for, against or somewhere in between —this conservative resort to biblical authority is the worst kind of fundamentalism. Given the history of the making of the Scriptures and the millennia of critical attention scholars and others have given to the stories and injunctions that come to us in the Hebrew Bible and the Christian New Testament, to argue that something is so because it is in the Bible is more than intellectually bankrupt—it is unserious, and unworthy of the great Judeo-Christian tradition."

To argue that something is so because it is in the Bible is more than intellectually bankrupt! I think I just got called a "fool" by Mr. Meacham! Horrifyingly backward and oppressive texts! So much for religious tolerance!

How should we respond to all of this? Mr. Meacham says "Let the letters and e-mails come." I don't advocate letter writing or hand wringing. And why not? Because I take my directions not from the editor of Newsweek but from the timeless truth of Scripture. Passages like 1 Peter 2:11-12, 15:

Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men.

And 1 Corinthians 1:18-21

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.' Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since the in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.

Let's not be surprised when those who live in darkness reject the light. Let's not be surprised when those who reject God's moral law declare those who follow it to be fools. Let's not be surprised when we find that we are rejected by our own culture. We are aliens and strangers passing through a foreign land.

Instead of shock and surprise, let's pray, care and share. Let's be about silencing our critics by doing good. Let's live out our mission, not afraid to be called fools by those who misunderstand. Or to be called intellectually bankrupt by editors of Newsweek!

Three Cheers

We traveled to Gallagher Bluedorn yesterday to hear Josh perform in the UNI Men's Glee Club Christmas Variety Show. And what a show it was! You can click on the photo above to see a slide show of the evening.

The 116 voice men's choir was awesome! I especially enjoyed Mary Did You Know, Ave Maria, and The First Noel sung to candle light! David Hoobler did an awesome job in the Men's Camerata. And Caroling, Caroling sung by the Vocal Jazz Ensemble may have been my favorite!

A Star-Crossed Christmas was a Star Wars meets Star Trek Christmas play. There were some classic lines and scenes! And of course, the show ends with its traditional Dance of The Sugar Plum Fairies performed by the Arthur Murder Dancers!

We thoroughly enjoyed the 2 1/2 hour show. Three cheers to Dr. Barrett and all those who performed.

Turn Off and Tune In

There's a new study out on what makes people happy. The study conducted by the University of Maryland sociologist John Robinson was published in the December issue of the journal Social Indicators Research. It looked at public opinion data from nearly 40,000 people ages 18 to 64, as well as time-use diaries that detail how people spend their days.

And what did the study conclude? They found that happy people spend more free hours socializing, reading and participating in religious activities, while unhappy people watch 30 percent more television!

The most recent figure from Nielsen Media Research indicate that the average American watches 4 1/2 hours of television per day. That is 31 1/2 hours every week. This is enough television to make anyone unhappy! Life is too short and there is too much to do to park yourself in front of a television that many hours a week.

Now, don't get me wrong. I enjoy a good TV show or sporting event as much as the next guy. Just last night all four of us watched the Syracuse Orange beat the Kansas Jayhawks in an exciting overtime basketball game. Our emotions went from elation to frustration during the course of the game. It was a thoroughly enjoyable family time.

Now, we don't know if watching television makes a person unhappy, or if those who are unhappy are drawn to more television as a way to ward off their unhappiness. But make no mistake, heavy television watching correlates with unhappiness.

So tomorrow, choose to be happy. Turn off the television. Engage in stimulating conversation. Enjoy hanging out with family and friends. Tell a funny story. Recall God's goodness this past year and thank Him for His many blessings.

Take time to turn off and tune in.

Infectious Greed

I wrote earlier about Alan Greenspan and his libertarian trust in unregulated financial markets to do the right thing. It seems as though Mr. Greenspan has changed his mind. He was called to testify before the House Oversight Committee on Thursday, October 23.

Listen to Mr. Greenspan's new "enlightened" views:

• He described the current financial crisis as a "once-in-a-century credit tsunami" and acknowledged that the crisis has exposed flaws in his thinking and in the workings of the free-market system.
• He told the House Oversight Committee that his belief that banks would be more prudent in their lending practices because of the need to protect their stockholders had been proven wrong by the current crisis. He called this a "mistake" in his views and said he had been shocked by that.
• He said he had made a "mistake" in believing that banks in operating in their self-interest would be sufficient to protect their shareholders and the equity in their institutions.
• He called this "a flaw in the model that I perceived is the critical functioning structure that defines how the world works."

Mr. Greenspan shouldn't have been shocked. In 2002 he appeared before Senate and had this to say:

"Why did corporate governance checks and balances that served us reasonably well in the past break down? At root was the rapid enlargement of stock market capitalizations in the latter part of the 1990s that arguably engendered an outsized increase in opportunities for avarice. An infectious greed seemed to grip much of our business community."

"The trouble, unfortunately, is that the shock of what has happened will keep malfeasance down for a while. But human nature being what it is -- and memories fade -- it will be back. And it is important that at that time appropriate legislation be in place to inhibit activities that we would perceive to be inappropriate."

"It is not that humans have become any more greedy than in generations past. It is that the avenues to express greed had grown so enormously.''

The human condition hasn't changed through the centuries. Greed, if left unchecked, consumes everything around it. It's never satisfied.

This is why Jesus told His followers in Luke 12:15:
"Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

The only solution is a transformed heart. Greed and selfish interest can be changed to generosity, gratitude and humility by the power of Jesus Christ. He is able to deliver us from ourselves. The human heart is capable of all kinds of evil. External legislation and laws are needed to create moral boundaries for protection, accountability and stability.

We shouldn't be "shocked" that given the chance, individuals and corporations pursue profit-taking. We shouldn't be shocked when we seek corporate executives on lavish vacations even as they seek government bailouts. We shouldn't be shocked that banks and credit institutions sold sub-prime mortgages in order to turn short-term profits. We shouldn't be shocked to learn that in 2005, for the first time since the Great Depression, personal savings rates were in the red for an entire year! You see, we have met the enemy and he is us!

As Jesus instructed us, we need to "watch out" for all kind of greed. We need to "be on our guard" for infectious greed!

It Will Come Back

We had a great Men's Fraternity session this morning titled, "What Every Dad Needs to Know." Good stuff.

Our boys are grown and on their own, or well on their way. They're not hanging around the family room at night, not raiding our refrig, not playing in the marching band, not inviting friends over, not playing whiffle ball in the back yard. They're not living at home anymore. And if I think too long on this kind of stuff I begin to get sad.

But then I think about what our boys are doing now. Ryan is married, is finishing up his degree at OU and has accepted a full-time position with Chesapeake Energy. Jason is engaged with a January 3 wedding date just around the corner, serving students at Timberline Lodge in Colorado. And Josh and Jon are students at UNI, involved with The Navigator ministry and growing in their relationships with Christ.

When I think about the way God has blessed Sharon and I with four incredible boys and what they are doing with their lives, I get all teary eyed. But these are tears of joy and gratitude. God is so good and so faithful!

Robert Lewis shared this Erma Bombeck story. I end with this.

When Mike was three he wanted a sandbox and his father said, “There goes the yard. We’ll have kids over her day and night and they’ll throw sand into the flower beds and cats will make a mess in it and it will kill the grass for sure.” And Mike’s mother said, “It will come back.”

When Mike was five, he wanted a jungle gym set with swings that would take his breath away and bars to take him to the summit and his father said, “Good grief, I’ve seen those things and do you know what they look like? Mud holes in a pasture. Kids digging their gym shoes in…It will kill the grass.” And Mike’s mother said, “It will comeback.”

Between breaths when Daddy was blowing up the plastic swimming pool he warned, “You know what they’re going to do to this place? They’re going to condemn it and use it for a missile site. I hope you know what you’re doing. They’ll track water everywhere and you’ll have a million water fights and you won’t be able to take the garbage out without stepping in mud up to your neck and when we take this thing down we will have the only brown lawn on the block.” “It will come back,” smiled Mike’s mother.

When Mike was twelve, he volunteered his yard for a campout. As they hoisted the tents and drove in the spikes, his father stood at the window and observed, “Why don’t I just put the grass seed out in cereal boxes for the birds and save myself the trouble of spreading it around. You know for a fact that those tents and all those big feet are going to trample down every single blade of grass, don’t you? Don’t bother to answer,” he went on, “I know what you’re going to say—it will come back.”

The basketball hoop on the side of the garage attracted more crowds than the Winter Olympics. And a small patch of lawn that started out with a barren spot the size of a garbage can lid soon grew to encompass the entire side yard. And just when it looked like the new seed might take root, the winter came and the sled runners beat it into ridges and Mike’s father shook his head and said, “I never asked for much in this life—only a patch of grass.” And his wife smile and said, “It will come back.”

The lawn this year was beautiful. It was green and alive and rolled out like sponge carpet along the driveway where the gym shoes had run…along the garage where bicycles used to fall, and around the flower beds where little boys used to dig with ice tea. But Mike’s father never noticed the new grass. He anxiously looked beyond the yard and asked with a catch in his voice, “He will come back, won’t he?”

This Is Home

I've had Switchfoot's "This Is Home" running around in my head for some time. I knew there was a blog post in there somewhere, I just didn't know when or what.

I first heard the song this past summer on ESPN of all places. They used it as their theme song for the Title Town USA contest they were holding. I loved the song but didn't know anything about it. Josh did some hunting around and found that it was done by Switchfoot for the Prince Caspian movie.

This morning I put a slide show together using This Is Home. I used pictures from Eight Days of Hope. Enjoy!

This Is Home reminds me that this world is not my home. That my real home is in heaven. And it's imperishable and eternal. That it will never be destroyed. And that in my new home there will be no more tears, no more death, no more mourning, no more crying and no more pain. This is my real home, the home where I belong.

Every man, woman and child longs for a home like this. A place to call their own. A place to belong. I want to help people find their real home, a home prepared with love just for them.

I've been created for a place I've never known. This is home!

Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. John 14:1-3

Serve the City

Serve the City has a new video out that reviews the events of the 2008 flood. Click here to see the 10 minute video. You won't be disappointed. And because we have been faithful in little, God has opened doors for greater service in our community. This is His work. We have the priviledge of being His hands, His feet and His voice.

You Gotta Love This Country

Make sure to stop by your polling station tomorrow and cast your vote. And then stop by your favorite Starbucks and pick up your free coffee! You gotta love this country!

Which one of these characters will you vote for!!

Day 8

It's hard to believe that we have reached Day 8 already! It was a tiring but rewarding experience. The Cedar Rapids Gazette did an article on the conclusion of Eight Days of Hope. You can read it here.

Here are some of my personal thoughts and reflections (in no particular order):

• This group loves Jesus and loves serving him as a way of life. How else can you possibly explain why people from 44 states and 5 Canadian provinces would come to Cedar Rapids, sleep on a church floor and work for free!
• There is no way to adequately prepare a person and/or host church for one of these events. Last Sunday our parking lot was already full at 6:15 AM!
• Steve Tybor is incredible! He's too humble to take any credit, but others feed off of his energy and passion. His love for Christ is contageous! Being around Steve makes me want to be more like Jesus and to serve Him more faithfully.
• This group is well organized. How do you manage 1400 volunteers and do projects in 140 homes? 25 people from their advance team came to Cedar Rapids the week before the event to do assessments and begin work.
• Their leadership team is incredibly committed to their mission and to one another. Several on the leadership team are presently unemployed, yet they came anyway!
• I met some really talented people - electricians, plumbers, home builders, general contractors, carpenters, and a woman that does spray texture!
• God can do extraordinary things through ordinary people who make themselves available. The simple act of hanging sheetrock brought tears to the eyes of more than one home owner.
• Our church rocks! Everywhere I went I saw New Covenant folks. Thank you for linking arms with Eight Days of Hope to serve our community.
• Our students know how to work. I didn't see one of our students sitting around. They hung drywall, taped, repaired homes, painted, cleaned work sites and the church, and loved on home owners!
• My favorite part of the day was announcement time and home owner testimonies during dinner. I estimate that almost half of the home owners joined us for dinner. Hearing the home owners share from their hearts inspired all us to keep going.
• One of my personal hi-lights was seeing a home owner get a furnace purchased and installed. They were heating their home with a gas stove. The home owners joined us for dinner and worship on Saturday night.
• I can't believe that Eight Days of Hope does two of these a year. Where do they get the energy! OK, so I know where they get the energy, it's God inspired. I still can't believe that they do two a year!
• I really admire people who have learned or mastered their craft. It makes me wish I was more skilled in one of the construction trades.
• This group is characterized by humility and servanthood. That's a pretty powerful one-two punch. Maybe that's why God is so powerfully blessing this ministry.
• Steve Tybor made it clear that they would honor local building codes and ordinances. We worked closely with Code Enforcement and had a very positive working relationship with the City of Cedar Rapids. A special thank you to Jim Thatcher!
• Nine churches opened their doors to house over 800 volunteers from out of state. Thank you to New Life Community, St. Marks Lutheran, Faith Bible, Oakland Nazerene, River of Life, Bethany Lutheran, Trinity Lutheran, Concordia Lutheran, and Huss Presbyterian churches!
• New Covenant will continue to resource several of the home owners we have built a relationship with, to help them finish their home.
• Even though we worked on 140 homes, there are hundreds and even thousands left to be worked on. There is still a lot of work left to do. New Covenant must continue to be involved in some way.
• The lunch and sharing time at Palo on Saturday was one of the most incredible things I have ever witnessed or been part of. An entire community has been impacted.
• Vernon and his cooking team did a great job. They got up every morning at 3:30 so we could have a hot breakfast at 6:00 AM.
• I think I personally met people from over 30 different states!
• Dan Garrick is applying for the Construction Manager position with the Linn Area Long Term Recovery Coalition. I can't imagine a more qualified candidate. It would be totally awesome if Dan got the job! What a blessing he would be to our community.
• Butch and Juliene are awesome. They retired so that can volunteer/work with Eight Days of Hope. And they put in long days.
• Charlie and Greg served Palo like it was their own town. Tom Watson gave them a huge compliment when he said that all the work was done with professionalism. The Palo teams were turning out so much work that Tom had to call in two Cedar Rapids inspectors in order to keep up!
• Although there are a number of teens and young families who serve with Eight Days of Hope, it is primarily a "grey-haired" group. One man told me he is changing his retirement plans after serving here this past week.
• I'm thankful for daylight savings time!
• Charles is amazing. He needs to take a two week vacation!

I could keep on going, but I need to wrap this post up while it's still Day 8. To God be the glory, great things He has done! Thank you to all who had a part in this great adventure called Eight Days of Hope.

Day 7

Just when you don't think it can get any better, God pulls out all the stops and multiplies His blessings. This describes Day 7! You can click on the photo above to see a slide show of the day

Wow, where do I start. We had a hand-off meeting with the Leslie from the Long Term Recovery Coalition and others who are interested in seeing that the 105 homes we have worked on are not dropped. We left with an initial plan that will get us through the next several weeks.

I stopped by Palo to see the progress on some of the houses I visited earlier in the week. It so encouraging to see all that has been done. Greg was planning to leave today to return to Michigan but he decided to do additional electrical work for a home owner so he will leave on Sunday instead.

The city of Palo hosted a "Thank You" Pizza Lunch at the garden center. They planned for 450 and there may have been that many in attendance. Penny MC'd and introduced various home owners who shared what this experience has meant for them. I have never been part of a meeting like this in my entire life! Words can't describe what took place in that room over a pizza lunch! And of course Charlie was introduced and received a well deserved round of applause. Hope has been restored to an entire community!

I stopped on the NW side to visit some homes that are in process. It was so awesome to see someone from New Covenant in every home I visited today! Then I stopped in on Mark Forstrom and the house he and our youth group has been working on all week. What a transformation! This is the house that had terrible termite damage. Herman, the home owner, and his family came to dinner tonight and expressed his gratitude to our entire group!

From there it was down to Czech Village and to catch up with the progress on Nikki's house. This is the home Charlie Snodgrass, John Herder and our youth group has been working on. All the sheetrock got hung today and they made great progress taping. I called for a new water heater for her and that was delivered later in the day.

Over ten home owners were introduced at dinner. It is so encouraging after a long day to hear their heart-felt gratitude for what has been done for them. Mark, a volunteer from Pennsylvania, had the opportunity to pray with a 15 year old boy on the work site this week. Today the family came and joined him for dinner. Mark taught the 15 year old how to use the compound miter saw this week. He enjoyed it so much, he wanted to keep Marks saw. Mark did him one better. He invited the family onto the stage this evening and presented the young man with his own saw! This is good stuff! Mark is one of my new heros!

Steve reported that approximately $2 million of construction has been accomplished this past week, and 270 jobs have been finished! Wow! What a week. No wonder we are all a little tired!

But our sore backs and aching bones are a small price to pay for the many blessings we have all received. We have been blessed with food to eat, homes to live in, work to do, and new friends to enjoy. We have been blessed to be part of something God is doing in our community. We have been blessed to hear testimonies of changed lives. We have all received multiplied blessing this past week!

Day 6

I have to admit, it's Day 6 and I'm feeling a little tired! But it's all worth it. You can click on the photo above to see a slide show of the day.

I got to visit a home that New Covenant is working on. The home owner was so excited that someone was coming to work on her house today. Charlie Snodgrass and John Herder led a team of high school students on this job.

Two days ago I visited a home to take a look at a furnace that New Covenant purchased for a family. Larry and his buddy from Kansas are almost finished installing it. But the most exciting thing is that they invited the home owner for dinner and they came! What a joy to get to meet them and to tell them that we are praying for them. They stayed for our worship time and wanted to make a donation to Eight Days of Hope!

Tomorrow is our last full day. There will be a few tears shed tomorrow night. New friendships have been made and hearts have been knit together. Challenges have been overcome as we tackled them together and lives have been changed.

Who ever thought that people would come to Cedar Rapids from all corners of the United States with a common mission to bring hope and healing? Our city has been blessed, our lives have been enriched. Thank you for caring! Thank you for sharing! Thank you for coming!

Day 5

It's hard to believe, but the days keep getting better and better. Day 5 is now over, and it was the best yet. Over 100 jobs have been completed so far! These folks are incredible! You can click on the photo above to see a slide show of the day.

The hi-light for me was hearing the introductions of the home owners. George, the 70 year old who prayed to received Christ several days ago, joined us for dinner. He received a standing ovation! It was an awesome experience.

The testimonies during worship were also awesome. Several home owners shared with this has meant to them. One shared that this has renewed her spirituality and that she's going to work on a relationship with God! Another young girl talked about what it was like being evacuated from her home, questioning God and worrying about her future. She said she doesn't doubt God anymore!

Money can't buy what we have experienced this week. We can't organized it, explain it or completely understand it. We can only enjoy it. God's presence has been on this project, helping us overcome every obstacle.

And a huge praise. We received this email from Jim Thatcher from Code Enforcement.

Thank you Steve, Charles, and Kim and to all of 8 Days of Hope and their support volunteers.

GREAT JOB!!!! I hope that 8 Days of Hope is enjoying their visit and service to God as much as we enjoy having 8 Days of Hope here! Thank you to ALL the volunteers for serving our community in such an awesome way! I'm not at Westdale often, yet I personally heard a couple of citizens complimentary to 8 Days of Hope for helping them!!

Please join me in thanking these incredible servants.

Day 4

Day 4 is finished. It's hard to believe that we are at the half-way mark. You can see a slide show of the day by clicking on the photo above.

It was an incredible day. Some things have to be experienced in order to be understood. I think Eight Days of Hope is like that. It's hard to convey with words what this means to the home owners and volunteers. Words aren't adequate to express what goes on at the job site or around the dinner table.

I visited several work sites this morning. Kimberly Sanchez, a custom home builder from Virginia, had a team of 15 working on a home on 8th Street NW. Kimberly has been building homes since the 1990's. She describes that some people find their passion and for others, like her, their passion finds them! Kimberly's team has been working on electrical, plumbing, HVAC, painting, finish work around windows and doors, installed hard-wired smoke alarms through-out the house, and more. Kimberly and her team are doing an incredible job for this home owner!

I walked down the street two houses and got to see volunteers working on electrical and insulation. Regan Huckfelt was working on electrical in the kitchen. The team in this home was making great progress!

I stopped at the home where Mark Forstrom and Roger Overson are working on the SW side. This is a home that has been devastated by termites! This team has been working hard to restore and repair this home. Great job guys!

I stopped by another home that was abandoned on the SE side. A team is going to stop by tomorrow to board it up. What a bleak contrast to the homes that are being lovingly restored in other parts of the city.

My last stop took me to a house where the disabled home owner is living on the second floor, heating the home with a gas stove. New Covenant and Eight Days of Hope are installing a new gas furnace. The two volunteers say they hope to have it operational by tomorrow!

Over ten home owners joined us for dinner this evening. It's so fun hearing some of their stories, and seeing the joy on their faces. Penny from Palo said that they felt like a sinking ship, lost and forgotten. She thanked everyone for their help and encouragement.

Preston shared some stories about his cross-country bike ride to raise awareness and funds for Eight Days of Hope. And we finished the day with an inspirational time of worship. Steve Tybor shared his testimony about how Christ delivered him from a life of addiction. Thank you Jesus for your grace!

Day 3

Wow, we just finished Day 3! It was another incredible day. During breakfast Steve Tybor asked if the person who had gone to the ER for stitches the day before was present. And of course our own Jeremy Bushlack proudly walked up to the platform for public humiliation! But Jeremy can take it!

Over 66 jobs have been competed so far. Over ten home owners joined us for dinner. One home owner said that it had been months since she had smiled so much! Another gave a special musical "Sweet Home Alabama" birthday card to one of the volunteers who worked on her house.

On a fun note, a handmade quilt was donated and auctioned off after dinner. The bidding started at $50. The quilt ended up bringing $800! All the proceeds go to Eight Days of Hope.

And best of all, one volunteer reported how one 70 year old home owner prayed to cross the line of faith! We talked after dinner and I sent her on her way to Lemstone to buy a large-print Bible!

I was able to go to Palo today to see the progress being made on four different homes. I stopped in at City Hall that is being officed at the Farm Services building. Penny thanked us for bringing hope to the entire town of Palo.

You can read the latest article by the Gazette here. You can click on the photo above to see a slide show of the day.

Day 2

Day 2 is in the books! And what a great day it was. We started the day out with devotions in the Activity Center. It was standing room only with volunteers standing out in the hallways trying to hear! You can click on the photo above to see a slide show of the day.

Three home owners joined us for dinner. One painter didn't have anything to do so he grabbed two other volunteers and painted our Activity Center! Now that a "can do" spirit!

You can read about Day 2 in this Gazette article. Here's my favorite quote from the article.

Volunteers have already made some real progress like restoring electricity for the first time since the flood." It's kind of a cool symbol, too because now there's more light in my life and more hope,” she said. Just a few weeks ago, Kuzela was planning to board up the place. Now, she's thinking about celebrating holidays here once again. "I'm surrounded by angels. That's all I can say,” she said.

Day 1

Day 1 is in the books. We began with breakfast and ended with worship. I'm whipped! But what a day it was. Over 600 people out into the neighborhoods in Cedar Rapids, Palo and Vinton. I heard many incredible stories of hearts being touched by the graciousness of God's people.

A special "thank you" to our New Covenant church family. You were gracious hosts! The parking lot was full and the halls were crowded. A "can do" spirit overcame some challenges and difficulties.

You can read a KCRG article here and the most recent Gazette article here.

Click on the photo above to see a slide show of the Day 1.

Preparing For Hope

It was a busy day at New Covenant. Things were hoppin! Over 250 registered, picked up their t-shirts and got their housing assignments. Thanks to a generous donation, we were able to feed all of them dinner. So far this weekend I have met people from West Virginia, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, New York, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Kansas, Texas, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and Oregon.

Vernon Boteler and the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief team arrived and set up their food trucks and a shower station. Ten men and three women will be getting up each morning at 3:30 AM to begin cooking breakfast for the team!

Butch Price and his advance team where out doing home assessments and preparing jobs assignments for tomorrow morning. Mike Fialla led us in a great time of worship after dinner. You can click on the photo above to see a slide show of the day. You can go to this link to see a great piece that KCRG did on Eight Days of Hope.

We expect another 450 people to arrive tomorrow. Breakfast will be served from 7:00-8:30 AM, orientation at 9:00 and then out the door and to work assignments. Dinner will be served from 5:30-7:00 PM and then worship at 8:00. It will be quite a day!

Multiplied Blessings

Things are starting to get real exciting! More people are arriving from out of state, materials were delivered to our warehouse, and donations were dropped off in our office. It's going to be an incredible week of ministry and activity!

We were told yesterday that General Mills was going to stop by with a donation of two pallets of cereal. When General Mills called to confirm the delivery they mentioned that they had four pallets. When I went outside to meet Scotty, the driver, he mentioned that he had nine pallets. And when he looked inside the trailer, he found twelve pallets of cereal! We unloaded three pallets at New Covenant and took the rest to the warehouse. You can click on the photo above to see a short slide show.

On a project this size, there are many challenges to overcome. New problems spring up at every turn. But I'm praying that God will turn every challenge and problem into a blessing. And that just as our two pallets of cereal turned into twelve, our community would experience God's multiplied blessings.

2 Corinthians 9:10-15
Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.

You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.

Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.

And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you.

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Hope Is On The Way

We're another day closer to the launch of Eight Days of Hope. The advance team was out doing home assessments, ordering materials and even started several electrical jobs. They're working hard to ensure that there will be 100 projects ready for volunteers on Sunday morning!

The Gazette has a great article on one of the homes that Eight Days of Hope did an assessment on today. You can read the entire article here. Here are some of the hi-lights of the piece.

Louis McDaniel lived in this home for thirty-two years with his elderly mother. Then, the flood washed them both out and destroyed almost all of their possessions. "We've had some family members here trying to help when they can. Other than that, I've been doing most of the work myself,” McDaniel said.

He worried he might not ever be able to move back."A whole lot of stress. It's affected my moods. I'm usually in a really bad mood. Real mean. Nothings going right,” McDaniel said. Then, Eight Days of Hope showed up at his door with a plan to turn his life around.

"We need to clean this place out. We're going to mold treat it. We're going to put some insulation in. We're going to get his electrical finished up," Eight Days of Hope volunteer Dan Garrick said. Garrick lives in Oregon and is still learning about how the disaster affected Iowa.

Garrick is visiting dozens of the homes and trying to determine exactly what kind of repairs each one needs. He takes key measurements and places orders for all the materials crews will need next week."I can guarantee you there's 1300 people that love the lord and love you guys in Iowa. We're going to be here to help you guys,” he said.

McDaniel said, "For the first time in almost four-and-a-half months, I actually see some hope…I can't wait to get back in here."

We enjoyed having over 20 of the advance team over for dinner tonight. What an awesome group of men and women! They all volunteer their time and pay their own way to Cedar Rapids. Many are self-employed and don't have any paid vacation.

They come from all parts of the country - Oregon, New Hampshire, Michigan and Mississippi. But they all have one thing in common - they love Jesus Christ and want to serve Him using the skills and talents He has given to them. Welcome to Cedar Rapids and thank you for caring enough to come.

Hope and Healing

Today was a very important day. The advance team from Eight Days of Hope is in Cedar Rapids doing home assessments and planning for next weeks event. There are now 1341 people signed up to volunteer!

24 people gathered for lunch at New Covenant to discuss the Cedar Rapids building code; mechanical, electrical and plumbing inspections; and city expectations. Jim Thatcher, Code Enforcement Division Supervisor led the meeting.

This was an unprecedented meeting with city officials, union representatives, Serve the City and Eight Days of Hope volunteers sitting around the same table discussing how to best serve the people of our city. A special thank you to Jim Thatcher, Chief Electrical Inspector Gabriel Hart, Chief Mechanical Inspector Randy Croft, Building and Trades Manager Lyn Wedemeier, and Wayne Engle from Esco Electric for their willingness pave the way so that volunteers from groups like Eight Days of Hope can work in our community.

This evening Jim Thatcher gave the City Council an update on Eight Days of Hope. Charles Daugherty from Serve the City and Steve Tybor from Eight Days of Hope addressed the council and thanked them for their cooperation. Afterwards the Cedar Rapids Gazette and KCRG channel 9 interviewed Steve Tybor regarding the upcoming project. You can read the Gazette article here.

As Steve Tybor was leaving the City Council meeting, one man reached out his hand to thank Steve for coming to Cedar Rapids. He told Steve, "Take this, it's all I have on me" as he stuffed a wad of bills into Steve's hand. It was four, one dollar bills!

You can click on the picture above to see a slide show of the day. Tomorrow is another important day. Several teams are going to start electrical projects while others continue to do on-site home assessments. Pray for skilled volunteers, materials and the right mix of projects. And pray that we would be used of God to bring hope and healing to the residents of our city.

Most Were Wrong

OK, I admit it. I don't understand derivatives. But I'm trying. I want to understand because Warren Buffett called them "financial weapons of mass destruction, carrying dangers that, while now latent, are potentially lethal." He wrote this to Berkshire shareholders in 2002.

I want to understand because the derivatives market has reached an astronomical $531 trillion and has been credited by many as the major cause of our current economic meltdown.

So what are derivatives? Wikipedia defines derivatives as financial instruments whose values depend on the value of other underlying financial instruments. The main types of derivatives are futures, forwards, options and swaps.

At this point I need to post a disclaimer. I know hardly anything about the topic on which I'm about to write. What I know comes primarily from talking to trusted friends and my own personal reading. I reserve the right to change my mind at any time!

OK, back to derivatives. To fully understand how large the $561 trillion derivative market is, we need to put it in context. The following comes from Market Watch.

• The US annual gross domestic product is about $15 trillion
• The US money supply is about $15 trillion
• The current proposed US federal budget is $3 trillion
• The US mutual fund companies manage about $12 trillion
• The worlds gross domestic product for all nations is approximately $50 trillion
• The total value of the world's real estate is estimated at about $75 trillion
• The total value of the world's stock and bond markets is more than $100 trillion
• The 2007 valuation of the world's derivatives is now a whopping $516 trillion, up from $100 trillion in 2002

Throughout the 1990s some argued that derivatives had become so vast and intertwined that they required federal oversight to protect the financial system. Deviates are unregulated and have been referred to as the "shadow banking system" and the worlds largest "black market." The ultimate fear, as Fortune magazine put it, is that swaps and derivatives can cause a "financial Ebola virus radiating out from a failed institution and infecting dozens or hundreds of other companies."

Deviates were originally designed to lower risk for buyers and sellers, a form of safety net or insurance. But they created a false sense of security, allowing financial service firms and corporations to take more complex risks. And the contracts could be traded, further limiting risk but also increasing the number of parties exposed if problems occurred. And then all of a sudden, the virus began to spread.

When you or I get sick, we seek outside intervention. A good doctor and prescription can help us avoid acute illness and keep others from becoming infected. So what went wrong with the unregulated derivatives market?

Many, including the New York Times, pin the blame squarely on Alan Greenspan. Mr. Greenspan, a professed libertarian, expressed resolute faith that those participating in financial markets would act responsibly. As early as 1992, Edward Markey, a Democrat who led the House subcommittee on telecommunications and finance, asked the GAO to study derivatives risks.

The report issued two years later stated, "The sudden failure or abrupt withdrawal from trading of any of these large US dealers could cause liquidity problems in the markets and could also pose risks to others, including federally insured banks and the financial system as a whole."

Even Mr. Greenspan himself warned that deviates could amplify crises because they tied together the fortunes of many seemingly independent institutions. "The very efficiency that is involved here means that if a crisis were to occur, that that crisis is transmitted at a far faster pace and with some greater virulence," he said. But he called that possibility "extremely remote," adding that "risk is part of life."

Later in 1994, Mr. Markey introduced a bill requiring greater derivative regulation. It never passed.

In 1997, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission began exploring derivatives regulation. The commission, led by Brooksley Born, was concerned that unfettered, opaque trading could "threaten our regulated markets or, indeed, our economy without any federal agency knowing about it." In spite of Ms. Born's concern and even the near collapse of the hedge fund Long Term Capital Management, nothing was done.

In November 1999 Mr. Greenspan and others recommended that Congress permanently strip the Commodity Futures Trading Commission of regulatory authority over derivatives. In 2000 during Congressional hearings, Mr. Greenspan argued that Wall Street could be trusted and that Wall Street had tamed risk!

History has proved Mr. Greenspan wrong. Wall Street couldn't be trusted and Wall Street didn't tame risk. We live in a world full of risk, and with people bent on personal gain.

In retrospect, shared risk has evolved from a source of comfort into a virus. Mr. Greenspan doesn't give interviews and rarely speaks in public. He wrote the following in the epilogue of the paperback version of his new book:

"Risk management can never achieve perfection." The villains were the bankers whose self-interest he had once bet upon. "They gambled that they could keep adding to their risky positions and still sell them out before the deluge," he wrote. "Most were wrong."

1000 Strong and Counting

Great news, as of 7:24 PM tonight there are 1000 people signed up to come to Cedar Rapids with Eight Days of Hope! Wow! 684 people are from outside of Cedar Rapids! We are told that during the last week 50 people a day usually sign up. So we might go over 1300!

And there was other good news today. Last night the Cedar Rapids City Council passed ordinances allowing volunteer groups like Eight Days of Hope to do mechanical, electrical and plumbing work. Jim Thatcher, Code Enforcement Division Supervisor with the city, did a great job moving these ordinances through the system. This is historic and praise-worthy stuff. Many didn't think this could be accomplished before the arrival of Eight Days of Hope.

The bottom line is that people will be helped and homes will be repaired because of this action. Right now we have 91 Homeowner Repair Request applications submitted. In addition, we are asking the Linn Area Long Term Recovery Coalition for 20-30 more homes to work on. In looking over the applications, our volunteer teams will have plenty to do. And most of the homes need furnaces, hot water heaters and electrical wiring.

Pray that God would provide the right mix of homes, volunteers and materials. And pray that our entire community would see the visible expression of the body of Christ as we serve our city in the name of Jesus.

All It Can Be

This morning during my quiet time I read Jeremiah 29:7.

Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.

Israel was about to be taken into captivity to Babylon. There was a lot of confusion and mixed messages regarding God's will. Out of this seeming disaster Jeremiah speaks to his people with clarity and confidence - to seek the peace and prosperity of the city of their exile. Absolutely incredible!

I knew that today was the Redevelopment Plan Open House downtown. This was the third meeting soliciting feedback regarding the redevelopment vision and plan for our community. As a follow of Christ who loves my city, I knew that I would probably be good for me to attend this meeting. But after reading this Scripture this morning, I knew that I had to attend.

And so late morning I made my way down to the Crowne Plaza ballroom. It was good to see the long-range vision regarding what our city may one day look like. It was good to hear the concerns and questions from affected homeowners as they try to gather information in order to make a decision on their property. And it was good seeing our community leaders making themselves accessible, answering questions and listening to concerns.

I was reminded again today that it's not business as usual in our city. The future of our Cedar Rapids is up for grabs. As followers of Christ we need to pray for our city and seek its prosperity. We need to engage the process and help make Cedar Rapids all it can be.

Racking Up The Debt

I don't know if you noticed the story last week about the National Debt Clock in New York City - it ran out of digits to record the growing figure. When our national debt reached $10,000,000,000,000 the clock ran out of display room. But not to worry, as a short-term fix, the digital dollar sign on the billboard-style clock near Times Square has been switched to a figure — the "1" in $10 trillion.

The Durst Organization says it plans to update the sign next year by adding two digits. That will make it capable of tracking debt up to a quadrillion dollars. Now that makes me feel better already. You can check out the "real-time national debt" by looking at the national debt widget on the right side of my blog.

The late Manhattan real estate developer Seymour Durst put the sign up in 1989 to call attention to what was then a $2.7 trillion debt.

Here are some statistics about our national debt:

For 31 out of the last 35 years, the U.S.government has spent more on programs than it has collected in taxes. This year, the red ink could be close to half a trillion dollars.

Right now, we spend more money each year on interest on that debt than we spend on the war in Iraq.

If we do nothing, the country’s debt will be growing faster than our economy in about 15 years, which means we won’t be able to keep up. By 2040, the country would need nearly every dollar it collects in taxes just to cover the costs of Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and interest on the debt.

Americans love to spend. I have written in an earlier blog post that in 2005, for the first time since the Great Depression, Americans spent more than they earned. This is a frightening statistic. Our problem isn't with the markets, federal oversight or wall street. We have seen the problem and the problem is us! The richest country in the world is leveraged deep in debt. And we are just now beginning to see the consequences of our actions.

Eight Days of Hope Update

The Cedar Rapids Gazette has an article today about Eight Days of Hope and the progress the city is making to allow out of state volunteers to do mechanical, electrical and plumbing work. We've had lengthy discussions with Jim Thatcher and the City of Cedar Rapids regarding these certification issues. We're pleased with the progress we're making and we believe that everything will be in place so that licensed, out of volunteers can work in Cedar Rapids during Eight Days of Hope. You can read the Gazette article by clicking on the Eight Days of Hope logo at the top of this post.

Just as a reminder, Eight Days of Hope will be in Cedar Rapids October 26 thru November 2. You can sign up to volunteer in this rebuild effort by going to this link. Please pray for this ministry and the many details that need to be worked out. Pray that we can be a blessing to our community as we serve together in the name of Jesus.

A New Super Hero!

Click on the photo above to see a video of the new super hero in town! Get ready for a good laugh!

Sign Me Up!

We had a great Membership Weekend with 21 people attending the Friday evening and Saturday morning sessions. Most of those in the class were new to New Covenant in the past 18 months. It was encouraging to see how many of them were already connected to an Adult Bible Fellowship or small group, and how many were already serving in some capacity. You can click on the picture above to see a slide show of the weekend.

Bob and I love doing these sessions - reviewing our history, mission, vision and values. At the end of the day we're always ready to "sign up" again, ready to serve God's purposes in the lives of people at New Covenant Bible Church.

A Fall Classic

Tonight was an historic moment in baseball. The White Sox beat the Twins 1-0 in the AL Central Division play-off game. This means that both Chicago teams, the Cubs and White Sox, will be in post-season play for the first time since 1906 when they met in the World Series!

Congratulations to the Twins for a great season. It's too bad that their season had to end this way. And I still don't understand why home-field advantage is decided by a coin flip rather than going to the team that had the best head-to-head record.

But be that as it may, the Sox will be playing the Rays next Thursday in the American League Division Series. It should be a great series. The Rays are the biggest baseball story of the summer.

And what have the Rays done? Until this year, the Rays had a string of 10 straight seasons of at least 90 losses, a new American League record! The Rays entered this season with a career winning percentage of .399. They finished last in nine of their first 10 years. They had the worst record in baseball in each of the last two seasons.

Yet, somehow, this team with a $43 million payroll beat back the mighty New York Yankees and outlasted the world champion Boston Red Sox. They finished with a division best 97 wins and 65 losses. Their payroll ranks 29th out of 30 teams, well behind the $209 million spent by the Yankees!

I'm happy for the Rays and their incredible story from worst to first. We had the opportunity to see them in spring training 1 1/2 years ago in Ft. Myers, Florida.

But for me, I'm rooting for a White Sox and Cubs World Series. It would be pure bedlam. North siders against south siders. A windy city showdown! It would be a fall classic for the ages!

It Ain't Over When It's Over

As a lifelong baseball fan, I'm totally enjoying the ESPN broadcast tonight of the last game in Yankee Stadium. The 85 year old ballpark is full of memories and nostalgia. With the closing of Yankee Stadium, only Wrigley Field in Chicago and Fenway Park in Boston are left of the old parks.

The pre-game ceremonies were moving as they honored many of the Yankee greats. Sons, daughters, wives and entire families took their place on the field representing players who are no longer living. I especially enjoyed the introduction of Bobby Richardson at second base. Sharon and I had the opportunity to enjoy dinner with Bobby and his wife Betsy several years ago when he was in Cedar Rapids to speak at the FCA banquet.

And an evening of Yankee baseball wouldn't be complete without Yogi Berra. The special piece that ESPN did with Yogi on Yankee Stadium is very moving. The piece and the telecast reminds us that time moves on. Nothing stands still. Our heros age and even pass away. Some, like Thurmon Muson and Lou Gehrig, leave us much too soon. Big plays, big games, and even championships fade into the past. We're left with stories of days gone by.

But memories don't have to anchor us to the past. Memories can propel us into the future. Long after the important events and people in our lives are gone, we can take their memories with us. They can inspire us to a better future.

And tonight, after the lights go out at Yankee Stadium, the memories will continue on. As Yogi says, "Like the home runs that built it, this place will soon be out of here. Gone. History. Only this time it ain't over when it's over. So I'm not going to miss it. I'm not going to dream about perfect games and championships. I'm going to remember them."

Eight Days of Hope

Steve Tybor and members of the Eight Days of Hope leadership team were in town on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. They were here to do advanced planning for their October 26 thru November 2 trip to Cedar Rapids. Eight Days of Hope plans to bring 400-600 volunteers from all over the US to Cedar Rapids to assist with wiring, plumbing, sheetrocking, painting and repairing over 100 homes that were damaged in the flood! In addition, we hope that another 400-500 people from the Serve the City chruches will join this army of volunteers to show the love of Jesus to our community.

It was a busy two days! We met with Mayor Kay Halloran and City Council member Brian Fagan to introduce them to the leadership team and to let them know that several hundred people will be descending on Cedar Rapids at the end of October. We toured the 10 churches that have offered to open their facilities so that the out of town volunteers will have a place to sleep. We met with Tom Watson, the infrastructure commander in the town of Palo. By the way, almost half of the 477 homes in Palo are still uninhabited!

We had two meetings with over 60 people attending to learn how to complete the Homeowner Repair Request form. Oakland Nazarene hosted an informational lunch with 60 in attendance. We had an informational meeting for the churches providing housing, and we also met with several local electrical contractors and representatives of the Linn Area Long Term Recovery Coalition. You can click on the this link to see a slideshow of our time.

Whew! It was a full two days. I'm encouraged with the progress we have made. Let me encourage you to volunteer for two or three days during Eight Days of Hope. Or better yet, jon us for all eight days! You can go to the Eight Days of Hope website to see Frequently Asked Questions to learn more about this ministry, and to volunteer.

Volunteers are needed in all shapes and sizes. In addition to those skilled in the construction trades, people are needed to help transport volunteers to and from the work site, deliver lunches, clean bathrooms, do laundry, do data input, print out maps and many other tasks. There is something for everyone.

Please pray that God would use Eight Days of Hope to help us care for our community. We have been praying for those on our wall. It's now time to care and share. I hope you will join me on this incredible adventure this fall!

My Daily Bread

It was a great day today. Over 75 volunteers worked together distributed over 2 1/2 semi-truck loads of water today to the public. I learned on Sunday afternoon that Serve the City wanted New Covenant to take the responsibility for staffing the water distribution site at Sams.

Over two hundred people filled out volunteer forms on Sunday at New Covenant. I handed the forms off to Arliss Bailey, and with the help of Austin Spooner, Arliss input all the data in our Arena data base. Arliss and several others began calling those who indicated an interest in volunteering, and by Sunday evening we had all three shifts for Monday staffed up.

Kudos to Arliss, Austin, those who made phone calls and all from our church family who distributed water on Monday. You all did a great job. I couldn't be more proud of New Covenant and all those who served today! And, we have another great team scheduled to begin work tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM. You can click on the picture above to see a slide show of the day.

We heard countless stories of loss and devastation. I talked to one man who came to pick up water with his adult son. His house is still under water. He said he made his last house payment last March. One of our volunteers and her husband recently moved to Cedar Rapids. They purchased a boat house to live in during the summer. They can't find any trace of the boat house. It's gone with all their belongings. They are without a home.

Serving like this in a time of need helps to keep life in perspective. We have so much and take so much for granted. Reflecting back on the day, I'm reminded of Proverbs 30:7-9

Two things I ask of you, O Lord;
do not refuse me before I die:
Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.
Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’
Or I may become poor and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God.

I'm Published!

I just had one of my photos published for the first time and I'm pretty excited. An editor from the Chicago Marathon emailed me several months ago to ask my permission to use one of the photos I took at the 2007 race. I wrote about the marathon last year on a post called 26.2.

I totally forgot about the request until Jason called me this week to tell me that he just received his copy of the Chicago Marathon Results Book and that one of my photos was used. They printed the photo I took of Amy Palmiero Winters and enlarged it on a full-page spread. And of course they credited me with the photo! Pretty exciting!

I was so impressed with Amy Palmiero Winters. I took this photo at a spot in Chinatown, about 21 miles into the race. The humidity and temperatures were sweltering that day and people were dropping out of the race right and left. In fact, one runner did die on the course and race organizers cut the race short because of dangerous conditions.

Amy was running like the race had just begun. She was smiling and waving to the crowd. I couldn't believe it. She finished with a time of 3:23:14, very good under the conditions. You can read more about her at her website See Amy Run.

An above-the-knee amputee running a marathon in horrible conditions. Amy had plenty of reasons to quit, complain or feel sorry for herself. Instead she chose to compete, wave to the crowd and enjoy the experience. All of a sudden a photograph doesn't seem like such a big deal. I took the picture but Amy is the inspiration!

eXchange

I have some great news - the Romans Reading Journals are in! Cedar Graphics delivered them hot off the press this afternoon, just in time for our eXchange message series. Let me encourage you to take a journal and follow along with us during this series that will cover Romans 1-5.

Our readings begin this Saturday with Romans 1:1-17. Pastor Bob will be preaching on this passage on Sunday and then we will be spending time personally reading, reflecting and journaling on this passage the following Monday thru Friday.

And don't forget about signing up for the daily email devotional that will be delivered to your inbox each morning. These devotions will follow the same reading passages and are written by our staff, elders and deacons. If you already receive one of our email newsletters, click on the Update Profile/Email Address at the bottom of the newsletter and you will be able to select the Daily Devotionals - eXchange Series box.

Each day the daily devotionals will also be posted on the eXchange blog. Stop by the blog, leave a comment and join the conversation. Don't miss out on making this summer a time of accelerated spiritual growth.

Hello, My Name Is Kimberley!

If you've know me for long, you know that I sometimes have to explain my first name to people who have never met me before.

I know there is a tele-marketer on the other end of the line when they ask for Kim Pagel and I answer, "Speaking," and then there is a long pause while the caller tries to collect their thoughts.

I try to bank at the same branch so that I don't get ID'd. But occasionally there is a new teller. I walk up to the window, give him or her my deposit slip and checks, and then watch them begin to get nervous. They might then say something like, "Mr. Pagel, you will need to sign these checks also." Or sometimes I try to bail them out by telling them that Kimberley really is my name. And then one of the veteran tellers will holler out, "He's OK. We know him!"

I've long known that Kimberley is an unusual name for a guy. But little did I know how unusual! I recently stumbled upon the Popular Baby Names website that is hosted by the Social Security Administration.

If you go to the site you will learn that for babies born in 2007 Jacob was the most popular boys name and Emily was the most popular girls name. Jacob and Emily are nice names, I like them.

But what really caught my attention is that the site allows you to search popular names by previous birth years. Cool!

So I went to 1951 and looked at popular boys and girls names. Right at the top of the list you see the usual suspects - names like James, Robert, John, Michael and David. I knew a ton a guys with those names growing up.

So I eagerly went down the list. I came to names like Melvin, Cecil, Claude, Oscar, Elmer, Ira, Homer, Rufus, Dewey, Bert, Amos, Murray, Orville, Harley, Norbert, Dudley, Gus, Ollie, Laverne, Carol, Wilmer.

Good grief, where is Kimberley? Finally, I found my name listed proudly at #709! It was just ahead of Burl and Cleo! And for girls, Kimberly was listed at #366. Just ahead of names like Fannie and Violet!

All things considered, it could have been worse. My mom could have named me Edsel! And just in case you're interested, in 1951 Edsel was the 1000th most popular baby name, narrowly beating out Donal!

Whew! I guess Kimberly isn't so bad after all.

Growing Up

Linn-Mar Prom was yesterday. Josh is home from UNI and went will Allyson Male. Allyson looked lovely and Josh handsome. They paused in-between the rain to pose for pictures. You can click on the photo above to see a slide show of the evening.

Our youngest sons are growing up! Josh and Jon just finished their freshman years at UNI. We're proud of the young men our boys are becoming.

I'll Always Be Your Little Boy!

We had a great time honoring Sharon today on Mother's Day. We enjoyed lunch at Chili's and Sharon reminisced regarding the early years of our marriage along with her thoughts and expectations about being a mother. Fun stuff!

But then the real fun began. Over the years our boys have taken to purchasing humorous cards for special occasions. And today did not disappoint. The picture above is Sharon holding her card from Jon.

In our quest for full disclosure, I will share the contents of the cards with my faithful blog readers - all ten of you!

The Wonderful Mom
See her stand like a glorious flower of kindness in the wide and windswept meadow that we call life. See her also pick up clothes, wash dishes, fill the fridge, tidy the house, drive the kids around, etc. etc. etc. - Ryan and Natalie

Mom
The more I've tried to live life on my own, the more I realize what a Great Mom you've been. (The card has a picture of a pot with burning food and a scorched iron mark on a shirt) - Jason

Everything I need to know about life, I learned from you, Mom! (Open card) ...except how to fart - THAT I learned from Dad! - Josh

Mom, no matter how old I get, I'll always be your little boy. (Open card) ...meaning, of course, that it's still perfectly acceptable for you to do my laundry. (I know it makes you happy.) - Jon

There is nothing Sharon would rather do than spend time with her boys. She's a great mom. We all agree! Happy Mother's Day Sharon!