Tomorrow

What a beautiful evening for a baseball game! Linn-Mar played a great Xavier team to a 6-6 deadlock through 5 innings. And then the wheels fell off. Xavier scored 5 runs in the bottom of the 6th to show why they are the top-rated 3A team in the state. You can click on the above picture to see some pictures from the game.

All in all, the Linn-Mar team should feel pretty good about themselves. They played a great team, made only one error, scored some runs and played in a great park! Veterans Memorial Stadium is awesome. What a place to watch a game. Let's do it again tomorrow!

Baseball Is Back

Andrew Reck throws no hitter

It was a great evening for a baseball game! Linn-Mar opened their season with Prairie tonight at home as part of the Vrbicek Metro Tournament. Andrew Reck came up big on the mound, throwing a no hitter! Linn-Mar won the game 12-0. You can click on the picture above to see a short slideshow of the game.

Linn-Mar plays Xavier tomorrow evening in the semi-finals at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Toss the lawn chairs in the trunk, grab the peanuts and head to the ball park! Baseball is back!

State Track Meet

We traveled to DesMoines today to see Josh run in the State Track Meet at Drake University. Josh ran the 200 meter leg in the Sprint Medley Relay along with John Rehnstrom, Steve Olsen and Zach Braff. You can click on the link to see a slideshow of the race. Our guys ran 3.31.41 and finished fifth out of 24 teams. Way to go John, Steve, Zach and Josh!

Josh also ran the second leg on the 4x400 Relay team. You can click on the link to see a slideshow of the race. Our team of Josh, Wes Shetterly, Steve Olsen, and Zach Braff ran a 3.22.39, the second fastest qualifying time out of the 24 teams! Valley West DesMoines set a new state record running 3.13.80, breaking the old record by over four seconds. The final heat is tomorrow afternoon.

It was a great day! We're proud of how hard both Josh and Jon have worked this season. Give it all you have tomorrow!

Family

Small Group Conference

A group of us just returned from an Advanced Small Group Conference at Willow Creek. There were over 90 people in attendance from churches all over the country who gathered to learn more about how to develop and implement a comprehensive small group strategy. You can click on the picture above to see a short slideshow of our trip.

The conference was more like a workshop, with short presentations by Bill Donahue, Russ Robinson and Greg Bowman followed by "team time" around our table for discussion and implementation. Each table had a facilitator and ours was Bill Search from Ada Bible Church.

We came home with four newspaper pad pages full of issues that we need to address in order to make our small group ministry more effective. It was so timely that we were able to attend this conference, especially after Bob Gilliam's recommendations.

I'm excited about the things we talked about over the past several days and how we can structure our small groups to be even more effective in helping us become a family of growing disciples! I'm thankful for our Small Group Team (Dave Sanders, Susan Krucher, Erin Bird, James Wartian, Pat Rieck, Tye Male-our Team Leader and myself) that has been meeting this past year and their commitment to make our small group system even stronger.

It's our desire that every person at New Covenant be connected to a caring community of believers. A community where no one walks alone, and where we can be open with one another. A community where lives are miraculously transformed and hearts restored. A place where we become family.

The Graduate

Congratulations Jason!

We just returned from celebrating Jason's graduation from Moody Bible Institute today. You can click on the picture above to see a slideshow of our festivities.

We had a wonderful time attending the Dinner with the President, a time of worship and relfection led by the graduating class, the graduation ceremony, and dinner at Weber Grill! We are proud of Jason and all that he has accomplished. And we're looking forward to how God will lead Jason in the future as he seeks to serve Him.

Once Upon A Time

The word that comes to mind when I think of Michelle is creative. Michelle looked at all of life through a unique perspective. Whether producing a graphic design project, or creating her famous one-of-a-kind greeting cards, or recording personal reflections in her journal, Michelle did it with passion and creativity.

The reason so many of you are here today is because your lives have been impacted by Michelle's in a profound and personal way. Everything about Michelle was unique and authentic. The care she demonstrated for her family and friends was personal and heart-felt. A hand-made note, a personal conversation, dropping her own project to help a friend in need, these were all common place for Michelle.

Michelle loved to create, she loved people, she loved her family, and she loved her God. Michelle trusted Jesus Christ as her Savior as a small girl, but it was in middle-school years that Michelle's faith was put to the test.

Michelle shared with me how she struggled during her early teens to fit in, to have the right friends, to be popular and to have the right look. She found herself being influenced by and conforming to the opinions of others. During this key time in her young life, Michelle said she made the decision that she wanted to live her life to please Christ alone. That God's opinion of her was more important than what others thought.

Michelle decision to follow Christ began to shape and define who she was to become. If there is anything I would like people to hear today, it is this: That a relationship with Christ is not about conforminging behavior and rule keeping. Rather a relationship with Christ is about being becoming fully human, being transformed into a life full of possibility, and creativity. A life that is beyond our imagination and dreams.

Ephesians 3:20-21 says: Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen!

God began to transform Michelle into a one-of-a-kind, not to be duplicated young woman. His unique fingerprints were all over her life. Her passion for life was a reflection of His passion. Her love for people was an expression of His love. Her creative imagination was a reflection of His creativity. Her passion was to use her artistic talents to create children's books that would inspire and transform lives. Michelle didn't want an ordinary life, she wanted to make a difference.

The transformation that occurred in Michelle's life is reflected in this short journal entry. "I like writing the number four with the top open. I used to write my four with a closed top, but fours shouldn't try to impersonate a nine. Fours need to learn how to celebrate their four-ness."

Michelle learned to celebrate her 4-ness. She decided to quit impersonating a 9 and in the process became all that God had created her to be in Christ. I know I speak for so many of you when I say, my life has been enriched by knowing Michelle. In becoming who God designed her to be, she became a precious gift to us all. Thank you Michelle for deciding to follow Jesus.
Today we grieve our loss but we celebrate Michelle's gain. Today, Michelle is in heaven, exploring, creating, discovering, writing, and imagining. She has more colors to work with and more projects to create.

Today a new story is being written in heaven. It's a story within a larger love story about a king who loved his people so much that he sent His only Son to die a cruel death for our sin. And best of all, it's a story without end, that will continue on forever. You see, once upon a time there was a girl named Michelle who put her child-like faith in Jesus.

You can click on the picture above to see a slideshow of Michelle's art work. You can also visit the Cedar Memorial website to read Michelle's guest book entries.

Well Done

Dan Koskamp

We had a great Annual Meeting tonight. We voted to approve the FY07 budget and new Elders and Deacons. We heard exciting updates regarding our new property (it's now paid for!), Embracing Faith stewardship campaign, and the New Facility Planning Team. What an awesome time to be involved at New Covenant! I don't think we need to worry about becoming complacent!

At the end of the meeting we honored Dan Koskamp with a standing ovation. Dan is completing six years on the Elder Board, the last two as Chairman. As is our custom, we presented Dan with a framed Timothy Botts, Colossians 1:28 print.

Dan has been a tremendous leader and will be greatly missed on our Elder Board. New Covenant is truly blessed with tremendous leaders who know how to serve. And Dan is right there at the top of the list.

Here are some of the things I most appreciate about Dan:

• His humble attitude and dependence upon God
• His prayers that lead me to the heart of God
• His willingness to trust God for big things
• His commitment to our mission and vision
• His tender heart
• His competitive spirit
• His love for the Word

Thank you Dan for the blessing you have been to our entire church family. Thank you for showing us how to be both tough and tender, servant and leader, all at the same time. It's a priviledge to serve together with you. Well done!

Appreciate Y'All

Tonight we had great food and great entertainment for a group of great people - our children and youth ministry partners! We pulled out our "Sunday best" for our annual Appreciation Banquet. You can click on the picture above to see a slideshow of the evenings festivities!

When Jesus' followers asked him who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, he turned their attention to a little child. And then he told them, "unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

Our children and youth workers have the greatest mission, the greatest commandment and work with the greatest people; our children. Tonight our Activity Center was filled with humble servants who sacrificially give of themselves to others. You are the greatest! We appreciate y'all!

Shine Like Stars

The stars were out today at MOPS. This was the last meeting of the school year so they pulled out all the stops with brunch and chocolate fondue! You can click on the picture above to see a short slideshow of the morning.

Kay and the MOPS steering committee do a great job of ministering to mothers with pre-schoolers. It seems like only yesterday that Sharon was involved with MOPS. Don't look now, but Josh and Jon are going to be seniors in high school next year. Yikes, were does the time go!

So moms, enjoy every day that God gives you with your children. Enjoy them while they are still living at home with you. Enjoy them while they still think you are all-knowing.

Today our activity center was filled with over 90 women, gathering for the purpose of becoming better moms. The room was beautifully decorated, the food was delicious, and the stars were out!

The Drake Relays

Josh, second from left

We had a great time at the Drake Relays yesterday watching Josh and the Linn-Mar team run the 1600 sprint relay, competing with 23 other teams from around the state.

John Rehnstrom and Josh ran solid 200 meter legs and Steve Olson ran a great sub 50 second 400 meter lap. And then Zach Braff ran a tremendous 800 meters, blowing by three runners in the last turn to give Linn-Mar a fourth place finish. The team set a new school record with their time of 3.32.11! You can click on the picture above to see a slideshow of the race.

All in all, it was a great day. The rain held off in the morning for the race and we got to see some great track and field events. You can click here to see pictures of a 26 plus foot long jump by USA long jump champion, Miguel Pate. The track and field competition was awesome, the renovated Drake Stadium and blue track was beautiful, and the performance by the 1600 sprint relay team was determined.

We Are Blessed

Our fabulous support staff

Today officially being Administrative Professionals Day, we sent our support staff out for lunch. As they were waiting in the parking lot for their ride to a secret destination, someone pulled up with two tables strapped to a trailer. We told them, that since the weather was so nice, we decided that it would be fun for them to eat outside. I don't think they bought it!

A few minutes later Phil and Linda Conn pulled up in the New Covenant coach bus to take them to Debbie Berberich's Stone Barn for lunch. I'm sure that Debbie served them in style. You can click on the picture above to see a short slideshow of the trip.

Our support staff do a fantastic job, serving quietly behind the scenes. Today our entire New Covenant equipping staff says "thank you" to Angie, Brenda, Dea Jo, Donna, Gina, JoDee, Mary, Peggy, Sara, Sharon, Terri and Vicky. Your encouragement, help and assistance is appreciated. We are blessed!

Welcome Lunch

We had a great Welcome Lunch today with over 100 in attendance! We enjoyed grilled hotdogs, hamburgers along with great fellowship around our tables. You can click on the picture above to see a slideshow of our time together.

It's always interesting when we have a Welcome Lunch. We never know who is going to attend or how many to prepare for! It's sort of like feeding the 5000 except we do burgers rather than fish! And of course, we couldn't do this without our fantastic Kitchen Team. Thanks again for a great lunch!

And for those who came to the lunch as our guest, welcome to the family. And I hope to see you at the Friends Class next Sunday!

He Is Risen

We had an unbelievable time of worship today as we celebrated the resurrected Christ. And speaking of unbelievable, the 8:00 AM service was so full that we had to use additional seating in the Activity Center. A special "thank you" to all those who sacrificed to come at 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM to free up seats for our guests and visitors. In all, we had over 2000 people in our four services!

You can click on the picture above to see a short slideshow of the day. As Pastor Bob says, if today didn't get your fire going, then your wood is wet!

Don't be alarmed, he said. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. Mark 16:6

World Champs

Regardless of what you think about the US immigration policy, you have to love this Christianity Today article. 27% of the major league baseball players are foreign born. The recent World Baseball Classic proved that baseball is truly an international sport, with Japan beating Cuba in the final game of the Classic.

The beauty of athletics is that it's color blind. The person who runs the fastest, hits the ball the farthest, or jumps the highest has the job. The competitive drive to win levels the playing field for all.

The rest of the world is beginning to catch up with the United States. We no longer have a corner on the world market. Even the two sports that originated in the United States, baseball and basketball, have been exported around the world.

Our monopoly and dominance is over. The US NBA superstars finished third in the 2003 Olympic Games and our major league baseball players didn't even make it into the semi-finals! America, it's time to wake up and take notice. There is a hungry world knocking on our door, just waiting for the opportunity to prove that they are world champs!

The Gospel According to Jesus

Have you noticed all the new theories, stories, myths and fiction being written about Jesus and His followers? The Da Vinci Code, The Jesus Papers, The Gospel According to Judas ... you need a score card to keep them all straight! Christianity Today has a good article about this on their web site that I encourage you to read.

So what's a follower of Jesus to do? How do we combat and respond to each new salvo that is launched at the Scriptures? By all means, become conversant with what is being said and written. Respected web sites like Christianity Today can be a great resource to us in this regard. There is nothing new under the sun. There are good answers and we don't need to be afraid or bury our heads in the sand.

On the other hand, let me suggest that we don't need to become defensive, preoccupied or overly focused on the latest issues, fads and revelations either. So what are we to do?

We are to do what Jesus has always expected His followers to do - to love our enemies, to do good to all, to let our light shine so that people may see our good works and give glory to God, to care for the hurting, to be a caring community in the midst of a dark world. We are the body of Christ, His church, left to be a witness and testimony to a lost world.

In case it has escaped your notice, each new revelation creates a revenue stream. Each new movie, each new book profits those who advance their "truth" claim.

Nothing has really changed since the time of Paul. Paul's response to those who "peddled" their personal version of the gospel was:

Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God. 2 Corinthians 2:17

Paul goes on to talk about the validation of his ministry - the changed lives of the Corinthian believers.

You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. 2 Corinthians 3:3

So what is a follower of Christ to do? Invite your disillusioned, seeking friends to your small group, your Adult Bible Fellowship, a men's or women's event or to church. Let them see and experience for themselves the reality of a life that has been transformed by Jesus Christ. Expose them to a community of believers who sincerely love God and one another. Through word and deed, share the Gospel according to Jesus!

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you. so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. John 13:34-35

Ready, Set ....

Linn-Mar participated in the Wilkinson Relays at Kingston last Friday. I only have one word to describe the meet - cold! I forgot to throw my winter coat into the car and my spring jacket just didn't cut the wind.

Josh and Jon ran in the varsity open 400. You can click on the picture above to see a slideshow of the race. Jon is the one closest to the camera and Josh is the one third from the right.

I'm looking forward to the track season. I just need to remember to pack my gloves and winter coat!

Friends Class

We finished our Friends Class this morning. We had a smaller class this time around, but it was great group of people. Several people were gone this morning so I wasn't able to get their photo. You can click on the picture above to see a short slideshow of our class.

It's always fun to get to know those who are new to our church. It's exciting to see how God is at work in the lives of people. And it is rewarding to watch how those from the Friends Class become part of our church family.

Beautiful

Joanne Just

We had Joanne Just's funeral service today. We met at the graveside and then gathered at New Covenant for a Celebration of Life service. Here is what I shared today at the service.

The word that comes to mind when I think of Joanne is the word beauty. Joanne loved to decorate, to arrange, to entertain. She loved the beauty of God’s creation and she took pleasure in creating beauty for others to enjoy.

Joanne took delight in discovering beauty, even in the ordinary. Perhaps it was her quest for beauty that drew her into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. In Psalms 27:4 David says:

One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.

Today we can take comfort that Joanne is in the presence of her Savior, enjoying his beauty forever.

Joanne also understood that true beauty is not merely external, but rather emanates from a persons character. Proverbs 31:10 says:

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

Joanne knew the secret of true beauty. Her warm smile and twinkle in her eyes immediately drew people to her. Her beauty was more that cosmetic, it came from deep within, from a heart that was yielded to her God and His purposes for her life.

1 Peter 3:3-4 says:
Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.

Because Joanne attended to her inner world and nourished her relationship with Christ, at the end of her life she was as beautiful as the day Steve first met her. Her beauty was unfading, emanating from a heart that was at rest. And it was this inner beauty that Joanne possessed that drew many of you to her. You felt better just being around her.

Our modern culture worships youth and beauty. We seek image make overs in our quest for the perfect look. Joanne aspired to a different kind of beauty. An inner beauty that transcended time. An eternal beauty that is greatly valued in God’s sight. She sought a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Today we grieve our loss, but we rejoice in Joanne’s gain. Today Joanne is reunited with the God she loved, being transformed into the image of Christ. Today as Joanne gazes into her Saviors face, she has never been more beautiful.

True Greatness

We were blessed to have Larry DeWitt with us this weekend. Larry preached on Mark 10 and the importance of being a servant. The thing I like about Larry the most, is that he has a servant heart and that he practices what he teaches. Larry has been a great encouragement to our Serve the City coalition of churches over the past nine months. You can click on the picture above to see a short slideshow of the day.

The Children's Church worship team lead us in worship today. It was so encouraging to see their enthusiasm and love for Christ. And of course Jeremy and Loretta Bushlack were right there with the kids, modeling servant hearts.

Power, position and prestige all loose their grip on our heart when we follow in the footsteps of Christ, seeking to become a servant. And in the process of giving ourselves away, we find true greatness.

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Mark 10:45

Play Ball

Today is officially the first day of spring. I know, I know, the calendar says that March 20 was the first day of spring. But everyone knows that spring isn't officially here until the first pitch is thrown out on the Opening Day of major league baseball!

And so spring is ushered in tonight as the Cleveland Indians take on the Chicago White Sox. Opening Day is one of my favorite days of the year. The long winter is over, spring is here, and baseball is back.

So let the season begin. The boys of summer have returned. Spring has arrived. Play ball!