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Burning Hearts – Two Recipes

Friday, January 10th, 2025

How many different ways can you cook (fill in the blank)?  We recently had a chili cook-off to raise money for a mission trip to help hurricane victims. There were 13 different types of chili-from the sublime to the ridiculously hot. In all honesty, I chose to abstain except for the mac and cheese and cheesy potatoes.  Forrest Gump used to say, “Life is like a box of chocolates.” Choices. Choices. and more choices.

The Scripture passage for this week’s message is from Genesis 16-34. That’s a long passage and it is filled with people making choices.  Abram. Sarai (soon to be renamed Abraham and Sarah). Lot’s choice of Sodom and Gomorrah. His daughters’ decision to sleep with him. Hagar and Ishmael. Abraham being tested by sacrificing Isaac. Finding Rebekah for Isaac. Jacob and Esau’s whole wrangling.  Jacob marrying Leah (not his choice) and Rachel (his choice). Jacob wrestling with God. Jacob meeting Esau. Whew! That makes me tired just thinking about all those choices. 🙂

So…where did I get the idea of Two Recipes? I decided to look at the Scripture in two ways: a recipe for disaster and a recipe for success. We all have choices. Some choices we make will be stupid and lead down the wrong path, maybe even to disaster. Can anyone say Abraham and Hagar and Ishmael? And the opposite is also true: some decisions we make will lead to success.

Providing the snow doesn’t visit us again (they are predicting a possible 4-5″ this weekend), I will see you at 9:00 and 10:45. If you can’t be here is person, you can watch our live stream. You can send a request to join our Facebook Group at Owen Valley Christian Fellowship or view our public page at Owen Valley Christian Fellowship-Spencer, In. Or you watch via YouTube at Owen Valley Christian Fellowship. Unless there is a weather event we will live stream both services.

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January7

Tuesday, January 7th, 2025

In his book, The Motive, Patrick Lencioni gives a great illustration to show the difference between a reward-centered leader and a relationship-centered leader.

He writes, “Imagine young men being drafted into the NFL. When some players get chosen by a team, they feel primarily a great sense of relief and accomplishment. ‘I’ve finally made it. After years of hard work, I’m being rewarded and recognized. My life is about to become more enjoyable, and I don’t have to worry about money. I can’t wait to celebrate, find a house, buy a car,…'”

“Other players, though grateful for and gratified by their accomplishment, immediately feel the weight of proving their worth to the team that drafted them. ‘I can’t wait to get my new playbook and start preparing for the season. I don’t want my coaches and teammates to look back on this next year and regret choosing me. I need to find a place to live as soon as possible and get to work improving on…”

There is a fundamental difference between these two players, one that will almost always have a greater impact on their eventual success than their talents and skills. Simply stated, players who are responsibility-centered almost always exceed expectations. Players who are reward-centered almost always fail to live up to theirs.” (quoted verbatim from Page 136)

Since I am a pastor I thought about that in my realm of the world. There will always be those pastors who think they deserve recognition. They seek entitlement. They seek rewards. They lead a church because it gives them honor, prestige, a name, and recognition. They are invited to conferences to speak about their success. They have articles written about “their” church and its size or success or its physical building.

On the other hand, there are those who work hard, not seeking fame or fortune. They work for the glory of HIS name not their own. They don’t care if they are never invited to speak at a conference of their peers. Their labor of love is focused on the church they serve, no matter how small or how big.

IMHO it is the latter I want to emulate. This April I will celebrate my 50th year of ordination. In those 50 years I have never been asked to speak at a conference. I have never had my name in lights. I have never served a big congregation. That used to bug me…tremendously. But not any more. In fact, I now see why I never experienced those things. I COULD NOT HAVE HANDLED IT! The church I serve now-I started my 20th year in November-is the one I love. I want to be nowhere else (except when visiting my grandson or on vacation). Speak nowhere else. Serve nowhere else (except when we have 15-18″ of snow and temps in the 20s). 🙂 

I did not intend on this post becoming about me and my love for the church I pastor, but sometimes you just can’t help it. Ya know? So let me finish with a question: what kind of leader are you or do you look for?

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January 6

Monday, January 6th, 2025

Well…the order of the day is snow, snow and more snow. First, let me be very clear: I did not order the snow! Some goofy youth pastor of the church we pastor ordered it. As we were getting ready for the live stream yesterday (due to having to cancel in person worship due to the…ahem…snow), he decided to get on the bad side of the four of us who were there (sound tech, Power Point & her husband, and me) by spouting off how much he loved snow and couldn’t wait to get out in it to play with his three teenagers. Yeah, they all need their head examined. Good thing I like him and he is doing a great job!! I jest, of course. As much as I hate to admit it the weather people got this one right. Gone (for now) is my saying from Back to the Future when Doc Brown says, “Since when can the weatherman predict the weather.” It started with a light snow around 9ish and then as the day moved on it picked up volume.  As I type this this morning I have heard conflicting reports of 8″ up to 12″.

As I already stated, we did live stream yesterday. The decision was made on Saturday at noon in order to give our folks enough lead time to know, but also to give our “callers” the time to do their ministry. They either call or text people on their list to let them know of the change. Diana, our church secretary (also known as Lady Boss or the more professional, Administrative Assistant) spearheaded getting the ladies to help and then sends out a text to all of them to pass along. Now THAT is efficiency! That means I work with a youth pastor who thinks he is funny but good at what he does, and a very efficient secretary who often goes above and beyond her “job description.” I wonder where that puts me? 🙂

It all makes me appreciate even more those I work with. I’ve been rereading some works which are called fables. They are leadership books/fables written by men like Jon Gordon and Pat Lencioni, leadership gurus who have been around a long time. The Garden, Stick Together, and The Carpenter by Gordon; The Motive by Lencioni; and The Servant by James Hunter have been great refreshers for me on leadership. They have reminded me of the value of a good team, but that it really does start with me. Planting seeds of positive reinforcement, making sure we work together with a common goal, giving the best we can but realize we need breaks, making sure we are a leader for the right reason, and knowing being a servant leader is the primary leadership principle, are all part of being a leader. I have no pretense that I am a great leader (I try and want to be), but one of my desires for 2025 is to become a better leader. I’m going to do what I can to make that happen. 

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Burning Hearts – January 5

Friday, January 3rd, 2025

First Sunday of 2025. Predicted possible snow accumulation: 5-8″. Some say even more. Oh yay. (Notice the tongue-in-cheek)

My theme for the year is, as you can see, Burning Hearts. You can also see it is from Luke 24:32.  For those who may not know, I decided to do something totally different this year. It is something I have NEVER done before. Using the Everyday Gospel Devotional  (EDG) by Paul David Tripp as a guide, I am planning to preach each week on the previous week’s reading. The people of OVCF and some friends have also made a commitment to work their way through the devotional as well as reading through the Bible through 2025. (As an aside: we ordered 135 books to distribute!). Reading the Bible is a daunting task. Many start out with the best of intentions, but soon schedules, boredom (the OT can do that in places), other interests, and life get in the way. Needless to say, I am hoping we can all stick with it. It will certainly make a big difference in our lives.

This Sunday is the start of it all. The January 1-4 reading of EDG involved reading Genesis 1-15. Creation. Adam & Eve. Cain and Abel. Noah and the flood. God’s covenant with Noah. The Tower of Babel. The call of Abram. God’s covenant with Abram.  Lots of good stuff and that is not all of it! Due to the denseness of the happenings, I have chosen to hit the highlights. I’ve titled my sermon Just the Facts.

You may not be able to attend in person but you can join us via live stream. You can send a request to join our Facebook Group at Owen Valley Christian Fellowship or view our public page (Owen Valley Christian Fellowship-Spencer, In). Or you can join us on YouTube at Owen Valley Christian Fellowship. If you do join us please feel free to comment. If you can join us we normally meet at 9:00 and 10:45. That is, of course, weather permitting. Please check with us about this Sunday. I look forward to hearing from you!

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December 31

Tuesday, December 31st, 2024

I’m not a betting man but, if I was, I would be willing to wager I will NOT be the only person to say this today: “December 31st-the last day of 2024. Can you believe it? It seems like just yesterday we were turning the page to 2024” (or something similar).  It does seem that the old adage is true in more ways than one: “Time flies when you are having fun.”  Like everyone else on the planet I would not say all of 2024 was fun, but I would say it was eventful.

Jo and I made our first ever trip to Arizona courtesy of a friend. We not only spent time with he and his wife, but we also got to meet another longtime blogging friend of mine. Along the way we saw the Grand Canyon, stayed in Sedona for two nights, ate some great food and met some amazing people.

We made several trips to Ohio to watch our grandson play high school baseball, both during the school year and during the summer. This past fall we were able to watch him play several football games. He is now a senior and will graduate this coming May. His dream of playing college and professional baseball is pretty much dead in the water (unless he grows about 5 inches and packs on some muscle). BUT he is currently sitting at a 4.25 GPA and is about 90% sure of attending THE Ohio State University.  Cameron, his sidekick, also plans to attend OSU. They met while working at Skyline Chili (that stuff gives me shivers. Who in the world thinks that cinnamon belongs in chili?). She actually approach someone about him asking her to the prom last year. Times sure have changed haven’t they? 🙂  We got to spend some time with her on Christmas Day and thoroughly enjoy her.

There have been funerals and weddings in the church family, some I participated in and some of which I was an observer.

Speaking of the church: we are in the process of an expansion. It has taken since 2018 to raise enough money to get started with excavation and hopefully this spring with construction. The leaders have made a commitment to building debt free for which I am in total agreement. We have, by God’s grace, seen an upswing in interest in the church. I (and the other leaders) are still trying to grasp what it is that is leading the interest.  I spent the months of September and October preaching on the Feels Like Home, of the church being HOME to people.  I know tomorrow is New Year’s Day and the probability of people reading this blog are slim to very slim (maybe none), but I plan to include the saying we began saying to remind ourselves who we are and who we want to be.

Finally, my big thing in 2024 was my knee replacement surgery. As of yesterday, Monday, December 30th, I was at the 7 week mark. My bend is 125%+ but my knee flat on the table is still at 3%. They say my cycling has tightened my hamstrings and they won’t allow my knee to straighten. It is painful trying to get it straight. They say where I am at 8 weeks is where I can expect to be the rest of my life. The PT is working hard, as am I on my own. It just may not happen. But I’m okay with that since I can now walk pain free and am no longer bowlegged in my right leg. The doctor shaved the top of my bone, rearranged some ligaments and tendons and said I would feel fantastic in about 6 months. Time needs to fly! 🙂

That is a short recap of my year. There is, of course, more I could include, both triumphs and disappointments/heartbreaks, especially spiritually.  How was your year?

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December 30

Monday, December 30th, 2024

Hello and welcome to Living in the Shadow! If you are new here, I’m glad you came by. If not, thanks for being a faithful reader (and hopefully making comments)! 🙂

The new year always brings mixed emotions. Some are glad the previous year is over with. I talked with someone just the other day who had that idea. Some look back but then look forward with anticipation for what is ahead. My philosophy is that I can’t change the past; don’t live in regret; learn from the mistakes and the bright spots; and move forward trusting God to lead. In two short days 2024 will be in the history books and 2025 will be laid out in front of us. I can honestly say at this point the only thing I dread about a new year is knowing I will have to do my taxes. It is such a tedious thing and I have so many other more important things to do! Know what I mean? 🙂

The new year brings what many call “New Year’s Resolutions.” I don’t make them. You know how that works. “I’m going to lose so many pounds this year.” “I’m going to spend less and save more.” And for the gym rats among us it is the dreaded “I’m going to start working out more.” That means for January and about half of February the Y or gym will be crowded.  Fortunately (for me but not for them) that resolve will soon get lost.

The new year is also a time of spiritual reflection for many. “I’m going to read my Bible more.” “I’m going to pray more.” “I’m going to get involved in church more.” “I’m going to be nicer to people, even those who mistreat me.” Sadly, those will often go by the wayside way too quickly as well. Least one hopes they last further than January or half of February.

The church I pastor is doing something we have never done as a congregation before. We are using Everyday Gospel Devotions by Paul David Tripp as a guide for our daily walk with Jesus. By the end of the year-if we stick to it-we will have not only taken part in the daily devotions, but also in reading through the Bible. I’m trying to help that out by basing my Sunday morning messages on the previous week’s Scripture reading. For example, this coming Sunday the sermon will be from Genesis 1-15. Sounds like a lot but I preach about 20-25 minutes so it will be a condensation of that Scripture. My theme for the year is Burning Hearts taken from Luke 24. After Jesus’ encounter with the two on the road to Emmaus they said, “Did not our hearts burn within us as He talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?”

My prayer for myself and for the people of OVCF is to have my heart come alive and burn as I study the Scriptures. Feel free to join us in our venture. For more information just respond in the comments.

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December 16

Monday, December 16th, 2024

For 2025 I have asked the church I pastor (Owen Valley Christian Fellowship in Spencer, IN) to accept a challenge. The challenge was to use Everyday Gospel, a daily devotional written by Paul David Tripp as their go-to this coming year. Thanks to the generosity of Crossway Publishing, who offered the opportunity to buy them in bulk for $10 each (order at least 10), our folks were able to get on board for the challenge. To date we have had to order…wait for it…120 copies of the book!! That means there will be at least 120 people who will be reading the devotional each day plus the Scripture corresponding to it. By the end of the year, we will have read through the whole Bible. But I did something even crazier, which really put a target on my forehead. I told them that instead of preaching a series or a book of the Bible or even topics in 2025, that I would base all my sermons on the Scriptures read the previous week (Sunday through Saturday). For example, on January 5th, the first Sunday of 2025, I will preach on Genesis 1-15, the Scripture passages we are to read for January 1-4.  In all of my 50+ years of ministry, I have never-read that NEVER- preached on the whole Bible from the first Sunday of the year to the last. I’m not kidding you when I say I come with a bit of fear after I opened my mouth and made that statement. I wonder now if it was what drove people to sign up for the book.

But I also have to admit to a ton of excitement and cautious optimism for the task in front of me. As I stated earlier, I have NEVER taken on this task before. It will require some serious study and preparation as I weed through some great parts of the Bible but also some tough parts (how does one preach through parts of Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers and make it exciting?). It has also required me reading the Devotional ahead of time, then I will go back and read it again on its planned day, along with the Scripture passage. Last night I read the devotions for January 26 & 27 in preparation for the sermon on February 2nd. My thoughts today are taken from the January 26th devotion.

We hear a lot during this time of the year about love, joy, and hope. My daughter Tami’s favorite Christmas song has the lyrics “The thrill of hope the weary world rejoices.” (O Holy Night).  I know how this whole scenario ends (Jesus wins) but even with that belief/truth, it is hard not to feel like many others do: where is the hope? We sure don’t live in a hopeful society do we? I’m not even talking politics here. I’m talking about life. Before I went to my ManCave last night to focus my thoughts and heart and to sit with an ice pack on my new knee and a hot pad on sore places from the needles of that surgery, I heard about Syria, the death of the United HealthCare CEO, the pardons, the rhetoric which seemed to say murder was wrong “but,” the immigration crisis, etc. You get the picture. So, tell me, where is the hope? I have an 18 year old, soon-to-be a high school graduate grandson, who will be attending THE Ohio State University this fall. What kind of world will he grow up in? One without truth? One without boundaries? One without knowing right from wrong? One without HOPE!  I pray not. I pray that Braden’s generation says, “Enough is enough!” and claws its way back to truth and the hope that comes with it. In his January 26th devotion, Paul David Tripp writes, “True and lasting hope is found in these words: “I will dwell in the midst of my people.”

May Tripp’s words be a signpost for my grandson’s generation. Really, for every generation still living and will soon be living. “May you dwell in the midst of your people, Lord.”

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December 9

Monday, December 9th, 2024

I’m going to brag a little bit. Not about me but about the church I pastor. Even as I write that it sounds bad. But please hear me out before you write me off. 🙂

Yesterday was a big day in the life of Owen Valley Christian Fellowship. Perhaps I can give you a better perspective by giving you a shortened timeline of the history of OVCF.

  • Started in October of 2004
  • They met at several different places until they settled on the Owen Valley Sports Complex.
  • The pastor who came with them left after just a few months, but they plugged away with guest speakers, some from the community.
  • Jo & I came in November of 2005. Diana, the church secretary, and I started the same time.
  • The complex was dirty and small but we made due.
  • The flood of 2008 displaced us for 4 months (we met at the Owen Valley Middle School).
  • In 2010 we purchased a previously abandoned Mormon church building and began immediately getting it ready for occupancy. September of 2010 was our first worship in the new building. It was small (we knew it ahead of time), but it was to become our home.
  • In 2011 we found out we had been embezzled out of $200+k. We chose to forgive and move on.
  • In 2012 we renovated and remodeled our inside space.
  • In 2014 we hired Ryan East as our youth pastor.
  • In 2018 we expanded by building a children’s wing.  That was a very, very wise choice.  We paid cash (another very wise choice).
  • In 2020-2022 we lived through the COVID era but through the faithfulness of God on multiple fronts and the generosity of our people, we never had to cut anything. It was during this time that our live stream became a reality.
  • Beginning with the dedication of the children’s wing in 2018, we started planning and preparing and saving for an addition to our building. We were determined to pay cash for it. Our people have been patient meeting in two services and faithful in their giving.

Yesterday, December 8th, we broke ground for that addition.  The weather, which had been frigid all week, turned beautiful. The sun was shining and it was in the 40s. I used Psalm 84:1-2,10-12 as we prayed and dedicated our new effort to God and several turned dirt.  The excavators are possibly starting this week. Our plan is to get the earth moved and let it sit through the winter and then in the spring pour concrete and put up the building. We will proceed as we have the money. God has been faithful. Why would He stop now? He won’t.

Thanks for listening to my “brag” this morning. But I never want it to sound as though “we did this.” We are extremely thankful to God for His abundant grace and faithfulness to us as a church family. My prayer is that we will never forget what God has done. My further prayer is that we will never lose sight of Who is in charge; that we will never get too big for our britches (and that God will make us bring our belts in a few notches if we do); and that OVCF will always feel like home.

 

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October 28

Monday, October 28th, 2024

Where do I start?

Owen Valley Christian Fellowship (OVCF), the church I have pastored (I start my 20th year in November) just celebrated her 20th anniversary yesterday. I will draw your attention to the previous post here to get the story behind the story. My purpose in this post is to share with you some of what happened, but then to tell you where I have been the past two month in my preaching and to tell you how I brought it to a close.

WHAT WE SAW YESTERDAY:

  • We saw a lot of volunteers show up to set up and tear down and multiple things in between.
  • We sensed the presence of God as we sang and shared.
  • We heard some testimonies from people as to why they chose OVCF to be their home.
  • We experienced some really, really (did I say really) good food.  🙂
  • We also found out why we are looking forward to being in a larger auditorium that will be big enough for one service.

WHAT WE HAVE SEEN THE PAST TWO MONTHS:

The church has a “WELCOME HOME where…” outlook.  That can be seen in the series I just finished preaching:

The Gospel is Preached

Jesus is Honored

Grace is Offered

Lives are Changed

Obedience is Encouraged

Along the way I also talked about love and had messages on Ruth and Philemon. But the key to our ongoing future is being a place where people are welcomed. I concluded the series yesterday with a sermon on Luke 15:11-32 and the parable of the Loving Father/Lost Son. Due to the venue and the presence of tons of children (it is called antsy), I cut things fairly short by emphasizing the love and concern the father showed for his lost son. When he saw his son coming, he set aside all decorum and ran to him, putting his arms around him and welcoming him home. It didn’t matter what his son had done; all that mattered was that he came home. We are that son; God is that father. 

The purpose of home is to be a place of acceptance and love. A place of safety and refuge. Without compromising the truth of the Gospel, OVCF desires to be that kind of home. We aren’t always going to get it right, but we will always try to be the place people can call home.  Would you please pray for us as we continue seeking to put that into practice?

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October 25

Friday, October 25th, 2024

“CELEBRATE!” (cue up Rare Earth from the 60s or if you prefer Kool and the Gang)

I normally don’t post on Friday, or the weekend for that matter. But this is big! Huge in fact! I know you are waiting with baited breath to hear what is so important that Bill would break protocol to post on a Friday.

OVCF, the church I have had the honor and pleasure of pastoring for 19 years (I start #20 next month) is celebrating its 20th anniversary this Sunday. 20 YEARS!!! No matter how you look at it that is quite an accomplishment. From starting out with a meeting in a hardware-type building with just a few folks and meeting at several different places in its beginning, the church found a “home” at the Owen Valley Sports Complex, where it was meeting when Jo and I moved here in November of 2005. We temporarily moved to the middle school for a few months until someone got a wild hair to get us out so we went back to the complex. We went back to the middle school when the flood of 2008 displaced us from the complex for about 4 months. In 2010 we bought an unused Mormon church building. We had our first worship in the new facility in September and were excited about the future. In January of 2011 it came to light that over $200k had been embezzled from us. But God was good. I missed one paycheck during that time and it was made up at the next pay period. In 2012 we remodeled our building to accommodate our growth. We knew when we bought the building it was too small and would require an expansion.  In 2014 we hired Ryan East to be our youth pastor. He had been working at IU Credit Union and teaching our youth group. It was a perfect fit! In 2018 we sacrificed expanding the adult worship area for a youth wing. It was a very wise decision. Along with that we became debt free thanks to someone’s inheritance. When COVID hit the generosity of the people never quit. We didn’t miss a beat. In fact, we expanded to offer live stream during that time! We also increased our mission giving.  After finishing the youth addition, we began saving for an expansion on our adult worship area. We have been in two services since 2013 and there is a strong desire for a unified body in one service. Holidays like Christmas and Resurrection Sunday will often find us at the Abram Event Venue to hold all of us at once. But that comes with a ton of inconvenience and limited ministry to the kids (like none).  We have continued saving to be able to build debt free. Along the way we have taken our Easter offering and given it away to missions, giving all of  away unless designated otherwise. We have taken our anniversary offering and put it in the building fund or given away all or part of it to missions as well. God has been more than faithful to us.

So we celebrate Him this Sunday. We celebrate His faithfulness and goodness to us this Sunday. And yes, we celebrate the people of OVCF. They are, after all, the church. Not the building. People have come and gone-some through death, some through moving, and yes, some through discontent. But along the way, God has also brought some exciting people that I’m proud to call friends and ministry colleagues. One of them reads and comments on this blog almost daily-Ryan and his wife, Amanda. Jo and I still see them and go out to eat with them (Chili’s here we come!). People like Ryan have impacted my life in ways they do not know and words fail when I try to express them. Over my 19 years I have seen a lot happen at OVCF and in Spencer. My prayer is that the influence and legacy has been a positive one.

I’ll close this post for now and give an update on our celebration on Monday (Lord willing, of course). Until then, may I ask you to pray for us for Sunday? My deepest prayer, my most fervent prayer, is that in our celebration we will never lose sight of Who is behind it all and to Whom we give all the praise. One of the songs we will be singing, along with Good  Good Father and No Longer Slaves is  Firm Foundation (I prefer the Disciple/Honor and Glory version): “Christ is my firm foundation/The Rock on which I stand/when everything around me is shaken/I’ve never been more glad/I put my faith in Jesus/Cause He’s never let down.”

Amen!

{Note : if you so desire, we are unable to live stream from AEV due to a lack of good internet connection. My message has been prerecorded and downloaded and will be shown at 10:00 Sunday morning on our YouTube channel. It is a shortened version of the live experience but will give you a little bit of a taste of being there}.

One more thing: I did this from home on my iPhone so if you find typing mistakes, blame the phone. 😂

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