Culture Shock

A lot has gone on sense my last blog! We had the men's retreat, which was very inspiring and perspiring. Inspiration came from the worship(By Preston and John Colgate from our campus)and some encouragement came from a few of the campus pastors. Perspiration came from the golf, horse shoes, raft building and race that followed. Men's lives were changed and it was well worth the time! My daughter Alivia returned from her three week trip to Germany as an exchange student. You can really tell the culture had an effect on her, she ends up speaking to us randomly in German and she has blisters on her feet from all the walking. You have to be 18 to drive in Germany, so she walked most places. I am excited about the culture change for those who were baptized over the weekend. A heart change, a new best friend name Jesus, and learning to hear the sound of the saviors voice. That's what I love about the culture Jesus leads us in, it's from the inside out. I hope your week is lived from the inside out. See you on Sunday!!! Pastor Jon A

Some like it Hot! Jesus did.

The egg frying on the pavement days are here. I hope you all found creative ways of staying cool. As a matter of fact, if you have a creative idea for staying cool, please email me your cool idea. I will post the top ten next week. Staying cool is the goal, but it is the opposite that Jesus asks us to be spiritually. he wants us to be hot. He talks about this temperature stuff in Revelations 3:15-17. He tells us to be hot or cold, and not luke warm. If we are luke warm he spit us out of His mouth. I myself struggle with this verse. I feel that I must end up in the spittoon on more days than I should. Fortunately, Jesus doesn't leave us there, He goes on to tell us in verse 3:18 "I advise you to buy gold from me, gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich." I guess my struggle lies in the old saying "I want the best of both worlds" and it just never works out. Although I am attracted to the world's goods, they never deliver the richness in life I am looking for. When I am hot, I love what Jesus loves, lost people, widows, children, broken families and bringing life to a world that needs hope. I read a quote this week that helped me stay out of the luke warm spittoon. " If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people together to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea." Antoine de Saint-Exupery. I thought of our Hockinson Volunteers and leaders as I read this, people who put in countless hours of tasks and work each week. Knowing behind the dedication and faithfulness is the longing to see lives changed, the hurting comforted, the lost found, and the hopeless with hope. They are serving the one they love! Jesus! We have some hot volunteers at Hockinson (spiritually hot). Thank them next Sunday if you have a chance, it stokes the fire! Don't ever lose sight of why your doing what your doing, it will keep you out of the spittoon. Stay hot, but be cool! Pastor Jon A

Happy Independance Day!

This forth of July left me with mixed emotions as all the "oohs" and "awes" of a evening were brought to an end with a huge grand finally of explosions and color. I hated to see it all end. But just like all good things and days off, they do come to an end. I woke up to what looked like a war zone in the front yard and pondered the thought of how to gather the one inch confetti of card board and mess scattered from fence post to fence post. I had the brilliant idea of unleashing gas powered blower to get my yard back together. It was at that moment I flashed back to the previous day. I had done a funeral for a wonderful lady named Maggie who attended the Brush Prairie campus, a woman who was full of life and love for other people. She lived her life like the color and brilliance of the forth of July, and suddenly it was over due to the on set of cancer. And now her Husband and family felt the effects of the morning after, trying to figure out how to gather their emotions and lives back together. I found myself standing in the midst of the mess in my front yard praying for the Holy Spirit to blow through the lives of Maggie's family. To give them peace and comfort that she was in a better place and we will see her again. Our brilliance is found in Him, even when our lives are a mess. He is our comfort and strength. I hope your week is filled with the oohs and awes from the people around you, as the light of Jesus shines bright through your life. Pastor Jon A