LHC Hockinson

Movie night

2007-09-28T14:17:00.000-07:00

The chick flick bank account was full, and it was my turn to pick a movie with a little testosterone. I love when that happens. You might think I am over reacting to the opportunity of a manly flick, but you have to actually spend a week in my shoes to know that I live with four beautiful women, my wife Michele,and my three daughters Amanda, Alivia and Katie. And with my son Josh off to college, the estrogen level to testosterone is four to one at my house. Thus my excitement at the opportunity to pick a movie that would keep my interest. So what movie did I choose? You know you really can't go wrong with Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. Both accomplished actors that are known for their G Q looks and their ability to pull off the manly roles! "3:10 to Yuma" was the movie choice. I grew up in the height of western movies, John Wayne and Clint Eastwood were among my favorites. "3:10 to Yuma" fit right in to the great Western movies. The classic good guy, bad guy movie with lighting fast gun slingers, and savage Indians all rolled up into an ending that you didn't expect. A bucket of popcorn and a large coke and I was in my element. I do have to add that it is not a movie for the younger kids, the action and violence definitely play apart in the movie. I did walk away thinking that there is hope, even for bad guys! So gentlemen, if you have paid your dues, take in a good western. If you haven't paid your dues, you need more date nights! Pastor Jon A.

Culture Shock

2007-07-26T12:04:00.000-07:00

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.

2007-07-13T13:15:00.000-07:00

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!

2007-07-05T15:52:00.000-07:00

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

Summer is here!

2007-06-21T16:27:00.001-07:00

I hope everyone is enjoying the kick off of summer! Camping, fishing, vacations, more time with my kids, you just got to love summer. As I drove into work today I purposed to drive through Hockinson, rather than the well beaten path down 503. I was reminded once again what a great community we live in, great schools, awesome teachers, a great fire department led by "chief Steve". I found myself praying for and asking God's favor over the people who keep our community safe and make it a great place to live. It's easy to do the same with our families as we stay on the well beaten path of our routine, work, chores, repairs, and responsibilities. If your like me , I often get sucked into the vortex of the well beaten path of circumstances and life. Today is a good day to take a different way, take the road of being thankful and looking for God's blessings everyday. You will find it in the small things, a child's uncontrollable laughter, the sun on your face, cold watermelon with no seeds. I find if I am thankful for the small things in life, the big things are a shoe in. I hope your summer is spent watching your kids grow, watching the melting Popsicle run down their arm and drip off their elbow. Live and love in the moment, our joy depends on it. Summer is a new season, take a new path!!! See you Sunday. Jon A

Rose Garden Stories

2007-04-24T16:30:00.000-07:00

As the after glow of Easter still warms the hearts of many, Rose Garden stories are still being written by those who attended. One story came in the form of a letter to God from a six year old boy from Hockinson. He writes, " I want God to help me to be good at school. And I want God to gide me through school. I want God to make things good and help evry sick person hele. God you are the sperit the son and the one ohoo died on the kross. you are the son of God. and you are the lite. you are the holy God. you are the lite Jesus. you are the holy one and the one ohoo was risen. You are the Only God in my life. you are the father. you are the holy father god. holy god!" When I grow up I want to be just like him! Needless to say mom kept the original for safe keeping. Have an "Only God" week. Jon A

OZ behind the curtain

2007-03-28T17:26:00.002-07:00

I was thinking back to when I was a young boy at Easter, looking forward to waking up early and hunting down that basket filled with candy eggs that the Easter bunny strategically hid the night before. Only to find out years later that the Easter bunny was really my parents all along. Just like Santa and the tooth fairy, they all left me with the very same feeling, just like when Dorothy found out it was OZ behind the curtain in the "Wizard of OZ". When I finally wrapped my little brain around this grand illusion, I kind of lost the magic of being a kid. Super hero's just didn't have the same appeal, you kind of got this feeling like I am going to have to do this life on my own, no super hero's to step in and save the day. The only character that sacrificed anything for a holiday was the turkey at Thanksgiving (at least I could respect that). Growing up I had no idea that Jesus rose from the grave on Easter and I thought all Fridays were "Good Fridays". I can remember so vividly how precious those days were to me when I truly understood at what cost they came and that it was done on my behalf. I know many of the people around us each day have that same feeling of having to do life on their own, not knowing that "good Friday" and Easter is their gift from God, waiting to be discovered. We are fortunate to have a senior pastor that puts a high priority on reaching out to people who are doing life on their own, alone without hope. We are in the Rose Garden for Easter, the risk has already been taken, all that is left is opportunity! If we are faithful with prayer and invitation (purple cards), it will be an "Only God" Easter. Thanks for making Living Hope a great church to be a part of!!!! Have a great week! Jon Andersen

2007-01-11T11:03:00.001-08:00

Baptism weekends at Living Hope are always filled with so much anticipation and excitement. New commitments to Christ, lives being change, people being reconciled. It just doesn't get better than that. Baptism has made a huge impact on my life. For me it was a public declaration that I was going to follow Christ for the rest of my life. I wanted everyone to know that my life had truly been changed because of Gods love for me. It was also a new starting place, to begin a new life in His power and not my own. The people attending my baptism prayed for me, helped, and encouraged me on my new chosen path. When I think of Baptism I think of 2nd Corinthians 5:17 "Those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!". Some people think that baptism is optional or just a good idea. Jesus tells us in Mark 16:16 to believe and be baptized. A life marked by obedience brings confidence, joy and peace, knowing that you have done what Christ has asked you to do. If you have accepted Christ in your heart and are wondering what the next step is, Get baptized this weekend. If you have already been baptized come and pray and encourage someone who is. See you on Sunday! Pastor Jon Andersen

2007-01-05T15:30:00.000-08:00

I was sitting here wondering about all the New Years resolutions that have been made, and really how many will be kept. I was never very good at keeping them myself, but I do love the opportunity to have a fresh start in an area that needs improvement. My struggle with making a resolution is, I am on my own to try to make it happen. For me a revelation from God always gives me hope because He always has buy in on the project. Revelation can happen any time, any place and all through out the year. It usually starts in the heart and ends with a prayer for help. It also gives me some hope that it will come to pass, because it was God's idea in the first place. So if your like me and have a little trouble keeping those New Years resolutions, take some time and ask God what He wants changed in you, he has revelations for you and me that can truly change our lives all through out the year. God has big plans this year and I don't want to treat them like resolutions, but welcome them as revelation from Him. Happy New year from Hockinson Living Hope! Jon Andersen

2006-12-13T12:56:00.000-08:00

Joy to the world the Lord has come! At this time of year, joy can be one of the hardest things to fill on my Christmas list. I just can't ask for it at customer assistance, or find it on isle nine in the home furnishing section. It all starts with the condition of my heart and who the source of my joy is! When we read the Psalms we find that King David seemed to always be on a emotional roller coaster, whether he was in deep sorrow or pain, or on the mountain top praising god for His goodness, Psalm 16:11 seemed to be the theme for David's life. It says "In Your presence is fullness of joy". In all things David longed to be in God's presence, because he knew that God was his source of joy, even in the difficult things. He figured out that joy came from the inside out, not the outside in. It sounds simple, but the world around us wants us to believe that joy is found in our possessions. I look around at all the great things man has created, Hi-rise buildings, computers, Ipod, pizza, etc, but nothing has ever or will ever come close to God's creation, you and me created in the likeness of Him. That is where we will find our joy, because that is where He finds His joy, in us. The best gift every Christmas is love, It is not hard to find and doesn't need to be wrapped, you can pick it up at the Cross and has an never ending source of joy. Man's presents will never compare to God's presence! May your homes be filled with God's presence. Merry Christmas from Hockinson Living Hope! Pastor Jon Andersen

2006-11-30T11:08:00.000-08:00

Holiday Greetings from Hockinson Living Hope! WOW what a great prison Break series. I was full of compassion as I was praying over all the pain and regrets left on post-it notes at the foot of the cross last Sunday. I am honored to be part of a church that responds to God's touch on their hearts. Freedom always costs us something, our pride, our forgiveness, our rights, or as Pastor John Bishop puts it "what ever consumes you". We all desire to stay out of prison, but some how find our selves locked up over issues of our heart. When my son was about six years old, he asked the profound question "How do people become bank robbers?" Out of some where I answered "One day at a time and one choice at a time". I also tried to explain the "frog in boiling water" theory, which being a boy, he did like that theory better. Some how his questions always effected me more than it did him. I found that it is easy to get comfortable with our heart issues, and not deal with them. But in the end, everyone can see and feel your pain but you. It is hard to give away what we don't possess, and freedom is no exception. Proverbs 4:23 says "Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do". The best way I have found to stay out of prison is to guard my heart with God's truth and grace. Remember, Jesus is the reason for the season(and my freedom). Pastor Jon Andersen

2006-11-02T10:26:00.000-08:00

I am very excited about the new series "Prison Break". When you think of prison, you think of confined, guilty, alone, and rejected by society. It is a funny thing, you don't even need to commit a crime to find yourself locked up and living the life of a prisoner and never setting foot in a penitentiary. Between the enemy and ourselves standing guard at the cell, there doesn't seem like much chance of getting free, from the guilt, shame, and sin in our lives. The fact is, that when we are Christ followers the real sin is not believing that Christ's blood is not capable of truly setting us free. There are a lot miss conceptions about sin, even in Christian circles. Some hold on to their pain and sin as a crutch to lean or fall back on as to gain sympathy, some see pain of the past as their best friend, in the midst of an argument they can pull it out and use it as ammunition against the ones they love the most. Sin always is always about me, my and I. If you read Genesis those words me, my and I do not appear until after the fall of mankind (Genesis 3:10). The only need Jesus had was to be close to the Father, everything else was about others. God is enough for my every need and every sin, and all my pain. Believing anything less keeps me locked up in prison with only my sin to keep me company. Satan may be the guard at your prison door, but God is the warden, go to the source to get free! "Only God" holds the keys to our prison door, we can be set free today!!! Romans 8:1-2, Invite someone this weekend to experience true freedom! Pastor Jon Andersen

Purity

2006-10-12T14:03:00.000-07:00

Sunday meant so much to so many. At Living Hope Hockinson we had 72 single people commit to purity God's way. I love new beginnings, when we allow Christ to lead us to a place of wholeness and hope for the future. He is so faithful to meet us in our moment of need. Purity is large part of keeping us on the pathway to becoming a whole person, and eventually having a whole marriage. It so difficult to remain pure in a culture that mocks you for committing to purity. I am happy to be a part of a church that is not afraid to equipped God's people to live a life worthy of His call. A life of purity as a single person is not attained in a one time event like Sunday, it is a daily choice that takes prayer, commitment, and being willing to be led by the one who can keep you, Jesus. Please pray for those who chose purity on Sunday, to be light to those around them, and for Christ to keep them pure for their future spouse. That they may live before an audience of one. Thank you for your prayers! Pastor Jon A

2006-09-19T15:01:00.001-07:00

Hockinson High School is an amazing place to have Living Hope Hockinson! But on Monday I found out that is also an amazing place to be in public Highschool. It is true that you see what people are made of when times are the most difficult, and Monday, unfortunately was no exception. There was a tragic auto accident over the weekend, leaving everyone in shock and disbelief of the passing of Emma Koenig and the hospitalization of Andrew Westensee. Both recent graduates of HHS and loved by all who knew them. The response from the staff at HHS was exactly what it needed to be, completely focused on the students. Opening the school on Saturday for kids to gather and pray, cry, and comfort one another. Monday morning the Hockinson High School commons was open for the kids to gather once again to work through their pain and grief. The teachers allowed the students throughout the day to step out of class to seek comfort in different areas of the building, where counselors, teachers and community pastors were available for the kids. Everything that took place was student led, from the prayer, to the hours of worship and just taking time to grieve. It is times like these that bring us back to the things that are important in life, loving God and loving people! Please pray for Emma Koenig's family and friend's, also for Andrew Westensee's complete recovery! Don't forget to take some time out of your day to show God's love to someone. Pastor Jon Andersen

2006-09-13T15:17:00.000-07:00

It was a great Sunday at Living Hope Hockinson! Kids World was in full swing, as usual, the worship team was high energy and everyone was engaged in the weekend!The volunteers at Hockinson never cease to amaze me, they are so faithful and excited to serve and love the Hockinson community each week. The volunteer teams get to the campus early and work hard to transform the High School into Living Hope Hockinson, believing that lives and families will be transformed by our loving Savior. They know that what they are doing , truly is making a difference for eternity. I love the Hockinson team! I am excited about the new series "High School Years" that pastor John Bishop is starting this week. It may be to late to re-do High School, but it is never to late to learn from that time in our lives. Have a great week loving and serving our Savior! Pastor Jon Andersen

2006-09-07T21:25:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Living Hope Hockinson. Let me introduce myself, I am Jon Andersen, one of the pastors here at Living Hope. My wife's name is Michele, and she is the love of my life. God has blessed us with four Great kids, Josh, Amanda, Alivia, and Katelyn. I have been a Christ follower for 18 years, sounds like along time as I write this, but as I look back I can see clearly that life truly is a journey taken one day at a time. The best thing about the journey, is that Jesus never gives up on me, dispite myself. I look back and wonder how I would have ever made it this far without His love and direction. It is always amazing to me how God can take the difficult times in life to show His glory. It has taken me a long time to stop asking why am I going through a difficult time, and ask, what are you tring to shape in my character or teach me in this season? James 1:2 -4 Tells us to count it all joy when you fall into trials, because Gods about to do something good in you (paraphrased by me). Hind sight is aways 20-20 with this verse. The key for me is to not let anyone steal my joy, 1/2 the time I lose it way to easy! As Christ followers, the joy of the Lord is to be our strength, so He is glorified through us. Knowing that nothing can separate us from the love of God(Romans 8:35-39) gives me opportunity for Joy everyday! Jesus + Journey= Joy, I love simple math! Share some joy this week! Jon A

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2006-08-29T21:28:00.000-07:00

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