Wisconsin

John and Cheryl Reed minister in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Last weekend, Sandy and I visited them. We drove up to the peninsula between Lake Michigan and Green Bay and saw some beautiful scenery.

The four of us in front of a beautiful sunset over Green Bay:

Here is a goat on the roof of a local restaurant. We didn't eat there, just took pictures of the goats.

Sandy and Cheryl put their feet in cold Lake Michigan:

John and Cheryl are still in love:

Young John Reed leads the worship service:

Some of the folks during the Sunday morning service - there was about 100 that day.

John chose to not start the church in the suburbs, but in the city. They have seen many people reached and are building a good church in Green Bay.

Utah

Utah has a lot of beautiful scenery and a lot of Mormons. It also has 3 couples who are working hard to start new churches there - Tim and Jessica Lewis in Ogden and Randy and LeAnn Ledbetter and Scott and Staci Warren in Salt Lake City. Sandy and I went there recently for a regional meeting with these couples. We met at the Warren's house.

Here is a picture of the three couples and my wife, Sandy:

During the sessions, Jessica Lewis had to put her foot up. It had recently been broken. Even though it hurt, she was a trooper.

We ate out one night at an all you can eat restaurant. Even though the three guys are in pretty good shape, I was humbled that they could out eat me.

Tim and Jessica are still in love:


Here are Miley Lewis and Mia and Jude Warren. These are some cute kids:

Both FWB home mission churches in Utah are doing well! Thank God! I appreciate the dedication and hard work these couples give. We had a great time being with them!

Ravi Zacharias Quotes

To sustain the belief that there is no God, atheism has to demonstrate infinite knowledge, which is tantamount to saying, "I have infinite knowledge that there is no being in existence with infinite knowledge"

I have little doubt that the single greatest obstacle to the impact of the gospel has not been its ability to provide answers, but the failure on our part to live it out.

"These days its not just that the line between right and wrong has been made unclear, today Christians are being asked by our culture today to erase the lines and move the fences, and if that were not bad enough, we are being asked to join in the celebration cry by those who have thrown off the restraints religion had imposed upon them. It is not just that they ask we accept, but they now demand of us to celebrate it too."

Ravi Zacharias on the present time:
“Philosophically, you can believe anything, so long as you do not claim it to be true.
Morally you can practice anything, so long as you do not claim that it is a ‘better’ way.
Religiously, you can hold to anything, so long as you do not bring Jesus Christ in to it.”
From Jesus Among Other Gods

“I remember the time an older man asked me when I was young, "Do you know what you are doing now?" I thought it was some kind of trick question. Tell me," I said. You are building your memories," he replied, "so make them good ones."

Ability or Integrity 4

“He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much." Luke 16:10

Most of life is made up of little things.

I like this Dwight Moody quote:

“There are many of us that are willing to do great things for the Lord, but few of us are willing to do little things.”

Whether it is ability or integrity, the battle is fought in the "little things."

In order to do great things, here are some little things to do:

* Be a thermostat, not a thermometer.
The thermometer tells the temperature, the thermostat sets it.
Sometimes you go to church or a class or meeting and everyone seems cold. We desperately need leaders who will bring warmth because they have been with God.

* Always be courteous.

* Be nice to everybody.

* Treat everyone with respect.

* Keep your appointments.

* Tell God that you won't look at anyone without their clothes on except your wife or husband. (Okay, maybe that isn't little.)

* Don't rely on your memory. If you keep telling people that you forgot, they will wonder why you don't write it down. A dull pencil is better than a sharp memory.

* Return borrowed items.

* Always say thank you and show appreciation. (Sounds like your parents. They were right.)

* Self-pity isn't attractive. Don't indulge in 'poor me'.

* Don't scold the congregation about those not present in church. The offenders can't hear you.

* Don't always talk about how much you do and how busy you are.

* Don't always 'one-up' people. "You think that vacation was good - you should have seen where we went."

* How about a little less criticism of others?

* Be honest in the use of time. Work hard even if no one is watching. Be careful of time wasters like TV and the internet.

* Listen before you speak.

* Be real.

Our ability and reputation are important.

Our character and integrity are essential.

“Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.” Abraham Lincoln

From a bumper sticker - "TO BE, NOT TO SEEM."