Blog 222

Valentine's Day Surprise

2012-02-15T09:25:00.010-05:00

Tuesday was Valentine's Day--as you all know. We had a surprise in staff prayer time.

Jenn Beglinger read some of the Valentine's cards the kids in Go Fish had made and written to Jesus. Cute, funny, poignant. We smiled, laughed, sighed.

Then came the not-so-unexpected surprise. The Love of all loves showed up in the room. Wow!

This Sunday I plan to share with all of you some of the cards we read on Tuesday morning. Jesus said unless we allow ourselves to become as little children we block ourselves from fully entering the Kingdom of heaven. Our children helped open up the Kingdom to us a bit more on Tuesday. Thanks, kids! And thanks, Jenn, for your great work with our children's ministry.

And to the rest of you, I invite you to come Sunday prepared to receive as a little child.

Get ready!

WOW!

2012-01-17T15:37:00.003-05:00

Do you know about the WOW factor?

The Partnering for Purpose gatherings have definitely been marked by the WOW factor! The WOW factor is the intense presence of God as we have gathered to worship, pray and seek the Lord for the coming year.

As we were wrapping up the meeting on Monday night one of the other pastors said to me, "We need to tell the people to call their friends and tell them not to miss this!"

I agree. Consider yourself told! These gatherings have been extraordinary and I have a sense that they will continue to build in intensity.

Tonight (Wednesday) our Wellspring youth worship team will be leading the worship and we will be partaking of communion together. We will continue to meet at 7:00 every evening with the other churches through Saturday night. On that night Prophet Darren Begley will be ministering, as we seek to call forth the destiny of each congregation and to pray for increased anointing for each ministry.

Also on Saturday, beginning at 7:00 AM, there will be a continual presence of worship and prayer in the sanctuary up to our own Wellspring Covenant Renewal Service at 7:00 PM, Sunday evening. Please come at any point during those 36 hours to continue to 'stoke the fires on the Lord's altar' for the coming year of 2012. Mike McKinniss will be teaching on covenant at the morning services. And that evening at the Covenant Renewal Service we will be announcing the recipients of the annual Welly Awards for outstanding ministry and service. That is always a fun time as we recognize what God is doing through his amazing people here at Wellspring.

Lots going on this week. Lots of WOW!

Pastor Rick

Partnering for Purpose

2012-01-10T15:40:00.003-05:00

As I write this brief post, I am just coming out of one of the most significant Tuesday prayer times with Gatekeeper pastors I have ever had the joy of experiencing. This is a fellowship of area pastors I have been part of for many, many years. We meet weekly to pray, worship, encourage one another, share our burdens and share our joys. The trust levels run deep; the love and honor for one another is genuine; the fellowship is satisfying and life-giving.

But Tuesday's meeting was extraordinary - the sense of unity, expectancy and the presence of the Lord in our midst registered upon all of us. AND - here is the connect for this post - we all had a sense this unique time of encounter is in anticipation of next week's meetings for united worship and prayer.

'Partnering for Purpose' begins this Sunday evening, January 15, and continues every night next week. We will gather each night at 7:00 p.m. to pursue the Lord's presence and blessing for the coming year. Each night we will be led by a different worship team from the participating congregations. There will be no scheduled preaching, but there may well be prophetic exhortation, times of focused intercession, and opportunities for ministry.

Then on Saturday morning at 7:00 a.m. we will begin an intensive 36-hour vigil for Wellspring folks. We want to bring an offering of extravagant worship and fervent intercession to the Lord leading up to our Annual Covenant Service on Sunday night, January 22, at 7:00 p.m.

Please make plans and sacrificial effort to be part of these gatherings next week. I am filled with expectancy for what the Lord will do in our midst.

Pastor Rick

Hope for 2012

2012-01-04T09:10:00.003-05:00

As we launch our ministry and life together into the New Year our banner verse for 2012 comes from Romans 15.13: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

For a long time it has been our practice to seek the Lord for a verse to claim and believe and march under for the year. This year the focus is upon hope.

Why hope?

Because we need it to navigate life in this fallen and at-times very difficult world. I know that for myself hope has become one of life's most valuable commodities. When I am overflowing with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit I can 'leap tall buildings in a single bound.' Without it, I can be defeated by a crack in the sidewalk.

Over the next two Sundays I will be focusing upon hope in the morning teaching times. We also have a couple surprises to unveil on these two mornings that speak to this theme of hope.

So . . . I hope you will be here these next two weeks as we set the compass to navigate by hope for 2012.

Blessings, Pastor Rick

P. S. Remember that we have a week of consecration planned for January 15-22. On each of those nights we will be gathering to seek the Lord in worship and prayer. The first seven of those evenings, we will be gathering at 7:00 PM with folks from other area congregations--worship teams from the various churches will be leading us each night. On the evening of the 22nd the Wellspring family will gather for our annual covenant renewal service.

Outsiders and the Christmas Story

2011-12-06T14:28:00.003-05:00

Most folks familiar with the "Christmas story" know the detail from Luke's gospel that there was no room for Mary and Joseph in the inn. So Jesus was born on the outside, just like he carried on his ministry--outside the established religious expectations and structures.

Matthew makes the same point in the genealogy of Jesus in the opening chapter of the gospel that bears his name, but he does it in a different way. Matthew 1:5,6 reads: . . . Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David. Matthew here highlights the names of two women, Rahab and Ruth; most mothers in the ancestry of Jesus are not mentioned. Why these two?

Both are outsiders. Neither of these two women who were great-great-great-etc-grandmothers of Jesus on Joseph's side were Israelites. Rahab was a Canaanite, a "working woman" of Jericho when the Israelites came out of the wilderness to possess the promised land. She came to believe in the God of Israel and attached herself to the community of Israel by faith. Ruth was a Moabitess, a foreigner who attached herself to the God of Israel in an act of covenant loyalty that resulted in her marriage to Boaz.

Matthew is telling us by highlighting these two women that Jesus came to be among not just those on the inside. In fact, some of his ancestry came from completely outside the community of God's chosen people, Israel.

Point? God is always for those on the outside. Those who aren't part of the "in crowd;" those who aren't part of the establishment; those who aren't the ones we would expect him to hang out with. In fact, the "in crowd" is only "in" with the Lord as long as they realize they are called to be for those who have yet to make their way into the flow of God's grace and love.

Jesus was born outside the inn. Rahab and Ruth were his grannys. Feeling distant from the Lord? On the outside looking in? Look again. He may be closer than you think.

See you this weekend. We will be checking out Solomon in Jesus' ancestry and celebrating the Lord's table. Remember, Jesus said, "Whomsoever will may come."

ANCESTRYdotCOM/JESUS

2011-11-30T08:34:00.002-05:00

First off, let me say a BIG THANKS to everyone for all the kind and encouraging words, cards and gifts to mark our 25th anniversary as your pastor here at KBC/Wellspring. Wow! Like I said to Pastor Wes in the second service, "Twenty five years is a long time!" It has been my privilege and joy, along with Debbie, to walk with you and serve this congregation for the past quarter century. Thank you. By the way, I am planning to hang on to the cards for quite some time. They should come in handy in the future on a discouraging day.

Secondly, let me say a word about the upcoming sermon series. Yes, this weekend I am scheduled to preach--we'll see if I have remembered how to string some meaningful thoughts together. I plan to focus on Matthew 1 and the genealogy Matthew employs to introduce his gospel. On first glance this just seems like a long list of boring and unpronounceable names, but I have found it to be a treasure trove of stories and encouragement as we meditate upon the Lord's ways in bringing forth his redemption into this broken and twisted world.

This week I want to reflect upon David's place in the family tree of the Savior; the next week his son, Solomon; and then, on the weekend just before Christmas we will look at a lesser known figure, Zerubbabel.

Lastly, we are getting settled back into the routines and rhythms of life in Connecticut and the congregation. Good to be back.

Blessings,

Pastor Rick

Back in Connecticut!

2011-11-23T09:55:00.003-05:00

Debbie and I drove into Connecticut about noon on Monday and saw evidence of the snow bomb that went off across the state while we were away. Wow! We had been keeping track of the storm via internet, e-mails, and phone calls, but nothing prepared us for the devastation we encountered upon our return. We walked through our neighborhood and chatted with neighbors who were very happy to have some uninitiated with whom to share their personal storm survival stories.

I can't say I am sorry we missed the storm, but it was strange to be away from the action when so much was going on around here.

Anyway, we have stories of our own journey to share in coming weeks.

First the raw data. We travelled over 11,000 miles and drove through 26 states. That necessitated 3 oil changes along the way, but thankfully no other vehicle issues. We visited 7 national parks (Theodore Roosevelt, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Crater Lake, Redwoods, Zion and Bryce Canyon) in the course of our travels. We visited several family members, my mentor from seminary, a friend from our first church now in pastoral ministry, and the Norton family from Wellspring who are on assignment in Nashville. We spent six weeks in California, immersing ourselves in the life and culture of Bethel Church in Redding. We took advantage of three conferences hosted by the church during our weeks there, featuring revival leaders from Argentina (Claudio Freidzen), Canada (John and Carol Arnott) and the Bethel family. We met many amazing people while at Bethel. Most importantly, we consistently encountered the presence of God in that house of revival.

On our last day in Redding we had breakfast after church with Steve and Wendy Backlund, who are on staff at Bethel and who have been here to Wellspring on two occasions. Steve asked us what were our biggest 'take-aways' from our time there. I answered for my own experience with two big blessings. First, I experienced significant rest, refreshment and deep renewal during this time away. The six months prior to our departure were some of the most difficult of my entire ministry and fatigue and emotional stress were very much with me upon our leave-taking from Connecticut. Secondly, both Debbie and I came away from our time at Bethel with the clear conviction that there is a whole lot MORE to the reality of the Kingdom of God than we had ever before imagined. We heard testimonies and experienced encounters with the power and presence of the Kingdom that have definitely stretched our capacity to believe, hope, dream and seek. We look forward to sharing many of these stories with you in the days to come.

For now we are glad to be back home. On the agenda tomorrow at Thanksgiving will be gratitude for our amazing adventures on this sabbatical and for a great community of believers to return home to and with whom we can share the greatest adventure of all as we seek first this thing called the Kingdom of God.

Pastor Rick

Greetings to everyone at Wellspring!

2011-11-09T10:56:00.000-05:00

Debbie and I have wrapped up an amazing five weeks in Redding, CA where we spent lots of time reading, reflecting, praying, resting and immersing ourselves in the life of Bethel Church.

First of all, I hope by the time you read this everyone has their power restored! What an amazing season in Connecticut to have half the state shut down twice in the span of a couple months. We have tried to monitor progress from across the country and have been amazed by the the devastation caused by that freakish storm. I can't say I am sorry we missed it all. In fact, it was amazing to experience four full uninterrupted weeks of sunshine.

By way of tallying up how I have invested my time while away: I have read several books and scholarly articles on a theme I felt the Lord has given me to explore in the next coming season. This theme has to do with how a righteous God administers justice and governs a world filled with nations, societies and individuals who are in rebellion against his goodness and his ways. This is a theme that has been growing in its importance to me over the past several years and increasingly so as we see global stresses and tensions increase.

Debbie and I also had the privilege of attending two amazing conferences while at Bethel. At both of these events and the many other services we attended at the church made major deposits in our minds, hearts and spirits. Mostly we have been stretched--big time--at all the Lord is doing in and through his people during these amazing days. The testimonies we have heard from leaders and ministers from across the globe are very encouraging to say the least. I look forward to sharing some of these with you when we return. More importantly, I hope to increase the body of testimony that is building from our Wellspring family of how the Lord is changing and shaping lives through us.

However, I cannot give the above tease without sharing one amazing testimony we heard our final night at Bethel Church. This was a "regular" Sunday night revival service, with the addition of having several folks baptized. One of those being baptized was an African-American single mom who had recently come back to the Lord and was making her way into the life of the fellowship. She lives in an apartment complex and had been consistently harassed by one bitter woman who was making life miserable for her. The neighbor had called her names and called the authorities on her several times. Not pleasant.

But "Linda," the renewed believer, had been taking training classes at Bethel in how to walk in the power and love of revival. One night the Lord spoke to her in a dream, "lupus, 34." Apartment 34 is where her unkind neighbor lived. Linda sensed the Lord calling her to minister to her neighbor. "No way, Lord. I'm not talking to that racist woman!" The next night the same message from God came again. Then a third night in a row. Linda yielded to the Lords's prompting and wnet to knock on the door of apartment #34 the next day. "What do you want?" came the 'greeting.' "Does 'lupus' mean anything to you?" Linda asked.

At this point the angry countenance behind the door melted and the woman began to sob. "I have just been diagnosed with lupus!" Now Linda knew the Lord had indeed been speaking to her. "May I pray for you?" she asked. The next day Linda got a call from Melissa at the doctor's office. "The doctor said he must have been mistaken--there is no lupus in my body!" But these tow new friends knew what was up! God had healed a body and built a bridge that transcended fear, hate and division.

Now Linda leads Bible studies in Melissa's apartment. She leads outreaches to the teen-age girls in the complex. She was asked one day by "Drunk Harry"--"Are you the woman who prays for people?" "I guess so," replied Linda. "Well, would you pray for me?" he asked. "What do you want prayer for?" Harry looked incredulous, "Can't you tell--I'm drunk all the time." Linda prayed for Harry and he received a powerful touch from God. He has not had a drink for the last month.

Revival has begun in the apartment complex!

So, with these stories and more. With lots of rest and refreshment. With loads of encouragement poured into our hearts we are on our return trip to Connecticut. We are with our daughter Kate in San Luis Obispo for a few days. Then we head east, stopping to see the Nortons in Nashville and our parents in southern Ohio. We plan to be home for Thanksgiving and look forward to seeing all of you that weekend.

Thanks again for the privilege to invest this time in renewal and for all of your prayers and support.

Blessings,

Pastor Rick

GREETINGS FROM REDDING!

2011-10-19T10:16:00.001-04:00

Debbie and I have enjoyed two wonderful weeks here in Redding and at Bethel Church. We are very grateful for the privilege of being your representatives here and for the benefits of this time away.

So what are we doing here? We are resting, studying, praying and immersing ourselves in the atmosphere of this global ministry. At our first staff meeting we were the guests of Steve Backlund and listened to 90 minutes of testimonies of what the Lord had been doing through this ministry in the past week. The testimonies ranged from Berlin to Paris to the poorer neighborhoods of Redding. People healed, saved and equipped. To say it was inspiring would be an understatement to say the least.

We also have had the privilege of sitting under the ministry of Claudio Freidzen from Buenos Aires. He has been a leader in the Argentine revival for the past 25 years. I first encountered Claudio in 1996 when I went to Argentina to intersect the revival there. Then, less than a week later, we experienced the ministry of John and Carol Arnott from the Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship, a ministry that has been experiencing and ministering revival for the past 20 years. Bethel Church has been in revival for the past 18 years. Wow! The level of anointing flowing in these meetings was remarkable.

We have been in the room while several healings have occurred, including one of note. One of the Bethel pastors had a word of knowledge for someone who had their neck injured in an auto accident at least ten, maybe fifteen years ago. Oh yes, in a red car. “Did that description fit anyone?” A woman from Minnesota stood up. She was in a crash fifteen years ago driving a red VW beetle. Since then she had suffered from fibromyalgia that was triggered by the accident. Her husband had offered to send her to any spa in the country for a week in order to ease her pain. Instead she said, “I want to go to Redding and Bethel Church.” As she stood and responded to the word of knowledge, the people around her prayed. A bit later she shared the testimony that her pain was gone and her range of motion was restored. Desperate desire for healing fueled her faith and the Lord released the word that led to her healing.

So we are soaking in this atmosphere, being fed, being stretched, being refreshed. Thanks again for the opportunity to be here. We are enjoying every moment and looking forward to returning to Wellspring and sharing with all of you the fruits of what we have been receiving here.

Thanks for your prayers and encouragement.

Pastor Rick

More Miles on the Pacific Coast Highway

2011-10-02T23:42:00.002-04:00

Greetings Fellow Americans and Friendly Foreigners!

Debbie and I logged some more amazing miles on the Pacific Coast Highway today. We sojourned into the mountains for a day to visit Crater Lake National Park. It is the deepest lake in the country and fills the collapsed rim of an inactive volcano in the Cascade mountain range in southern Oregon. The rim is about 7,500 feet high. Very beautiful. Very eerie landscape. Very remote location.

This morning we woke up and decided where to head on our last day on the road before we head into Redding tomorrow. Our decision was to head southwest from Crater Lake--back to the coast and Highway 101.

So we crossed over the coastal range and drove into California. Immediately we both felt the difference from Oregon. So good to be back in California again. When we hit Route 101 we were on the section called "The Redwood Highway." That's right. This amazing highway runs for miles through the forest of massive giant redwoods that runs along the coast here. Many of the trees are just a couple feet off the side of the road.

There is no describing these trees. They have to be experienced to be believed. Massive grandeur and hundreds and thousands of them. No picture can capture them (besides I haven't uploaded any pictures yet).

Then the bonus. In one stretch along the highway there are several herds of elk just off the roadway. We stopped and made the acquaintance of a couple of the small herds--one was about fifteen feet from our vehicle. Elk--called 'Wapiti' by the Indians, which means 'big white rump.' Yep, they have that distinctive marker.

That's the report for this day. Tomorrow, Lord willing, we roll into Redding to set up shop in our new digs for the next six weeks. We will be staying at "Glory Mountain Retreat" just north of Redding.

Blessings,

RM

More from the Road

2011-10-01T01:29:00.002-04:00

My Fellow Americans (and those few non-Americans who read this blog),

Walked the beaches of the Oregon coast today. Also drove about 150 miles on Highway 101. Magnificent! Some of the best days of my life have been enjoyed driving up and down this magnificent road. Every turn presents another orgy for the eyes. Makes the Atlantic coastline look like the bank of some farm pond.

And get this--you can actually SEE the Pacific coastline from the road! For miles and miles and miles it is visible and not obstructed by houses or shoreline private roads. And you can walk on the beaches--for free! And no town or county or state charges you to park your car! In Oregon most of the shoreline is state park and totally accessible.

Some other observations about Oregon:

Personal grooming and dress are low priorities throughout Oregon. The grungier one looks the better--especially the men. Most women here at least comb their hair. But if I were to move here I would have to invest heavily in flannel shirts (ripped preferably) and hoodies--and I would have to let my hair grow and faithfully comb it once a year.

Eastern Oregon is the west and Portland is the east. Eastern Oregon is ranch and farm country and very dry where not irrigated. And Portland is liberal northeastern in its politics--but it has a laid back tempo and ethos like California. Also Portland has amazing formal gardens. It ain't called the Rose City for nothing. And you can't pump your own gas in Oregon--it's like New Jersey that way. But the gas prices in Jersey are cheaper. You think a lot about gas prices when you are logging about 400-500 miles a day.

75% of Oregon is brown and dry and 25% of Oregon is green and lush. And the people and the cities are where its green. Except a lot of where it is green are mountains and trees on a rampage. You have never seen such trees in your life! There is a reason the Oregon license tag has a picture of a Douglas fir on it.

I actually wrote more stuff for this blog post and it was brilliant, but my wi-fi connection crapped out and it got lost in cyber space. And now I am tired and going to bed.

Happy Trails!

RM

In the Mountains

2011-09-27T23:22:00.002-04:00

Greetings from Jackson, Wyoming!

We have had three fabulous days in Yellowstone and Grand Tetons National Parks. I have had more sun in the last three days than in the entire summer in New England.

The parks are amazing! We saw plenty of bison, mule deer and one elk. Alas, no grizzly bears.

We saw geysers, geysers, and more geysers. Also hot springs, bubbling mud pots, and steam vents. Of all the geo-thermal features in the world, half are in Yellowstone. Tough hiking at 8,000 feet we found out. Yellowstone is as big as Rhode Island and Delaware combined.

Then on to Grand Tetons park. Wow, wow, wow! What a spectacular day--crystal clear blue sky and 70 degree+ temps. We kayaked on Jenny Lake in the park.

Another thing. People are friendly in this country. I mean real friendly. Everywhere except the northeast, that is. I find that it is stunningly different.

That's all the travel news for now. On through Idaho tomorrow to Boise.

RM

Memory Lane

2011-09-21T17:15:00.002-04:00

Greetings Sports Fans!

Debbie and I spent yesterday tooling down memory lane. We visited Northfield, MN--where we lived for 6 years following seminary and where I served in my first pastorate at Emmaus Church.

We walked downtown through this idyllic college town, home of Carlton and St. Olaf Colleges. "Cows, Colleges and Contentment" is the town's tagline on T-shirts sold at the local historical museum. The town's main historical claim to fame involves the Jesse James-Cole Younger gang's last attempted bank heist. The local citizens foiled the bank raid with the rallying cry, "Get your guns boys, they're robbing the bank!" Every September the town holds the annual "Defeat of Jesse James Days" festival and street fair. Hey--it works for them.

In Northfield yesterday Debbie and I walked downtown; walked the street past the house where we used to live--802 College Street. It is run down and shabby looking. Sad. The back yard is now torn up--looks like they are going to put in some kind of garden. I remember the yard as being the scene of hundreds of wiffle ball games with Mark and Mike when they were growing up.

Then we drove north to the Twin Cities and visited the campus of Bethel University and Seminary, where I went to seminary and graduated in 1980. We lived on campus in an apartment in Sem Village. We walked around the college and the seminary. Good memories.

After that we drove north two hours to Aitken, Minnesota. We have been visiting the home of Jim and Bev Mason. Jim was my mentor while in seminary and has been a good friend for 30 years. He and Bev live on Lone Lake outside Aitken. We have been catching up and sharing laughs and rants. Good times. This morning we went with them to their Wednesday morning breakfast group from church. The "Forever Old" group Jim calls it. Good people. Good food.

Signing off. Happy trails!

RM

It is good to be back in Minnesota.

Happy Trails

2011-09-13T09:35:00.003-04:00

Debbie and I take off after church this Sunday and head west. I will be preaching a message that was sparked in me by something Mandy Adendorff shared recently in her weekly Monday inspirational devotional. I am looking forward to sharing this with you--I have her permission to preach her message, by the way!

We are also excited to be going away for a season--looking forward to a time of rest, some time with old friends on the way to California, and an immersion in the life and ethos of Bethel Church in Redding, CA.

Once again we are grateful for the opportunity to go. We hope to come back rested and refreshed. We also hope to bring back something of the abundance of blessing, anointing, boldness and creativity that is in the atmosphere of Bethel Church.

While away, Pastor Wes will be leading the ministry and the staff. Elders are on duty. Team members are carrying on the work. Pastor Wes is putting together an exciting fall teaching series that many will share in--it focuses on getting back to our radical core. You won't want to miss a single Sunday.

Pray for Debbie and I while we are away. We need travel mercies and trouble free miles. We are asking God for rest, refreshment, and renewal of vision. Pray for divine appointments with key people and divine encounters with the Lord himself. Pray for fresh revelation and strategy for the way ahead.

Blessings and Happy Trails to you--'til we meet again!

Pastor Rick

Hezekiah and 9/11

2011-09-06T12:56:00.002-04:00

This coming Sunday is the tenth anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon by radical Islamist terrorists. The nation is gearing up for all manner of observances and ceremonies of remembrance. It was the worst attack upon our citizens on our own soil since Pearl Harbor in 1941. However, everyone knows what issued forth as a result of the day that lives in infamy--December, 1941. Our nation entered the Second World War and we helped to lead the Allied effort win through to victory both against the Nazis in Europe and Imperial Japan in the Pacific.

But ten years later, we still don't know or understand the significance of the 9/11 attacks. We have entered foreign wars in two nations as a result of those attacks. But today few see that connection as primary; and besides, our men and women are still fighting in both of those nations as part of a global war against terrorist activity. We remember 9/11 as a day of great heroism by first responders and by the men and women who brought down the fourth plane before it could fly into the Capitol building or the White House in Washington. It is right and proper that we honor these citizen patriots. 9/11/01 also ushered in one of the most tumultuous economic decades our nation has ever seen. And indeed, the primary attack was upon the American center of global trade in New York's financial district.

I myself don't claim to have the answer as to what 9/11 'means.' But I do know that it was and continues to be a pivotal day in our history as a nation.

This year as we gather for worship on September 11 I plan to begin a short, two-week series on King Hezekiah of ancient Judah. His story and his lifetime of leadership was likewise pivotal for the southern Kingdom of Judah, and is told in II Kings, II Chronicles and in the book of Isaiah.

I have long been fascinated by the way Hezekiah was used to turn the nation back to the Lord and to his ways. I am also fascinated by a huge opportunity that Hezekiah did not lead through--and ultimately missed. In these two upcoming weeks, as we reflect upon our nation's recent crises and current turmoil, I hope to bring some light from the Scriptures that will illuminate our way forward as God's people in the midst of a land that is at a major turning point in its history.

Blessings,

Pastor Rick

Irene and Other Restful Phenomona

2011-08-30T12:34:00.006-04:00

"Irene" comes from the Greek--it means peace. There's a good name for a devastating storm!

I hope all of you survived the storm and are up and running again. At our house we were without power for 36 hours; had to bail water from our basement when the sump pump stopped running. And--for the first time in my entire pastoral ministry--we had to cancel Sunday morning services!! This never happened during our tenure in Minnesota, despite having several Sundays one January where the wind chills dipped below -50 F with blizzard conditions.

We are thankful that there was little damage to the church--some water damage through minor leaks in the roof. Those are currently being patched and repaired. Shout out to Josh Kellam for his help in this matter.

And we are grateful to those of you who gave on-line or who mailed in your offering to the office. Thanks! In years past we would not be paying that much attention to such matters, but this year we have been tight in terms of cash flow. I do want to report that your faithfulness in giving has been awesome this summer. Even with missing last Sunday, due to economy measures put in place and some cutbacks in benefits and due to your giving we are coming to the end of the summer at about a break even point between expenses and budget income! From where we started out the summer this is really remarkable. Thanks for your faithfulness. And we encourage you to keep it up as we move into a new ministry season this autumn.

Sabbatical for Pastor Rick. Debbie and I will be heading out on sabbatical after services, Sunday, September 18. Our plan is to be gone for two months, returning November 21.

Those who have been around Kensington Baptist/Wellspring for some time will realize that this will be my third sabbatical during my tenure as Senior Pastor of this fellowship. The plan for sabbatical leaves was part of my original call here, intended to provide a time for rest, renewal and refocusing every seven years. This has been intentional in order to facilitate a long tenured ministry.

I am very grateful for the two sabbaticals in the past and for the one upcoming in mid-September. I utilized my last sabbatical to bring the manuscript for Equally Yoked to completion.

For this coming sabbatical, Debbie and I will be starting with two weeks of vacation to drive across the American west on a northern route, making our way to Redding, California. We plan to retreat in the foothills outside Redding for about six weeks, within ten minutes of Bethel Church. It is our plan to immerse ourselves in the life, ministry and ethos of that great church to glean what we can and bring back fresh perspectives and impartation for the ministry here at Wellspring. We have been invited to do so by Steve and Wendy Backlund and will have access to the inner workings of the staff and ministry while there. I will also be doing some uninterrupted study on an issue the Lord has spoken to me about. More on this in the future. On our way back to Connecticut we will take a more southern route, pretty much driving straight home except for a day or two visiting our parents in the Cincinnati area.

As has been our pattern in the past with my two prior sabbaticals and with the sabbatical Pastor Wes enjoyed a few years ago, no church funds will be utilized for costs of the trip or expenses while in Redding. I will be paid my salary, as has been the practice in the past for prior sabbaticals.

Again, I am grateful to the congregation for the opportunity to be away for this season of renewal. These past several months have been quite trying for all of us. I intentionally sought the Lord and the counsel of others as to whether I should postpone this trip, but felt consistently the nudging of the Lord to proceed.

Please pray for us as we are away--and for the staff and elders who will carry on the ministry and leadership. Debbie and I are asking the Lord for safe travel, for divine appointments with key people, for rest and renewal, for fresh vision and for encounters with the Lord himself.

Thank you again for this privilege to serve such a great congregation as Wellspring and for this upcoming time of renewal.

Blessings,

Pastor Rick

"Next Year, Jerusalem!"

2011-08-23T15:51:00.004-04:00

This rally cry, voiced each year by Jewish people at the Passover Seder was given to me as a prophetic word two years ago by Prophet Bob Hazlett. Since having received that word, I have been to the Holy Land twice. Both visits were incredibly stretching, instructional and inspirational.

Now--in concert with Rabbi Librach--I would like to invite you to come with me to the Holy Land next March. The Rabbi and I have worked out an itinerary that focuses primarily on visiting sites of biblical importance, and secondarily on gaining a sense of the miracle of modern Israel. I am excited about this itinerary. We have packed a lot into a week and have managed to avoid most of the sketchy uber-touristy, overly religious sites that have little real connection to the land or the biblical drama of redemption.

We will connect with believers in the land and Rabbi Cliff and I will share biblical teaching while we are on site. There is also something very special about a devoted rabbi and an evangelical pastor co-leading a spiritual pilgrimage to the Holy Land. I think God is up to something very special in this trip. It will be a true adventure, a vacation and a spiritual seminar all rolled into one.

Brochures are available in the office and at the Welcome Center. More detailed information is at www.wellspring.net/israel2012. I hope you can make this trip with Rabbi Cliff and I--it's going to be great!

Pastor Rick

Quasi-Random Rambling from Rick

2011-08-16T15:00:00.002-04:00

Greetings Sports Fans!

It's been awhile since I have posted anything. My fertile mind has been composting. So here goes!

SUNDAYS @ SEVEN prayer times. These times of simple worship and prayer this summer have been awesome. The Lord gave Pastor Wes a word about back to basics at the beginning of the summer and this prayer/worship time has been in response to that directive. Each week we have gathered with a simple format to seek the Lord in prayer and worship--and to let him lead and direct that quest. His presence has been powerfully present and I believe that many of our prayers for our congregation are being answered. We plan to continue with this simple format/basic quest beyond the summer season.

On that note, on Sunday evening, September 4 at 7:00 PM, there will be a joint GateKeepers' worship and prayer time to give thanks for the Purpose outreach this summer and to continue to pursue the advance of the Kingdom in our communities.

WELLSPRING SCHOOL OF LEADERSHIP. The new fall term begins on Tuesday, August 30. We are extending the deadline for application for the new entering class of first-year students. The first course, Spiritual Formation, is something that will benefit every believer. It will be team-taught by Debbie McKinniss and Linda Johnson. Contact Mike@Wellspring.net for more information. But don't procrastinate any longer! Come on--you know you want to do this!

ANOTHER BREAKTHROUGH FOR ISAAC CAMPBELL!! Jenn Campbell, mother of the miracle boys Christopher and Isaac, passed me a note this past Sunday that Isaac had lost 2 and 1/2 pounds in the previous week, had lots of abdominal pain and had the worst diaper rash she had ever seen (and she has seen a lot of diaper rash). The congregation prayed during the 9:00 AM service for these needs and once again Isaac experienced breakthrough! She emailed me Tuesday at 2:22 PM (a good number for miracles--see Acts 2:22) to say that Isaac's rash had cleared up and that he tipped the scales at 30 pounds for the first time in his young and courageous life! How's that for an answer--the champion fighter boy moves up a weight class!

Then Jenn related that she had just come back from another doctor's visit. The doc wants to remove Isaac's tonsils because his tonsils and adenoids are huge and they inhibit good sleep for Isaac. Jenn is pretty reluctant to put this guy through yet another surgery. So she is urging us to pray for a shrinkage of Isaac's tonsils and adenoids. So Lord, we agree for this need. We call upon you to touch Isaac's tonsils and adenoids and shrink them in Jesus' mighty name! Amen.

FIFTH GENERATION REDS FAN. If you will allow me a point of personal privilege--and after all it is my blog--allow me to note that Elijah McKinniss will accompany his father tonight to see the Cincinnati Reds take on the Washington Nationals in D.C. This initiates Elijah as a fifth-generation fan of baseball's original professional baseball team and links him to the city of his forebears. It also initiates him into the company of the miserable, as he can expect about one good team a decade. Alas . . . .

It's a Beautiful Morning

2011-07-30T18:35:00.002-04:00

I was painting yesterday--a door, not a canvas. On the radio was the oldies station playing, "It's a Beautiful Morning" by the Rascals. I was immediately transported back to the home I grew up in on Westgate Drive in Oxford, Ohio. I was on a ladder one summer morning painting the trim on my parents' house, listening to the radio. Not an oldies' staion, but Top-Forty radio. Playing? "It's a Beautiful Morning!"

Wow--the power of memory! The power of music! The power of painting!

QUOTE OF THE DECADE

2011-07-27T09:24:00.003-04:00

"The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the US Government can not pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government's reckless fiscal policies. Increasing America's debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that, 'the bucks stop here.' Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better."

Senator Barack H. Obama, March 2006--before voting against raising the debt limit.

What he said as senator was true then and it is still true today. The debt is the problem. And in the first term of his presidency Mr. Obama's administration will have created more debt than all the presidents before him combined.

PURPOSE

2011-07-12T16:04:00.004-04:00

God has been stirring up the hearts of people in New Britain this summer in a quest for PURPOSE!

PURPOSE is a burden and a vision birthed in the heart of Pastor Rha-Sheen Brown of Right Now Ministries for the teens and young adults of the city. Like the name of his church, the time for the vision is Right Now! It is an invitation from heaven to escape the life of the street and the shadowy purposelessness that has swallowed so many lives in recent years. When Pastor Rha-Sheen shares this vision the pulse of heaven can be heard and felt through his words. It has captured the imagination and involvement of a number of churches in and around the city of New Britain.

The dates for this outreach are Friday, July 29 and Saturday, July 30.

Friday night is a Festival of Hope held at the band shell in Walnut Hill Park that begins at 7:00 PM. Musical guests include The Mike Smith Band to lead in worship, Junior Fountain & God's Generation and Janeen's Diary. The festival will also feature a "Words of Hope" tent as gifted folks will be sharing prophetic/encouraging words of destiny to any who desire such a word. And Pastor Rha-Sheen will bring a message of hope in his unique style and dynamic presentation to challenge the youth who are there.

Saturday features a March of Hope/Prayer Walk that also begins at the Walnut Hill band shell, convening at 10:00 AM. Several points in the immediate downtown area will be visited and prayers offered to break the chains of despair and release hope upon the city. Pastor Rha-Sheen has had a vision of 1,000 marchers, all wearing white T-shirts to symbolize a break with darkness and hopelessness.

I have been part of the planning effort for PURPOSE, along with several of our intercessors and youth leaders. We plan to have an information table in the cafe the next couple Sundays to promote this outreach. Also, you can call the PURPOSE hot line at 860-817-7710 or go to: http://www.purposenewbritain.com/ for more information.

I purpose to be part of PURPOSE--I hope you will join in!

Pastor Rick

This Sunday, July 10

2011-07-06T09:42:00.002-04:00

It's not often that we use the weekly e-news, or that I utilize my blog to promote upcoming Sunday services. But that is precisely what I'm doing in this post.

Sunday morning, July 10. Pastor Wes and I will be teaming up this Sunday, along with Terry Griswold--one of our elders, to address our current financial situation at Wellspring. The elders have been meeting to get an accurate picture of where our finances are and to own both the reality of where we are and to set a course for the way forward. We will be sharing a summary of that report on Sunday along with some encouragement and teaching from God's word and a testimony of God's faithfulness.

Sunday Evenings @ 7:00. Beginning this coming Sunday evening, the elders have called for weekly times of seeking the Lord in worship and prayer as we go forward. These are not "programmed services;" there will be no teaching or preaching planned for these services. Rather these gatherings are seen as times of seeking the Lord for his favor for our future as a church body and ministry.

There will be a couple of exceptions to this general tone of congregational prayer time. On Sunday evening, July 17, the Christian band, Ascend the Hill, will be ministering at 7:00 PM. And on Sunday, August 7, another awesome band, The Ember Days, will be ministering at the evening gathering. Both of these bands have led worship and shared their own music at Bethel Church in Redding, CA, where Pastor Bill Johnson is the senior leader. A shout-out to James Allen for lining them up to be with us this summer.

Blessings,

Pastor Rick

July 4, The Constitution and American Exceptionalism

2011-06-29T09:43:00.002-04:00

The July Fourth holiday greets us on the calendar this coming Monday. For many it is merely an extended summer weekend with fireworks, cook-outs and time at the beach. But it stands on the calendar of real human progress as a red letter day for the entire family of mankind.

Not only did July 4, 1776 mark American independence from Great Britain, it launched a radically different form of government from what prevailed around the globe at the time and from what had marked human history in the centuries prior.

The American revolution was not simply a Declaration of Independence from George III of England, but it was a Declaration of Independence from the autocratic rule of kings, emperors, potentates and every other form of elitist, autocratic rule over and against the rights of "the people." This revolutionary step forward, won through a hard-fought and heroically contested war with the world's greatest superpower of the day, was codified in the first three words of the American Constitution that was later enacted in 1789 by the independent and newly united former thirteen colonies: "We the people . . ."

These three words and the philosophy behind them clearly mark this nation and its experiment in self-government as exceptional in the history of this troubled planet. It is fashionable today in some circles of political statists, academia and other cultural elitists to pooh-pooh the notion of American exceptionalism. Indeed, even our current president has questioned the very concept as a mere expression of nationalistic pride, stating that Americans believe in American exceptionalism in the same way that Greeks or Brits believe in the exceptionalism of their respective countries.

This does a disservice to the radical ideas that launched this nation, to the courage and vision of those who signed the Declaration over two hundred years ago, and to all who have served this nation in pursuit of this exceptional expression of human liberty and limited government. See, at the heart of American exceptionalism are two corollary concepts. The first is that both the state and the people of that given state are subject to God ("having been endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights . . .") Second, is the still-radical notion that the state is subject to the people ("We the people . . .")

Some so-called "progressives" today challenge the notion of constitutionally limited government as being out of step with the advances, demands and threats of the 21st century. In its current cover story, Time magazine asks of the Constitution: "Does it still matter?" Such a question, raised over the Fourth of July in one of the premier mastheads of American news and opinion ought to send chills down the spine of every liberty-loving American.

The lead article goes on to detail the obvious that those who drafted and ratified the Constitution "did not know about" all sorts of things in the world today, including airplanes, computers, television, and DNA. This may sound clever at first glance, but it is totally irrelevant and a "straw man" argument. The Constitution has never sought to micro-manage the details of the lives of the citizens of this nation--in any era or century. What it does seek to do, and what it has accomplished for two marvelous centuries of self-governance is to limit the tentacles of the over-reaching state to invade, circumscribe and control the lives of "we, the people."

Despite that, the author of the article, Richard Stengel, Time's managing editor, erroneously states that "if the Constitution was intended to limit the federal government, it certainly doesn't say so." Apparently Mr. Stengel has not troubled himself to read the very foundational document he seeks to declare irrelevant. The Tenth Amendment, one bookend of the original Bill of Rights that guaranteed the ratification of the Constitution, states clearly: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

There are those all-important words again--"the people." Here is the key concept of the American experiment that makes this venture exceptional in the history of humankind: the power of the state is expressly limited so as to guarantee the rights, opportunities and liberties of the people.

Does the Constitution matter? Only if your freedom matters to you.

Celebrate these revolutionary concepts as you shoot off some fireworks this Fourth of July or as you raise your glass to celebrate the most exceptional experiment in human liberty and limited governance the world has yet to see. Fortunately, "we, the people" still have the right and reason to celebrate.

Pastor Rick (with grateful acknowledgement to Thomas Sowell)

A Gift--Given Away!

2011-06-08T09:20:00.003-04:00

On April 29 of this year I had the distinct honor and privilege of being the guest preacher at the Friday evening service of the United Jewish Center in Danbury. Several folks from Wellspring joined Debbie and me for that evening of worship and fellowship. It was so great to see the two congregations interacting with one another.

I also had the joy that evening of presenting Rabbi Cliff Librach a check for over $1500--a gift offering from the Wellspring congregation to bless UJC. That gift was received with gratitude and joy.

Now they are giving that gift away!

That's right. Rabbi Cliff informed me that the board of UJC has moved to donate the funds to a center for orphaned youth in Israel. They deemed our gift to be a holy offering and did not want to use it on their own budget. So on June 29 Rabbi Cliff and his wife Miriam will present the offering to the Yemin Orde Wingate Youth Village as a joint gift from Wellspring and UJC.

I am sharing this news with you by way of reporting and because I think it is a very exciting development. An offering, jointly given by an evangelical church and a Reformed synagogue to bless Israel makes a powerful statement. The Apostle Paul invested great effort during his ministry to raise an offering from the Gentile congregations he had planted to bless the needy in Jerusalem. (cf I Corinthians 16: 1-4; II Corinthians 8,9) He saw this as both practical outreach and as a prophetically symbolic act of God uniting Jew and Gentile believers in Messiah.

So where is this journey with Rabbi Cliff and his congregation going? Short answer--only God knows.

I don't say that facetiously. I do have a deep sense that God is up to something in this personal friendship being forged with Rabbi Cliff. And I believe he is up to something in building bridges between the two congregations. I can't begin to predict, however, how these relationships will proceed. But for the time being I am enjoying the journey and seeking to stay open to God's surprises.

And some orphaned children in Israel are being blessed. God be praised!

Pastor Rick

Skyline Chili and the Cincinnati Reds

2011-06-02T13:58:00.004-04:00

My dad and I took each other to lunch today. I drove and steered him toward the table. He pulled out a $10 bill, sure that would cover the tab. Like most things these days, his calculation is a bit short of present day reality.

My father has dementia--bad. It is getting worse. Sadness is what I feel most these days on this visit from Connecticut to a familiar territory that I still call home.

So we went to lunch at the local Skyline Chili. Skyline is an institution in Cincinnati and surrounding environs. Skyline is a spicy, sweet chili sauce spread over spaghetti noodles and laden with finely grated cheddar cheese. That is "3-Way." "4-Way" adds onions; "5-Way" adds onions and red kidney beans. If you grew up around Cincinnati, like I did, you were probably weaned off the breast straight onto Skyline chili. My standard order is a "3-Way" and a cheese coney--that is a steamed hot dog with chili sauce and lots of grated cheese.

So we went to Skyline for lunch and to share a meaningful activity when talk is difficult because my father hardly remembers anything to talk about these days.

Skyline is "The Official Chili of the Cincinnati Reds." Another point of memory and contact--the Reds. My earliest memories include listening to Reds' games on radio as the family drove in the car. Wearing a Reds' uniform, made for me by my grandmother. Leafing through a scrapbook my dad put together of the 1939 and 1940 pennant-winning Reds' teams when he was a boy. Going with my dad to Crosley Field to see the Reds play. Trying to pronounce the surname of the great Ted Klusewski, # 18, my first favorite player for the home-town team.

My dad is not big on emotions; not big on communicating feelings; not big on 'sharing' his inner thoughts. He grew up in a time when people didn't have "inner thoughts." So the Reds have been the main connect point with my dad for over fifty years. The Reds are my main connect point to so many things related to home; family; growing up. My oldest son was born just outside Cincinnati on October 16, 1976. Later that day the Reds shut out the hated New York Yankees in the first game of the World Series. Today that son, and his younger brother and my grandson all bleed Cincinnati Red, though they live hundreds of miles away from my hometown along the Ohio River.

Its crazy--I know.

So today we are sitting in Skyline and the waitress comes to take our order and she teases my dad, "Looks like Trouble's here!" It was just like he has teased her countless times over recent years. But he doesn't recognize her; it even took him a while to recognize Debbie, my wife of 38 years, when we arrived here a couple days ago. But he did recognize the "3-Way" when it was set before him. Some things are etched indelibly on one's senses.

On the television screens in the chili parlor they were playing a replay of last night's Reds game. The Reds won--that always brightens the mood of the local populace. I had been at the game last night, seated nine rows behind the Reds' dugout. Had been there for two dramatic late inning home runs to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Like thousands of other fans I stood during the last batter for the opposition and cheered the final out, celebrating along with the fireworks that mark every home win.

But today at Skyline I was not celebrating. Trouble is indeed here for my dad; his mind is just not working. And I found out today what "3-Way" tastes like when washed down with tears.

Flags at Half-Staff in Ohio

2011-05-31T18:50:00.002-04:00

I drove into Ohio yesterday about noon--May 31, 2011; Memorial Day; the day a good man resigned under a cloud of scandal. Jim Tressel resigned as head football coach of The Ohio State University.

It is a sad day. A decent man and a man of principle resigned looking like every other cheat and slick-talking major college football and basketball coach. He had to resign; he deserved to resign. He violated NCAA rules in covering up rules violations by his players. The national media have made him out to be a fraud, a hypocritical pretender of righteousness in a tie and sweater vest. Fans of other programs will believe the national media.

The reality is much closer to a much less cynical reality. A good man believed too much in his ability to steer marginal-character young athletes in the right direction and was tripped up by his own over-confidence. Then he covered up some of their rules violations. Over-confidence in one's own goodness is another way of describing a subtle form of pride. The Bible says pride goes before a fall.

No excuses from this fan and admirer. Only sadness. It is a shame.

So--God, please bless and restore Jim Tressel. And, Go Bucks!

America and Israel

2011-05-25T10:18:00.006-04:00

The United States has come to a critical crossroads.

Throughout our history our nation has been the best ally/friend the Jewish people have ever had. We have welcomed Jews from all nations and in all expressions of Judaism--from ultra-orthodox to secular Jews. We were one of the first nations to recognize the state of Israel in 1948 when President Truman took the morally courageous step to do so.

Genesis 12:3 promises that those who bless Abraham's descendants will be blessed. This is a foundational promise of God in his initiation of redemption to all the world through Abraham's faith. This is a promise that is still in effect and one that God still watches over.

Currently there is a global propaganda campaign to de-legitimize the Jewish state of Israel by historical falsehoods and by accusations of apartheid against the Palestinian people. Our current President has sought to reverse US policy by calling for a return the the borders of Israel in 1967, before they were attacked without provocation by three Arab nations on three fronts. Israel won that Six Days War and consequently held land won in a war of aggression they did not start. This land, the West Bank and Gaza, gave Israel defensible borders in a very hostile environment of nations pledged to push the Jews of Israel into the sea.

Earlier this week Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a joint session of our Congress and detailed the special relationship the United States has had with Israel since its inception. In a written press release to accompany the speech Mr. Netanyahu also recounts how the Jewish state came into existence from the early days of Zionistic hope until the present day. It is a release you can read in full here by clicking this link:

http://wellspring.net/sites/default/files/Netanyahu_speech_20110523.pdf

I am very concerned that the United States not reverse its friendship and support with Israel at this critical hour of turmoil in the Middle East. I believe that the blessing of God upon this land has been linked, in part, to our historical friendship to the Jewish people. To desert them in this critical hour would be disastrous.

I have travelled in Israel twice now in the past 18 months. I certainly am no expert on the Middle East. But I do know that the Palestinian Arabs living inside of Israel proper have more freedoms and opportunities and more economic viability than Arabs anywhere in the Middle East. I know that Arabs living inside of Israel have citizenship, civil rights, can vote, can serve in the Knesset. I know that Arab villages in Israel proper are much more prosperous and safe than those villages and cities in the West Bank that is now under the Palestinian Authority. I know that Gaza, recently given over to the PA, has becoming a refugee camp and a massive munitions site for weapons that pour in from the Arab world to attack Israel.

I also know that the Israeli state and government is not perfect by a long shot. I know that there is considerable fear and resentments in both Jewish and Palestinian populations. I know that the current state of Israel is mostly secular and not the godly, renewed Israel we pray for and long to see. But I also know that every time Israel trades land for peace they get more aggression and insecurity.

And I know the God of all the earth promises to bless those who bless Abraham and his descendants.

Pastor Rick

Governor Rowland and the Wellspring School of Leadership

2011-04-27T10:37:00.009-04:00

The Wellspring School of Leadership is just about to complete its first--and very successful--year of operation. We have had ten students make their way through the first five courses of the Year One curriculum. In fact, just last night I wrapped up teaching the course offering assigned to me--"Dynamics of the Kingdom." I found the interaction with the students fun and stimulating and encouraging. We had students from their twenties to their sixties--and every decade in between.

The Advisory Board for WSL has completed plans for the Year Two curriculum and are in the process of planning for the long-range growth and development of the school. Those meetings are very exciting--I am expecting big things down the road for this school. I can honestly say that in all my years of ministry working with this board has been the most interesting, stimulating and productive committee experience I have ever had.

Right now I want to tell you about an upcoming event related to the school. On May 12 we will host our inaugural Seminar on Christian Leadership. Doors will open at 6:30 for hors d'oevres and music and conversation in the Wellspring cafe. At 7:30 former Governor John Rowland will speak on the topic "Leading by Faith in a World that Doesn't Believe." We will also hear some brief testimonies from some of our current students. The presentations will be followed by a dessert reception in the cafe. You can register and get tickets for this event by going online:http://www.wellspringschoolofleadership.org/ The early bird price of $30 for the event is good through April 30.

Some have asked, "Why John Rowland?" "Why a disgraced former governor who spent time in prison for his corruption while in office?"

These are good questions.

When the controversy surrounding Governor Rowland was coming to a head his pastor, Will Marotti, called for a public show of support for the governor on the steps of the capitol. Mr. Rowland, in the process of facing his actions that ultimately led to his imprisonment, had been be-friended by Pastor Will. The governor had turned to Christ for forgiveness and for a renewal of purpose and restoration of his moral compass. Pastor Will called and asked me to join him and other pastors in a show of support for the governor. I refused--in fact, I urged Pastor Will not to go through with his plans.

Why? And why would I now endorse the Governor as a speaker at our Seminar on Christian Leadership?

I refused to go to the capitol when the governor was in trouble, because I believed he needed to answer for his offenses. I did not doubt his faith nor his intentions to turn his life toward a more righteous course--I had no way of guaging his heart or his intentions. But I did not think it right or appropriate for the church to endorse publicly someone who had betrayed the public's trust.

Now, however, Mr. Rowland has owned his failure in office by his resignation and by serving his sentence handed down by the courts. Now, he has gained some valuable perspective of how he got to where he sabotaged his own career and betrayed the trust of the electorate. Now, he has begun to mature in his faith and to reclaim a sense of purpose for this season of his life.

The Bible is full of stories of leaders who stumbled and failed along the way in their journey of faith and service to the Kingdom of God. The Bible is full of stories of redemption and restoration. We preach this almost every single week and believe it every single day.

So, we welcome former Governor Rowland to the WSL Seminar on Christian Leadership May 12. And I heartily encourage you to come. It will be a full and enriching evening. Mr. Rowland is not being invited to speak on politics, per se, but about leadership in the public square. I am personally looking forward to meeting the Governor and hearing what he has to share.

We have invited several other leaders and prospective students from the area to come and hear more about the Wellspring School of Leadership. I hope you will be there to greet them!

Pastor Rick

Holy Week and Passover--Thoughts and Considerations

2011-04-12T09:44:00.003-04:00

This coming Sunday, April 17 begins Holy Week, the observance of our Lord's final week and passion preceding his resurrection. This year it also coincides with the festival of Passover, which falls on April 19--of course because it is a Jewish observance, it begins at sundown the evening prior. I have been thinking a lot about these great celebrations of the faith for a lot of reasons this year, not least of which is my new friendship with Rabbi Cliff Librach of United Jewish Center in Danbury. That friendship has been a great surprise and blessing. I have learned much from the good rabbi and my life personally has been enriched. (By the way, Rabbi Cliff will be back again to teach enrichment classes on the Hebrew Bible on three Wednesdays in May--4th, 11th, 25th) But let me get back to my reflections on Holy Week. This year at Wellspring we will have our annual observance of Maundy Thursday at 7:00 pm on Thursday, April 21. Pastor Joel Shirk will minister to us that evening as we prepare to gather around the Lord's Table to remember our Lord's sacrifice for our salvation. The word "maundy" is from a Latin root that is similar in meaning to our English word "mandate." Jesus mandates us to observe his table and remember him. Let me remind you that Jesus did this as he was celebrating Passover with his disciples. We believe that his death on the cross for our salvation is the fulfillment of the Passover when God delivered his people Israel from Egypt. It is a perpetual festival, called in Leviticus "the Lord's Passover." In other words, it is not simply Israel's Passover--it is the Lord's festival that is now opened for us to celebrate in the sacrifice of the spotless Lamb of God, Jesus, for our forgiveness and liberation from sin. Then on Resurrection Weekend, Saturday@5 and at both Sunday morning services we will celebrate Jesus' resurrection from the dead. This mighty act of God serves as the vindication of Jesus' obedience and is his triumph over sin, death and hell that he makes available to all of us who believe. We are using the term, Resurrection Weekend, both because we now have a Saturday evening service--and also because we are seeking at Wellspring to move beyond the term "Easter." Why, you are probably asking, would we want to move beyond using a term that has been traditional and is on everyone's calendar? Good question. Two reasons are predominant. Number one, "Easter" is at root a pagan term and is associated with an ancient germanic goddess "Eostra." All of the essentially pagan associations with Easter that have to do with the spring equinox, like eggs and bunnies and flowers and butterflies, are caught up in this term which speaks of the pagan rites of the renewal of nature. Resurrection is the transcendent victory of Jesus over the forces of this fallen world. It is not about nature--it is about the breaking in of the supernatural dimension of the Kingdom of God to accomplish salvation and renewal of this fallen planet. Secondly, "Easter" speaks not only of syncretism with paganism, it also represents a divorce of the festival from its Jewish roots. At the first Council of Nicea, the church convened under the direction of Emperor Constantine. Among other things, at that council they established a separate reckoning for setting the date of Easter. In large part this was motivated by an express desire to separate Easter from its Passover roots. Constantine wrote in the letter calling for action: It appeared an unworthy thing that in the celebration of this most holy feast we should follow the practice of the Jews . . . For their boast is absurd indeed, that it is not in our power without instruction from them to observe these things. The specific issue had to do with when and how to "set the date" for Easter in the church. At that council the church moved formally to de-link the festival of resurrection from Passover--motivated by overt anti-Semitism. Yet Jesus celebrated Passover with his disciples in preparation for the cross to provide salvation for Jew and Gentile alike. For some of you this may seem like a minor detail. But Ephesians tells us that God's desire is for a united humanity of Jew and Gentile to come together in Messiah Jesus. Institutional anti-Semitism in the church has for centuries warred against this express desire of God and it needs to be addressed and rooted out of the church. At Wellspring this year we are doing two things to contribute to that end. First, we are speaking of this highest celebration on our spiritual calendar as Resurrection Weekend--not Easter. Secondly, at our Maundy Thursday service, when we gather to observe the covenantal meal Jesus gave us from the Passover Seder we will repent of the de-linking of "the Lord's Passover" from the celebration of our Lord's resurrection. I will lead in that prayer of repentance and we will give all of you an opportunity to "sow into" that repentance in an offering we will receive with which to bless the United Jewish Center in Danbury. I plan to carry this offering to present to Rabbi Cliff and his congregation on Friday, April 29 when I preach there at their Sabbath service. You are all invited by Rabbi Librach to attend those services, by the way, and I hope many of you will come to pray for me and to release blessing upon those folks on that evening. (You can go to www.unitedjewishcenter.org for more details.) Shalom and Resurrection blessings to you all--the Lord is risen indeed! Pastor Rick

Wellspring--Random Reflections

2011-04-05T11:56:00.003-04:00

This morning during our staff prayer meeting we just had an amazing time listening to all that the Lord is doing here at Wellspring and through Wellspringers to touch lives with the goodness and power of God. This past weekend conference on Abounding Hope was an amazing time! God was so manifestly present in all the gatherings. We had great speakers and they had an important message to share, but a lot of what happened occurred when the congregation was turned loose to encourage one another and to minister to one another. A lot of what happened occurred during worship times when we just went after the Lord in praise and adoration and then watched the Holy Spirit lead us into different initiatives. Steve and Wendy Backlund serve at one of the great congregations in America, Bethel Church in Redding, CA. They are used to great seasons of worship and exciting expressions of the Kingdom of God in their midst. But they had really great things to say about the atmosphere and worship they were able to enter into during their time at Wellspring. I hope you are encouraged to hear that--I am! Let me share some other things we heard today in staff prayer. One of our high school teens was so encouraged by what she heard this weekend that when her grandfather complained of debilitating back pain on Sunday afternoon, she gathered the rest of the family to pray over that back. She figured she didn't have to be some big prophet or preacher to release the Kingdom. So they prayed and her grandfather's back was touched--pain gone! Recently someone in our church was diagnosed with 70% of his heart not functioning--blockage and no blood to 70% of his heart. Constant chest pain and greatly restricted activity. After one of our prayer teams prayed for him following communion a few weeks ago, his heart was fully restored! After a stress test two days later the doctor called him stunned--"This has never happened before! Your heart is fully functioning." A "random" encounter in the mall led to a couple of our members praying for someone who had just been diagnosed with MS. That same person came to Wellspring the next day and received more prayer. After tests the doctor told him--"No more symptoms, no more indication of MS!" We also heard of someone telling a parent who had their child in to see their pediatrician, "You should go to Wellspring and have your child prayed for." Here is the interesting thing--none of us know who that person was who recommended Wellspring. He doesn't go here, he has just heard about our ministry. He was cleaning the fish tank in the doctor's office and overheard a conversation and said--"You should go to Wellspring." This is all awesome stuff. And this is only part of what is going on. Wow! One last thing before I sign off of this post. This coming Sunday I will be preaching on I Corinthians 14--a very interesting and (historically) controversial chapter. It talks about Spirit-led worship and charismatic expression in worship gatherings. I am looking forward to exploring this passage with you. Then, the following Wednesday evening, April 13, I will be taking questions during our enrichment course, "Going Deeper in I Corinthians.." Pastor Rick

First One Belongs to the Reds!

2011-04-01T07:58:00.003-04:00

Baseball is an amazing game. Yesterday's opener was like a parable. It was three hours of slogging climaxed by a timely piece of slugging. The first two Brewers homered and the Reds fell behind and stayed there until the final pitch. That's when Ramon Hernandez hit a three-run home run to give the Reds their first lead of the game and a walk-off victory. Here's the punch-line of the parable: If you keep persevering, breakthroughs come! Off-day today. Savor the victory and keep persevering because "hope does not disappoint!"

Opening Day

2011-03-30T20:27:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow is Opening Day in my hometown, the birthplace of professional baseball, Cincinnati, Ohio. That's right sports fans--in 1869 the hometown Red Stockings became the first pro team of America's national pastime. From long before my birth Opening Day has been a holiday in Cincinnati, along with a parade featuring local celebrities, schoolchildren and city businesses. Opening Day has always been important in my family. One of the prized possessions I had as a boy was a scrapbook my father had kept when he was young. Subject matter--the Cincinnati Reds. My favorite piece in that scrapbook is a picture from the Cincinnati Post taken of my dad and three of his high school friends camping out on the sidewalk overnight to be first in line to buy bleacher tickets for Opening Day. That picture inspired me when I was in high school to skip school with four of my friends to go see the hometown team on opening day. We didn't need to be too secretive about our adventure. I told my high school principal about our plans--he expressed envy that he couldn't join us. My oldest son, Mark, carries on the tradition. For the past several years he has taken off work and hosted an Opening Day party at his house--or at the local sports bar--wherever we can watch the Reds open the season. This year--tomorrow--the tradition continues. Mark will pull his first-grade son, Elijah, out of school to join his dad, Uncle Mike and grandfather for opening day festivities. When Ezra, Mark's youngest, wakes up from his nap he will join us. Ez will parade around the family room reciting the mantra of the day, "Baseball! Baseball! Baseball!" It's a funny thing--this bond that baseball brings between generations of males. My father and I have always been able to connect over our passion for the Reds. He took me many times to old Crosley Field when I was a young boy to see them in person. Now, with much of his faculties fogged over by dimentia, we can still watch a game together and he is engaged and conversant. Mark was born in 1976 on the morning of the first day of the World Series. Later that day the Reds shut out the New York Yankees. A great day! When Mark was about 18 months old his mother and I took him to his first game at Riverfront Stadium. He was absolutely mesmerized from the moment he saw the field. "Baseball! Baseball! Baseball!" Last year marked the return of championship baseball to Cincinnati--the Reds won the Central Division crown. It was a long time in coming. Mark and his brother Mike and I made pilgrimage to Cincinnati to see the first playoff game at the new Great American Ballpark. First post-season game in Cincinnati in 15 years. The Reds lost, but it didn't really matter. Another memory cast in bronze. But just the annual rite of spring--the return of baseball--is enough cause for celebration. A Reds' victory would be a decided bonus.

Isaac Update

2011-03-09T10:30:00.005-05:00

OK, so this weekend Prophet Bob Hazlett was with us again for a weekend of meetings. I have some reports to share about progress with Isaac Campbell. I felt led to have Jenn bring the twins from the nursery following the 9:00 service to have Bob minister to them. It also turned out that about half of the early service crowd stuck around to join in the prayers for Jenn and the boys. Awesome response!

The immediate need is for Isaac to absorb more nutrients through his shortened (but miraculaously grown) small intestines. He has not grown physically in over a year and his gut is often very painful. He also has been walking with a leg brace to increase stability and endurance in his right leg.

This past Sunday, Jenn felt led to NOT put the leg brace on Isaac when she got him ready for church. She asked Isaac if he wanted the brace (he ususally says 'Yes'). He said, 'No;' so Jenn left it off. When Christopher and Isaac came into the sanctuary from the nursery, they proceeded straight to the altar and marched up the steps to be in the middle of the action. We called Jenn up also and began to minster to them.

Here are some reports we have received from Jenn the past couple days:
Wellspring Family, your prayers rocked the heavens! Isaac always wears his brace for support walking. Today (Monday) Isaac is running! He still has a limp, but our little boy is running through the house without his brace! God answered that prayer! Just in time for Isaac to go to the neurologist on Wednesday. Let's see what the doctor can say about him now! :)

Later . . . Wellspringers. Isaac grew! Last Thursday he was 34.5 inches; today 35 inches!!! I am in awe watching each of our prayers being answered! It's been a year since he grew! Plus today is Isaac's first time going to his school without his brace. We are so excited for him! God is so great!

Later still . . . I have never seen Isaac this happy . . . NEVER! He is a whole different child. I am so excited for the neurologist to see him tomorrow (Wednesday)! The first time we met the neurologist he walked out of the room thinking he had the wrong child. Imagine now. A child that was not supposed to function is now running and talking!

Two Numbers X 2

2011-03-07T21:15:00.003-05:00

Good Evening My Fellow Americans,

I have two sets of two numbers for your consideration. They have a lot to say about where our nation is headed.

First number--161 billion. As in $161 billion. That was the total federal deficit for fiscal year 2007. It's a lot of money, but that number represented a mere 1.2 % of the country's gross domestic product. It also represented a major reduction from the deficit in fiscal 2006.

Second number--223 billion. As in $223 billion. That was the federal deficit for just this past month of February, 2011. That's right--the federal deficit for the smallest month of the year is greater than the entire year's debt just four years ago!

Two other numbers.

The first is 6 billion. As in $6 billion. That is the maximum of budget cuts that Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid says is acceptable.

The second is 57 billion. As in $57 billion. That is the amount of budget cuts recently passed by the House of Representativies to address the crisis of deficit spending that is strangling our economy and mortgaging our childrens' future.

One other number to consider. At the current levels of our national debt--about 50 cents of every dollar in our deficit goes to pay INTEREST on the debt our nation owes.

You run the numbers.

RM

Converge Worldwide

2011-03-01T15:01:00.002-05:00

Over the years people have asked me, "What kind of church is Wellspring?"

Recently I have taken to giving them this response--"A good one."

I realize, of course, that some who ask this question are inquiring about our denominational affiliation--"What brand of church are we?"

Well, our brand name is Converge Worldwide. But what is Converge Worldwide? It is the missional name of our movement of congregations and ministries. Notice I didn't use the word denomination. That's right. Our leadership--and our member congreagations have come to recognize that denominationalism is not something we want to be about. Denominationalism divides and categorizes churches according to their distinctive doctrinal beliefs and unique church practices. Movements coalesce around the move of the Holy Spirit and Kingdom cooperation.

Over the past decade our movement leader, Dr. Jerry Sheveland, has led our group beyond denominationalism. Today we are positioned to partner with the Holy Spirit and one another and other Kingdom-minded ministries to see the Great Commission fulfilled. That is Converge Worldwide.

We used to be know as the Baptist General Conference. Today we are Converge. We have moved our movement's offices to Orlando, Florida, where they are adjacent to the headquarters of Campus Crusade for Christ and Wycliffe Bible Translators--two of the most visionary ministries of the past half century. Converge actually share space with these ministries at a state-of-the-art national training facility. Our thinking and vision have moved beyond denominational distinctives and institutional survival--we are now thinking in terms of global convergence with the Body of Christ in pursuing the objectives of the Kingdom.

I am very excited about this direction and more encouraged than I have ever been to be part of this fellowship of congregatrions and ministries that are now called Converge Worldwide.

So what is Converge Worldwide? We are. What kind of group is that? A really good one!

A Wake-Up Dream

2011-02-14T09:22:00.002-05:00

In the past couple weeks we have been witness to a major turn-of-events in Egypt. Major demonstrations in Cairo's central plaza have led to a long-term dictator stepping down and the overturning of his regime. No one knows what this will mean for the future of Egypt and the Middle East. Some see it as the dawning of liberty and democratic rule in the Muslim world. Others see it as a portent of greater unrest and an opportunity for an extremist Islamist regime to take over in a land that has been an ally in the region to the United States and Israel.

I have no predictions to make--although I see the latter scenario as much more likely than the former. As a side-bar, democratic elections are no guarantee of liberty. If liberty is not enshrined in the rule of law and part of the cultural and societal values of a nation, democracy simply becomes the tyranny of the majority. But this post is not about the philosophy of governance, it is about a 'wake-up dream.'

Jane Harris shared the dream with me. She received it from the Lord several weeks before the upheaval in Egypt. I believe it speaks to the church in the Western world.

Jane was in a dimly lit restaurant, watching a man wait in line at the counter. He looked familiar to Jane, like someone she might have seen in the prayer room at the International House of Prayer (IHOP), where she serves on staff. Suddenly a policeman in uniform and his wife entered the restaurant. They were holding documents, were discussing something quietly between themselves as they looked around the restaurant. Then they approached the man waiting in line and began to talk with him. It became apparent that they were trying to arrest him quietly.

The man began to argue and protest. Voices were raised and soon the whole restaurant was watching as they began to handcuff the man. In the middle of the arrest, with everyone watching, the policeman suddenly stood up on a table and began to yell that Africa and Asia were uniting against us--that is, against Christianity.

As he was proclaiming this, Jane had a vision (within the dream) of people in Africa and Asia chanting in unison and releasing demonic power.

Once the policeman had finished proclaiming the message of warning, he and his wife and the man who had been 'arrested' sat down at a table together and began to eat lunch together. Jane went over to them because they all seemed familiar. They invited Jane to have lunch with them. They told her that they were going to various public places and repeated this performance in order to get people's attention and to release their message of warning.

Jane found herself trusting these three implicitly. She recognized the couple as having attended the Door of Hope Church; the man who had been in line was an intercessor from IHOP. She remembers being filled with admiration for their courage as she woke up.

That is the dream she sent me. What follows is my interpretation and application to Wellspring.

The restaurant speaks of the church--a place where (spiritual) food is served to the faithful. It is dimly lit--that is, the church in the West has a bit of light, but we are not exactly filled with spiritual illumination. The man in uniform speaks of authority; the man at the counter is recognized as an intercessor. The disturbance is created to get people's attention because the message is of critical importance and comes with the endorsement of heaven.

Let me be clear, the point of the message is not to castigate or criticize Asia or Africa. But it is a warning that strong spiritual forces are at work to foment disturbance against the advance of the Christian faith in those regions. The Kingdom of God is advancing dramatically in those parts of the world, and the forces of the kingdom of darkness are being threatened in regions that have been strongholds for centuries. Violence, chaos, wars and upheaval can de-rail the advance of the Kingdom of God as whole nations and regions are thrown into tumult.

This is what we--the church in the West--are being called to understand and to respond to. Our prayers and intercession can hold off the chaos and release the intervention of heaven for the furtherance of the Kingdom of God in these parts of the world. These threatening scenarios can become a doorway of hope if we will wake up and begin to cooperate with the agenda of heaven through our prayers and intercession.

So how do we apply this message from the wake-up dream? To begin with, we need to become aware that we are part of a global Kingdom and that global events impact our brother and sisters in the faith around the world. Behind the headlines we need to see with Kingdom perspective. Then we can pray for God's purposes to be advanced in those troubled areas. We can pray for our Christian brothers and sisters to be protected and encouraged and strengthened through these trials and tumults. If the Lord gives us special revelation about specific situations, we can pray for these things he reveals.

I Timothy 2: 1-3 says: "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone--for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."

In the dream, after the message was delivered, Jane and the three messengers sat down to eat lunch. The point? We can integrate awareness and intercessory response into our daily lives and routines. This is the need of the hour. We need to become global in our perspectives and Kingdom-minded in our responses. God is calling us to wake up to the hour!

Pastor Rick

Corinth and CCSU

2011-02-02T11:40:00.005-05:00

I got an email and an attached letter from a pastor friend in Newington yesterday. He is asking for our help in addressing an outrage at Central Connecticut State University. He has two children attending there; sends tuition dollars there; also pays taxes to the state to support this institution of higher learning.

The outrage? An "event" entitled: Fornication 101 That's right, scheduled to be held this week at the Women's Study Center of the university an educational event on fornication. For those of you who don't know what this more formal "F" word means, think of the "F" word you do know. Yep--our tax dollars, some of your tuition dollars are going to support a forum to encourage college students in the art of fornication. (But don't get too over-taxed. The university has also secured sponsorship for the course from two sex toy manufacturers.)

Part of the description for the event reads: This course is designed to introduce students to carnal knowledge. Let's set aside for a moment the consideration that college students hardly need encouragement in this heretofore extra-curricular activity. Now, it seems, fornication is becoming a sponsored activity. How in any possible way is this the business of the state--or the mission of "higher education?" At your state university funded by your tax dollars? I urge you to call and email the administration of CCSU to register your outrage. Please circulate this information to all other concerned citizens, politicians, and media outlets to get the word out about this offense to decency. Phone number for the Women's Study Center is 860-832-1655. E-mail address: cobbina-boivinj@ccsu.edu

Now to Corinth. We have just launched a study at Wellspring entitled Cultures Clash at Corinth. The first century Corinthian believers lived in a culture that was quite antithetical and opposed to the values of the Kingdom of God. To be Christ-followers, they had to walk in a different way than the world surrounding them; the world that had seemed normal before they came to know Jesus; the world in which they still had to navigate.

One way leads to life. Many ways lead to life-as-less-than-it-could-be, or to out and out destruction. For instance, they didn't need a course on Fornication 101 in Corinth. It was going on in the pagan temples, bars and brothels all around them. Just like 21st century Connecticut (minus the pagan temples). The sad truth at Wellspring is that the other pastors and I see really great people (teens, young adults and middle-agers) who love Jesus and really desire to follow him mess up their lives with really poor decisions in the arena of their sexuality all the time. It is heart-breaking to say the least.

Cultures clash. The ways of this world and the Kingdom of Heaven are in conflict. One way leads to life--the other, not so much. And it is not just in the arena of sexual behavior and choices that our cultures and world-views clash. That is just one of the most obvious.

So, I want to encourage you to voice your opposition to the Fornication 101 at CCSU. And I want to encourage you to engage with us in the sorting out of Kingdom values in our attempts and desires to be Christ-followers in this present evil age.

Blessings,

BiHogg's and Movement

2011-01-18T11:43:00.003-05:00

Greetings Sports Fans!

For those at Wellspring, this is an update and follow-up on this past weekend's events. All others are welcome to listen in!

First, an update on Isaac (see previous post). Well, we prayed as a congregation this past weekend at services for Isaac's most immediate need. He needed his bowels to get unstuck, otherwise he was going to have to go to the hospital for a procedure. Yikes!! Not good. So there in church, in front of God and everybody, we prayed for movement.

Here's the report: "We have movement, Houston!"

Hallelujah! Go God, keep moving in this little boy's frame and bring to completion the miracle work you have been doing in his body.

Second, a word about our new word--BiHogg. It is becoming part of Wellspring vocabulary. In 2011, we are going for Big Hairy Outrageous God-sized Goals! That's what a BiHOGG is.

I want to encourage you to take this seriously and go for it by seeking God for what objective he wants to partner with you on for 2011.

I have a picture of some guy who has gone after a Big Hairy GoBucks Goal. Not a real BiHOGG, but impressive nevertheless. He has made a scale replica of Ohio Stadium out of Lego's.

This guy has too many Lego's and too much time on his hand. Love his passion, but question his priorities.

BiHOGG's change lives. BiHOGG's bring glory to God. BiHOGG's advance the Kingdom of God and make a difference for the betterment of the world.

If you want to learn more about BiHOGG's go to Wellspring.net and click on the link for the sermon from 1/16 and jump on the BiHOGG train.

Blessings,

Pastor Rick

Isaac and Christopher

2011-01-12T13:39:00.005-05:00

So, the miracle boys are at it again.

The video attached to this blog post was taken this past Sunday, January 9, 2011 at Wellspring Church. Isaac and Christopher Campbell, soon to reach their third birthdays, were chasing one another around on the steps and platform after the service this past Sunday.

Those of you who have been around Wellspring know about the Campbell twins and their amazing journey. For those of you who don't know Christopher and Isaac, let me give you some background.

These two boys were born very, very prematurely just about three years ago. Together they would fit in their father's hand. Both had major issues that jeopardized their viability, beyond their prematurity. Christopher's esophagus and windpipe were open to one another--had he been fed normally, via bottle or breast, he would have drowned in the milk being given him. Isaac developed major issues in his gut and had all but 14 centimeters of his small intestines removed. Both boys had bleeding in their brains. In short, these two little guys had big, big problems.

Jenn and Brian were told by the doctors that Isaac would never survive--his gut was too short to absorb enough nutrients for life to be sustained. Christopher would need surgery to close up his esophagus and to attach it to his stomach. Both might have severe physical and mental complications from the brain bleeds. Not good news. That was the doctors' report.

But Brian and Jenn had heard another report--the promise of the Lord given prior to birth through a trusted prophet that her children would be fine, not to believe the doctors. They stood on that word.

A new treatment modality was found for Isaac at a hospital in Boston. Then the time came for his intestines to be re-attached to his bowels. But the doctors said they would need to stretch his gut, because 14 centimeters was too short to sustain life. Brian and Jenn and their friends and the whole family at Wellspring prayed--believing God for a miracle. God--you can grow these intestines. Do a creative miracle in this boy's body!

Why not pray this way? We had already seen the Lord do a creative miracle in Christopher's frame. We had prayed for the Lord to grow his esophagus in order to reach his stomach when it was to be re-attached. The Campbells had been told then that the doctors would need to stretch his esophagus, because unattached it would not have grown along with the rest of his frame. But God grew it! When they opened him up--the esophagus was right there next to the stomach, ready for the doctors to stitch it on!

Then God did it again for Isaac! His intestines had grown out to 34 centimeters when they opened him up to re-attach it to his bowels.

Score at that point on the creative miracles front: Isaac one and Christopher one. On the messed up because of brain bleed front: Zero for each.

Yeah God!

That is the old news. About three weeks ago we got word from Jenn that Isaac needed more prayer because he had not grown hardly at all in the last year and he was not absorbing enough nutrients to sustain healthy life and growth. So we prayed as a congregation, while the elders laid hands on Isaac and commended further healing to him from the Lord.

Then last Sunday we watched our prayers being answered. Go Isaac--chase your brother Christopher! Go boys! Run hard, because the goodness of God is chasing you both!

The Campbell Boys from Wellspring Church on Vimeo.

Starting The Year Off Right!

2010-12-21T11:11:00.003-05:00

Soon the New Year will be upon us and the first decade of the 21st century will be in the books! Wow! Where did it go?

Each new year is a big deal at Wellspring. Our congregation was first gathered as a small group of Swedish believers on New Year's Eve 1883. So the turning of the year marks our anniversary as a church. First the Swedish Elim Baptist Church of New Britain; then Elim Baptist; next Kensington Baptist Church; and since 2005, Wellspring Church.

As a congregation January will mark an effort to Start The Year Off Right! This will be the teaching theme for the first four Sundays of the year.

On the weekend of January 7-9, we will hold a 36-hour Worship and Prayer vigil in the sanctuary. Beginning at 9:00 pm on Friday night, January 7, through Sunday morning services on January 9, there will be continuous worship and prayer in the sanctuary. (This will include the Saturday @ 5 service on January 8.)

What will happen during those 36 hours? A lot! There will be some sessions of worship led by our various bands interspersed with corporate intercession for the coming year. There will be some sessions in the deep night and during the day where individuals will lead in worship. Other times will be more quiet - times of "soaking" in the Lord's presence or quiet prayer.

Why are we doing this? We want to start the year off right! The foremost reason for this 36-hour initiative is to honor the Lord's presence amongst us with an extravagant offering of praise, worship and thanksgiving. To use a familiar metaphor, we want to stoke the fire on the altar. Secondly, as we go into 2011 we want to continue to seek the Lord for his blessing and provision for our ministry through the coming twelve months.

So, please won't you help us Start The Year Off Right? Mark your calendar; make your plans now to be part of this 36-hour vigil the first weekend after the New Year. You can sign up on the big board at the Welcome Center.

Blessings,

Pastor Rick

Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem

2010-12-12T17:36:00.004-05:00

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

So are we enjoined by the psalmist. So I have prayed many times. Not often enough.

Having just returned from Israel for my second trip this year, I was struck even more than the first time by the daily pressures that war against this prayer of the saints.

Just consider two factors--one for Jews, one for Palestinians.

Every day hundreds and thousands of Palestinians who live in the territories of the West Bank must line up in long queues in order to pass through security check points to cross over into Israel proper to get to work. This is a daily reality at the check point between Bethlehem and Jerusalem, seen in the picture with the call for "Peace" written in three languages on the security wall. Imagine the daily frustration, anger, fear and dehumanization for those Palestinian workers making their way to and from Jerusalem.

Then, on the other side of the equation, Jews in Jerusalem are bombarded five times a day by the call to prayer from the minarets of the scores of mosques that dot the city landscape. Five times a day that oppressive howl comes forth from loud speakers on the minaret towers, filling the atmosphere with reminders that the Israelis are surrounded by followers of a faith pledged to eradicate their very existence and push them into the sea. I can't begin to describe how disturbing and vexing those calls to prayer are--imagine being assaulted with that wail five times daily and maintaining a posture toward peace.

I did encounter some amazing believers in Messiah on both of these trips who are committed toward peace. Some are Jewish by birth, some Palestinian. But they have been born anew by the Spirit to become sons and daughters of the Most High, working toward peace in the land across centuries of fear, betrayal, mistrust and anger.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. It is a daily vocation.

Reflections

2010-11-22T15:07:00.002-05:00

Greetings Team Wellspring!

Wow! What a weekend it was! What excitement and enthusiasm filled the house this past Saturday evening and Sunday morning! What a visual of all the different ways that so many of you are making a difference in the lives of others and in this world! What a sense of the Lord's presence in the time of worship and of his heart expressed through the various ministries on display!

You can check out an article that the New Britain Herald ran on Monday via this link:

http:www.newbritainherald.com/articles/2010/11/21/news/doc4ce9d62f409e3419764074.txt

I want to thank all of the team members who did such a great job in making this experience happen and--more importantly--for all the ministry that you are doing week in and week out. Remember, the purpose of Team Wellspring Weekend is to create on-ramps for more folks to join in the joy of serving in the Kingdom.

I also want to take this opportunity to reflect with you upon some numbers that were shared at the congregational meeting this past Sunday night. I think they are worth celebrating. Pastor Dave Luce put them together for us to review where we have been over the past few years in this journey together. Two indicators--attendance and giving--are recorded in numbers but they reflect precious people and faithful commitment.

Over the past five years our average attendance has grown from 387 in 2006 (our first full year in our new building) to 634 for the first ten months of 2010. That averages just under 13% growth each year. Team Wellspring has been growing!

Over that same time our giving has increased comparably--just about 13% each year on average. This has been true in flush economic times and even after the recent economic downturn. You have been faithful, reflecting God's faithfulness. Remember, there are no recession in heaven! And as Pastor Wes said over this past weekend--our giving honors God and goes to support the work of Kingdom ministry that was on display all over the building during our Team Wellspring celebration. Kingdom giving touches lives!

So I wanted to say thanks for the privilege of being part of such a wonderful team. And I wanted to congratulate you upon all that you are making possible by your faithfulness and glad-hearted efforts.

Blessings,

Pastor Rick

Surprise Visit

2010-11-08T19:39:00.002-05:00

A few minutes past nine on Monday morning I heard a polite knock on my door.

"Come on in."

Miss Dawn Fischer peeked in and asked if she and her young charges from the midweek Welldiggers class of pre-schoolers could come in and pray for me. Anytime Miss Dawn offers to have the children pray for me I am sitting on ready.

Those of you who don't know about Miss Dawn probably don't have young children. She has a passion for children and for the Kingdom of God. She has a unique and effective way of teaching pre-schoolers the ways of the Spirit. They learn how to worship God freely and simply, how to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit, and how to pray in faith in Jesus' name. They also learn many other things from the Bible that will help form their spirits as followers of the Lord. We are so fortunate to have Miss Dawn as part of our fellowship! The world will be different because of her ministry to these children.

So Miss Dawn and the children drew around me. She explained that they were doing a prayer walk through the church on the way to their classroom. "How could they pray for me? What were my main duties as pastor?" I told them my main job was to study God's Word and listen to Him so that I could teach and lead the people.

Then they began to pray for me. Miss Dawn asked them to listen in their hearts to the Holy Spirit. One had a picture of a key (biblically a symbol of authority), and another had a picture of a walking stick, a big blue one (biblically the staff speaks of leadership). The children then began to pray for the Lord to release the things they had seen and for the requests I had made.

"In Jesus' name, Amen!" With that, Miss Dawn led the children out with a song. They left me with a smile in my heart; more importantly those simple prayers left their impression in heaven.

Thank you children and thank you Miss Dawn for your surprise visit!

Lawn Signs

2010-10-22T20:11:00.003-04:00

So I have been interested in politics my entire life.

How many second graders do you know who requested and then received in the mail a signed family photo from a presidential candidate? Or middle schoolers who put up campaign bumper stickers in their rooms? Or high school juniors who campaign for a congressional candidate?

Yep--I did all those things.

I follow campaigns in states where I have never lived; know the governors of states where I hope never to live; know who are up-and-comers in both parties. I even follow politics in the United Kingdom. What else am I going to read about in the newspapers when I go to England a couple times a year . . . cricket?

But I have done one thing this campaign season I have never done before in my entire existence as a political junkie--I have put up a lawn sign in my front yard for a candidate. For the first time in my 24 years as a resident of Connecticut there is a candidate for statewide office I am excited about. The name of this candidate?

Martha Dean. She is running for Attorney General here in the land of steady habits.

I'm not going to try and convince you to vote for Ms. Dean. I'm not even going to tell you why I am so excited about her. But you can check Martha Dean's website for yourself. You can go to www.deanag2010.com Its up to you. And don't forget to vote Tuesday, November 2.

RM

This One Belongs to the Reds!!

2010-09-29T17:11:00.002-04:00

'This one belongs to the Reds!' That is announcer Marty Brennaman's signature call after every winning effort by my hometown team, the Cincinnati Reds. Having grown up passionate about baseball and the local club, those words are music to my ears. Mind you, they have not been heard all that often in recent memory--it has been ten years since the last winning season for the Reds and fifteen years since they won their division to go to the post-season playoffs.

So last night when Jay Bruce homered in the bottom of the ninth for a walk-off win to clinch the National League Central Division, the joy from the ballpark along the Ohio river extended all the way to Mooreland Road in Kensington, CT!

It's an amazing thing about a baseball team and a sports fan. So much of my childhood memories are associated with the Reds and baseball--so much of my relationship with my father was built around baseball. So much identity is shaped by these memories. Then there is something about the annual six-month saga of a major league baseball season. The players become like people you know (though, of course, you don't). The sound of the broadcast over the radio becomes a companion for half the year. The daily box scores and stories in the sports section of the paper are soap operas for grown men.

So when Jay Bruce hit that home run last night, I celebrated with my son Mike--who came across the room to high-five me. Then I called Mark, who answered the phone, 'Jay Bruce!' Even Debbie recognized it as a special moment, though she is not the biggest fan of the hometown team. I'm looking forward to calling my mom and dad and celebrating with them--baseball is one of the few topics these days that my dad can stay engaged with in a conversation--dementia is taking its toll.

So--this day, this one belongs to Reds' fans everywhere!

Bono and Big-Time Charity

2010-09-23T14:59:00.003-04:00

So I just read a report that U-2 lead singer Bono's anti-poverty foundation ONE has made the news. This time the pub is not so good.

The New York Post is reporting that just a little over 1% of ONE's budget has actually gone to actual need. In 2008 ONE received 9.6 million British pounds in donations and dispersed 118,000 pounds to good causes. Salaries for the foundation were 5.1 million pounds.

ONE responded to the reports that they are not chartered to actually meet needs, but to raise awareness and to promote advocacy for the world's poor.

High profile, high-style, high-toned rhetoric about injustice among the worlds' haves toward the have-nots has been the way Bono rolls.

The staff of his foundation seems to be doing well with that.

I have stopped apologizing for my sketicism when the entertainers and pop-culture elites of the world take up 'noble causes' and heap guilt and disdain upon 'rich westerners.' It requires no courage for a Hollywood headliner or a rock star to champion a 'progressive cause.'

But week in and week out I live and serve with real people who regularly sacrifice real time and real dollars to make a difference in other people's lives. It may be in a housing project in New Britain or among orphaned children in Wakiso, Uganda. It may be in a grass-roots effort to fight an indifferent town council in Southington to root out a glitzy porn shop from their town. It may just be one single woman helping an older woman to navigate life and stay in her own home following a major injury.

These are my heroes.

Bono has his millions of fans. For his music--they are well deserved. But the ONE foundation is about 98.8% short of genuine.

That's all I'm gonna say about that.

Church II

2010-09-07T10:22:00.006-04:00

REFLECTIONS ON A GREAT SUNDAY

Wow! What a great day this past Sunday was, and I’m not talking weather. The day was beautiful outside and it was a long holiday weekend that traditionally marks the end of summer. So it can often be a ‘throwaway’ Sunday as we plan for it. You know—‘Many will be gone, it's a holiday weekend, so how can we just fill the day and kick things off for autumn next week?’

But both services this past week carried major impact. Praise be to God. And a big thank you to the six folks who shared their experiences of carrying the Kingdom of God with them when they go to their place of work, making work a true Kingdom vocation. Sally Luzietti, Bill Munns, Sarah Leith, Luli Sanchez, Jack Pike and Jody Davis—a big shout out to you guys. You all did a great job sharing your stories. And you all are amazing servants of the King in the places where he has called you to shine your light. (Files containing these testimonies are attached to this e-news letter for all of you to listen to and benefit from.)

I also want to thank everyone who took a risk and shared with Pastor Wes and myself the prophetic words and pictures that you felt God impressing upon you. I know these words and pictures touched many people with encouragement and hope--they became bridges of faith. This is actually one of the roles of the prophetic operation of the Spirit through the Body. When someone shares with us a prophetic message that speaks to our situation, we know that God is 'on the case,' that he is working even when we cannot perceive it, that he has not forgotten our situation.

Thanks to all of you who prayed for others during the service. Even in a short period of time many people experienced real and immediate relief, improvement, healing of physical issues. This is also an expression of the gospel--God is for us and his gracious power overcomes the effects of the brokenness and sickness of this broken and fallen world. I know that this was not 'church as usual,' but that's a good thing, too. Church is when God's people gather in his name and believe he will show up and then allow him to work and intersect our lives with his power and love.

Our staff has received a lot of good feedback from this past Sunday. Thanks for all of you who have shared your reflections and experiences. This is encouraging and helpful. The big question is, 'When can we do this again?' For those who want to live every moment in the moment it is more like, 'Awesome--we need to do this every Sunday!'

We do need to always be seeking for ways to open the doors of the church service to the one we have gathered to worship. Wow--what a concept!

And the needs of a large and growing body like Wellspring are many and diverse. Many of us need basic teaching--we are new to the faith. Many of us need the encouragement that comes through testimony or the operation of the 'now, rhema-word.' Many of us need the challenge that comes from deeper teaching of the themes of the Kingdom of God as they apply to our journey with Jesus or the challenge of a culture that is walking away from its biblical moorings. All of us need the experience of God's presence through intentional corporate worship and the encouragement that comes through fellowship with others.

So each week it is a challenge to plan--and to stay open to the Spirit. We want to focus highest priority on seeking the Lord's presence through worship--that is a given. But we also want to meet multiple other needs as we gather. Some of these things are just informational, like announcements; or practicalities, like receiving the offering. But we always try to minimize these things to make room for the highest and best and most important use of our precious moments together.

Blessings,
Pastor Rick

P.S. Here is an exceprt of an email I received about this past Sunday.

Dear Pastor Rick,
I’d like to share how God touched my life this weekend. This time of my life is very stressful, and the stress has been taking its toll in my neck, and I struggle against sadness and self-pity a lot.

When yo

u asked for any who had physical pain Sunday, I stood to receive prayer. I stood with the intension of asking for healing of my sinuses and hearing loss . . . But when I stood my heart said “I’m so tired Lord”.

When I turned to try to hear testimonies I noticed the nagging pain in my neck had subsided. Some tightness remains but I could and can turn my neck w/out noticing pain. After the service I went to the woman who prayed for me to share with her, what had happened. Rick, she told me she had never prayed for someone in that venue and was not even sure what she should pray for. The Lord blew us away.

My weekend continued to be even more stressful, but I am thanking God for everything (another lesson). I’ve been praying for Him to fill me with His grace. Because without it I could not continue the things I need to do.

As I was driving to work this morning. I was thinking about how I was going to answer the people at work when they asked me “How was your weekend?” I will tell them that “I had a healing this weekend” and that my grandson had emergency surgery. How awesome is that? The healing part and, well, even the surgery. Because after all the worry of this weekend, I am grateful that the Lord is so good to my family. When work and family begin to hurt my spirit, and my neck, I can now remember that God's hands are on my shoulders.

Thanks for allwing me to share this with you.

E. A.

Church

2010-08-31T14:56:00.004-04:00

"Here's the church,
and here's the steeple.
Open the doors,
and see all the people."

Idyllic structures housing great ideals--that is what church purports to be. Then the disappointment comes--when the doors are opened and it is revealed that the church is filled with people. Uggh! Less-than-perfect people. Sinners and seekers and sundry non-saints. People with problems; people who create problems; people who are problems.

It all goes back to God's incredibly bold experiment to entrust this venture of the Kingdom of God to ordinary people on an extraordinary mission. Jesus said it was the Father's good pleasure to give the Kingdom to ordinary people. God! What are you thinking?!! The apostle describes the church as Christ's body. Ordinary people have been entrusted to embody the Lord's presence here on earth. God! What are you thinking?!!

Years ago my heart was captivated by this wild experiment called church. I had grown up not liking church so much. Then being a teenager in the late 60's and early 70's I was afflicted with the same anti-institutional affliction that gripped most all my generation. I liked Jesus; not a big fan of the church.

Then God did something crazy. He gave me the opportunity as a very young college student to lead a small-town congregation. God what were you thinking?!! But in that little Presbyterian church in Hemingway, SC something amazing happened. I fell in love with another man's wife. The apostle also refers to the church as the "bride of Christ." What I had formerly disdained began to captivate my heart. Grandmas and little kids; indifferent teens and anxious parents; laborers and salespeople; farmers and school-teachers all in one little congregation. And real community. That is what captivated my heart--a community of very different people seeking to live out life's highest ideals as they cared for one another and sought to serve God in the midst of their issues and brokenness and real problems.

I fell in love and have never gotten over it. Lord, I love your bride! Not just the idea of the church, or the building, or even the ideals of the Kingdom of God. But real live people trying to do what's right and serve their world and follow after your ways. I have been captivated by this notion that the Lord has more faith in us than we ever have in him. It is his good pleasure to entrust the Kingdom to the likes of us--sinners and seekers and sundry non-saints. God, I love the way you think!!!

And I love the particular church called Wellspring. If you open the doors, yes--you will see all the imperfect people. People with problems. But you will also see people climbing out of their problems. People who are helping others with their problems. People who have signed on to tackle some very real problems in their communities and beyond. People who are embodying the Lord's presence in their world.

Wow! What a beautiful bride!!

Wake Up Call from Guatemala

2010-08-11T10:23:00.004-04:00

At 8:40 AM our time on Wednesday morning—6:40 in Guatemala—my office phone rang with a call from Bob Switzer, our assistant pastor leading a mission trip of our teens and youth leaders to work in an orphanage and senior center in a fairly remote section of the country.

When Sandy, my administrative assistant told me it was Bob on the other end of the line, I thought to myself--this is either going to be really good or there are some big problems going on with this trip.

Turned out to be really good--really good.

Bob told me that the day before the team was slated to go to a small and poor village some distance away and distribute food to the people there. That seemed good. The students could get outside the bounds of the orphanage compound, do some very useful service and get a further sense of how blessed we are in our lives stateside. But then the director said that they would also be doing some evangelizing in the process.

"How is this going to work?" Bob thought. We can't speak the language; we don't know the people or the culture; these kids aren't Billy Graham. I hope that they aren't going to make the people file into the village church and get preached at before they line up to be given the meager bags of food assembled to distribute.

Then he had another thought, "We can evangelize in the way we are learning how to cooperate with God."

So the team travelled to the village. Bob spoke for a few minutes as the local village pastor translated. He told the people that the team had come from the United States to be a blessing to their country. He told them that they had come because the love of God was motivating them. He told the people that God loved them and had provided a Savior for them; that his name is Jesus. He told them that Jesus has brought us a better way to live--a Kingdom of love and forgiveness and the power of a new life within. Then he said the students would be happy to pray for any need that the people might have--any pains, sicknesses, infirmities, whatever. Or if they just wanted to be blessed the teens from America would pray for them. Again, the pastor translated.

The people lined up--not for the food, but for the blessing of the Kingdom of heaven. The students began to minister to them. Working their way through the English-Spanish thing the team listened to the needs/requests of the people. Then they did as they have been taught--they laid hands on the people and prayed. What happened next is why Bob called me so early.

Heaven invaded earth!

Fevers were dispelled in Jesus' name. Injured, hurting knees were healed. Pain and weakness was banished--to be replaced by comfort and relief. "These kids--our students--healed people!!!!" Bob said laughing and crying over the phone. Then he described more encounters with the radical goodness of God. The people began to be filled with the peace and love of God as the team prayed and they became overjoyed. Meanwhile, the pray-ers were also filled up by God's presence and power. Heat and power and tongues of praise broke out among the student ministers as they got filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit.

Time came to distribute the food. While that was going on the village pastor began relating the testimonies of the people who had been touched, healed, and blessed. Not all the students were needed to distribute the bags of food. So the others on the team began to ask the Spirit to direct them to those in the crowd whom the Lord was still moving upon--so they could give away more of the blessings of the Kingdom.

At the end of the day our students turned in--exhausted but exhilarated. Heaven had invaded a small village in Guatemala through their prayers and hands. In Luke 11:21 Jesus was "full of joy through the Holy Spirit" as he reflected upon his "mission team" having had similar experiences in ministering the good news and saving power of the Kingdom. I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.

Another good day in the Kingdom!

All Star Time!!

2010-07-06T15:54:00.003-04:00

Hey Sports Fans!

Tuesday, July 13 is the MLB All-Star game--this year several Cincinnati Reds are on the National League's roster. (Joey Votto should have been named, but that is material for another post.)

I want to talk to you about an All-Star on the Wellspring team over the last several seasons of ministry. Her name is Dawn Speer and she has played the important position of Children's Pastor over that time.

As you know by now, Pastor Dawn has stepped into retirement from pastoral ministry for now to prepare for receiving a big promise the Lord has given to her and to her husband Scott. Big step of faith on her part. We celebrate and honor her for her faith and obedience. And we honor her incredibly faithful ministry to our children over the years.

So, here is where you guys come in--we are holding a farewell reception for Pastor Dawn on Sunday evening, at 6:30 at the Wellspring cafe. PLEASE COME!

We want to be able to bless Dawn and to properly thank her for her service over the years--and we want all of you to be part of that.

And here is the other part of the deal. We want you to come out and celebrate Dawn and to stick around for a congregational meeting where we need to share some important updates with you about staffing needs here at Wellspring and to have you approve some additions to our budget to make that happen. (It is very sneaky, I know, to link Dawn's reception with the congregational meeting. But I take responsibility for it. We need you to come to both.)

Pastor Dawn was a fairly new college grad when I came to Kensington Baptist 24 years ago. I watched her grow in her faith and gifting. I watched her follow her passion into pioneering Spirit-led children's ministry here for our church. I have come to value her as a trusted colleague and partner. I have come to be inspired and taught by her faithful and faith-filled ministry and obedience. The teacher (that's me) became the student--I have gained and learned much from Dawn. She is an awesome woman of God. Help us honor and celebrate her as an All-Star in the Lord's lineup on July 11.

Blessings,

Pastor Rick

School News in the Summer

2010-06-28T12:58:00.004-04:00

Hey Sports Fans!!

Hope everybody is enjoying the summer weather. If you note carefully in the photo of yours truly and my first wife you will see I am wearing a T-shirt representing my home-town team, the first-place Cincinnati Reds. Just sayin'.

Anyway, I want to talk to you about school. Not summer school! I served one sentence of summer school while growing up and said, 'Never again!' Summer was not made for school, but for things like baseball, the shore (note picture with yours truly wearing Cincinnati Reds T-shirt beside my beautiful wife), hot dogs and the like.

OK, back to the topic of school. It was amazing to have over 80 people come out on a lovely summer evening to an initial Information Night regarding the Wellspring School of Leadership. That's right--80-some people. WOW!

For those of you who were at the beach or watching baseball or grilling hot dogs, let me catch you up on the Wellspring School of Leadership. This school will launch this coming August 31 (technically still summer, but hey--whatever) with the first class in its inaugural year. The school will offer six consecutive six-week classes over the coming school year, covering topics like Spiritual Formation, Old Testament Survey, Hearing God, Christian World View, Dynamics of the Kingdom, and The Art of Leadership. Combining classroom work and guided study with hands-on practical instruction, training and activation exercises, the goal of the school is to equip leaders for Kingdom ministry in the church and in the marketplace. In addition to class work, each student will have a mentor to support and guide them through the process.

I am really excited about the enthusiasm the school is generating. We are currently accepting applications for the first year. You can go to the web: http://www.wellspringschoolofleadership.org/ for more information and to download an application form. To have your specific questions answered you can call the newest member of our staff, Mike McKinniss, with those queries. Oh, and by the way, we will be holding a second Information Night on Sunday, August 8.

Lastly, many thanks to members of the envisioning task force for WSL: Mark Johnson, Nancy Riley, Kimberly Springman, Steve Roe, Ed Tuttle, Terry Griswold and aforementioned Mike McKinniss. They have done an amazing job in moving this vision forward to be ready to launch. And praise to the Lord for his favor upon this venture.

The Wellspring School of Leadership is open for Kingdom business!

Blessings,

Pastor Rick

Summer Nights at Wellspring

2010-06-21T15:17:00.004-04:00

Summertime Greetings!

Today is the first day of summer! Hooray! Wow--I can't remember the last time I said 'Hooray!'

Anyway, it is summer and I have not posted a blog for a long, long time. Was taking time off. And now all the articles in our e-newsletter at Wellspring are linked to our blogs, so here goes a blog-announcement. I hope to get to more randomitems-substantive stuff-opinionated rants in the near future.

But back to summer nights at Wellspring. Beginning Wednesday, July 7 and on every Wednesday evening through July and August, we will be gathering for worship, prayer and presence gatherings from 7:00--8:30 pm.

These gatherings have been very special over the past few summers as we meet primarily to worship the Lord and to host his presence. We will be led in worship by various worship teams from Wellspring--different teams each week. We have not planned a teaching emphasis for those nights--though on some nights there might be words of exhortation given. These meetings are not planned as healing services, though we will most likely be ministering in healing on several of these nights. They are not designed primarily for 'Body Life' and fellowship, but undoubtedly there will be the sharing of life between various members of the Body here at Wellspring. They are not designed to be unity meetings, but on some occasions folks from other area congregations may be joining us.

Our primary goal is the seek the presence of the Lord through worship and then host his presence as we entertain what he desires to do among us.

So you can mark your calendars for Wednesday nights in July and August--7:00--8:30 pm at Wellspring. We will offer childcare for children 5 and under in our nursery. Hope to see you there.

Pastor Rick

Greetings from Israel!!

2010-01-25T15:44:00.002-05:00

Shalom!

Greetings from Jerusalem.

This is quite a trip--literally and figuratively.

After a great week in Uganda with Terry Brennan at Kampala Childrens' Centre and at Pastor Arnold's pastor conference, I have come to Israel for a week.

The last two days I have spent touring Jerusalem with my good friend, Ariel Laurence Blumenthal. Ariel is a Messianic believer and a missionary to Japan. He also has a home in Jerusalem, where I have been staying. We have been touring the city of Jerusalem together and taking in the sights. We also have been meeting some very amazing believers in Jesus--some Jewish and some Arab.

Today we had lunch with a former PLO activist who came to faith in Jesus after he appeared to him in a vision. He is an evangelist and pastor, as well as a shop-keeper and dealer in biblical antiquities in the old city of Jerusalem. What an amazing man and a great heart. I was very encouraged by his testimony and love for Muslims. As he said--we love Muslims, Islam is the problem. That is, the spirit behind Islam is the driving force of so many difficulties--Jesus died for Muslim people and he loves them.

Tomorrow we go to the Dead Sea area and Jericho and then the next couple days to Galilee.

Got to go now. More thoughts later.

Blessings,

RM

Equally Yoked

2010-01-15T17:20:00.002-05:00

The book is done and at the publisher. The project started ten years ago is now completed.

Thanks to all who have prayed for this book to come to fruition, encouraged me along the way and helped to make it a reality.

It is kind of weird to say, 'It's done.' To hold an actual copy in your hand.

The thesis of the book is that God's highest ideals for the genders is full and equal partnership. This was how he created us to operate and what got twisted through the fall has been and is being restored through the redemption Jesus brings. Mostly it is a study of pertinent biblical passages to demonstrate the thesis, along with some personal and practical stuff mixed in.

I wrote it because the Lord told me to write it. And because it is a message that needs to be repeated again and again until the church really grabs hold of it. And I wrote it because I needed to conform my own heart and practice to what my study has shown. Writing it down has a way of making one accountable.

Soon copies will be in for a gala book-signing at Wellspring. Plans are being laid for a conference by the same name as the title this spring. For those of you who can't wait--you can order your copy at Amazon.

Anyway, that's all I'm gonna say about that for now.

RM

New Year, New Start

2010-01-02T20:47:00.003-05:00

After a month or more of abstaining from blogging I am renewing my efforts as we enter a new calendar year.

Why have I not been posting, you ask?

Not for lack of things to say, certainly. But I have felt the need to censor myself and purge this blog from the political rants and raves that characterized it much of the time over this past year. In coming days I plan to continue to share perspectives and thoughts about many topics, but I hope to do so with less rancor and (hopefully) with greater wisdom.

To begin this new 2010 edition of Blog 222 I want to quote a poem by Wendell Barry. It comes from a volume of his poems that I received from my daughter Kate as a Christmas gift (thanks Kate!). It is entitled "A Warning to my Readers." I think it applies here.

Do not think me gentle

because I speak in praise

of gentleness, or elegant

because I honor the grace

that keeps this world. I am

a man crude as any,

gross of speech, intolerant,

stubborn, angry, full

of fits and furies. That I

may have spoken well

at times, is not natural.

A wonder is what it is.

Happy New Year!!

Sehnsucht

2009-11-19T20:56:00.001-05:00

I came across this word, 'sehnsucht,' recently. It is a German word. There seems to be no good English equivalent. It denotes profound homesickness or longing or yearning, but with transcendent overtones. C. S. Lewis speaks of this spiritual homesickness in his famous essay, "The Weight of Glory." I thought you might like to explore this glorious bit of prose--it is careful thinking expressed by a precision that is scintillating.

Our commonest expedient is to call it beauty and behave as if that had settled the matter. Wadsworth's expedient was to identify it with certain moments in his own past. But all this is a cheat. If Wordsworth had gone back to those moments in the past, he would not have found the thing itself, but only the reminder of it; what he remembered would turn out to be itself a remembering. The books or the music in which we thought the beauty was located will betray us if we trust to them; it was not in them, it only came through them, and what came through them was longing. These things--the beauty, the memory or our own past--are good images of what we really desire; but if they are mistaken for the thing itself they turn into dumb idols, breaking the hearts of their worshippers. For they are not the thing itself . . . Now we wake to find . . . we have been mere spectators. Beauty has smiled, but not to welcome us; her face was turned in our direction, but not to see us. We have not been accepted, welcomed, or taken in . . .

Our life-long nostalgia, our longing to be reunited with something in the universe from which we feel cut off, to be on the inside of some door which we have always seen from the outside, is no mere neurotic fancy, but the truest index of our real situation.

Sehnsucht is never discovered easily or else everyone would find it--like a Starbucks on every corner.

Affordable Health Care for America

2009-11-06T22:02:00.002-05:00

Today's post will be in the form of reporting contents of H.R. 3962, the 'Affordable Health Care for America Act' that Speaker Nancy Pelosi is seeking to bring to a vote as quickly as tomorrow in the House of Representatives.

I am reporting because Speaker Pelosi has backed off her earlier commitment to publish the bill 72 hours prior to bringing it to the floor for a vote. I just think you ought to know some of what is in the bill.

A letter from the non-partisan Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) confirming that the failure to comply with the individual mandate to buy health insurance contained in the Pelosi health care bill (H.R. 3962, as amended) could land people in jail. The JCT letter makes clear that Americans who do not maintain “acceptable health insurance coverage” and who choose not to pay the bill’s new individual mandate tax (generally 2.5% of income), are subject to numerous civil and criminal penalties, including criminal fines of up to $250,000 and imprisonment of up to five years.

Key excerpts from the JCT letter appear below:

“H.R. 3962 provides that an individual (or a husband and wife in the case of a joint return) who does not, at any time during the taxable year, maintain acceptable health insurance coverage for himself or herself and each of his or her qualifying children is subject to an additional tax.” [page 1] - - - - - - - - - -
“If the government determines that the taxpayer’s unpaid tax liability results from willful behavior, the following penalties could apply…” [page 2] - - - - - - - - - -
“Criminal penalties
Prosecution is authorized under the Code for a variety of offenses. Depending on the level of the noncompliance, the following penalties could apply to an individual:
• Section 7203 – misdemeanor willful failure to pay is punishable by a fine of up to $25,000 and/or imprisonment of up to one year.
• Section 7201 – felony willful evasion is punishable by a fine of up to $250,000 and/or imprisonment of up to five years.” [page 3]

When confronted with this same issue during its consideration of a similar individual mandate tax, the Senate Finance Committee worked on a bipartisan basis to include language in its bill that shielded Americans from civil and criminal penalties. The House bill, however, contains no similar language protecting American citizens from civil and criminal tax penalties that could include a $250,000 fine and five years in jail. Language in the bill actually contains a provision of jail time for those who cannot afford or would choose not to buy the $15,000 premium the plan creates. According to the Congressional Budget Office the lowest cost family non-group plan under the Speaker’s bill would cost $15,000 in 2016.

All of the above is reporting and is referenced. Now for comment: No comment necessary. The actual language of the bill says it all.

Greetings from the Vortex Capitol!

2009-10-29T01:02:00.003-04:00

So Debbie and I are in Sedona, Arizona for a couple days. We are doing a short holiday before joining Pastor Bill Johnson and 1800 others for a Leaders' Advance at Bethel Church in Redding, California.

Sedona is situated among the most amazing and beautiful red rock outcroppings you can imagine.

Anyway, this is a new-agey place. There are four vortexes in the area (or is it vorteces?). A vortex is a place where the earth's electro-magnetic energy is particularly strong. If you are at all spiritually sensitive, the brochures say, you will feel it. People come to get the energy.

Debbie and I did at least ten miles of hiking today up and around these rock formations. visited three vortexes (or is it vorteces? I digress). Yours truly felt nothing. Nada. The null set. Very spiritually insensitive. Could not get my energy balanced at all. I was feeling quite dull.

Then we visited the Chapel of the Holy Cross. Conceived by a Roman Catholic layperson and artist. Helped in her design by Frank Lloyd Wright. She was inspired to design a modern house of worship that would portray the beauty of the cross and the one who died there out of love for humanity. The outbreak of WWII set aside plans to build the church in Budapest. (Am I remembering right? It was one of the eastern European capitols.) Then, she thought of her own backyard. She is from this part of Arizona.

The chapel is set into the side of a red rock butte and can be seen for miles off. The cross looks like it grows out of the rock face with a frame around it. It is featured in all the tourist literature and when we saw it from another rock outcropping miles away, we knew we had to go and see it.

I was not prepared to be blown away.

The moment I walked in, I knew I had found the vortex. The chapel is open to the public. It is a tourist attraction. Even on this cold and snowy day, dozens of people were in and out of the chapel while we were there. But the presence of God met me as I walked into the alcove. In the sanctuary I could hardly speak. I immediately sat down on one of the simple benches and began to pray. Before Debbie and I left we offered a brief prayer to the Lord quietly. It took a while to gather enough composure before we could do this without crying.

Overwhelming Presence! The Energy that animates all of creation. The Great Balancer of all wrongs, ills and evils. That One made his presence known without words. His age is old and forever new. The age he ushers in is that which makes all things new. He met us today in the rocks and in that house of witness set in the rocks. A vortex of Presence.

RM

American Exceptionalism

2009-10-26T11:36:00.003-04:00

Greetings Faithful Readers,

I have been inconsistent in posting. Probably a relief to many of you.

I came across a couple fascinating articles this morning. The first comes from:
http://www.tenthamendmentcenter.com/
It is entitled "They Can't Push Us Around Forever" by State Rep. Susan Lynn from Tennessee. It is a joint resolution by the Tennessee House and Senate, signed by Governor Phil Bredesen. Basically House Joint Resolution 108, the State Sovereignty Resolution, is a call to the other 49 states to stand up for their Constitutional rights in our union against the extraordinary power grabs coming out of Washington.

The tenth amendment defines the total scope of federal power as being that which has been delegated by the people to the federal government, and also that which is absolutely necessary to advancing those powers specifically enumerated in the Constitution of the United States. The rest is to be handled by the state governments, or locally, by the people themselves.

The joint resolution calls for a joint working group between the states to enumerate the abuses of authority by the federal government, and to seek repeal of the assumption of powers and the imposed mandates by the federal government.

Wow!

You may not be Wowing with me! So let me explain. This is a call to the states and the people to stand up to the power grab of this government. And to protect the rights of the people. This may well provoke a constitutional showdown in the Supreme Court. Will our experiment in self-government under constitutional law prevail--or will we allow Washington to simply gobble up more and more of our rights and legal protections?

Now to the other article. it is entitled, 'President Obama and American Exceptionalism' by Robert Heiler. You can find it on: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/

American Exceptionalism is a theory or 'doctrine' of self-government that both the people and the state are answerable ultimately to the Creator and that the state is answerable to the people. This compact, which is codified in our constitutional form of government, is what makes America unique in the history of nations. This is what is worth fighting for and preserving. Elections do not make self-government. Mouthing the word, 'democracy,' does not make for a government of, for and by the people. It is this political creed that has been the guarantor of our rights as citizens of an amazing experiment among the nations.

I believe that our president does not understand or believe in American exceptionalism. He openly scorned it when asked if he believes in American exceptionalism--he stated he believes in American exceptionalism the same way a Greek believes in Greek exceptionalism or a Brit believes in British exceptionalism. We are not talking about love of country here. Or who one roots for in the Olympics. We are talking about a unique contribution to the history of civilization. A concept of authority that allowed our forefathers to cast of the yoke of a tyrannical crown and to embark upon an experiment in liberty that was unprecedented at the time--and which still stands as the best formulation of governing authority the modern world has yet to see.

Two Datums of Reporting--Your Conclusion?

2009-09-28T15:48:00.002-04:00

Datum 1--Massachusetts fills its Senate seat, come hell or high water:

Until 2004, Massachusetts law empowered the state's governor to fill an unexpected Senate vacancy. But the state had a Republican governor that year, and Sen. John Kerry won the Democratic Party's presidential nomination.
Worried that a Republican might be appointed to replace Sen. Kerry if he were elevated to the White House, Bay State Democrats, enjoying large legislative majorities, changed the rules to mandate that any vacancies be filled via special elections.
Fast forward five years. A Democrat now sits in the governor's office. Sen. Kennedy loses his life fighting brain cancer. It will be at least four months before Massachusetts can hold a special election, and Democrats are one vote short of a filibuster-proof 60 in the U.S. Senate as they race to pass a radical agenda.
Solution? Massachusetts Democrats rewrite the rules again.
On Tuesday, the state Senate voted 24-16 to allow Gov. Deval Patrick to select Mr. Kennedy's successor. The House passed the bill last week.
End of story? Nope.
Turns out that under the state constitution, laws passed by the legislature take effect 90 days after they're signed by the governor -- unless lawmakers attach a so-called "emergency pre-amble."
Such emergency measures must be approved by a two-thirds majority -- a benchmark lawmakers failed to achieve in ramming through changes in the succession process.
Not to worry.
The president of the Massachusetts Senate argues that the governor can get around the two-thirds problem by writing a letter to the secretary of state declaring his own "emergency." Presto--This has already been done and the seat is 'safely' and unconstitutionally filled so that the Democrats can maintain a 60 seat majority to pass through their agenda without Republican delays or even debate.

The lesson all this nonsense sends to schoolchildren is clear. Maintaining power is the primary purpose of political life. And if politicians don't like the rules or constitutional restrictions that stand in their way, they simply change them -- and if they can't change them, they ignore them.

Datum 2--Meanwhile, back in the Senate:

Senators are negotiating on Senator Max Baucus' health care proposal and it hasn't even been written yet. Of course, to state the obvious, the fact that they're negotiating on something that hasn't been written means no one has read it yet either. And, to add even more insult to injury, it's now clear they have no intention of letting you read it. You read that right. On an almost straight party-line vote, Democrats in the Senate Finance Committee squashed an amendment by Senator Jim Bunning that would have required Baucus' health care bill to be posted on the Internet – for all Americans to read – for 72 hours prior to the Committee voting on it.

Not only that. Bunning's amendment also called for requiring the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office's official tally of how much Baucus' health care proposal will cost the American people and what the real impact will be on health costs to be released before the it was voted on.

So here is my question--What is going on in our constitutional process and government of, for, and by the people in the name of trying to get health care to the people?

What is your conclusion?

Jimmy Carter . . .

2009-09-23T16:59:00.002-04:00

Jimmy Carter has been in the news again lately.

Not for hanging with his good bud, Kim Jong Il, dictator supreme of North Korea.

Not for decrying Israel's right to exist within its own sovereign borders.

This time he is calling critics of President Obama's policies racist.

Please. This is so tired. First critics were branded un-American, then a mob, then evilmongers, next Nazi's. Now racist.

But I want to thank our least favorite former President for sticking his nose in the nation's business once again. It gives me this opportunity to share my favorite recollection of his term in office.

It was election day, November 1980. I was in seminary in St. Paul at the time. But that day I was making a business trip for the family company that I worked for part-time while in school. So I was flying on election day--from Minnesota to Dallas and then on to Abilene in west Texas. My flight arrived at DFW airport about 5:00 or 6:00 in the evening. Interested in the election returns, I made my way to the first airport bar I could find to watch the results before heading for my connecting flight. What I saw I will never forget. To me it says all you need to know about Jimmy Carter's debacle administration.

At 5:00 in the evening, Central Standard Time--6:00 on the east coast, 3:00 on the west coast--the major networks had called the election for Ronald Reagan. Obviously the polls had not yet closed anywhere in the country, but the election was decided. Carter himself conceded just an hour or so later--again before the polls had closed in the west. (This was before federal law prevented the networks from calling an election before the polls had closed--indeed, it was this election that led to this law being passed.)

But here is what I remember that evening in the airport bar. The local stations in Dallas were showing lines out the door at polling places in and around Dallas. People were waiting in line to vote--many of them knowing the presidential race had already been decided.

The next day coming back through Dallas on my way back to Minnesota I picked up a Dallas paper and the long lines at the polls were front-page news. Many polling places had to stay open late because the people were still waiting to vote. Reporters were interviewing these persevering voters--"Why are you standing in line all this time? Don't you know the election has been decided and that President Carter has conceded defeat?"

Here is my remembered synopsis of the many replies quoted in the paper: "I've been waiting about 3 years to vote that S.O.B. out of office! I would stand here all night to cast my ballot against him and vote for Ronald Reagan."

Morning had indeed come to America! I am looking for another dawn about 3 years hence.

RM

"Right-Wing Domestic Terrorists"

2009-09-04T11:01:00.004-04:00

Seriously, I wanted to take the week-end off. Was planning to enjoy a respite from the relentless onslaught on our constitutional liberties coming out of Washington.

Then comes a call from the president's website, going out to his supporters to make phone calls to all U.S. Senators on Friday, September 11 to support the president's health-care agenda: "All 50 states are coordinating in this--as we fight back against our own Right-Wing Domestic Terrorists who are subverting the American Democratic Process. . ."

That's right--those Americans who have rallied, gone to town hall meetings, written letters, made phone calls to voice opposition to a government-run overhaul of their personal health care choices are being called by our president's website "Right-Wing Domestic Terrorists"!! The call to action is set for the day we commemorate the death of over 3000 Americans by real terrorists who flew planes into the twin towers. Language is being subverted to make people like myself and millions of other Americans who oppose a total government takeover of 1/6 of the American economy and their own say in their health-care decisions terrorists. This was not an off-hand remark or something said in an unguarded moment. It was consciously crafted and deliberately posted on the very website that bears our president's name.

We have already been labeled "un-American" by the Speaker of the House and likened to mobs, Nazis and Fascists by other Democrat officials. Now the president's own website is calling people who disagree with his plan and voice that oppostion to their elected representatives "terrorists."

I cannot overstate how grieved and outraged I am over this latest assault--and how fearful I have become of the agenda of this administration.

RM

In the clams

2009-08-31T22:14:00.002-04:00

Had a new experience today.

Debbie and I were visiting with Bob and Pat Artus who are speending the week at the Connecticut shore. So this afternoon Bob and I went clamming.

Its a full-body experience. The tide was out. We went into the shallow water and started to probe the muck beneath our feet, feeling for clams. When we found them, then it was time to reach down and pull them out of the muck.

It's awesome.

Four dozen clams later we headed back to the cottage with our haul. Bob had two dozen for chowder. I had a couple dozen for clam sauce for pasta.

It was more awesome.

But I'm not giving you my recipe--this blog ain't "Julie and Julia."

RM

Celebration!

2009-08-29T15:39:00.003-04:00

So last night I went to Celebrate Recovery at Wellspring. CR is for folks working through 'hurts, habits, and hang-ups.'

Last night, as every Friday night of the month, was Anniversary Night. Those who have put together a measure of sobriety are celebrated for their recovery.

As usual, last night was awesome.

About 20 people got their chip for being there for the first time! Big steps for 20 folks. The house nearly came down with all the cheering!

I am particularly proud of three friends who celebrated major anniversaries last night. I can't tell you their names--it is OK to tell folks you go to Celebrate Recovery; not OK to tell others who you see there. But I am really happy for two friends who clebrated 16 years of sobriety this month--and another who has racked up 20 years!

Way to go guys!!!

And these friends aren't white knuckle sober. They are healthy, happy, productive members of society and fruitful followers of Jesus. They bless many every day.

They bless me.

Awesome.

RM

10 Days and Counting!

2009-08-26T10:28:00.003-04:00

Ten days until kick-off!!

Saturday, September 5, High Noon in Columbus at the Horseshoe, the Buckeyes kick off the season against the Midshipmen from Navy.

Mark your calendars boys and girls!

Division One Football is almost here.

Ali's Wedding

2009-08-25T15:32:00.004-04:00

Ali got married on Saturday. She is now Mrs. Lance Carter. I had the privilege of sharing some words of blessing at the ceremony. It was an honor. . .

Let me give you some background. First of all, I have not always been a big fan of weddings. 'Romantic' is not a word often used to describe me. Worrying for six months over table favors and the color of dresses just seems way too much fuss by my way of thinking. Exorbitant costs and pretentious receptions aren't high on my list of core values.

Secondly, I know pastors aren't supposed to show favoritism and risk offending others by praising one member of their flock over others.

But Ali is one of my favorites. Let me explain why.

When I get to heaven I figure that my claim to fame will be that I knew Ali Johnson Carter. I think that if, at the end of my days, I have done little more than to have encouraged Ali, it will have been a worthwhile ministry.

When I grow up I hope to be like Ali. That is funny, because I have watched Ali grow up. She literally was a little squirt when I came to Connecticut 23 years ago. I watched her grow through awkward adolescence, take steps of leadership in her high school band and youth group, go off to college, come back to New Britain by the word of the Lord after she graduated college, serve as a deacon in the church she grew up in, and then go on to become a prophetic mentor to young interns in a major ministry training school. Along the way I have had the privilege of praying for Ali, of praying with Ali in meetings, and of having Ali lead prayer and intercession for me.

What I have watched is the growth of an amazing heart for Jesus. Passion for his glorious person and unfettered devotion and affection for him. I have not witnessed Ali telling people what her passion is--I get so tired of people telling other people what their passion is. Please. If your passion is genuine it will be seen. You don't have to tell people what it is--you won't be able to hide it.

On Saturday two minutes before Ali marched down the aisle to stand with Lance I had a brief prayer with her. Now realize, Ali woke up laughing that morning of her wedding at 4:30 AM--her heart bursting with joy in the realization that it was her wedding day. She was so excited to be married to Lance she couldn't sleep any longer. But in that brief prayer all she could do was repeat over and over, 'Oh, Jesus; Jesus; Jesus! You are so good!'

So I want to be more like Ali--living out of that consuming devotion to Jesus.

That is why she is one of my favorites. She calls me to be better than I currently am. She inspires me to more.

By the way, I have hundreds of favorites. I see different graces in differing flavors in so many different people. When I catch a reflection of the radiance of something of the Kingdom of God in their lives my heart is thrilled and I am inspired. I say to myself, 'That is awesome! I aspire to see more of that in my own life.' I say to God, 'Thank you God for allowing me to glimpse that. Help me to be more and better than I am in that area.'

So Ali--Congratulations! Thanks for letting me have a small part in your wedding day. I did not wake up laughing this morning--but maybe some day!

RM

Live Free or Die

2009-08-10T11:02:00.002-04:00

Just got back from a week in New Hampshire with Debbie and Mark's crew. It took all four adults to supervise three children five and under. Lots of sun; time in the lake; beautiful sunrises and sunsets; close encounters with loons; spending time with grand kids. Awesome.

Also awesome is New Hampshire's state motto: Live Free of Die. You see it on every license tag. It is undoubtedly the most famous state motto of all fifty. I challenge you--can you name another?

Here is another challenge--do you know the context of its origin? You might think it comes in the throes of some emotional debate in the Continental Congress or on the eve of some great battle of the Revolutionary War. You might think that, but you would be wrong.

The quote does come from a Revolutionary War hero, General John Stark of New Hampshire. But he offered these words long after the war was won and the fruits of liberty were being enjoyed. Unable due to poor health to attend a reunion in 1809 marking the winning of the Battle of Bennington, General Starks sent this toast by letter for that gathering: 'Live free of die. Death is not the worst of evils.'

I love the fact that this call to guard liberty by living free was issued at a dinner celebration and not prior to battle. Others have won liberty for us by their sacrifice and blood--the very least we can do is resolve to live free!!

I am convinced that this very issue is at stake in the current crisis facing our nation. The current Congress and Administration are offering us a soft totalitarianism in the guise of government benefits. I have detailed some of the excesses of the proposed health care legislation being considered by the House as they relate to empowering government bureaucrats to make end-of-life decisions for our elderly, opening the door to euthanasia.

Let me tell you about something else that is contained in the proposed bill. On pages 58 and 59 of the proposed House bill (yes--I have read this portion of the bill), there are provisions made that allow the government 'real-time access' to the individual patient's financial information and access to individual citizens' financial accounts to enable electronic funds transfers, 'in order to allow automated reconciliation with the related health care payment and remittance advice.'

This bill opens the door for government access to your financial information and direct transfer of your funds to pay for health care services the government deems you able to pay for. This is what I mean by 'soft totalitarianism.' Under the guise of helping the uninsured, the government is demanding that you surrender your basic liberties won by prior generations at great sacrifice.

I say 'Live Free or Die,' but don't let the government direct access to my bank account. I say 'Live Free of Die,' but don't let the government stand between me and my doctor. I say 'Live Free or Die. There are worse evils than death.' I would rather die 'uninsured' breathing the breath of liberty than be eased into a surrender of my heritage as an American by false promises.

Health care is not nor has it ever been a guaranteed right under the Constitution. Good people may argue that it is the duty and responsibility of an enlightened society to provide basic health care for its citizens. That is a debate worthy of good minds and hearts. But this proposed bill is nothing short of a power grab and soft totalitarianism in the guise of false promises.

And that's not all I'm going to say about that.

Health Care and the State

2009-07-30T14:14:00.003-04:00

This is the most serious post I have made to date on this blog.

Sometimes I have written about personal stuff; sometimes I have gone on rants; sometimes I have just been having fun writing about the teams I follow.

This is serious. I am making an urgent plea for you to consider carefully what I will share below.

I believe that the health care legislation now before the US House of Representatives and being pushed by the President is the greatest threat to liberty that I have experienced in this nation in my lifetime. I am not making that statement casually--I make it in all soberness and urgency. I will seek to be measured in what I write below because I want to gain your ear and urge your advocacy against this proposal. It is, I believe, a bill that carries evil consequences.

We could argue the pros and cons of a state-administered health care service. Personally, I am opposed. My personal bias is almost always against the growth of the state. If the 20th century taught us anything it surely ought to be that the greatest threat to human rights and liberties is embodied by massive socialistic states that espouse the highest of ideals. My equation is simple--the more the state grows, by definition the more my liberties shrink.

But this post is not to debate the pros and cons of government run health care. It is to highlight the furtherance of the state-sponsored death agenda that is written into the very language of this bill. By the way, most representatives who are supporting this bill confess they have not read it. Some House leaders have even suggested that reading it would be a waste of time. This should set off massive warnings that our system of representative democracy is very near a total breakdown. When our elected officials state that reading the very pieces of legislation that will massively overhaul the country is a waste of time, how are we to respond but in outrage? Yet despite not reading the bill, these same legislators go on various media outlets stating that it is absolutely urgent that this bill be passed immediately.

But here is the heart of what I want to share with you. Concerned citizens have begun to do what the legislators have scoffed at doing--they are reading the bill. And I want to highlight just one of dozens of things about this bill that terrify me. Pages 425-430 of this 1018 page bill speak about end-of-life issues. the government will mandate 'Advance (Death) Care Planning' (p. 425). The government will instruct and consult regarding living wills and mandatory powers of attorney (p. 425). The government will provide an approved list of end of life resources, guiding you in death and mandating a program that will give the government a say in how your life ends (p. 427). An 'advance care consultation' will be used frequently as the patients health deteriorates and may include an ORDER for end of life plans (p. 429). The government will specify which doctors can write an end of life order (p. 429). And the government will decide what level of treatment you will have at end of life (p.430). (You can check this out for yourself on Congressman John Larson's website--the entire 1018 pages are there in a pdf file.)

What the above sections of the law does is give a government bureaucracy the power over the end of your life--or the life of your parents. This is euthanasia--either incrementally or passively or paving the way for active euthanasia. HEAR THIS--THE ABOVE PORTIONS OF THE LAW DO GIVE THE GOVERNMENT THE AUTHORITY TO EFFECTIVELY DETERMINE WHO LIVES AND WHO DIES. I have quoted sections of the very bill that House leaders and the President are actively seeking to rush through Congress.

Let me say one other thing that makes the above so insidious. Those in favor of this bill are all over the media and junketing around the country telling us that we will be able to keep our doctors and our private health insurance, should we so desire. But other provisions of the bill make these promises to be empty. This bill is written in a way that businesses and individuals who do not participate in the public (government) option health plan will be severely taxed and ultimately mandated to enroll in the public option. When private companies have to compete against the government they always lose--because the government does not have to turn a profit to stay in business. Yet our elected leaders are promising us things that they know are flowery fictions, while they seek to rush this measure through without adequate debate.

I have not even mentioned how the government taking over the health care system will be the tipping point from a market driven economy to a state-run managed economy, because the percentage of our economy that is related to health care is so great. That is also in the balance. But that is another legitimate debate that is philosophical in nature--one about which good people can disagree.

But the alarm I raise in this post is about an evil agenda of euthanasia written into the very language of this proposed legislation that leaders of Congress and the President are selling us under the guise of reform and cost control and providing health care for those who do not have access to it.

It is time to pray and advocate for life and against this evil measure.

Three Cheers for Debbie!

2009-07-20T21:13:00.001-04:00

Hip! Hip! . . Hooray!

Tomorrow is my lovely bride's birthday! The exact number remains a matter of family security.

She deserves a medal for putting up with me all these years.

Faithful and dedicated wife.

Excellent mom.

Awesome grandmother.

Gifted partner in ministry.

So Debbie--this Bud's for you!

Wake Up Connecticut

2009-07-14T21:10:00.005-04:00

So . . . our state is one of a handful that still does not have a budget for the fiscal year that has already two weeks old.

So here are some numbers, statistics that I have gleaned from the paper of record in the state, The Hartford Courant, over the last several weeks. See what you think . . .

A couple months ago George David wrote a column in the Courant that offers one very significant perspective. (Where he got the time in the midst of his messy divorce proceeding, I don't know--but that is a subject for another post.) Since this state enacted an income tax in 1992 our population has grown by a whopping 2%. During that same period the size of state government has grown by 24%. In this past Sunday's Courant we learned some other numbers. Our current budget deficit is the highest per capita of any state in the nation--a whopping $2,513 per citizen of our beloved Nutmeg State. That's right--your state government has overspent by over $2500 per man, woman and child.

Here are some other numbers to ponder. Over the past 20 years, Connecticut ranks dead last nationally in job creation, but first in exodus of its youth, our best and brightest leaving for jobs elsewhere. Connecticut alone among all states has seen the number of its businesses shrink, while high skill, high-wage jobs disappear and are replaced by low-paying, low-skill jobs. The state's tax structure and other bureaucratic burdens have been a disaster for business in CT.

So what to do? Your brilliant legislators seem stumped. If you are also stumped, review the above numbers again remembering the axiom about doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. That is the definition of what? How about government in your home state?

RM

Michael Mania

2009-07-08T08:52:00.003-04:00

So it's been a while since I have posted anything . . .

Been busy; traveling; working; watching rain drops; etc. etc. etc.

Now--about Michael Jackson. He was the King of Pop--I get it. I grew up with Motown--loved the young Michael and the Jackson 5; understand that Michael changed the world of Pop entertainment.

But yesterday watching just a smattering of the coverage of the memorial service I can't help but come back to this one point/question: When are we going to get over race in this nation?

Black celebrity after black celebrity celebrated how much Michael did for race relations in this nation. How he opened doors for other blacks to follow. Magic Johnson said it was Michael who paved the way for Americans of all colors to have his Lakers jersey hang on their bedroom walls.

Please stop! Before I throw up, please stop!

Michael Jackson was more conflicted about race than any of his white fans. He was a BEAUTIFUL young black boy and an extremely handsome young black man. Then he became something freakish and ghoulish in appearance. White skin that looked like all the life had been bleached out of it. Long un-African locks of hair. Very thin Nordic nose. He looked like he acted--weird. If you want to make an argument that Michael's internal conflict about his looks arose out of the tensions of growing up black in majority white America, OK. That is a discussion that would seem to have some merit. But white folks loved Michael and his music long before he started looking like us.

As for Michael Jackson paving the way for young white Americans to idolize and relate to African American athletes--that is patently ridiculous. I grew up always, always, always wanting to wear number 14 in basketball. I seldom ever got to because I was never the best on my team. But we all wanted to wear Oscar Robertson's number. You ask who was the Big O? He was Magic before Magic Johnson. One SEASON in the NBA he averaged a triple double--double figures in scoring, rebounding and assists. Nobody has ever come anywhere near to that--ever. We loved Oscar for the purity and beauty of his game. Oh, did I mention that Oscar Robertson was black and that I am white? Oh, by the way, there is another reason why we did not have Oscar's jersey hanging on our walls and it has nothing (repeat--nothing!) to do with Michael Jackson. First of all, the NBA did not merchandise its soul back then (no pun intended) and second of all, we could not afford such luxuries back in the day. H-E-double hockey sticks---we got one new pair of Converse sneakers a year and they cost all of $8 a pair!

So please stop this nonsense about Michael being some kind of door opener. People loved his music. People loved his style. People loved his charisma. People loved his edge. End of story. (Just like Elvis for the prior generation, I might add. Another King who died pathetically after the ravages of fame warped his final years.)

So I am wondering if fifty years from now people will still be talking about how this latest African American celebrity to die opened doors for younger black Americans. Unless they are talking about Barak Obama I don't want to hear it. It is so old and tired. Can we just get over it and let people be people? Let their talent speak for itself? Their accomplishments. Their whatever.

And that's all I'm gonna say about that.

RM

State Seduction of the Media

2009-06-18T10:28:00.003-04:00

News Item:

On the night of June 24, the media and government become one, when ABC turns its programming over to President Obama and White House officials to push government run health care -- a move that has ignited an ethical firestorm! ABCNEWS anchor Charlie Gibson will deliver WORLD NEWS from the Blue Room of the White House. The network plans a primetime special -- 'Prescription for America' -- originating from the East Room, exclude opposing voices on the debate. When challenged about the constitutional violation of a "free press," ABCNEWS Senior Vice President Kerry Smith responded that: "ABCNEWS prides itself on covering all sides of important issues and asking direct questions of all newsmakers -- of all political persuasions -- even when others have taken a more partisan approach and even in the face of criticism from extremes on both ends of the political spectrum. ABCNEWS is looking for the most thoughtful and diverse voices on this issue," (Drudge Report 6/17/09)

The above development ought to cause every lover of freedom to rise up and protest.

Every lover of freedom!

Those who voted for President Obama and those who voted against him.

Those who favor a government health care initiative and those who oppose it.

Those who have never had a political thought in their entire lives and those who eat, sleep and drink politics.

Every lover of freedom should be screaming to ABC and their affiliates ESPN and Disney.

This is a major boundary that is being crossed. When the media begins to openly carry the water for any government agenda a major check on governmental power has been eroded. ABC News has said they will not even allow the mandated oppostion response from the other party.

An independent and free press/media is one of our most important safeguards against the government's ever-encroaching intrusion into our loves.

This is our country. These are our liberties. This is our future we are talking about here!

Wake up America!

Gretchen LaChance

2009-06-15T20:39:00.002-04:00

This morning I had the distinct honor of presiding at the memorial service for Gerry and Barbara La Chance's daughter, Gretchen.

Gretchen was 25 years old. She was blind; she had no verbal skills; she could not walk without help; she was limited in her mental capacities; and she wore diapers every single day of her life.

When Gerry and Barbara took Gretchen into their home she was 2 and 1/2 years old despite being discouraged from doing so by the doctors. She was severely handicapped, desperately small for her age and given no prospects by the doctors to live to her third birthday. She made that one and 22 more.

How? Love finds a way. Love makes a home. Love forges a highway of hope. Love reaches the spirit.

Gretchen knew how to give and receive love. She learned from those who loved her. She communicated primarily through touch and kisses--either wet sloppy ones when you hugged her or ones she would blow across the room to family and friends.

I had the pleasure of knowing Gretchen for close to 20 years. I can honestly say that my life has been enriched through knowing her. I loved to watch her during worship. When the music began Gretchen was stirred and became engaged in worship. She swayed to the music; she began to smile; she opened her spirit to the Lord she knew by the Spirit. I loved to touch her and pat her and watch her respond to that attention and affection. I loved to watch her interact with her family; especially her older brother, Phillip. (Phillip is a 30 year with Downs syndrome and an amazing personality; but that is the subject of another blog.)

Love brought Gretchen to life; caused her to thrive; sustained her for all these many years. Love is the legacy she leaves.

Good-bye Gretchen. See you in heaven.

Don't Tread on Me

2009-05-31T20:41:00.002-04:00

A new flag was unfurled yesterday at 111 Mooreland Road.

Historically it is known as the Gadsden flag after a Colonel in the South Carolina colonial militia during the Revolutionary War. In 1774 a yellow flag with a coiled rattlesnake and the words, "Don't Tread 0n Me," was first flown as a symbol of defiance of the tyranny of Great Britain.

In recent days the flag has been making something of a comeback.

It is a modern-day rallying banner for the values and ideals of the Revolution and this American experiment in liberty and self government. It is a protest against the aggressive expansion of the socialist state and the threats to individual liberty that are multiplying daily in our nation.

That is why it now flies defiantly at 111 Mooreland Road.

RM

The Senator and 22's

2009-05-27T19:52:00.002-04:00

So I went to the state capitol today, along with some other leaders, and met with Senator Mike McLachlan from Danbury. It was quite a meeting. This is a man we have long been praying for--a courageous voice for righteousness in those halls. He is a freshman senator, so I guess he doesn't know any better--he is actually there to speak up and stand up for what he believes in. He was the tip of the spear in leading the efforts to beat back the assaults on religious liberty in this past session. Thank you god for this faithful man!

Why were we there?--he is challenging the Body of Christ across Connecticut to get more involved in praying and in advocating for our values in the political sphere. So the meeting was very exciting. It feels now like we have an advocate on the inside of the process and we can now work with him and others to support the cause of righteous and just governance with our prayers and advocacy.

So on to the number. You may have noticed that this blog is called "Blog 222." That comes from our street address: 222 Lincoln Street. For years the Lord has spoken to me through the number 22 or 222. The number is like an alert--pay attention. Or it is an affirmation--you have my favor. When the Lord first started impressing this number on me I would see it everywhere. Whenever I would look at the clock it would be 22 minutes after the hour--or so it seemed. I would see 22's on license plates, on road signs, on other random places.

Today I must have had four or five 22 sightings--at least three on the clock; a couple other random sightings; and we initially were to meet the Senator in his suite at the Legislative Office Building--Suite #2200. To me that all indicated favor. And it was there in abundance in the meeting with the Senator.

Pray for this man--he is in a key position at a key time in our state's history.

Oh, about the rest of the address. I received a prophetic word years ago that the whole address was/is prophetic. That I had some call to statesmanship for the Kingdom, as Lincoln was one of our greatest statesmen ever. I don't think the Lord has me exiting the church to go into politics. But I do think that I am entering a season when doors are being opened for me to be a voice into certain arenas of the political process for the cause of Kingdom justice and righteousness.

Blessings,

Pastor Rick

The Vision Saga

2009-05-22T10:02:00.002-04:00

For some of you this is an update to old news. For others it is a brand new subject. Here is the chronicle of the saga:

In December of 2007 I received a card from my mother containing a check for $5000 along with the note that she was sending the gift to facilitate me having laser surgery on my eyes. Seems we had briefly talked about this topic some months earlier--and she wanted to pass along some of her inheritance from my grandmother to bless me in this way.

I was stunned! This came out of the blue and I immediately had a sense that this had some spiritual significance. Part of the reason for that is the number '5' in Scripture speaks symbolically of 'grace' and '1000' speaks of 'full stature, mature judgment or mature service.' So I inquired of the Lord, 'What is this all about Lord?' Immediately I heard the Spirit whisper to me, 'First the natural, then the spiritual.' I checked the Scripture and found the reference for this I Corinthians 15:46.

'Woohoo!' Get a simple laser procedure--and presto, 20/20 vision for these nearsighted eyes and the same in the spiritual realm. I was definitely psyched. So I did research, found a good doctor, got my eyes checked and scheduled the latest and best procedure to correct the vision in my eyes. That took place mid-January, 2008. The healing proceeded apace. Only one problem--after the initial three month healing period it was clear that both eyes were dramatically under-corrected. I could see better to be sure, but was a long way from 20/20.

My doctor said, 'This happens about 1% of the time.'

Great! It was 100% of my experience. Not a fun time for the great man of faith. I had a late night pity party in the middle of this season, 'Lord, what the heck is going on here?! Why does everything, every gain have to be so hard? What are you doing here? I didn't pursue this; you brought this to me. Now what am I supposed to do?'

Again, graciously, the Lord spoke clearly to me, 'Walk by faith and not by sight.' That sounded like the Lord. I had even read it in the Scriptures. So I began to repent of my pitiful self-pity and set myself for a much deeper work. Over the course of the last year I have seen the Lord bring to light attitudes, surface disappointments and discouragements and point the way toward a course correction in my thinking.

Back to my eyes. I was scheduled for an 'enhancement' procedure on my right eye back in November. Great! Then three days prior to the surgery the doctor's office called to tell me that the clinic where they leased equipment had gone bankrupt and locked their doors. The doctor had to find another clinic where he could gain access to the equipment. I just laughed. By this time I knew that more was happening behind the scenes. The downturn in the economy had closed the original clinic. And facing the crises in the financial/political arena and the moral/spiritual realm were part of the sight correction the Lord was trying to accomplish in me. So from November of 2008 through March of 2009 the Lord was working with my attitudes and perspectives.

Then on March 6 I finally had the procedure on my right eye at a clinic down in Fairfield. Everything went great! The healing has gone well.

Yesterday I went for a check up. Here's the 411: 20/20 in my right eye! 'YES!'

What about my left eye? Glad you asked. Well as it turns out, my left eye is currently about 20/45. I could get that corrected as well. But as things stand I have full range of vision in all distances. I can read without cheaters through my left eye and see mid-range (i.e. read my watch on my wrist, see what is on my plate when eating, see the numbers on the dashboard) clearly through that eye as well. Distance vision is great through the right eye. Were I to have further correction on my left eye I could see 20/20 for distance in both eyes, but would absolutely be unable to read anything or see mid-range without correction. Hassle city.

So, what is the moral of this saga? Here are a few tentative thoughts:

--1) God is always up to more than we give him credit for. We think we know--but we are usually clueless as to the fullness of what he is up to.

--2) Expected outcomes almost always guarantee disappointment and resentment.

--3) God is good, gracious and long-suffering.

--4) It is better to take our questions, complaints and misunderstandings directly to God rather than bury them deep inside and pretend to be spiritual.

--5) Seeing things clearly is better than seeing them fuzzy.

Thanks to all who have prayed for me during this 18 month saga. Thanks to those who refrained from preaching to me and just patiently encouraged me. (I know that I was obsessing about this for several months--but hey, there was a lot on the table with this deal.)

Blessings,

Pastor Rick

Follow up to Sunday's teaching

2009-05-20T14:56:00.002-04:00

So, here it is Wednesday and I am just getting around to doing a follow up post about the teaching I gave on Sunday.

First, thanks to everyone who has given me so much encouragement and support for the things I shared on Sunday. It is very affirming to receive that kind of support.

Also, many of you have asked where I get the information that I shared on Sunday. I can mention two really great sources--one is secular and the other is Christian. The first is:
www.realclearpolitics.com This site is updated twice a day and it is a compendium of articles and op-ed pieces from papers and magazines from all over the nation. It covers the political spectrum and you can read about three or four pieces in a matter of a few moments. Great resource.

The Christian site is: www.ifapray.org This site really has a focus on intercession and is a great resource on political issues that have spiritual implications. You can also sign up for e-mail updates which come regularly and are easy to navigate. Like today the headline issue in the update has to do with pending legislation that would fund research involving the cloning of human embryos. I have copied below the post on this matter to give you a taste of what is available on the alerts and to illustrate that the beat goes on in Washington.

Congressional advocates of using human embryos in research recently admitted that they are drafting legislation to potentially fund human "therapeutic cloning." Pray that all misleading language and "stealth" legislative maneuvers to fund "therapeutic cloning" be exposed and thwarted. Pray that the Lord raise up voices to oppose it. On March 9, President Obama issued an executive order that removed certain limits on federally funded human embryo research that had been adopted by President Bush in 2001. Obama said that he opposed "the use of cloning for human reproduction," but pro-life observers quickly pointed out that this was familiar code language employed by those who favor using cloning to create human embryos for research that will kill them; this procedure is sometimes given the misleading term "therapeutic cloning." In an interview with Congressional Quarterly Today, published on April 27, 2009, Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) acknowledged that a bill she is drafting in concert with Rep. Michael Castle (R-DE) and others would authorize the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to fund research that would involve creating human embryos using "somatic cell nuclear transfer" (SCNT). This laboratory technique has been used to create thousands of cloned mammals without sperm. SCNT research began with the famed cloned sheep named Dolly in 1997.
"This statement is important, because DeGette and others who favor human cloning have been relying on stealth and misleading terminology to advance their agenda," commented National Right to Life Legislative Director, Douglas Johnson. "They know that the public opposes the creation of human embryos by cloning," Johnson stated. While "DeGette says her legislation will contain language outlawing reproductive cloning," Johnson argues that her "proposal is deceptively labeled, and is a sham ... that will promote human cloning, and then try to punish anyone who allows a human clone to survive. This would be the first federal law that now merely allowed but actually required the snuffing out of an entire class of human beings." (NRL News May '09)

Anyway, that is an update and follow up to what I shared on Sunday.

Blessings,

Pastor Rick

Back in the Saddle

2009-05-13T22:07:00.003-04:00

Greetings Sports Fans!

I am back in Connecticut and back in the office. Yikes--work!

Pastor Rick

Appalachian Festival

2009-05-09T19:57:00.002-04:00

Greetings Blue Grass Lovers,

Debbie and I accompanied my mom and dad to the 40th annual Appalachian Festival today at a park along the Ohio River. Blue Grass music, authentic crafts, demonstrations and historic encampments marked the festival. Maybe most of you don't know that my people come from the hills of Kentucky--so I felt right at home.

I bought Debbie a beautiful artisan crafted hammered dulcimer, one of the authentic musical instruments of early America. She is honing her technique right now.

That is about it for today--the Reds are on the televison and they are up 2-0 over the hated Cardinals. Big win last night for the hometown team 6-4. Looking forward to being home late on Monday.

Thanks for your prayers.

Pastor Rick

Mr. Kearney Lykins--a tribute

2009-05-08T18:58:00.003-04:00

Wherever Debbie and I travel we love to buy and read local newspapers. It is like intersecting a slice of life in that particular area.

When we arrived to visit Debbie's mother we opened up the Daily Disappointment (read: Wilmington News Journal) to see the obituary of the best teacher either of us had in our public school education. His name: Mr. Kearney Lykins. He was Kearney in students' conversations; Mr. Lykins in the classroom. What a character! What a teacher! We all hated and admired him. Feared and secretly were grateful for him. He was one of those characters you hate to love--yet affection was often not too strong a word.

What did he do? He taught us to read and to write. I'm talking high school English. He got us into Shakespeare and Tennyson and Milton and tried to get us into Joseph Conrad, but I drew the line there. To me Lord Jim is The Heart of Darkness. But I digress. He taught us to write. My, did we write! One theme a week. It had to be solid, well-composed and well-thought-out. (He would probably have slashed up that last sentence.) He is the one who taught me how to build and communicate an argument long before I ever got to any preaching class. We also had to read the great literature of the English language and write book reports. One day one of the students tried to submit a book report on the Bible (it was on the reading list back then). That was an interesting day in class.

Because you see, Kearney was combative in class. And he could be devastating. One day he hit my sister on the back of the head with his ruler as he was walking up the rows to the front of the classroom--no reason, he just gave her a whack. She slugged him in the gut--automatic reflex. I have never been prouder of my sister in my life. No repercussions for her, Kearney loved it when he couldn't intimidate you. Of course we were all petrified of him; but I learned then that you have to stand up to the threat of intimidation.

During my senior year Kearney lent me a commentary on the book of I Corinthians--and I read a portion of it--Barclay's Study Bible. That was another part of the enigma that was Kearney Lykins. He was very much a student of the Bible, but he was definitely not a saint. His sin hit the fan in the big kind of way that only happens with a public school teacher in a small town.

But the obituary stated that Mr. Lykins had been very involved in the local Baptist Church in the small western Kentucky town where he retired. He taught Sunday School and he was a lay preacher. I would have loved to have heard him preach in these past few years--a sinner reclaimed by grace. An incredibly articulate, intelligent and passionate man in a small town, western Kentucky Baptist congregation. (For those of you geographically and culturally challenged, let me just say that western Kentucky is a LONG way from Connecticut.) Grace is an amazing thing. It calls us back to our better selves; it calls us home to our greatest love; it calls us on to our highest ideals.

So, Mr, Lykins--thank you for teaching me to write and teaching me to think critically. I am looking forward to seeing you in heaven someday. Maybe together we can hang out with John Milton and see how things look to him with his eyes opened to glory.

Disaster Averted!

2009-05-06T17:00:00.002-04:00

You will all be glad to know that the Village of Amelia was NOT dissolved yesterday by the electorate. That is a big relief because I don't know what we would have done or where we would have gone had that happened. Maybe vaporized into a parallel universe of dissolved villages.

Anyway it has been raining here today so Debbie and I went to several antique stores in a nearby village (one not in danger of being dissolved).

Last night the Reds put a whuppin' on the Florida Marlins, 7-0. It is so amazing around here--nobody gives a big woop about either the Red Sox or the Yankees, let alone the Mets. I am beginning to feel that I am returning to normal. Everyone in New York and New England should be required to sojourn west of the Hudson for at least two weeks a year to discover the real American heartland. Also people are actually friendly here. People talk to you when you go into stores. I had forgotten how that feels. And in the last three weeks I have been "Sir"ed more than in the entire 22 years I have lived in Connecticut.

That is about all the news fit to print for today.

Pastor Rick

Adios Amelia!?!

2009-05-05T09:46:00.002-04:00

That's Ameila, Ohio. Amelia is a relatively old village east of 'Cincinnati where my parents live. After today it may exist no more. Today is primary election day in the area and one of the measures on the ballot is a question to dissolve the village. How do you dissolve a village? Is there some kind of potent anti-village chemical that will be dropped from airplanes? Will it be scrubbed off future maps? Where will my parents' mail go? I might be absorbed into the village landfill if the ordinance passes--never to return; just dissolved.

Honestly this has me so freaked out I can't communicate a whole lot more right now. If the measure is defeated or I survive the absorption I will report more about my time at MorningStar.

In trepidation,
Pastor Rick

Swine flu

2009-04-29T21:03:00.002-04:00

Think about this. A week ago almost none of us had never heard of swine flu. Now it has been upgraded to a Category 5 threat by the World Health Organization. That is a serious threat--and it is breathtaking how rapidly this flu has spread.

Our first response is to pray. We need to pray for the Lord's intervention and for wisdom for those who are charged with responding to this threat. Our staff has been discussing how we will respond at Wellspring. We need to pray, take good precaution, but not give in to fear.

This continues to be a season of global shaking. "Help us, Lord, to know how to navigate and respond during these days."

I had a wonderful couple of days at the Pastors' Prayer Summit. Thanks for praying for me. I head to MorningStar tomorrow for a consultation on how to respond to the threats to religious liberty and Christian values coming out of this administration in Washington and the state capitols.

Blessings,

Pastor Rick

Tuesday

2009-04-28T16:01:00.002-04:00

Greetings from the Pastors' Prayer Summit.

I want to thank all of you who have been praying for me and for this gathering. This has by far been the easiest summit to facilitate that I have ever been apart of. The Lord is leading our time together and the group of about 35 pastors and leaders are exhibiting high levels of trust and vulnerability with the Lord and one another.

I am also hearing here the same kind of theme that was being echoed in Houston--and one I know I will be hearing later this week at MorningStar. Darkness is encroaching--and the call is to be the light of the Lord in the mdst of the darkness. I am hearing this holy tension of a the nation and society being shaken--and the Lord beginning to move powerfully in the midst of the shaking. This is what I was preaching on a couple weeks ago--and will be revisiting this coming Sunday.

On the flight home from Houston I spoke to a delightful woman who is a scientist and who also operates in a prophetic anointing. She described what she is seeing happening as the old equilibrium being disrupted. That leads to a season of inevitable chaos before a new equilibrium is established. I think she is right.

The key, however, is that the exact nature of that new equilibrium is yet to be determined. That, I believe, depends on the prayers and the repentance of the church in the midst of this shaking that is going on. Many of us have been looking to the political arena for this new equilibrium to come forth. But really, the determining arena is the heart and response of god's people. Will we pray? Will we repent? Will we stand for righteousness as salt and lihgt in the midst of corruption and darkness?

These are the questions. We are the answers.

Pastor Rick

from the Pastors' Prayer Summit

2009-04-27T17:02:00.002-04:00

Hey sports fans!

All you Yankee fans--back away from the ledge--slowly, slowly, slowly! Red Sox fans, remember Aprils past. A sweep in April is neither the end of the world or the World Series!

Good lesson there--it is over the long haul that great victories are won. Therefore, it is always too soon to give up. Celebrate small victories, but don't confuse them with the Final Triumph.

End of sermon. Pastor Wes did such a good job preaching yesterday and I did not have a chance to preach last week, so I had to get this one out.

I am at the Pastors Payer Summit--we had a great first session. Thanks for your prayers. God is meeting us.

Blessings,

Pastor Rick

P.S. The hometown team--Cincinnati Reds won yesterday too!

Back Home

2009-04-26T14:10:00.004-04:00

Back home. Thanks for your prayers. Great to be back at Wellspring this morning--wonderful time in the Lord's presence.

All the UCONN fans are buzzing because 4 of their guys got selected in the NFL draft's first day. Props to UCONN. But check this out--Saturday in Columbus 97,000 fans showed up and paid to watch the Buckeye's spring game. That is filling Rentschler Field twice plus standing room for a practice game! That's all I'm gonna say about that.

Tomorrow I will be helping to lead a Pastors' Prayer Summit for pastors and ministry leaders here in Connecticut. I would appreciate your prayers for this gathering--Monday noon through Wednesday noon. We will be together to seek the Lord in prayer, worship and for a time of rest and refreshment and fellowship. I very much enjoy these times and have found that the Lord has used these times significantly in my life in the past. Please pray for the Lord's direction and presence during that time.

More to follow.

How about those Redlegs?

2009-04-23T23:01:00.002-04:00

Greetings from Houston!

The Reds finished up their longest road trip of the year by taking 2 of 3 from the Cubs. That concludes a 7-3 road trip in which they won all three series. For all you New York and Boston fans there is still time to jump on the bandwagon!

It was a good day at the consultation. The focus today was on compassion ministries and their role in transformation ministry. We also had a report of the focus of prayer and ministry to "the tribe of Hollywood." Hollywood impacts the entire world--mostly in negative ways. In the past decade the Lord has put it on the heart of many to focus prayer and intentional ministry to the film industry. We heard from a Spirit-directed actor and his ministry to other actors, writers and aspiring artists. We also learned of a school in Hollywood to raise up and develop young Christian actors, writers, directors to create excellent films that have a positve impact and help recalibrate the norm of society by presenting a Christian worldview and positive morality. They now can count 5000 Christian believers in the "Hollywood tribe." This has been the result of focused prayer and intentional incarnational ministry to take the gospel to this element of our culture.

I am very grateful for all your prayers. I am picking up lots of encouragement from the sessions, from the amazing servants of the Lord from around the world, and from the atmosphere here--the anointing in the meetings is very real and I am feeling things sparking in my spirit as I am listening, absorbing and processing.

Looking forward to being home before long--and being with the Wellspring family on Sunday.

Pastor Rick

late night wednesday

2009-04-22T22:38:00.003-04:00

I am back in the hotel after a long day of the consultation. Thanks to those of you who have been praying. By the way, the picture is of me in San Francisco, not Houston. Whatever.

It has been a good day--very full. Probably the highlight has been the announcement of a new major prayer initiative called the "4/14 Window." For the past fifteen years or so there has been an intentional focus by the church throughout the world to pray for the 10/40 Window--that is the window of opportunity between 10 degrees latitude north and 40 degrees latitude north from the West Sahara region of Africa to Japan. This has been the part of the world with the most unreached peoples for the Kingdom and the greatest resistance to the gospel message. Since the focus of the world on this region in intentional prayer the receptivity to the gospel has increased dramatically and the growth of the believing church in this region has multiplied greatly--even in majority Muslim nations.

The 4/14 Window is a call to pray with the same intentionality for the rising generation of the the world's children--especially children at risk from extreme poverty, slavery, orphans, etc. God is doing a major initiative across the world in reaching children and equipping them in simple but fervent prayer to be part of his end-time strategy for blessing the nations. Indonesia has led the way in this--the largest Muslim nation in the world has the largest army of children intercessors crying out to Jesus for the transformation of their nation and for the advance of the Kingdom of God throughout the world. It is just like God to use the children who are being tossed aside by societies around the globe to use the weak and small ones to help usher in his Kingdom of blessing and life.

I would also say that I have been blessed by the atmosphere of the gathering today--the Lord has definitely been encouraging my spirit through his presence and the anointing from the nations that has gathered here for this strategic meeting. I feel privileged to be here and to represent Wellspring and Connecticut at this gathering.

Blessings,

Greetings from Houston

2009-04-21T15:50:00.002-04:00

Hello sports fans and greetings from Houston!

I arrived safely last night after an uneventful flight. Got to the hotel. Turned on SportsCenter just in time to catch the report that the Cincinnati Reds had defeated the hometown Astros just prior to me landing in town, completing a successful series that saw the Red Stockings take 3 games out of 4. What an awesome omen! What incredibly poor planning on my part. Had I been looking ahead when I made my flight reservations I would have flown in early and taken in the game.

I am here with Gregg Healey, a gifted businessman from Westport who is an elder at St. Paul Lutheran Church in the same town. Gregg is very prophetic and has a call to be a minister for the Kingdom in the marketplace. I have gotten to know him over the past few years in our networking around Connecticut. He helps to facilitate a fellowship of 9 churches in lower Fairfield County whose pastors pray together regularly; the congregations also partner together in worship periodically and in prayer and in strategic outreach in their county. I am looking forward to getting to know Gregg better during these days.

We had lunch today with Jill and Michael O'Brien. Many of you will remember their visit with us at Wellspring last September. Jill and Michael live in Houston and it was good to fellwoship with them. Plans are being set for them to return to Wellspring this coming September and minister to W.O.W. and to the congregation. They send their greetings to all.

This evening the TransformWorld gathering begins. I am looking forward to that.

The Reds travel on to Chicago for a three game set with the Cubs. I am looking for at least 1 out of 3 from that series--the Cubbies are tough this year.

Pray for me as I come to mind--thanks. Pray for the Reds if you have the faith and anointing to do so--no curses please!

I can't believe I have a blog!

2009-04-17T13:25:00.002-04:00

This is amazing!

I have probably been on two blogs in my life--maybe three. One about the Cincinnati Reds; another for the Buckeyes; and maybe, maybe one having to do something with ministry. "First things first" is my motto.

Another motto has always been, "I defy progress!" Technology makes me nervous and agitated. Too much of it makes me want to hit somebody or something. So now I am being dragged, kicking and screaming into the 21st century. Thanks alot James!

Anyway, now for something more substantial. As those of you have read who have emailed me in the last couple weeks, all my email to Rick@Wellspring.net will be routed through my administrative assistant, Sandy Scully. We are still sorting out how we will handle this. But I have had to take this step in order to free myself from a couple of hours of email every day. I can no longer give that time to email and still accomplish the priorities the Lord has put before me.

Specifically, I want to inform you of three major events I will be taking part of over the next couple weeks. Next week I travel with a colleague from Westport to TransformWorldHouston. You can go to www.transformworldhouston.com and find out more about this global consultation. This event will involve Christian leaders from all over the world who are fostering a learning community about the transformational agenda of the Kingdom, building linkages across continents, and cross-pollinating the church from the developing world and the west. This is a very exciting endeavor and I am humbled to have been invited to this gathering. I go with great anticipation and expectation. I hope to post some observations and comments while I am there.

When I return (I'll be in church April 26) I will be leading with a couple other colleagues the Connecticut Pastors' Prayer Summit at Camp Connri in Eastford, CT. This will be a 48 hour gathering of pastors seeking the Lord together in worship, prayer and fellowship. These have been great times of renewal, rest and re-visioning in the past. I always look forward to these gatherings.

Then, later that week I will be traveling to MorningStar for another consultation that will focus on how the church is to respond to the rapid and rampant attacks upon religious liberty and Christian values that are coming out of Washington and the state capitols. Here in Connecticut the legislature is poised to pass a bill that would severely limit religious liberties under the guise of instituting same-sex marriage--as mandated by our Supreme Court. Proposed executive orders from the current administration in Washington are threatening to invalidate the conscientious objections of doctors and nurses who choose not to be involved in medical procedures (e.g. abortion and euthanasia). The president's council of faith-based advisers includes someone who has been outspoken in attacking the Catholic Church. Homeland Security has recently issued a report stating that those who have attended the recent "Tea Parties" and those who oppose abortion may be potential threats to the government and possible domestic terrorists. I wish I was making this stuff up! I will have more to share about this when I return from MorningStar.

So--please pray for me over the next couple of weeks. Here are some prayer requests:

--pray for divine appointments and divine encounters while I am at these gatherings.

--pray for me to receive all the Lord has for me during these times.

--pray for wisdom as I help to lead the Prayer Summit.

--pray for safe travel, health and rest, etc. during this time.

--pray for Wes and the rest of the staff while I am away--and for Debbie as well.

Anyway, that is it for now. My first post.

Blessings,

Pastor Rick