Servant of All

I just returned from a short stint away from my office in sunny Cape May, New Jersey. I had a great time "down the shore" with Laurie and the children. I was especially blessed to be able to preach at our sister church in Cape May the past weekend.

About an hour after sitting down at my desk this morning I looked up and saw this sign (see picture) on the inside of my door. The sign reads "Servant's Entrance". Now, I know who to thank for adding this tremendous reminder to my office. In fact, I've spoken at length to this gentleman several times about the great responsibilities of serving the Lord in full-time ministry. This sign is a visual cue to me that every time I walk through that door back out into the church or the community I am going as a servant of Jesus Christ.

In Mark 10, Jesus gives a real lesson on true greatness and leadership. He told a group of twelve quibbling disciples:

You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not be be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Mark 10:42b-45

Jesus Christ came as a servant. I hope you don't miss the significance and the irony of this. Jesus is a radically different sort of leader than anything we know. Instead of demanding attention, Jesus demonstrated true humility. Even though Jesus is preeminent among all things (Colossians 1:15-20), He lovingly and sacrificially stepped into the world He created and laid His life down for our redemption. Jesus taught us and demonstrated for us the pathway to real influence. It is the lonely road of servitude.

May the Lord continue to teach us what it means to be a real servant of the kingdom.

4th of July

Today about thirty people from our church joined with hundreds from our community to celebrate our nation's birthday. A few months ago, several of us got together and decided to enter a float in the Wenonah Fourth of July Parade (Wenonah, New Jersey). Part of our purpose was to continue being an active presence in our community for the glory of God. We also wanted to strategically promote our upcoming VBS outreach by putting a personal invitation into the hands of local children. It was a terrific way to continue building relationships with others from our town. This was really the first intentional, large-scale outreach that we've done outside of Woodbury Heights as well.

I have to admit that I had very little to do with the actual construction of the float and gift bags. A special thanks goes out to our ministry intern, Tim Nessler, and a group of about 15 people who devoted several hours of planning and preparing the float and 500 gift bags which included an invitation to VBS, a flyer about our church, a tract, and candy. Great work, gang!

This just in from the local news desk: New Beginnings took 1st place in the float category! Praise the Lord! Way to go, everyone!

Here are some pictures of from this morning...

Going, Going, Uganda

This evening a good friend of mine will be leaving to serve the Lord in the nation of Uganda for at least one year. Stephanie Nitschke became a part of our family at New Beginnings about two years ago. She quickly began to make an impact through her involvement in local outreach and as a part of our missions committee. Frankly, I knew from "day one" that Stephanie was only going to be with us for a short time because of her passion for the nations.

Stephanie will be living in the nation's capital city of Kampala. She will be volunteering her time with a national organization which assists women in all sorts of difficult circumstances. Her plan is to live among the people of Uganda and to follow the Spirit's leading in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with those around her. Stephanie will be working to complete her Master's degree in International Development through Eastern University while overseas. Needless to say, she is going to have plenty to do over the next twelve months.

Would you join me today in praying for Stephanie as she continues to follow Christ's leading in her life? The Bible gives us a breath-taking glimpse into future where there is a multitude from every nation, and all tribes and peoples and languages standing before the throne and before the Lamb (Revelation 7:9). I praise God for Stephanie's sensitive heart for the hurting of the world. I am also thankful for the support and open heart of our congregation to stand with Stephanie as she follows the Lord's leading on her life.

If you would like more information about Stephanie's year-long mission, or you would like to know how to support her in Uganda, please let me know.











[All of these photos are from a previous trip that Stephanie took to Uganda.]

Baccalaureate

What is "baccalaureate"? That's a pretty good question. According to one source, the term originated at the University of Oxford in the 1400s when each bachelor (i.e. graduate - from the Latin bacca) had to present a sermon in Latin as part of his academic requirements. Modern baccalaureate services are held within a few days of a school's graduation exercises and, due to government restrictions, are not "official school events". They are student-initiated services of worship where thanks is given to the Lord for bringing the graduating seniors to such an accomplishment in their life's journey.

On Sunday, for the fourth consecutive year, I had the tremendous opportunity and honor to share the gospel of Jesus Christ at our local high school's baccalaureate service. About 40 graduating students from Gateway Regional High School, along with maybe 100 other friends and family, assembled in the school's auditorium on Father's Day for the service. Students led in prayer, Scripture reading, and singing (accompanied by our church pianist Sonja Rentschler!). But the opportunity to address the students and their families was mine.

I shared a message about wisdom--God's way--as the highest and greatest goal of our lives. I cited the Biblical story of Solomon and how he wisely asked God for a discerning mind to govern the people of Israel (1 Kings 3). I also shared about how Solomon lost focus on the glory and honor of God and turned away from the Lord (1 Kings 11:9). I cautioned the students about chasing after the "empty" goods of this world - mentioning some of the themes of the book of Ecclesiastes. Finally, I challenged the students to embrace God's greatest gift and provision of wisdom, the Lord Jesus Christ. I shared 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 which speaks of the power of the cross of Jesus Christ being "foolishness to the world", but to those who trust and believe it is "God's power". I pray God really spoke through me to the students and their families.

I remember back some 14 years ago to my own baccalaureate service as a graduate from Soddy-Daisy High School. The room was packed with people and most of my graduating class (some 350 students) was in attendance. I remembering having the opportunity to share my testimony and some Scripture at that service. I have come to realize clearly that things are a lot different in my setting in the Mid-Atlantic. The "church" is not a central part of cultural life for most people in our area. Still, I am amazed by God's power to provide relationships that lead to such opportunities for the gospel to be brought to these people. I thank God for giving me these chances to point people to their need for Jesus Christ. God's word never returns to Him empty (Isaiah 55:11). So, I am confident that these opportunities are having an impact on my community and, in the end, will be shown to have made a difference in someone's life.

A Decade of Love

"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends."
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

Ten years ago--June 17, 2001--I was blessed by God to marry the love of my life. Over the past decade, God has done so much in my life and one significant instrument of His divine work has been my godly and devoted wife. I am astonished at God's favor and amazed by His grace. My life has been filled with good things, not necessarily all pleasant things, which reflect God's amazing faithfulness and goodness.

I am grateful for an excellent wife who is a source of honor and not shame (Proverbs 12:4). I am constantly challenged by Laurie's commitment and dependability. I am proud to be a partner with her in the rearing of our children.

Laurie, I am so happy to have had you by my side over these past ten years. May God continue to fill our hearts with His grace and our home with His love. I love you! Thanks for the thousands of ways that you communicate your love for me in return.