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The Lost Shall Be Found!

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April 15, 2016
Ministry
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2016-04-14 10.48.28Our mobile trailer was FOUND yesterday!!!  It was parked nicely in a neighborhood in Salmon Creek in plain site from a main roadway.

The good news is that nearly all of our stuff was in it or recovered at the initial scene.  The bad news is that something clearly happened to the trailer and lots of our sound equipment.

We can’t really figure out what exactly took place in this whole story, but here’s the details we do have:

Our hitch lock was demolished, while our back door locks are still on it…they got in by destroying the door with a crow bar, so you can imagine how lovely that looks!

The trailer has front end damage, damage to the wheel well and a metal brace in the front is cracked  Our guess is that the trailer hit something pretty hard.  We had to put it on a truck to get it safely home as towing it isn’t a good plan.  The adjuster comes on Monday and we expect they will total the trailer at this point.

2016-04-14 12.23.26Inside of the box we had five massive rolling storage boxes that contained all of our stuff.  The thieves unloaded two boxes in Battle Ground, emptied the contents back into the trailer and left the boxes.  Unfortunately it was the sound box and the foyer box.  Our sound equipment and a large flat panel television was thrown into the trailer, while the cords and snake were sliced to remove them from the box.  Not only that, but the pile was directly under a part of the roof that was leaking, so it was wet or damp when we found it.  It also looked like it may have taken another hit when the trailer was in an accident and jossled everything around again.  We will need to talk to the insurance about the next step for our equipment.

The KidCity box seems like it was untouched through the whole ordeal.  It was wedged in pretty tight and difficult to get to.

The Tiny Town box clearly toppled over.  It is a very heavy box with a TV mounted inside.  The TV took a hard blow on the way down, and while it still works, I think it audibly moaned at me when I booted it up. 🙂  The box is strong as an ox, but it looks like it fought a tough battle!

Another sound box was partially dissembled as well.  It looks like they were planning on dismantling and selling our stuff, but gave up in the middle.  We aren’t sure why, but we do serve a convicting God who is on our side!  Not to mention that unloading our trailer appropriately takes precise knowledge and three men, so if they didn’t know what they were doing, they had a disaster on their hands!

The thieves also left two fishing poles…

For this Sunday, we will be without our stuff again.  We have rented sound equipment, so we are OK.  We are grateful to have so much left to rebuild from and will be back to “normal” very soon!

2016-04-14 13.52.48Also, KATU, KGW, and FOX news really did all stop by the Battle Ground building on Wednesday…all within an hour of each other.  Chris got to very unexpectedly give 3 interviews.  From now on, we’ll all be storing a nice shirt in our cars with us! 😉  He did a great job and the best part was that they did not cut out the message of Jesus in those interviews.  We appreciate those news stations for telling our story of Jesus because the trailer is just a byline!

We have very much appreciated the Battle Ground police department, Vancouver police department, and the fire department in this situation.  What an impressive group of people who have been on top of this and very helpful!

I also want to take a moment and do a shout out for our pastoral team.  They are unwaivering, faith-filled, talented, and unstoppable people.  I can’t even begin to tell you about the strength it has taken them to lead through the last year of transition and tragedy, but they haven’t flinched in the face of challenge.  Mark and I are honored and humbled to lead this group of people who are full of integrity and loyal to the cause of Christ.  North Creek is built first on the love of Jesus and second on the backs of the toughest people I know.

And now to close out this story…God is good!  He was good when the trailer was gone and He is good when the trailer came home.  The story was always about His goodness.  Our mission is to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus.  And we go forward to do just that!

If you don’t have a church, would you consider visiting us this Sunday?  Perhaps all of this happened so that you might hear about an unstoppable church in Vancouver, Washington that wants you to be a part.  www.coffeechurch.com

 

 

March 1 Coffee Church Highlights

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March 4, 2015
Ministry
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God is so good!  We had a good week at the Coffee Church and we hope you did too!  Here’s a few highlights to note:

Our first service at Hazel Dell is getting pretty full!  If it works for your family to move to the 11 am service, that would be awesome.  We are also tossing around a minor schedule adjustment to help with our “problem”.  We like problems like that…

Our El Salvador missions trip team is preparing to leave next month.  If you would like to help them, just write El Salvador team on your offering and we will add it to their account.  We have four adults and six teenagers who are going to do LOTS of ministry over 9 days!  They could use a last minute push in their finances after working so hard to raise money over the last six months.  Also, add that team to your prayer list!

We have a lot going on this month at North Creek!  I wanted to make you aware of some important calendar items:

Simply Worship – March 6 @6:30 pm at Hazel Dell Campus

Join us for an evening of worship and prayer on Friday, March 6.  This is an incredible opportunity to worship, be prayed over and pray for others, take communion, and allow God to work in your heart!  Childcare is provided. 

Annual Business Meeting – March 15 @ 5pm at Hazel Dell Campus

Once a year we have an annual business meeting for our members to let you know about the state of the church.  While our ministries seemed to thrive all year and we ended up with record baptisms, 2014 was not an easy year financially for our church.  We would like you to come to our annual business meeting so you can better understand the big picture.  Your investment into North Creek is vital to our mission to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus!  Childcare is provided.  If you’d like to bring a plate of cookies to share, that would be great! 

Volunteer Training – March 21 @ 10 am – BOTH Campuses

If you are currently a volunteer or would like to be one, we are having an All Volunteer meeting to go over pertinent details to ministry.  Childcare is provided. This is happening at BOTH campuses, so attend your campus’ location.

Kid’s NITRO Conference – March 27-28 – $120 for 2nd-5th graders

Our kids will be heading to NITRO again this year!  This is an incredible overnight trip for our kids to worship, learn about Jesus, and get to know friends!  Registration is due March 15, so email kim@coffeechurch.com and she will send you a registration form.   

Easter Service at Prairie High School – April 5 @ 10 am

We will be taking our church to Prairie High School for ONE CHURCH on Easter Sunday!  More information and invite cards are coming soon.
Whew!  On that note, I hope you jump into some of these events in order to develop relationships and deepen your walk with Jesus.  We appreciate your involvement, your giving, and your support!  We trust God with this church and look forward to whatever may come!
Be blessed!
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Process Matters

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August 16, 2013
Inspiration, Ministry
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One of my favorite television shows is MasterChef.  If you’re not familiar with this hour of genius, it’s a reality show about three Master Chefs who judge a bunch of home-cooks on their talent and then give the winner a job in a high-end restaurant.  I’m not a chef, I don’t like to cook, and I don’t understand half of what they are talking about, but nonetheless, I love the show.

One of the interesting things about the Chefs is that they walk around while these poor souls are cooking and they can tell what is going to be an excellent plate of food and what will be sub-par.  Often times they don’t even taste anything on their way by…they just watch the process and get that disappointed scowl on their faces.  They know that the process makes the product.

After 16 years working with people, I can see that those same principles applies to all of us as well.  There really aren’t many surprises for us anymore in ministry.  The fact remains that people who attack their lives with grit, a teachable spirit, and high standards for themselves tend to see God work in amazing ways in their lives.  On the contrary, when we see people who refuse to change, won’t do the hard things, and won’t push themselves, we brace ourselves for the inevitable.

The process you put into your life and growth determines your product.

This is both good and bad news for all of us depending on our goals for the future!  So, what can we all do?  We can set ourselves up for success: read our Bible, pray, get involved in a thriving church, obey the Scriptures even when it’s hard, surround ourselves with people who will give us advice, take that Godly advice, serve Jesus with abandon…and the list goes on!

One fact that might help you if you have a previous pattern of a pathetic process is that you can course-correct if you want to.  When the Master Chefs walk around, they drop advice as they go, but most home-cooks still go with their plan despite the advice.  Needless to say, their dishes often get a poor reception.  But then, every once in a while, a cook hears the Master Chef, changes plans on a dime and the results speak for themselves.

If you’ve been going along, unwilling to listen (and obey) Biblical advice, maybe it’s time to course-correct yourself.  If you hear the people in your life who have gone before you giving you warnings…take them.  Change.  Grow.  Be teachable.  Do the hard things.  Do it now.

What you’ll end up with is a life as beautiful as fine cuisine.  The aroma, presentation, taste, and finesse of your life will speak for itself.

 

March 31 Easter Highlights

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April 1, 2013
Inspiration, Ministry
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What a great day!  Could the weather have been more incredible?  I love Easter for obvious reasons, but when the sun shines and ends a long, rainy winter, it just makes the whole holiday perfect!

Church was fun all around!  We preached the value of the resurrection and were thrilled to have all of our services well attended to hear the good news.  We love guests at the Coffee Church and are always ready to welcome anybody in for the message of Jesus.  We had 450 people into our churches for this amazing weekend and look forward to the Stories of Changed Lives we will hear for months and years to come.

Our worship teams knocked it out of the park!  Thank you to Matt and Alissa for leading us well.  We appreciate your faithful teams who serve week in and week out with amazing talent!

I also want to thank all of our volunteers who served yesterday.  We had plenty of hands of deck and it was just a smooth morning all around.  We appreciate all that you do to help lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus.

We gave all of the kids candy-filled eggs on the way out the door.  ‘Cause that’s what my kids needed on Easter….more candy.  At 4:30 am my oldest daughter called me in to her room with a stomach ache and proclaimed, “I think I ate too much candy!”  No kidding.

We served free lattes at Battle Ground, which just meant that everybody at Hazel Dell came in the door saying they considered swinging by Battle Ground on the way to Hazel Dell…I reminded them that there at THOUSANDS of places to get a latte in the Vancouver area and they will be just fine.

Eddie apparently did something cool on his guitar at Hazel Dell.  I miss these things as I have an amazing inability to understand music.  I did however enjoy worship, so they are doing something right!

I came home to a house filled with 30 people…the more the merrier!  We had a massive egg hunt in my back yard, which means that we’ll be finding eggs until winter.  I am surrounded by the best people in my life!  Then we invited my in-laws to a smoked turkey dinner, compliments of our friends John and Kari!  We loved it and were excited to have Grandma and Grandpa with us to end our Easter celebrations.

Pastors – whatever we thought was so important to do for Easter Sunday, we should probably do every week.  That’s how we try to go about church at North Creek, but even I found myself doing things that probably should have been done months before.  Our job is a matter of life and death all 52 weeks a year.  No pressure…

We have some good things to tell you coming soon.  We always have good things to tell you.  The favor of God is with us and we know He is moving us where He wants us to be!

Next week will mark our one year anniversary of the launch of North Creek Battle Ground via a merge with Maple Grove Church.  Best. Adventure. Ever.  And so much of our gratitude goes to the Hazel Dell folks who put the mission of God in front of their own desires and needs.  We are humbled by your hearts!

Let’s make Easter a year-round point in our lives.  He’s alive, which means you are too!  What better news could I possibly put in my blog?  On that note, live free today!  Free of addiction, anger, pain, doubt, fear…all of it!  Be blessed!

 

February 17 Coffee Church Highlights

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February 20, 2013
Inspiration, Ministry
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Congrats to Terrance and Gina who were both baptized this weekend at the Hazel Dell Campus!  So amazing to hear their stories and see the change that Jesus is done in their lives!  My favorite part is that neither of them who say they have it all together and that is exactly what baptism is…a declaration of a dependence on God, not an arrival at perfection.  Any time you are ready to make that declaration, sign up to be baptized at www.coffeechurch.com.  We’ll fill the hot tub and make it happen!  Pictures coming soon!!

I got to introduce Lorraine, 94 years old, and Loretta, 91 years old, to each other on Sunday.  Both of them attend our church with their grandkids…isn’t that SO cool?  God changes lives and hearts and that impacts GENERATIONS!  As the first Christian in my family, it is not lost on me that my grandkids will be different because of my decision to follow Jesus.

The 3-5th Grade boys had a Nerf Gun War Party after church on Sunday.  Awesome young men!!!!

We are looking forward to next Sunday for our Annual Celebration Meeting.  It’s a great time to get to hear about all that God is doing at our church!  We are meeting at Hazel Dell at 4:00 pm and Battle Ground at 7:00 pm.  You are welcome to attend either campus (or both!) as the information will be the same, although campus specific staff will be sharing at their campus only (ie, Kim will share about Kid City at HD and Vanessa at BG).  Everyone will be sharing on behalf of the church as a whole!  We’ve had a couple of people ask why we don’t have one meeting.  Short answer:  we don’t fit in one building at one time.  That’s a good problem!  This solution of two meetings also alleviates some drive time for most people, which is a good deal!

If you have a preschool age student, we will be opening registration for the North Creek Learning Center on March 1.  This week day preschool is located at our Battle Ground location and has been an asset to the community for 17 years.  We look forward to continuing on with the legacy passed along to us!  More info to come soon!

titleAs a church the challenge has been set before us to memorize a chapter in the book of James…are you up for it?  I took on chapter 5…if you choose that chapter, start in the middle and work backwards.  The first few verses are a tongue twister and it’s discouraging!  It’s easier to get some success under your belt and then tackle the rest.  Here’s a good life lesson: do hard things.  it’s worth the work!  The easy way will probably not help you to grow and become all that God has for you!  P.S.  Our Kid’s pastors are encouraging all the K-5th graders to memorize James 1.  I’m pretty confident that the kids will be amazing at it!!!

I love how Jesus changes lives!

I hope that this week brings about a new resolve in your heart to be unstoppable for Him.  Be blessed!