And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  (Phil. 4:7)

Terry is a man I have enjoyed getting to know this year at Cornerstone prison church.  He is a gifted musician and singer and has a very tender heart.  He is a prolific songwriter with notebooks full of lyrics and ideas.  When he prays people sense the presence of God.  He has a peace and confidence about him that is rare among inmates.  He shared a couple of stories with me the other day…

Growing up an African-American boy in Atlanta, Georgia, in the sixties was very interesting.  The Civil Rights movement was in full swing and in Atlanta those issues were at the forefront.  But there was also a sense of calm in the midst of the storm for a young boy who liked to wander around the city with his brother.  They would get on their bikes and rummage behind buildings and in ditches, looking for anything that could be turned in for a deposit, especially old bottles.  Terry’s goal was to come up with at least 35 cents each day so that he could afford the following:

Bag of candy- 10 cents, Fresh honey buns- 4 for 5 cents each, a few slices of bologna- 5 cents

At the store the packaged honey buns were 10 cents, but the honey bun factory was actually in Atlanta, so if Terry and his brother showed up there at the right time they could get fresh, warm ones for 5 cents apiece.  They would lay one flat like a piece of bread, pile on the bologna slices, and put another honey bun on top, making a delicious sandwich.  After that they would wander their way home through a city that was nothing like the urban sprawl you see today.  Terry’s dad was proud of them for being so resourceful and being able to take care of themselves.

When Terry grew up he married a white woman in the seventies, which was long before such a match was considered acceptable, especially in the Deep South.  One day they were getting groceries in a small town nearby and Terry’s wife was checking out while he looked for one more item.  He came up and put the item on the belt with everything else and the cashier told him to leave the woman standing there alone.  He said, “She’s my wife,” and the whole store full of locals turned and glared.  There were whispers.  His wife wanted to confront the judgmental response, but Terry suggested that getting to the car and leaving town was probably the wisest approach.

I loved listening to Terry tell stories from his past and to hear him chuckle as he nostalgically pronounced the phrase, “honey bun.”  I have no idea why he ended up in prison or how he is able to cope with losing almost everything:  his family, the culture he grew up in, his privacy, his freedom.  What I do know is that after being miraculously saved from drowning later in life, he has committed his heart fully to Christ and never looked back.  Some of that gratitude and peace and passion comes out in the lyrics he writes.  Here is a sample:

Here is his body, which is the bread; whenever you eat it, recall what he said.

“This is my body, which is for you.  Do this in remembrance of me.”

Remember – that I came to heal.  Remember – that I came to set you free.

Remember – that I came to give you life.  And where I am you will also be.

Cory Grimm

Recently I was able to sit down and watch the movie Radio with my family. The story is based on a real life situation that started in the 1970s, and is still playing out today in a South Carolina community. It is a story of love and going against the crowd and doing what God has called us to do. As the film begins, the audience is introduced to a young man with a mental disability pushing a shopping cart with a radio on the seat around town. Each day, lost in his own little world, he pushes his cart down the same route, always passing the local school football field at the same time – practice time. One day, some of the boys on the football team took notice to him and thought it would be a great joke to tie this young man up and leave him in the shed by the field. The coach caught the players teasing him, but did not get angry. Rather, the boys endured a couple extra-long practices.

Even after the very traumatic experience of being tormented by some of the players, the young man continues on the same route each and every day. Coach Jones takes notice and slowly begins a friendship with the young man. Early in the relationship Coach Jones asks about the young man’s name. When no answer is given, Coach nicknames him Radio because of the young man’s fascination of radios. A large portion of the movie shows Radio accepting and trusting Coach Jones and even becoming a water boy for the football team. While the schoolboard does not appreciate Radio interacting on school property, Coach Jones continues to get Radio involved in school activities – even helping the school secretary with the morning announcements. Radio becomes well respected by many of the students at the school and he begins to flourish and learn basic lessons he had never learned as a young man. The more opportunity Coach gives Radio, the more the schoolboard and concerned parents push back. The principal continues to ask Coach Jones why he is doing what he is doing. His response is always that he isn’t sure, but he is compelled to continue to care for Radio.

I was reminded of the words Paul writes in Colossians 3, “¹²Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience…¹⁵Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. ¹⁷And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

The compassion for Radio’s wellbeing by Coach Jones was very moving. I realize I am a little behind on the times since the flick is well over ten years old, but the story told will never outdate. When the film ended, our family agreed it was a great story and Coach Jones was a very kind and compassionate person. When I asked my children if they knew a ‘Radio’ in Luverne, they were a little confused. I explained there are many people who are different than us; people we choose to walk by each day without even noticing. Like Coach Jones, and Jesus, it’s important we are attentive to these individuals and have compassion on their lives. If we walk by them, they may never experience kindness, respect or even a real friendship; and we may miss an opportunity to show them Christ.

As we journey through this life, may it never be said of us that we passed up on being Jesus Christ’s representative in this world as we went about our daily lives. If you have never seen the film Radio, I would encourage you to do so and ask yourself who the Radio is in your life.

Becky Ossefoort

“On a scale of one to ten, how would you rank your pain?”  Most of you have probably heard that question in the Dr’s office at one time or another.  I hate that question.  How am I supposed to compare pain to a line on a paper with a smiley face on one end and a frowny face on the other?  Pain might be legitimate, but it is also relative.  They don’t know if I have a high tolerance for pain or if I am a bit of a wimp.  And on a scale of one to ten, relative to what?  I would much rather they ask “How would you rank your pain compared to a paper cut or childbirth?”  Then I would at least have something tangible in my memory to compare the current pain to.

I recently had a friend tell me that our family seems to have been going through a lot.  I had to ask her, “Compared to what?”  Yes, it is true that we have had some challenges.  Some things in our life are a mess.  But in comparison to a young dad dealing with cancer, an ongoing undiagnosed health problem, a battle with depression, or a loved one in hospice… I’ll keep my own struggles, thank you very much.  It might seem like a watered down cliché when we say that God is good all the time, and all the time God is good.  But it’s the truth.  I decided in my heart a long time ago that God is good.  He created everything good.  He is working all things for my good.  And the current storm that I might face does not negate any of that.  The challenge is relative to my confidence in Christ.

We tend to have the mindset that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, but in all honesty, we can always find someone whose lawn is worse than ours too.  It’s all a matter of perspective.    We see what we want to see.  It might be tempting at times to ask “Why me?”  But maybe a better question is “Why not me?”  Is there anything special about me that should safeguard me from the pains of this fallen world?  Is there a promise that I missed?  Why do we grab on to the unwritten rule that if we accept Jesus as our Savior an umbrella will be placed over our life to deflect any problems that might come our way?  I am at a loss to think of any person in the Bible that could be the poster child for a life of ease.

But Paul seems to have gotten this perspective thing figured out.  In Philippians 3 he gives an impressive resume of his spiritual credentials: a legitimate birth, circumcised on the eighth day, an Israelite from the elite tribe of Benjamin, a strict and devout adherent to God’s law, and a fiery defender of the purity of his religion—even to the point of persecuting the church.  But he goes on to say that all of those things, when compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus, are a loss… garbage… rubbish… worthless… sewage… dog dung.  Relatively speaking, his former pedigree and way of life are despicable and disgusting compared to gaining Christ and being found in Him!  Would you qualify your character and heritage as despicable?  That maybe depends on what or who you are comparing yourself to.  If we compare ourselves to others and to the law, we might not look so bad, but when we compare ourselves to the perfection of Jesus Christ, we see the filthiness of our own reflection.

In a recent survey, I was asked to rank my spiritual life between some of these choices:  1) I am not a Christian and am not interested in exploring what that means; 2) I consider myself a Christian, though my faith is not a significant part of my life; 3) I believe in God, but I’ve not yet made a decision to commit to having a relationship with Jesus Christ; 4) I have a solid relationship with Christ that makes a difference in my life; 5) I have an intimate relationship with Christ that influences my daily life; 6) Christ is the most important relationship in my life.  As I pondered the choices, I wanted to answer with the highest ranking, but was convicted that the evidence of my life doesn’t always match up to that statement.

So how would you rank your spiritual life?  Could it be that the level of importance of your relationship with Christ is relative to your understanding of what he has done for you.  I pray that all of us could say that our past way of life—however holy or ugly it may seem—is detestable compared to the life we have found in Christ.

Erin Jacobsma

In my article this week I’d like to make an attempt to clarify my comments in recent messages about changing the name of American Reformed Church. A few weeks ago I shared with you that the Consistory has spent time this year reflecting on our effectiveness of developing passionate disciples filled with the Holy Spirit and the truth of the Word who effectively make followers of Jesus who live, lead, and love like him.

In order for ARC to thrive in the future, I suggested that we must make a radical adjustment in our understanding of who we are and what God is calling us to do. And the reason I made such a suggestion is because, like in most Reformed churches, many ARC members have been deceived into thinking you can be Christian without actually following Jesus in mission. And the result is ARC has a reputation for being much more alive than it really is.

One phrase in the Ridder Church Renewal process that keeps haunting me is, “If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting.” Now I realize we might all agree in concept that our one end game is to join in God’s redeeming mission, however we deeply resist making any significant changes that would actually move us in that direction.

And so in order to help us see our mission differently, I feel it might be time to change the name of our church. If you think about it, there is power in a name. There are many examples in scripture of when God changed the name of a person indicating a new direction in their life. Abram became Abraham, Sarai became Sarah, Jacob became Israel, and after receiving a revelation from God that Jesus was the Messiah, Simon’s name was changed to Peter.

When engaging the Jewish side of his family Saul used his name Saul, but when the focus of his ministry turned to the Gentiles, he chose to use the name Paul. Paul didn’t want something from his past to hinder the effectiveness of his new mission. And after Jesus died and was resurrected, his followers were no longer known for practicing Judiasm, but rather become known as followers of The Way,

Friends, we live in a racially different culture than 60 years ago. The reason charter members chose American Reformed Church was to differentiate themselves from the Dutch or Netherlands Reformed Church, and to inform those with a reformed background where they were meeting. Neither of those two concerns is relative today. Yes, we praise God for how he expanded his kingdom over the past 60 years, however by keeping the name American Reformed Church we mentally stay stuck in the past.

In addition to helping us remain in the past, I believe the name of our church actually hinders many people from checking us out. I’ve had many people ask me how the American Reformed denomination is different than RCA or CRC, or ask, “Reformed from what?”

Now I realize we don’t have to change the name of our church in order to begin living more faithfully into our calling. And yes, we can make minor changes in how we do Sunday School, in promoting Life Groups, and in adding a mission or missionary to support; however, until we make a radical corporate decision to begin thinking about ourselves differently, I’m concerned ARC will just keep doing what we’re doing and keep getting what we’re getting.

So again here’s the point, if God is doing a new thing in our midst, what new name would he give us that would help inspire us to more effectively and faithfully live into our calling? Oh, and by the way, according to Revelation 2:17, one day we’ll all be getting a new name!! Hey, how about that? “Nike Church,” the Greek word Nike means overcomer!!!

Mike Altena

On August 12 a small group of ARC members attended worship at the Cornerstone Prison Church.  Cornerstone is an organized church within the walls of the South Dakota State Penitentiary, and I have the privilege of leading worship there every Friday night.  On this particular occasion the men were “shaking the rafters” (as one inmate put it) and the passion was overflowing in worship.  During a time of prayer requests, Pastor Mike asked that “the same spirit of worship at Cornerstone would descend upon our church.”

Part of my job as Pastor of Worship and Spiritual Formation is to help mold our people into passionate worshipers of Jesus Christ, particularly on Sunday mornings, but I have to admit I am at a loss about how to do this well, and I am asking for your help.  Each Sunday I look out into the eyes of everyone, and there is a wide range of participation levels.  Some are energetically singing and maybe even raising hands, others are totally bored, and the vast majority fall somewhere in between.  It has been well-documented that when the children sing in church, they tone down their gusto several notches compared with singing downstairs.  There is something holding us back.

I’ve tried to diagnose our general lack of enthusiasm in worship, and why we are so reserved and quiet, and some practical possibilities come to mind:

• The new sanctuary is such a big room that people can’t hear each other sing as well as in the past, and therefore we tend to be tentative.
• Most people aren’t listening to Christian music during the week, and as a result we find ourselves worshipping hesitantly as we struggle to learn new songs.
• Maybe I myself am the “lid” keeping the spiritual growth from happening either due to musical limitations or not having a strong enough spirit of worship myself.
• Some other factors not easily identified?

These are all practical issues that might be stunting our growth, but I hate to think about the possibility that the zeal of our worship (or lack thereof) perfectly mirrors the level of our love for God.  What if that is true?  I guess I’ve always assumed that most ARC members are deeply in love with Jesus, yet for whatever reasons we have a hard time being comfortable enough to express our gratitude and affection in the large group setting.  Lately, however, I’ve been up at night wondering if the unthinkable is true:  our worship is equal to our love.

Whether due to practical issues or spiritual issues, I think the time has come to take a good, honest look at our heart of worship.  Therefore, my plan is to ask Arlin and the tech crew to constantly pan the audience’s faces during our broadcast in order to reveal who is engaged and who is not.  Just kidding!  I think a better course of action is to ask everyone in ARC to help me discern what is hindering us and how we can grow together to worship more passionately.  Please approach one of the following members of the worship team (committee) with your feedback:  Darrel Van Aartsen, Jim Ouverson, Cory Grimm, Katelyn Van Aartsen, Rachel Renken, Codie Zeutenhorst.

Cory Grimm

“Luverne City Council members took action Tuesday night toward redeveloping two lots on Highway 75…” This was the opening sentence to an article on the front page of the local Star Herald newspaper this week.  The article goes on to explain the details of the real estate that will be purchased and demolished all in the interest of removing blighted properties and future development.  I don’t know the exact number, but it seems the city has purchased quite a few properties this year in an effort to clean up the town.  I have heard many conversations wondering where the city is getting all the extra money to purchase the run down properties, but can anyone honestly deny that at least some of the buildings needed to be removed.  It is wonderful  that some of the parcels have been redeveloped or are in the process, some have been used for valuable training for the fire department, but some of the homes have been removed only to reveal more problems with the properties behind them.  Will those properties be the next recipients of the council’s action?

We also read about a redevelopment project in the Bible.  Paul writes in Ephesians 4:22-24 “Get rid of your old self, which made you live as you used to—the old self that was being destroyed by its deceitful desires.  Your hearts and minds must be made completely new, and you must put on the new self, which is created in God’s likeness and reveals itself in the true life that is upright and holy.” (GNT)

Paul himself was a great example of being redeveloped.  He went from persecuting Christians to being poured out like a drink offering on their behalf.  Paul transformed into a servant of Christ Jesus after Jesus took action along the Damascus Road.  He got rid of his old way of life and accepted Jesus as The Way.  Instead of being the persecutor he became the persecuted.

Some redevelopment has been going on in my own life as well.  The Holy Spirit has taken action against bitterness and unforgiveness in my heart and is making room for more compassion and love.  Removing the blight is hard work and messy, but it’s worth the cost and necessary.

So what kind of action are you taking?  Do you have some blighted properties in your soul that you need to remove for future development?  Have you removed one level of junk only to see the next layer underneath?  Are you open to the Holy Spirit doing some clean-up in you?

Colossians 3 tells us to rid ourselves of anger, rage, malice, slander, lies, sexual immorality, lust, greed, and all kinds of evil desires in order to make room for compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and love.  Let the Holy Spirit take action in your heart and let the redevelopment begin today.

Erin Jacobsma

After Mike’s message about social media a few weeks ago, I’ve been thinking a lot about how the world has changed in my short time here on earth – both the good and the bad. Have the troubles of this world really changed that much or do we experience the same troubles with different circumstances surrounding them?

When I was about 9, I recall my mom crying while she was watching the evening news. It was the day we declared war on the Middle East and suddenly I understood the phrase “we are writing history.” A young man from our church was eventually deployed to the Gulf War and we became pen pals as part of a third grade writing assignment. When he arrived home safely, he stopped to see me and thank me for the letters because my small assignment had meant a lot to him. While the Gulf War eventually ended, the troubles and unrest over there has never completely gone away.

Fast forward twenty some years and we find ourselves experiencing violence here in the United States against people of different races, the same race, and even those who are meant to protect us. Logging onto Facebook or turning the TV on can lead to both joy and great sadness in a matter of moments. As history continues to unfold before our eyes, it is easy to let fear settle into our soul. Fear of the unknown, fear of what our children will wake up to in twenty years, and fear of what may happen to our loved ones. Yet, we have hope. We have hope in our God who has proven throughout history that He loves, protects, and cares for the sheep of His pasture. This does not mean we will never experience sadness or trials in this life, but it does give a sense of peace that surpasses all understanding. A peace that is usually too difficult to even explain. Paul wrote these words while in prison to those in Philippi, “The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:5b-7

God’s peace is promised to guard the hearts of those who come to Him in prayer. Our prayers of praise, thanksgiving and even petitions are heard by our Creator and in return we experience an inner calm that is unimaginable to the outside world looking in. This peace is more than what the world could ever offer because it is a gift of our Lord and Savior. When Jesus promised the Holy Spirit’s coming, he said “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.” John 14:27

For those that serve and protect us, for the young woman who just found out she is expecting an unexpected child, for the elderly person who can no longer live on their own, and even for the couple that wants to give up – take heart, do not be troubled, rest in your Saviors arms. He is calling you to cast your cares on Him, so that He may sustain you (Psalm 55:22) and give you peace in your heart, because He loves you.

Let it be said of us that no matter the trail we encountered, we were in constant prayer and experienced God’s gift of supernatural peace throughout our lives. May it be said of us that we persistently prayed for those of this world so they too could experience the peace that surpasses all understanding.

Grace and peace, Becky Ossefoort

Even though much of the planting was delayed this spring, it’s been fun to watch how fast the corn and soybeans have grown. The old saying, “knee high by the 4th of July” was almost replaced by “tasseling by the 4th of July.” We expect the crops to grow and mature so that it will produce a great harvest.
Growth and maturity are expected principals in the kingdom of God. Paul says in Galatians 6:7 that we reap what we sow. In Philippians 1 Paul prays that their love for each other would grow. The writer in Hebrews 6 suggests we should leave the elementary teachings of Christ and go on to maturity. Jesus often likened the growth of a plant to spiritual growth in the kingdom of God. In John 15 Jesus suggested that the Father is the gardener and has high expectations of more fruit; he’s cleaning and lifting those lower hanging branches so they bear more fruit and then cuts off those that bear no fruit. In Mark 4 Jesus tells the parable about the good soil that produces 30, 60, or even hundred times what is sown. There is no doubt, growth and maturity are expected principals in the kingdom of God.
The staff, the Ridder Church Renewal Team, the Consistory and Discipleship Team have been examining and celebrating the growth and maturity among the members of ARC. We have noted many who are developing greater intimacy with God through silence and solitude and other spiritual disciplines. We have been celebrating stories of those who are learning how to listen to the Holy Spirit and joining Him where he’s at work. We celebrate with many young people who are authentically pursuing a love relationship with God and who are using their gifts to sow the gospel, and in some cases, are participating in the harvest. We think of those who are involved with TEC and all the kids who chose to become further equipped at different camps. We celebrate members who are increasingly living a Sermon on the Mount lifestyle; members who are choosing to live on less, worry about less, and risk giving more. We celebrate the stories of those who seek reconciliation of broken relationships. The kingdom of God is growing in the lives of ARC members!!!!
And yet we are also concerned about the lack of growth. We have been reflecting on why we lack growth in our vision and strategy for reaching the lost; reflecting on why the make-up of our congregation doesn’t more closely match the make-up of our community and why our congregation doesn’t want more harvesters to join our ministry (did you know that the majority of our congregation doesn’t really want our ministry to grow?)
Could it be that some of our underlying assumptions and attitudes and traditions have been stunting our growth? I’ll let you decided which of the following underlying assumptions, attitudes, and traditions may need to be pruned.
-Saying “the prayer” results in eternal life and therefore excuses me from living on mission with Jesus.
-Our discipleship efforts result in passionate followers of Jesus who know how to listen to, and are empowered by the Holy Spirit.
-“Church is where we go” and not the means of bringing the kingdom of God to our circle of influence.
-Lost people will eventually walk in our doors.
-Women shouldn’t be nominated to serve as Elders and Deacons.
-We’re doing fine, just look at the general fund balance and the pews are full enough.
-Giving, Life Groups, apprenticeship/life-long learning, and participation are all optional.
What might be stunting your growth? May it not be so with us that we would not be passionate about spiritual growth, maturity and the harvest, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few…GO! I am sending you.”

Laboring for the harvest,

Mike Altena

When reflecting on the several terrorist attacks both in our country and around the world, the people who have recently been killed by police and those who in turn have killed police officers, the disturbing race for the next President of the United States, and my own struggle with living in the flesh, my heart grieves at the ugliness and effect of sin on mankind.

While I would like to share some of my thoughts and feelings about these events, over this past week, each day the Spirit has led me to pray the prayer in Daniel chapter 9. And rather than sharing my opinions and feelings about these events and issues, for now I am to be still and to be more concerned with how I am following Christ in mission.

I realize there is a great battle between good and evil all over our world. And I realize that America is not God’s chosen people and that it is not the kingdom of God, but I’m going to invite you to pray this prayer with me as one who follows Christ…as often as you feel led to in these days of increasing godlessness:

“O Lord, you are a great and awesome God! You always fulfill your covenant and keep your promises of unfailing love to those who love you and obey your commands. ⁵ But we have sinned and done wrong. We have rebelled against you and scorned your commands and regulations. ⁶ We have refused to listen to your servants the prophets [and to your Son, Jesus], who spoke on your authority to our kings and princes and ancestors and to all the people of the land.

⁷ “Lord, you are in the right; but as you see, our faces are covered with shame. This is true of all of us, including the people of Judah and Jerusalem and all Israel scattered near and far, wherever you have driven us because of our disloyalty to you. ⁸ O Lord, we and our kings, princes, and ancestors are covered with shame because we have sinned against you. ⁹ But the Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him. ¹⁰ We have not obeyed the Lord our God, for we have not followed the instructions he gave us through his servants the prophets [and his Son Jesus]. ¹¹ All Israel [and the bride of Christ], has disobeyed your instruction and turned away, refusing to listen to your voice.

“So now the solemn curses and judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured down on us because of our sin.… ¹³ Every curse written against us in the Law of Moses has come true. Yet we have refused to seek mercy from the Lord our God by turning from our sins and recognizing his truth. ¹⁴ Therefore, the Lord has brought upon us the disaster he prepared. The Lord our God was right to do all of these things, for we did not obey him.

¹⁵ “O Lord our God, you brought lasting honor to your name by rescuing your people from Egypt in a great display of power. But we have sinned and are full of wickedness. ¹⁶ In view of all your faithful mercies, Lord, please turn your furious anger away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain. All the neighboring nations mock Jerusalem and your people because of our sins and the sins of our ancestors.

¹⁷ “O our God, hear your servant’s prayer! Listen as I plead. For your own sake, Lord, smile again on your desolate sanctuary”… In Jesus name, Amen.

Grace to you and peace,

Mike Altena

Have you ever thought about what it would be like to go back 10 or 20 or more years and experience a day in your life at that time?  I was thinking about that because exactly 20 years ago I began a life-changing journey which God has used to shape me in countless ways.  I joined ARC!  Okay, not the ARC (American Reformed Church) you are thinking of.  I used to be in a different ARC.  The name wasn’t an acronym but referred to a welding arc, where heat and light are transferred from one surface to another to bring about radical change.  The ministry I joined at that time was seeking to do the same through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In the summer of 1996, at age 19, I began the training program with ARC and quickly found I was way out of my depths.  It was truly a miracle that God even opened the door for me to be accepted.  ARC was a music ministry who typically had over a thousand young adults audition each year for two groups with about 24 total participants.  I auditioned on bass guitar and got in more on heart and passion than talent.  The ministry director said, “You really aren’t very gifted musically, but somehow I sense the Holy Spirit telling me to hire you.”

Arriving at the ministry headquarters in rural Michigan, I was overwhelmed by the spiritual maturity and musical excellence of the other young adults in the group and the two ministry directors.  Over the next two months we practiced music and studied the Bible for about 12-14 hours each day in preparation for the road.  By the end of that year we had performed around 350 concerts in 26 different states, including every major city east of Colorado.  God used me as the main person sharing the gospel message at concerts, and we saw thousands of young people dedicate themselves to following Jesus.  I was truly blown away to think that God could use me to reach others for His Kingdom.

There is a part of me that would love to go back 20 years and experience some of that raw, simple faith that I had at that time and the power of working and living together with a bunch of crazy Jesus Freaks.  Honestly, though, I love where God has me now and can’t imagine giving this up either.  What an amazing phase in life!  Our oldest child just entered the teenage years, but our kids still think we are cool and want to spend time with us.  Our church is supportive and has a great deal of people who are growing and desiring to be used by God.  What more could we ask?  And I believe the opportunity I have to serve in Luverne is a direct result of how God worked in my life 20 years ago.

I think the real trick in an exercise like this is for each of us to ask ourselves the question, “If what I was doing 20 years ago helped me arrive at where I am today, what am I doing today that will help me arrive at God’s preferred future for my life 20 years from now?”  We don’t like to think that far into the future because we know without a doubt that if we reach that point we will likely have less energy, more health concerns, less hair, more wrinkles, fewer dreams for the future, and more regrets!  But there is one thing that trumps all of that…our intimacy and availability with God.  Those are two areas in life that can continue to improve until the day we die.  Erwin McManus said, “If you want to see where you are heading in the future, look at your character now.”  People who are fully surrendered to God today can look forward to many exciting years ahead.  So…how does YOUR future look?

Cory Grimm