I was traveling past the “Korner Gas” gas station yesterday and I noticed a man pumping gas into two cone-shaped, stainless steel containers.  At first I wondered what he was doing, but then determined he was probably checking the pumps to make sure they were pumping the accurate amount of gas.  Although I’m sure our government succeeds in some areas and fails in others in regards to checks and balances, I found myself praising God that we live in a country where some integrity is still valued.  A person can at least have peace knowing that when you buy a gallon of gas, you’re actually getting a gallon of gas.
As I continued traveling the Spirit invited me to search my life in regards to integrity.  I began to run a check of areas of my life where I might not be operating with complete honesty.  Proverbs 16:11 says, “God cares about honesty in the workplace; your business is his business.”
I believe you would agree with me one of the greatest issues tarnishing our Christian witness today is our lack of integrity.  The watching world is well aware of the standard of behavior that God has set for his people, and therefore, I couldn’t tell you the number of times when people have shared their disappointment with me about “so and so” who might seem to be godly in church, but lives a godless life.
Obviously you and I will never fully live with complete integrity; however, empowered by the Holy Spirit we can make it our goal to follow Paul’s instructions to Titus, “Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled.  In everything set them an example of by doing what is good.  In your teaching show integrity, seriousness, and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.” (Titus 2:6-8)
So maybe you could join me in a quick integrity check.  What do you spend most of your time thinking about?  Have your eyes been looking at things they shouldn’t?  Has your tongue been filled with truth and grace?  What sounds or information do you subject your ears too?  Have your hands been where they shouldn’t be, or doing things that would dishonor the Lord?  Have you been treating you’re body as a temple of the Lord?  Have you been treating others as you would like to be treated?  And where have your feet been leading you?  Would Jesus be welcome to walk alongside of you every minute of every day?
After finishing my assessment, I realized there are still many areas of my life that need redeeming—areas where I need God to grant me repentance.  So often I feel like the Apostle Paul who writes in Romans 7:15, “What I don’t understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise.”  Maybe you can identify.
My prayer for each one of us is that we would be open to the sanctifying work that God is doing in our lives, and that day by day we might bear God’s image a little more clearly—that we would truly desire to be holy as he is holy.  And may you and I walk in the peace and joy knowing there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.      Under His mercy, Mike

I was driving past the high school on Tuesday and off to my left I noticed the football team was having practice on the south side of the tennis courts. In the short time I watched them; it looked like they were practicing some running plays. I also noticed it must have been a no- contact drill because none of the players had any pads on; the only protective gear they were wearing was their helmets.
As I continued on my way I began thinking about Paul’s instructions to the Ephesians in chapter six concerning the full armor of God. He writes, “10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”
When I read this passage, I am reminded that the spiritual battle is real, and that Satan’s goal is to destroy me. I’m going to need more than just the helmet of salvation (saying the sinner’s prayer) if I’m going survive the schemes of the enemy. I must learn how to put on the armor and how each piece of the gear protects me. I must practice how to use the sword of the Spirit (the Bible).
As I continued to reflect on the boys practicing for the footfall season, I realized that’s what much of our discipleship journey is about—it’s about learning and understanding and practicing how to engage the enemy for our short time on earth.
One last thing I noticed as I drove by; it appeared that there were forty to fifty boys out on the practice field. I’ll bet that if you sign up to be a part of the Cardinal football team, practice is not an option; I would guess EVERY player was at practice.
And so it should be for the follower of Jesus. Practice should never be an option; every adult should be engaged in some form of transformational learning experience. Moms and dads, we trust you have been doing your part in helping prepare your children for the spiritual battle. The Education Team has also been working hard this summer in order to put together a game plan that will support your efforts and so we highly encourage you to help your young people to make it a priority to attend practice.
This fall we will have multiple opportunities and options for everyone to get battle ready. May there be a marked difference in the lives of those who attend American Reformed Church because we took our discipleship seriously.
Growing in truth and grace, Mike

Vicki and I were blessed to hear Pastor James McDonald speak in St. Paul on Wednesday night as he kicked of his forty-city Vertical Church Tour. Sharing a very challenging message, Pastor James began his message by saying, “The Church in America is in trouble, and even though it’s in trouble the mentality among most people is I’m not going to change.”
He then went on to support his claim by sharing these statistics. 6000 churches close every year. 3500 people leave the church everyday (no, not transfer to another church—leave the church permanently). Only one out of ten Pastors make it to “retirement.” Only 20% of Americans regularly go to church (statistics show that 40% claim to attend church, but half of them admitted to lying about their church attendance). 800 new churches survive their birth every year; however, 9200 more churches could be birthed every year just to keep up with the population growth. And finally, only 10% of churches are growing (mostly because of member transfer), and actually only 2% are growing because of conversion.
He concluded his introduction by saying, “The church is failing America one life at a time” and the reason is because we have lost sight of the glory of God. Rather than keeping focused on our vertical relationship with God, the church has become consumed with gimmicks, warm fuzzy, Dr. Phil self-help talks, and a focus on personal comfort. We have become content with the “omnipresence” of God rather than his “manifest presence.”
Could that be true? Has American Reformed Church slipped into a program centered church, a personal need centered church, or are we a “God centered church”? Could it be that we have lost our fear of, and our longing for the manifest presence of God? What adjustments must we make in order for the Church to fulfill God’s intended purpose? Well, those are exactly the questions we are going to be addressing in our messages this fall along with a study of Henry Blackaby’s, A God Centered Church; Your Church Together Experiencing God.
So what can you do in advance? Begin by reserving your copy of one of the two study resources available. For those of you who like to do daily devotional workbook type study, sign up for the Your Church Together Experiencing God workbook. Or for those who would rather just read, I would encourage you to sign up for the A God Centered Church book. Both books have the same content, only one is for reading, the other is more engaging. And both are on the back table for you to look at in order to pick the one that fits your learning style best.
You may also continue thinking about hosting, or being part of, a small group that would parallel the messages on Sunday mornings. Small group DVD teaching materials are also available so make sure you sign up for those as well. More details will be coming, but in the mean time, please get signed up so we know how many books to order.
Are we really set on growing for Gods glory?  “Oh that [God] would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you” (Isaiah 64:1). May it always be true of American Reformed Church that we will never settle for less than living for the glory of God with a deep longing for his manifest Presence.
Soli deo Gloria,     Mike

Last week McClure Plumbing and Heating replaced one of the air conditioner units on the roof above the commons.  And because the unit is located about seventy feet from the edge of the roof, a large crane had to be hired to make the exchange.  What really struck me as I watched the crane operator who was located right outside my office window was the fact that, once he swung the new unit past the roof line, he couldn’t see what he was doing.  How did he know where to set the unit down if he couldn’t see what he was doing?  What kept him from crushing one of the workers? There had to be some form of communication between those who were installing the air-conditioner and the crane operator.
As I thought about it, I realized this scenario is much like our journey as followers of Jesus.  As Henry Blackaby writes, if we’re going to experience God, we must be aware of where He is at work so we can join Him.  The challenge, of course, is discerning whether it’s God speaking to me or whether it’s my own thoughts.  Gideon struggled with the same issue, that’s why he put out the fleece.
So how does God speak to us?  Well, we know according to the Bible he speaks in many ways—can even be through a burning bush or a donkey.  I’ve also heard of people hearing the audible voice of God or through dreams.  I never want to limit the ways God speaks to me; however, my experience is that God most often speaks to me through the Bible, through prayer, through other Christians, and through special circumstances.
Regardless of the way God communicates with me, I have discovered that it’s really hard to hear from God when my life is full of noise and distraction.  The key then is to take time to sit quietly before the Lord in expectation that he will speak to me.  Like it says in Isaiah 50:4-5, “The Master, God, has given me a well-taught tongue, so I know how to encourage tired people.  He wakes me up in the morning, wakes me up, opens my ears to listen as one ready to take orders.”
After the crane operator had finished setting the air conditioning unit on top of the church I asked him how he knew what to do.  He replied by telling me how he relies on the communication through two way radios with a fellow employee.  We continued our conversation about the importance of hearing clearly from his co-worker so as not to damage things or to injure other people.
The thought of communicating with God in regards to the good works that he prepares for us in advance to do is an amazing gift.  May we treasure our communion with God and for those opportunities when God invites us to work with him and may our ears be eager and attentive to his instructions.  For who knows who we might hurt if we fail to listen well.
Grace and peace, Mike

The Greek term for disciple in the New Testament is mathetes which refers generally to any “student,” “pupil,” “apprentice,” or “adherent”—basically a disciple is a “learner.”  In the ancient world, however, it is most often associated, with people who were devoted followers of a great religious leader or teacher of philosophy.  As followers of Jesus, his commission to his bride, the Church, was to go and make more disciples of all people groups, immersing them in the knowledge and understanding of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and apprenticing them in obedience to the command to love God and others.
When I observe the traditions of the Reformed Church in America, and also in my short seven months at ARC, I feel we are very committed to helping our children and young people “learn about God,” but once a person graduates from high school most of the expectation for further learning is reduced to trying to glean from whatever happens in a Sunday morning worship service.
Now granted, I am well aware that we have many adult disciples at ARC who have fully given themselves to lifelong learning as a follower of Jesus, and I praise God for how the Holy Spirit is working in you and through you. However, I also feel many in our congregation are missing out on the joy and expectation of our Master to “produce fruit in keeping with repentance” (Luke 3:8).   And it’s for that reason the Education Committee has recommended that we develop an Adult Discipleship Team at ARC that will promote lifelong spiritual development for our adults.
So, having shared those insights, I also would like to share with you that Angela Fick and Merlin Wynia have already been affirmed by the Consistory to pioneer and lead our new Adult Discipleship Team. They have already been busy at work considering God’s vision for this ministry and have chosen Ephesians 4:12-13 as one of their guiding passages. It goes like this, “He [Jesus] handed out gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, and pastor-teacher to train Christ’s followers in skilled servant work, working within Christ’s body, the church, until we’re all moving rhythmically and easily with each other, efficient and graceful in response to God’s Son, fully mature adults, fully developed within and without, fully alive like Christ.”
And it’s from this passage they have developed this working draft for their vision statement: Working in cooperation with the Holy Spirit, the Adult Discipleship Team seeks to provide multiple transformational learning opportunities and resources for adult men and women in order to develop fully mature and alive reproducing followers of Christ.
In order to carry out the vision, also in the developing stages, Merlin and Angie will be assembling a larger team (4-8 more members) that will promote participation in small groups, spiritual gift discovery, mentoring, and participation in special adult discipleship events. They have come up with a number of people they are considering to invite to help them, however, if being part of this ministry excites you, please contact one of them (preferably within the next two weeks).
I am really excited about where I see God working in ARC. Please pray for Merlin and Angie as they work in cooperation with the Holy Spirit in helping us become more “efficient and graceful in response to God’s Son, fully mature adults, fully developed within and without, fully alive like Christ.” And in the meantime, may you and I consider our level of passion for becoming an authentic, reproducing, follower of Christ – discipleship is not just for kids!
In the dust of the Rabbi,  Mike

I think most of you would agree that a lack of rain has a way of awakening us spiritually.  It doesn’t seem to take long for us to begin questioning why God might be withholding the rain.  Is he testing our faith?  Is he disciplining us?  Our questions quickly lead us to begin evaluating how we’re living our lives.  Is God trying to tell us something?
Reminds me of the story found in Haggai 1.  The people had returned to Judah after spending 70 years in exile and immediately began rebuilding their homes.  In fact, not only restoring them to livable conditions, their remodeling projects were extravagant.  And not only were they living in elaborate homes, they had become unquenchable consumers—they just couldn’t get enough.
While God certainly was concerned about their profligate spending, his real concern was that they were living their lavish lifestyles while the temple virtually remained in ruins.  God warned his people through Haggai, “Take a good hard look at your life.  Think it over…You’ve had great ambitions for yourselves, but nothing has become of it.  The little you brought to my Temple I’ve blown away—there was nothing to it.  And why?  Because while you’ve run around, caught up with taking care of your own houses, my Home is in ruins.  That’s why.  Because of your stinginess.  And so I’ve given you a dry summer and a stingy crop.  I’ve matched your tight fisted stinginess by decreeing a season of drought, drying up fields and hills, withering gardens and orchards, stunting vegetables and fruit.  Nothing—not man or woman, not animal or crop—is going to thrive” (Haggai 1:7-11 The Message Paraphrase).
So you ask; Mike, are you implying that the drought is a result of our materialistic lifestyle and our stingy giving toward the Kingdom of God?  No, I can’t say that for sure, but I have used this text to “take a good hard look at my ambitions in life” and how I’m stewarding the resources God has given me.
Regardless of the outcome of this year’s drought, may our hearts always be open to God’s word of loving correction and reproof.  And if acknowledging we are guilty of being stingy in our sowing in God’s kingdom, may we be as quick to respond in the same way as the Jews in the story found in Haggai 1 (I encourage you to read what happened).  And may you and I always walk in confidence and peace knowing God is faithful.
Soaking in the goodness of God,
Mike

While on our trip to Haiti I engaged several people who had hopes of discovering more clearly God’s purpose and plan for their life.  One person in particular expressed a real sense of frustration in that she believed God had created her for more than she was experiencing.  I believe God has hard-wired each one of us with a longing to fulfill our created purpose and I also believe that discovering our purpose in life isn’t as difficult as we make it.
While I’d have to admit, I’ve also spent a great deal of energy pursuing why it was that God saved me, one of the tools that has been most helpful is the Emerging Journey.  Basically, the Emerging Journey is a discipleship tool designed to take a person on a meaningful walk with a group of people guided by three primary questions: Who is God? Who am I? And what does God want to do through my life?
Several weeks ago Vicki and I held an informational meeting for those who might be interested in such a journey.  For those who weren’t able to attend, but might be interested, let me briefly explain the process.  The Emerging Journey is a fairly high commitment experience.  We will work through four manuals with seven lessons each.  In addition to the manuals, each person will read the book of Esther, the story of David, the Gospel of Luke, and four other books.  We will meet each week for two hours for 34 weeks with the exception of taking two weeks off for Christmas.  The homework will consist of an additional two to four hours per week depending how much effort you put into it.  The cost of the materials is $285, although we may have possibility of securing some scholarship dollars.  Our intent is to meet on Monday nights; however we may meet on Sunday evenings during harvest.
After reading about the process, you might have come to the conclusion that this is only for those who are serious about discovering God’s purpose and plan for your life; however, I’ll guarantee you will not be disappointed.  This is completely different than any other Bible study you have done.  It’s not so much about learning information as it is about discovering what God has been doing in your life.  God’s promise in Jeremiah 29:13-14 (The Message Paraphrase), “When you come looking for me, you’ll find me. Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed. God’s Decree.”
Now why do I tell you all this?  Because now is the time to sign up.  Each group is limited to ten people and I’m not sure that we will do more than two groups, so if we need to get another facilitator trained, we need to know that very soon.  So far, I’ve had four people show interest, so if you are interested, don’t procrastinate, please contact me before July 17.
Completing the good works…,
Mike

Just back from our trip to Haiti and there are so many stories to tell and my intent is to let the team share them with you, but I would like to share this one with you. On our first morning after arriving in Haiti, we set out in the bus for a tour of the various communities Hope Missions Outreach is involved in (it’s about a 30 mile drive from where we stay to the Mission of Hope).
Well after about fifteen miles, the diesel motor on our 1954 model bus ran hot and quit running. Now, in Haiti when your vehicle stops running there is really no place to pull over, so you just stop right in your lane of traffic. The driver tried several times to restart the bus, but it wouldn’t start. I could tell immediately that the anxiety level on the bus was beginning to rise; here we are in the middle of a Haitian community on a bus with a driver who doesn’t speak English. Those walking by seemed to glare at us while oncoming traffic honked their horns as they sped around us.
I’m sure the overwhelming feeling on the bus, including me was, what do we do now, although after our morning devotions everyone was confident that “God is faithful.” Well it wasn’t long when our mission trip host shouted to Mike Sherman, our lead evangelism leader, that right outside the bus was an opportunity to visit with some men who were sitting by their home at the edge of the road.
Soon, Mike and a few others (including our very own budding evangelist, Bailey Stratton) hopped off the bus and shared the gospel with the men. The rest of us stayed on the bus, some praying for the men to be saved and many others praying that God would rescue us from our frightening situation.
The situation reminded me of the story found in Colossians 4. Paul finds himself in prison, more than likely chained to a prison guard—a situation you would think would cause high anxiety—surely a frightening situation worthy of asking God to deliver him, right? And yet how does he want the Colossians to pray for him? “Pray diligently. Stay alert, with your eyes wide open in gratitude. Don’t forget to pray for us, that God will open doors for telling the mystery of Christ, even while I’m locked up in this jail. Pray that every time I open my mouth I’ll be able to make Christ plain as day to them. Use your heads as you live and work among outsiders. Don’t miss a trick. Make the most of every opportunity. Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out” (Colossians 4:2-6).
What amazes me is that Paul doesn’t pray to get out of his troubling situation; no he wants to make the most of his circumstances. He’s more interested in how he could use this inconvenient and uncomfortable situation to share the gospel.
And so it should be with you and me, we face many situations in our lifetime we don’t necessarily like, and yet how can we make the most of every opportunity to advance the kingdom of God. As Mike wisely said when he got back on the bus, “It’s in the midst of inconvenient situations where ministry most often happens.” May you and I bring glory to God by making the most of every opportunity to share the gospel.
And by the way, it just so happened one of the men sitting there knew just enough English to help interpret and therefore one of the young men Mike shared the gospel with gave his life to following Jesus.  Glory to God!
Laboring for the harvest,  Mike

One of the recreational activities Vicki and I enjoy is motorcycling; there’s just something about the freedom of riding on the open road. And yes, along with the freedom, comes risk. There’s the risk of my motorcycle breaking down, cars pulling out in front me, the risk of hitting a deer or other little critters, and there’s the risk of hitting flying objects. One time we were following someone towing a boat and one of the cushions flew out of the boat and almost hit us.
Much of the risk of motorcycling is out of my control; however I do like to make sure my bike is as safe as it can be, so last week I took it over to the Harley dealer for their twenty-seven point inspection. Now, if you know anything about Harley Davidson, nothing is cheap and especially their maintenance inspections, but I just have more peace knowing my bike has been thoroughly examined. I figure the high cost is worth it.
As I was driving home, I began thinking about Paul’s encouragement to the Corinthians about the importance of regularly examining their spiritual condition. He writes, “Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it” (II Corinthians 12:5-7 The Message).
Now, of course there are many areas of our faith that can be tested; here are some starters: How’s your love for others? Husbands, are you loving your wives? Wives are you respecting your husbands? Parents are you helping your children discover the glory of God? Are you extending the same kind of grace God extends to you? Do you judge others in the same manner you judge yourselves? What dominates your thinking? What demands your attention? Is the Holy Spirit gaining control over your tongue? Are you regularly setting aside time to be with the Father? Are you living a life that is pleasing to the Lord? Are you gaining victory over your besting sin?  Are you stewarding your resources well? Are you bearing fruit in keeping with repentance? What are you doing by faith? Has following Jesus become your life, or is He just one more good thing you’re adding to your life?
After inspecting my motorcycle, they discovered my front tire needs replacing along with my brake fluid which had taken on condensation. They advised me that my rear back tire should be replaced in another 1000 miles or so. The examination proved to be costly.
According to Paul, the point of the spiritual examination if Christ is in you, is to see if you’re becoming more like him. It too may prove to be costly. However, if the Holy Spirit reveals there are areas that need adjustment or repentance, why risk waiting, “do something about it.”
May it be said of us that we never wait too long between spiritual checkups and by the power of the Holy Spirit at work in each one of us, may we find we have passed the test of faith.
Enjoying the freedom of the abundant life,

Mike

Over the past couple of days I’ve been watching a shingling crew re-shingle the house across the road.  Now granted it’s not the largest home, but in less than two days the job was finished.  It was kind of fun to watch them since it was very clear the crew of five men each knew their responsibilities; in fact they functioned so well together I really couldn’t tell who was leading.
As they arrived on Thursday morning, a couple of guys quickly spread out the tarp to keep the debris from falling in the shrubs and landscaping around the house.  One man drove the Telehandler with the work platform to the edge of the roof while the other two men set ladders and carried the tools for removing the shelves on to the roof.
Within a couple of hours they had the majority of old shingles off and as there was less room to work on removing the old shingles, two of the men started prepping for the new shingles.  And then, with the use of a couple of nail guns, they had the roof re-shingled in an hour and half.  And again, as there was less room to work on the roof, the others began cleaning up around the job site and before you knew it, they were packed up and on to the next job.  Each person was equally important to the completion of the project.
(By the way, if my sermon isn’t that good this week, it was because I was watching the roofers while doing my sermon prep.) J
Watching the roofing project reminded me about God’s intent for the Church, each person is equally important in completing the good works which God has prepared in advance for us to do.                   I Corinthians 12 reminds us that, “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts…in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them just as he wanted them to be…”
And just like each person on the roofing crew had his own responsibility unique to his gifting and talents, so it is with each person in our congregation.  Because of your unique gifting and talents, God has placed you into this expression of his Church in Luverne.
Paul writes it this way in Romans 15:5-9 (The Message), “So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ’s body, let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t.
6-8If you preach, just preach God’s Message, nothing else; if you help, just help, don’t take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don’t get bossy; if you’re put in charge, don’t manipulate; if you’re called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don’t let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them.  Keep a smile on your face.”
I praise God for the opportunity to work alongside of you in his kingdom, but I also realize that not every one of you feels like you have an important part to play.  Well, one of my passions is to help people discover the joy of using their God given gifts.  So if you’re not sure where you fit into the mission of ARC, please let me know, and we will get you plugged into meaningful kingdom work.  May we never forget that God chose each one of us to bear fruit.           Help wanted,  Mike