iGen

Here are some reflections from Leadership, Summer 2009 magazine
Leadership mag. was honored by the Evangelical Press Assoc., made of more than 300 Christian magazines, newspapers and online publications. The journal received the Award of Excellence. for its high quality writing, both personal and authoritative, and for its
'Cartoons!'

'If we can see church as the people and not just a worship gathering, a lot would be solved in bridging the generations' .. Dan Kimball
'Reared on self-esteem and impervious to guilt, the next generation needs good news that can break through their defenses.' ..Scot McNight
'Twenty somethings want and desperately need someone to yell at them from the Bible. They need an authoritative voice in their life.' ...Collin Hansen
'We want people to think beyond what's right and wrong. We want them to fill their lives with things that stir their affections for Jesus Christ.'
It's okay to not be okay, but its not okay to stay that way. .... Matt Chandler
'The younger generation isn't content receiving a vision; they want to be a part of shaping and creating the vision.' ...J.R.Kerr
'It is so easy to substitute doing ministry for truly communing with God' ... James Emery White
'Solitude is not removing yourself from service to others; it is the essential preparation for service' ... Christ Armstrong

I'd love to give you more; and some of the really tough ones I've left out .... to read more get the magazine, its more than worth the price you will pay for it. If you're a leader, and/or have influence over others, you absolutely need to read it. I should be done with my copy by the first of the week, then you can read mine.
Enjoy, eutychus

Willowcreek's 'Global Leadership Summit 2009'

"Lead Where YOu Are" was a tremendous source of help and encourgement. Speakers from U2's Bono to England's Tony Blair shared valuable insights on not only how to lead but marrying our faith to our leadership. It was because of the generosity of another church in this community that I was able to attend, and I will never be able to adequately thank them. These two days of summit generated many heart-searching questions for both leaders and their churches. Personal challenges from time to time caused us to search deep within our souls for the reasons we lead and serve Christ. Numerous quotes will always serve to remind us who we are, and what we can become if God is leading us. It would be difficult to choose one statement as my favorite, but there was one by Bono which ranks right up there, 'We are most Christlike standing FOR something rather than AGAINST!.'

Back from Church Camp and Vacation

WOW! It's good to be back home. Church camp was a spiritually 'high' time; I was challenged, molded and renewed. The speakers were awesome, the Bible teacher fantastic, the music incredible and in the midst of that celebration, 'I became a brand new grandpa for the 13th time!!

This past weekend [Thursday - Monday] we visited our middle daughter, husband and family, in Upper New York! We had a wonderful time with them; for the most part the weather went out of its way to contribute to our happiness. Although, my wife and I have been reminded, in our trip from Michigan to New York that we are getting older, the stops more frequent and lasting a little longer. On the way home we were able to spend a few hours with my mom and grandma, which was a blessing!

During camp and vacation I was able to read a couple of books, my favorite one being, "When facing a lion in a pit on a snowy day" which actually comes from the Old Testament book of 2 Samuel. Sometime later I'll write a brief review of that book. Tomorrow and Friday I will be attending a regional hookup to the World Summit from Willowcreek, and am anxiously looking forward to that experience. So much has happened in these last three weeks I can't adequately began to summarize them and do justice to the experiences.

The Savior

The Savior. A brief book review. Drucker, Eugene. New York, New York. Simon & Schuster Paperbacks. 2007; 206 pages. ISBN: 9781416543305
The seed of this novel is from a real story. Its about a violinist who is ordered by the Nazi SS to play for prisoners in a camp. Unbeknown to him he is used in an experiment to prove that the ordinary, every day German is quite content to act as though they are not aware of what is happening to others. Its an adult novel that presents two perspectives; first that we often willingly ignore the evil that is happening around us, second, there is also a young German soldier who has rationalized how he can kill human beings one moment and the next moment wish that he were not there .... this comes about by mostly placing the blame for his own actions on those giving him orders. It truly is a novel that makes one think about how we today are reacting to the world around us .... sticking our heads in the sand or rationalizing away our responsibility to make a difference. Amazon.com has 17 reviews. I believe that the author has done a marvelous job in holding our attention through the whole novel, and the tension between music and human atrocities is great; but I think an opportunity to relate the depth of feelings that Bach displayed in his music, in the midst of his own adversities, to the present circumstances in which Gottfried was playing was missed by the author. In a small way it reminds me of the novel 'The Cellist of Sarajevo,' but definitely minus the willingness to sacrific self by the Cellist. ENJOY.

Family Camp

WOW! Last week was family camp ... and it was spiritually renewing. We were reminded of how much God really loves each of us; and the lengths that he will go to to pursue us. Passing through this chaotic world it is life changing, life enriching, a living hope to know that the one constant in my life is a God who forever loves me, even though he too is daily bringing change into my life. Here are some one-liners from camp:
*God is RELENTLESS in his pursuit of us
*Holiness is DIMINISHED when we define, and/or limit it to our actions
*God is calling us out of a CASUAL relationship
*How long since you DANCED with God?
*When God calls us to something, he OBLIGATES himself to enable us.
*You are only as free as your deepest secrets.
*The journey of holiness is not about me finding a place to call home; but letting God find a home in me.

Sarah's Key

'Sarah's Key' .. A brief book review. DeRosnay, Tatiana. New York, New York. St. Martins Griffin Press., 2007 ISBN:9780312370848; 320 pages. Review questions at end of book.
This is a fantastic history novel. Its a good companion with Anne Frank's diary and the Book Thief. Its another one of those novels that deals with the horrors that children faced in the nazi holocaust; and how those that survived had to deal with unnecessary guilt issues that prohibited some of them from having mature, fruitful adult lives. This is a novel that illustrates the effects of one generation's war on generations to come, and how even those terrible memories can give us a sense of compassion for our families and fellow man. Needless to probably add, I immensely enjoyed this novel. There are some good reviews on Amazon.com.

New Gramps

This past Wednesday @1:30AM I became the proud Gramps of our 13th Grandchild!!! [7lbs.11oz. and 19 1/2 inches from tip of his head to his toes] A vote of everyone in the hospital was taken, [didn't miss anyone, we're talking thousands of people here] and everyone agreed my grandson was the sweetest, most handsome, gorgeous baby in the whole hospital complex ... or least I think that's how it went! Now get this, my grandson in the deep south found out his new cousins name on facebook before we got the call from my son [from the hospital] that they had finally decided what it was, then you should have heard that conversation, as the name kept getting garbled over the cell and gram was really giving our grandson strange names until they got it straightened out.
gramps eutychus