ALASKA!

Marcia and I again thank each of you who made possible our Alaska Cruise in honor of our twenty years of service. We had a wonderful time visiting Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, and Prince Rupert, B.C. Sightseeing highlights included a trip on the White Pass Narrow Gauge Railway, viewing a glacier calving into the sea, visiting some eagles close-up, and seeing the trampoline in Sarah Palin's back yard!

This was our first cruise ever, and we honestly cannot remember the last time we spent a week together without either our kids or some of your kids. We relaxed, ate too much, and were reminded again of the awesomeness of God's creation as we sailed among the mountains of Alaska.

We've posted some pictures of of the highlights of our adventure. Feel free to browse.

Twenty Years

Marcia and I were deeply moved and blessed when, on December 7, our church family honored us for twenty years of service to Adventure.

I wish there was a way that one snapshot could convey all the things that make a church a church... the people, the facilities, the worship style, the enthusiasm, the sense of purpose, the quality of leadership, etc. Then I wish we could hold up a snapshot of that first service 20 years ago and compare it to a snapshot of our church today. Our only appropriate response would be an attitude of tremendous gratitude to God. In spite of our weaknesses, doubts, frustrations, and setbacks, He had blessed us with tremendous growth, larger facilities, great enthusiasm, a common purpose, incredible leadership, and so much more!

Thank you, Adventure family, for working with us (and often being patient with us) for these twenty years. Many of you have made Adventure of Faith the work of your life just as it has been the work of our lives. We look forward to continuing our work with you and to welcoming many more who desire to connect people with Jesus Christ and equip them to live the adventure of faith.

Back in the Saddle

After four weeks away, one would think one would be ready to get back at it. Au contraire! This vacation has done more to convince me that after 35 years of ministry, I really need a sabbatical!

But, with memories still fresh of sitting on an Iowa front porch with grandson Cael, it's time to get back at it. And a lot is happening! Remodeling of our church facility, restructuring of our worship design, rebuilding our staff and replenishing our general fund are all on the front burner. It's exciting. It's challenging. It's an adventure.

And part of me would rather be in Iowa...

"Unless you become like litle children..."

It had been a long hot day on our recent youth choir tour; forty people crammed in a school bus, no air conditioning in the heart of central California, little time for rest stops, and lots of tired kids (and adults).

I was sitting in the front of the bus when I became vaguely aware of some kind of ruckus at the back of the bus. It was nothing major. No reason for me to go back there.

About a minute later, a rather upset seventh grade (13 year old) boy made his way up the aisle and sat next to me on the front seat. I could tell he was upset, hot, exhausted, frustrated, and angry. As he sat close to me, I knew it was time to switch into a role I'm very familiar with... Daddy! In the next few minutes I pulled the boy closer, got him in a headlock, gave him a noogie, taught him the "secret handshake," put my hand on his shoulder and talked with him about good stuff like baseball, and the swimming pool that was waiting for us when we finally got to the hotel.

Isn't this what God wants to do for all of us?

Next time you go to worship, or take time to pray, you may be going through some heat. You may be tired, emotionally exhausted, or angry. But when you place yourself within God's reach, He's there to pull you closer to Him, get you in a headlock, give you a noogie, teach you the "secret handshake," put his hand on your shoulder and talk with you about the good stuff.

Those few moments on that bus made that boy's day. Your few moments with God can do the same for you.

My Day at Camp

Wednesday came this week... the morning after a Session meeting, 75 degrees in the forecast, a bunch of our youth at Buck Creek Camp, and my motorcycle filled with gas. I couldn't resist. I headed up to Mt Rainier via the scenic route through the Auburn Valley and Enumclaw. What a perfect day for a ride!

As I rode up to the lodge, before I even got off the motorcycle, an eighth grade girl yelled from the woods, "Pastor John! You're on our team!"

It turns out that Sara Phillips, our camp leader, had divided the camp into "red" and "blue" teams, and they were all busy searching the forest for ways they could artistically portray their faith and their identity as a team. If you've never been to Buck Creek, I quote Amy Schenkelberg: "This is the most beautiful camp I've ever seen in my life!"

Well, I enjoyed lunch with the kids, and got to be a spectator at the massive relay games event in the big field. Squirt guns were in ample supply, and great fun was the theme of the afternoon.

Soon, it was time for me to leave, but not without some reflection on the kids at camp... those who are new to the faith, those who are still seeking to find faith, those who are from broken or dysfunctional homes, those whose parents have no relationship with Christ, those who will be moving away this summer, those who are just now old enough to be part of the youth group... all these were there enjoying God's creation, strengthening their relationships with each other, and growing in their understanding of and love for God.

I rode home singing praise to God for the privilege we have of touching the lives of so many young people. I wonder... can people hear you when you're singing on a motorcycle?

The Only Thing That Never Changes at Adventure is Change Itself

Remodeling began this week to pave the way for some exciting changes coming to Adventure of Faith this fall.

Worship will feature two distinct services designed to accommodate the growing diversity of worshippers at Adventure. "The Heart of Adventure" will meet at 9:00 am, where the best of contemporary worship will be blended with occasional choral and classical worship music and some of the most loved hymns of our heritage. At 10:45 am, "The Edge of Adventure" will begin with the best of contemporary worship and include an occasional journey to the most popular cutting-edge Christian music and worship styles. Those currently attending the Adventure Cafe will love this service, plus they will get a live pastor!

KidStuf will be relocated to the Friendship Center to allow room for major expansion and explosive growth. Our KidStuf program is too great to be limited by the current size and location of our wonderful KidStuf Theater, so the theater will reappear upstairs. The KidStuf program will be expanded to include small groups, and will meet during each of our two worship services.

Our program for preschoolers will move downstairs, and improvements will be made to the lobby area to allow for less crowding and more food and coffee service closer to the main entrance and the worship center.

Why the changes? Because we believe they will help us more effectively pursue our mission... to connect people with Jesus Christ and equip them to live the adventure of faith. Those people include all who are currently part of the adventure, and the many more we hope will join the adventure in the coming months.

Some Think I'm Crazy!

Our recent Crossroads Tour to California had many highlights. Young people grew in their faith, strengthened their relationships with one another, blessed others with their music, and had lots of fun! An audio CD of our last tour concert can be purchased at the information area in our lobby.

This had to be the craziest thing I've done in a while...

(That's Rachael Brown, yours truly, and Anita Richards flying through the air with the greatest of ease... dropped from a 17-story tower at Great America.)