May 6, 2007:  What a day at church today!  Those who love the old-time hymns and country gospel were in heaven for a time as we listened to the talented singers and players share favorites like "I'll Fly Away" and "The Power of the Blood."  The pastor gave another interesting sermon on building relationships.  I noticed afterwards that people who usually said hello were also touching an arm or shoulder in friendship; it was an odd thing, but I felt like I was back with the early believers written about in Acts, who gathered together to share their new faith and God's love with each other.  Then it was off to the monthly potluck luncheon after the service.  More country gospel - Dean Whitford sang "The Long Black Train" (a personal favorite) and two very young children strummed their version of "Amazing Grace."  We recognized our graduates:  Keith Valverde, Elizabeth Whitford, and Kristin Kirby.  These kids are amazing.  They're active in the church, busy with school, working part-time jobs, involved in all sorts of activities - I am so impressed by these young people!  We ended the luncheon with an old-fashioned cake auction.  Anne Barfoot donated the cakes and frosting, and the youth did the decorating.  The cakes were beautiful (one was even signed!) and with the help of auctioneer Drew Brickson (and lovely cake wrangler Jodie Brickson), the bidding was spirited and very lucrative.  A lot more kids will be going to summer camp!  So a good time was had by all - as each of us gave what each of us had to advance the kingdom of the Lord - our talents, our support, ourselves.  It was a good day.

April 17, 2007:  I had to laugh.  As I sat in the pew last Sunday, I thought about how things seemed to calming down after Easter.  Maybe this is a good thing, I told myself.  We’ll have a chance to rest up, collect ourselves - relax a little.  That lasted until I heard the announcements.  VBS planning for this June is well under way.  A country gospel music celebration is planned for May 6 during the potluck luncheon after the service.  The J. C. Power Team youth group is planning an evening of laser tag and pizza at PowerPlay in Olathe.  On Saturday, April 21, the AWANA Grand Prix competition is being held in Lenexa.  The kids are planning a fundraiser on April 28 to raise money to go to a week-long summer camp.  The AWANA Store will be held on April 22 this year (this is a “store” set up at the church where the AWANA kids can buy presents with the points they’ve earned through the year by memorizing Bible verses, doing projects and so on.).  That was just April and early May!
     One thing that really impressed me about all of this is the total commitment of people in our church to our young people, to help them grow in Christ to become healthy, mature adults.  We have able leaders organizing our children’s ministry, AWANA, VBS, and teen/pre-teen youth ministry.  We have enthusiastic assistants, teachers, and other participants taking their place in all the activities that are planned for our young people.  And there’s room for more!  All of these ministries need people to help in one way or another - through prayer, donations, decorating, preparing snacks, teaching, playing, organizing, driving - you name it, there’s an opportunity.
     The best part for me is that we all come together in Christ to share our talents and support.  Whether it’s helping our youth, participating in a small group, attending a Sunday class, or enjoying our monthly potluck luncheon after the service, we enjoy each other and what each person has to offer.  A lot goes into the activities we have going on, but so much more comes back from it!

March 18, 2007:  The last three months have been so busy!  In fact, everyone I know has had full plates.  The kids have had homework, sports, band, church activities - the adults have had their own set of obligations, what with work, volunteering, parenting and the rest.  But wonderful things have been happening.
     After the holidays, the youth ministries and small groups geared up again.  In February, the church sponsored "True Love Waits" - a weekend retreat for teens and preteens that encouraged them to live pure for God.  In March, the pace accelerated.  Our youth went to the AWANA games (congratulations to everyone who participated!) and the high school AWANA group, Journey, began studying the book In His Steps by Charles Sheldon.  Planning is well underway for Vacation Bible School in June.  Easter preparations are going at full speed, with an egg hunt planned for Palm Sunday, a different kind of potluck luncheon after the Palm Sunday service (the congregation will share lunch in their homes instead of the Community Center), a dramatic presentation is planned for Good Friday (four eyewitnesses tell what they saw when they encountered Jesus Christ during his life on earth), and Easter Sunday will include a joyous musical celebration.  And there's more!
     It's all good.  We are so blessed with the wonderful people in our congregation and the opportunities that God presents to us.  The church is growing and, as it grows, I see God working through us to meet needs both in the congregation and in our community.  This is so exciting!
     Things are happening so fast that all I can say is keep an eye on the website and listen to the announcements at the Sunday service - there are so many more wonderful things to come!

December 17, 2006:  Christmas Program  What a wonderful night tonight!  The AWANA kids put on the annual Christmas program, and it was really something.  Imagine three and four year olds (some dressed as angels with sparkly halos) singing "Away in a Manger."  Each of the clubs in AWANA had a part in the pageant.  After the Cubbies recited John 3:16 and sang "Away in a Manger," the Sparkies - Kindergarten through 2nd grade - recited another Bible verse and sang "The First Noel."  Then the Trek kids (7th and 8th grade) performed "O Come All Ye Faithful" and what was probably the big hit of the night, a high-energy rap song that asked "Who's in the house?"  (The answer was "Jesus Christ!  Jesus Christ!")  After that, the T&T boys and girls performed a play named "Flower of the Holy Night."  The kids did a wonderful job.
     Each of the performances was introduced by a video about the group performing.  The Journey teens (9th through 12th grade) wrote and produced each video, and I was blown away by how polished and funny each of these presentations was.  Our kids are so talented!
      Well, it was a wonderful night.  So many people worked so hard to present the program, but the big stars were the kids.

December 7, 2006:  "True Love Waits"  This week, Denise Welks told me about a retreat that the church youth ministry is planning for early February.  Called "True Love Waits," the retreat focuses on being sexually pure before God with emphasis on abstinence and living to please God.  The retreat starts on Thursday, February 1st, with a meeting at the church.  On Friday and Saturday, the young people will be staying in host homes, in groups determined by grade level and gender.  Teens and preteens will attend small group sessions led by college seminary students in the host homes.  The sessions will include videos, skits, and discussions.  On Saturday, lunch, a speaker, and games are scheduled.  The weekend will include plenty of fun, food, and fellowship.
     Sunday starts with a meeting at church on Sunday morning followed by a ring ceremony that evening at the Lansing Community Center.  In this formal ceremony, parents give their children a purity ring.
     I am so excited about this.  This will be a wonderful opportunity to understand why sexual purity is so important and to ask questions that might not seem right in other situations.  It shows our youth how important they are to us.  And the retreat focuses on an area in which kids get so many mixed messages.  So mark your calendar now to keep this weekend free.  More details will be coming in the next several weeks!

December 2, 2006:  Holiday Time  For me, the holidays this year began on November 1, All Saint's Day (the day after All Hallow's Eve, or Hallowe'en).  I didn't enjoy Hallowe'en that much this year.  The scary monster movies didn't thrill; the witches, goblins, and zombies didn't attract.  Oh, I liked the neighborhood kids in costume - here a pretty princess, there a brave cowboy.  But I was glad when Hallowe'en was over and it was time to enjoy Thanksgiving and Christmas.
     So, on November 1st, I found myself decorating for Christmas.  A friend protested, "It's too early!"  I answered, "I can't wait!"  And it was true:  I couldn't wait another minute.  It wasn't the decorations I looked forward to, or the cakes and cookies, or the brightly wrapped presents.  I wanted the feeling of Christmas.
     Recently, I saw a documentary about Moses and the Exodus.  The reporter sat in a desert tent, sharing hot sweet tea with an old Bedouin.  The reporter asked, "Are we closer to God in the desert?"  The Bedouin answered slowly, with a half-smile, "Thank God, we are close to him everywhere."
     I think that God is always close to us, but we are more aware of our relationship with God at Christmastime, and how much he loves us.  This, to me, is the heart of Christmas.
     Maybe, amidst all the beloved old Christmas hymns, we should include another hymn, not usually associated with the season:  "Just a Closer Walk with Thee."    Grant it, Jesus, is my plea - and our joy.

October 9, 2006:  Unsung Heroes  Our church has many unsung heroes.  There are people who quietly come over to the church and do needed maintenance projects without a word to anyone.  There are people who work long hours on their own time preparing for the service, classes and special events.  And there are the people that you call when you need help and you know they'll do whatever they can.  For the first entry in this web log, I want to talk about John and Claudia Redden.  These folks blow me away.  Aside from parenting four children, maintaining a large home, and John working a full time job, these two are very active in the church.  John is the AWANA commander and Claudia serves as assistant and secretary.  AWANA involves dozens of children, so that's almost a full-time job in itself. John and Claudia also help with special events and Sunday school, and actively participate in a small group.  And in every thing they do, in every thing they say, they walk with Christ.  I remember when I first came to Lansing First Southern Baptist Church.  I had only attended for two or three months.  Thanksgiving was approaching and I got a call from John.  He asked if I had any plans for the holiday and he invited me to their home for Thanksgiving dinner.  Though he didn't say so, I knew he and Claudia didn't want me to be alone for the holiday.  That they would care that much about someone they barely knew still amazes me.  But that's typical of the Reddens.  So thank you, John and Claudia, for all you do and all you are.  You're an excellent example of the wonderful people who make this church what it is.