This morning we went to church in Pennsylvania. It was great and our kids had a great time.

The church is a pretty traditional place and tailored to the area culture, which is pretty rural. The chruch is pretty different from what TPC will look like.

But you know what? They preach Jesus.

And people who love Jesus are brothers and sisters.

We fly to Dallas, TX tomorrow amid a myriad of significant good news. Outreach has begun, new relationships are being made, the Launch Team is being formed and totally catching on to the vision of TPC, new people are getting connected everday.

Please pray that our trip to Dallas tomorrow will be uneventful, but that we would be sensitive to anyone God might want us to meet in our adventure.

Thank you for your faithfulness in prayer.

More experiences with local churches

We've been to Pathway (http://www.pathwaycommunity.org/) the last two Sundays. It's been great. Our kids have loved it. It's where some good friends and some family are on Sundays, which has been great, too.

We were there yesterday for Easter. And so were a few thousand other people. It was really really great. The message was great, music was moving, and the children's classes were excellent.

We had the chance to be back at Christ's Church at Georgetown (http://www.ccatg.org/) a couple weeks ago and get to be there again this week because a good friend is being baptized. Needless to say, it is always great to see our friends there.

I am cherishing this time, because I know it is short-lived. It is great to see all these area churches. We've been to 4 just in Fort Wayne in the past 6 weeks or so.

Break All The Walls Down

I have often wondered, "What keeps churches from coming together?"

We would all say that denominationalism is a disease that we would like to overcome (at least most of us would say that). We might not actually want uniqunesses to fade away, since that would deny the uniqueness obviously present in the world. But we would more likely agree that the walls between people should be lowered.

So, what keeps the minister at a new non-denominational church in town from having coffee with the priest at the nearby Catholic Church?

Apparently it only takes a phone call.

I had coffee with a brother yesterday. He might wear a collar and I might wear a tie (sometimes), but it is the man who wore a crown of thorns who lives in each of our hearts.

Can I be honest? I really like Father Mark. And I am not just saying that. I like to talk with people who are smarter than I am. So, I liked talking to him.

Some of our doctrines differ, but there is one that is the same- there is no hope in this world without Jesus Christ.

Do I have visions of TPC and OLGH doing joint missions in inner city Fort Wayne? Not really. But do I have intend to get togehter with Mark again and get the book from him that he reccommended as I work on my Masters Thesis? Yes. And maybe I can get him to give me a golf lesson sometime, too.

What stops you? Are there walls between you and a brother or sister from a 'different' kind of church? If so, it's only because of your own inhibitions or ignorance.

Make a call this week. Seek a relationship for the sake of having a relationship. It's good. It's right. It's what God desires.

I prayed for Father Mark, and he pronounced a blessing on me. He asked that he Holy Spirit come upon me and remain upon me both now and forever. How could anyone argue with that?

Sorta feels like we gave the devil the finger.