Cool Church XP

One more way to serve, one more way to think about life

This year I'm serving on the Steering Committee for the annual Bike MS event on behalf of my wife who has MS, and Abundant Life.  This event raises money for the Multiple Sclerosis Society that helps folks who suffer from this disease, and helps fund research to treat and cure it.  Abundant Life has a team of about 10 who will ride together on July 31st and August 1st, plus others who will volunteer to support the 600 or so riders.

If you've ever wanted to embrace the perspective of living one day at a time, trusting God for each new day, try on Multiple Sclerosis for size. 

This disease attacks the myelin sheath around your nerves, causing "short circuits" throughout your body, resulting in all kinds of symptoms from tingling all over and fatigue, like Cynthia has, to weakness, loss of mobility, blindness, you name it.  Anything the nervous system controls can be affected, which is everything.  And MS can attack anywhere at any time. 

So every day is a new day, and you don't know what symptoms you might have, and if they'll ever go away.  Cynthia's diagnosis 20 years ago forever changed us in how we look at life.

And frankly, we should all look at life this way.  Each day is a new day.  We do not know what it will hold.  And as Christ followers, we know we are in good hands, no matter what challenges life presents to us.

Feel like making a difference for people with MS?  You can volunteer to help at the event (Abundant Life is sponsoring a couple of rest stops), or join the cycling team by e-mailing me at alan@coolchurch.com.  Or donate by clicking on this link  Donate for Cynthia 

And may you awake tomorrow with a new sense of wonder at God's creation, and all that is right in the world.

Volunteering: Happy Valley 4th of July Festival

I love Independence Day. 

Every Fourth of July, Abundant Life provides volunteers for Happy Valley's big festival in the city park.  It's a day long party serving the city.  Check out the photo album in the side bar to the right!

Hats off to all those who volunteered to make this event a wonderful day for our community.

Next opportunity? 

How would you like to volunteer for the Bike MS event July 31-Aug 1? 

Volunteer to host a rest stop, help out cheering along the route, or work at the start finish line.  Interested?  E-mail me at alan@coolchurch.com

The Duck Drops Here...

A couple of thousand people gathered in Happy Valley Park for our all-church worship service last night.  We had a blast getting to see everyone, playing together, worshipping together, learning together. 

The event kicked off with Jessie and Cary Samsel, father and son, bringing us some preservice music.  These guys are great, and a blessing to our worship team.

A part of the pre-service activities was a "duck drop" from a fire truck extension ladder.  It's nice to have Jamie Karn  of the Fire Department around to pull stuff off like this...  Everyone had the opportunity to buy a duck, then they were dropped from the sky towards a bucket on the ground.  The banter was hilarious as Jamie climbed the ladder with a wireless mic so that he and Dave could talk back and forth. At one point Dave urged Jamie to stop talking and start dropping ducks.  The first place winner went home with a new Ipad.  Nice.

The music was great, and the voices of our church family filled the valley.  The kids got up and lead us in some of the songs from their week at Super Summer for Kids, and taught the rest of us the motions.  We had all three of our worship leaders, Scott, Dustin, and Devon, on stage.  What a treat.

Josh Galgan brought the message on James 1:19-25 and demonstrated getting rid of filth in our lives by having us shoort finger rockets across the crowd as fast as we could to get rid of them. 

Other elements included bouncing white beach balls and blowing soap bubbles to encourage us to do our devotional every day using SOAP (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer).

Wow, what an evening.  If you missed it, you really missed out.  You can get a taste for the evening by taking a look at the photo album on the right!

Thinking Beyond Ourselves

I had the opportunity to speak at the Gresham Chamber of Commerce yesterday on behalf of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.  I'm the Bike MS "voluntary volunteer leader" this year, which has really helped me see our church from the volunteer's perspective so much better. 

When you're on staff at a church, you lose touch of what it's like to have another life outside of the local church.  We have this saying on staff that goes like this "Remember, our people don't think about church all week like we do.  They go home after church and think about their own lives..."

The truth is, as maturing Christ followers, we are to think about the kingdom all week in everything we do, and the local church is just one tool to accomplish what we've each been called to do.

So, back to the Chamber meeting...  my challenge to the business leaders was to think beyond their patrons, those they already do business with, those who meet their needs in growing their business; to think about the community as  whole, and what they can do as leaders that transcends their balance sheets, and pays back in good will given and received.  Basically making an impact on the community just because it's right, not because it builds their business.  And ofcourse, to volunteer at the Bike MS event.

The same is true for the local church.  We need to be known as lovers of people, not to grow our local church, but to grow the kingdom, because it's what God calls us to do. 

What are you prepared to do this summer that pays back only in goodwill given and received?

Join Team Abundant Life

I am serving on the Bike MS Steering Committee this year, which organizes a two day bike ride to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis research and support for those with MS.  For years, Abundant Life has had a cycling team at this event.  I've been a part of this ride since 1991.

The ride is about 150 miles over two days, with shorter family friendly routes available.  This year's event will be all around the Portland area on July 31 and Aug 1st and will have about 650 cyclists.

Maybe you like to ride, or know someone who does?  Maybe instead, you'd like to serve as a volunteer at this event?  It's a great serve opportunity as well, and in any event a great opportunity to be a light into the world.

Check out www.BikeMSOregon.com for the local web site, or our team site at www.teamalc.blogspot.com.  Rod Walker is our team captain, and will be happy to answer any questons.  You can connect with him at RodinMotion@gmail.com.

We have seven team members so far, and look forward to many more and having some fun training rides between now and the end of July!  I'll bet we have some fun food events too!

"a" plus "b" minus PORN = TBS

OK, I had no idea how funny and how powerful Mark Gungor would be in this video based marriage conference called Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage.  I attended this conference at our Parkrose campus this weekend with my lovely wife, Miss Cynthia.

I was caught off guard by some of the pointed truths packaged in a way that left me saying "oh my gosh, I can't believe he said that" and laughing uncontrollably at the same time. 

If you want to laugh, want to learn, and want to be a little caught off guard, come check it out this next weekend (Jan 22-23) at the Happy Valley Campus.  Friday night at 6:30-9:30, Saturday morning at 9-12:30.  Check it out and even register at  laughyourway.com.

You'll learn what the formula in my blog title means, about "Go get the girl," how to win points with your wife without doing ANYTHING, four simple steps for a wife to get her husband to listen and "obey," and what a man's hand is not.  Don't ask me now.  Just go check it out.

Pastor's Retreat 2009

This last week was our annual Pastor's Retreat.  We spent four days together as a pastoral staff studying, praying, serving, and playing.  This year we welcomed Scott Miller to the mix, and he fits in like he's always been with us. 

One of our church families donates their house at the beach for us, and as soon as we arrive in town, we go grocery shopping for the week's meals.  Throughout the week we take turns serving one another with meal prep and clean up and simply do life together.

This year we spent time each day learning about each others' strengths and how they complimented each persons role on staff, and praying together.  We played bocha ball on the beach, went bowling, played games at the house, watched some movies, and just hung out and talked.  Jeff and I did some strategic planning during a beach walk and then met some of the others out on the jetty for a little rock hopping.

One of the tests we used was Myers-Briggs.  I am an ENTJ.  The description that goes along for this type is titled "The Executive."  Go figure...

We have a great team.  And we genuinely love each other and the church we've been called to serve.  Thanks for letting us get away to build our team stronger for you!

Coworkers and Friends

One thing we put a high value on at Abundant Life is that we all love each other.  Even those of us that work together in the office.  That doesn't mean we never get a little stressed sometimes and hurt each others feelings, but for the most part we really enjoy being around each other in the office, at our various ministry events, and even just for fun, like a Staff and Elders picnic.  I've put a few photos of our Friday night picnic at Happy Valley up here for you to take a look.

I have met with more than one church staff where the staff would not choose to hang out with each other, if they didn't have to.  That makes me sad, because I enjoy everyone we have on staff here, and I think they all really enjoy each other too.  It makes the pressures of career ministry much easier to carry, and our work days a joy.  It also sets a great example for Abundant Life to be a place where no perfect people are allowed and all those who enter are greeted with love.

Hey, next time you run into someone on staff, thank them for being examples of Jesus' love.

July 4th and 5th. If you missed this, you really missed something!

"Wow" is all I can say. 

Thank you to the volunteers, to the staff, to the church as a whole, for being such an impact this weekend!  Between helping host the Happy Valley 4th of July Festival, our Volunteer appreciation breakfast, Church in the Park and all the baptisms that followed.  Wow!  God was so present in the Happy Valley community through Abundant Life.

Check out the photo albums for a taste of the weekend!

Volunteers ROCK.

As we head into the weekend, I can't help but be thankful for the amazing people who make up Abundant Life, and the privilege it is to serve on staff here.

This weekend, hundreds of volunteers from Abundant Life will serve thousands of people from our community at the Fourth of July festival on Saturday. And many more will be involved in set-up, tear-down, and clean-up for the Fourth, and for Church in the Park on Sunday.

Please take some time Sunday morning to come by the Happy Valley campus for breakfast in honor of our volunteers (8:30-10:00AM) before Church in the Park.  The staff and our families will be here to serve you and to thank you for your commitment to Abundant Life and our mission to reach as many people as possible for Jesus.

You guys ROCK!