Team…

This evening we are looking forward to watching our oldest daughter play soccer. She’s a junior in college and has the opportunity to play in a healthy environment for a great coach.

I remember the first year she played soccer at the ripe age of 6…

It was basically a mob of ponytails surrounding a ball and buzzing around the field. The technical expertise consisted of staying on one’s feet and chasing the ball around the field while parents cheered and yelled at the ref.

Each of our kids started at this level and to be very honest, it was painful to watch. Leigh-Ann and I are each competitive people and having to endure poor soccer tested each of us.

However, we have survived the initial years of non-skill and now each of our kids are at the level where its actually fun to watch….usually 😊.

There have been times when one of our kids has been the leader on the field, making her/his teammates look good…AND…there have been plenty of times when our kids have depended on teammates for a win.

The beauty of team sports is kids learn from early on, they win and lose as a team. And of course, playing sports is much bigger than simply winning or losing. Playing on a team builds character, teaches life lessons, and helps kids of all ages mature.

This Sunday, I look forward to talking about a different kind of team….the church community. There are plenty of similarities to team sports. Just like a good team has a goal to win a championship, a good church is in the community for the good of the Kingdom.

We will review Psalm 37 and offer some basics for thriving in our church community. There is so much more to share, I really hope to see you on Sunday at 8:00, 9:15 (Full KidCity available) or 10:45 am, or you can watch the Livestream on YouTube (Like and Subscribe) or Facebook at 10:45 am.

Have a great weekend,
Troy

Hockey stick and duct tape….

In our front yard, we have five apple trees. A friend planted five seeds and about a year later, he brought them over and helped plant them in our yard.

I wondered if they would ever produce apples.

Beyond pruning them every few years, they have grown naturally, and we’ve had plenty of apples. These apples are a huge blessing because Leigh-Ann makes the best apple crisp in the world…I’m.Not.Joking 😊.

However, this year we have a problem….

…we have too many apples….

…in fact, the tree branches are literally breaking…a few weeks ago, a large branch broke. So, the boys and I went out to pick the apples, and then I tried to fix it.

I created a makeshift splint with a broken hockey stick and duct tape (I am from Minnesota 😊) and attempted to patch it up. Even with the apples off, it was heavy, so Ian helped hold it up while I wrapped it.

I tried to retain the part that was still alive and bring the broken part back to life … I remembered growing up and helping my dad graft multiple apple varieties together into one tree.

Well…. if you think I’m overly optimistic, you’re right …it’s been about two weeks and the branch is definitely dead.

I think the dead branch is a very accurate picture of our best attempts at human flourishing. When you and I take matters into our own hands, we will eventually find ourselves dried up and worn out.

So, how can we experience human flourishing?

David writes a response in Psalm 37:37-40 and this Sunday we will study human brokenness and flourishing and the choice we’ve been given.

The path toward flourishing takes us to the cross where Jesus came to offer peace, forgiveness, life, hope, health, and contentment.

There is so much more I want to share, I really hope to see you on Sunday at 8:00, 9:15 (Full KidCity available) or 10:45 am, or you can watch the Livestream on YouTube (Like and Subscribe) or Facebook at 10:45 am.

Have a great weekend,
Troy

Sweaty Sabbath…

It’s hard to believe summer is almost over…and it went way too fast. Yesterday, someone described life as a merry-go-round at the playground….that starts slow and continually picks up speed until you just fly off.

I don’t think the ending sounds great, but the picking-up speed certainly is relatable 😊.

Since life is busy and time is going so fast, I value the times I can take to slow down and catch my breath. Ironically, one of my favorite ways to rest and restore is to take my mountain bike out to the trails.

It’s my sweaty sabbath!

It had been a while since I’d been able to bike, but on Monday, I was able to head out for a bike ride and was again reminded of the necessity to take the long look. The trails I ride go up and down. There are plenty of rocks and roots. Sometimes the turns are sharp and the path is narrow.

If I am only looking a few feet in front of my tire, it won’t be long before I will have to step off, fall off or fly off…(in order of preference for the landing :).

However, when I look a long way down the path, I am able to choose the best part of the path and prepare for obstacles, and even enjoy the beauty of nature. But there are times when an extra-large obstacle looms and threatens to hold my attention.

Pretty soon fear pops up and doubt begins to overtake my thoughts. I think this is a fitting parable for life. When you and I get short-sighted, we are in trouble.

This Sunday, I am looking forward to hearing Pastor Dave continue our sermons series, “Thriving in an evil world.” He will preach a sermon from Psalm 37:30-36 entitled, “Wait for it! Waiting with confidence while mockers smile.”

When we scroll through our newsfeeds, it might seem like evil people are winning….with a smile on their faces. I look forward to hearing Pastor Dave teach us how to take the long look in life…and on the trail 😊.

I sure hope to see you on Sunday at 8:00, 9:15 (Full KidCity available) or 10:45 am, or you can watch the Livestream on YouTube (Like and Subscribe) or Facebook at 10:45 am.

Have a great weekend,
Troy

Don’t drop me…

Since the kids were young, I’ve carried them up to bed. I never really planned for this to become a tradition, it just sort of happened. When you have a toddler, it’s not that big of a deal, but when you start adding kids it can become a bit more complicated.

We have five kids and they are 11 years apart from our oldest to the youngest.

I am certain, there was a time I got all five upstairs at once…but after looking high and low, we couldn’t locate the pic…however, we have proof of all five in two trips 😊.

I’ve taken hundreds of trips of the stairs bearing kids in my hands…and (knock on wood) haven’t had any major falls. And only a few close calls…dark stairways and little toys can be dangerous for sure.

The older I get, the more I tease the kids that someday they will need to carry me….though, I’m not sure I would trust them 😊.

This Sunday, I look forward to sharing a sermon from Psalm 37:23-29 entitled, “God’s got you.” In these verses, David makes the point that we will fall…but God holds our hand. We may feel anxious…but God never forsakes His own. We may feel vulnerable in our finite bodies…God has promised His children eternal life.

I cannot describe how much I love the trust my kids put in me to carry them up to bed…and to be brutally honest, there could come a time when I trip on that Lego or matchbox car and we topple down the stairs….however, there is nothing in this world or beyond that will cause God to drop you.

God’s got you!

I sure hope to see you on Sunday at 8:00, 9:15 (Full KidCity available) or 10:45 am, or you can watch the Livestream on YouTube (Like and Subscribe) or Facebook at 10:45 am.

Have a great weekend,
Troy

Times and Tubes…

This past week we were able to get away for a few days of R&R on vacation. We went to Branson and spent some time swimming, mini-golfing, reading, boating, and tubing on Table Rock Lake.

It’s hard to beat time out on the water…especially when it’s so hot outside.

The kids took turns on the tube, getting pulled over the waves and through the water. It was a blast! On our final day, our time on the boat was almost up and most of the kids still wanted to get in that one last tube ride.

Instead of choosing between kids, we decided to put them all on the tube.

8 Kids on one tube!

Even though none of us had imagined ending with all the kids on one tube, it turned out to be their favorite memory from tubing.

If any of the kids had decided they wanted more of the tube to themselves or that they didn’t want to share with the rest of the crew, they would have missed out big time.

Sometimes in life, when our circumstances don’t match our expectations, we can tend to get anxious or upset. In fact, managing expectations can be one of the most important parts of managing our relationships.

After we returned back to our place for dinner, we spent some time talking about how important it is for us to take the time to enjoy and appreciate every single day. We discussed how easy it can be to look out into the future, dream about what life could be, and forget to count all the blessings in the present.

This Sunday, Jonathan Harrison, who along with his wife Karen moved to Kansas City to help plant New Life 15 years ago, will be continuing our series, Thriving in an Evil World with a sermon from Psalm 37:16-22 entitled, “Be content with all God provides.” Jonathan earned a Masters in Biblical Theology and uses this degree along with several other math classes which he took for fun, to support his career as a Financial Planner. Together with his background in theology and career in finance, Jonathan has a unique perspective to teach us about contentment.

I sure hope to see you on Sunday at 8:00, 9:15 (Full KidCity available) or 10:45 am, or you can watch the Livestream on YouTube (Like and Subscribe) or Facebook at 10:45 am.

Have a great weekend,
Troy

Smashed…

A few days ago, I ground some coffee beans, loaded up the coffee maker, and hit the button to start my brew. One of my favorite times of the day is when I pour a fresh cup of coffee and take it out on the front porch to spend some time with the Lord.

I reached into the cupboard for one of my favorite mugs…
…and in an instant…
            …time seemed to stand still…
                        …I could feel my fingers grabbing at the air…
                                    …SMASH….

I dropped my coffee mug onto the countertop and it smashed into pieces….

This time it wasn’t the kid’s fault…this one was totally on me.

Ahhhh….such a bummer!!

I cleaned it up and grabbed another mug for my morning coffee.

But what if there wasn’t another mug?What if I would have to try to put the broken mug back together to enjoy my coffee?

I don’t even want to think about it 😊.

This Sunday I am looking forward to sharing about three words: peace, wicked and meek.

The word for peace describes a stone with a perfect whole shape with no cracks or a wall with no gaps or missing bricks. It means universal wholeness or flourishing….just like my coffee mug on the shelf before I dropped it.

The word for wicked means a person who destroys the purpose or design of something. My act of dropping my coffee mug was literally an act of wickedness. And I certainly had no intent to harm my cup…but I did…so there’s that.

The word for meek means to be bowed down, afflicted, or humbled.

In Psalm 37:10-15, we read about the WICKED, but we also learn the MEEK are the only people in this world who will inherit eternal life and experience abundant PEACE.

Fortunately, there are more coffee cups, so it’s an easy exchange…. However, unfortunately, there are no more worlds and in case you haven’t noticed ours is broken.

But don’t worry, there is incredible hope in the promise that in eternity, the meek will experience abundant peace…brought to us only through the Prince of Peace.
There is so much more…I can’t wait to see you on Sunday and dig in deeper.  I sure hope to see you on Sunday at 8:00, 9:15 (Full KidCity available) or 10:45 am, or you can watch the Livestream on YouTube (Like and Subscribe) or Facebook at 10:45 am.

Have a great weekend,
Troy

Peace or chaos…or both?

For the past few days, many of the youth and young adults from New Life have been serving our city. They have partnered to serve the homeless, played sports with refugees, shared their faith with various people, hosted a carnival for kids, and have had plenty of time for growth and community building together.

They are staying at New Life which means it looks a bit different. There are air mattresses, clothes, and stuff scattered into organized chaos.

Even though things here on the home front are scattered, it is quite peaceful compared to some of the places they were serving.

Yesterday, the crew helped host a sports camp at a soccer field and in a gymnasium. The field was hot, the gym was LOUD.

Imagine a hundred or so kids running, jumping, screaming, shouting, yelling, laughing, and playing in an enclosed area surrounded by hard surfaces. The sound bounced everywhere!

As a dad of five kids, I’ve learned how to tune out sound….HOWEVER, there was no tuning out the sound in the gym yesterday.

While the decibel level seemed to rival Arrowhead or a Jet engine AND kids were literally everywhere…there was one kid sound asleep on the gym floor.

I couldn’t hear myself think and this kid was sawing logs.

How in the world?

I don’t think I’ll ever know the secret to sleeping during chaos, however, there is hope for peace within our chaotic world.

Psalm 37 offers a challenge for you and me to be still before the Lord.

But how?

How can we experience peace while evil people seem to be succeeding or while injustices seem be common or while our lives are genuinely difficult?

This Sunday, Pastor Jeff Shrout will be preaching a sermon from Psalm 37:7-10 about how to take rest and be still before the Lord.

Even if your life feels like a loud gym, there is hope for rest and quietness in your soul.  I sure hope to see you on Sunday at 8:00, 9:15 (Full KidCity available) or 10:45 am, or you can watch the Livestream on YouTube (Like and Subscribe) or Facebook at 10:45 am.

Have a great and peaceful evening 😊,
Troy

Sooner rather than later…

A few weeks ago, the boys and I were driving to Dallas, TX. We finished up a few projects around the house, packed the car, and took off.

It was hot outside and cool in the car…which had more to do with the AC than the passengers 😊. We were headed south, and within a short time, traffic thinned out, I set the cruise and we settled in for the next 500 miles.

After looking at pretty much the same scenery for a few hours, I decided to look closer at my maps and discovered we were going to drive right through Norman, Oklahoma where my nephew and niece had just returned after their wedding.

I sent them a quick text to ask what they were doing in three hours and if they wanted to meet up. Everything worked out and we made the connection.

We toured the football stadium, campus, classrooms, and labs. Even though we were the only people around, we imagined what it would look and sound like when 86,112 people were crowded in for a game. We shared plenty of laughter and reminiscing and then our time was up and we had to press forward.

As we finished up our trip that day, I mused about how close we were to missing our loved ones. If I hadn’t looked at the map, we would have missed out on a great opportunity.

Similarly, there are times we live out our lives…day in and day out…and we miss amazing opportunities because we fail to look at our map for life. Too often we ignore the Scriptures and as a result, miss out on God’s plan for us.

This Sunday, I look forward to continuing our series through Psalm 37, “Thriving in an evil world.” We will focus on Psalm 37:3-6 where David offers a challenge for us to trust, delight, and commit ourselves.

But how?

Well…after spending time this week looking closely at the commands found in these verses, there is plenty of encouragement and direction. In fact, we will discover, that when we seek God, He consistently guides, provides, and presides for our good and His glory.

There is so much more to share, I sure hope to see you on Sunday at 8:00, 9:15 (Full KidCity available) or 10:45 am, or you can watch the Livestream on YouTube (Like and Subscribe) or Facebook at 10:45 am.

Have a great evening 😊,
Troy

Don’t worry…

Over the past two weeks, our family has driven more than 4,000 miles and been in every time zone in America. Leigh-Ann and the girls were in Seattle for a soccer tournament where Sophia’s team took 3rd in the nation. Congrats!

Meanwhile, the boys and I left for Dallas, TX for a tournament for Dallas. Yep, Dallas played in Dallas.

From there we met up in Atlanta for a wedding. It sure felt great to be back together after a week and a half apart.

On the day of the wedding we had a few wrinkles….about an hour before we were supposed to leave for the wedding we discovered one of the boys (under my supervision 😊) forgot his suit pants in KC. So, he and I raced out to find something…and at our 5th store, we hit the jackpot. We raced back to shower and get ready and made it to the wedding just at the right time.

The wedding and reception went awesome and then as we drove away, I noticed the car wasn’t cooling quite right…and within a few minutes warnings began flashing on the dashboard and it died. We coasted to a safe parking place, called some friends, tried a new battery, and stalled out again on an entrance ramp in Atlanta. With our friend’s help, we were all eventually transported back to our hotel.

Ultimately, our car was towed, diagnosed, and eventually pronounced dead. Fortunately, we were able to rent a van and made it back to KC safe and sound.  

During our travel saga, there were plenty of blessings. I had been scheduled to preach at a friend’s church on Sunday, July 3, however, he got COVID, and so we made other plans a few days prior. Since our car died, we wouldn’t have made it. When we canceled the preaching engagement, I decided to get an additional night in our hotel, so that was also covered. And we were walking distance from plenty of restaurants and most importantly a Sam’s Club. And last but certainly not least, we had a nice pool to complete our mandatory vacation in Atlanta.

At the same time, I would be lying if I told you I wasn’t at all worried about fixing or replacing the vehicle. It wasn’t easy wondering whether it would cost hundreds or thousands of dollars. Ultimately, I realized there was nothing more we could do and as a family, we attempted to stay focused on all the blessings.

You might relate…maybe you haven’t been left stranded in a distant city, but you have struggled with the unexpected. Perhaps a relationship or a job or maybe even a house or car. 

It is tempting to focus on the disappointments of life.

Don’t do it.

This Sunday, we begin a nine-week series through Psalm 37 about “Thriving in an evil world.” The point is there are people and groups of people who are evil, and they appear to be successful. However, we must not focus on changing those who are evil, but rather we must focus on God. 

Easier said than done…and this is why I hope to see you on Sunday at 8:00, 9:15 (Full KidCity available) or 10:45 am, or you can watch the Livestream on YouTube (Like and Subscribe) or Facebook at 10:45 am.

There will be plenty of encouragement to last you until next week 😊,
Troy