Light the Darkness

Empowering Grace

In case you missed it because of the snow storm on Sunday here is the message that Ben Stears, Gardner Campus Pastor, and I shrared on Sunday at Indian Creek Download Empowering[1].  You can also listen to the podcast.  

The service ended with a great celebration.  There was a commissioning prayer for each campus and then the Gardner Campus core went through a line of Olathe Campus people who hi fived them all the way up the center aisle while we sang the song, Happy Day. Watch the video below if you want to enjoy the song. Many thanks to Margaret Outler, ala Cookie Monster, for rounding up 146 doz cookies for a cookie reception. 

This was a birthday celebration, a new campus was born.  Our last service as a single site church was exciting and sobering at the same time--kind of like birth.  God is doing a new thing and we are going with Him.

Pick Up the Snake

Do you ever read something in the Bible and you know you've read it a BUNCH of times but something new jumps out at you like you never noticed THAT before?  It is a "living" word. Recently I was re-reading the story of Moses and the burning bush, Ex 4, and was struck by the command of God, Ex 4:4, to pick up the snake by the tail.

I've enjoyed the metaphor of Moses throwing down his shepherd's staff many times.  God was asking Him to leave his old life for a new one.  The shepherd's rod was going to become the rod of God.  He had a new purpose and calling and it was going to take leaving the old.  Okay, so I got that. 

Two days ago I was thinking about this scenario again when I thought--why did God go to the trouble to turn the rod into a snake.  I know God used that miracle with Pharaoh later so there was a foreshadowing of what was to come but was there more?  Yes, it took faith to grab the snake by the tail.  I was raised in western Kansas and I know you don't catch a snake by the tail.  We used to catch bull snakes with our hands for the fun of it and the goal was always to grab them just behind the head.  It feels really cool as long as you don't get bit. But grabbing a snake by the tail is a receipt for disaster!

But still, why a snake?  Maybe it was a personal fear with Moses we don't know about--could be!  I'm guessing that there was a different reason and I think it has to do with the rod and his call to leadership.  Leadership bites.  It is a tough calling, you can't live to please people.  They turn on you and you can get hurt (not that that's ever happened to me, of course).  The more I thought about it the more appropriate the command seems to be.  Yes reach your hand right to the snake.  Yes pick it up despite the risk. Yes it doesn't make sense on a human level.  Yes the snake looks like the evil that tempted Eve. Yes, yes, yes there is danger BUT I AM is with you.  And if you will pick it up you can lead.  If you won't pick it up--you can't lead! 

In the moment that I thought through all of this I recommitted to my call and to leadership despite the risk.  God is Good and His Word is still speaking today.

Gary Kendall

Why We Do What We Do

If I ever need to remember why I do what I do all I need to do is to go to Alpha and I'll remember.  I know I say it a lot but I probably don't say it enough--Alpha is helping people find their way back to God with such regularity that it still amazes me. Tonight was the Friends and Family night when the Alpha attendees invite others.  Our group of 50 grew to 72.  We heard story after story for 45 minutes about how lives are changing because of the power of God. 

There was a story where a person came back to God and celebrated not only her 20th month of sobriety but the fact that she has found her way back to God.  Another person descibed how He felt led to ask the Holy Spirit to drown him with his presence.  He said he had been living a very vanilla life  and after that prayer his whole experience with God has changed.  A single mom talked about her ten year old daughter seeing such a difference in her that she asked her mom how to accept Christ.  Another single parent talked about how that she found great trust and encouragement in the church.  She even developed the courage to reconcile with her ex.  Still another found her way back to God and in the process decided that she shouldn't be living with her boyfriend.  When she asked him to come with her he refused and it made her rethink their upcoming marriage.  She's going to move out.  A man talked about how that he found healing.  His sister died and it caused him so much pain that he cursed God and told Him to stay away.  Later he repented but couldn't find peace in the Catholic Church.  He came to Indian Creek and attended Alpha.  He said on week six someone at his table challenged him that healing was possible.  He argued at the table but went home and prayed for healing. Now he has experienced what he didn't believe was possible.  A young recovering meth addict brought 7 friends who live with him at the Oxford house to church last Sunday brought still a different friend with him to Alpha tonight.  His friend said he is coming to church this next Sunday.

I could go on--there are even more stories but you can get a feel for the God stories that were shared tonight in Alpha.  Nights like this stick with me for a LONG time!  Praise God for His redeeming love.  The next Alpha class starts April 22 at 6:30 p.m.

Gary Kendall

Burn the Boats

Horatio Cortes sailed from Cuba in 1519 in search of treasure in Vera Cruz.  The story has become legendary so there are various accounts but what he accomplished is a matter of record.  He succeeded where many others before him failed.  The way he did it was to eliminate the possibility of retreat.  Cortes knew that as long as there was the possibility of retreat that his men would hold the possibility of failure as an option.  If things went poorly they could go back to the boats and return home.  So Cortes gave the order to "burn the boats" or another account says he sank the ships.  Whichever it was, he did cut off any possibility of escape.  Without that possibility his men fought for their lives and they prevailed. 

I wonder, is there anything holding you back from wholehearted passion?  Is there a place where you are leaving the possibility of escape or return to old habits?  I think we compromise our best efforts if we consciously leave the door open to quit, to pull back or turn away.  I think there are times when God calls us forward and we must go with complete dedication.  Close the door to the past and surrender completely to the plan of God. 

I'd like to hear your story.

Gary Kendall

Mission and Community Meet

Last Sunday I shared a thought in the stewardship moment that has stayed with me all week.  It wasn't original, I heard it from Gary Haugen of the International Justice Mission .  He said we all love the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30).  We highlight the community the injured Jew experienced.  We make a lot of the mercy, the grace, the love that Christ followers offer and that is all good and true.  We need community, a place to belong and a safe place to be real.  Having said that it is also true that the Church is called to be more than just community we are also on a mission to clean up that stretch of highway so more travelers don't get waylaid.  It is not enough just to rescue the hurting.  The Church is on mission to transform communities in a proactive way.

The Church is a beautiful blend of mission and community.  Neither is enough without the other.  There are those who major on the community side and they eschew organization, challenging vision/direction and funding.  But without mission people keep getting beaten up by the bullies.  Because there is mission the bullies are banished and community is possible.  The Church can't be only mission it needs the personal side of community but community without mission inevitably turns inward.

Gary Kendall

Taking a Break

After working on my taxes for a couple of days I decided to take a break once I finished by watching this video of sports wipeouts.  I don't know why I laugh but I get so tickled I can hardly watch.  Maybe I identify because I've done multiple wipeouts like these.  Some are hard to watch! If you need a break, here you go!

Taxes and Alpha

Yesterdays blog was Sing, Sing, Sing.  But since I've dedicated the last two days to getting my taxes done I thought today's blog should be named Taxes, taxes, taxes.  But thank Goodness that wasn't all there was to my day.  I started off with bad news right off the bat.  I use Quicken to track my expenses and it downloads from my bank statement.  Only somehow when I went to total the catagories they didn't look right.  After some checking not all the transactions downloaded.  Why it picked some and not others I do not know.  After visiting my bank and subsequently they called Quicken the answer was, we don't know either. Soooo that added about two days to the chore.

I worked through most of the mountain on Tuesday and Wednesday.  By Wednesday evening I was grateful for an excuse to get out of the house.  I went to Alpha which is always a highlight.  The food was great as usual.  Tom King shared a story that gripped my heart about a witnessing opportunity he had with a co-worker.  At the end of it he played the MercyMe song, "Maybe this Time."  It was powerfully convicting.  We had great discussion around our table.  I won't go into the nature of the conversation because I want to protect confidentiality but let's just say we waded neck deep into the real stuff of life.  At the end someone from another table came over and asked me if I would pray with her because she wanted to "come back to God."  What a way to close the day!  This kind of involvement with people just never gets old.  What a mighty God we serve!

If you are unfamilar with Alpha watch this 1 minute video:  http://www.alphausa.org/Media/Player.aspx?media_id=1000006384&file_id=

Gary Kendall

Sing, Sing, Sing

Do you ever get a song in your head that you can't get out?  In this case I don't want to get it out.  I've been hearing Chris Tomlin's Sing, Sing, Sing for days now so I thought I would share it.  This is a homemade video from Passion 08 in Atlanta.  I think I enjoy watching the crowd worship every bit as much as I enjoy the song.  Let this inspire you to sing, sing, sing!

Gary Kendall

One of My Favs

  Yesterday's service will go down as one of my favs.  Jim Davey did a great job telling the truth about lies and the need to dive into God's grace.  Rick and Christine Presley were transparent and real but gave great hope in sharing their journey.  I was so pleased that when people had the chance to pray with others after taking communion (or before) they did.  In every service people were lined up to pray, confess, receive a blessing or confide in a friend.  The Holy Spirit was moving all over that room.  The feed back from many was substantial.  Here's what one woman told me after the service, This church saved my life!  I said thank you and she said, no, I'm not sure you get what I'm saying.  This church saved my life, I'm not kidding.  I told her I was glad and that I believed her.  She added, Thank you so much for being here for me. Of course we all know it was God working in us and through us to accomplish His will and plan but it is awesome He can use us.

Another person wrote me this note on Facebook.  I just wanted to say that I love Indian Creek. I miss it when I cannot go there. I live in Paola, so sometimes it's hard to get there. I do not know what I would do without this church. I do not still know a lot of people there, but I still feel close to them. I support what you and others are doing there, 100%. God is blessing Indian Creek so much, and is there all the time. He is always there, doing something in someone's heart. No matter what it is. We are thankful to him for died for us. Amen

If you want to listen to the mp3 go to www.indiancreek.organd click on the "Resources" tab (on the far right).  From there choose Media and it will take you to the downloads.  Or you can go to ITunes and sign up for the Indian Creek weekly pod-cast.

Gary Kendall 

Slumdog Millionaire

Belinda and I went to see  Slumdog Millionaire with Rick and Christine Presley on Friday.  It was graphic and violent but the plot was fascinating.  I think I held my breathe the whole movie.  It was very true to the India I've experienced.  If they could have pumped in 105 degree temp and 85% humidity then added in the distinctive smell it would have seemed like I was in Maumbi.  

There are a ton of justice issues in the film just like there are in real life.  It makes me so grateful for the work of the India Gospel League.  I'm proud of Belinda and the thirty women who've gone with her to India over the ten trips she's made.  There are a lot of reasons why I'm thankful for Indian Creek Community Church but near the top of the list is our commitment to addressing justice issues and serving the world in Jesus' name. 

Movies like this area a reminder that life is tough but you've got to admire the persistence of love.

Gary Kendall