NEW MISSION STATEMENT FOR PF CHURCH

As the leadership team of PF Church, we have been feverishly working hard to develop a vision culture that launches us into 2009 and depicts who we are as a church and where are we going. The first part of our mission statement that we all felt spoke the heart of who we are is…Faith in the Living God.

To be the people that God has called us to be, it is going to take a great faith in the Living God who works on our behalf as we continue to listen to him. Without faith, it is impossible to please God – God is looking for a people who will believe in a dream that pushes us past what we can do in our own human strength to believing in a dream that is dependent upon him to fulfill. The second part of the mission statement is…Hope for the Hurting World. Our God has a big heart for the hurting in our community. I am excited to soon release the new strategies that will paint the picture of where we are going in 2009. All I can say is…watch out: it is going to be awesome!

In the month of January, we will be kicking off a series called the Purple Cow and it is all about living an extraordinary life in the supernatural strength of God. This will be a concentrated time to declare our vision to the faith community of PF Church. We will be kicking off 2009 with what we are calling – “Awakening – 21 Day Prayer & Fasting Challenge.”

One last thing, I am thankful for our leadership team of amazingly talented people who have invested big time in prayer and a shared process to listen to God and to each other as we declare the future vision culture of PF Church. God’s favor is surely on this team and even though it has been only 3 months, He has linked our hearts and I am enjoying the friendship and camaraderie of the staff and board as we endeavor to fulfill our mission – “Faith in the Living God, Hope for the Hurting World.”

MY FAMILY IS HUGE TO ME

“Most pastors have great difficulty keeping the pressures of the ministry from affecting the pleasures of their homes. That’s why it is crucial that Pastors learn that some areas of ministry exist in which they’ll please most people but probably not all of them. Ministers must learn to draw the line in the sand. Then they must leave it and go home to love the members their primary mission field their family,” (thoughts taken from Living in a Glass House by Donald Harvey).

Let me be honest: in my 28 years of ministry, this area has been hard. My family knows that I love them and they love me but sometimes I am absorbed in the work of the ministry. I am not proud of it and I always need to keep it in check. How are you doing in keeping your #1 mission field the main thing?

God uses Kids to Impact people @ PF Church

Once again our kids tore it up in ministering this weekend. The kids musical was funny, entertaining, hilarious at times but the message gave a strong push for a powerful living God who desires to work in the everyday problems of life. The end results were: many people made decisions for Christ and tons of people came forward for prayer desiring for Christ to show up. We have an outstanding kids ministry at PF and God uses them in dynamic ways. Way to go kids and parents, the ministry was fantastic! God showed up through our kids! I want to thank Stephanie Herman and her whole crew for the valiant effort that was put forth to touch so many people. I am thankful for a wonderful Children’s ministry. Way to go once again, Pastor Trisha!

How did the kids musical impact you this past weekend?

What is God doing at PF Church?

Last Sunday I was blown away. It was Sunday second service as I shared my message on the grace of God. At the end there were so many that responded that I could not count them all. The amazing part to me was the crying out to God without restraint. People responded with great emotion as I came to the decision time. I shared the challenge of salvation but then I shared how God loves them -- something began to happen. I then shared my story of how God healed me with His grace and truth from a graceless experience of an alcoholic father. Several people began to sob with un-controlling emotion as God’s healing grace was there to touch many lives. I am blown away as I sit back and see God’s amazing grace at work. How has God’s grace touched you?

MY LITTLE GIRL?

My daughter is graduating from College tomorrow. Can you believe it? Yes I know I am getting old and she has grown up way too quickly. We are on our way to Mpls. to see her walk the line and declare another great accomplishment in her life. This will be a marking point in her life and I am extremely proud of her. She is a woman of God that has a huge heart for children or really anybody. We have always said, Alyssa is a beautiful girl inside and out. One thing I know is God is not finished with her yet and the best is yet to come. Graduation is just a launch pad to send her off into this great world ready to make her splash and impact. One thing I know - You better watch out world, because she will make a royal splash! I love my daughter and am extremely proud of her. When she walks across the stage I will be the dad cheering and tears will be flooding up in my eyes as I think, that is my daughter and God is going to use her in a great way in the future. I love you Alyssa!

Gas Buy Down Outreach - Powerful Experience!

PF church sponsored a Gas Buy Down this past Saturday. We had cars waiting 2 blocks down the road in both directions. There were 19 of us and we served 157 cars and pumped 1,937 gallons of gasoline. The power of influence when you show God’s love in practical ways is huge. There were people who shared how their life was filled with stress and wondered if God could help them with the challenges of their lives. Also, one man shared about his father who was an alcoholic and he needed God to help him deal with it. It was well worth the money and time invested in the event. This past weekend 3-4 families came to our church because of the outreach and loved it. I am thankful for the great team who showed up and served their community; their light was contagious. They were showing God’s love in practical ways.

A Thanksgiving I can't keep quiet about

On Thanksgiving Day, the turkey aroma just gets those mouth watering juices flowing and the stomach rumbling, but somehow I need to think about what I am thankful for and the list is so long that I can’t possibly name them all. The distraction of the smell makes it difficult but let me give you a few. We have just made a move from Rogers, MN to Sheyboygan, WI, which is a 6-hour drive, 350+ miles but it was a move that was created and orchestrated by the Holy Spirit and was made in heaven to bless the socks off of the Apple family. We could not be more thrilled for the executive team and people of PF Church. What a joy to get to know so many wonderful people who have such a heart for God and a passion for the church!

We left a great number of friends in Rogers at HighPoint church, yet wondered what would this next step be like -- we have been blessed way beyond our greatest imaginations. Turkey aroma might have affected my thought patterns but there is no way I would pass up a chance to thank the leadership and people of PF Church for allowing us to serve them. We are looking forward to an adventurous journey with our new congregation and wonderful friends as we love God and love others together.

NO NEGATIVE IN THE HEART OF A LEADER!

Save us from the pain of the brain drain of leadership issues. Leadership stuff can drain the energy from your emotional tank if you are not careful. Someone said, “A leader should not allow negative things to take up space in their lives.” Scripture shares - Proverbs 4:23 – “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the well spring of life.”

If we want to achieve God’s vision it is essential that we get rid of negative energy asap. There a lot of things that come into our path draining us from being fully energized and dedicated to pursue the vision. These items can be anything from sickness, to conflict, to hurting feelings, criticism and the list goes on and on. If you want to reach your potential in leading others, it is a must that you do not allow negative things it to exist in your heart for more than 24 hours. We need to get rid of it pronto. How do we get rid of things that drain us, stuff that crushes our spirit or negative energy?

First of all, we have to ask the biggest question of all - can I repair it? Is there something I can do to straighten out the issue? Then we need to ask if there is any possibility of changing the situation to keep from this happening again . Last of all, if that does not work, then we need to resolve it by letting it go. It seems that sometimes we have to resolve that there is nothing we can do but call up God to assist us in letting it go. I realize that this step or really any of the steps are not easy things to do but the key is release the brain drain issue and get on with the vision God has called you to. There is a tendency to just ignore or pretend this issue will go away but prolonged energy drains and reduces effectiveness and the suffering will continue to increase in intensity. Scripture says, “A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge but the simple keep going and suffer for it.” Prov. 22:3 – “Don’t bury your head in the sand – kick out the stuff that drain you before your emotional tank shows up empty.” When it is empty it has gone too far and damage has happened, therefore, DO something Now!

What could you give to Jesus this Christmas?

We have just launched a special Jesus offering for Christmas this past weekend. The challenge this Christmas is to give your best gift to Jesus. It is exciting to see what God will do when we believe... We are hoping to fund the following projects: We are going to raise $5,000 for a well in India – We are going to raise $1,000 for in-ear hardware for a language translation system – We are going to raise $5,000 for Benevolence ministry for our community – We are going to raise $5,000 for an Orphanage ministry in Venezuela – We are going to raise $5,500 for a video projector for our children’s ministry – We are going to raise $14,000 for 2 projectors for our sanctuary. The total amount needed to be raised is $34,500. Kickoff was last week and runs throughout Christmas. Don’t miss a great opportunity to give your gift to Jesus at Christmas time. Let it be the best gift ever…

Way too much better than great!

I met a friend on a YWAM missions trip to Monterrey. She taught me this mantra: “Way too much better than great.” Everywhere we went as we would see God do incredible things, she would lead us in this mantra that God is “Way too much better than great.” Here we go - I love the church I am pastoring. I am in the world’s greatest church ever. Words cannot express what my wife and I feel about Praise Fellowship Church. It is way too much better than great! We are so pumped about the staff, board, people, youth, children, services, people who are new and people who have been at the church forever. What a blessing! I can’t believe how blessed we are to be able to serve in such a great church. Today we saw 20+ people make a decision for Christ. It is always cool when that happens. We are fulfilling the plan of God for the reason why the church exists. We have seen 100 people make decisions in 6 weeks. Wow – can you believe that? That is way too cool to see how God is orchestrating this whole deal. His favor is on the church and the leadership. All I can say it is because of what God is doing it is…way too much better than great.
If you are part of Praise Fellowship Church let me hear what you think about our faith community. Let me know what you think?

OBAMA IS OUR NEW PRESIDENT!

I have kept away in getting involved in politics but I need to speak up. I have consistently heard following the election how our new president is an "obamination" to the future of America. Whoever you voted for we have to trust and realize that God is control and nothing happens unless he gives the OK nod. It is not about Obama or Bush or whoever, it is about believing that God is bigger than all this and he is control. Secondly, we are called to pray and support our leaders. We may disagree with them but our best answer is to get involved and to pray.

Brand New Message Series - Financial Peace

You are invited to PF church for a brand new series called Financial Peace. Learn and discover the wisdom of God principles for finances.
If you want Financial Peace then You have to change your life!
If you want to change your finances you have to make changes in your life. I am convinced that success in personal finance is 80% behavior and 20% head knowledge. The challenge will be to get on the on-ramp of spiritual growth and peace when it comes to your finances.

In this series you will learn:
• A proven process for getting out of debt
• How to create a lifestyle of generosity
• In today’s economy, how do we deal with living beyond our means
• How do we deal with the stress of finances
• How do we find peace in today’s economy
• Resources: Books, articles & financial tools
• And much, much more

Spirit's Leading?

I grew up in a Spirit filled church and have been around the block millions of times (well may not millions but a lot) and experienced many moves of God. There is a tension when it comes to humanity and the works of the Holy Spirit. One thing I do know is…not everything that shouts “Spirit-filled” is really from God. This tension is played out in many churches in some Spiritual abuses using the name of the Spirit but it also is played out in a powerful manner when God truly does move upon a human heart. When the authentic word from God is given to the body in an orderly manner, it brings life and freedom to a group of people who truly desire to have an encounter with God. I love it when God uses man to share his “Now” words to hungry hearers who desire to listen and obey. I am bummed when we fake it or try to make it up or the other side of the issue when a group of people don’t value the words that God has spoken to a faith community. My position as Lead Pastor is to shepherd a faith community who will authentically go after experiencing God to the fullest. The only way I can do that is to provide headship and ask God to lead me as I determine what is from God and what is not and then to challenge the faith community that I represent to value the gifts.

The process at PF church is to provide a setting that is safe but helps all to receive and understand what God is doing in the corporate setting. As the lead pastor, I usually sit in the front row and when people have a gift that they feel is from the Spirit, I then provide the covering that is needed to have a safe setting but also that can be shared in an appropriate manner with the faith community. This is done in our setting with first touching base with the lead pastor or whoever is leading the service and he will assist in when it will be used. This is done so that everybody will benefit and all will understand and value the words that will be shared. The result is the NOW Word has been spoken and many can encounter God more fully with hopefully less abuse. I believe gifts of the Spirit are to being given authentically from the Spirit and orderly so that all can benefit. Let’s be a passionate church who desires to hear from God!

Red Apple Evangelism

I received this transcript from a church out on the east coast. I have been massaging this idea in my thoughts and life.

The message is called Red Apple Evangelism. 2 Corinthians 2:15 – “Some will receive our witness and be saved, for we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved.” God is going to give us opportunities to share Jesus with some people and they’re gonna to be like, “Wow, you are the aroma of life.” There are people who are what you would call red apple people – people who are ripe to the gospel. You are going to talk to them and they are going to say, “Where have you been all my life? I have been searching and looking for this message.” You walk away and are taken back with a cool sense that you were an aroma of life to some people. It is so powerful when that happens; when people reveal their hunger to know about God. Please note that it is God who does the work. Who is it that gets people to the red ripened stage to receive the gospel? God does! And how does he ripen people to the gospel? I think he uses circumstances. Now, I can’t ripen someone to the gospel even though I would like to and even may try. This is the work of the Holy Spirit that draws many to know Jesus. Think of the process like the sun beating down on this apple ripening it and preparing it for harvest. Now the same sun can melt the ice but also hardens the clay. And you can see 2 people going through the same thing. One will become so tender, red ripe for the gospel, and another one will become bitter and hard. What’s up with that? One will reject our witness and perish or the timing is not right at this point. The other is an aroma of life and he or she is wide open to receiving the gospel.

Well it goes on to say, “To one a fragrance of death to death to the other a fragrance of life to life.” Some people will reject our witness and possibly perish. We have all seen that before. They will be spending eternity separated from God, even though they have heard the message. Well we call these people green apples. Maybe someday they will become red apples, but the key is to understand where they are at. Sharing to a green apple may be offensive and the aroma smells like death. Green apples are not ripe for the gospel; they are not ready to hear it. Have you ever tried to share Christ with a green apple? Yea, it is tough to see people who are green and not ready, but the key that we need to remember is God can ripen people to the gospel and we need to look for his lead and watch how he draws all people unto Him.

I like the analogy of the red apples maybe because my name is Apple or maybe it’s about a core passion that I have? One thing I do know in the last 4 weeks at Praise Fellowship we have seen 76 red apples. There may have been some green apples in our midst, but all I know there is a hunger for salvation and I can’t wait to see what God is going to do at PF church. Please note: Our core mission is all Apple’s are welcomed no matter where they are at in the ripening stage. It has been a blast watching many give their lives to the Lord. All I can say is…give us some more red-ripe apples!

The church is out of touch, irrelevant, and a waste of time?

"Christianity has an image problem" are the first words of the book called Unchristian. What do people think about Christians and Christianity? Should people's perceptions matter to Christ followers? The book brings out that people are seeming to have little trust in the Christian faith and esteem for the lifestyle of Christ followers. More and more intellectual and emotional barriers are being erected when they are around Christians. What does this mean for us…could this alter people's willingness to commit their lives to Jesus? Next 3 weeks (starting October 11th & 12th) we will be tackling this issue at PF Church...CHECK IT OUT! The series is called..."10 Things I Hate about Church" See you there!

Pass the Baton!

The leadership baton exchange and installation service was quite a powerful moment for Praise Fellowship Church. It had been 29 years since the last pastoral installation thanks to the excellent leadership of Ed & Margaret Homer. I was overwhelmed with this momenteous experience of thinking of the greatness of God and how He has orchestrated all of this and I can see his fingerprints all over my life for about 29 years. God has been moving me forward from the beginning to this moment to serve as a leader of PF. Wow – as my friend shared on a missions trip recently – "Way too much better than Great"! It was truly a…way too much better than great experience. Pastor Ed Margaret Homer was there along with my good friend and superintendant, Larry Liebe. Ed Homer shared some great words of support and expressions of gratitude. The charge was given by Larry Liebe and a new beginning has been declared: we are all on a hunt to see the bigness of God being revealed in PF and the Sheboygan area. Thanks to the board and leadership who have opened their arms to the Apple family and we all look with anticipation for what God is going to do next.

Have you seen the 5 billboards that PF Church has up right now? I am pumped about doing the billboards and raising the water level of spiritual interest. Soon there will be a direct mail piece that will hit every home in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. This will make it easy for creating greater visibility. I am pleased in what I am hearing and seeing in people inviting others to our Community day. I invited my first person today! I am hoping and praying this person will come. Let me know what you think?

Thots on the Leadership team of Praise Fellowship Church

Let me tell you something: I love the staff @ PF church. 12 days at my new position and I am totally pumped about the executive leadership team of the church. They have talent coming out of their ears, but most of all, they are authentic in their spirituality. Each of them love what they do and they work beyond the call of duty. They are just great people to hang out with and I am looking forward to do life with them in the future.

Artwork not good – MM’s were good - weekend was boiling powerful

Apple family’s first weekend at Pf was boiling hot with connecting to some new friends and trying out some fancy-nancy artwork on my first message. We are pumped about our new church! My hand was a little sore from shaking 750 hands – prayed with many who want to increase the temp of their life – 10 people responded to Christ and even though my drawing was somewhat confusing to figure out in the message I am flying high with anticipation of what God is going to do Next at PF.

The Big Event

Something that I am pumped up for... COMMUNITY DAY - OCTOBER 11th & 12th
We are sending a message that everyone is welcome at PF church. I am believing. praying and claiming a 20% increase on this big weekend. Pray with me and invite someone to our community day. I love the idea that everyone is welcome. We will have a community party tent with specialty coffee from none other than Starbucks. Pastries galore and mouth-watering ice cream. PF is about being a relational place where you can belong.