If I had a camera....

I would have taken a picture this morning of something just absolutely beautiful. Kyle and I drove up to the bus stop this morning and we were running a few minutes behind. We stopped and just kind of sat there, almost half asleep. One of our neighbors were in the driveway and we just sat and watched the dad love on his children. They have 2 kids and they are in 2nd grade and kindergarten and they all were just smiling so big. He was hugging on them and his daughter was hugging his head with her head on top of his. I was just a wonderful picture of what a father is supposed to be doing with his children. The bus came and I told Kyle my normal thing that I love him and to make good decisions today. The bus pulled up and Kyle got out ... took a few steps and turned back to look at me. He whispered and I read his lips - "I love you".
It breaks my heart knowing there are kids right around me, in church, in our schools - our neighborhoods who have parents or not ... that they never get to hear those words. Whispered so softly but yet so amazingly meaningful. I pulled up after the bus left and rolled my window down. Our neighbor came over and I said good morning with a big smile and said you know - "If only I had a camera". They both looked at me funny and I told them that it is amazing how many kids don't get that kind of attention and love from their fathers today. He smiled and said - "Man, this is what its all about!" I have to agree.... Out of my mouth came - "God Bless you both today."
Carol and I are attending a memorial service this afternoon. A coworker and a dear friend of mine lost her husband last week. 42 years old and leaving behind a marriage and 4 kids. I think about how this family, while he was still here, was sort of fatherless. Now they are fatherless. So many dads today are unplugged from their families and in the lives of their children. They sink their passion and efforts into meaningless things. They spend hours watching sports on TV while their children are wanting to play with them, toss a ball, jump on the trampoline or just spend time together. Dad's are not leading their families...we are not teaching their children about what a marriage is supposed to look like. We are not the spiritual leaders of their homes. We are not teaching our daughters what is appropriate and what is not. We are not teaching our sons to be men and how to make decisions.
I am almost done reading "What a Daughter Needs from Her Dad." by Michael Farris. I wish I had been taking notes for this book so that I could just share it because it is powerful! But I know I would be retyping almost the entire book. There are pages and pages of good things to know about us fathers with what and how to raise a daughter. You might be thinking, Lonnie, you don't have a daughter. BUT - I do. I have many daughters because there are kids in my life that I love like a daughter. Many cases, I am that role model they need or that someone they can talk to because dad is not around or he is and doesn't take the time - time to be there, time to listen or time to invest in them. I am also learning about daughters because I have a son. He is going to be 12 this year.... time is flying by and it won't be long when I will have a young lady who has his heart and pray she has God in her heart and was raised with someone who took the time to show her love, respect and responsibility. It is never too early to be praying for them ...
The thing is loved ones, I don't do this for me. I am doing all this for the love that God has graced ME with. I want them to see that LOVE that God has for them and that He has a plan for them and no matter what they do, or where they go, or what happens to them - God will always love them.... even more than I, love them. Following Jesus is not about doing these steps or these certain things .... its about living your life for Jesus and letting HIM shine through what you are doing. That is living for Jesus..... let Your actions and the things YOU do be that from Him. If you are doing those things in your life - you can't help but to be involved. Even if it is outside of your family ..... Gods love has no bounderies.
If that was happening today ....... if this was taking place all along .... I would be free at 3:00 today but instead I will be at a memorial service. I wouldn't feel the pain from so many on Sunday mornings.
Dad's it time to step up to the plate and do the things that God is telling you to do. He is not asking .... His word is not a suggestion but we treating it like it was.

My Praise: Phillips, Craig and Dean
Lord, I wish I could praise You with adequate words
But You leave me speechless
And I so long to sing You the song You deserve
But it would be endless
I long to move Your heart
To bring You something new
To tell how great You are
Till my praise to You
chorus:
Its like an ocean breeze blowing on your face
Like a summer sun with its warm embrace
Like a gentle rain plays a symphony
Thats what I want my praise to be
Like a fragrant rose in the early spring
Like an eagle soars when it spreads its wings
Whatever, Lord, You may need from me
Thats what I want my praise to be
To YouEverything I could give, You already possess
Lord, Im so unworthy
Im just one of the millions to stand and confess
And yet still You hear me
Your heart is open wide
You long for what I bring
I pray somehow
Youll find this simple offering

Starting the work week~

What started out as a dreary and rainy Monday morning here, has turned out to be sunny and a great start to the work week. Yesterday was such a long day but a day that has left me just humbled on many fronts. I got to serve Communion yesterday and that is something that I never thought I would ever do, never thought I was good enough or ever felt worthy of doing such a thing. God has really walked the paths in life with me and I am just humbled to do such a high honor in serving the Lord's bread to our church family. If you are feeling like you are not worthy enough or don't feel that you are important enough to serve Christ - let me share this.
Ephesians 5:8
At one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.
God wants to use you. There is nothing better than serving on Sunday's and serving along side the K-5 kids in our church. Carol told me last night that it was awesome seeing Beth and I have fun serving together. All we were doing were moving lunch room tables and we were racing them back to the cafeteria. I have to admit - it was fun! But what is more fun is when our kids get it. They "get" serving and it also helps when parents serve. Rebecca was the same way yesterday - not much fun in taking the stage apart and putting the many pieces back into the storage area.... until we make it fun!

My quick quiet time this morning comes from Matthew 18:
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
10"See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.[a]
12"What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.

Yesterday in our KidsRock (K-5) our leader Mike did such a great job. He had some extra time built in for prayer. There were some children that have come a few times but I have yet to remember all their names. I have a hard time with names... but faces I am good with. As Mike began to explain what we were going to pray for, one of the children reached up (I was standing and she was sitting) and grabbed my hand. I knelt down and she held my hand as we prayed. It was pretty awesome and after we said "Amen" - I looked over at her and she was looking right at me and with the biggest smile! Every single one of those children are dear to God. They are so precious and that is a word I don't use often.
Precious is defined by dictionary.com as - dear; beloved; of high price or great value;
Its a word that not many kids use as most people that use it are older because they have experienced the value in it. God's children - (me and you if you are following Christ) are precious to Him. We are dear to His heart ..... He will go to the ends of the earth to get His 1 lost child back. Just as we would do for one of our lost children.
That prayer yesterday will stay with me this week.... Its an awesome week to know Jesus. The JOY in our salvation is on my heart......... That will be heavy this week as Carol and I and some others attend a memorial service on Wednesday. I will say more about that later.....
Lonnie~

A Saturday to Remember!

Well..... I just want to say - UNREAL. What a day it has been. 2500 people probably came in contact today to Rocky River Church. It was a day FULL of smiles for everyone. A free day for families to come and have fun, enjoy an Easter Egg Hunt, get candy, take pictures, enjoy fun on 5 bounces, listen to some great music, have a chance to win prizes and also - just enjoy each other in a community setting. God, you did good...... weather was perfect and R2C2 had lots of volunteers as we passed out 35,000 eggs and touch so many folks.
I want to thank Makenzie, Emily, Kyle, Madison, Jeff, Belinda, Torri, Nick and a few others for their hard work today dishing out eggs between hunts. Had a lot of good conversations today about church and why we do what we do.... Hope to see them tomorrow. The next few weeks are going to be amazing!
Well, got to lead setup and breakdown tomorrow... I am out of here. Love you all, tired but a good tired!
Sure feels good ........ serving God like this BE CONTAGIOUS!!!!! Its hard to believe I have a FRONT ROW SEAT to what God is doing ....

Lonnie~

TG(oodness)IF

It has been a crazy week. Sorry for the lack of posts this week. Monday yard work, Tuesday family time, Wed was bible study with the kids, Thursday mens bible study, Friday getting ready for the Easter Egg Hunt tomorrow and also working the Harrisburg Family Game nite right afterwards. Got to be at the fields tomorrow around 7:15 to start getting ready for the biggest Easter Egg Hunt in the area. We are expecting over 3000 people to attend. Times are from 10 - 12 and then party, lunch and clean up afterwards... also running Setup and Breakdown on Sunday for both church experiences and then Rock Group Sunday nite. Prayers please..... this is all while working full time, visiting "MyKids" in the schools, delivering breakfast to Pitts School Elementary to thank them for sharing their space with our church and also dealing with a great friend of mine who lost her grandpa and husband in the same week.

Ok - I think I am done......... I will post tomorrow with the Easter Egg Hunt ! God ~ You ROCK!!! Thank You for inventing coffee~

Lonnie~

Matthew 24~

My journey through the Book of Matthew ~
24Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25For whoever wants to save his life[h] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 27For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. 28I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."


As a follower of Jesus Christ - we all should be earnest in reaching others for Jesus no matter how far they seem to be or how many times you continue to ask them to church. Continue to show them the practical love of Jesus. Keep planting those seeds and know God is behind the scenes doing His part. This is tough for me today but right now, this is all I can say.
Love you all,
Lonnie

Monday morning Sunshine ~

It was awesome yesterday seeing the sun. After 4 days of rain and nasty dreary weather - the sun was a great addition to a great Sunday. I am doing some "Out of my comfort zone" stuff lately. I have been introduced to this thing called - "Zumba" - from a dear friend of ours. It has swept over our family and through our church and I am sure it will reach into the community level at some point. Honestly, I have never been much on dancing or even looking like I am dancing if you want to call it that :). Last night we had Rock Group at the new studio and I got the chance to be silly with everyone ~ especially the kids. It was a lot of fun and getting to see the other dads there was a hoot. If you know Sherry and Donnie - well, they have a lot of flash, style and an endless amount of energy! The opening of this new studio couldn't have come in more perfect timing for them and as an example for everyone else. As we wrapped up our Rock Group study on Prayer a while back - God opened the doors for this life long dream to become a reality for Sherry and Donnie. Things that normally would not line up to happen have taken place. A place to have a business, furniture, people coming from all over to go, functions for birthday parties and church youth events .... the possibilities are endless and when God is in the details of something... all we can do is hang on. I am so excited for them .......
A few weeks back I challenged our Rock Group folks to spend some time with God each day. We talked about when we should do this and for how long but the big question was actually, "Where do we start?" I asked everyone to begin in the New Testament and in the Book of Matthew. Being honest here, I have been stuck the last few days in:

Matthew 14:
Jesus Walks on the Water 22Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24but the boat was already a considerable distance[a] from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
25During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear.
27But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."
28"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."
29"Come," he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"
31Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"
32And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."
34When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. 35And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him 36and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed.
I am constantly in question of the things I am doing if I am keeping my eyes on Jesus. Keeping my eyes on Jesus brings me out of my comfort zone. So many things I do through my week I know I am doing so for the kingdom of God. Many times these are hard things and things I would have never done on my own. It is not about me but about Jesus. There are times where I just don't feel it when I go into the schools and someone questions me why I am there. There are struggles with, am I doing enough of/and the right things to lead my Rock Group families or reaching out to others in the practical love of Jesus. I want to have the right things to say, the right example to show, to be there for "MyKids" because dad is not around or for some other reason. Making a difference for someone and leaving them full of encouragement from the Lord is so high on my passion list.
I know when things are going good and everything seems to be working - I question myself with doubt about all of it blowing up in my face. Its not a question of "if" - its "When".
So many are losing their jobs, I am thankful I have one and if they wanted to cut my pay - then I am happy to do so just to keep it. I have folks all around me hurting, struggling, and often times questioning where God is in their struggles. I have so many of "MyKids" struggling with so many things ...there is so much I want to invest in them..... I am even reading a book about what a daughter needs from her father... Daughters? ... I don't have any daughters but God has given me so many that I love like my daughters. I am so blessed and thankful that I can invest in them and do life with them. I have even a more exciting book next on "Raising boys to be knights in the kingdom of God"..... can't wait to get into that one!!!
My eyes have to be even more focused on Jesus during these times so that I can show them Jesus. I have walked through some hard things in life and I have to say Jesus has never left my side. He has never let me down and He has always kept His promises. I must do this for others as well because at times everyone needs encouragement, something positive to hear or a practical example of Jesus. Everyone needs to feel wanted, loved and cared for in some way - especially when they are hurting.
Friends, God is using your struggles today to build your character. He is using them to shape who you are in Him. He is using them to show others how you completely rely on Him for all things. He is using them to finally get you to a point in your life where you basically cannot do anything else - except - to fully trust in Him. Its at this place and in this struggle and in your journey in life that God has you where you need to be. Focused on Him and fully relying on Him. It's there, that God uses people and really builds a persons faith and during these storms we grow our faith like never before. Be thankful for these storms in life because they teach us so much. For me, even during the struggles of those all around me - they too are my struggles and a reminder to keep my eyes on Jesus. I don't want to sink or doubt in my faith even an inch. Its my ministry and its not a private one ...as a follower of Jesus, I welcome those who are willing to journey together. With our eyes on Jesus - we too can get out of our boats and walk through the storms in our life fully knowing He will reach out His hands and save us - yet again.
Love you all,
Lonnie~

Open Invitation ~

For the next few weeks leading through the Sunday with Easter - Many will come to church. Some first time folks, some who make their 2 times a year passage through the doors and some who have not been in many years. I am thankful that I am serving our local community church. I am blessed that God has opened my heart and my eyes to serve not only those in our community but also the God who has made everything. As I walk along side so many folks today I am reminded of something that I have held close to me for several years.

God helps us and prepares us to help others. "He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us."

Our lives should reflect the promises that God has given us. Even through hard and difficult times our love and passion for our Lord Jesus should always be on our lips to share and show others. I am thankful for Rocky River Communuty Church - a church that has helped me to know Jesus, that has shown me the practical love of Jesus, that teaches me and challenges me to grow in my understanding of the things of God and helps me connect with others who have the same love of God as I do. We share tough times together, we go through seasons of pain and we also share in the seasons of blessings together.

I love the fact that Rocky River Community Church isn't about helping people become churchy--it's about helping people experience a transformed life in Christ that challenges folks to live out their faith daily in today's culture. Frankly, that's a lot harder than just being churchy. Churchiness is easy. You just follow prescribed rules and do what everyone else seems to be doing.
Real faith is dynamic. It's controversial. It's dangerous. It's constantly growing. It asks challenging questions. It involves mystery. You can't put it in a box. You can't explain it. You can't keep it quiet. You can't out-grow it. You can't out-dream it. It's more focused on others than it is on self. Real faith gives me peace but makes me discontent to let things stay the same.
It's amazing what God can do through a church that embraces that kind of vision for life together. It's revolutionary.

Love you all and hope to see you on a coming Sunday in the coming weeks.
Lonnie~