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Amazing church yesterday in small community church on the Outer Banks, NC. Amazing hope in midst of devastation of Hurricane Irene.

Another Bucket List Item Scratched Out

Yep, OCC (that's Orange County Choppers for those who haven't seen the show) was on my bucket list. It is amazing to see these bikes up close. It's like a museum or art gallery for motorheads. The detail is amazing, incredible paint, incredible metal work.

I had to pose outside the shop as everyone else was, but I didn't have a bike to pose with so I decided to show off my tat! (Also notice my new melon style!)

God has truly gifted people in amazing ways. I continue to be amazed at God's creation and creativity through His creation, us included, on this sabbatical journey.

Update

Our alternator went out in Wilton, NY. We made it into parking lot of a store. I went into the Stewart's Convience store asking the worker behind the counter if he knew of a rental car place. A customer overheard what i was saying and said "my brother owns a tow company and repair shop!"

A lot of other God-things happened but they got us a new alternator belt to get us running and now Sunday morning, they're working to replace alternator!

They(guys working on motorhome) keep saying it's a miracle how we were able to drive this far and how Duke just "happened" to be in Convience store when I was in there! It gave me a chance to share what I believe happened.God is good. I'm thankful for Les, Duke, Sam and Randy!

In His Grip from the Middle of Nowhere,

Brett

What I'm Learning on Sabbatical.

The church will exist and thrive and go on without me. Because of previous, it doesn't mean I'm not needed, wanted or of value to the church. It just means others are taking ownership and God is still showing up.
It's hard to slow down for me and enjoy the moment(s), but I'm learning.
Tell the family when I'm emptying holding tanks, not to run or flush anything!
I still can't shut off the little engine in my head after 4 weeks.
I miss the church.
We live in amazing country with amazing people.
There are things I've neglected to teach my two boys.
I can drive an RV like a champion.
Filling up at gas stations, you often have to re-swipe your debit card multiple times to fill a 100 gallon tank.
Put on auto reponder for email, before you leave.
45mph curves mean 45 in an RV.
Going to the bathroom in an RV is equivalent of going to the bathroom in airplane.
I didn't realize how tired I was.
Construction cones and cans will fall down when you hit them with a 17,000 pound object,
Instinct is sometimes better than trusting gps navigation.
God is in this trip and we see His work everyday. We are blessed by His goodness, care and hand of providence!

Location:County Road 31,Cooperstown,United States

Top things I''m learning on Sabbatical.

The church will exist and thrive and go on without me.

Because of previous, it doesn't mean I'm not needed, wanted or of value to the church. It just means others are taking ownership and God is still showing up.

It's hard to slow down for me and enjoy the moment(s), but I'm learning.

Tell the family when I'm emptying holding tanks, not to run or flush anything!

I still can't shut off the little engine in my head after 4 weeks.

I miss the church.

We live in amazing country with amazing people.

There are things I've neglected to teach my two boys.

I can drive an RV like a champion.

Filling up at gas stations, you often have to re-swipe your debit card multiple times to fill a 100 gallon tank.

Put on auto reponder for email, before you leave.

45mph curves mean 45 in an RV.

Going to the bathroom in an RV is equivalent of going to the bathroom in airplane.

I didn't realize how tired I was.

Construction cones and cans will fall down when you hit them with a 17,000 pound object,

God is in this trip and we see His work everyday. We are blessed by His goodness, care and hand of providence!

God Showing Off!

p125.mov Watch on Posterous

On our sabbatical tour, as we like to call it, we've been trying to teach and show Isaac how real God is and how much he cares for the little things about us.

On our drives through Yellowstone, we kept encountering bison. Isaac so much wanted one to stop right in front of us so he could get a good picture. But no matter how much we saw them, it always seemed to be the car ahead of us that got the privilege. So, we tries once more on our last go around the park, no luck

We got back to our RV camp sight, disappointed we had not had a close encounter, we began hooking up our portable home for the night. As Isaac and I hooked everything up, we hears a loud commotion behind us. All I can say is Go is great, He has a great sense of humor and He stink'n knows how to show off! Check out his video(sorry for the sideways angle but I got excited!)

Our view at Glacier National Park.

This is only our second day, but man am I tired. We decided to stay two days here. God's creativity and beauty amaze me. We are actually going on a hike this morning!

Pocket Jesus watching over "us" as we begin our journey!

What Does the Bible Have to Say About Effective Leadership (Part 4)

In the fourth installment we are going to look at " An Effective Leader Provides Direction." We are just getting ready to launch another year of NW Passage. This has been one of the most beneficial things we've done for Whipple Creek and for the individuals. The 9 month process has helped each person learn more of who God is, who they are and what God wants to do in and through them. 

We challenge with questions and statements. One of the things we look at is Christian leadership in the Church. Here is our fourth statement. Do you agree?

The Effective Leader Provides Direction

The effective leader is the sort of person who, guided by faith, uses goals and strategies to chart a course of action. Effective leaders help their people find methods to accomplish the vision, which they believe God has given to them. Jethro illustrated this principle in Exodus 18:14-23 when he advised his son-in-law, Moses to delegate some of his authority to others and focus on the sorts of issues that only he could address (and boy am I learning this one!). 

Jethro recognized the need and then outlined a strategy that would allow Moses to be faithful to his God-given responsibilities. The capacity to offer this sort of guidance is a skill that must be developed. If wise action is to be linked to good vision, then strategy must be developed.

NEXT UP: Part 5: The Effective Leader Confronts with Authority.

For more information, check out NW Passage or VantagePoint3 or send me an email.

 

In His Grip,

 

Brett

What Does the Bible Have to Say About Effective Leadership (Part 3)

Each year our leadership team leads a group of emerging leaders/influencers through a real cool 9 month process called Northwest Passage. I'm proud to say, leaders have emerged from that process who are now leading other leaders through the same process (duplication, I love it!)

One of the things we always address is "What does the Bible say about leadership?" So, here is the 3rd thing (out of 10) the Bible says about effective leadership (that is a leaders who leads Christianly) that comes from what we are studying and reading (thanks VantagePoint3).

Do you agree?

The effective Christian leader proclaims truth.

Effective leaders are the sort of people who communicate biblical truth in such a way that the hearer's head (the mind), the heart (the emotions, the seat of will), and hand (actions) are all challenged to a deeper conformity to Christ.

Paul exhorted Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:1-2 with these words:

"In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable: convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching."

Why would Paul make such a strong statement? Perhaps Timothy was having some doubts about how his teaching was being received by his congregation. He may have been getting some criticism. He may have been feeling a little insecure about things. Whatever the reason, Paul took this opportunity to remind him that one of his primary tasks as a leader was to communicate truth persistently (the Greek word has the sense of being busy at one's job, like fisherman who takes to the sea every day regardless of the weather), whether it seemed popular that particular day or not.

In this regard, St. Francis Assisi urged, "Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words." When we express biblical truth faithfully day in and day out, we point the way to that consistent Word and Work all of us need to keep in sight if we are to continue drawing closer and closer to God in Jesus.

NEXT: The Effective Leader Provides Direction

 

A Letter to Whipple Creek Church

I wanted to share with you a letter that was sent out to our church today.
Brett


Sabbatical Letter
To the Church of Whipple Creek
July 2011


Dear Church,


It’s hard to believe it was 10 years ago, that I, along with a dedicated group of people, about 20 or so of us, started Whipple Creek. We knew that God wanted to do something different in Vancouver, and that He wanted to use Real People who were living Real Lives to give people who were far from God Real Hope, what God intended the Real Church to be. And YOU are now a part of that journey.


Much has happened in the last 10 years, and I know God has much more for us in the next 10! The 10 years have been filled with blessing, hurts, joys, surprises, miracles, sadness, a lot of spiritual battle and a lot of God-things! But it has all been worth it.


With that said, I want to be ready for the next 10 years, knowing God has new challenges ahead for me and for Whipple. I want to be ready for it and be refreshed and renewed to lead the charge that God has entrusted me with and called me to do.  With the encouragement of wise counsel, I have decided to take a sabbatical this year. Sabbaticals are typically taken every 7th year in the life of a pastor. Sabbaticals can last anywhere from one month to a full year. This season will be a time of renewal, refocus and rest.


The “Sabbatical” idea is based on a Sabbath day of rest. Its purpose is for pastors to strengthen relationships with Christ and family and then to return to ministry refreshed, recharged and renewed.  When pastors are refreshed, recharged and renewed, so is the church.  My hope is that you’ll be supportive of my decision to take a sabbatical this fall.  Please join me in asking the Lord to make this time valuable for both my family and our church.


I enjoy ministry and am enthusiastic about the future of Whipple, though there is an undeniable sense of weightiness and a spiritual battle that simply goes with the territory. Those who know me best will agree that this Sabbatical is well-timed.  Our family will be distributing prayer cards, much like missionaries give out, so that you will know how you can be praying for us. We would be grateful for all your prayers for us.


I will be away from Whipple Creek from September 6th until November 27th. I'm happy to say that we have an incredible staff that will be sharing the responsibilities and leading the charge at Whipple during this time.  You’ll be receiving more emails, newsletters and letters from them in the month of August.


As far as the preaching/teaching goes, there will be several different people filling in as guest speakers, but you will know most of them, and they are men who I trust a great deal and who all love Whipple and its people. I know you'll be encouraging and supportive of them, just as you are to me - thank you!


To maximize this sabbatical rest, I've broken the time up into two general sections.  The first will be a time of Rest and Recovery.  I'll take the first part to simply catch my breath, spend some time with my bride and family.


This will be followed by a time of Reflection and Realignment. In the process, I want to meet with pastors and church leaders across the country who have inspired me, advised me and become good friends. My family and I want to see how we can bless these servants.


I'll be updating my blog at www.brettaljets.com on a regular basis if you would like to follow us on our journey as I process things “out-loud.”


In the coming weeks, you’ll be hearing who is taking care of what, so that you’ll know “who” to contact with questions or concerns. I believe this is going to be an awesome time for Whipple as we all step out in faith and step-up and into “owning” our Church. I believe this is the direction God has for us and the direction we need to go, in order to make us the Church that God has planned for us for the future.


In the meantime, if you have questions, comments, or concerns, please email me, text me, Facebook me, heck you can even talk to me or call me!


It's a privilege to serve together with you, and as your pastor, and I'm thankful for the terrific staff, elders and ministry teams around me.  I look forward to returning with a renewed vision of how Great God truly is, and a fresh understanding of how I might best serve Him at Whipple. I truly believe, the best for all of us is yet to come!


In His Grip,
Brett

(For those who I've been friends with via social networking, if we are in you neck of the woods, I'd love to see you!)

The Passion Reading

It's Thursday morning, I'm listening to Jerry read in 2 Samuel. As I sit and listen to him, I can't help reflect on his journey and the journey of all the people who have participated in The Passion Reading (we are reading the Bible from Genesis to Revelation continually-we started Wednesday at 9am).

It makes the Bible come alive for me. God's purposes, love, grace, love, provision, discipline, love, mercy, and love have moved greatly in these people. They might not see it, but I do. I am grateful for them and encouraged by them as they read.

When God's Word is spoken, mighty things happen. I imagine some of these words being read from the Bible, have for the first time been spoken outloud in our church. We are trusting His Word that it does not return void.

If you get a minute, join us online as we are live streaming the reading. The link is http://www.upstream.tv/channel/Whipple-creek-church

Brett

Easter Passion Week

God is doing some amazing things here at Whipple Creek and in Clark County! We are very excited this week as we prepare ourselves for the celebration of Easter. Here are somethings we'll be doing to engage our community. If you are in Vancouver, feel free to jump in. If you aren't in our vicinity, we ask that you pray for us as we try to make Jesus famous for the right reasons in Clark County.

We will be living streaming the Passion Reading starting at 9:00am Wednesday morning continuing until it has been completly read. 

Monday: 6pm-9:00pm Upper Room open for Prayer. You can have private prayer time with God or have someone prayer with you. Prayer intercessors will be available. The Upper Room will be open and available anytime the church is open. 

Tuesday: 7:00pm-8:00pm The Evidence for the Resurrection  class being taught by Jim Huntamer in the auditorium.

Wednesday: 9:00am The Passion reading begins.

                   6:00pm  Upper Room open for Prayer. You can have private prayer time with God or have someone prayer with you. Prayer intercessors will be available. The Upper Room will be open and available anytime the church is open. 

Thursday: 7:00pm We will gather at the church and form small teams to walk through our community praying for the spiritual, social, and physical welfare of our neighbors. We will end our prayer walk by sharing communion in the Upper Room.

Friday: 7:00pm Passion of the Christ: We will be showing "The Passion of the Christ" in the auditorium with a discussion afterwards for those who would like to stay. The movie is rated "R" for intense violence.

Saturday 9:00am-2:00pm Work day! We will be preparing the buildining and grounds for our Easter Services. Weed to your hearts delight; wield a power washer; hunt for cobwebs; touch up painting; windows washed; fun for everyone!

Sunday 10:30am and 3:00pm Worship with us as we celebrate the life of Jesus through music, video, speaking, and baptisms!

I pray you Easter is blessed and fulfilling to you and those you come in contact with during the week.

 

In His Grip,

 

Brett

<br />Live streaming video by Ustream

 

The Mammon Project

The 

“Make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous mammon, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal habitations” 

Luke 16:9

What is “unrighteous mammon?” It’s all our stuff! All the things that we have that will eventually rust, decay, burn, break, be used up, etc, etc. We have a wonderful opportunity and opportunity is a wonderful blessing.

I often read the accounts in Acts about that very first church and often think, “wouldn’t that be cool!” Well, we have the opportunity, a blessing, to do just what Acts 2:45 says. What if we all took our stuff we had and redistributed to those who don’t have any stuff or very little stuff? I’m not talking about our junk stuff, let’s just start with our food?

This is where the Mammon Project comes in: what if we all brought, out of our own supply, groceries and personal items to help someone in our church or for someone in our church who knows someone who has needs to be able to help them? We would be using our “unrighteous mammon,” our stuff, to literally be Jesus with skin on.

What if we actually sold some of our stuff, to resource those people? Wow! We could literally be a part of a church that could say, “They sold their possessions and belongings and distributed the proceeds to all, as any had need. . . praising God and having favor with all the people.”

That would be incredible! We'd actually get to live out loud what the Bible says! We'd actually get to make God’s Kingdom tangible!

We have the opportunity, let’s make it a blessing!

A Passion and a Burden Explained

My favorite saying lately has been, "We are better together than we are apart!" I believe that with my whole heart. You see, I have a burnden for many things, but I don't have a passion for all those things. That is why I am so glad we have the Church. In Ephesians 4:11-16 it says:

 "And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teacher,to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love."

Not only do we have a specific calling by God as indiviuals, I believe we have a specific calling as indiviual churches to be the Church, the Bride of Christ. We all need to pull together and work together for the common good of making Christ famous and doing His work here on this earth (feed, clothe, give drink, visit, you know the score). We are His hands and feet. I like to say we are Jesus with skin on.

So while I don't necessarily have a passion for helping with, let's say, those in prision, I have a burden for it so I must find someone with a passion for it and partner with them and come along side them as they do not only their burden and passion. I have not only the burden for the local church to be the Church, but I have a passion for it as well. I'll give my life for it. And there are those that have burden for the Church to be what it should be, but don't have a passion for it. I believe by us coming together with all of our passions and burdens, we make the church be the Church!

I'm excited for this next year to see what God is going to unvail to us and those we are partnerning with the be the Church. And no matter where you are, you can help! (and if there is anyway we can help you, with your passion, let us know!) Please, commit daily and partner with us for a couple of things.

1. Pray for us that we are able to reach this community, this city, this county with Christ's love and passion and heart.

2. Please help our community by voting every day in the Pepsi Refresh Grant contest. Vote daily by text AND by email. Here's the info:

Text: Text 105496 to 73774

AND

Online go to http://www.refresheverything.com/bereal (there is also an app for ipod/ipad/android available)

3. Share this info with your network, on facebook on twitter, or however else you can promote it (check earlier blog post for downloadable promotion piece. We need all of this to make it happen. (Also check out http://tinyurl.com/27zd85a if you haven't already to see a recent article our local paper did on our church.)

If you mail box is blowing up because of all my craziness with the Peps Refresh Grant, sorry, what can I say, I have a burden and a passion to make a difference in this community.

 

In His Grip,

 

Brett

A Little Press Hopefully Goes a Long Way!

We're in the paper, but didn't know it was so controversial. Love it that Jesus' work still stirs up controversy! A couple of clarity things though:

1. Whipple Creek or I did not start Grace Lodege. Grace Lodge came out of Grace Ministries headed up by Bill and Vicky Smith. I am just so grateful that I can be in such an incredible partnership with them to help people that need it.

2. No one is forced to listen to sermons, or give money or do anything to get a meal, help, clothes or anything else.

3. Marc Boldt, County Commissioner and all the other commissioners, thank you for having the forsight to see what the County needs to help with the propblem rather than bandaging the problem.

4. God is good all the time, the Holy Spirit is moving big time, and Jesus is becoming famous for His good! It's not just about Whipple Creek or Xchange Church, yes, there are many churches doing good right now and anytime one gets a little publicity, it should help the whole Church, at least I hope so. Let us spur one another on to love and good deeds continuing with what Jesus asked us to do, "feed hunger, clothe the naked, give drink to those that are thirsty, visit the sick and those in prision." 

I hope we as the Church can follow the 2 commands of loving God above all else and loving one another. I think if we could get that down, we'd be doing good. I think that maybe the only sermon we need to preach. Once we are doing it, then we can move on to the other stuff.

Okay, I'm done ranting, here's the link to the article in case you haven't read it yet (be sure to check out comments and comment yourself if you wish-I don't even care if you agree or disagree with it!) 

http://www.columbian.com/news/2011/jan/04/whipple-creek-church-makes-its-pres...

None-the-less, help the community by voting every day in the Pepsi Refresh Grant contest. Vote daily by text and by email. Here's the info:

Text: Text 105496 to 73774

Email: go to http://www.refresheverything.com/bereal (there is also an app for ipod/ipad/android available)

Share this info with your network, on facebook on twitter, or however else you can promote it.

 

In His Grip,

 

Brett

 

 

 

VOTE NOW and EVERY DAY through January, 2011!

We are in the running for a Pepsi Grant for $250,000. Vote daily through January, 2011. Vote two times, once by texting 105496 to 73774 and the second time by going to http://www.refresheverything.com/bereal. 

Please forward, repost and get your people and networks voting, we have to be in the top 2 to receive the funding! We

AND THEN

Print this flyer, hand it to a friend, hang it on window, pass it around the office. Email it so others can do the same! It's a promotion piece!

Thank you!

Vote for Our Grant in the Pepsi Refresh Grant for $250,000