What makes us 'special'?

I just got home from Wal-mart a few minutes ago and I was blown away by the people I saw there. All different sizes, shapes, colors and types of dress. What I realized is that each one of them wanted to feel special.

• For some of them what made them special was who they were with - their cute little baby, their big strong husband or their spry grandmother.
• For others what made them special was what they were wearing - the 'fast' new pair of sneakers, the halter top that left way too little to the imagination, the fatigues that said 'I'm a man!'.
• And some people were special because of what they were purchasing - the new stereo, eight cases of Pepsi products (must have been a special), the perfect gift for their perfect grandchild, the yellow blouse that will just make them gorgeous this summer.

Recently my wife told me of a lady who stopped by a rummage (junk) sale we were having at our house. She was perusing items and talking to her friend. In a little while her friend said it was about time to go, and she said to her friend "I just want to find that one special item some time today!" She wanted that one special item that would make her special.

Many of us will spend a large part of our lives searching for someone or something to make us feel special. We are already special regardless of our clothing, our house, or our bank account. God made us special. Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God has prepared in advance for us to do."

What makes us special is not what we have - it is what we do for others. Each of us has been given uniques capabilities that we can invest in others. We will feel the most fulfilled and complete when God is using us to touch someone else's life. We were made to do good works which make others feel special and along the way we recognize how special God has made us too.

You are getting so big!

I was at a convenience store a few days ago and as I was standing in line the cashier began to talk to a woman and her son. The boy was about 10 years old and the cashier was remarking about how big he was growing. I watched for his reaction as she was complimenting him. He leaned forward, placed his hands on the counter and went up on his tip-toes as far as he could. He made himself even taller. He was beaming from ear to ear to hear such positive comments about himself. Then his mother began talking to the cashier about the fact that her son plays trumpet in the band at school and they had a concert last night. The mother went on to say how great the concert was and how well her son played trumpet. If he had smiled any bigger I think his face might have broken.

That interaction took less than a minute, then his mother handed him his donut and they headed out the door. I stood there thinking about how incredibly happy and secure he felt in the fact that he was noticed and appreciated. I looked around at the other adults in the store and realized that none of us get compliments about how big we have gotten (we tend to get wider not taller) and most of us do not have a cheerleader who notices our special gifts and tells others about how special we are.

Then I thought, 'why not?' Why don't we dig deep and notice something special about those around us. Why don't we go out of our way to be complimentary to others? Doesn't a 30, 50 or 70 year old need it just as much as a 10 year old? We could leave a trail of smiles behind us throughout our day.

Sample website and prayer request

Sample website - I have been working on a website for the churches Jon and I will be pastoring. It is a pretty basic website that is not ready to be posted yet. Eventually it will be the main webpage and the blog you are reading will be a link off of the main page.

SeeWhatGodIsDoing.com

Prayer request - over the next month or so we will have to figure out what day and time to have the main worship service for both of the churches. This is a really big decision because both of the churches need to be reaching to unbelievers in their area. As we pray and plan about this and other issues we need to be sure that we are doing what is best for those who are in and out of the church.

There are many other things to pray about for both churches - finances, property decisions, short-term health and long-term vitality, etc. Please pray for Northway Community Fellowship and Fort Miller Wesleyan Church as the Lord leads you. Also, as you feel led please pray for Jon and I to have wisdom, patience, peace and boldness.

Clarity of Direction

Joan and I went up to the Eastern NY Wesleyan Headquarters this past Friday and Saturday to meet with Pastor Paul James and the district board of administration. They asked me to pastor at two churches north of Albany on an interim basis while the district is preparing for a church plant in the Clifton Park area. I accepted the offer and we will begin on July 12.

The two churches are Northway Christian Fellowship (a Wesleyan church) in Chestertown NY and the Fort Miller Wesleyan church. Both of the churches have been without a pastor for a while and need someone who will come and help them become solid, healthy churches. There are challenges that are unique to each church and it will be the first time I have ever had to think about two different situations simultaneously (actually kind of interesting).

Jon Wixson, a licensed minister in the Horseheads church, has decided to come along with us on this adventure, and we are hoping that he can be the on-site pastor for the Chestertown church while the Swansons live at the Fort Miller church. Jon is coming on faith - he will need a job and housing. This experience should be great for him, and he will be an excellent stabilizing force for the Northway Community Fellowship.

Our intention is to continue praying and planning for the church plant near Clifton Park. We do not know exactly when that will happen but this interim ministry at these two churches gives us a little breathing room to prepare for the church plant. Our intention is that when we leave these churches they will each be able to support a full-time pastor. This also gives us an opportunity to become more familiar with the area and develop contacts. God is leading us every step of the way.

Jake and Julia (funny)

Jacob is 11 and he is a morning person (for right now, we'll see how the teen years go). Julia is 5 and she is not a morning person. Well, Jacob woke up his usual chipper and talkative self this morning and at one point he was looking in a mirror and he exclaimed 'Am I a genius, or what?' It was silent for a moment and then I heard a little tiny voice call out from under her covers 'what ..."

I love Community Wesleyan Church!

Wow, it felt so good when I wrote that blog title. Because it is the truth. We have developed so many wonderful friends, co-workers, 'grandmas', 'grandpas', 'uncles' and 'aunts' here. It has been a privilege and a joy to be part of what God has done in and through this church in Horseheads, NY. We will miss the church very, very much.

As recently as the past Sunday we saw God moving in lives again. 5 people were baptized this past Sunday and their testimonies of God's forgiveness, healing and mercy left nearly everyone in tears. One of the people being baptized was talking about the church and he said that he was blown away by the love he felt here. He said that he came initially because someone 'forced' him to come, but then he realized that the church had something he did not have and he wanted it. He came to understand that 'it' is the peace and joy of knowing God our Father through his Son Jesus. I have heard that same story dozens of times, what a great testimony!

This past Sunday there were well over 200 people at CWC praising God in song, giving out hugs and handshakes, reading God's word, developing Christian relationships and growing in their relationship with God. What an awesome time, what an awesome place. There is a song that has come to my mind over and over again as I have prayed for CWC over the years.

You are awesome in this place mighty God,
You are awesome in this place Abba Father,
You are worthy of all praise,
To you are lives we raise,
You are awesome in this place mighty God.

That song says what should be happening in every church. The church should be a body of believers where God is lifted up and where believers are committing themselves to God's leading. An unbeliever should leave church in awe of what God can do in lives and what God can do through lives - 'ordinary people who serve an extra-ordinary God'. I firmly believe that CWC is that kind of church and that they will continue to be that kind of church. I cannot wait to hear how God continues to move in hearts and lives over these next years. I love this place!

Meeting this Saturday

This Friday (May 8, 2009) Joan and I will be traveling to the Albany area to attend a meeting on Saturday at the Eastern NY headquarters. At this meeting the district board will be discussing various ways that we could be used in ministry. Eventually we will be planting a church somewhere around Clifton Park, NY, but we might be able to help the district out in some other places along the way. I will post specifics once we have them.

We are very excited about the upcoming transition to the Eastern NY district. I am not saying anything bad about the Central NY district, I have felt very well supported and accepted in this district. It is just exciting to be taking on a new challenge and a new opportunity to be used by God.

In my next post I will be talking about our current church Community Wesleyan Church in Horseheads, NY, but I will just state now that I feel the same way about Community Wesleyan, I have really enjoy our 13 years here and it has been a joy to be part of God's work in the church and through the church.

A few years ago a family came to our church and I was so excited that they chose to join the church. They came for several months and then one Sunday the father came to me and said that they were leaving the church to go help at a church plant in the area. I was really thrown because this did not fit my idea for my church. I said all the right things to him, but inside I was frustrated. He basically told me that Community did not need his family and the other church did. As I struggled through those emotions over the next weeks I realized that I needed to develop more of a Kingdom mindset. The church plant did need that family more than we did and the family wanted to be an integral part of a church's ministry.

Just a few years later I find myself explaining the same thing to many different people about our family. Yes, I love this church, but we sense that there are other people in other places that God is calling us to. Hard to explain, hard to understand, but once God makes something clear there is only one reasonable response. "Here am I, send me."