Fireworks Fun...I'm about to Explode!

Just wanted to pass along the latest excitement around our house: FIREWORKS! ACSH is running a fireworks stand (@ 6500 Steubenville Pike, Robinson) to raise money for a missions trip to Paraguay and I'm about to EXPLODE! It's a good cause, but I had no idea the work involved. We've fought wind, rain, thunder, lightning, and fatigue...sounds intense, huh?

No, I guess it's not really that bad, I'm just thinking the 4th should be celebrated in a more "relaxing" fashion. The rocket's red glare is being reflected in my blood-shot eyes at the moment!

Hey, if you're in the Pittsburgh area, come out and support the cause. Bring me a "no-doz" while you're at it!

Later.

CJH

Methuselah's Still Alive!

Methusaleh's not dead yet!

Dubbed the "Methuselah Tree" after the Bible's oldest person, a 26-month-old tree from what may be the oldest seed ever germinated now stands nearly four-feet (1.2 meters) tall. The new sapling was sprouted from a 2,000-year-old date palm excavated in Masada, the site of a cliff-side fortress in Israel where ancient Jews are said to have killed themselves to avoid capture by Roman invaders.

In my recent Father's Day sermon, I highlighted the importance of parents planting seeds of faith in their children; down the road (hopefully it won't take 2,000 years) that seed will produce future generations that serve the Lord!

My grandfather was a pastor/church planter in Bangor, Maine in the early 1950s. "Grampy" planted seeds of faith in my dad's life and my dad started churches in Maine and Louisiana, respectively! Dad then planted seeds of faith in me and the result...I started ACSH in Pittsburgh! Isn't is wonderful to consider the power of "seed-faith?"

Plant some seeds in your children and grandchildren now. What we pass down will take root and cause future generations to do even GREATER WORKS!

Just Do It!

Well, the Scriptures say, "Don't just be a hearer...be a doer." (possibly I've paraphrased a bit! :) I've heard enough about it from the "kids" and "techies" @ Agapé; so, here goes...I'm actually BLOGGING!

Now, what to write about? This is a personal blog, but somehow I feel odd focusing on myself. Maybe I'll start slow...let's discuss the roots of the wonderful church I'm privileged to oversee.
Truly, we just did it! The six of us (my family and three others) started in a basement seven years ago and now have our own building and a thriving congregation. Agapé started with a vision and became a reality. My wife and I weren't sure about moving from the "sunny south" to the "slightly less sunny" northern tundra, but we JUST DID IT and God has blessed beyond measure! We took action...do you sense the theme of this blog?

Here's your Baskin-Robbins scoop: marathons aren't won on desire alone; it takes hard-working legs to get you across the finish line! God blesses the person who hears and obeys His Word. Mary said to the servants in John 2, "Whatever he says to you, do it!" That's how we should respond to whatever God asks of us, "Lord, I hear it and I'm willing to do it."

OK...that's my first-ever BLOG, POST, or whatever you "kids" wanna call it. Take it to heart and God will come alive again in your life!