Pastor Tim in Florida at GCMF Convocation

Pastor Tim is in Florida this week, attending the Gospel Crusade Ministerial Fellowship Convocation. GCMF is our "covering" as a church, and the organization through which Pastor Tim has his ministry credentials. Please keep Pastor Tim and his daughter Lindsey (who is traveling with him) in your prayers. Pastor Tim will be emailing reports throughout the week, which will be posted here for all who want to keep up with what he's up to:

FRIDAY

January 15, 2010 1:21 PM

Well here it is the final day of convocation. The theme for this year was "possessing the future" and over all it was a good seminar. I will share some highlights on Sunday morning.

Lindsey and I are now in the Sarasota Terminal and it turns out we are on the same flights clear back to the cities. Beautiful weather today (mid 70's and sunny) we will be boarding in about an hour. It has been great to spend a couple of days with her. I want to say Thank you to the church family and leadership for sending me to Convocation this year. It really is an important connection for the church.

God Bless you all and I will see you on Sunday.

January 15, 2010 7:59 AM

Well I thought it only fitting to conclude our auto rental account this morning.

We got our car back to the rental company about 1:30 yesterday afternoon and the airport is about 15 miles from our hotel. Rather than paying 30 dollars for a taxi we opted for public transit. Now that was an experiance that will preach sometime. But the short version is we needed to to two different buses. The first was the 99. We rode that from the Sarasota Airport to the Bradenton Courthouse. But we ended up at the courthouse five minutes after the 3E left for our end of town. Still about 6 mile from our hotel, and with an hour nad twenty minutes till the next bus, we thought we might as well walk a bit. It was in the low 70's and no wind, so we walked about two miles and when the next bus caught up to us, we were still about 4 miles from the hotel so we thought we would ride.

That was about a 4 hour jaunt but it really was all right. And as much as I wanted to blame everyone else, the "storal of the mory" is: a little bit of planning may get you a long ways from home; a little more planning will get you home. (Hey it was my first attempt at a moral for a story.)

Bless you all, thanks for your prayers we are coming back on Friday night.

THURSDAY

January 14, 2010 1:07 PM

1:45 pm we just finished lunch and I received a call from Enterprise Rent a car asking if they could talk to my daughter Lindsey. It turns out that the in the State of FL you need to be 21 to rent a car and she just turned 20 so we needed to return the car immediately. So we are on the way to the airport and not sure how we will procede from here. Life is an adventure. Ha.

January 14, 2010 12:17 PM

Good morning church, we just finished the morning sessions down here in Bradenton. First off the weather has gone from nice to WOW 72 degrees and full sonshine so I have a couple of hours this afternoon to just enjoy it. We may look for a lawn chair and just soak it up. In direct contrast to the bad fruit yesterday, we heard the acount of the good fruit that I taking place in the country of Romainia. The Gospel was introduced there 14 years ago and there are now over 700 Christ based (not state run) churches. GOOD FRUIT! Gerald Derstine will be speaking tonight.

WEDNESDAY

January 13, 2010 2:15 PM

Today I am spending the day with Lindsey, are on a slow track to Tampa. Lots of beaches! All was well until I decided to break open a coconut. Which I did. Now I don't even like coconut but we thought a real honest Florida one might be better. When I broke it open I began to gag from the smell and then got that milk on my hands and pants and thought I was going to hurl. Still not quite recovered.

January 13, 2010 7:44 AM

Good morning Church,

Well as I look at a wrap up of day 1, I find one theme over and over: "prepare for change in 2010." There has certainly been some confirmation for me as senior pastor. Nobody actually refered to "a Bell curve" but that was the message. The church needs to step back and allow God to renew Vision in the church. Vision that is "bigger than we are" and yet we look for God to give us one step at a time.

I was encouraged by that message, as well as the direction of GCMF. This year the leadership of GCMF has put a team together to spend time with the U.S. Churches, not to direct the churches but rather to hear from the local church and stand with us.

Today is a day of preperation.

I wonder where we have heard that message before? Ha!

I would love to say that I am missing MN, but it is going to be 70 today.

TUESDAY

January 12, 2010 12:15

A breezy 50 today