Rob Ketterling

BECOME CONFERENCE 2009

Just got back from checking in on the Girl's Become Conference at our Apple Valley campus and it looked like they were having a great time. There was way too much estrogen there so I left after a few minutes and let Becca enjoy the fun with the girls. It really is a great conference and the ladies of the church step up and minister to the girls in the church. It's part fun and part ministry and really a highlight for the girls in the youth ministry. Here's a few pictures to let you see what was going on.      

REALITY CHECK

I think all of us need a reality check on how bad the economy is. I am very, very aware of the layoffs and the unemployment out there but it is not equal to the Great Depression! It's not even equal to the Carter years and I lived through those years. (I remember waiting in line for gas, a misery index over 19% - it's at 7.5% now - interest rates in the teens and rising inflation. I also remember praying every night that dad would keep his job.) The Carter years were bad, but they were nothing like the Great Depression and if you talk to anyone that lived through them, you'll get a huge reality check.

During the Great Depression, 20% of our country was unemployed. My father in law said their family Christmas gift was a hunk of meat. Think of it, a hunk of meat to eat was your Christmas gift. Anybody even close to giving meat as the only gift for Christmas? It's clear that this is not another Great Depression.

So let me say this, keep the faith! God is bigger than anything we face, it's bad but it's not doom and gloom. We will get through this if our political leaders will make the right decisions and not make things worse. God is teaching us through this recession that man does not consist of the things he owns, that we need to put Him first and that being a steward of our finances is the right way to go. Let's keep trusting in God, being faithful with what we have and holding our government officials accountable.

SOAP CLARIFICATION

Some of the people reading the SOAP 365 reading plan have had some questions concerning verses 22-26 of Exodus 4. Here's a quick answer for those of you confused by it.

Moses was returning to Egypt to be God's spokesman and to confront Pharaoh. While he stopped for the night, God was angry with him because he had not followed the command given to Abraham in Genesis 17:14 that all males were to be circumcised. It appears that God or an Angel were going to take the life of his son because he was disobedient and going to represent God and God would not let this disobedience go on any longer. Moses' wife Zipporah either saw this coming, discerned it or sensed it and circumcised their child. She then threw the foreskin at Moses' feet and said in effect, (And paraphrased) "You were disobedient but I have done your job and saved our son's life. I am your wife and now I've done your messy bloody work!" So she let him have it for not doing what he was supposed to do..... If you're a married man, I'm sure you can relate and thank God for a wife that will help you when you drop the ball or drop the knife in this instance!

So there you have it, hope that clears it up.

KINGDOM BUILDER'S INVESTMENT

I've been praying for a great response to our Kingdom Builder's vision for 2009 and I want you to join me in prayer as we look to build four youth centers this year. I want to build one in Russia, one in the inner city of Minneapolis, one at our Faribault campus and one at our Apple Valley campus. I know it's a huge goal and a God sized plan but we serve a big all powerful God that can make it happen! I know it's a very uncertain economy and it could be that the worst is still to come, but with God, it's always time to move forward.

I've been amazed at the continued strength of our church and yesterday I heard that a Pastor I know just released 20 people from his team. While watching the news, we were told about the 1000 cuts at Target and the impending cuts at Best Buy. It looks like it's a time to cut back, but I still feel like it's a time to move ahead. So as the money comes in, we will build four youth centers and years from now, we'll look back and realize we did it at a time when things weren't the best. Keep praying for a great response and let's keep moving forward! It's always a great time to invest in things that expand the Kingdom of God!

YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS THIS WEEKEND!

Not only are we going to conclude our four part series on Change Before You Have To, but we will be having a music video that you don't want to miss. Here's a taste of what's to come!

FRONT ROW LEADERSHIP

Earlier this morning an email went out to the leaders at River Valley Church and it has a link to a teaching I did last week called, Front Row Leadership. I know that I did the teaching but I have to say, it's a good one! If you received the link please listen to it and let the leader of your ministry know that you did. It's a very timely message for our church to get people to step up and be front row leaders that change the world.

 

WHAT MAKES FOR A GREAT WEEKEND?

I usually give a re-cap of the weekend on Sunday night or on Monday morning and so many times I find myself saying it was a great weekend. I was about to say it again when I thought to myself, "What makes for a great weekend?" So what is it that makes a weekend great and what makes it average or even a below average weekend? For me, it's petty simple, a great church service where people get closer to God, time with my family and stuff to do so I'm not just sitting around. That's what I usually look for when I'm assessing my weekend and this weekend had all of it.

First of all, we had great services this weekend as we had part 3 of a 4 part series on change. The videos were funny and made an impact and I think the church is really growing with this series. (I mean depth wise, not numerically although we had our highest non-Easter attendance of 2197 people.) In addition to the growth, we had our Kingdom Builders weekend breakfast and also handed out commitment cards. Not as many families turned in a card but I believe we will see many more commitments come in throughout the week and also in next weeks services.

It was great to see the team from Fund Pchyolka with us this weekend and to meet the director of the ministry Ksoosha as she thanked us for having the Kingdom Builder's vision to bless Russia with the land for a youth center. It really made a huge impact on the congregation to see what we can do as we sacrifice and give and impact the world. Kingdom Builders is a great ministry with unlimited potential and I hope you'll get on board!

This weekend also had plenty to keep me busy, (Dinner with the leadership team from Fund Pchyolka, a wedding for Dale Cross and his wife Sarah, Kingdom Builders breakfast and chilling out by our fireplace.) It also had time for me to enjoy my family so for me, it was a really great weekend! 

ENOUGH SNOW?

I just had to take a picture of our snow pile at the end of the church parking lot, I can't believe how high it is! Usually it piles up but this year we've had so much snow that the pile is way bigger than my truck! I saw some kids up on top of it and I had to tell them to get down, it's like a cliff and if the y fell it could really be serious. I've had enough snow for now so I hope we get a break for a week or two.

MISSIONARY KIDS

Last night Becca and I along with Pastor Justin and Tara took some missionary kids out to dinner. They're all students at North Central University and I just wanted to spend some time with them and let them know that  we're a church that really supports missions and we wanted them to help us brainstorm ways to minister to Missionary kids when they go away to college. We really enjoyed our time and it was neat to hear how they grew up, what the transition to the U.S. is like and their highs and lows at college.

One of the things we forget is that their parents were called to the mission field, but they weren't. They were just the kids in the family that went along with the call and grew up in a foreign country. It's interesting because the country they were raised in becomes their home country in a way, and the country they are citizens of, seems la lot like a foreign country. It's a real challenge for them to adapt to America and all of our customs and nuances. Along with that, they can't really go home and see mom and dad when home is Spain or Italy or Iraq so they have some unique challenges and that's why we want to minister to the missionary kids here in Minnesota.

If you get an opportunity today, just say a quick prayer for the missionary kids around the world and here in the U.S. they are under a lot of pressure so they could use a little prayer and blessing.

KINGDOM BUILDERS BREAKFAST

This Saturday morning we're having our Kingdom Builders breakfast to share the details of our plans to build four youth centers. One in Russia, one in Minneapolis one in Apple Valley and one in Faribault. Please RSVP to the church and let us know if you plan to attend, this is going to be a giant undertaking but something well worth the cost and sacrifice. Hope to see you there!