Portable Church

Click on the picture to see a video of what it is like to set-up and pack-up a portable church!

God of Encouragement

I have a page torn off from a small desk calendar that I carry around in my wallet. My wife gave it to me when I was having a low point in my life. The date on the calendar is Friday, July 10^th, 1998. For almost the past twelve years, I have carried it with me wherever I go.

The verse on the page is from psalm 139:17-18, “How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.”

In psalm 139 the author recognizes that God has made him and that he cannot escape the presence of God—nor would he want to. The verses above actually speak about the psalmist’s contemplations on the thoughts of God—but that is not the way I read it for years.

I read it, “How precious are your thoughts of me O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.”

Maybe the psalmist is not saying what I want him to say, but I know that it is true regardless. I know that God loves me and thinks thoughts of me beyond what I think of myself.

We all experience low points, grief, depression, feeling overwhelmed. Maybe you are right now?

It is not what others think of us that matters. What truly matters is what God thinks of us. Be encouraged—for you are loved and highly thought of by the one who made you.

I don’t remember the circumstances of my sadness twelve years ago, all I remember is the encouragement I have received.

HOW PRECIOUS ARE GOD’S THOUGHTS OF YOU!

Fun with Wax…

Margin

I live without margin in my life. I guess that is a confession of sorts. Maybe more like an AA introduction, “My name is Jeff Olive and I am marginless.” I fill my calendar up with every reasonable thing, only to forget that the best things are those that are not put on calendars—family time, Sabbath, rest, an afternoon of being instead of doing.

So, here I am trying to put more margin in my calendar. When my son wants to play with a remote control car, will I choose the better part? Sometimes. God, I hope so.

Where in your life do you need to create margin so that you can enjoy what is really important?

Sister Joan Chittister writes, “All we have in life is life. Things—the cars, the houses, the educations, the jobs, the money—come and go, turn to dust between our fingers, change and disappear.”

Don’t forget that all we have in life is life.

Here I go Again…

I am trying to recommit to blogging a couple of times a week. It seems to me that in large part facebook has killed the blog, and since I don’t use facebook YET–I am not an early adaptor (or even a late adaptor I guess), I am going to give this another try. I have changed up my blog theme, so if you subscribe on a feeder, go and check out the new look.

New Sermon Series

WATCH THE TRAILER….CLICK HERE…

How we Roll

Here is a picture of how one of our volunteers moves the trailer around his house. He has not, however, shown up to church with this vehicle YET.

Old School Christmas

Our old Christmas tree was finally trashed and we got a new one this year. I requested only one thing—colored lights. There was a time when I hated colored lights but I was wrong and repent of my sin. White lights are fine and very classy. But I just wanted an old school, have fun with the funky lights kind of tree. My wife and kids decorated it entirely in ornaments that we have either made or been given over the years. It’s beginning to feel a lot like….

Last pictures of Hike

Above: Jeff Sparks hiking up the trail.

Below: Aaron Laird practicing for Sunday mornings—a little snake handling and yes it was alive.

 

Below: Jeff Olive trying an after dinner vienna sausage—even roasted they tasted horrid.

Ouachita Hike

Aaron Laird, Jeff Sparks and I decided to go on a 23-mile hike. IT WAS THIS BEAUTIFUL.

Above: Aaron Laird (Dayspring worship leader) contemplates deep things. Forget singing, you have to think to lead worship.

Below: Jeff Sparks (He’s like the wilderness MacGyver) gets the campfire going.

Below: I find a mushroom as big as my head. I was tempted to taste but better judgment set in (ok Dennis M. or anybody, if you read this—what type of mushroom is that?).