Her name is Lola…

Lola

Ok, after the passing of Billo my heart was not ready for a new dog.  But, with compelling reasons from the boys and the discover of a black lab and something with a special calm look we rescued this puppy from the Polk County Shelter.  Funny how you drive to Springfield to get a puppy from a place that is about five minutes from the house.

Well, I wish I could say all has gone well.  But, you defiantly know you are loved and someone is glad to see you when you get home at our house.  It is be loved by Lola or suffer the pouch from your actions.

So when you come to our house be ready to loved by Lola…

Garden Hose and the Gospel…

Well, service number three has come and gone.  The Lord continues to bless our church with positive gains in Bible study attendance and good gains in worship attendance.  As a church we are knocking on a thousand in both worship centers, with The Encounter @ FBC knocking on four hundred.  I simply say may God be praised.

This week the new wrinkle was the garden hose.  Yes, not one, not two, but three garden hoses.  You see we are having a problem getting a good lan connection between the building.  So we knew that we could string a cat5 cable between the buildings and bypass the week link.  But, how do you protect a network cable across a busy gravel parking lot and a major side street of the church.  The solution, thanks to Ray Leininger was a garden hose.  Why did I know think of that.

So now each Sunday we turn off the wireless connection at the main building.  Plug the cable in a hose into the router at the Esquire and spool out about three hundred feet of hose carrying cable.  We go in a window at the church into an intern office and plug in.  Progress.  I keep telling myself that is is progress.

Well, I will gladly continue to call contractors, enlist the help of my friends to get a good bid (Roy) and continue to bury this wire or fiber which ever we can afford.  Until then, if you wish to see spooling for to gospel carrying garden hose at FBC Bolivar just come by and see me before Bible Study.

To God be the Glory….

It is Official!

Well, family and friends live practice services have come and gone.  A few minor issues, but nothing that the team could not handle.  The growing number of volunteers has made the creative process of a contemporary worship service very dynamic.

We launched Sunday, Feburary 1.  I don’t mind saying it was a crazy Sunday.  We moved back into one Sunday morning Bible Study hour.  I talked with a few people in the halls that were looking for a class or did not have an idea of what class to try.  I hope my suggestion help them find a small group Bible study home.

Oh, I also helpped with a baptism on Sunday morning.  That is always a good day in my books.

Then the start of the  dual worship at FBC.  It was a great Sunday.  Take out a couple of minor techinal issues and it was a perfect day.  We did have a great attendance in both services, with the total approaching a thousand people.  It is nice to know that we as a church can adjust to changing times.  We understand the important relationship between worship and small group Bible study.

All in all a good day to walk with the Lord and to do His thing with Him.

Oh, the technology that we are using to reach the Esquire (old movie theater) is a slingbox, our in house lan, to wireless routers for a bridge across the block, the in house lan in the Esquire, a computer to catch and spool the main worship service and Tom Sneed’s quick and nimble fingers on a combination of buttons.

The Encounter @ FBC

It does not seem possible, but we are now just a couple of weeks away from the launch of a new worship service at Firt Baptist Church.  This week we will have our first Friends and Family service to continue to work out the glitches and bumps.

The team is moving quickly towards being ready to launch on February This has been a hugh amount of work and it has come together in a very short time.  

I am very excited and worried.  I have been pray for God to calm my heart and temper my excitment.  Easier said and down.

Brillo

In time I will look for a picture of Brillo.  I am just now ready to begin writing and talking about the passing of our long time family pet.  It is amazing to me just how much joy a good pet can bring to the family.

Brillo’s ten plus years are part of they family bring many smiles.  From play soccer with Jake and just running in the sun with Luke to laying on the deck in the snow.  Why he never liked the expensive dog house we bought, but love to lay under the kitchen table is a mystry to me.

In time we will have another family dog, but he will hold fond memories.

Birthdays and Thanksgiving…

I like to ponder things.  I am always thinking about something, always trying to solve something or to improve something.  Generaly, the target of my thoughts would be my life and actions.  This past week was my birthday.  My son sang a few lines from “Old Man River”.  I was only mildly amused.  

My birthday is a good point to have my own personal state of the union.  First, I check to see if all of my body parts are intact and still functioning.  This year most of the parts are still working well.  My right side is doing a bit better this year than the left.  I really do need to have that shoulder looked.

Next I like to check to see if all my mental bits are still in order and working.  Do I still like to learn new things?  Check.  Do I still remember and apply a good bit of what I have learned? Check.  Do I still find wonder in God’s creation and does it amaze me?  Check.  Did something I read or studied in God’s word change me in someway? Check.

After my mental check list I move on to making sure I have not lost any valuable relationships.  Wife.  Check.  Have I mentioned that she is very lovely and makes a great best friend.  Sons.  Check  I have mentioned how proud I am of them and all they have managed to learn and accomplish.  Parents.  Check.  Check and check.  I am reminded that I should check on my Mom and Jeanne’s parents more often.  My birthday reminds me that time with them is a gift to be treasured.  Grandma Purkey….  A grand Christian saint.  One more reason to look forward to heaven.  She give a great welcome hug.

Purpose, I belive you should check your purpose for living as well.   To bring glory and honor to God.  Ok, I want to do more here next year.  My birthday reminds me that life is a wonder daily gift from God and He has a plan and a purpose and it somehow involves me.  I understand the role of being a bench player given the opportunity to be in the game.  It is great when the coach is your Father.  I think you dig a little deeper just to get the “nod”.

Oh, gifts.  Yes, check.  Coffee from Italy.  You, just dont get that at Woods Super Maket in Bolivar you know.  Why someone would lug a can of coffee all the way from Italy is the real gift.   Mario Cart for the Wii and a hundred races with the boys.  The real gift if the invitation from my sons to come and play.  I savor those races.  I relish it when I win.   Expresso machine from my wife.  I think she just wants a cup of my coffee.  I think I can trade coffee of kisses.  Oh, wait she just gives those to me.  Got to love the married moments.

Yeah, I have a birthday that every now and then falls on Thanksgiving day.  But, hey why wait I will be thankful early.  Oh, did I mention that we had my Mom and Peppie (her dog) over for Thanksgiving and we had lasguna and apple pie just like the pilgrams.  Well that is my story.  Got to love it when a plan comes together.

The Scoreboard Goes Dark

Friday, November 7, I had the opportunity to make the trip to Shawnee, OK and watch OBU Men’s Soccer play JBU in the conference tournament.  While the outcome of the game was not at all what I had hoped for, it was still a milestone game personally.  It was way more than just a win or a loss.  More than a step closer or farther to the national stage.

It was the beginning of a new chapter in Jake’s life and mine.  Jake has been play soccer since kindergarten and I have been coaching, learning and watching ever sense.  I watch way more these days than coach, and I am sure that is a good thing.  But with this game the scoreboard is dark and the opportunity to play for school has come to an end.

It has been fun journey and we have the family stories to prove it.  I have a a few pictures and years of memories.  It is hard to believe that my kindergarten is now a young man.  Time has brought many changes and reversal of roles.  I can no longer be the first in a race down the field and my skill have long been eclipsed.  One day there will be new a family coach and I will take my place in the stands.

I think I will wear a straw hat when I sit in the stands and be proud of both coach and player.  That is what Ed Stehr would have done.  I think it is a lesson that I appreciate more and more everyday.

While the road to this point has not always been smooth or gone the way we hoped in the game.  I have enjoyed the watching and learning to love the game.  Somehow I think I have grown.  My son is so much more than a soccer player.  He is a great young man, with the heart of a champion.

Cheers to the best of fan’s Ed Stehr, you would have been proud on November 7 with one very classy grandson.

The Lake is Full

I went for a ride on Tuesday evening.  It was a nice little ride.  The temperature was just right to wear the jacket and hold down the bugs.  I took a spin down Hwy 32 toward Stockton, MO.  I went down to Masters Landing to see what was new.  What was new was how much the water was up.  This is a picture of the road to the fishing dock by the swiming area.  As you can see the parking lot is under water, alot of water.

I found it a beautiful sight.  There was very few boats out and the cove was dead calm.  It was easy to hear God and do some thinking in such a lovely spot.  I guess the lake is full and since I just came back from El Salvador, I am too.

New Server Room

Picture 1 is our server space before the move and the center and right picture are the after picture.  We where able to make a new secure room for our church servers by taking eight feet from a classroom.  We now have a locked and air conditions space for our servers.  Meet the servers from left to right.  Box 1 is our smoothwall firewall.  Box 2 is our Domain control.  Box 3 is the work horse data server and vm server.   The vast expanse of open playwood is for future growth and a later telephone project.

Twittering

Ok, I have been planing with twitter over the past couple of months.  I am starting to see the value of the service.  It is great for quick updates on where I am or what I should be doing.  It was really handy on my last quick trip to Colorado.  twitter – I am stuck on I-70 in a snow storm.   twitter – Safe at the hotel.

I could also see some benefit for use at church.  twitter – the sermon sunday is…..  twitter – college supper is …

I don’t know.  I just love finding ministry uses for emerging technology.

Oh, if you want to follow me – lstehr on twitter.

Warning it is habbit forming.