Amongst the many that I have, one of my favorite childhood memories is going to my grandparents house for Christmas Eve. We knew there would be a lot of food. We knew there would be a lot of presents. We knew we got to hang out with the family. Specifically, we knew we would be able to be with Nana & Papa. We saw them all of the time, multiple times a week sometimes - but Christmas is obviously special.

I've been fortunate to have had many positive role models in my life. My grandfather is one of the best. A northwest Indiana iron-worker who loved his family as hard as he worked to provide for them. There wasn't anyone more fun to hang out with. We have pictures of him hunting and also original paintings he has done. His significance in my life and in who I am can't be explained, and he will always be one of my heroes. So obviously- Christmas is a special time to be with him.

Over the last 7-8 years my Papa - that's what I call him - has been suffering from small strokes. Each one is a scary ordeal in which we wonder if we'll have to say good-bye. He has fought through each one like the iron-worker he is - but the reality is that the strokes have had their toll, causing him to suffer from Alzheimer's. He now has to stay in bed most of the time and needs help with most everything.

To say this has been hard on our family would be an understatement. My Nana & him celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary this past November - so how can it not be hard.

He has always been one of the funniest people I know and any bit of sense of humor that I or anyone in my family has was inherited from him. He always joked with us. For example, the last time he was in the hospital a nurse came in and asked him if he was OK. His answer, "No, I'm Bob." Most every nurse who has cared for him would with an affectionate smile tell the family - "He is a very funny man."

A couple weeks ago my mom called me and told me about something he said or did, I honestly can't remember what it was. What I do remember was that it had to do with him being confused with something that happened. The way that he responded was apparently indeed funny, and my mom and Nana were laughing and joking with him about it. Relating the story to me my mom said, "You have to laugh about things - how could we handle it if we didn't."

And that's when I realized that for all my life Papa has been preparing all of us for how to cope with what he is dealing with. He taught us to laugh.

Not to laugh at him or at what he's going through, but to be able to find some sense of joy in the midst of the trial. He's still Papa - and we can still laugh with him.

This past Christmas we all gathered around his bed downstairs to take a picture with him. It was the culmination of a great Christmas Eve day.

A day in which I was able to hold his hand while we talked some and joked some.

A day when we got him upstairs and he was able to eat with all of us.

A day in which we all laughed - joked - and poked fun at each other.

And to be able to do all of that that this year was one of the best Christmas presents ever.

“The truth sets us free (John 8:32) but the truth doesn’t always come to us just as facts & principles but as flesh & blood stories with real, imperfect, struggling people. The Bible is full of stories about people. Abraham, Moses, David and others teach us about faith, obedience, love, sacrifice, and following the Lord. Modern day examples can help us also. I’ve been blessed by reading and hearing how God has worked through different people. These next blogs will be a summary of some of my favorite stories. Here’s a few fine print disclaimers:

1. I’m not saying these are the best Christians ever. They are just the stories that have encouraged me. The greatest believers may very well be those who are low-profile and unknown. (Mark 10:31)
2. The list reflects only the stories I’ve heard and therefore it is biased toward the 19th, 20th, & 21st Century and America.
3. The list is biased toward people serving in a ministry similar to my calling so there are lots of Pastors and not artists or business owners. The list is heavy on the urban and evangelist side because those are the areas God has put in my heart. I think everyone needs to find their own examples which connect with them.
4. Of course our ultimate example is Jesus. From God alone is all goodness and to Him alone be all glory. And I know that the Bible gives us inspired stories of saints. However, it is good to be challenged by the example of other believers (Hebrews 13:7-8).
5. The people I have actually known and served with have really been life-giving to me. A book is no substitute for a relationship. We need fellowship. However, it’s sad that so many people read so many worthless stories and watch hours of TV & movies with no positive value when there are faith building examples available.

Hope these brief biographies encourage you because the Lord wants to use all of us in great ways!

Let me know some of your favorite stories and examples of the Christian life.

Favorite Story # 15: David Wilkerson

      Gang violence, drug & alcohol abuse, poverty, and broken homes. The story could be written just about anywhere at any time but something about the urban tragedy in New York City in the 1950s caught the attention of a young Pastor in Pennsylvania. He was born in 1931 in Hammond, Indiana, grew up in a Christian home and wound up in ministry in a small town in his mid to late 20s. After reading a Life magazine article about 7 youths in New York City that were charged with murder he felt called by the Lord to go to New York city. Without any human connections but with the leading of the Lord he went to the courthouse where the murder trial was taking place and began to talk to people.  Fifty years later he is still making a difference for the gospel in New York and around the world.

      David Wilkerson was 27 years old when he began to reach out to troubled youths in New York. Several people gave their lives to Christ, including a gang leader named Nicky Cruz, who went on to become a powerful evangelist. A book and movie were made about Cruz’ life called “The Cross and the Switchblade”. The book was a best seller and now has sold 50 million copies. Wilkerson and his wife, Gwen, along with 2 other couples started a rehab ministry called “Teen Challenge” and a missions organization called “YWAM”. Teen Challenge has had the highest recovery rate of any rehab program in America for years. They receive no government money, since they teach the Bible in their program, and yet they have better results than all other rehabs.

      After ministering in the inner-city for years Wilkerson started an evangelistic ministry called World Challenge and moved to Texas. In 1986 he took a trip to New York and while walking down 42nd Street he felt the Lord call him to move back to New York and start a church. He was obedient to that vision and started Times Square Church in 1987. After renting (in a very high rent area) they got a great deal on a theatre. During the Persian Gulf War the U.S. economy was struggling and they were able to purchase a large theatre in 1989. The church has grown to over 5000 people, has started other churches, shelters for homeless people, sent out missionaries, and run conferences for Pastors.

      I attended one of the conferences hosted by Times Square Church in 2002 and even had a chance to briefly meet David Wilkerson. He preached several times and there was a powerful anointing upon his messages. He is not a loud or very expressive speaker but you can tell that he is one who has spent time in the presence of God.

      Here’s some of the reasons why David Wilkerson is such an encouragement to me:

1. Urban Ministry. He has been serving and seeing great results in the hardcore inner city of New York for years. He is not just reaching ‘transfer believers’ from the church down the street.
2. Rehab Ministry. Anyone familiar with Teen Challenge knows the great work they do. We have sent many people to the Chicago branch of Teen Challenge. They are the real deal. Wilkerson doesn’t oversee it anymore but he started it and gave it the initial direction.
3. Perseverance. Here’s a guy who has been on fire for the Lord for over 50 years. He hasn’t given up or taken the easy road. I love the fact that he went back to New York to plant a church at age 56! He is still going strong now at age 77.
4. Family. He has been married for over 50 years and all 4 kids are serving in the Lord and involved with ministries. They have had trials. Besides living in some rough areas and having a heavy travel schedule they have dealt with illness. His wife has had many operation for cancer and one of their grandchildren died at a young age from cancer a couple of years ago. They are proof that you can serve the Lord for a long time, raise kids who love Jesus, and overcome trials.
5. Holiness. He has not changed his basic message about holiness throughout the years. At times Wilkerson has been criticized for being too strict but he has reached many people without watering down the gospel.

Check out www.tsnyc.org and www.worldchallenge.org to get an update on Times Square Church and World Challenge. 

David Wilkerson in 1958

Nicky Cruz

David & Gwen Wilkerson

Well, the day finally arrived. A day unlike any other day at New Life Oak Forest..... P-day, Dec 21st. No not Pay day but Play day. Everything was in place for the Mouse’s Tale play. A couple of beautifully painted back drops. (thank you Jerry, Laura, Toni) We had professional looking wardrobe (thank you Maritza, Christina, Cindy, Vicky) We even had a video taping of the event courtesy of Tim “the lens” Dearborn. (Hey Tim where’s my name in the credits : )

So anyway there we were, a stage complete with backdrops, props and a manger. We had actors with great looking wardrobes. We had sheep, camels, cows, donkeys, sparrows, mice, before you think where’d they get those animals...the animals were played by the children from our Sunday children’s ministry. There was a great turnout of friends, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles to make the picture complete. And then the play began and we were off. What an amazing thing to see God working through these children to bless His bigger children..... The New Life Family. They were amazing, even the unpredictability of the 3 and 4 yr olds God used to really bless the body. He absolutely knit and wove a bigger tapestry than we ever thought or imagined.

As I look back to when we started preparing and rehearsing, I can see His hand weaving and directing everything even though at times we were left scratching our heads as to what we should do. Then He would supply what we needed and we would praise Him.

So I guess what I’m trying to say is that we serve an Amazing, Wonderful, Awesome God who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all we can ask or think according to His power working within us....Ephesians 3:20 To Him be the Glory!!

Thank you God

 1 Blessed is the man
       who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
       or stand in the way of sinners
       or sit in the seat of mockers.

 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
       and on his law he meditates day and night.

 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
       which yields its fruit in season
       and whose leaf does not wither.
       Whatever he does prospers.

 9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
       By living according to your word.

      Churches aren’t the only organizations to go through this process and we can learn something from other areas. Businesses, schools, even sports teams go through this cycle. The difference maker is leadership. Take Bill Parcells, a pro football coach and executive, as an example. He has an amazing track record of turning teams around.

      The New York Giants were a consistent loser when Parcells became Head coach in 1983. In his second season they had a winning record and wound up winning the Super Bowl in his 4th and 8th seasons as Head Coach.

      Since that time he has worked for 4 different teams who have all experienced dramatic change. The Patriots were 2-14 in 1992, Parcells become the Head Coach in 1993 and they were a winning team in his 2nd year and in the Super Bowl in his 4th year.

      The Jets went 1-15 in 1996 but Parcells became coach and they posted records of 9-7 and 12-4 in the next two seasons.

      The Cowboys had 3 straight 5-11 seasons but in Parcells first season in 2003 they went 10-6 and wound up with winning records in 3 of his 4 seasons.

       Last year the Dolphins were the biggest losers in pro football with a 1-15 record. Parcells became the Executive Vice President, made a lot of changes, picked a new coach, and in his first year of leadership the team is 9-6 with a chance at the playoffs. Somebody call the Detroit Lions!

      Unfortunately, winning football games has temporary, very limited value and no one will care about this ‘success’ in 100 years. But we may be able to learn something about the importance of leadership. Anyone can make excuses but some people, with the same opportunities and challenges, are more effective.

      A few key questions come to mind:

      What is success? [It’s obvious in sports. Success = more wins and ultimately a championship. It’s obvious in business. A victory = greater profit and long term financial health. It’s not so obvious in the church.]

      How do we evaluate our results? [What do we believe God has called us to do? Are we seeing those things happen? Is there fruit in our lives and in this church?]

      How can we do better?  

      The Church Growth Movement was a great work of God started in the 1950s by Donald McGavran, a former missionary to India. One of the key questions he asked was, “Why do some churches grow more than others?” That question led to research, which led to a discovery of ‘wisdom principles’, which has helped many churches reach more people with the gospel. As we reflect on 2008 and prepare for the New Year I’m asking these questions both to myself and to the church overall:

      What is success? How do we evaluate our results? How can we do better?

      May the Lord give us wisdom as we seek to be the people and the church He has called us to be. “From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” Eph 4:16

Having a good Christmas week so far. My family is a little spread out but we got to see my sister and her family about a week ago, we saw my brother and his family over the last couple days, and will visit my wife’s family on Christmas day. My parents live nearby so we saw them both when my brother and sister were in town.

Whatever you do and whoever you are with I hope that you have a blessed Christmas.

We are reminded in Psalm 118:24 that “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Time is in God’s hands, He created the seasons and is in control so it is His will that today is today. Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:34 to let today’s own troubles be sufficient for today. Don’t worry about yesterday or tomorrow, just take care of today with faith, obedience, and rejoicing in God’s blessings.

ALL-TIME FAVORITE CHRISTIANS

On another note, I was reading a biography of a great Christian leader and it got me thinking about who the most inspiring, motivating people in history are to me. I put together a quick list of 15 people. I kept it all to Christian leaders, although of course there are great leaders who didn’t claim to be followers of Christ (Ghandi, Churchill, etc.). I want to share with you my list over the next few weeks. I’m not saying that these 15 are better than any others but they are simply the ones that I have heard about and have motivated me. Who would be on your list?

Rick has been warning me for a couple weeks that he "had something for me" on December 21st.  Rick is a faithful brother at the church who's been a serving part of our community for years.  So after our worship gathering yesterday he comes up to me with a priority mail box labeled with my name (Rick works at the post office).

"Should I open it now or later?" 

"Well I guess I'd like to have you open it in front of me so I can see your face when you open it."  I wrapped up some conversations with people and a little while later I grab the box and move over by Rick calling my wife over as well. 

I tear into the box and pull it open and inside I see a huge 3-ring binder.  The front is labeled Football Collectors Album and it is heavy.  I open to the first page and there he is--pound for pound the greatest player of all time, one of very few bright spots in the history of the NFL franchise I cheer for, the most elusive and entertaining running back to ever play the game:  Barry Sanders!

And Barry is not just on the first page.  His cards fill every page, page after page, 40 or more pages of just about every football card ever made for Barry Sanders.

"I collected them at card shows and shops over the years."  Over the years.  Rick has been collecting this amazing Barrylection "over the years".  "I thought to myself one day, 'Pastor Kevin would appreciate this more than me'".  So he gave it to me for Christmas.  (By the way, there is a bonus section of my favorite receiver in Lion history, Herman Moore, in the back of the album.) 

I think this is the essence of a true Christmas gift:

• It has great personal worth both for the giver and the receiver
• Its high actual value can't be easily calculated
• It bears a lot of personal effort and cost
• It can't be reciprocated--I can't give Rick a gift that could match what he has given me

I think this is the most valuable Christmas gift I've ever received.  A gift that in some way is a shadow of the gift of Jesus.  This gift proves God's Christmas Value:  it is better to receive.

Ready, Camera, Action!!! O.K, I’ve been at New Life Community Oak Forest Campus for a little over a year serving as Worship Leader and it’s been an amazing, awesome experience. I’ve been blessed to serve along side some great, gifted and talented people. I praise God for everyone here at New Life. I’ve received so much encouragement....  it’s so kewl!!.

So as Nacho Libre would say I’ve been encouraged to add to my Worship Leader “skeels”  A new “skeel” which would be “Director” More specific would be Directing our Christmas Play. (It could have been a Christmas tragedy..... but God) It’s my first foray into this arena and God has been in it and blessing along the way. He’s brought a crew of volunteers consisting of artists, theater people, servants and a great bunch of children as it is a children’s play to help out. It’s something to see the little we offer God being multiplied. We were wondering about wardrobe for the characters and God provided as we found some complete outfits for shepherds, wise men and angels neatly waiting for us in boxes tucked away for several years from the previous church. We also found some previous props that we thought were thrown away really weren’t. I really feel God’s presence and blessing on this Program as we aren’t lacking anything and at this point I wouldn’t be surprised if a live camel showed up some how for some authenticity!! God is gooood!

Well gotta run

Be blessed and have a blessed  Christmas!

Lupe’

Sabor & Soul come together. I so eagerly look forward to serving the Humboldt Park community in the name of Jesus Christ. As I prepare for Christmas I am looking through some of the pictures we took at our Thanksgiving outreach dinner, one of them struck me and I thought for a moment now here is a great picture of one of the many things God wants to accomplish through us on this little corner of the world. Sabor & Soul come together.

This year’s thanksgiving for me I have to say was one of my best ever, although all of my immediate family has relocated to Orlando Fl, and my oldest son is enlisted in the Army Reserves National Guard and is currently at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.(Kelvin is coming home today for Christmas). My wife and I and my two other sons Joseph 16 and Julian 12 had the greatest opportunity to minister to 14 homeless families who are being served straight out of Humboldt Park’s very own Casa Central (La Posada), along with a great team of volunteers headed by Carlos Gaytan and Iliamar Isaac the hostess and owners of Mexique restaurant www.mexiquechicago.com located at 1529 W. Chicago.

As I was browsing through the pictures I came across one in particular that struck me Carlos the Chief next to Kiera the daughter of one of the families. It seemed to me as clear as day sabor meets soul. Typically when you think of Humboldt park you think of Puerto Ricans why not as you come in off of Western heading west bound onto Division what greets you? A big iron Puerto Rican flag, now we know its not just Puerto Ricans in Humboldt Park there is a nice mixture of Hispanic people grouops, but we must not neglect that we also have a fairly large black American population, which we hope to build strong relations with as we further the Kingdom of God. Sabor & Soul what an awesome combination, I sure do look forward to representing Christ here.

Merry Christmas,

pfc

My favorite sport right now, and the only sport I have been watching, isn’t the NFL, NBA, or NCAA but rather Grade School Varsity Basketball. Our oldest child, Rachel, is in 7th grade and a member of the St. John’s Eagles. This has been an awesome year as the Eagles are heading into their Christmas break with a perfect 14-0 record! They won the Walther tournament for the first time in many years. Of course we don’t get carried away at the games and we’re more concerned about how they play, etc., etc. but it is fun to win.

The true test of any team or individual comes when things are tough. Last week the team had an easy game on Monday (up 20-0 at the end of the 1st quarter) followed by a difficult game on Tuesday. The hard game was away against some tall, strong, athletic young women (hard to believe they were still in grade school). The game was tied at halftime and early in the 3rd quarter my daughter was hit hard in the face by an elbow from an opposing player. She was hurt and had to leave the game. However, she recovered and went back into the game. I was glad that the Eagles pulled out a tough 5 point victory but more glad that my daughter can take a shot and come back. I know in life she will have problems and hopefully she is learning to bounce back and keep going.

I believe this is one of the good lessons to be learned in sports. My daughter will be better prepared for life if she learns how to deal with conflict and opposition more and more. As parents we need to protect our kids but not necessarily make life easy or remove challenges. We’re all going to receive some ‘elbows in the face’ at times but with Christ we will have the strength to handle whatever comes our way. Our faith grows each time we ‘take a shot’ and come back with faith and obedience to the Lord.

As Peter told the church many years ago, “In this [your salvation] you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” 1Peter 1:6-7