Big Sunday- 3/1

We're excited to host my friend and author Kary Oberbrunner at ClearView on 3/1 (9:30a., Gahanna YMCA). Kary is the author of an important new book called The Fine Line. Here's a teaser on the talk he'll be sharing with us:

ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN: Embodying the Kingdom Jesus prayed a bold prayer to His Father hours before going to the cross. He pleaded that His followers would be "in the world, but not of it." Although this short phrase sounds simple enough, it's laced with tension.

Certain times throughout history Christians avoided this tension and the church and the world suffered because of it.

Other times Christians ventured into the unknown—celebrating the tension instead of suppressing it.

Every generation must answer the most basic ethical question of the Christian faith, "What does it mean to be in the world, but not of it?" Answering correctly yields relevance, something the world deeply desires, but rarely sees. The Fine Line re-envisions what it means to integrate Christianity with culture.

We all have questions. It just depends upon whether or not we're honest enough to admit it. Author Kary Oberbrunner is your tour guide through the tension and into life on the Fine Line.

If you're in Columbus, or want to be, join us! We're praying for a new attendance record at ClearView and that this important Sunday will move our team forward in mission AND be a gathering point for future team members.

Great Discussion On Mission

I was pumped after our gathering at ClearView this past Sunday, 2/22. Several aspects excited my heart:

1. Numbers aren't the most important thing...but they are important. With only 1 guest, we had 38 in attendance. It's amazing to believe that last year at this time we were basically two families (about six people) and now we're close to 15 family units attending regularly. It's fun to think that when everyone is there we're right around 40 people.
2. We had a fabulous discussion on the theme of mission. We looked at Luke 5:17-26 where 4 faith-filled friends broke through a roof to lower their paralyzed friend to what he needed most: Jesus. We used this passage as a foundation for a pivotal discussion on the challenges each of us face in our personal mission endeavors and the opportunities that we have to help each other in our most important task...leading our friends to what they need most: Jesus.
3. Our group dynamics are healthy. Our people enjoy being together, are deepening relationships with one another, and share freely in group gatherings. It is fun to see our team gelling and uniting together around the purpose of loving people to a clear view of Jesus and mission.

Thanks for praying for the development of our team. Please continue!

Celebrate With Us!

We finally (after 10 days!) got a call from Trish's endocrinologists' office yesterday... They communicated that her final scan showed no indication of cancer. Yeah, God!

• Please praise God for gifted health care providers.
• Please praise God for healing for Trish from thyroid cancer!
• Please continue to pray for Trish's recovery...especially that she'd be able to wake up one day soon and say, "Wow...this is what it feels like to feel good again!".

Thanks for praying with us through this challenge!

To Trash Or To Fix?

That's the question we're trying to answer about our 1999 Pontiac Montana mini-van. We found out a few days ago that it's afflicted with a blown head gasket. That means squat to me in terms of mechanical function... but I know enough to know that it does mean significant $ from our tight finances! Fortunately, we have a local friend that could do the fix for hundreds less than a commercial shop...but still...we're in that unenviable position of "do you fix a 10 year old vehicle that has loads of small problems and has 130,000 miles on it"? The upside of fixing it is that, if it even lasted one year longer, it would be much cheaper than one year of car payments. So...I think we are leaning towards fixing but are nauseous at the thought of putting big money into an older vehicle.

If you would, pray God would give us wisdom to make the smartest choice and make provision for whatever He leads us to do. Thanks!

Exciting Things In Columbus!

Many people may not know there are 5 different Grace Brethren church starts taking seed right now in the greater Columbus area. I've enjoyed building relationships with each of these men, have learned from their efforts, and admire them as leaders willing to take risks for the expansion of God's Kingdom.

Last Thursday, we gathered with about 25 other Grace Brethren pastors from central Ohio and had the opportunity to give updates on the happenings in each of our church starts. It was good to hear all that God is doing in developing teams, creative ministry ideas, and strategic plans.

I was excited to share about ClearView. I talked specifically with the men about the special people God is bringing to our team and how God has worked through some of our recent challenges (especially Trish's thyroid cancer) to lead us to push back the date of our Grand Opening Celebration (sometime Fall of 2009). If you're interested in reading more, see the text of my remarks here.

I was also thrilled to hear of what God is doing through my comrades in other parts of greater Columbus. Sean Spoelstra shared about the extraordinary things God is doing in Encounter Church, starting in the Jerome Township/Dublin area. God has blessed them with over 25 family units on their launch team and they are holding preview gatherings leading up to a Grand Opening month in April.

God is also working in the heart of Columbus through the conception of Capital City Grace Church. Pastors Larry Totske and Eric Miller are forming a launch team and planning for a Spring launch. Be sure to check out their blog and a Columbus Dispatch article about the Totskes' efforts to meet people through bowling. Good stuff.

My friend Sean Kaeser is working out in Plain City. Shawn and his wife Tracie are working on starting Darby Grace from scratch. God is blessing and over 40 people are attending worship gatherings weekly.

Last but not least- Doug Shotsky and Tony Webb are working together on a unique and effective approach to church starting in the Mt. Sterling area. Doug is a Gatherer- he works at making connections in the community and telling people about the new Sterling Grace. Doug shared that they are anticipating a special weekend where they will host a special dinner for couples and watch the Fireproof movie together. 24 couples have already registered!

As you read...please pray for my brothers and their special work. What they are doing is not easy, is driven my mission, and has potential to change the world. If you know anyone looking for a church in any of these communities...please refer them to these new churches.

Progress Report: Trish

Thanks to so many that have prayed for Trish and supported our family in so many ways. We've been so blessed by so many- people have sent cards, helped with kids, given gift cards, set up play dates for our kids, called, e-mailed, sent Facebook messages, etc. THANKS!

Since my last blog post, Trish has:

• Finished the treatment regimen for thyroid cancer, including a 4-day period of isolation while undergoing radio-iodine treatment.
• Resumed taking thyroid medication...very important for normal functioning!
• Undergone a final, full-body scan to determine the effectiveness of the treatment process (we don't have the results from this test yet).
  
• Maintained very positive spirits...

Now onto recovery...from everything she has read and talked with others about, it will take a good 4-6 weeks until she begins to feel "normal" again. She continues to have periods of great weariness...but her stamina improves a bit each day.

So, thanks for praying. And, please keep praying. We'll get final test results sometime this week and, Lord willing, will celebrate all cancer gone. Please pray that Trish will feel stronger than ever and continue to sense God strengthening her body.

Isolation, Day 2

I took the boys over two times today to see Trish, briefly. As long as we don't touch her, stay about 6 feet away, and don't spend a long time in the same room, we are aloud to see her. That meant a lot to all of us. Trish felt pretty crummy most of the day with extreme weakness and upset stomach (periods of nausea and just plain uncomfortable). She's having difficulty getting good sleep. However, she is developing incredible prowess on Facebook (send a friend request to Tricia Wirt) and is enjoying keeping in touch with the outside world through that medium.

Please keep praying-- for good rest, for good spirits (it is torture for her to not have stimulation from live conversation with other people), and healing. Thanks to everyone that has sent her an e-mial or posted something on her wall (Facebook). Two milestones are upcoming- she can resume normal diet tomorrow night and come home on Tuesday morning.

Isolation, Day 1

Trish is doing well today! Thanks for praying. We went to Riverside Hospital early this a.m. and she took her radio-iodine pill. By God's grace and an answer to your prayers... the required dose was less than we expected and she only has to be isolated for 4 days. Trish is now resting by herself at a friends house, within a mile of where we live (Thanks Mike and Tiffany!). This makes it easy for me to take food (she's still on a special diet) and other things she needs.

God has been good to us in many ways:

• Ideal place for Trish to stay, close by.
• Weaker dose than originally thought necessary
• Trish is dealing with the treatment well (no nausea or other noticeable side affects to this point)
• Family and friends have been a huge help to us over the last several weeks.
• Trish has a computer...so feel free to send her an e-mail (twirt@sbcglobal.net) or Facebook message and let her know you're thinking of her.
  

Thanks for praying!

Exciting Sundays!

I want to try and do a better job of sharing here what God is doing at ClearView during our Sunday gatherings (Gahanna YMCA, 9:30a.). Good things are happening! We continue to experience strong attendance for a start-from-scratch church start and there is a very positive energy among the people present. God has brought us fabulous teammates, and I couldn't be happier about the group HE is assembling. We're continuing to build our children's ministry, KidView, and will soon be expanding to three age levels. Recently, we've been focusing on our core value of prayer- how to be people of prayer that seed this important spiritual discipline into the DNA of ClearView Church- and discussing Craig Groeschel's book, IT.

Please continue to pray for us as we develop as a team, form the DNA of a healthy church, and seek to impact our community. Thanks!

ClearView At New Albany Business Expo.

On January 15 (yes, I'm behind on my blog posting... .like everything else in my life! :), ClearView was well represented at a business expo. sponsored by the New Albany Chamber of Commerce (and, yes, that's me in the picture, taking the picture, because we were in a room surrounded by mirrors!). This was an exciting time of networking with business leaders from our community, meeting some new people, and making some excellent contacts. I enjoyed conversations with members of the New Albany Rotary, YMCA representatives, Mayor Ferguson (New Albany), and several other community members.

Please pray that God would continue to seed ClearView in people's minds as an exciting new church that shows love in REAL ways. This branding in people's minds is an important predecessor to more wide-reaching marketing and invitations we will extend as our Grand Opening draws near. The more buzz we can build now... the better response to our future invites. THANKS!