Change, We want it, but we don’t like the process #@#&#@#!!! ?

One of the many things that will drive you nuts is a home or kitchen  remodel. Thats the business I’m in. I can remember my wife asking me if I could remove a wall. She had been watching HGTV and the homeowner had a wall removed to get more useable space. When she asked me the question if I could do that,  I said sure not a problem. Now in her mind she thought it was as simple as just remove the wall and that’s it, I mean on tv it’s done in 30 min, well that’s not the case. When I told her what’s involved she was still excited, but not as much. I started tearing out the wall in sections so as the ceiling wouldn’t fall down. I had to install a beam in the attic to support the ceiling  joist (I like a smooth transition in the ceiling, in other words no header showing). When working in a house that people are living in or a church,  brings many challenges, one of which is their routine. Our routine is like a sacred cow. I’ve had people tell me basically that they didn’t want to be disturbed while the remodel was going on. That’s  impossible. Destruction and construction are distributive at best. When changing a routine we have to look at the benefits of  the outcome. Back to my wife’s project.   When I got done it took longer than she thought, dustier, noisier and a lot  more inconvenient than she thought. Did she like the end result, Yes, just not the process. Now unlike my wife’s little project, in doing larger projects, there can come larger and longer problems.

Sometimes it’s not uncommon for me to tell the homeowner news that they don’t want to hear,(believe me it’s not easy) like there’s a delay or the materials came damaged and it’s going to be 6-8 wks before we can get another, which will mean the finish date is going to be late.  The same is true for the church. Remember: “you asked for the change” you wanted a change and that’s OK, but there is a process that God is going to have us go through. One of the keys of dealing with problems and delays is being honest. If you lie, hide or shade the truth and people find out,(and they will) they will be pissed. I’m  just being straight forward with you. In construction and church you are dealing with peoples hopes and dreams. To screw around with that, will jeopardize your business, your church life and most importantly your witness for Christ.

When a subcontractor lies to me, I can tell you I’m not happy, and when he tries to pull the wool over my eyes, I get in his face. (thats the decaf  version). The same is true for church. In telling people the truth,(always allow the Holy Spirit to lead when doing this, especially when it is confrontational )  even though it’s not what they want to hear, they will thank you for being straight forward with them(sometimes it takes awhile for them to thank you). If you lie, hide or cover up, you will break their trust in you and your ability to lead them will suffer greatly for it. Sometimes  NO!! all of the time. When you don’t communicate the truth, you erode their trust in you and it takes time to get it back, and the future words you speak are meet with suspision and skepticism.  Christ told things that people didn’t want to hear. I don’t like it when  Christ to tells me I’m wrong or He leads me to an area that I don’t and refuse to go to (He still gets me there though, the book of Jonah). For the change to happen  I have to trust Him. There will be a struggle, that you can be sure of.

Back a little bit to construction. There is an order to things. If I build the roof first (traditional construction) before the foundation and walls, even a laymen can tell thats not right.  When we deny His will for our life,  that’s our problem not His. If you dress a pig like a poodle, it’s still a pig, no matter how much you want it to look like a poodle. Real change takes real, serious,pain staking time, but we don’t want to wait for it. Every thing takes time. Even my microwave meals (which I pace back and forth, check my email, twitter and update my facebook  for a 2 min meal). Sometimes sitting still is hard for me.

If you build your ministry, business or anything on lies,  shading the truth and covering up stuff, it will never be what Christ wants it to be. Communicate the truth, stop hiding, stop the insanity. Being in leadership isn’t easy. Christ has put you and me  in that position, so don’t screw around with it!! or He just might remove it from you. Matthew 25: 14-29 is a warning. Yes I know He will forgive us of our sins, He will also discipline us. You’re asking I thought this was about change. It is, but you have to start at the beginning and being honest with each other and being honest with ourselves is it. It doesn’t matter if you’re  the President, Pastor or lay-leader. People are looking for someone whom they can trust, and who better than those of us who are ambassadors for Christ.

It’s Just Part Of The Process!

I’ve been saying “it’s just part of the process” for some time now. Yesterday as I was walking, I thought why do I say that?, and with what emotions do I feel? or what mood does that put me in?  Of course it’s usually when I’m going through a time of difficultly that the statement  comes up. I never heard someone say who’s won the lottery say” it’s just part of the process”. For me when thinking about it brings one  thing to mind. Length of time. How long is it going to last? Money, Marriage, Divorce, Separations, Mistrust, etc are big news these days. Now I can’t write this in a fairy tale style. What I mean by that is, approaching a problem with no plan or faith. Another words somehow it’s  just going to take care of  it’s self. Personally I don’t like that approach. It’s taking the reality approach that I like. We  can handle short term problems( sometimes), but what happens when it turns long term, and long term means a whole new set of problems. Calling things for what they are, instead we put on a happy face and say things are OK, or as Christians we won’t say it’s bad, will just tell each other you need to make a positive confession. Here’s the problem with that, Jesus Himself didn’t do that, He called it for what it was. So why is that so important for us today. It shows you and I where were  really at in life, good or bad.

When Daniel was in the Lions Den he didn’t say: well those are some mean domestic cats or the 3 Hebrew children saying: it’s only a camp fire, and Samson & Delilah: I’m  just a man with certain urges. God didn’t inspire the writers  to write  it that way. Why? because it wasn’t the truth of what kind of  trouble they were in. Christ wants to show you, me and the world that He can deal with your real problems, in a real way, with real power. I do believe in a positive attitude and dealing with the problem for what it is. I don’t believe in lying to people or to yourself for that matter, to make it sound not as bad as it is. When I’m surfing and someone yells shark! I don’t tell him to be quiet,  you’re causing a disturbance, NO! I paddle for the shore as hard as I can. Read anywhere in the Bible and you see reality, not “lets pretend”. If you pretend then Christ will not fix the problem that you’re  in. You have to be as one of my friends said “BE REAL”. ( not sinless, not perfect, just being honest with Him)

This economy is causing us to look at our faith in Christ and say: I trust Him or I don’t trust Him. These problems will pass, but will we pass with an A,B,C,D, or F.   For me  if I can’t trust Jesus with today’s problems, what makes me think I’m going to trust Him tomorrow. Being strong in Christ is must and also a process. There  are those days where I have to fight just to keep a smile on my face. I have a group of friends that I can be real with, and let me tell you, that is like a cool breeze on a  hot summer day. That  keeps me who God wants me to be. Not pretending, not telling lies to people so they like me, but just being me, faults and all. At times I can be a very complex person, but that’s just part of the process. Being who you are, being you, is who God loves. Yes you have faults, bad habits and sin in your life, but Christ also has a process, it’s to mold and shape you into His image. Your difficult times will be a testimony about  Gods provision and power and in the process you will be shown that Christ does care for you. Our lives are short, so take this day and live it, and if that means you can only start with a smile, that’s Ok, it’s a great place to start.

YouTube – “The Motions”-Matthew West

Bus break-down (Gods plan?!)

When planning a trip of any kind, you plan ahead. The MCI-8 bus (that’s the make and number) had some problems shutting down in traffic. As you could imagine its not fun when that happens. I drove it  to the shop to find out why it was shutting down  and to get it fixed. The State Championship game was about 1 wk away. Several days later I got the bus from the shop, and it ran fine back to the school. (Coastal Christian High School). The day we left for the final games the parents,coaches and students asked me is the bus fixed, and I said yes. We headed down the road, and at the intersection of 17 and South College road the bus stopped, the warning buzzer started and the people in the bus got quiet.There is nothing like total silence in the midst of a problem.  I started it up and headed down South College rd. The bus shut down every stoplight. So I drove it to the mechanics shop again, but this time with a bus loaded with basketball players,cheerleaders and coaches. The first question was, what’s wrong with the bus, didn’t we just have it fixed. We spent  more than an hour there, where they disconnected one  of the sensor wires that was causing it to falsely shutdown.

We headed out again. I can probably say this with 100 percent certainty, we were all  thinking,  is the bus going to shut down again?  After a while  the girls were singing, the coaches planning  and the players going over in their minds the game. We were 3/4 of the way there when  all of a sudden the bus shut down. It started all over again, every stop light it was shutdown. I would have to wait for the light to turn green to start the bus and then slammed it into drive and hit the accelerator  before it shut down. We started to pull in the Sheetz gas/food station and it shut down again. This time it wouldn’t restart,we were stuck on an incline. The bus was blocking one of the lanes to get into the Sheetz station( Sheetz #409  650 Whitley Drive Winterville, NC). Fortunately one of the parents drove their R.V with a truck in tow. As the parents,coaches were looking at their options, I was asking the store clerk if they knew of any mechanics who could  work on big MCI bus. After an hour or so I had called several shops, and each one said they either didn’t work on those particular buses or they were too far away. There we were with a bus load of people and a bus that wasn’t going to move.

The parents,coaches and students unloaded the bus, and loaded the R.V and truck. After the bus was unloaded I got back inside the bus and the team  pushed a 14 ton(diesel fuel included) MCI across 4 lanes of traffic. It was a sight to see. A 14 ton, 40 foot  long bus being pushed across 4 lanes of traffic into a new road construction site.  After a while a passenger van was rented and the rest of the team was headed to the game. However, I was still there  with the bus. I got one more phone number, so I called and he said that they could work on it but they didn’t have a tow-truck. so he would have to call around to find someone to tow this beast. He calls me back to tell me how much it might cost to tow the bus and it was expensive. I told him I had no other option but to tow. He said OK and started calling tow-trucks.

After a while this thought of driving the bus to the shop came into my mind. I thought about it for a while and decided to see if the bus would start, and it did. So I started to drive the 6 miles to the shop; at the same time  I called the shop  and told him to cancel the tow-truck, that I would see if the bus would make it to the shop.  I drove it to the shop with no problems. The shop owner and I talked for awhile trying to figure out what’s wrong  with the bus. Well its getting late, so one of the mechanics drives me back to the Sheetz station and I called  the car rental place. They pick me up and after a while I put the hotel address into the GPS and I was off.

As you can imagine  after the dust settled I began to think why did the bus have to break down now, also I was going to miss 1 of 2  boys and girls State Championship basketball games. I’m not from around that area  and I was only  here one time before, so I relied  on my GPS to get me to the hotel. I was enjoying the ride and the views. The GPS  was showing me where to turn and how far I had to go, it even tells you what time you’re  going to arrive. Then a  thought hit me. I started thinking how God is directing my paths. The GPS was showing me where to go, even though  I didn’t have  a clue where I was. God was showing me the same thing.  He was saying your trusting the  GPS  to get you to the hotel so you can get some rest, so trust Me with what you’re  going through today even though you don’t have a clue of what I’m doing. I was enjoying  the time alone with God, looking at His creation, listening to Christian music,  knowing that I’m in His hands and nothing will cause Him to turn me loose.

I got to the hotel and waited for everyone to come back from the games. The next morning I called the shop to ask how it was going with the bus, they weren’t sure, but he would call me later. He did call back and ask if I could come to the shop because they needed to drive the bus and they didn’t have a driver with a CDL there that day (Commercial Drivers license). So I drove  1.5 hours back to the shop. To make a very long story shorter, they ran every test you could think of, and I would drive the bus down the road and about 6 miles and the bus would shut down. We test drove the bus several times with the same results. Finally after a long day they figured out what was causing the to shutdown, an electrical short in the low oil sensors, it was giving a false signal.  They had to disconnect the number 60 wire. We test drove and it didn’t shut down. The wire shorting out reminds me of us. God says everything is going to work out ,but our feeling or sensors say otherwise, and we shut down and can’t understand why things aren’t working out. It’s not that our feelings are not important, it’s just sometimes they don’t give a true reading of the situation. When Christ says trust me, sometimes it’s no an easy thing to do, but necessary to follow no matter what we see or feel.

The bill was settled and I drove the bus to the car rental place to drop the keys off and tell them they could pick up the van from the bus shop. Just as I pulled in the hot engine light came on and the bus shut down and then restarted again by it’s self. I called the shop and told them what had just happened. The water temp was only 170 degrees which is well under the shutdown limit of 210 degrees. Over the phone he tells me which wires to cut. I felt like a bomb expert from the show Flashpoint on CBS. I went into the car rental place to return the keys and asked them if they had a knife and some electrical tape. The only thing they had was pink scissors and duct tape. So there I was cutting wire with pink scissors and wrapping the ends with duct tape. I drove away to the hotel and to everyone’s surprise, the bus was in the hotel parking lot. The next day I drove the bus to the second games.  After all the awards were handed out we drove home, and made it back with no problems.

We got back I think about 11:30 pm. We were all tired and ready for some good sleep. THE END. Well not yet.There’s still  God Plan. Monday I called the shop owner to tell him the bus made it back with no problems and thanked him again for getting the bus to stay running. I then asked him is there anything I could pray for him about. There was a short pause, and then he said yes. His business (He has 15 big rig truck bays and about 20 employees)  is down 30 percent,(I thought that’s normal in these times), and then he asked if I could pray for his cousin who is dying of liver and kidney malfunction, now that one I wasn’t expecting. I prayed for his business and for his cousin healing and salvation, and let him know our church would be praying. Right at that moment  God showed me why the bus broke down. Was it inconvenient, out of our way, not in our schedule, a real pain in the butt. Yes it was. Pastor Kelly preached a sermon on it’s not about YOU!!

Out of all the tens of thousands of people we passed on the way up to the game, God wanted me to talk to this man, so the bus broke down again right on schedule, that is Gods schedule. It’s not every day I get to help someone 4 hours away, so take every opportunity God gives you, He will surprise you, and who knows who you will impact today.I’m calling him next week to ask how things are going and is there  anything else he or the employees  need prayer for.

My whole adventure started last year when  Pastor John asked me If I could get my CDL so I could drive for disaster relief  trips.  God has done so much more than I could ever imagine  with a simple CDL. If I didn’t  listen to God  none of this would have happened. This adventure,Blessing, Gods purpose would have never happened, and the sad thing is, I wouldn’t  have ever even known it. That is God’s plan.  So what ever God calls you to do be faithful and do what He asks, when He asks,  He wants to blow your mind in what He can do through you. Christ wants to share His gift through you.

Thank you and God Bless

Bob Bowman

YouTube – Sanctus Real – Whatever You’re Doing Music Video

Humor: The Ultimate Workout!!

I lift weights 4 days a week and also walk 4 -5 days a week. I enjoy surfing and extreme sports, sometimes the extreme sport  can be just getting out of the car, or getting off  the couch.  I enjoy watching Warren Miller and Fuel TV. I  believe in keeping myself  in shape. There  are two  things that I have learned about working out. 1.You can only workout so long. In other  words you can’t do it all day, because you would be completely worn out. 2 You have to keep working out to stay in shape. However there  is one exercise that you can do for hours on end that doesn’t wear you out, in fact just the opposite, it instantly makes you feel better. That is laughing and having a good sense of humor.

One of my keys to staying in shape physical, mentally and spiritually, is having a sense of humor. Now this gift that God gives, is never to be kept  to yourself, in fact the more you share, the more we laugh and the more God gives. If you’re  in a room full of people and you hear someone laughing uncontrollably, it becomes contagious and we begin to laugh or at least smile. In Proverbs 17:22 it reads, A happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing, but a broken spirit dries up the bones (Amplified Bible).

Research is now finding out what God has always known, because He has created us..   “Laughter activates the chemistry of the will to live and increases our capacity to fight disease. Laughing relaxes the body and reduces problems associated with high blood pressure, strokes, arthritis, and ulcers. Some research suggests that laughter may also reduce the risk of heart disease. Historically, research has shown that distressing emotions ( depression, anger, anxiety, and stress) are all related to heart disease. A study done at the University of Maryland Medical Center suggests that a good sense of humor and the ability to laugh at a stressful situation helps mitigate the damaging physical effects of distressing emotions”.

A good hearty laugh can help: Reduce stress. Lower blood pressure. Elevate mood. Boost immune system. Improve brain functioning. Protects the heart. Connects  you to others. It encourages  instant relaxation. Makes  you feel good, and your sex life better. Yes that’s not a type O, a better sex life, so start laughing. A good laugh can also workout your abs and also burn calories equivalent to several minutes on the rowing machine. Now I know what you’re thinking, I’ll just laugh for my workout. You still need to eat right and a regular exercise program.

“When I can make someone laugh, that’s my reward”

Taking ourselves less seriously:

a) Be less serious. Realize that while your ambitions may be noble, being overly serious about them weighs you down and lessens your chances for achieving them.

b) Deal with stress as it comes, don’t let it pile up to the point were if  a gnat lands on it,  you explode  all over everyone. Trust me, I have patched enough holes in the walls to tell you, it’s not worth it.

c) Laugh at yourself. Share (some, not all) your embarrassing moments. It lets people know your human and not a robot.

When you find yourself taken over by what  seems to be a terrible  situation , ask yourself these questions:

1. Is it really worth getting upset over?

2.Is it worth upsetting others?

3.Is it that Important?

4.Is the situation irreparable?

5. Is it really my problem?

Life has enough trouble without adding unnecessary stress to your day or your life. Watching more comedy shows and less news can make a difference.  I have noticed that when I’m watching the news my heart rate goes up and the bad news can start to have an  effect on your mood. I remember one time  Donna and I had an argument,(this wasn’t the only argument) and on the TV show  was a  couple  having an argument.  The couples  argument on TV was causing our argument to escalate , so I turned the TV off.

What you listen and watch does effect your mood and your outlook on life, so I record  shows like  Frasier and other comedy shows, and I usually watch at least one a night, or I spend time laughing with others. I also listen to Christian music and videos. Now this is not a hard and fast rule, but you need to learn how to fight for your sanity, so  ask Christ to give you the weapons to fight for your sanity. I have one more request of you, please don’t go through your troubles alone, that never works, find someone soon.

PS: Imagine being in a prayer group and it’s so quiet that you could hear a pin drop, and all of a sudden, someone lets one lose. I guarantee you’ll start laughing.

I also listen to Tim Hawkins. His links are below, enjoy.

GodTube.com – Crown_Entertainment – Tim Hawkins Food Prayer

GodTube.com – timhawkinscomedy1 – Troubleshootin- Live

Thank you and God Bless

Bob Bowman

HELP!!! Can you be sure?

Dictionary:  HELP:   To give or provide what is necessary to accomplish a task or satisfy a need; contribute strength or means to; render assistance to; cooperate effectively with; aid

To save;rescue; to make easier or less difficult; contribute to; to relieve in need, sickness, pain, or distress, to give aid; be of service.

These are some of the definition’s of the word Help. As you read this there  is one thing missing, EMOTIONS!!!. When you read a definition it tells you what it means.

Help can be the sweetest  word or the most embarrassing. It sometimes depends on which side of the word  you’re  on.

I have been on both sides of the word  help. First the rescuer: The Knight in Shining Armor. This is the most preferred side in the way we view as being strong in our faith. We see movies, read books and billboards that show a person helping some one as being strong, and this is true in part. When we help someone we are representing Christ and His ability to help provide the need. As the knight in shinning armor we can get into a mind set that we are only the rescuer.

This can and will be a problem in the Christian life. No where in the Bible does it say that we are Mavericks or that we are self sufficient, in fact quite  the contrary, look at what Paul said in Philippians 4: 12-13, I know how to get along with humble means, (being broke) and I also know how to live in prosperity;         (no explanation needed) In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. 13 I can  do all things through Him who strengthens me (NASB). Paul him self needed help. He wrote 13 books of the New Testament,  he started many churches, he helped many prisoners, and those who lives that were being shipped wrecked, but with all that, Paul needed help and at times he desperately needed help.

As being the person bringing the help, look at what you’re  doing, spend time and think. When you’re  helping someone don’t do it at  break neck speed , or like  a dragster going  down the race track, or dropping  your gift  from a cargo airplane at  30.000 feet, Stop!!  and spend time with that person, family or hospital visit. Look at  how Christ spent time with people. Is this difficult to do in our got to do it faster,stronger, I’ll see ya later world, of course it is. You and I are not perfect, we all  have flaws and issues. God is shaping, molding and at times removing things in our lives to make us more Christ like. Jesus had twelve disciples to help Him. Could Jesus have done  it all Himself? of course!!!  We to, need to have people to help us help others. Sometimes we are the only ones and sometimes we need help.

Help: the less desired side. If we need help moving something or help with something that is  broken or even asking for assistance in a ministry, these are the helps  that are surface level, but what  do you do when you have to ask  for money so you can buy food, pay rent or mortgage, clothing for the children or even gas for the car?  What do you say when your marriage is unraveling at such an alarming rate, that you already feel like your  living with a total stranger, or your kids are caught with drugs, daughters pregnant, or they’re  on the 6 o’clock news for something bad?  Asking for help in these situations is a lot more, if not unthinkable to ask for  because its EMBARRASSING!!!  and even this word is an  understatement.

It’s like being Bill Gates and you find out that  you’re  flat broke and the news media sees you  in a soup kitchen not serving, but being served because you  have  no money, no home, no nothing, you are destitute, that’s sometimes how it feels.

When you ask for help its almost in a whisper tone, with your head hung low and tears welling up. You’re  stomach in knots,  hands are sweating, hearts pounding,  you’re  rehearsing what you’re  going to say over a thousand times, and just when you’re  about to ask, there  is an unbelievable fear that grips you. Its not easy being on this side of the word help.

In Gods word it reads in Philippians 4:19: And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (NKJV). When you and I read this we think, well than God is going to give me another job so I can pay my bills or He is going to fix my marriage and all this is true, but sometimes He uses other people to help fulfill this promise. We have to remove the bad tooth (with no anesthesia) called  PRIDE!. Yes that sounds painful and it is!.  I myself  I’m a proud person, not in the I’m  better than you pride, but in the sense that I can provide for my family sense, and when I can’t provide and I need  to ask for help, well that’s just say, I really rather not.

In suffering great trials  God is showing  me two things.  1 to develop  Patience,     2 Trust. The first one I will save for another article, it’s the second one where  you and I have a real problem with.  I can’t imagine how Moses felt being led to a dead end. There he is with  a nation of people following his leadership. Moses has only two things to lead him, the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, and it  leads them right to the Red Sea. I’m sure Moses had to think and even say, come on God what in the world are you doing? this can’t be right!! are you sure you know what you’re doing?  I mean he was totally frustrated and fed up, and yes,  I’m sure he even cussed. The only difference was,  his was  in Hebrew.

In this Moses has  two  major problems , 1 he couldn’t turn back. Pharaoh and his army was now coming  with a seething rage, and they were going to kill Moses and all the people, he was going to wipe them out and remove their name from the face of the earth. The 2 problem was the place God led them to, the Red Sea. What do you do when your back is up against the wall? and the room is closing in on you, and their is no other way out?  You go through the wall!!!. When Moses finally took a step of faith, the Red Sea parted. I would have  loved to see all their  jaws hit the floor or in this case  the sand dune. The very place that God led  them to, the very problem in front of them, actually became their way of escape. God wants to show you and me  that He is the God of the impossible and there  is no one else like Him. Some of us are facing major problems, we are all in need of some kind of help, whether it’s  big or small we need help.

Read 2 Kings 6: 15-18. When I read this I thought the servant  probably ask  Elisha are you sure you had your coffee this morning?  because from where I’m standing, were screwed!!  But read what Elisha saw.

Remember Jesus Christ will forgive your past sins, your present sins and most important your sin debt, but you must  first  ask for His help.

Thank you and God bless.

Bob Bowman

PS: I know what some of you are thinking, so please don’t pray what Elisha prayed. PK doesn’t need some of the church members banging into the walls.

I haven’t done that in 25 years. But I want to do it again!

It’s been awhile since I have done kid activities, like just playing. Yesterday I went roller skating with the Children’s  Ministry. I was their  bus driver for that day. They were all excited about the trip, who was going to be there and what they were going to do. I was thinking this is going to be funny, me on roller skates.  Yes to us who are in our late forty’s it can feel like an Olympic sport that you haven’t  trained for. You put on your skates slowly, trying to figure out how you skated  back then. As I was putting on my last roller skate I felt myself  sliding off the bench. I quickly grabbed  the bench and pulled myself back up (I said to my self “thank God no one saw that”). As I headed toward the rink  floor, or should I say I walked in my roller skates to the rink floor, I stood at and hung onto the carpeted wall. (There is something to be said about thinking about your options). After awhile of gripping the wall, and by this time my cheeks are a little tight, I headed out unto the floor. Have you ever seen some one who is walking on ice with the wind blowing? that’s what I felt like. It took a little over 5 minutes to make it  one time around. As I was going for lap two the thought of going  faster came in, but my legs said NO! are you crazy? So lap two was the same, 5 minutes.

As the day went on I was feeling a little better about being on roller skates, so I went a little faster and it was great, this time I could feel the wind going through my hair,  I was moving faster than a parked car, I was getting into a rhythm, no sooner  were those very words out of my mouth  that  I came to “The Turn”. Those turns can be tricky especially when you can’t turn at this speed, so I headed to the wall. Hitting the wall was my theme that day, I became an expert at that, I was the Bob Vila of hitting the wall. With amazement people were watching , just to see me hit the wall. Don’t worry the wall is fine.

After awhile we got something to eat. They have a snack/ pizza place. You have to roller skate up to the counter. I did think of just calling my order in and have it delivered to the guy in the back that is sprawled out across the table, but my cell phone had no reception. As I made it to order my food, they told me that my pizza wasn’t  done yet and I would have to come back. Do you know how long 20 feet is on a pair of roller skates. It took all my concentration  to get back to my table with my drink in one hand and gripping the seats with the other as I made my way back.  A little tip for those who haven’t done this in awhile, If you sit down too long your muscles start to get really tight. A little while later one of the kids came back and said the pizza is done.

As I get up my left butt cheek starts to cramp.( you know how it feels when your calf or legs cramps. That’s how it felt further north). Here I’m in a room full of people and now my butt cheek starts to act up, but with the concentration  of a samurai warrior I made it (slowly) to the counter. I claimed my pizza with left butt cheek still cramping and made it back to my seat. After resting too long we headed back on the floor, my legs  still wondering why we have to do this again, but my mind said to my legs remember were having fun. A funny thing about your body talking to its self, for some reason I felt  left out of the conversation.

As I was skating again my legs  sent a message to my brain, and this time they were serious, get off the floor NOW!!!, but my mind refused to listen and kept moving forward. So my legs without warning starting moving independently of the mind. I felt that I had no control over my legs. They had taken over the ship and I was in for a wild ride. Then my mind sent an email to my legs that read as following:

In regards to the matter at hand. The brain trust and I have discussed this, and we feel that though the request to stop and sit down is somewhat unreasonable and would stop us from having  fun, we feel that in order to work together in this matter we will grant your request and find a bench to sit down.Yours truly The Brain.

( PS   Please tell left butt cheek that we are sorry for any inconvenience or tension that we might have caused).

I sat down and relaxed ,and later took my skates off and walked back to get my shoes. It felt good to walk with shoes on. I had a great time and some how regained a little of my youth.

It was time to go. We got on the bus and headed back. Its funny though, at the skating rink we were known as the Church Group, and when we all went are separate ways to go home, we are still known as the Church Group. It doesn’t matter if were together or by ourselves, we are still the Church. Although it’s  better when were together. We all had a great time together.  All of us grew a little closer to each other, all out of a simple day at the skating rink.

Thank you and God Bless

Bob Bowman

No I didn’t fall, but two adults did. I can’t say who they are, but I can give you a clue on one of them. She has more snow at her house.

(PS again: Use the restroom before  you put your skates on, It’s not as comical, but it is safer).

Are You Ambidextrous?

Ambidextrous: 1. Able to use both hands with equal ease. 2. Very skillful or versatile

The word its self can be a little difficult to say and even harder to spell, as  is the difficulty of the application. I always admired those who can play sports with this ability. I remember the first time I saw some one switch hands while at bat. I rubbed my eyes and said to myself  wasn’t he on the other side, and then the sports commentator  mentioned that he could bat right and left handed.

I am left handed myself. I had a bowling instructor try to teach me to bowl with my right hand. After I threw the ball in the other lane he soon gave up and let me bowl left handed( by the way I did get a strike on the other lane). I do favor my left side in just about everything. When I hammer with my right hand I can hit the nail, but it takes more hits to drive it in.

The Church is no different, we have lefties’ and righties’. I’m not talking about which hand we use I’m talking about how we serve Christ. You and I like the familiar, a life that runs with no interruptions, no complications, and no change. Change is difficult, and the bigger the change the more difficult. We have been given another way to serve Christ and its a way that is going challenge us to use our other hand. This reminds me of Bill Wallace, or as he is known by “Supper Foot Wallace”. If you are or were in Martial Arts you know who I’m talking about. He has amazing speed and precision with his left foot. He was in several movies and also went undefeated in his kickboxing career. You may ask what does this have to do with church. Bill Wallace was actually right footed. In 1967  his right knee was injured in a judo accident. People in the sport wrote him off as a serious competitor, the knee injury was too severe . That was them, but not Bill. He enjoyed the sport so much that he did the unthinkable, He started training his left leg. It took some time, It was awkward, it was very difficult, and it was what he “had to do”. He proved the critics wrong. Not only was he back ,but he was back with a unbeatable combination. He could use both of his legs with deadly accuracy. He dared to do the impossible, “Change”.

The Church is that way also. We get used to doing the same program, the same ministry, the same theme. God has given us an unbelievable opportunity, “The Blend”. We will meet new people in a different setting. We will be getting out of our comfort zone and getting into God’s zone. God is doing a new thing, its all about giving Him the Glory, in doing so we can’t  lean on our comfort zone. Ask yourself (and myself ) can you do your ministry blind folded, another words you’ve done it so long that you don’t put much thought, or passion into it, its more reflex than ministry. This is not intended to make anyone feel bad, just an honest look at ourselves. Christ has given us a gift, and as we unwrap it with excitement and look inside we will find that Christ is indeed “Awesome”.

Often times we have more questions than answers. Ask yourself when you ask questions(it’s ok to ask questions) are you asking out of  fear or faith? If you’re  asking out of fear, well you have something in common with the  majority of people in the Bible. But as you read they “had to” put aside their fears. Is it easy to? NO!. But look at the benefits of obeying God. God Almighty who created the heavens and the earth calls “YOU” yes “YOU” to work along side of Him and not only Him but also those who love Christ. As we move forward you’re  going to find that God is who He says He is: “ALL POWERFUL”.

As with any type of new ministry there are new and many challenges. So on a more personal challenge ,try these 3 things with your opposite hand.

1. Brush your teeth

2.Shave

3.Use the remote control

Just try these 3 thing’s  for a few days and tell me what you find.

We can be a  “Ambidextrous Church”.

Thank you

Bob Bowman

GodTube.com – Switchfoot – Dare you to move

New Years Revolution Not Resolution

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New years Revolution not Resolution: by Bob Bowman

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Monday, January 5, 2009 at 2:43pm | Edit Note | Delete

The new year has already started, we will have a new president, gas prices are lower than 08 and we have an economy thats not good. But heres the one thing that hasn’t changed, is our promises to ourselves about taking better care of the vessels that we have been given. That is why I have changed resolution to revolution. We make the same promise year after year and we break (a large percentage) those by the end of this month. Please understand the information Iam writing is what I went through. I use to weigh 250lbs, Yes I was FAT,but I keep telling myself that it wasn’t that bad. I’ll talk more about that later. If you start on a diet there is a beginning and a end, and thats the problem. For me I tried everything, eating very little to only eating protein. I aslo lifted heavy weights, 6 days a week then 4 days a week I thought for sure that lifting weights would work on reducing my belly, but it didn’t

What is true for me is true for many who have lost weight and keep it OFF, you have to eat right and know what your cravings are. If you drink sweet tea,sodas etc, it doesn’t matter how much you work-out you’re still going to either gain weight or never reach your goal. The body can only burn so many calories, you can eat much more than you can burn. This is even more so the older you get. When I was younger I could burn calories just sitting down, NOW I have to eat and work-out smarter.You know when your getting older when your age and waist are the same.

I want to talk about the CRAVINGS. The cravings ,ahhhhh yes, you open the refrigerator and you look at whats bad for you but, you tell yourself NO!. Its now been 5 minutes and the door is still open, you then choose a carrot, you close the door,as you walk away your mind has taken a photo of whats inside the refrigerator, your stomach and mind start to talk to each other, so you go back and start the whole process all over againe, this time you walk away with two carrots.15 minutes later, with out warning, out of the blue as if in a war movie, you storm the refrigerator, you throw the door open, the magnets come flying off the door and land 20 feet away. Ahh yes victory is now in sight, you grab two double chocolate crunch bars, you dig into the ice cream as you would buried treasure, you hit the cold left over pizza, it never had a chance and you wash it all down with a diet drink or a sweet tea. AHH yes you are now satisfied,the victory is mine!! While the crumbs are still falling from your lips you remember that the magnets that came flying off the door, you need to put them back on, and as you bend over you feel this lump, its where your stomach is located and then you realise your new years resolution, You sigh in defeat and say to yourself “”this will never work.”"

Your cravings can destroy any chance of success. So how do you control those nasty cravings. You replace them with healthy choices. Now you can still have ice cream or double choclate just not so much. In other words portion control. You still have to eat healthy for your body to run at its best. If I put water in your gas tank its going to spit and spudder. The same is true about your body ( Thats right). I just about 3 weeks ago stopped putting surgar in my coffee and started eating more wet foods. Wet foods are apples,grapes etc. When you start a new beginning you have to look at it honestly. That is: your work schedule , your down time ( if you have any), things that make up your day,week and month. I myself work in construction and you would think that I would not have trouble keeping weight off, butt thats not true.

This is why I had to have a Revolution. Iam 49 years old and I enjoy good health, besides looking fit I enjoy the perks that comes with taking care of myself, like being able to play sports, try different things, my mind works better (I know what some of you are thinking), and the list goes on. Yes I do have to be careful of 1.What I eat 2. How MUCH I eat 3. When I eat. Their is alot to say about these,so if you want to know more please contact me.

Working out can be fun if you want it to. Its all in how you view it. The old saying “if you believe you can or can’t your right”. Having a postive mind set helps alot. This can apply to anything and everything. Now there will be days were you don’t want to even hear of the word exercise. Speaking of that, take your time, your not sprinting you should be walking. If you work out like Conan the Barbarian you will quit. Take a slower approach to this. It takes your body 4-6 weeks to start to change, thats just about the time most people quit, so start with a light weight approach. If you never exercised or haven’t in awhile start with a couple sets and only do two muscle groups. Heres why, your going to really feel sore. Thats called breaking down the muscle. If you do a full body work out you won’t be able to get out of bed.

Form is also very important. Doing the exercise correctly so you don’t injure yourself. Thats another contact me because I cant write what I need to show.

Well thats enough for now, until next time God Bless
Bob Bowman.