Building a Fence

This past weekend it was brought to my attention by Diane that Seth and Holli won't have a fence for their yard when they move into their new place this September. Well, here, watch the video...



The cost for the materials is about $3000.

The Ark Pre Service Video - The Arctic

Here's the pre-service video of our very own Noah on the ark in the arctic from this past weekend...

Be The Smaller Person.

It's only in giving what you got, that you discover what you have. Recently, I was reading the story of the Road to Emmaus in Luke 24. In this story two followers of Christ are reminiscing about the good ol' days of what Jesus had done in their lives when a stranger began to journey with them. Not recognizing who this person was they went on to share the stories, and share their lives, inviting the man into their home and sharing with him what they had. It was at this point they came to see that the stranger was no stranger at all, but Jesus in the flesh. See through serving, they discovered the God they once knew, and felt so close too, had never left, but was as close as ever. Last night, I got to enjoy one of those Emmaus moments as I went out with Martin again to the juvenile detention center. I got to be honest, I was really tired, not very motivated, and was thinking of a million things I could be doing for myself instead of spending my whole evening there....I know even pastors can be selfish jerks. Yet as the night progressed, as I took the time to listen and share with a couple of strangers in the juvenile center...God managed to show up, or should I say I finally noticed the God who had always been there. It's funny as tired as I was, when I left , like the two men in Emmaus I felt my heart burning...impassioned and renewed like never before at the sight of God's working and reality again. See I think one of the big misconceptions in life is that when God feels distant to us, we tend to believe that He has left on vacation, or somehow skipped town on us without letting us know. But the reality is that in my life and your life God is as close, and near to us, as the day our eyes we're first opened to the reality of His grace and love. But it takes us noticing and responding to those taps on the shoulder to serve, those opportunities to turn from ourselves and see the God whose right there with us. Over the next couple of weeks you're going to have opportunities come your way to serve, to volunteer maybe at a campus, at a shelter, maybe simply to a neighbor. Can I encourage you to respond...can I encourage you to not ignore His tap...can I encourage you to give what you got and rediscover what you have.

Issues with videos

I've had a couple of emails and comments from Pastor Seth about the video blogs on this page not working. To the best of my knowledge, the once the videos are uploaded they are processed into flash video, so the first step is to make sure that you have the latest version of macromedia's Flash Player. If that doesn't solve your problem try the following proceedures below.

For PC (Windows)

1. Under the Tools tab in the menu bar select Internet Options

2. Go to the Security Tab and near the bottom of the window is the Security level zone. Click on either Default level (should work just fine) or click on custom level and scroll down until you see the heading "Script ActiveX controls..." make sure that the "Run ActiveX controls and plugins" is enabled and the "Script ActiveX controls marked safe for scripting" is enabled


For PCs, a medium-high security level will work just fine and should support blogger videos.

For Mac OS:

1. Go to the browser tab in the menu bar (Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer) and select preferences (for more advanced users, holding down command and comma will take you to the same window)

2. Select the content tab and click enable JavaScript and enable Java.

This is the only issue I could think of for why the videos wouldn't work for some of you. If this still doesn't work, try contacting blogger help/support. They should be able to assist you through the process of setting up the browser to support embedded video. Hope everything works out for you and that you can enjoy the wonders of the video blogs.

I'm also posting a poll on internet connection speeds on my own blog site, Wy'East Tech Guy.

Until next time,
Josh

LifeGroup Leaders and the trophy

Today we're interviewing people from different lifegroups about what it would mean to win the Diceros Bicornis Trophy.

Seth & Holli's Life Group Road Tour: Brent & Bonnie's

It was great getting to revisit Brent & Bonnie's Life Group. I like to say that their sort of the Life Group that inspired the Road Tour. It's hard to explain but everytime I visit that group there is just a sincerity and love for one another that always shines through. On the night I visited they were working through a video lesson which was really good, as it showed in great detail the biblical roots of our nation. After that they took time to discuss the video and then just share in each others lives. Simply put, you guys are always a highlight in the Road Tour, as my wife and I leave encouraged everytime we go. Thanks for letting us be apart of the group again.

The Diceros Bicornis Trophy Promo

As you all know, Seth and Holli have been touring the Fisher's Landing LifeGroups this summer with an award (see title) going to the best LifeGroup of '07. Well, here it is...

White Water Rafting Trip

As you all know, our first campus whitewater rafting trip took place this morning. It was chilly until the sun made its way over the ridges surrounding the Clackamas River. The company we went through provided us with two great guides. For those who like adventure, you missed out. Here's a short video from the end of our trip...

A Modern-Day Noah

What would it take to be Noah? Come with us as we explore this question, with Erik Anderson as Noah. Make sure to come to service early the next couple of weeks and watch our Noah as he explores the Zoo.

The Adventures of Seth & Holli's Life Group Road Tour #4

I have to say that the Bernhardt Life Group is without a doubt the most memorable group to date. I don't even know where to begin, so I'll give you the Cliff Notes version: It all began with a buzzer that went off every 30 seconds to let each member know when their time of holding the sacred wristband was up, a time of confession that included a ladies struggles to shave both legs in the summer, Dennis in full Native American apparal handing me feathers as a symbol of honor, a rough rendition of "Kumbaiya", and to wrap up the night a request to baptize one's cat. Now before you get as concerned about the sanity of this Life Group as I was, it's important to note it was all a set-up. And I have to say that Candid Camera could not have done a better job...I totally bought it, as they pulled one of the great con jobs of all-time. I was still trying to figure out the purpose of the mystery wristband before I realized how good they got me. Anyway it really was a blast, and for all the laughter and good times...there was no question that this was a group that epitamized doing life together. As one didn't have to be in the room long to know how much they genuinely cared for, prayed for, and just really loved one another through the good and bad of life. You guys have an amazing group, with two leaders...Butch & Roberta who I respect and appreciate so much...may you guys never tire of doing what you do...you're an example to us all.

P.S- Thank you for letting me share in the taste experience of a "doughboy'' -- and truly it is an experience.

The Making of the Ark

Join Seth today as he interviews Josh Dickens, the Director and Producer of the Wy'East Video blogs, about the recent filming of the Ark video loop used at our campus as a pre-service loop.

To Be A Classic.

There he stood for the last time with the love of his life. What do you say in a moment like that? As the propellers from the nearby plane revved up, Humphrey Bogart peered into her eyes and said the words that would go into Classic movie history… ”Here’s looking at you kid.” Until last week when I went to watch Casablanca, I had forgotten the beauty of classic movies. The effort that went into the sets, the splendor of black & white film, the epic feel of the stories, sights, and sounds. More importantly I think what I miss most about the Classics was their ability to finish well. Whether it’s Rhett Butler being reunited with Scarlett in Gone with the Wind... John Wayne fighting for the honor of his wife in the Quiet Man... Rocky coming back after 8 rounds of getting the pulp beat out of him (Hey, I think Rocky can be considered a classic). See classics, regardless of the story, seemed to always understand that the ending was everything, it was the ending that would ultimately define what one thinks or didn’t think of the movie. I share this with you because I think when it comes to the story of our time at Wy’East Middle School, we’re at that defining, “Here’s looking at you kid” moment as a campus. As many of you know we’re close to finalizing a deal for a permanent location off of Chaklov, a location we hope to be in by late September. I can’t tell you how excited I am about the new location, as I have no doubt that God will use it to literally change lives of thousands for eternity. That said, I’m also excited about these remaining months at Wy’East as well. See I believe that the story of our time at Wy’East will be defined in these next two months, it will be defined by how we choose to finish at this location. Will we sit back and simply wait for the story to end at Wy’East? Or will we look back at our time at Wy’East and beable to say what a classic…by risking with a fresh abandonment, by serving as if there is no tomorrow, by investing and inviting others as if it were the last time we might see them. God brought us to Wy’East Middle School for a such a time as this…and what will define the story of our time there will be how we each choose to finish. You know what was cool about Casablanca, was that up until that point Humphrey Bogart had thought only of what was best for him…and yet when the defining moment came at the end of the movie, he chose, if but for a moment, to step beyond himself…and let go of what he cherished most for the benefit of the world around. What is it that’s keeping you from living a life that could be considered a classic? What is it that you find yourself holding onto, and know it’s time to let go of that the story may be complete…time…comfort…attitude?
Anyway… “Here’s looking at you Wy’East,” as a chapter in the life of our campus begins to come to a close and new one prepares to begin.

"Do you think the work of harvesting will not begin until the summer ends four months from now? Look around you! Vast fields are ripening all around us and are ready now for the harvest. The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life."
(John 4:35-36)