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Great to be back at ADBC!  And what a day.  First, any day you get to baptize 6 people is a good day!  There are so many churches that never get to baptize this many in one year.  I am humbled and grateful that God is using us to reach people for Him.

Strong attendance.  Over 1120 in the three services.  Best of all, about 730 or so in the Bible Community Groups.  Normally we’d be dipping this time of year - but I’m grateful we’re moving forward.

Our Personnel Team did a great job in meeting Sunday night.  They helped us take a step of faith and upgraded our Preschool position to full-time.  Why is this important?  According the research done by the Barna group, a child forms their world view - their understanding of right and wrong by the time they are 9.  As early as 2, children are learning concepts of right and wrong.  Our budget will have to stretch up some to take care of this position, but I believe we can do it!

I confess, I have been a bad blogger the past seven days.  BUT I was on vacation, getting some much needed rest - accelerated by the fact that I strained my back at the Y during an exercise class.  The lesson?  Don’t exercise!

Easter was a great day at ADBC.  We had over 1600 - but the best part was seeing four people baptized because of their faith in Jesus!  We also had a couple of folks profess their faith in Jesus - what better day than Easter to take that next step!

Today, we avoided the typical post Easter let down with a strong worship experience in all three services.  Even though we had some folks not back from Spring Break, it was a good crowd.  Best of all, we welcomed Todd and Penny Fleming and their family to our team. Todd will begin serving as our new Education and Disicpleship Pastor.  You will love his warmth and his passion! 

Sunday was a great day to finish the series “Would You?”  Funny thing was we weren’t sure how spending a seven weeks on the last day of Jesus’ life would go over.  It’s hard to have happy time around the torture and crucifiction of Jesus.

But this is what we found:  Attendance moved up.  God answered specific requests.  More people professed their faith and were baptized.  Giving went up.

Here’s what I learned about church through this:  people really do want to know Jesus and they want to know the truth.  Packaging is good - but what’s inside matters.

Personnally, I was moved throughout the whole series.  It amazes me how Jesus took our punishment.  I realized that God’s love overcame pain.  Sure, other humans have suffered as much - maybe longer.  But they suffered because they didn’t have a choice.  Jesus did.

Great to have a day and do ministry by wandering around.  What I saw:

• We have some terriffic Bible Community Groups - lots of energy and care.
• New BCG group launched - the CAMO class- calling all men out.  Started out in the kitchen - outgrew it already!
• Thank the preschool workers of our church- they do a great job.
• God has given us lots of space to grow in this building.  What are we waiting for?  Leaders to lead groups!
• Parking is a serious matter between 10:30 and 11:00.  People come for the 11 service and find it hard to get a space.

Clay did a great job on the message - and it was great thing to see two baptized Sunday morning.

Plus Jock had the priviledge of baptizing his daughter on Sunday night - and I realized that it had been 40 years to the day that I was baptized on a Sunday night long ago.

Talmadge Riddick’s testimony brought tears to my eyes.  God has worked in his life!

One thing I love about a day like Sunday - it reminds us all that what God does at ADBC doesn’t depend on one man or one woman - it takes all of us, empowered by His grace!

What a day at ADBC!

First, after two years and two months our search for an Education Pastor has ended!  Today, our church extended a call to Todd Fleming to come and serve at ADBC in this role.  He will begin on March 30 and will be a great addition to the team!

We had the priviledge of seeing five folks baptized at 9:45.  What a great celebration!  Plus, we had young man make a profession of faith during this service as well.

Finally, the Botswana Team made it home safe and sound.  All said what a life changing experience it was.  Be praying about your time to go to Africa.

There was great energy all day long at ADBC - I’m so glad to be part of this church family!

After losing my voice last Sunday, I approached this Sunday with great caution.  I admit I tried to go softer at 8:30 - which had the unintended consequence of going longer!  I realized I couldn’t do that the rest of the morning, so I went back to normal tone and pace and cut some material and cut the sermon time in half (bet you wish I could that every Sunday!).

Clayton did a great job leading worship while Jock was out.  It great to have a strong bench. 

Hats off to Nathan and Leandra - they had 56 kids who participated in Big Weekend.  My three teens all thought it was a win - despite little sleep and lots of motion.

THEN - and this is what I am really proud of - a dozen of our core kids came back on Sunday afternoon and moved all the stuff from the Student Building over to new building - their temporary home for the next few weeks, while their buidling is renovated.  These kids went above and beyond the call of duty.  They have put major sweat equity into their building renovation.

Finally, let me tell how jazzed I am by two of our Bible Community Groups.  Bob Reagan’s group has really stepped up to minister to two families in their groups who have lost loved ones.  Hugh Cameron’s group turned out in force to support one of their class members who lost a parent.  Of the forty or so people at the memorial service, a third were from Hugh’s group!  Plus, they have taken the step of making sure a person without transportation has a ride each Sunday to worship and BCG.  Well done!

This is a great church!

Throughout this series I have been amazed at different Jesus is  - in His response to crisis, in His forgiving nature.  Several people responded today at the altar.

You would touched if you could see an older gentleman in our church, standing before the PRAYER FORCE requests in the prayer room, praying on Sunday evening.  No one else noticed - but God hears the prayers of this godly gentleman.

Great to see two folks baptized at 11. 

Commissioned the second African mission team.  These seven ladies leave on Valentine’s Day to teach people how to sew.  I know God will use them and change them!

Would You?  got off to an intense start.  I think many of us left the service thinking about the times we had tried to lie to God - and being aware of how different Jesus is than us.

If you have a friend who doesn’t know much about Jesus, this is a great series to invite them to.

Nathan and Leandra did a great job with the students - about 140 students, adults, and parents turned out for the Flag Football tournament.  About 75 stayed around to attend the Middle School and Senior High Super Bowl parties.

I was so touched at First Sunday.  First to baptize a older gentleman - and know that his Bible Community group had been praying for a year for this to happen!  Second, the joy of an intimate Lord’s Supper and the chance to say to many of you, “Nothing can separate you from the love of Christ!”  Wow!  A great feeling!

I just finished the sermon for kicking off the “Would You?” series.  I’m really looking forward to this series - it’s different than anything we’ve done in a while.  While we often focus on practical application of scriptural truth, this series is about understanding Jesus and the last 24 hours of his life. 

I think you will find the scripture challenges us to look at the contours of our souls - who are we really?  Be here Sunday!

Would you lie to win?  Would you stretch the truth if it served a bigger cause?  To put this in more contemporary terms, is it okay to accept an unproven statement as fact if it supports your larger aims?  Was it right for President Bush to accept the claims of weapons of mass destruction so we could attack Iran?
Would you betray a friend?  What if it were your neck versus his (or hers)?  Would disavow knowledge and shared history – much like the candidates on the election trail?
Would you ever cave in to pressure?  Would you do the wrong thing to get your wife off your back - or your boss?
Would you laugh at a helpless person?  Would you make fun of someone just because you could?  Or don’t you watch “American Idol?”
Would you take it?  Would you take unjust pain, punishment, and cruelty to serve a higher purpose?  Or would you say “I don’t deserve this” and come down from a cross?
Would you die for someone?  Put aside noble thoughts of dying for the one you love.  What about dying for people who don’t deserve it?
Would you quit?  Would you run away when things got too tough, too dangerous, too risky?  Or would you see something through to the end?
This Sunday, I begin a new series focused on last 24 hours of Jesus’ life.  The series is entitled “Would You?”  If you have a friend who needs to understand the difference between regular people and Jesus, this series is for them.
Would you invite someone to come?