Cibecue Mission 2008 Slideshow...

This is our slideshow from an amazing trip to Cibecue, AZ. Before you press play you will want to pause the music player which is on the right hand side of the page. Once you do that you can watch this video without any musical conflicts. Sit back, enjoy the video and praise God for working moving so powerfully during our time there.

Blessings on your day,

Pastor Scott

LIfe on an Apache Reservation...

Wow, what an experience. We have just gotten back from 10 days on the White Mountain Indian Reservation. We painted a church, one house and held a VBS for elementary age kids. Not to mention we baptized five of our group. Our students were stretched and grew closer to God and each other. I am so proud of these students for being willing to try new things and get out of their Dallas, Oregon box.

To God Be The Glory...

I have to take a moment to thank all of the leaders and students who participated in the 30Hr. Famine in April. We collected over 900 lbs. of food for the local food bank and raised over $10,000 for World Vision to stamp out hunger. Thanks to all of your efforts we raised the most money in all of Oregon and SW Washington. All of you are the best.

Wisdom And Knowledge...

As we are finishing up another school year I am forced to ponder education and the pursuit of knowledge. I just finished reading two articles, one about a 10 year old who just finished his second year of college (that's no typo) and the second article about a 19 year old college professor. My first thought, Nerds, was spawned out of jealousy. I have a hunger and thirst for knowledge, but why can't my brain be more like theirs.

But something struck me about these two individuals. They appear to be very humble. The 10 year old doesn't consider himself a genious and says that eveyone is smart in their own unique way. The 19 year old professor is teaching in a college that was ravished by Huricane Katrina. She didn't feel like she could go rebuild a house so she thought she could teach. That was refreshing to my soul.

We live in a world where individualism is push and we are taught from a very young age to take whatever we can get. These two individuals (from the outside) embody a humility that should be comended. Why can't these types of stories lead on the 10 o'clock news? That's for another rant!

Go to http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,355603,00.html for more information about the 10 year old and http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24273418/ for more information about the 19 year old professor.

Now, after you read this I want to make one thing very clear. You are wonderfuly made by your Creator. God wove you together to be you. Yes, my jealousy bone acted up when I read these articles, but get it under control and you can praise God for what He is doing in your life. It may not be perfect, but when following God it will be right.

Have a great day and God bless,
Pastor Scott

Why My Wife and I Aren't Following Paul's Teachings...

Yes, there are some things in the Bible that I just can't follow, well at least under certain circumstances. This past weekend was a perfect example. Right now, Kim and I can't follow The apostle Paul's teaching of greeting each other with a holy kiss. My wife and I are on 24 hour guarantine from kissing each other. It all started while celebrating Caleb's birthday (he is a sophomore at our church). He had a Indiana Jones/Adventurers Club theme. It was a very elaborate birthday celebration and very fun for all involved. Some of the party favors were things like chocolate covered insects or suckers with insects. I saw a box of the chocolate covered larva and crickets. Me being me was curious how they would taste so I opened up the box and took down a cricket. It really tasted only like chocolate, which is what I figured it would be like. I did feed my three year old son the other cricket which got quite a rise out of my wife. That is when I was put into quarantine. No kissing for me until the cricket residue was gone.

Kim and I were having a good laugh about the whole thing, but I was still in quarantine. Well low and behold about the time I am okay, bam Kim gets hit, and I mean really hit. We had taken the family to see their first Circus in Salem. It was a lot of fun and the kids loved it. On the way out Kim was walking ahead leaving the bleacher area. A man walking above her tried his best to cover his mouth, but let out a huge sneeze. I thought to myself, since I had a great view of the whole event, I bet that just hit Kim. At first she didn't respond, but then I saw her try to wipe her check off on her shoulder (both her hands were full). The lady walking beside her let out this, "Oh, gross!" and I began to laugh very hard. Matter of fact we all laughed very hard. But that's when I laid down the law, "You are now in quarantine!"

If I believed in Karma, that would have been the perfect example. Kim, I love you. Thank you for being my bestfriend. I am so thankful we can make each other laugh, cry and go crazy. You are a great partner in crime. I love you. And by the way, your still quarantined!