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i just didn't have the time....

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Oct 26...My first Sunday as pastor:
Last Sunday my message title was "Broken, but Powerful." As a fun element, we played a game called "Will it Break?"
On video we (Me and Evan's wonderful idea!) dropped things off the church roof, and people had to guess if it would break. As a live element, we then dropped something on the stage from a 15-foot ladder.

Our choice item: a 40-pound computer monitor.

It was dropped. It landed. It bounced. It rolled. It headed toward a family in the front row. A sixth-grade girl sitting next to her dad yells out, "Are you trying to kill me?"

Dec. 1999....My first month as youth pastor:
I was preaching in basement fellowship hall to about 15-25 students. I was holding a sword and waiving it around as I as preaching.

All of a sudden, the handle broke off and the sword went flying and came inches from hitting a young girl. Here she is now.

I've had bad luck with first preaching moments.

(I also threw out a bunch of blow-pops that same month and took out a low-mounted fluorescent light that exploded on the crowd.)

What "That wasn't suppose to happen!" moments have you had?

Great Weekend at First Assembly

Highlights from the weekend:

- We had 37 new kids join us for our Family Fall Fest on Friday. We're excited that their families got a small taste of how First Assembly wants to invest in family life. (See pics here.)

- We launched the God of this City series as my first sermon as lead pastor.
(You can listen to the message here.)

- I busted a bunch of tile on stage with a sledge hammer.

- We dropped and busted a computer monitor off a 15-foot ladder.

- We created a mosaic cross our of all the busted tile.

- Sunday night we hosted a dessert shindig at our house. It was great to have everyone in our home. We love our church!

- Approximately 10,000 calories was consumed at our house.

- Then we ate pizza late Sunday night after most people went home.

...then we slept!

Family Fall Pics!!!!

You gotta check all these out!
CLICK HERE


Family Fall Fest was great.
We have great leaders and volunteer teams that did an amazing job!

I love my mom!

First of all.... HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Mom!

Second.... I'm proud of you.
Thanks for serving other people.
Not only do you give one day each week to watch my boys, but now you are stretching beyond that.
I'm proud that you are serving people at our hospital.
Thanks for becoming a volunteer.
Thanks for serving others.
Thanks for thinking beyond yourself. If only more people would follow suit.


Happy 65th Birthday!
I Love you!

-Travis

laying down on the job

Our family went to a pumpkin patch this week.
I was tired. So I rested.


So... I scored low on the dad-o-meter.

What causes you to loose points on the parent-o-meter?

Monday: Day One

Sunday was a day of celebration for Pastor Van and Diane as they retired from a marathon of 35 years in full-time ministry. Sunday was also a day of transition as Joy and I became the lead pastor of First Assembly.

It was a day of emotions. We celebrated, we teared up, we laughed, we ate a lot!, we reflected old stories, we dreamed about the future.

All in all, we allowed God to maneuver His leadership for His Church. We humbly accept his assignment. We're excited for the future. We believe greater days are yet to come for our church and community.

My prayer: Keep us humble, pure of thought, fastened to His Spirit, contagious with passion for God, and compassionate toward those spiritually disconnected from God.

Sharing thoughts to the 60s Plus group

I had the honor as one of my first Lead Pastor opportunities to share some thoughts with the 60s Plus group during a fall bonfire.

Some of my thoughts:
1. I know you must be thinking, "What will it be like to have a 33-year-old pastor?"
- I hope you guys are as excited as Joy and I are. We are looking forward to a great journey.

2. I shared Hebrews 13:1-8 and explained how Jesus and His message is the same yesterday, today and forever.

3. Speaking of "the same yesterday..."
I shared how they and their generation helped to get us where we are today as a church. All the years of investment are amazing, and humbling. I appreciate everything they have done and will continue to do to shape us into better Jesus followers.

4. Speaking of "Jesus is the same today..."
I explained that all buildings have load-bearing walls. Christianity, too, has load-bearing walls. There are some things that should not, will not, and cannot be changed. Jesus is the only way to heaven. He is our salvation. He is our healer. He is returning. The Bible is true and inspired. The Great Commission is ours to carry out. These are our load-bearing walls.

5. Speaking of the Jesus for our future...
We live in changing times. What makes sense today may not have been imagined 40 years ago. Church and culture is constantly changing. We need to clearly communicate to today's unchurched culture. ...And it may sound different than how it was communicated 40 years ago.

All the songs, styles, and methods may not make sense to the 60s Plus generation, but they will to their grandchildren. The incredible ideas of yesterday were amazing back then. And today and tomorrow we will have more amazing methods to reach the lost.

6. Let's join together as we pass along our faith to this generation and the ones to come.

I prayed for them. They prayed for us!
It was a great night with amazing people.

Retirement Celebration Planned

The following is press release information that we've forwarded to our local newspaper:

Rev. Van Frownfelter retires this Sunday as pastor of First Assembly of God, concluding a 20-year marathon of church leadership in Mattoon.

A special “Leaving a Legacy” tribute service is planned for this Sunday at 9:30 a.m. at the church, 900 Dewitt Ave. East.

The community is also invited to a retirement celebration Sunday from 6p.m. to 8 p.m. in the church’s auditorium. The community is invited to stop by anytime during the evening reception to visit with the Frownfelters. Special comments regarding the family will be made at 7:30 p.m.

Rev. Van and Diane Frownfelter served at First Assembly of God in Mattoon from 1989 to this weekend. Prior to that they served as pastors in Lincoln, IL from 1978-1989 and Chicago from 1973-1978.

Take the Missions Poll

What moves you to get involved in missions?
	Poverty
	Injustice
	Joining a great cause
	Partnering with a trustworthy missions organization
	Salvation for those disconnected from God
	The adventure of going somewhere cool
	The joy of giving something big
pollcode.com free polls

We squeaked by

We were doing a routine online banking check Friday night.

We found this.


Still in the black, baby!

We need new eyes

A leader at our church asked me to listen to this song by Brandon Heath.

She said, "This song is exactly what you were talking about at our leader's meeting. We need a heart change and we need to focus on the mission!"

Great Song. Great video.



Thanks Lisa for your heart for our community!

My son is ALL boy

Guess what Dakota learned?



Who taught him this?
A. Dad
B. Mom
C. School friends
D. Presidential Debate

Change you can believe in: My Face

Saturday I looked liked this.


I grabbed these.


I trimmed down to this.


I finished to this.


Still deciding....

The 1814 Project has been announced

Today I had the humble pleasure of announcing to the great people of First Assembly that we were beginning an adventure that would impact an entire community.

Exactly 1814 miles away is a small town of 4,000 people who desperately need someone to come along side of them and help transform their community.

Welcome to The 1814 Project. Our church will gather its resources and local connections to make a difference in San Jeronimo, Honduras. One church in this friendly Latin American community is praying today that our people will be excited about this newly formed friendship.

Together, with God at the center, we will change people's lives...on this earth, and for eternity.

We will strategically invest in the school, the government, the faith community, local families, and every single child.

This is not a one-time missions trip. This is not throwing money to a poorer church far, far away. This is a partnership. This is an alliance. This will become a friendship. In fact, over time, this will become family.

Join our adventure. Pray for our partnership and alliance.
Pray for San Jeronimo, Honduras.

The 1814 Project...begins today!

Launching on Oct. 5

The 1814 Project Launch from firstassembly on Vimeo.

This will change lives...

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My New Eye Glasses

BEFORE


AFTER


Someone suggested these...

My son's on the Cover!

My son, Riley, made the cover of a local health magazine.
That makes me one proud parent. Too cute.