I'm working through the Beth Moore Bible Study, Believing God. It is just right for many reasons and recently I learned something that I will never forget. I don't have the workbook with me so if you want to know the details you'll have to do your own research but here's what I do know. Thank you Beth!

When God spoke the world into existence the Hebrew word for "created" means "from nothing". We might say nothing existed before He created it. He spoke the world into being. However when the Bible says that God created Adam and Eve there is a different Hebrew word used. He "created" them from existing matter, from the dust of the earth. I like to think that God was willing to get His hands dirty in creating us. There is something meaningful to me that God shaped us with His hands and then blew His breath in us so we could have a living soul. So it is no surprise that when we die our body, made of the earth, stays here. While our soul, made from that which is eternal, lives forever. 

Here is where it gets good, when God says he creates in us a clean heart, the scriptures use the word for--guess which one--from scratch. Isn't that great? He doesn't use the recycled material of a heart gone wrong. He starts fresh. He creates a new heart from nothing! So when you are forgiven you are not just made new as in renewed--your heart is brand new--as in never soiled! That really encourages me. It makes me appreciate grace and God who gives it more than ever. I hope it does you too!

Today as I reflected on my day I had this thought, I get to choose my attitude. There were reasons to be encouraged and I had opportunities to be frustrated. I chose joy. I know God is at work. I know people will be human (so will I). I believe that even in difficult times there is the chance to grow in character and to exercise faith.

This thinking started this morning when I had my quiet time. I wondered, is it possible that God has a different goal than I do? What I have in mind is a particular outcome. However, maybe God is more interested in doing a work in me than he is in changing my circumstances? If that is true then the more I am fixated on my result the more frustrated I become with God and stuff I don't think fits my plan. That makes what God wants to do in me take longer.

When I decide to cooperate completely with God and invite Him to do His work in me even the challenging things have purpose. For that reason I chose joy--independent of my circumstances. I can't even find the words to tell you the freedom thinking this way brought me  today. 

Give it a try. Every day you have a choice not based on circumstances, you get to choose your attitude. Chose joy!

For Belinda and me, Memorial Day usually includes a trip to our daughter Megan's grave.  This year there were two graves to visit since my father, Paul Kendall, died in January. My Mom, Ruthie, my brother and sister-in-law Kristel and their son Collin went with us this year. The time there is bittersweet. It is sweet to remember but bitter that they are not with us.I don't know any way to make that better. I know it doesn't simply get better with time however we do feel the grace of God as we honor them. He gives us the confidence we feel when we remember that they are actually the ones in the better place. He gives us strength to go forward without them and He is healing our hearts.

I want to share a memory about each of them today. On one of our visits to see my parents while they lived in Oregon my Dad wanted to take us to see a waterfall. He had bought a book about the waterfalls of Oregon and on his day off he and my Mom would go to the ones near their home and hike in to see them. He wanted to share that joy with our young family. My Dad was determined this hike was not going to be boring for our boys. He got them to walk across some downed trees that fell across a ten foot ditch. Of course dead trees have bark that can easily come off and Jeremy ended up slipping off the tree. Somehow he miraculously caught himself before he fell. On the way back Dad said he would lead the two boys to a shortcut. He didn't ask permission from the parents he simply darted off into the woods with Jeremy and Luke in close pursuit. We stayed on the path and when we got to the car Dad and the boys were nowhere in sight. We waited what seemed like an eternity but was probably only twenty minutes. Then we heard their excited voices. They found their way back to the parking lot by smelling the Port-a-Potty. That was a hike we will never forget--the funny thing is, I don't even remember the waterfall.

I have to dig a little deeper for a Megan memory. One of my favorite things to do with Megan was to turn on the music really loud and dance around the living room. She would squeal with delight. Whenever I would stop she would jump up and down in my arms as if to say, keep dancing! She would hung my neck tight and smile like this was the best fun she ever had. One day not too long after she got a mouthful of teeth she bit me really hard on the shoulder. I didn't see it coming so I yelped in pain and suprise. This startled Megan so much, and probably hurt her tender heart, that she began to cry. She was inconsolable! I held her close and let her know that I was all right and that I still loved her. Soon we were dancing again.

It helps to remember. You may or may not have known my Dad or Megan but thanks for your support as we heal and move forward.

Gary

Do you ever eat something that you know from the first taste that you'll love it? Other things have to grow on you. Belinda is trying to acquire a taste for coffee but it just isn't happening for her. On the other side of things I am eating up the teaching of New Thing Network while here at the Exponential Conference. Jon and Dave Ferguson are the founders and they lead the field in developing churches that reproduce to form a movement. I'm eating it up.

I've been trying to find someone serving this kind of meat for the dreams God's given for years. To change metaphors, I often feel like I"m speaking Spanish in attempting to create a reproducing movement in a city and nation. Now here is a team of people speaking advanced Spanish. But I understand it and it gives me handles, illustrations and talking points for communicating what can happen as we help people find their way back to God.

From there we seek to connect them into groups that reproduce and reach their neighborhoods. They bring transformation in the community by being the hands and feet of Christ. When there are several groups in a community they have the nucleus for a new campus. Lives are changed, families are healed, communities are transformed and eventually we reach a city together. That's the dream and today God is feeding that dream, speaking Spanish to me and helping me understand He is in it.

Here is more on one of the stories I will be sharing at Indian Creek Olathe today. This is Rick Keaton's story of resurrection power released in his life and marriage.

My story really begins in the 70's. A time where alcohol, drugs and sex where key tools of Satan and becoming a norm for our society. I was one of those. Many a morning I would awake not knowing what I did the night before, not knowing how I even got home. As I look back on this time, I know God was with me every night I drank or used drugs. Only through God's hands did I not die a horrible death in an auto accident, or even kill someone else. Truly proof that God is with everyone, no matter what they are doing. I did mentally hurt a lot of people during this time with my destructive ways.

Finally in the 80's I was able to stop my destructive ways, unfortunately, I did this with out God in my life. Not having God caused me to fall back into my old ways and this time it once again hurt someone who I loved deeply. It was 14 years ago when my wife was pregnant with our son. I left her, all alone, pregnant and giving birth to our son on her own. But it was during this time that God proved who He is to me. How He is true to his word about his love, forgiveness, mercy and the power of prayer. It was one day during this time that Jesus came knocking at my heart. I know now that many times during my life he had been knocking, but this time for some reason I answered that knock. It was a few years later I found our why.

During this time one day, my wife stopped you at church and asked you to pray with her about me. As I look back on that, wow, why would she want to pray for me. I had left her, alone with child and yet she asked you to pray with her for me. Unbelievable, but that is our God, he can take what we know as impossible and make it possible. I am not sure if it was the next day or not, but I know soon after you both prayed for me, Jesus knocked at my heart and I answered. Why, because of my wife's forgiveness and love and for your dedication to serve our God. God saw the faith in you both and well, let's just say he slapped the back of my head and woke me up. Soon after this I wrote to my wife asking for forgiveness and to my amazement, she forgave me and took me back into her life. Today, I am happier, more peaceful, better than I have ever been. Our marriage is strong as God is the center of our marriage.

As I look back on my life I realized, God had always been with me, I just did not see him. How many times did He save my life? How many times does He save anyone like me from physical death. Anyone I talk to that has an addiction, I always ask them, how long can you walk that line between death and living. God is saving you from our destructive ways for some reason, wake up and accept his salvation before it is too late.

The greatest gift I learned from all of this is God's forgiveness and the power of prayer. My wife taught me what true forgiveness is through Christ. I now know why she forgave me, because Christ forgave me. Her love for Christ has taken me from death to life. Her forgiveness through Christ saved our marriage. And her and your love showed me the power of prayer. The faithful prayer of a Christian is more powerful than anything our minds can imagine. I now take prayer as the corner stone of my relationship with God and urge everyone to see my story and learn of the power of God's love, mercy and forgiveness.

For those that have been hurt you can release that burden to Christ, like my wife did, and be free. For those that have done the hurting, like me, you can be released from the bondage by Christ and forgiveness through His Blood on the Cross.

Blessings
Rick Keaton

Last night I went through A Walk with Christ to the Cross. There were nearly 200 who went through the self-guided interactive experience. It was powerful! I was moved just going into the room. The person who went in ahead of me doesn't attend Indian Creek but is one of the ones who comes to clean the building. We greeted each other and she knows who I am but that is about it. When she reached the third station she was so moved she was weeping. Then she turned around and came back to me, opened up her arms and gave me a big hug, sobbing as she did so. I knew what she was thinking because I felt the same way, see how much He loves us! For that moment it wasn't a pastor and a cleaner but two children of God realizing the price our Savior paid to help us find our way back to God.

The whole experience was powerful. I can't describe the emotion I felt when I held the whip, handled the crown of thorns, picked up the nails, laid my regrets at the foot of the cross, put a crown on my head and looked in the mirror, threw my crown at the base of the throne, stood at the well of living water. It took me almost five minutes to stop crying once I left. They were tears of joy and gratitude. I'm ready for Easter now!

Celebrate with us the greatest day in history! 

Pass this on to your friends and invite them to come with you to Indian Creek for Easter. We ask the questions, What is your impossible? and What if you didn't have to do it alone? The service is an awesome celebration of the resurrection.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZPBxxfTJng&feature=channel

The service times are 9:00 a.m., 10:45 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on the Olathe campus and 10:30 a.m. on the Garder campus.

Impossible is Nothing!

Kudos and thanks to the many servant leaders who lived out the love of Jesus in a BIG way todayand yesterday at Indian Creek in Olathe and Gardner.

In Olathe it was the largest Spring Fest ever, 1400, and the best one. Way to go kidzAlive!, Journey and Live Out teams for leading the way! The extra effort to get the flyers out to so many schools and ministries really paid off. The planning and organization was solid and I especially liked the way we put people first.

In Gardner there were over 200 present for Spring Fest and the excitement was high. Gardner got to have their egg hunt outside because they did their hunt after the morning service today. The 3,000 door hangers they passed out yesterday created a lot of interest not only in the Egg Hunt but also in the worship service.

Ministry really is a tag team effort. Many of you invited friends. Once you got them here the volunteers were ready. The send off with a Palm branch and an invitation to Sunday services gives the Sunday teams like First Impressions, worship, Café, Speaking and Prayer teams a chance to let God work through them.

We do what we do so people will find their way back to God. What happened today opens the door for what happens next. Pray with me that we allow the Holy Spirit to use us to transform lives until all KC knows. Give God a chance to work in you!

Keep praying, keep inviting, Easter’s coming!

P.S. I even had a chance to hold my grandson Landon and to see Jeremy and Jesi. That is always a highlight to any day!

This Tuesday night, March 30, 7:00 p.m. at Indian Creek Olathe, room 25, Kristen Levitt, Tim Stout and I will share about our recent mission trip with Project Partner. You will see pictures, hear reports and be amazed at the provision of God. Learn how you can be involved in what may be the greatest revival in the history of the world. Do you think I'm overstating it? Come hear and decide for yourself.

We sent a team from Indian Creek (Ben Stears, Steve Southards, Belinda and Gary Kendall) to the Leadership Network Innovation Lab last Tuesday and Wednesday. This learning exercise was for churches who’ve started their first campus site within the last year and have plans for multiple sites in the future. There was a lot of competition to get in and we felt privileged to learn from the best. We spent two days gleaning from each other and being mentored by experienced leaders like Greg Ligon and Geoff Surratt. We worked on plans and next steps which we are excited to share so we can build on them together. We believe God opened this door for this opportunity and we gratefully thank Him for it. Together we can love our city back to God.