Archive - June, 2009

Nathan Junker and Al “Herm” Hermiston – “we are liberators”

June 29, 2009 in student ministry, thoughts with 9 Comments

back in the office today from having been out last week for our mission trip/ dare 2 serve-09…working away…getting caught up and just got an email from a friend asking for prayer for the families of two Kingdom warriors, youth pastor Nathan Junker and youth leader Al Hermiston from the Grand Rapids area.  this is just beyond belief.  i don’t personal know either of these men.  But i encourage your prayers for their families and their churches and especially those 5 youth that were saved by the sacrificial and heroic actions of their shepherds.  i can’t even imagine the horror for all involved.  nathan’s last blog post a couple days ago is on prayer and spiritual warfare.

Enter into the battle that rages invisible around us. Shake the foundations that Satan has established in our world. We know that it stands on nothing but sand. Praise the name of the Lord who is our strong tower. Rebuild the walls that have crumbled down from sin. Stand firm and fight for those who can’t fight for themselves. “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.” (Matthew 11:12). We are more than conquerors…we are liberators.

from Kevin Hansen’s blog…

…This afternoon, Pastor Nathan Junker and Al “Herm” Hermiston, a long-time youth leader at Faith Baptist Church, were with the Jr. High youth on Pokegama lake. The two of them and 5 of the youth were on a sand bar near Drumbeater Island and were swept out by the waves and wind, unknown to others who were on a beach nearby. They struggled to swim back. Several of the youth and Herm were wearing life vests, but Herm gave his to one of the kids who did not have one.
All 5 of the youth made it safely back, but the two men did not. Herm was found face down in the water and taken to the hospital, where he died. At this time, Nathan has still not been found in spite of the search efforts of others in the party and law enforcement.

Please pray for Herm’s family, especially his wife Nancy, and for Nathan’s family: wife Samantha (Sam), and children Lauren, Alexandra, Journey, and Lincoln. Nathan’s father Randy Junker is pastor of the Grand Rapids Alliance Church. His mother’s name is Debbie. And pray for the people of both churches and the community who have been affected by these men.

on a mission…Kingdom…and a question for you.

June 23, 2009 in adventure, student ministry, thoughts with 2 Comments

IMG00534the folks at i-heart.org have a challenge out to the Kingdom…asking the larger question. over the next couple of days about 100 students and adults are going to answer their question -how am i going to change the world - practically these students are headed into a local community to change it as they change themselves.  for many of them it will be their first time even getting close to the idea of serving.  we’re partnering with our mothership – berean baptist in mansfield, oh.  over the next couple days students will be investing through local ministries like habitat for humanity, the salvation army and three other community programs.  i’ve personally encouraged because each day we’ve added a couple of students who are wiling to risk to stretch themselves and see what difference they can make.  you can follow our exploits via twitter here.  check in and offer your thoughts.  more importantly, visit the i-heart.org and add your voice to the effort. answer the question for yourself… how are you going to change the world?

#1 summer camp “09 song…and its not a banana

June 18, 2009 in adventure, music with 0 Comments

the team went out to a local camp,  round lake christian camp,  this morning to advance our great gathering next weekend.  i bumped into the worship leader for the week and inquired what the “top play” song was for this week at camp.  and low and behold it was fruit of the spirit.  haven’t heard this one in a long time if i ever had heard it…and its a great way to do your memory  verse this week.

e-n-t-r-e-p-r-e-n-e-u-r-s for the Kingdom?

June 16, 2009 in adventure, student ministry, thoughts with 1 Comment

i’m putting the finishing touches on our summer mission trip next week-dare2serve.  for some it will be a journey of great distance…even though its taking place about 27 miles from our outpost.  its really the first that we’ve done something like this in more than a couple of years…(at least at this size…we did help with 1 night on the street in ’07)  i’m getting excited because the numbers are growing each day…right now were at 26 students and adults.  i’m hoping and praying that during our five days together we will better understand this word…entrepreneurs…and gratefully see that together we can change the world no matter your size.

its my prayer that our ideas, dreams, and the vision of daring to serve others may just be what makes the difference in the lives of not only those we serve, but more importantly, in our own lives.  i’m pumped because i know that each person…each adult and each  student has  something in their hands… we truly have something to  offer, and the real question we will be walking through is what will we do with what we have…in action and deed to leave our mark for our King. 

and i see so little war…

June 15, 2009 in music with 1 Comment

how did i miss this…amazing!  john piper and Tedashii’s new cd Identity Crisis from Reach an excellent review over at the christian manifesto of the whole album here…but this clip especially on the piper track…

“Make War” is my favorite track on the album. Sampling John Piper’s “How To Kill Sin” sermon to open the track, this number fire on about 1000 cylinders…out of 100. Truth be told, this review could have been based entirely around this one track if I had wanted to. This song has been on repeat all weekend. The subject of this song is that part-and-parcel of the Christian walk is warring against the attacks of Satan and his demons.

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