What An Adventure!

Five ears ago, Lynn and I bought our first home i n Oskaloosa. For all the years
before that in ministry, we'd always lived in a parsonage in both Pittsfield and Clear Lake. (A parsonage is a home provided, owned and up-kept by the church.)

After buying our home we began renovations! One of the things I've always wanted was a wood burning stove, so we installed one in what we now call the fireside room, which was a three-season room we converted to a four-season, with a wood burning stove!!!

One of the men of our church (Jerry) helped me (did all the work as I watch) with the stone work around the wood burner. He did a wonderful job!

While he was working on the stonework we made plans to cut a couple of truckloads of firewood and then split it at his place in the country. We had a wonderful day in the timber and I loved hanging out with him. However, shortly after our day in the timber and splitting wood, my friend Jerry was called home to heaven. Words cannot express how thankful I am for the opportunity that I had to spend time with Jerry!

Sometime after the funeral, I called his wife and asked if I could use the wood splitter to which she responded "No". My heart sank. When she continued "my daughter and I think that Jerry would have wanted you to have it!" I was floored!

That is where this blog post is headed ... Servicing the Wood Splitter!

This spring I put in fresh fuel, changed the oil and the last thing I wanted to do was replace the filter for the hydraulic fluid system. Now that was an adventure!You see, Jerry built this splitter from the ground up and I had no real idea where to get a replacement filter.

The only information I could find was the brand: CROSS. The only other writing that I could make out was "25 MICRON". So the search and the phone calls began!

Long post longer, it became a 4 day process that included either phone call or visits to businesses in Des Moines, Pella, Ottumwa and Oskaloosa! The search ended when a guy at an Auto Parts store in Oskaloosa said he was not willing to give up until WE figured it our ... and he did! In the meanwhile I smoothly drained over 2 gallons of hydraulic fluid all over my garage flood! So I go buy 100 pound of oil dry and start cleaning ... But the wood splitter is fully serviced and ready for another season for splitting fire wood!

What an adventure!

Pastor Steve

Note from Pastor Steve: I've had this article written for a week waiting for some pictures of the wood splitter ... have not gotten that done yet for I'm posting this now and maybe someday I get some pics of my splitter and get them posted as well. 

Encouragement ...

I so enjoy the moments in ministry when you are encouraged beyond your own belief!

Often in the life of a Pastor or minister, so much of the work is done in a way where visible fruit and or progress are difficult to see, but there are times that your heart is encouraged!

One of the areas that can be somewhat discouraging is the are of counseling. Specifically when counseling someone who you're not really sure wants your help. Counseling, or more specifically Biblical Counseling, is the act of intensive discipleship. If that doesn't help, discipleship is the act whereby one believer comes alongside another believer to help them to learn to walk, love, serve and grow in their RELATIONSHIP with Jesus!

Part of the problem is (and we are all guilty of this) waiting until the issue, problem or situation is almost to, if not past, the point of salvage. We, in our own wisdom, skill and ability had done all we know to do  ... so ... we turn to others for help and when that fails we turn to God! Many times as what seems to be a last resort.

For the Biblical counselor, often we are that last resort! Presented with daunting problems that had they been handled differently in the beginning would not now be so very difficult to walk through.

I have the privilege to attend, be apart of, a group of Biblical counselors that gather once a month and walk through different aspects of the Biblical counseling ministry, common issues that the counselor  will encounter and just a time of prayer for one another.   

Today was the monthly meeting of the Eastern Iowa Biblical Counseling Coalition (EIBCC). a group that I have come to fellowship with and be encouraged by as well! Thankful for our presenter today who spoke on the topic of "Knowing When We Don't Have A Counselee" ... in other word, when someone is in the counseling room but not really interested in getting help. Sometimes it is the counselee that is the issue and sometimes it is the counselor who is at fault! (Ouch)

What an incredible time of learning, fellowship and encouragement! Already looking forward to our meeting next month!

Pastor Steve

Morning Thoughts w/ Dr. Paul Tripp

1. The cross tells us the extent to which the Lord will go to win the great spiritual war that rages in us and around us. 

2. The is no spiritual danger that you face alone, there is no spiritual deceit that you must defend yourself from alone, there is no spiritual battle that you fight alone, because the Lord Almighty is with you. 

3. Know that in those moments when you are weak and discouraged and don’t want to fight spiritual battles anymore, your Savior still fights for you.

Book Review: "What Is Reformed Theology?" By; R.C. Sproul

In moving to the South Central Iowa area 4.5 years ago I was introduced to a theology that I was very unfamiliar with in many ways ... Reformed or Covenant Theology.

Having grown up Roman Catholic and being converted to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ in 1981, I began attending a Baptist church in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Long story short, I graduated from Faith Baptist Bible College in 1989 and began pastoring in a Baptist church in Illinois in 1991. In 1995, I accepted the call to the Baptist church in Clear Lake, Iowa and enjoyed almost 18 years of ministry there until my call to Bethel Baptist in Oskaloosa.

Theologically, my experience in Illinois was a hodge-podge of mostly main-line denominations. While ministering in CL, the predominant influence was Lutheran theology. As I mentioned, upon arriving in Oskaloosa, I found myself in the midst of the Reformed community.

Not being well verse in this area of theological study, I set myself to learning! I chose to read Dr. R.C. Sproul - whom I consider to be a leading voice in the Covenant theology camp. I have read a number of his books, but, by far this was the most explanatory in the important topic at hand!

The book is set up in two parts, part one lays out the "Foundations of Reformed Theology" and part two lays out the "Five Points of Reformed Theology" or as many will recognize the "Five Points of Calvinism" or the acrostic "TULIP".

My purpose in this review is not to debate the validity of Covenant Theology in any way, I simply want my readers to understand that this book, by far, does the best job if defining, explaining and clarifying this area of theology. While many in this theological camp just refer to it as "Reformed" one of the chapters in Dr. Sproul's book is entitled "Nicknamed Covenant Theology". I'm convinced that the proper title for this theology is Covenant, not because of the covenants God made with Adam, Noah or even David so clearly brought forth in scripture but  this theology is based on three overriding covenants of Redemption, Works and Grace. That is the one of the main keys to understanding Covenant Theology!

In my opinion, if you are looking for a succinct description and or explanation of Covenant Theology, this book will cover that need.

Closing Notes:

Dr. R.C. Sproul passed away in early December 2017.

Just because I have reviewed a book on this blog is not in any way a carte blanche approval of any author or their writings.

Pastor Steve   

You Know You're A Bad Speller When ...

I am and always have been a horrendous speller! I struggled with spelling in my formative years and frankly have never really master the "Art of Spelling"!

My Mom & I

Actual Cover

When I was in High School my mom, bless her heart, even bought me a copy of the "Bad Spellers Dictionary"! She knew that I spelled everything phonically, so she buys me a book that I could really use!

So often, in grade school I was told to look up in the dictionary words I could not spell, However, I never understood how I was to look up a work if I already did not know how to spell itt to begin with in the first place!!!

Kept Close at Hand

Then, in college I happened across a book titled "20,000 Words Spelled and Divided for Quick Reference".  Literally, this book is kept in the lower left hand drawer of my desk in my office and I still reference it often!

By the way, the greatest thing to happen for us bad spellers was the invention of the Word Processor and the program that we know and love as "Spell Check"!

All of this now brings me to the reason for this particular blog post ... This morning as I was composing an email, I try to spell a word (NO, I will not tell you what word) and recognized my good friend Spell Check flagged it a being miss-spelled ... I selected the options for a list of possible words only to find my computer has no idea, not a clue of what I was trying to spell!

I reached into my lower left hand drawer and retrieved my "20,000 Words" book and promptly found the word I was needing!

Someone has said "Life is hard and it is even harder if your stupid" ... That is no doubt true, but, it helps to have a few "helps" & "cheaters" located in your lower left hand desk drawer!

I positive I'm not the only one who struggles with the simple task of spelling, so tell me what tricks and cheaters you use to make up for this deficit in your learning curve!!!

I Remain,
Pastor Steve