New Men’s Group Starting

Brent Schmick and I are starting a Wednesday morning men’s ministry gathering.  The goal is to meet for an hour starting at 6:30am in room 201.  Our desire is to do a group wide SOAP journal (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer).  We will start by spending personal time reading through the daily scriptures followed by a time of journaling through the SOAP.  We expect that to last around 40 minutes and we plan on spending the last 20 minutes sharing some of the highlights of what God had each of us journal.

We believe God is calling men to open His word and actively learn how that “Truth” interacts in our lives!!  Looking forward to life change – come join us!!

Don’t forget your pens and journals!!!!

Dave

 

SOAP – Oct 21

Good evening, tonight I started by reading Job 5, Job 10, Acts 13 & 14…

Scipture – Job 10:12 “You have granted me life and favor, and Your care preserved my spirit.”

Observation – We’ve got to understand the context of this beautiful line in the midst of Job’s life.  Job had just been confronted by his second friend Bildad who urged Job to repent believing that everything he was going through was solely due to sin.  Remember that God had allowed pain in Job’s life to occur because He believed Job would not turn his back and curse God. So in the midst of hating the situations of his life, Job pleads his case to God and quotes himself in Job 10:12.  Basically in the midst of all of his troubles, he knew that God had granted him life and favor and it was God who preserved him.  How about us? How about me? Do I ever find time to praise God in the midst of the storm?

Application – In the midst of my storms, I find, more often than not, that I allow fear and anxiety to take hold of my heart.  Proverbs 12:25 says that “Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression” and for me, depression can drive and breed bitterness.  God must teach me to have joy in the storm.

Prayer – God, grant me life and favor that I would know and feel you preserve my spirit.  Teach me what joy, true joy, looks like!!

 

Try some SOAP

In Wayne Corderio’s book, The Devine Mentor, he introduces the idea of using the acronym SOAP to drive us deeper into God’s Word.  SOAP stands for Scripture, Observation, Application and Prayer.  For months, I balked at the idea believing that I was spending more than enough time in God’s word BUT I was wrong.  Two weeks ago, today, I started the SOAP journey and have enjoyed my renewed time in God’s Word.  As I journaled the past few days, I thought I should share what I was learning on my blog…thus, today’s SOAP…

Read Job 6-8 and Acts 12 – focused on Acts 12:23

Scripture – Acts 12:23 “Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God.  And he was eaten by worms and died.”

Observation – I immeidately think of times that I struggle to give God glory especially when people compliment me.  Pride is deceitful, wrong and leads to death.  Notice that Herod’s death comes after Christ is crucified – you know, the death that God used to grant people/His creation a chance to be made right, a chance at forgiveness yet Herod’s destruction came in an instant without any other rebuke.  Could that still happen today?  Yes, it’s the same God!! God, send Your fire to consume those of us who get in the way of Your glory.

Application – I’ve got to check my motives and do the right things.  It’s very simple – pride will kill me.  I pray for my freedom to give God the glory!!

Prayer - In the words of Matt Thompson’s song that is currently playing in my head, “Jesus consume me. Take my life and use me, for Your glory Lord, for Your glory Lord.”  God, teach me how to decrease while You increase all the more in my life.

 

Memorial Day 2010

This year was by far the most memorable of all my Memorial Days!!  It started as any regular Monday, got up and did a little reading then had prayer time with one of my accountability partners.  After finishing prayer time, I went it and played with my girls.  On weekends and holidays, we move their beds to the living room and allow them to sleep there as a little fun thing they really enjoy and look forward to.  As I was playing with Mia, Tara asked what we wanted for breakfast…I, of course, manipulated Mia into requesting Dunkin Donuts which worked so off I went for donuts.  While I was waiting to get donuts, watching the people hanging around the store dressed in their American Flag shirts and all, I began to remember the video from Sunday of what men and women have done for me – they’ve fought for me and my family.  I felt the desire to show my girls what the sacrifice looked like.  I remember talking to God but don’t quite remember how the conversation went but landed on the idea of the AZ National Memorial Cemetary.  Went back to the house, expressed my idea to Tara so we got the girls dressed and headed to Cave Creek and Pinnacle Peak Road.  Prior to my visit, with our current political climate, I believed that our fellow Americans had lost touch with reality, with the sacrifice, with the opportunities, with our freedoms BUT God sooned changed that and in an amazing way.

The Cemetary sits 3/4 of a mile off of Cave Creek and surround by tall brush and short trees so you cannot see it from Cave Creek.  As we turned, we were meet by a traffic jam – I was emotionally overwhelmed to see people out and about honoring our Veterans.  It took us about 5 or 6 minutes to get to the front gate at which point I asked the girls to turn off their DVD players so I could talk to them.  Cali, my oldest, immediately looked up and began asking questions as she saw the amount of people and all the BEAUTIFUL AMERICAN flags flapping in the wind.  As I tried to answer her first question, I was consumed by my emotions and could not speak but broke down in crying.  At that moment, my bride, my amazing bride!!, spoke up and began to tell the story of what the Cemetary was all about.  We were in awe looking at all the headstones, all the flags and all the people.  Our plan was to simply drive through the cemetary and pay our respects from the car.  As we rounded the first bend, I saw a Mesquite tree with a good size shade patch but with no one parked underneath so I pulled the car over.  Tara said in a quiet voice, “I thought we weren’t getting out,” I said, “Cali is asking great questions so lets stop, let her take her seat belt off and get a good look out of the window.  To OUR SURPRISE, she asked if we could go over and walk through the headstones (this was and is a PROUD DADDY MOMENT!!)  We got out of the car and walked through four or five rows of headstones and Cali asked great question after great question.  She was asked questions about what was a purple heart and did these men and women die in war or after they got home.  She wanted to find a headstone of a female soldier – it meant alot to her – I believe it was partly due to seeing an Extreme Home Makeover episode where they honored a family whose daughter was killed at war.

I will never forget our trip and Thank God for planting the idea of doing something memorable for Memorial Day and for directing our thoughts and path to the Cemetary!!

Lest we not forget that as believers, we celebrate both the men and women who have fought for our physical freedoms but we also celebrate Christ who fought and died on our behalf for our spiritual,emotional and physica freedoms!!!

 

Blog or not to blog…that is the question!!

When we started the blogs for the church, I thought it would be easy…open the computer, log in and jot down several lines of humor and wisdom together.  OH HOW HARD IT HAS BEEN!!  For everyone who has followed the blog, my apologies for taking so long between updates.  My desire is to update weekly even if it is a quick hello…

 

Worship Leader or Lead Worshipper

WOW – What a great question?  I have spent several tremendous weeks discussing this very issue (not exactly using the the above terminology)  with my accountability partners.  For months, I have felt the frustration of having to WORK at leading worship.  It’s been a struggle to help and help find ways for people to enter in.  Please note, I am not talking about singing out loud, clapping hands, raising hands and thing like this although I find it very easy to get wrapped up in wanting people to be about those things.  I am talking about seeing people connect with their God through corporately honoring Him through music.  I have found that I need to learn to worship first, to model worship instead of merely leading in worship.  When worship (in this case worship through music) becomes WORK then I’ve lost focus on what I believe God is calling me to be as His lead – the Lead Worshipper!!

My encouragement to the people of DVBC is for you to find ways to express yourself in worship through music in ways that allows you to fell comforable yet gives the greatest honor where honor is due - our ABBA Father!!  So, with all permission, fell free to sing out loud, sit down, bow down, raise your hands, clap your hands, jump up and down – whatever allows you to enter in and honor God…remember we are singing to our God who has redeemed us through the blood of His ONLY SON!! 

Sincerely and respectfully, David Doleshal, Lead Worshipper…

 

Back from Vacation

You know, like most people, I love vacation!!  Time away from the same ole, same ole.  Sleeping in, eating out and totally playing around.  That is EXACTLY what we did on Spring Break.  Tara, the girls and I met up with her parents in Las Cruces, New Mexico and just hung out.  Some of the highlights of the week included:

We stayed at the Drury Inn in Las Cruces.  The Drury Inn is a unique hotel that has locations throughout the states.  We makes them unique is that your nightly room rate comes with a full hot breakfast in the morning and free, hot appetizers from 5:30-7:00pm local time at each location.  On top of that, they have free soft drinks throughout the day, an indoor pool and three free cocktails from 5:30-7:00pm each evening (for those inclined to have a cocktail or two).

Monday – went to Cloudcroft (hour and 1/2 from Las Cruces) and played in the snow – Cloudcroft is over 8500 feet in elevation so there was plenty of cold and there was plenty of snow on the ground and in the air.  Cloudcroft has a beautiful, quaint downtown with many small shops and boutiques.  Cali bought a harmonica in one of the stores and I have enjoyed listening to her play – seriously – she is pretty good!!  Mia purchased some play jewelry which she wore around the city and has since decked out her dolls with all the bling.  We finished the evening by eating dinner at a local Chili’s then proceeded to freeze my butt off in the indoor pool that was SUPPOSE to be heated.  Who know that 78 degrees would be so cold to an Arizona boy !

Tuesday – what a fun day!!  We headed over to Alamogordo (about an hour from Las Cruces) with Tara’s parents where we visited the Air and Space Museum.  The museum was full of all types of rockets and space items…it was the first museum I can remember having the chance to actually touch and play on the items on display.  One special note: I was able to successful land the Space Shuttle on a run after reentry back into earth’s atmosphere.  In fact, I got high score on the game – I will not tell how Tara did but feel free to ask how well she did in her 2 attempts at landing (oh…I did give it away).  From the Air and Space Museum, we headed back towards Las Cruces but stopped to play at White Sands National Monument where you can enjoy miles of sand dunes that are made out of gypsum and are bright white…it was like playing in snow except I could where shorts and I still have sand that I keep finding in the car .  It was also nice to watch the jets flying in and out of Holloman Air Force Base which sets about 14 miles to the east of the monument grounds.  We finished the evening eating the free hot appetizers (was actually like eating a full meal) and playing around in the rooms.

Wednesday – We slept in, had breakfast (!!biscuits and gravy!!) and headed out to the Farmer’s Market in downtown Las Cruces.  Spent several hours in brilliant sunshine walking around the market.  This is not the typical Farmer’s Market as there were more vendors selling trinkets versus selling produce. From there, I spent the afternoon with Mia and Cali at the hotel while Tara and her mom spent the afternoon shopping around town.  We had dinner with with one of Tara’s parents friends who live in Las Cruces.  It was a great evening of food and fellowship.  We ate at a restruant called La Posta de Mesilla - WOW, it was good!!  If you are ever in Las Cruces, take time to eat here – but be forewarned – make a reservation if you plan to eat after 5:30 on any day.  Went back to hotel and swam in a warmer pool then went back and spent some time with Tara’s parents since we would not see them before they left at 6am Thursday for home (Round Rock, TX).

Thursday – this was going home day.  Slept in, ate breakfast and packed!! drove to Tucson and totally enjoyed the Pima Air and Space Musuem.  If you love history and love planes – this is the place to go – and it’s only an hour and 1/2 from Phoenix!!

Glad to be back home but almost missed my friends here in AZ!! 

Dave

 

A new song

Well, in March 2001, while serving at Meadow Creek Community Church, God laid a song on my heart.  The song was written about what it must or might have felt like to be without Christ in your life while trying to simply live life.  It was an incredibly moving song for our congregation expecially in light of using it on Easter morning.  But since that morning, the song has been hidden in my heart UNTIL God began to bring the words to my heart as I continue to wrestle with my recovery process.  I sang through the words of the original lyrics and reflected on where God has me – the song began to minister to me – the song was more about me, a believer, dealing with life as a believer!!  The fact is, it doesn’t matter if a are 20 years in recovery or day one in recovery – it doesn’t matter if you have been a believer for 100 years – we will have dark days in our lives but we have a God we can call on, scream for and holler at!!!!

I made some minor adjustments to the original key, made the song more real by using better choices of words and then sang with great conviction as I presented the song to our Celebrate Recovery group.

Need – recorded live at Celebrate Recovery at Sun Valley Community Church – Friday, February 26…hope you enjoy the song and my fat fingers hitting some bad piano notes along the way !!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYxd0vQAj1I

 

Linda Noble

A faith for the weakest of these…

She sits in a beautifully decorated hospital room, often believing that she is at her home.  She stays dressed in her night gown and robe with her swollen feet lifted and a hand pump that allows her to administer her own pain meds absent of the nurses’ help.  She often doses off for a short 3 or 4 minute nap as her body fights the cancer and the massive amount of drugs flowing through her system. Yet, while awake, when asked how she handles her emotions in the face of the most devastating, debilitating disease…I find myself sitting and smiling in amazement, in awe of her faith, her real faith – tested, tried, and refined.  What an all encompassing statement that describes someone I consider a dear, dear friend, Linda Noble!!  Linda “is” in the last stage of brain cancer yet as I sit listening to her talk, she speaks from a faith that God is restoring her to health.  In Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV), we read, “Now, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  That is the very faith I see acted out in Linda’s life, Linda’s speech and Linda’s family. 

The crazy thing is that I went to see Linda, whom I hadn’t seen since 1999, to be an encouragement to her YET in God’s great provision – she was a greater encouragement and blessing to me.  I came thinking “poor Linda,” I left thinking “poor David.”  God used Linda and her husband, Rick, who was my mentor in ministry, to challenge me in my simplistic, shallow faith.  Over the past several weeks prior to making my trip to Springfield, MO, I had had several text message conversations with Rick as well as Rick posting messages on Linda’s Caring Bridge account (an account to help people follow the progress of those who are terminally ill) regarding his struggle with trying to believe God for Linda’s healing in light of the continued worsening condition that Linda was in.  In fact, Rick found himself in the middle of one of his greatest spiritual battles – Believe God or Believe the doctors.  Now that sounds funny when you see that battle printed on paper but it is a very real battle especially as he physically watches his bride lose more and more of herself to the cancer.   But we know and we believe that we serve a Great God…He can and has moved mountains, parted the seas, and healed those considered unhealable…THIS IS OUR GOD and He calls us His own!!  For me, I will continue to believe in a healing from God!!

Linda, thank you for your faith – the faith that will move mountains!!  Your faith has been an encouragement to my faith and has shaped me and those around you!!

To read more and to be a part of Linda’s journey, go to  http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/lindanoble - be prepared to be encouraged and challenged!!

 

Trio

About 5 months ago, Brent Schmick and I began meeting as accountability partners.  Our friendship, which had been established months prior, was a great platform for God to begin His great work in my life!!  After several weekly meetings, Brent introduced me to the concept of a trio…three men meeting together to challenge each other in our spiritual walks.  There are two main goals for each group meeting: 1. is for one person to be a mentor, one to be a mentee and the other to observe and record to work towards a weekly goal that he believes God is working him to; 2. to ask 10 Accountability Questions.  God led Brent and I to ask RJ to be a part of our trio and it has been a real treasure to be among men who desire to not just be accountable to each other but even moreso to desire to mature in our walk of faith.

Proverbs 27:17 “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”

The Questions:

1. Did someone hurt you or rob you of your joy? Did you forgive them? Have you continued to remain angry toward another?

2. Have you lacked integrity in your financial dealings, coveted something that does not belong to you or been jealous that God has not provided for you?

3. Have you been worried, anxious or lost sleep about anything this week?

4. Have you been a testimony to the greatness of Jesus Christ with both your words and actions? How?

5. Have you spent quality relationship time with family and friends? Have you been generous and honoring of them?

6. Have you given in to an addictive behavior, pattern or stubborn habit this past week? Explain.

7. Have you had any flirtatious or lustful attitudes, tempting thoughts, or exposed yourself to any explicit materials which would not glorify God?

8. Have you spent daily time in the Scriptures and in prayer? What has God been asking you to do?

9. Have you tol any half-truths, avoided disclosing, or shared in a way that puts you in a better light to those around you?

10. Is there a personal accountability question taht you would like to be held responsible for?

Thanks to Gary and Elaine Norton at www.somethingsgottachange.org for the questions!!

Blessings!!