Another reflection from the Bethel family…

Tears come to my eyes as I reflect on the 11th anniversary of Bethel Harvest Church and the answer to prayer that Bethel has been for me and my family.  For the past six years that I have called Bethel my church home I have laughed, cried, prayed and prayed some more as God has been ever so faithful to grace us with His glorious holy Presence.  Week after month, after year – - service in and service out – - I can only remember a few times when He was not noticeably among us.  Signs; wonders; tangible anointing-you-can-feel; or the glory cloud hovering above us.  {And obviously He is never the one who moves.}  For a saint who hungers after Him as a deer pants for water, I have found my home for worship and truth and I can’t imagine myself at any other place.

As Pastor Stephanie’s blog reflected on her journey toward this day – - I too recall that twelve years ago I was living in another town; working in a job that I thought would last forever; connected with a group of praying women (Moms in Touch) that could pray thunder and lightning down from heaven; and preparing for an empty nest as my youngest child was turning eighteen.  I was looking forward to the next season of life.  Spiritually, however,  I had long been yearning for much more than my denominational church life was giving me.  That longing led me to break from the religious stream I was locked into – - and as one prophet spoke to me years later, “the gifts and callings of God invaded my life”.  I have not looked back since.

The fullness and continued escalation of the quality of worship and teaching at Bethel is also what keeps me coming back for more.  Just when I think Pastor Stephanie couldn’t be any more immersed in passionate worship before our God  – - or Pastor Marion couldn’t possibly be any more anointed and gifted in his teaching/caring for his sheep, another shift comes.   And then BAM!  We dive deeper into the Kingdom principles and become more intimately connected with our God and each other than we ever dreamed could be possible.  And the promise is that in 2010 everything is going up!  {Be still my rapidly beating heart!!}

I have finally found that community of believers who are every bit as hungry as I am and desire to dive always deeper into the unfathomable depths of our God!  We may not all express it in the same crazy ways that I have been known to at times – but hunger and thirst with passion we all do.  And our God has blessed us with exactly the right leaders to keep us on His unique track for Bethel Harvest Church.  Happy 11th Anniversary dear Bethel family!   I love you!!

This post brought to you by Deanie Cinnanmon.

I’m excited to share with you several reflections on our 11 year Anniversary from some guest bloggers among the Bethel family.  Enjoy their unique perspectives on what building the Kingdom has looked like to them.  Today, I think some of you may resonate with some thoughts from David McKay.  Thanks for contributing, David!

Pardon me while I get a little selfish for a minute, but what comes to my mind when I think of the 11^th anniversary of Bethel is gratitude for all the work that went into building a church just for me.  I know, of course, that’s not why you did it.  You did it out of love for God.  You did it because you wanted to obey His vision.  No one in this church even knew me back then.  You didn’t know my wife or kids.  You didn’t know any of my friends.  But regardless, you built a church just for me.

You built a forgiving place—a church that God could use to take me deeper in my understanding of His incredible grace.  I knew God’s grace before.  I knew I couldn’t save myself.  But I didn’t fully grasp that all my condemnation was gone, that I wasn’t second rate goods, that I was a son not a servant.  You built a church where I could worship with all my heart every week, where my soul could fly all the way to my Daddy’s lap on His heavenly throne and bask in His love.  And you constructed a place filled to overflowing with God’s word where I could learn to follow Jesus with more faith and greater obedience.  In other words, you built just the kind of church I needed, just the kind of church I was looking for.  You built a church just for me.

And that makes me wonder—who ELSE are we building the kingdom for?  What unknown brother or sister needs us next?  Whose victories will we get to celebrate together this year?  Whose tears will we wipe away?  And what kind of church will we build for them?  Lord, I can’t wait to meet them.  Please let us build just the church they need.

David McKay

For the next week or so, you’re going to hear some reflections on 11 years of ministry at Bethel.  I asked Pastor Stephanie Dalton to start the week off.  I think you’ll enjoy hearing her memories.  Blessings!  Mark

Isn’t it funny how seasons of our life can seem so long at times, but at other times seem to flash before you like the blink of an eye?

I remember the summer day in 1998 that I was sitting in our maroon colored Acura Vigor, going through the Fifth Third Bank drive-through in Columbus, Ohio and heading out to get the day’s chores done.  Just as I was pulling out of the bank, my cell phone rang and it was Marion.  He called to tell me that all plans for moving to Lexington to plant a church had been approved by our Pastor and that the time line had been moved up by one year.  One year?!  Didn’t anyone care that I did not want the time line moved up one year?!

I sat in the sun-drenched car that day with overwhelming feelings of fear, excitement, and urgency. I feared because I had a plan that I was working and now the plan was changing. I knew what I needed and wanted to accomplish to prepare for our move to Lexington.  It only seemed fair to me that I should be able to prepare the way I felt most comfortable with since this was such a permanent move.

Excitement came over me.  This was the day we had prayed for and believed for.  There was an overwhelming sense of urgency to begin the work that God had spoken to our hearts.  The hours of planning, praying and dreaming were actually going to manifest in the natural.

Urgency also hit me.  With so many questions and so few answers, I had a sense of urgency that things needed to get done.  My year time-line had changed significantly and now things needed to get done quickly. I now had four months.  Questions needed to be answered.  When will we go?  How will we find a church meeting place?  Have we prepared enough financially?  What about my family – how do we tell them of the date change? Where will we live?  Who will come to our church?  God….ARE YOU SURE?

Twelve years have passed since that day at the drive-through.  Wow…take a moment with me and think about where you were twelve years ago (I would love to hear your comments!).  Twelve years filled with more emotions and experiences than I have time to share in this one blog!  (I had never even heard of a blog 12 years ago…I don’t think they even existed).

I think about the way God has crossed our paths.  It is amazing to me the wonderful people that God has brought across my path since the inception of Bethel. From the Ukraine to India to Haiti to Lexington to Nicholasville to next door, stories that bring richness to my life.  The individuals that I have watched God restore to a relationship with him is amazing – moms, dads, sons, and daughters that one by one changed their eternal destination at a place called Bethel.  This is a place where friendships have been made and people have begun to build life together.  One Bible study at a time, one wedding at a time, one funeral at a time, one birth of a child at a time, one softball game at a time, one meal at a time,  and one service at a time.  Many experiences have brought us and keep us together.

I think about the wonderful God that has showed me more mercy than I deserve. He has showed me more love than I could ever share and given me more faith than I ever thought was possible. Today, my walk with my Savior is surer; my passion for His mission stronger and my heart is full of expectation.

Today, I am thankful for Bethel’s 11^th year anniversary. I am also looking forward to many more years of stories that declare the awesomeness of our Savior.  To those who have called Bethel home at some point along this journey and to those who are among the family today, thank you for sharing the journey.  We’ve only just begun!

This blog brought to you by Pastor Stephanie Dalton.

 I want to make a challenge to you – take love out of the “valentine’s day box.”  What do I mean?  I’m talking about loving far beyond chocolate candies, cheezy cards, and romantic dates.  Am I against these things?  By no means!  Actually, I’m quite partial to all of the above.  I’ve even been known to write a poem for the love of my life on more than one occasion or to embarass myself for the sake of expressing my love to her.  Romance is GREAT; but love is so much more for those who know Jesus as Lord of our lives!

Valentine’s Day began with an expression of love bigger than most of us ever experience in our lives.  Although stories vary a bit depending on your source, one historical account goes like this:

“Valentinus was the name of a young man who lived in Rome during the reign of Claudius II when Christians were being persecuted. Although he was not a Christian, he helped them, but he was caught and put into prison. In prison he became a believer in Jesus. Because of this, Valentinus was condemned to death. He was beaten with clubs, stoned and finally beheaded outside the Flaminian Gate on February 14, 269. After his death, this gate was known as Porta Valentini. While he was in prison he sent messages to his friends saying, “Remember your Valentine!” and “I love you.”

St. Valentine died because he gave his life in love for others.  That’s what I mean by taking your love out of the “Valentine’s Day box”!!  Don’t change your plans that you’ve labored over for weeks…or have rushed to make happen in the last 24 hours!  And if you are hating this particular holiday for whatever reason, this challenge works for you to.

What can you do to lay your life down for someone in love…not just today but every day?  Romance your spouse, yes; but how can you make some changes to  sacrificially love your spouse?  So you’re single.  Take some time to reflect on how you can love friends and coworkers, fellow Christians and unbelievers by laying your life down for them.  Maybe you’ve been married so long that your spouse doesn’t even expect you to sacrifice for her/him because you haven’t for so long.  Here’s a thought – surprise them with more than a box of chocolates this weekend. 

 And for the record, as I type these words I’m trying to apply them to my own life and relationships, just like you.  What does it mean to take love out of the “Valentine’s day box” with my wife, my two kids, as I serve the Bethel family, as I love my family in other states, as I go to Wal-Mart or the Fayette Mall?  I don’t have all the answers, but I’m certainly going to be looking.

How about you?  What does it mean to YOU to take love out of the “Valentine’s Day box”?  Post your comments and share with me the creative ways you’ve responded to the challenge.

WOW!  It was a great weekend at Bethel as we honored the teachers of our community, in our schools and in our churches.  It was a blessing to see many teachers who were invited by their students who attend Bethel, as well as some special guests like the Superintendent of Jessamine County Schools, Lu Young.  My favorite guest of the day was Catherine Barnes.  She was a tutor of a Bethel member (Katie Baldwin) over 20 years ago and she was also the person that led her to faith in Jesus Christ.  Now THAT is a great story, and just one illustration of why we should also be grateful to the teachers who have been such a positive voice in our lives.

I know I’m grateful.  The morning got me thinking and I had to go home and Facebook my music teacher & choir director.  Mr. Mohler started teaching me in elementary school and ended up being an influence in my life all the way through my senior year as my choir director.  I don’t know about you, but it’s a good guage of a relationship that he and his wife drove 8 hours to be at my wedding in another state.  He was a voice in my life that constantly expected more and drew the best out of me.  My days at Millersport High School were extremely important years of my life and I couldn’t list all the positive voices of my teachers from that small town in Ohio in the middle of corn fields.  But let me name a few, just for fun – Mr. Keener, Miss Bennie (Senorita Bennie, that is), Mrs. Canniff, Coach Stought, CoachWeldon, Mrs. Boyer, Mrs. McGreevey, Mrs. Thompson, and Mr. Spears (even though he constantly told us we were all “a little squirrely”!).   Thanks to all of you for being a positive voice!  Maybe I’ll run into you at the Sweet Corn Festival (www.sweetcornfest.com) and get to say thank you in person!

We also want to give a shout out to the Wal-Mart at Hamburg here in Lexington, as well as the Portrait Shoppe(www.portraitshoppe.com)  for their generous donations to help us bless the teachers with special gifts this weekend.

This blog brought to you by Mark Keene.

I am the Children’s Minister for 0-1st graders here at Bethel, so, the topic of teachers excites me. I even wanted to be one when I grew up.
I remember when I thought that home schooling my oldest child, Logan, would be a good idea. Everyone said that was the best thing for them and he was so eager to learn and his pre-school teachers all talked about how great he was in class. I thought with the right tools I could manage this. Right? I was so wrong. I couldn’t seem to get him to sit still long enough to do his work or pay attention or even care. Teachers began to mean even more to me then!
This Sunday will be a special day at Bethel Harvest Church. We are going to take the opportunity to celebrate some of the hardest working folks around, TEACHERS!!!! One of the definitions for teach is: to cause to know something. That definition makes it sound kind of simple but, maybe it’s a little harder than it sounds…
Think about teaching a child to read or do long division or about what a war is. Then it starts to sound not so easy. What about trying to teach a room full of 30 kids how to do that. Add in different learning styles, attention spans, and behaviors. Starts to seem a bit more complicated, doesn’t it?! Now, take a few moments to imagine what that must be like, or maybe you know because that’s what you do. Every teacher needs our prayers!
Thank God for the wonderful, dedicated men and women who give their life to cause others to know something. Let’s join together this week and let teachers know how special, appreciated, and loved they are. See you Sunday!

This blog brought to you by Ashley Collins

We’ve been gearing up for several weeks now for an exciting weekend event at Bethel – we’re taking an entire morning to appreciate the impact of teachers in our lives.  Teachers at every level and in every arena of our lives, whether in our formal education, a Sunday school class, or a mentor who coached us along the way, THIS is a weekend for you!

I’m grateful for many teachers who have positively influenced my life along the way.  It’s because of many of these teachers that I am who I am today.  Most of my memories aren’t of earth-shaking moments that I recognized at the time; it’s more a recollection of the little influences and the seemingly inconsequential words of encouragement that I never imagined were a part of God working in my life to guide me in a certain direction.

Case and point:  Mrs. Canniff, my Jr. and Sr. year English teacher at Millersport High School in Millersport, Ohio.  I was a good student and I graduated at the top of my very small class.  So, getting an ‘A’ wasn’t all that big a deal to me.  I’m just being honest.  But Mrs. Cannif did more than teach me the finer points of english, writing, and literature.  She was a voice that was the first to encourage me in doing one thing – writing.  I can’t tell you what the assignment was or what her exact comment was, but I can tell you the impact it made on me.  She told me I was a good writer and that I should keep writing.

She was the first to encourage me to write.  My mom was the next, she said:  “You have a gift to write.”  And then there was a professor at Asbury College, Dr. Spann, who gave me a great grade on a term paper that most of the class bombed out on.  I probably enjoyed that moment more than I should have (Jesus, forgive me, please!).  And then, when I started working here at Bethel, there was the voice of my Pastors who drew out of me a gift that God had been developing since 11th Grade english class with Mrs. Cannif.  I’m not saying I’m the greatest writer or anything…the point is that the voice of a teacher made all the difference in my life.

I wonder if you can tell a similar story?  Sure, the details will be completely different but the bottom line is the same – a teacher made all the difference for you.  Whether you were in grade school or grad school, I want to hear your story.  What was the teachers name?  Where did it take place?  And why was their influence something you’ll never forget in your life?  You may have to think about it for a moment, but I’m guessing that if you do you will discover that those seemingly inconsequential words of encouragement made a bigger difference than you’ve ever stopped to recognize.

This blog brought to you by Mark Keene.

The Monday nite event with Pastor Laguerre was a wonderful success!  The Lexington and surrounding community responded with their attendance and their generosity; and Pastor Laguerre not only shared his story but infused everyone there with faith and hope.  The Bethel children also added a beautiful moment to the evening as they sang a song in Haiti’s language of Creole to honor and make our guest feel welcome.

Then,  last nite was a powerful time of ministry as Pastor Laguerre ministered in our Wednesday nite service.  I was sitting there listening to a man who came from the devastation of the earthquake and left his family there until his return, and he’s talking about the goodness of God and challenging us to stir up our faith and stand on God’s Word.  Talk about a perspective builder!

And then tonite at Ecclesia, Pastor Dalton stirred our hearts again to never allow anything in our lives to compete with our pursuit of intimacy with God.  It’s so easy, he reminded us, to get caught up in the doing of ministry or other things in our lives rather than stay focused on being who God wants us to be.  It’s so true:  if we’re not careful, we can become what we do!  In the second session,  Pastor Dalton challenged us to be barbarian Christians rather than allowing life or religion to make us civilized.  We may not be civilized and people may not understand us, but we can choose the barbarian way out of civilization!  And that’s what Ecclesia is all about!

If I were you, I wouldn’t miss this weekend at Bethel as Pastor Dalton ministers on becoming who God wants us to be!

If you are part of the Lexington or surrounding communities, I hope we’ll see you tonight at 7pm at Bethel Harvest Church.  What amazing few days it has been as God has opened up doors in the news media for Pastor Laguerre to share his story on multiple TV stations, in the Lexington Herald Leader (you can read the article at www.kentucky.com), and on the radio, as well.

We are praying that tonight will be a great opportunity for our community to respond in generous support of Pastor Laguerre’s earthquake relief efforts, as well as an opportunity to welcome a man of God from another nation.  Invite your friends, family, and coworkers and we’ll see you at 7 o’clock tonight!

Also, tomorrow morning at 9am you can listen to Pastor Laguerre and Marc Graviss on 590 WVKL on the Jack Pattie Show.  They’ll be interviewed for the full hour of the show.