The Bear's Den (online)

Becoming a Part of the Distance

2011-09-24T20:41:00.000-07:00

I recently had the privilege of celebrating my dad's 89th birthday. This is no small thing. Since Dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease a couple of years ago, each day that we have him with us, both physically and mentally, is a wonderful gift from God.

Dad and Mom moved from the family "Homestead" in Canton, Ohio to a retirement center in Walnut Creek, Ohio a few years ago.  Walnut Creek is located in the heart of Holmes County, home of the largest concentration of Amish folks on this planet. It is an absolutely georgeous, picturesque setting.

My parents' move to Walnut Creek was the culmination of an exhaustive research project conducted by my father. Anyone who knows him would not be surprised by this. Dad is a gifted administrator, to say the least. One of the primary reasons Dad chose this particular retirement center was the range of services provided for seniors at every stage of the aging process, from independent living to intensive nursing care. While his mind was still sharp, he had the foresight to provide a contingency plan that he hoped would cover every possible end-of-life scenario.

While I was home this summer, it became clear that it was time to move Dad to the final stage in this journey. He and Mom had previously made the adjustment from independent living (stage one) to assisted living (stage two), and now it was time for Dad to make the final move, which required a short drive "down the hill" to the nursing home (stage three).

Before we left the assisted living center, I directed Dad's attention to a map of the whole retirement center campus, reminding him of the pilgrimage he was making. I reminded him of my first visit to Walnut Hills several years ago. Dad had taken time to give me a full tour of the retirement center that day. He also described in detail the "three stage" scenario. I affirmed his wise planning, and told him how thankful I was for the excellent care he and Mom had received at Walnut Hills. He smiled and nodded.

A few minutes later we arrived at the nursing home. As we got out of the car, I gave Dad his walker and pointed him towards the entrance. Pausing at the doorway, Dad was understandably apprehensive. He paused, turned, and took one more wistful glance up the hill.  While I couldn't read his mind, my sense was that he was fully aware of the fact that there was "no turning back."

A few minutes later, Dad was in his new rooom, looking out the window at the beautiful Ohio countryside once again, albeit from a significantly different perspective.  As we gazed together at the pastoral panorama spread out before us, I commented again on the unusually beautiful view that Walnut Hills provided. After a long, pregnant pause in the conversation, Dad quietly observed:

"Those hills are closer than they used to be ... I guess we are becoming a part of the distance."

What a fascinating phrase. As soon as he said it, I knew in my heart Dad was referring to more than mere geography. In a moment of striking clarity, Dad had an unsually keen awareness that he was making what was likely to be his final physical move. His next home would have no forwarding address. But there was no fear whatsoever in his voice. There was an unmistakable sweetness and lightness that hung in the air. Dad was loosening his grip on this world. He was ready to go "home."

I don't know how many more visits I will have with my father at his current residence in the rolling hills of central Ohio, but I am absolutely certain that we will have an endless number of additional conversations in the days ahead.  After all, like Dad said, "WE are becoming a part of the distance."

"All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them ... God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect" (Hebrews 11:13-16, 40).

Transformational Leadership

2011-04-10T14:34:00.000-07:00

This past week marked the 43rd anniversary of the untimely death of Martin Luther King, Jr., at the age of 39. On April 4, 1968, King's remarkable life was cut short by an assassin's bullet as he left his second floor room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. If MLK was alive today, he would be 82 years old.

I don't have many "heroes" at this stage in my life, but Dr. King is definitely one of them. He was far from perfect, of course. His human frailties have been well-documented. But King's life represents an extraordinary example of what it looks like to pursue the call of God with uncompromising passion and relentless tenacity ... just two characteristics of MLK's transformational life and leadership that have left an indelible mark upon our world.

Transformational leaders like MLK don't just magically appear out of thin air. As Leonard Sweet asserts in his book, Summoned to Lead (Zondervan, 2004), "Leaders are neither born nor made. They are summoned. They are called into existence by circumstances, and those who rise to the occasion are leaders.”

Transformational leaders are shaped through their contact with transformational models, like Rosa Parks. They are shaped through their exposure to transformational moments, like the March on Washington. They are shaped through their participation in transformational movements, like the civil rights movement. And when ordinary men and women, like King, give God permission to shape and transform their lives, they in turn become agents of extraordinary transformation in the lives of other people ... people like me.

Nearly 43 years ago, just seven months after MLK was assassinated in Memphis, a little boy was born in Youngstown, Ohio. His birth father was black and his birth mother was white. They were unmarried. In 1968, a bi-racial baby like this one was considered "hard to place" by some, "unadoptable" by others.

Eight months later, in August of 1969, due in large part to the transformational life and leadership of Martin Luther King, Jr. and his unflappable commitment to racial equality, I found myself riding home from an airport in Sioux City, Iowa, with a new little brother on my lap. He was a beautiful, brown-skinned, bouncing baby boy. My parents named him Andy. He will be 43 years old in November. Andy is not only my brother. He is one of my dearest friends.

Now fast forward to January, 1996. Two twin girls are born in Cleveland, Ohio. Their birth father is African American and their birth mother is Puerto Rican. They are unmarried. Even in 1996, with all of the progress made over the years in the areas of civil rights and racial equality, these babies are still considered "hard to place" by some, "unadoptable" by others.

Three short months later, in April of 1996, due in large part to the transformational life and leadership of Martin Luther King, Jr., two beautiful, brown-skinned, bouncing baby girls arrived at our doorstep. What began as "emergency" foster care eventually developed into permanency when Jessie and Jasmine were legally adopted as our daughters in September of 2000.

I share these two examples to underscore the fact that our public leadership has very profound, personal ramifications. That's why the call to Christian leadership, in particular, is such a high and holy calling. Who we are and what we do matters greatly to God, of course, but it also matters greatly to people we may never meet in places we may never visit. Everyone and everything matters in the kingdom of God.

That's why we pay close attention to the lives of people like Martin Luther King, Jr. in the Master of Arts in Transformational Leadership (MATL) at Barclay College. It's why we offer classes like "Spirituality and the Transformational Journey" and "Spirituality and Social Justice." It's why we invite men and women from every race, ethnicity, and nationality to join us on this journey. And it's why we seek to devote supreme attention to the transformational life and leadership of our Lord Jesus Christ, the One who "shows no favoritism, but accepts from every nation [Gk, ethnos or "ethnic group"] the one who fears him and does what is right" (Acts 10:34-35).

To learn more about the Master of Arts in Transformational Leadership, visit the MATL website (http://barclaycollege.edu/Academics/graduate.asp) or contact Dave Williams, MATL Director (david.williams@barclaycollege.edu) Enrollment is limited in order to ensure small, close-knit cohorts, so interested students are encouraged to apply as soon as possible to maximize their opportunities for acceptance.

May the Lord bless you and make you a great blessing as you follow hard after Him … and may you experience great joy on your journey!

*For more on this topic, see the final installment of "Joy in the Journey," a message delivered at Barclay College on March 31 2011, available on the chapel webpage: http://www.barclaycollege.edu/Students/chapel.asp.

Metamorphosis

2010-10-04T15:05:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again: "The March of the Monarchs." Every fall around this time these beautiful butterflies make their annual migration from North America south to Mexico where they will hibernate for the winter. It's an astonishing feat, bordering on the miraculous. To think that these fragile insects have been equipped by their Maker to travel thousands of miles every fall and spring, instinctively following the same path taken by their ancestors for centuries, is mind-boggling to say the least.

As amazing as this is, the thing that I have always found most fascinating about the Monarchs is not their patterns of migration, but the process of transformation they must undergo to make the journey from caterpillar to butterfly. This process is known as "metamorphosis," a term that finds its origins in the Greek verb, metamorphoo, meaning "to change from one form to another." It's the word that Matthew and Mark use to describe the "transfiguration" that Jesus experienced in the presence of Moses and Elijah (Mt 17:2; Mk 9:2). It's also the same word that Paul uses to capture the dramatic change that takes place in each of our lives as disciples of Jesus Christ when we allow Him to "transform" us into His very likeness (Rm 12:2; 2 Co 3:18).

There are many aspects of this transformational process known as metamorphosis that are noteworthy, but these are the ones that immediately grab my attention as a follower of Christ:

The caterpillar must "die" by becoming "entombed" in the chrysalis in order to enter in to this process of transformation. It must be willing to leave its old, mundane caterpillar life behind if it hopes to move into a new and glorious butterfly life.

The developing butterfly must give the process the necessary time to complete its work. Any attempts to short-circuit this process will be disastrous. I should know. As a boy, in a naive but well-intended show of compassion, I decided to hasten a monarch's escape from its painful struggle by cutting its chrysalis loose with a pair of scissors. I was horrified to discover that instead of helping the butterfly I ended up crippling it and cutting its life short. The very incumbrance I sought to remove was actually designed to serve as a critical component in the healthy development of the butterfly's wings. I learned the hard way that the stress and strain of the struggle was a normal, necessary part of the mature butterfly's growth and formation.

Even though their physical appearance is dramatically different, the pre-formational caterpillar shares the exact same DNA with the post-formational butterfly. The caterpillar was born to be a butterfly, with all of the necessary raw material in place, but it must be willing to submit to the transformational process in order to arrive at its glorious destination.

So how's your process of "metamorphosis" going these days? Unlike the Monarch, which undergoes this dramatic transformation instinctively, we must choose to submit to this process voluntarily, by surrendering our will to the will of our Maker. By using the present, passive, imperative form of the Greek verb, metamorphoo, Paul would remind us that we must let God change us as we enter into the ongoing process of spiritual transformation: "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Rm 12:2).

As we enter into the tomb, choosing to "die daily" to sin and to engage in an ongoing struggle against the stress and strain of this fallen world, we find over time that our lives increasingly bear a surprising resemblence to the glorious One who has created us in His own likeness: "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit" (2 Co 3:18).

It's amazing what you can learn from a few fragile, yet fascinating insects.

Out of Africa

2010-08-05T04:23:00.001-07:00

My daughter Hannah and I recently returned from a two week mission trip to Rwanda, where I had the privilege of leading a spiritual retreat for an interdenominational gathering of missionaries from the Great Lakes region of central Africa (Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Congo, Tanzania). Like Abraham and Sarah, these men and women of faith have been called to leave the comfort of their homes in North America and Europe in order to carry the blessings of God to "all peoples on earth" (cf. Gen 12:1-3).

During our time together at Kumbya, a gorgeous retreat center on the shores of Lake Kivu, the Lord provided an ideal setting for these missionaries and their families to experience rest, renewal and rejuvenation in the midst of a an unusually supportive Christian community. A wide range of denominations were represented in the group - Anglican, Baptist, Friends, Free Methodist, Church of Christ, Assembly of God - but rarely have I witnessed a greater degree of genuine unity among Jesus' disciples. Doctrinal distinctives quietly faded into the background as these hard-working servants of Christ celebrated all that they shared in common as messengers of the gospel in strange and foreign lands. They obviously recognized their desperate need for fellowship, cooperation and mutual support. As Rick Warren (an American pastor who has invested heavily in the work of the Kingdom in central Africa) has said, "Our strengths breed competition, but our weaknesses build community."

Throughout this retreat, Hannah and I had many opportunities to build new friendships and renew a number of old ones. It was a special blessing to spend lots of time with Brad and Chelsea Carpenter, former Barclay students, who are part of a growing team of Friends missionaries serving in Rwanda. We also had the unexpected blessing of bunking next to Michael and Amy Miller and their three boys during the week. Amy was part of the youth group that I led in Denver from 1987-1991, so we had lots of fun reminiscing. Amy and Michael, a family physician, have been called to invest the next three years of their lives in building the Kingdom in Rwanda through medical mission work.

Each morning I was able to offer a teaching session on the conference theme, "Come to me," based on Jesus' invitation to his disciples in Matthew 11:28-30. It was with great joy that I was able to remind these spiritual leaders of the call to "come to Jesus" and find the "rest of Christ" to sustain them in every season of life and ministry. These teaching sessions were followed by small group discussion and individual exercises intended to encourage participantes to "waste time with God." Most of these missionaries were married with children, so they were especially thankful for the excellent child care that was provided each morning by a team of faithful servants from Friendswood Friends Church, which included Jacob Newton, one of our current Barclay students, and my daughter Hannah as well.

Following a break for lunch, I was able to offer "the ministry of listening" and spiritual direction to our missionary friends each afternoon. During the week I met with men, women and children from the U.S., U.K., Canada, Holland and Germany. Each of them came with a unique set of questions and concerns, but they all had one thing in common: a desperate need to know that God was in them, with them, and for them (special thanks to my good friend, Fil Anderson, for this critical reminder).

During our closing worship celebration on Sunday morning, August 1st, I had an opportunity to offer a final message focused on the call to continue resting in Christ as we "go," remembering that we are called not just to work for God but to work with him. I also had the great privilege of leading a baptism service for two of the missionary children, and serving communion to each of my newfound brothers and sisters in Christ. Words cannot express the depth of joy we shared together on the shores of Lake Kivu that morning.

Oh, and did I mention that Hannah and I got to see monkeys, baboons, hippos, impalas, waterbucks, zebras, giraffes and hundreds of beautiful birds in their natural, African habitat along the way? And did I mention the endless sea of beautiful, African faces that we gazed upon during our travels, or the many African friends that we met while we were there, some of the most kind, generous, faithful men and women on the planet? What an amazing experience!

One more thing. As usual, the Lord spoke powerfully into my own life, even as I prayed for opportunities to speak God's grace and truth into the lives of others. So what will I take "Out of Africa"?

Simply put, the Lord confirmed and clarified his call upon my life as a "minister to ministers."

When I was called to ministry 28 years ago this summer, I really thought that I would be serving Christ as a missionary on a foreign field. After all, my parents and grandparents had been missionaries to China, and I had a burning desire to "go and make disciples of all nations" (cf. Mt 28:19). But the core passage that God used to call me to full-time vocational ministry, as I worked in the wheat fields and sheep pens of central Kansas, was this one:

"When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field'" (Matthew 9:36-38).

So when I said "yes" to Jesus in 1982, I assumed that I was signing up for a permanent transfer to "the ends of the earth" (cf. Ac 1:8). Based on my family history, I also assumed that China would be my most likely destination. But here I am, 28 years later, having never lived outside of the continental U.S. (although some might argue that my current residence here in a tiny town on the Kansas prairie could easily qualify for "the ends of the earth"!).

What I have discovered over the years, however, is that missionary service is not just for those who are called to "go" and live as cross-cultural ministers of the gospel in foreign lands, as wonderful as that calling may be. Missionary service (or "missional" service, as some have called it) is for every Christian, including those who are called to "go" (Mt 28) as well as those who are called to "send" (Mt 9). If we have a genuine desire to be actively engaged in the global mission of our Lord Jesus Christ, we can be confident that he will find a place that is the perfect fit for our unique gifts, skills, passions and personalities.

In my case, God's call to missionary service has focused primarily on the ministry of sending, i.e., encouraging and equipping those who are called to "go." As a teaching pastor with a missionary heart, the Lord has seen fit to use me most effectively as a "minister to ministers," or as Paul puts it, "to equip [Gk, kartizo; prepare and/or restore] God's people for the work of ministry" (Eph 4:12). Regardless of my specific title or job description (youth pastor, family pastor, senior pastor, campus pastor), this is what I have done for the past 28 years. My experience in Africa only served to deepen and solidify this call.

And here's the really cool part. When I was originally called to ministry 28 years ago, I thought that I might be spending the rest of life in a foreign country. As it turns out, although I have never lived outside of the U.S., I have now had an opportunity to visit not one foreign country, but 20 countries on 5 continents. Once again, my dreams were far too small for a great, Almighty God!

So if you're reading this, I just want to encourage you to let God shape your call to ministry. As the psalmist writes, "Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart" (Ps 37:4). Or to paraphrase, "Love what God loves, and he will eventually reveal and fulfill the desires he has put in your heart."

Who knows ... someday you may find yourself waking up in Africa!

Joy in the Journey

2010-07-15T21:17:00.001-07:00

I did it! By God's grace, I recently "bagged" (successfully reached the summit of) my third "14er" (one of 54 peaks in the Colorado Rockies that exceed 14,000 feet in elevation).

My destination this time around was Gray's Peak (elev. 14, 270), located about an hour west of Denver on the Continental Divide, just south of Loveland Pass. Along with its next door neighbor, Torrey's Peak, Gray's is one of several Front Range 14ers that rise to greet travelers from the east when they drive towards the Mile High City.

As you can imagine, the view from the top was absolutely spectacular. Pictures can never adequately capture such a breathtaking panorama, of course, but my wife summarized it well when she looked at my photos and exclaimed, "It's like the view you get from an airplane!"

As exhilarating as it was to arrive at my destination, this climb taught me even more about the importance of finding joy on the journey. This was my first attempt to climb solo, so I was missing the companionship and encouragement that I had enjoyed on previous hikes with my kids. And yet, at each step along the trail, it became increasingly clear that I was not alone.

Starting my journey at the Gray's Peak trailhead, I was immediately greeted by a spectacular display of wildflowers - Columbine, Indian Paintbrush, Aspen Daisy, Wild Rose - spreading out across the alpine tundra like a vast, floral quilt. Looking up, my gaze was quickly drawn to the glacier-carved ledges that framed the valley ahead of me, all of them pointing heavenward towards a clear, deep blue sky, providing an alluring backdrop for the towering sentinel that beckoned me onward and upward.

"Thank you, Lord," I whispered, "for the joy of creation."

This initial rush of adrenalin soon wore off, however, as I left the lush, warm valley and began my ascent to the summit along the rugged, rocky switchbacks on Gray's north face. It was getting colder now, lonelier, and increasingly difficult due to the steeper grade and higher altitude. My legs were beginning to feel heavy, my steps were getting shorter, and my breathing was becoming more and more labored. As I slowly plodded along, I was beginning to wonder if I would be able to make it to the top before noon, leaving adequate time to descend to timberline before the onset of a typical afternoon thunderstorm. The window of opportunity was closing down fast, and so was my energy.

That's when the parade started. One by one, they began to make their way down the mountain. These early birds had already reached the summit and had begun their descent. As they passed me on the trail, over and over I would hear words of encouragement: "Beautiful day for a climb ... the view from the top is worth the pain ... you're almost there, keep it up." There is a comraderie on the trail that is hard to explain. I believe it is rooted in a sense of shared suffering, which eventually yields shared exhuberance as well. The key word is "shared." Each contact with my fellow foot soldiers sent a fresh rush of adrenalin into my soul, giving me strength to carry on.

"Thank you, Lord ... for the joy of community."

Finally, as I made it to the crest of the summit, I was welcomed by ... no one. Or so I thought. True, there was no fanfare, no high fives, no "atta boys." In fact, it was a lonely moment. Then I saw my shadow. It had been with me the whole time, of course, but this was the first time I actually noticed it. I know it may sound a little funny, but the Lord used this moment of heightened awareness to remind me, "You're never alone, Dave. Remember my promise? I will never leave you or forsake you. Like your shadow, I will be with you always, wherever you go, to the very end of the age."

"Thank you, Lord ... for the joy of companionship."

Wherever you are today, whatever your immediate destination may be, whatever challenges may lie ahead of you, remember: You are not alone. The Lord is with you.

May you experience joy in your journey with Jesus!

*For more on this topic, see "Joy in the Journey," a message delivered at Barclay College on August 24, 2010, available on the chapel webpage: http://www.barclaycollege.edu/Students/chapel.asp.

Friendly Persuasion

2010-06-01T15:26:00.000-07:00

I recently had the privilege of speaking at a gathering of Young Adult Friends in Wichita over Memorial Day weekend. The 75 participants (ages 18-35) represented nearly every yearly meeting (regional organization of Quakers) in the United States and Canada. Needless to say, it was an extremely diverse group, both culturally and theologically.

The theme for this gathering was "Bearing Witness to the Word Among Us: Witness, Testimony and Transformation." The two messages I shared were based on the theme Scripture (1 John 1:1-3). With the Lord's help, I did my best to present the simple, core message of the Gospel, focusing on the call to respond to God's love for us, as revealed so clearly in and through Christ, by obeying the Great Commandment to love God and love our neighbors as ourselves. As Jesus himself declared, "You are my friends if you do what I command" (John 15:14).

Apart from speaking, I had the opportunity to engage in a number of fascinating conversations with the participants. One of the most disturbing, enlightening and ultimately encouraging conversations took place following my first message on Saturday night. This message emphasized the necessity of having personal, firsthand, "eyewitness" experience with Christ (following the example of the early church as well as early Friends) in order to bear faithful witness to "the Word among us" today. As everyone was leaving the room, a young lady came up to me with a big smile on her face. "Your message was beautiful and deeply moving," she said, "which I never would have expected, since I come from a very different tradition than yours." When I asked her what tradition that was, she told me she had become actively involved in a "new age, liberal" community of faith after experiencing years of harsh, legalistic religious life in a conservative, Protestant denomination.

This was a repeated theme throughout the weekend. I talked with one young person after another who had left a conservative, evangelical church tradition due to an ultimately irreconcilable dissatisfaction/disconnection with what they described as predominantly "pastor-centered"/"entertainment-oriented"/"rule-dominated" forms of organized religion. In fact, many of them had been deeply wounded by those claiming to be Christians. And yet, they all expressed a deep and genuine longing to know and follow Jesus. As Dan Kimball has articulated so well, They Like Jesus but Not the Church.

My experience at this gathering of Young Adult Friends reminded me of an old movie called Friendly Persuasion, based on the book by Jessamyn West. Set in southern Indiana in 1863, the story follows the lives of the Birdwells, a peace-loving, Quaker farming family that is confronted with the hard realities that accompany the onset of the Civil War. Even though the film deals with some very gritty issues, it's a sweet, gentle, funny movie. The title is inspired by the traditional Quaker tenet of meeting hostility with mercy, illustrated by Mother Birdwell's gracious offer of food and lodging to Confederate soldiers when they invade their home. The strategy is successful, and the enemy is won over by this family's "friendly persuasion."

Based on my conversations with the young people I met in Wichita this weekend, it certainly appears that we could use a lot less "armed resistance" and a lot more "friendly persuasion" in our churches these days. If not, we will only find ourselves escalating our religious wars, producing more and more casualties along the way. As my grandfather used to say, "There was nothing 'civil' about the Civil War."

Lord, have mercy!

The Lord Saves!

2010-04-16T13:34:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the biggest gifts come wrapped in very small packages. This one weighed just 6 pounds upon delivery. But, oh, what a gift!

His name is Isaiah (Heb, "the Lord saves"). Isaiah Gabriel Hancock to be exact. According to the doctors, he was due to arrive on May 11, but apparently he decided he just couldn't wait that long, so he showed up a month early.

Our daughter, Sarah, had been experiencing some flu-like symptoms recently, which caused some concern, but when she could no longer feel the baby move, she decided it was time to call the doctor. We're all glad she did.

By the time she and Gabe made it to the hospital, they were able to record a heartbeat, but the sonogram indicated that Isaiah was under considerable distress. So they immediately prepared for an emergency c-section. And we all began praying.

A team of 11 doctors and nurses quickly assembled in the operating room. We discovered later that they were all preparing for the worst. A short time later, however, everyone breathed a deep sigh of relief as Isaiah arrived safely, a perfectly healthy baby boy.

"The Lord Saves." What a fitting name for this little boy. The Lord saved Isaiah from any number of worst-case scenarios during the birth process, of course. But his name actually was inspired by the life-saving miracle that the Lord performed on behalf of Isaiah's father, Gabe, just a few months ago, delivering him from stage 4 skin cancer. Lord willing, both Isaiah and Gabe will have many opportunities to proclaim the message of God's salvation for years to come.

As the nurse told us just minutes after Isaiah's birth: "Every baby is a miracle, but this one is a special miracle." I couldn't have said it better myself.

Redeeming the Dream

2010-02-05T10:43:00.001-08:00

February is a month for dreamers. Punxsutawney Phil is dreaming of seeing his shadow. Heroes of the gridiron are dreaming of a Super Bowl victory. Athletes from around the world are dreaming of Olympic gold in Vancouver. And young lovers are dreaming of romantic, candlelight dinners on Valentine's Day. It may be winter on the calendar, but hope springs eternal!

But what happens when your dreams don't work out quite the way you hoped they would? What do you do when they crash and burn before your very eyes?

That's what happened to Joseph, the teenager with the technicolor coat. God had given him some big, audacious dreams. And he became so enthralled with them that he couldn't wait to share them with his family and friends.

Unfortunately for Joseph, his family wasn't quite so enthralled. In fact, they were downright offended, enraged even. So his brothers set out to teach this young dreamer a lesson. Consumed by envy and jealousy, they threw him in a cistern and left him for dead. Then, seizing an opportunity to fulfill a few dreams of their own, they sold Joseph off to some traveling slave traders and pocketed the money, exchanging their own flesh and blood for a few pieces of silver. Out of sight, out of mind.

Or so they thought. Never in their wildest dreams could they have possibly imagined what they would find waiting for them some twenty years later when these very same brothers were sent to Egpyt on a mission of mercy to find food for their famine-stricken families back in Canaan. Much to their horror, it was Joseph himself, Pharaoh's recently appointed "chief of staff," who met them when they arrived at the palace with their request for aid.

As this band of brothers bowed before their royal sibling, in fulfillment of the very dream that now brought them to this moment of truth, what was going through their minds ... guilt, fear, shame, regret? And what was going through Joseph's heart and mind ... anger, hurt, hatred, revenge?

Based on his response to his brothers, it is clear that Joseph, the once proud, naive and self-absorbed teenager, had been transformed into a much more broken, mature and self-giving man of God:

"Don't be afraid," Joseph said. "Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children." And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them (Genesis 50:19-21).

Joseph's story reminds us that every dream that is received must be refined before it can be realized.

It takes time to transform small, self-serving dreams into grand, God-glorifying dreams. What dreams has God given to you? Will you give Him permission to transform them in His refining fire? He loves you way too much to allow you to settle for second best. He wants to redeem your dreams.

*For more on this topic, see "The Holy Whisper, Part 5: Discerning God's Call through Circumstances," available on the Barclay College website: www.barclaycollege.edu/Students/Chapel.asp.

Still Standing!

2010-01-22T14:40:00.000-08:00

God's timing is impeccable. As you can see below, the theme of last month's blog entry was "Staying Centered at Christmas." Little did I know how critical these lessons would be for our family this holiday season.

Two weeks before Christmas our son-in-law, Gabe Hancock, was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma, an unusually nasty and potentially deadly form of skin cancer. Our immediate reaction was shock and alarm, of course. But in a few, short hours we found ourselves moving quickly into full-scale battle mode. It became increasingly clear to us that this was a direct attack from Satan himself, designed to defeat and destroy a young couple in their first year of full-time ministry, with their first child on the way. The message was clear: "This means war!" (cf. Rev 12:17) Our battle cry was equally clear: "Lord, deliver us from evil."

Over the next two weeks, we found ourselves repeating this prayer over and over as Gabe underwent major surgery and an intensive series of follow up tests. Finally, just two days before Christmas (which also happened to be Gabe's 23rd birthday), through the amazing grace of God and the fervent prayers of His people, Gabe was pronounced completely cancer-free!

It is now one month to the day since we began celebrating Gabe's Christmas miracle. As I pause to reflect on this extraordinary series of events, I am reminded that many of you are facing similar battles in your own lives and ministries as well. Some of you may feel like you have been suddenly thrown into the front lines of this spiritual battle with the forces of evil, much like we did a few weeks ago. And like us, you may be wondering how to best engage the enemy. While we are far from experts on the topic, we have been reminded of some life-saving lessons regarding spiritual warfare, and we are eager to pass them on to any of you who may profit from them as well.

There is an episode recorded in the Old Testament that contains some indispensable insight regarding spiritual warfare. It is found in 2 Chronicles 20:1-30, and it revolves around an attack on the kingdom of Judah during the reign of King Jehoshaphat around 850 B.C. Like our family, the king was naturally "alarmed" when he received the news of an imminent attack from his enemies. But like us, he was called to move quickly from panic to prayer: "We don't know what to do, but our eyes are upon you" (20:12). As Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah sought the Lord together, He responded with a clear and uncompromising battle plan:

"This is what the Lord says: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's ... you will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you... do not be afraid; do not be discouraged ... the Lord will be with you'" (20:15-17).

"Stand." That's all they needed to do. Stand and watch the Lord deliver them from evil. The word "stand" is repeated seven times in this passage, and each time it is connected to a specific action indicating that this is not a call to passive resistance, but strenuous engagement in spiritual warfare. Like Jehosaphat and the people of Judah, we are called to stand firm in God's mighty power in the face of adversity and conflict. Specifically, we are called to ...

Stand firm in His presence through prayer: "We will stand in your presence ... and will cry out to you" (20:9).
Stand firm in His position through obedience: "Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you" (17).
Stand firm in His praise through worship: "Then some Levites ... stood up and praised the Lord" (19).

The Lord did, in fact, deliver Jehoshaphat and his people from their enemies that day, in a place that would be forever known as "The Valley of Praise," just as he delivered our family from evil this Christmas. And both stories serve as tangible reminders that, while the enemy of our souls comes only to steal, kill and destroy, the Lover of our souls comes to give us life, and to give it in abundance (Jn 10:10).

Whatever adversity, conflict, or manifestation of evil you may be facing today in your personal life or in your public ministry, know that you have a God who is on your side. So don't be afraid, and don't be discouraged, my friends. The battle is the Lord's ... stand firm in His mighty power and watch Him fight for you!

*For more on this topic, see "The Holy Whisper, part 4: Discerning God's Call through Conflict," available on the Barclay College chapel webpage (www.barclaycollege.edu/Students/Chapel.asp).

Staying Centered this Christmas, by Pete Scazzero

2009-12-10T10:05:00.000-08:00

*The following article appeared yesterday in Rick Warren's "Ministry Toolbox." I have deeply appreciated Pete Scazzero's ministry to spiritual leaders in recent years, and thought this was an especially helpful reminder as we all enter into the thick of the holiday season. May the grace and peace of Jesus fill your hearts and homes this Christmas! - DW

It is ironic that Christmas is often the time we as pastors find ourselvesw least centered on Jesus. With the emergence of social media and new technologies, this problem has reached new proportions.

The following is an adaption of my top 10 lessons for leadership applied to this Advent season.

1. Be yourself. You and I are uniquely crafted by God to lead. That means we cannot do what others can. You may be able to do more or less. The great challenge of leadership is to calmly differentiate your "true self" from the demands and voices around you. Discern the desires, vision, pace, and mission the Father has given as you lead. Take off Saul's armor. How much activity can you sustain without losing your soul? And remember, "to live unfaithfully to yourself is to cause others great damage" (Rumi).

2. Your first work is to be contemplative before God (to be with him). Our goal during this season is to lead people to Jesus and help them center on him. But you cannot bring people where you have not gone in God. We are not CEO's or even preachers first. We are called to be contemplatives first (Psalm 27:4). Above all else, cultivate a pure heart before God, loving him. I like what Thomas Merton once wrote: "Untie my hands and deliver me from sloth. Set me free from the laziness that goes about disguised as activity when activity is not demanded and from the cowardice that does what is not demanded in order to escape sacrifice."

3. Practice Sabbath. Take a 24-hour period each week to Sabbath - to stop, rest, and contemplate God. You are not God. This essential spiritual formation practice is not something to drop during the celebration of Christ's coming. I take from 6:00 p.m. Friday to 6:00 p.m. Saturday at a minimum. Large spiritual issues are at stake, especially with regard to trusting God to be in control. Relinquich the ministry of Jesus.

4. Embrace the gift of your limits. Remember that "a man can receive only what is given him from heaven" (John 3:27). You will be present to your spouse and children in proportion to what you've received from being in God's presence. It takes time and effort to think through thoughtful gifts with meaning for your family and key leaders. I encourage you to make sure you have the margin in your life to do that.

5. Wait on the Lord. This is your life. You will finish the end of your days waiting on the Lord. This is the most important work there is if you are to allow your soul to grow up and be what God wants you to be. Be sure to carve out time for this.

6. Don't neglect ministry to yourself. "Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in the, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers" (1 Timothy 4:16). Investing in your development is your first ministry. This includes monthly and quarterly retreats, utilizing the gift of therapy along the way, finding a good spiritual director, and seeking mentors at different stages of the journey. It is the most loving gift you can give your church. What does this mean for Christmas? Take a few moments now to ask God what you need to remain connected to him over the next few weeks.

7. Lead out of your vow of marriage. Scripture is clear about marriage between one male and one female as a taste of Christ's free love for his bride, the church. And central to this marriage vision is the sexual relationship. It is essential, not peripheral, to your spiritual formation and discipleship as a Christ-follower.

8. Live what you preach. Good sermons take a lot of time to gestate. If the sermons aren't changing you, they will not transform anyone else. This is both a joy and an agony if fresh revelation from Scripture is going to come through the unique prism of your life. This never changes, whether you have been preaching for six months or 30 years.

9. All the work of pastoring is holy and sacred. It took me 19 years to learn this hard lesson, and I am still learning it. Preparing budgets and job descriptions, hiring, firing, planning a good meeting, handing in reports, confronting conflicts, etc., is every part as holy as prayer and Bible study. Be sure to fight against the sacred/secular split first in your own life and then in the life of the church. Recover a biblical theology of work and spirituality.

10. Things are not as they appear. So often what looks like a blessing is not. What looks terrible in the short run is, very often, a rich gift. When you think you are going forward, you may be actually going backwards. What appears as success, oftentimes ends up being a failure and setback. Failures will teach you much more than success every time.

The pressures of Christmas can distract us from what's most important. I hope these 10 lessons will help you focus on Christ and enjoy this holiday season.

Pete Scazzero is senior pastor of New Life Fellowship in Queens, New York, and author of Emotionally Healthy Spirituality (Nelson, 2006) and The Emotionally Healthy Church (Zondervan, 2003). To learn more about Pete's ministry, visit www.emotionallyhealthy.org.

Happy Birthday, CSR!

2009-11-19T11:54:00.000-08:00

The CSR website is celebrating it's first birthday this month! Special thanks to Nathaniel Carlson, who designed the new logo, which appears at the left and on the Barclay College home page.

According to Google Analytics, over 2000 "absolute unique visitors" have viewed over 7,600 pages on the site during the past year. The areas receiving the heaviest traffic so far are the pages devoted to Sabbath Rest, the annual Spiritual Formation Conference, Spiritual Discernment, and Spiritual Retreats.

But by far the most surprising and exciting discovery for me personally was that the CSR website has been visited by people from 61 different countries during its first year! The majority of these foreign visitors came from English-speaking nations, but there were also a significant number of visitors from places that would be extremely difficult to reach in person. These include predominantly Muslim countries such as Indonesia, Iran, Egypt, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Yemen and Turkey.

As I have taken time to reflect on this unexpected phenomenon, I have been filled with wonder at God's divine providence, and with deep gratitude for the privilege of partnering with Him in this new missional adventure. As some of you know, my parents and grandparents served as foreign missionaries for many years in China, and I frequently find myself wishing that I could follow in their footsteps. But when I think about the incredible opportunities that God is currently providing to touch the lives of people from around the world with something as simple as a website, I am reminded that God's ways are infinitely higher and better than ours (cf. Isaiah 55:8-9).

So while I will continue to give thanks for occasional opportunities to participate directly in cross-cultural mission work both here in the U.S. and around the world, I will be even more intentional about giving thanks for the ongoing impact of web-based ministries like the CSR site that provide continual access to Christian outreach and support services for representatives from "every nation, tribe, people and language" (Revelation 7:9). I can't wait to stand before the throne with my brothers and sisters from each of these ethnic groups and proclaim, "Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!"

The Discipline of the Empty Chair

2009-09-28T17:34:00.000-07:00

The image to the left is a photo I took last summer while hiking around Sprague Lake, a pristine mountain oasis located in the south end of Rocky Mountain National Park. It greets me each morning as I open my laptop and begin another day of work. It serves as a regular reminder that Jesus, our risen Lord, is inviting me to join Him on the journey, to intentionally include Him in my activities throughout the day.

This is easier said than done, of course. There are an endless number of competing voices pulling at me from every direction from morning to night, it seems, both externally and internally. And I want very much to respond to them, to please them, or to appease them, at the very least. I want to have a sense that I am valued, appreciated, affirmed, loved.

But among the many capricious voices clamoring for my attention, there is but one Voice that has the ability to satisfy the deepest longings of my heart. Augustine was right: "Our hearts are restless until they rest in You, O Lord." At the end of the day, we live before an Audience of One.

This became unusually clear to me nine years ago this fall during my first weeks on the job here at Barclay. I moved to Haviland alone in August of 2000, leaving my wife and six children in Ohio, waiting for our house to sell. Although I was extremely excited to begin my new adventure on the college campus, I was not so thrilled to do it by myself. I was the new kid on the block, living alone in a empty house, occasionally feeling like I was stranded on a desert island in the middle of a tiny, remote village in the middle of ... somewhere.

After enduring 2-3 weeks of this "solitary confinement," the Lord decided it was time to crash my little pity party. As usual, He did so in a very kind and unexpected manner. As I was laying down for bed one night, I noticed something that had been there all the time. It was there when I sat down for dinner, it was there when I rode in the car, it was there when I flew on the plane, it was there when I was at work in my office. "It" was an empty chair.

Except that it wasn't empty after all. The Lord was gently reminding me that what appeared to be an empty chair was, in a very real sense, continually occupied by the One who promised to be with me "always, to the very end of the age" (Mt 28:20). He was with me when I laid my head on the pillow each night, when I got into the car each morning, when I took my seat on the plane, and when I sat down to work on each and every course syllabus. He was with me, and He wasn't going anywhere. He was just hoping that I would notice.

As this simple reality began to sink in, the Lord began to transform my lonelienss into a whole new appreciation for solitude. The silence gradually became increasingly welcomed as a personal invitation to engage in intimate, uninterrupted conversation and ongoing companionship with Christ. As Paul Tillich has said, "Loneliness is a word to describe the pain of being alone; solitude is a word to describe the glory of being alone." In fact, by the time the house in Ohio sold and my family was finally able to join me in Kansas, I was surprised to find that, as thankful as I was to have them with me, I was disappointed to find that it was suddenly much harder to find an empty chair!

But the lesson was not wasted. I have learned to practice the discipline of the empty chair. To this day, when I find an empty chair next to me along the way, I am quickly reminded that it is not empty at all. The Lord is with me, and He's not going anywhere. He is my constant Companion and Friend. He is just waiting for me to acknowledge His presence, to engage Him in conversation, to join Him on the journey. And when I do, my spirit sings for joy.

"And He walks with me, and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own.

And the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known."

May the Circle Be Unbroken

2009-07-19T12:15:00.000-07:00

I just returned from Quaker Ridge Camp near Woodland Park, Colorado, where I had the great privilege (and imposing challenge) of speaking to a terrific group of teenagers at the Rocky Mountain Yearly Meeting Senior High Camp. During our time together, under the spectacular shadow of Pike's Peak, we experienced wonderful times of worship, fellowship, recreation and conversation together. It was a special blessing to serve alongside so many of our Barclay students and graduates, who made up the bulk of the camp staff.

The last morning I spoke on the connection between worship and service, using Romans 12:1 as my text: "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship [or reasonable service; the Greek can be translated either way]." I finished by taking an offering, but this one was a little different than usual. In place of an offering plate, the ushers brought two hula hoops to the front of the room and laid them on the floor before the altar. In light of Romans 12:1, we then invited everyone to come forward and stand in the circle, one at a time, indicating their desire to offer their whole lives to the Lord as an expression of gratitude to God and loving obedience to Christ.

As we sang a modern arrangement of "Take My Life and Let It Be," they came. One by one, students and staff alike, nearly everyone in the room that morning came to stand in the circle, embracing the call to offer themselves to the Lord , to surrender their lives fully to His service, without reservation. It was one of those holy moments that is impossible to contain in human language. You just knew that something very significant was taking place.

After the service, I just sat there in the front row of the chapel, overwhelmed by yet another mighty act of God. And I began to wonder where the Lord would take these students in the years ahead. How many would become church leaders - pastors, youth pastors, worship leaders, etc.? How many others would answer God's call to serve on a foreign mission field? And how many would be called to represent God faithfully in the marketplace, serving Christ as teachers, counselors, nurses, musicians or computer technicians? What an honor to witness such a significant step in the unfolding of God's sovereign plan and purpose for these young lives.

Then, quite suddenly and unexpectedly, another wave of emotion began to sweep over me. And I began to ask myself, "What have these people gotten themselves into?" Life is hard, and Christian life and ministry can be even harder at times. The Christian life is always better, but often harder, much harder than "normal" human life. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer made clear in his Cost of Discipleship, the call to follow Christ is a call to "come and die." And I began to wonder what trials, temptations and tribulations these young men and women would face in the years ahead as they did their best to offer themselves to God as "living sacrifices." Would they really be able to live through it, after all, and would their faith survive intact? Or would they throw it all away, given the opportunity, in exchange for an easier and less costly way of life?

And so I prayed. I prayed that God would protect them and sustain them, especially those that would be returning to homes where Jesus is NOT Lord, to parents who would NOT be excited about their newfound faith or renewed devotion to Christ, and to friends who would NOT share their passionate hunger and thirst for righteousness. And now, as I continue to pray, I am asking that this portion of God's Word would be especially real and true for each one of these emerging ministers of the gospel. Like Romans 12:1, this passage draws heavily upon the imagery of sacrifice and service, realities which characterized the life of Christ and will surely characterize the lives of all faithful followers of Christ as well ...

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart" (Hebrews 12:1-3).

Please pray with me that God will empower these young men and women to remain faithful to Jesus as they find their place of service in and through the body of Christ.

May the circle be unbroken.

Rescued!

2009-05-17T16:04:00.000-07:00

The Lord blessed us with wonderful weather during last week's Pastor's Sabbath Retreat in Estes Park, which allowed everyone to take full advantage of the rest and renewal provided through the beauty of God's creation. We also enjoyed wonderful times of worship and fellowship together, as well as a number of spiritual exercises focused around the theme of listening to God, based on 1 Kings 19.

It was obvious from talking with others that by far the greatest benefit of a retreat like this one is simply the gift of time and space to "breathe" or "unwind" or "decompress." Most church leaders devote so much time and energy to serving others that they often neglect to take adequate time for themselves, so retreats like this one can be especially life-giving, if not life-saving.

I met with one brother, for example, who has had an unusually difficult and personally disappointing history in vocational ministry. In fact, he felt so defeated that he almost turned around and returned home before arriving in Estes Park. As we talked together towards the end of the retreat, he summarized his experience with this simple statement:

"I have been rescued."

Praise God for His saving and sustaining grace, and for the gifts of rest, renewal and restoration. May you experience each of these realities in your own lives and ministries as you continue to follow hard after Him!

The Surprising Side of Servanthood

2009-05-07T09:06:00.000-07:00

Some things are especially hard to put into words ... but as a preacher, I feel obligated to try!

This year during chapel I have been preaching through a sermon series entitled, "Descending into Greatness: Lessons on Leadership from the Servant King," based on the life and leadership of Jesus. As I prepared for the final installment in this series recently, which focused on the foot-washing episode in John 13, I felt impressed to enact this particular passage rather than try and explain it. My hope was that participating in an actual foot-washing service would help each of us move from a merely intellectual understanding of servant leadership to an experiential one. As with most sermons, no one needed this message more than the preacher himself.

John 13 is one of my favorite passages in the Bible. I have preached and taught on it many times. In the past, however, I have typically placed primary emphasis on the conclusion of this story, where Jesus admonishes his disciples to follow his example by serving others in humble, loving obedience to their Lord and Master. But this time the first part of the story really jumped out at me. As I was sitting in a circle, surrounded by a small group of fellow students and colleagues, I began to understand in a new way the level of discomfort that Peter may have had that night in the upper room.

After three intense years of learning, growing, and working with their beloved Teacher, Jesus capped it all off with a dramatic "graduation ceremony" that was unlike anything they could have expected. While Peter (and the rest of the disciples) certainly would have been prepared to serve Jesus in any way possible, just as they had done so vigorously for the past three years, the Teacher turned the tables on the students and served them instead. "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me," the Master said.

As I meditated on this reality, prayerfully preparing to serve the others in my circle that day in chapel, I was surprised to find that someone was already taking the initiative to serve me. It was my daughter, Sarah. My child, the one that I have held, fed, clothed and bathed, was washing my feet. Before I had time to recover, I found yet another student picking up the bucket and the towel. This time it was Jesse, one of my pastoral ministry majors. My student, the one that I have taught, advised, mentored and discipled, was washing my feet. To borrow the words of Brennan Manning, I found myself "dazed, dumbstruck, weeping, and suddenly seized by the power of a great affection." Sarah and Jesse may have been holding the towel that day in chapel, but there was absolutely no doubt in my mind that it was Jesus himself who has doing the washing.

And it hit me like a ton of bricks: Before we can serve others, we must first be served by Christ.

This is the same reality that has been at the center of my doctoral studies in leadership and spiritual formation at George Fox Evangelical Seminary during the past few years, and it all came to a head on Friday night during the hooding ceremony in Portland. After three years of strenuous learning, growing and working with my faithful teachers in the DMin program at Fox, the Lord Jesus "washed my feet" through the events that took place that night. My teachers who served me so well throughout the program - not only by offering faithful instruction, but by befriending me, encouraging me, affirming me and believing in me - washed my feet one last time as they presented me with a doctoral robe, hood, medal and a bound copy of my dissertation (to which they attached additional expressions of honor and appreciation).

Taken together, this ceremony provided a dramatic exclamation point to the whole doctoral process, a surprisingly powerful expression of the Lord's amazing love for me. There is no greater gift than to be loved by God, and no greater expression of servant leadership. I pray that I may be empowered to give away this same measure of love as freely as I have received it.

Sustaining Spiritual Leadership for the Long Haul

2009-03-23T11:58:00.000-07:00

I just returned from the EFC-ER SOY (Sponsors of Youth) Retreat in Morgantown, West Virginia. It was a wonderful time to renew some old friendships and begin many new ones. The theme for this retreat was "For the Sake of the Call: Survival Skills for Spiritual Leaders," based on Elijah's encounter with God at Mt. Horeb in 1 Kings 19.

As many of you know, this is a theme that is at the center of my current calling and passion as a minister of the gospel. It was also the central theme of my recently completed doctoral dissertation. We are losing church leaders faster than we can replace them these days, and many of us are taking these losses personally because these people are our personal friends. Because of my unique role as a college professor and campus pastor, it seems like I am able to see ministry with a little more clarity and objectivity than when I was serving in the local church. And what I am seeing these days is deeply troubling.

Before I came to Barclay nine years ago, I served the previous nine years as a pastor in EFC-ER (Evangelical Friends Church - Eastern Region). I also served on the Youth Board for several years, the same group that sponsored this year's SOY Retreat. Of the 50 youth leaders who were in attendance at this year's retreat, only five were around when I left EFC-ER nine years ago. Granted, there tends to be a little higher turnover rate among youth pastors than senior pastors, but when I began to ask about where the others had gone, I discovered that a large proportion of them had left vocational ministry altogether.

This trend is not unique to EFC-ER, of course, but it raises some serious questions about the viability and sustainability of spiritual leadership in the body of Christ today: What is wrong with us? Why are we so susceptible to burnout, breakdown and premarture departure from public ministry? What can we do to turn this thing around? What impact will the fallout from this situation have on the future of the church? What can each of us do to help?

These are some of the questions I felt compelled to address in my doctoral studies over the past three years. And these are the same kinds of questions that are currently shaping the new ministry initiatives that appear to be emerging through the Center for Spirital Renewal at Barclay College. If you would like to learn more about what I have been discovering, you are welcome to read my dissertation, Sustaining Spiritual Leadership for the Long Haul: The Center for Spiritual Renewal at Barclay College, which is posted on the "recommended resource" page of the CSR website (csr.barclaycollege.edu).

On behalf of our Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for answering the call to serve as a minister of his life-saving, life-giving gospel. As you continue to offer the cold cup of living water to parched and weary souls, my friends, don't forget to drink deeply yourself (cf. 1 Timothy 4:16).

For the Sake of the Call,
Dave

Small Is Beautiful

2009-02-12T15:17:00.003-08:00

*Editor's note: I recently received a note of encouragement from a parent of one of our current students here at Barclay. He also attached a link to this devotional from Our Daily Bread for January 24, 2009. I thought it might serve as a source of encouragement for each of you as well. Little is much when God is in it!

"Who has despised the day of small things?"

- Zechariah 4:10

Just the other day someone said of a friend, “This man is destined for a great ministry,” by which he meant he was headed for the big time—a high-profile church with a big budget.

It made me wonder: Why do we think that God’s call is necessarily upwardly mobile? Why wouldn’t He send His best workers to labor for a lifetime in some small place? Aren’t there people in obscure places who need to be evangelized and taught? God is not willing that any perish.

Jesus cared about the individual as well as the masses. He taught large crowds if they appeared, but it never bothered Him that His audience grew smaller every day. Many left Him, John said (John 6:66), a fickle attrition that would have thrown most of us into high panic. Yet Jesus pressed on with those the Father gave Him.

We live in a culture where bigger is better, where size is the measure of success. It takes a strong person to resist that trend, especially if he or she is laboring in a small place.

But size is nothing; substance is everything. Whether you’re pastoring a small church or leading a small Bible study or Sunday school class, serve them with all your heart. Pray, love, teach by word and example. Your little place is not a steppingstone to greatness. It is greatness.

— David H. Roper

The Waiting Room

2009-02-11T16:15:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday marked the official end of football season with the playing of the Pro Bowl in Hawaii, but I am an incurable sports fan, so strange as it may seem, I still have football on my mind. It's even more strange when you consider the fact that I am also a Browns fan.

One of my favorite football images is taken from the film, "Rudy." It is the story of a short, slow kid from Joliet, Illinois, who always dreamed of playing football for the University of Notre Dame. From the day he was born, Dan "Rudy" Ruettiger was literally obsessed with the Fighting Irish. He followed the team religiously, watching every game, memorizing the stats for every major player. His whole life was devoted to this one great passion, being prepared for that day when he would get his shot to take the field for the green and gold in South Bend. He prayed, he practiced, he studied, he stayed ready and alert, watching and waiting for his big moment. Finally, in the last seconds of the last game in his last year at Notre Dame, the moment came. Rudy made the most of it, sacking the Georgia Tech quarterback on the last play of the game. The rest of the team carried him off the field on their shoulders.

Like Rudy, all of us are waiting for something. Some of us are waiting for the return of football season, some of us are waiting for the first signs of spring, some of us are waiting to graduate, some of us are waiting for our next paycheck, some of us are waiting to find a marriage partner, some of us are waiting for a new baby to arrive, some of us are waiting to see where the Lord is going to lead us next as we follow His call to ministry.

What are you waiting for? More importantly, how are you waiting?

"They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint" (Isaiah 40:31).

Called to Know Him

2009-01-07T14:48:00.000-08:00

I have the privilege of participating in a local Ministerial Association here in Lyon County, KS. I know that sometimes Ministerial Associations can be frustrating and seem as productive as a two hour committee meeting to discuss carpet color, but I have found a good one.

For our January meeting the last several years, we have met together for a time of worship. This year's service included time to share in Quaker fashion whatever the Lord laid on our hearts. Funny how the things we intend to share are not the ones God has in mind. I was going to read the scripture about God doing a new thing. That was my plan, but as I flipped into Isaiah, the Lord caught my eye with this passage:

"You are my witnesses," declares the Lord, "and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no savior. I have revealed and saved and proclaimed-- I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses," declares the Lord, "that I am God. Yes, and from ancient days I am he..." Isaiah 43:10-13a.

Sitting in a group of ministers, the passage seemed rather fitting. We need a reminder sometimes that while it is true that God calls us to minister to others, the primary reason he has called us to be his servants is to believe him; to understand him; to know that he is the only God.

A fellow servant in the meeting shared how God was teaching him to trust God's provision as he stepped out in faith to minister to the unlovely--the homeless, the single mothers and their children--without a paycheck. God is faithfully providing, but if this brother had not stepped out in faith to serve, he would not have the same occasion to believe God.

I, too, have found that since I stepped out in ministry, I believe God more than ever. I understand his promises personally. I have seen him work out his plan and purpose. I have come to know him in a new way. In a way that would have been impossible if I would have remained in my safe, self-reliant way of life.

I am rejoicing today in the gift of being called to serve as his witness, not only for the purpose of reaching out to others, but for the opportunity to personally gain new knowledge, understanding, and faith in my God and Savior.

The Nest

2009-01-02T19:18:00.000-08:00

*Editor's note: As we begin a new year together this update from Matt Kuffel, recent Barclay graduate and current missionary to Cambodia, seems especially appropriate. Matt's reflections on life and ministry remind us all that we cannot move forward without letting go. As you read about Matt's experience, let his words speak into your life and ministry as well. Is there anyone or anything that God is currently calling you to release to Him so that He can move even more freely and fully in and through you?

There are not too many birds in Cambodia these days. There used to be, but ever since Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge people have had to eat anything they could find and birds were one of the better foods the people would eat. Nevertheless, I have been pondering birds lately. Not because I find them fascinating (actually they are) or because I am in need of a good meal, but because of how they interact with their young.

Next May we go home on our scheduled furlough. When our 3 months in the States are up we will be coming back as empty nesters. Mary has been back in the States for about 2 1/2 years now and Stew will be entering the next phase of his life when we go back home. It has been an amazing journey together. Our lives have been filled with many ups and downs, but God has guided us through all of it and we have 2 beautiful kids who love the Lord. I wish I could take credit for their success, but God is a way better Father than I am. We have done everything together, but now it is time for them (and us) to fly on their own.

This brings me back to the birds. A mother (and often a father) bird raises their babies by making a safe nest for them, shelters them from the cold and rain, and brings them food whenever they are hungry. The mother and father teach them all about being a bird, shows them how to be a bird and then kicks them out of the nest. The grown up babies will either fly or they will fall to the ground where there is danger. Once they fly on their own they are off on their new adventures and to begin having babies of their own. Now I know since I am mostly talking about our kids, kicking out seems like such a harsh word. But if we are honest we really want what is best for our kids and leaving the “nest” and “flying” on their own really is the best and most healthy thing for them. We can only pray that we raised them to know what it means to be a child of God and allow Him to lead their lives. We will know if they were raised right by the way they live their lives on their own (away from their parents).

There is another reason why I am waxing on about birds. Lois and I have been working with the Phnom Penh Friends Church for over 5 years now. We have seen tremendous growth in them all, but especially the leaders. Lois and I have been trying to move from doing front (leadership position) to the back (supporting position) over the last 6 to 8 months. We have watched as the leadership has taken control of the ministries and have thrived in them. They have been taught what it means to be a Church and having been getting to “fly” on their own. This has been a long time in the making. There have been many people before us that have helped them get to this point and many people who have come alongside us to help get them ready to go it “alone”. They have proven they are ready by the fruit in their own lives and the fruit in their ministries. It is time we kick them out of the full-time missionary nest.

Over the next few months before our furlough there is still a lot of work to be done and we will be extremely busy with the Phnom Penh Church, but we will be doing whatever supporting ministry we can do to help them on their new journey. We are not just abandoning them though and bidding them fair well, the mission will be near them and helping them in certain areas for some time, but they will not have a full time missionary presence there. Lois and I have been praying and seeking His guidance for our next “nest” and how to help raise the next group that He entrusts to our care.

We know all the blood, sweat, tears, joy, prayers and hope that have gone into the church over the years will be fruitful. We will know that they are flying on their own as they recognize who they are as a church body in Christ and as they allow God to lead them every “flap” of the way.

Exposed!

2008-12-07T18:37:00.000-08:00

I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later. It's a topic of conversation every time I teach Homiletics. I had heard about it happening to others. Now I can say it has happened to me, too.

"It" happened last Monday night, while I was teaching a session on "The Gospel According to Paul" at the EFC-MA Institute for Church Leadership in Wichita. We had just finished discussing Paul's passion for taking the gospel to the ends of the earth, and I thought it might be helpful for everyone to take a few minutes for some silent, personal reflection in order to prayerfully consider the core passion that God had laid on each of their hearts.

It seemed like an ideal time to take a tour of the men's room. After all, it had been quite a while since that last cup of iced tea over supper. Besides, it had been a long, full day and I was ready for a few minutes to myself as well. There is no place like the rest room for a little peace and quiet. Or so I thought.

I had only been "meditating" for a short time when my solitude was suddenly shattered as my friend, Adam Monaghan, came rushing into the bathroom with a panicked look on his face. I figured he had received the "call of nature" as well. His eyes were as big as saucers, as usual, but his expression was unlike any I had seen before. Then he whispered three words that I will never forget as long as I live:

"Your microphone's on!"

It took me a second or two to grasp the full significance of this revelation, but once it kicked in, the reality swept over me with breathtaking clarity. I was so stunned, in fact, that I continued to wash and dry my hands without ever considering the potential value of clicking the switch to a more secure position. By the time I gathered myself together and prepared to make my re-entry into the terrifying world that was waiting on the other side of the bathroom door, it had become painfully obvious that there was absolutely no way to salvage any shred of dignity from this episode. All I could do was plead for mercy and hope for the best.

Needless to say, there wasn't a sober expression in the room. I'm sure you all know how contorted the human face can become when attempting to hold in laughter. All I had to do was make eye contact with one or two people. It didn't take long for the dam to break wide open. By the time it stopped, there wasn't a dry eye in the place.

Adam kept assuring me that it could have been a lot worse (let's just say that I was standing the whole time and leave it at that). All I know is that I am now an official member of the "I went to the bathroom and left my mic on" club. Take it from me. Amplification is way overrated!

Misery loves company. Anybody else have any embarrassing moments they would like to share? Truth is stranger than fiction, and a lot funnier, too.

Happy Holy Days!

Swamped!

2008-10-30T07:13:00.000-07:00

As I write this, I am currently on a writing retreat in Colorado. By the time I leave, I am hoping to have the bulk of my doctoral dissertation behind me. Which is eerily reminiscent of something my favorite baseball player, George Brett, once said upon his return to the field after recovering from hemorrhoid surgery: "My problems are all behind me now!"

Okay, so it's obvious that I am suffering from a little sleep deprivation. Bear with me, because I want to offer you all a word of encouragement, especially those of you who are feeling a little overwhelmed or "swamped" by life and ministry today.

You are not alone!

I want to tell you about some guys I know who went for a little boat ride one day. Actually, it would be more accurate to say that they were literally "taken for a ride." I think it is safe to assume that the water was fairly smooth when they put out from shore. In fact, it was probably a beautiful, sunny day. I'm guessing that they were looking forward to getting away for a little rest and relaxation (or maybe a little uninterrupted time in solitude, an ideal setting for writing and reflection).

Then things got a little dicey. The weather conditions suddenly changed, much like they do here in the high country of Colorado, and a powerful storm descended upon them - torrential rains, violent winds, etc. Did you ever see "The Perfect Storm"? If not, you might remember the famous line from "Seinfeld" when George is trying to describe his experience as a marine biologist: "The seas were angry that day, my friend." Or maybe you are old enough to remember Gilligan's "three-hour tour"? You get the picture. They were about to be "swamped"!

Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention the fact that these guys had a special guest with them on their little cruise across the lake. Unfortunately, he wasn't an experienced sea captain. He was just a teacher. That would have been okay, except for the fact that while the rest of the guys in the boat were working feverishly just to stay alive, the professor grabbed a pillow and fell sound asleep!

Needless to say, this was a perplexing and frustrating development. I never heard this firsthand, but I'm pretty sure it was my friend, Rocky, who took it upon himself to arouse their slumbering sailing companion: "Yo, prof, how 'bout a little help here ... we're 'bout to go unda!" (Rocky was Jewish, by the way, not Italian)

You won't believe what happened next. The teacher woke up, put down his pillow, stood to his feet, and said the following three words: "Quiet! Be still!" At first, everyone thought he was talking to Rocky (it wouldn't have been the first time), but his face was turned toward the lake. Then everyone began to notice a dramatic change in the weather - the wind was dying down, and before you knew it, the water was as smooth as glass. The teacher was talking to the lake ... and the lake was listening!

While everyone was still holding their breath, their faces white as a sheet, the teacher turned and faced his bewildered traveling companions. "What are you so afraid of?" he calmly inquired. "I thought you were supposed to be men of faith."

When I heard this part of the story, I have to confess that I was a little skeptical. But then I remembered watching the latest installment of the Indiana Jones film series: "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." As Professor Henry Jones is vanquishing foes left and right in the Peruvian jungle, his young traveling companion turns to him with a look of incredulity on his face and asks, "Are you sure you're a teacher?" To which Indy quips, "part-time, kid."

This must have been a similar scenario, because once it was all over, all twelve of my friends had only one question on their minds: "Who is this guy?" [Mark 4:35-41, loosely paraphrased] *

I'll tell you who He is. He is the One who has met me on the mountain this week as I have been "swamped" by the overwhelming weight of a doctoral dissertation. He is the One who has provided a constant, non-anxious presence in the midst of a storm of doubt and fear that has threatened to drown me. He is the One who has been with me during every lonely moment of solitude here in the wilderness. He is the One who has spoken peace into my soul when things felt like they were falling apart. And He is the One who has challenged me, once again, to stop relying in my own strength and wisdom and to place my faith firmly in Him, and Him alone.

He is Jesus.

Wherever you are today, He is with you.

*To hear a full-length sermon based on this text, go to Barclay's chapel webpage (www.barclaycollege.edu/Students/chapel.asp) and click on "Listen Now" under November 4.

Out of Control (by Matt Kuffel)

2008-10-10T11:41:00.000-07:00

One of the things God has been teaching us lately is that we can not control very much. We like to think we can, but in reality we are barely able to keep control of even the smallest details of our lives. Things happen that are out of our control. One of the things that we are not able to control is other people- especially their faith. Since being in Cambodia for 5 years now we have seen many people come to the church and many people leave the church. This has often been painful for us. Since we can not control them and make them believe and worship, we often feel helpless. We are learning that is where God wants us to be. When we are helpless we have no where else to turn. We cry out to God for His provision and help.

An example of this is a family that had been with the church for many years suddenly stopped coming. Many from the church here went to their house many times. We encouraged them, counseled them and invited them back. But to no avail. We pretty much gave up on them and hadn’t seen them for a long time. One of the leaders here brought their name up and said we should be praying for them every day. We started praying and guess what happened? They called us and want to start a Bible study in their new neighborhood. They had shared to Gospel with their neighbors and now have quite a few people that want to know more about Jesus.

When we are helpless and feel like we have no control that is when we are at our best. We cry out to God through prayer and He is able to touch people’s hearts and lives in ways we can’t even imagine. We thought we would never see them again, but this Saturday we get to go meet them at their new place and begin to worship Christ with them again.

The Fruit of Repentance

2008-10-01T11:27:00.001-07:00

As many of you have probably heard by now, the Lord has been moving in some extraordinary ways on the Barclay campus in recent days. During our recent Missional Leadership Conference, our chapel services were invaded by the manifest presence of God. For a firsthand account, I would encourage you to read the reports written by our guest speaker for the week, Bob Adhikary, EFM missionary to Nepal. Just go to the Barclay home page (http://www.barclaycollege.edu/) and click on "Revival Breaks out at Barclay" under the News section.

As I have been reflecting on these recent events at Barclay, I have been reminded of another "revival" that took place 2000 years ago in first century Palestine. It must have been quite a scene ... a fiery preacher appearing out of nowhere, wearing strange clothes and feasting on strange food, calling people to repent and turn to God in the face of coming judgment ... people coming from everywhere, some curious and others desperate, finding themselves mysteriously drawn to this remote place, moved almost involuntarily to rush into the river and be baptized as an expression of their brokennes before God and their insatiable hunger for holiness ... it must have made the religious leaders extremely nervous, because it was completely out of their control!

For many spiritual leaders, it would have been tempting to turn an event like this into a "media circus" with all of the hype and reckless emotionalism that tends to go along with it. But what really strikes me about this story is the sobering admonition that John the Baptist gave to those who experienced this remarkable movement of God: "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance" (Lk 3:8).

In a wonderful little book called Through Flaming Sword, Quaker writer Arthur Roberts reflects on the life and legacy of George Fox and the early leaders of the Society of Friends, a seventeenth century revival movement that swept across the English countryside and eventually spread across the Atlantic, spawning ministry training centers like Barclay College along the way. In his discussion of the Friends testimony on holiness, Roberts reminds us that early Quakers emphasized the critical relationship between the experiential and ethical dimensions of Christian discipleship, i.e., any genuine experience of renewal in one's relationship with God will always be accompanied by clear evidence of restored relationships with one's neighbors (cf. Mk 12:30-31). This is why early Friends were so influential, and so controversial. Changed hearts produced changed lives, and changed lives produced a changed society: the freedom to refrain from taking an oath in court, the freedom to register as a "conscientious objector" to war, the fair treatment of American Indians, the abolition of slavery, the right for women to vote, etc. Like every other genuine movement of God, this revival clearly produced the fruit of repentance.

And that's what we are praying for at Barclay these days. Early indications are that God is already answering our prayers. Here is a brief list of what might be called the "first fruits of repentance" at Barclay College, drawn from the testimonies of our students:

· Calling to pray for missionaries/request for EFM prayer directories
· Calling to begin regular practice of giving during chapel
· Public confession of sin and profession of new faith in Christ
· Calling to love and serve those who are mentally ill
· Freedom from crippling fear and willingness to follow God's call to ministry
· Deliverance from spiritual bondage and spiritual attack
· Calling to missionary service in Bangladesh
· Release from shame and calling to minister to orphans
· Forgiveness and resolution of broken relationships
· Release from depression and suicidal thoughts
· Release from loneliness and despair and calling to build community
· Calling to establish prayer gatherings for ongoing revival and renewal
· Inspiration to write new worship songs
· Calling to start a food bank for local community
· Increased commitment to assist our neighbors in Greensburg with their rebuilding process

One of the most encouraging aspects of this fresh move of God on our campus is the fact that it is not limited to students. More than anytime in recent memory, I have had many faculty and staff members come to me personally and express their gratitude for the amazing ways that God has been at work in their lives as well - convicting, cleansing, calling, empowering, etc. When the Holy Spirit comes in power, He leaves no stone unturned!

So why am I posting all of these things on this particular blog? Because I want to remind each of you that you are still a vital part of the Barclay community, long after graduation. In fact, the things we are experiencing on our campus today are a result, at least in part, of your personal contributions to Barclay as students and your ongoing support of the College as alumni. So I hope this news encourages you. I also want to ask you to pray for all of us here in Haviland as we continue to "flesh out" the ethical implications of our recent experiences with God. Pray with us that what is happening today at Barclay will bear lasting fruit for the Kingdom - locally, regionally, nationally and globally. And finally, I share these things with you to challenge you to take your own spiritual pulse today. Are you in right relationship with both God and the people He has put in your life? If so, rejoice! If not, I would encourage you to drop to your knees at this very moment and pray with the psalmist:

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

(Psalm 51:10-12, 17)

Spiritual Warfare

2008-09-05T12:55:00.000-07:00

Hey, folks. I could use your help on this one. As disciples of Jesus and ministers of the gospel, we all know that "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Eph 6:12). So we shouldn't be surprised when we face various forms of spiritual warfare along the way in Christian life and ministry.

My question is how to best equip our students and/or graduates for the spiritual battles that they will face along the way. I don't want to ignore this aspect of spiritual leadership, but I don't want to exaggarate it either. As C.S. Lewis has said, "There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors, and hail a materialist and a magician with the same delight" (The Screwtape Letters, p. 3).

Personal experience, and conversations with many of you, have brought this topic back to the forefront for me recently. It won't suprise anyone to hear that missionaries like Brad & Chelsea Carpenter (Rwanda) and Matt & Lois Kuffel (Cambodia) deal with overt spiritual warfare on a regular basis. But what may surprise some people is to to realize that we are witnessing the manifestation of demonic activity with increasing frequency here in the U.S. as well. Just this summer, in fact, I spoke at a summer camp where several of us were called upon to pray for a junior high boy who was being tormented by violent episodes of spiritual oppression, as severe as anything I have witnessed on any foreign mission field. The Lord gave this young man great victory during our time together, but it was an eye-opener for many of those in leadership.

So what has been your experience in this area? What does "spiritual warfare" look like in your part of the world? Have you found any particular resources that have been especially helpful? Are there any specific topics or issues that you would recommend we address in our coursework here at Barclay? Any help you can provide would be deeply appreciated!

Boundary Issues in Youth Ministry

2008-08-15T18:35:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

I guess I'll be the first student to venture on this blog with a post! I am taking up Keith's idea of posting questions and concerns about the ministries we are involved with, and have a question relating to an issue I am thinking through.

I am going to be almost abnormally vague about the "who" because some of you who have worked in Pratt would know who he was with very little details. While some of those details would help you understand the situation...well, sorry.

There is a young man in Pratt who, clearly, sees me as a Father figure. I don't spend very much time with him, yet he copies almost all of my idiosyncrasies, likes, dislikes, etc. The way he talks to me, looks at me, etc., is as though I was his Dad. He does not have another Father figure.

I am struggling to know how much to let this go on. As a youth minister, and as someone who has lots of responsibilities and students to look after, I cannot be the Father figure in his life, and I don't think I can even give him the attention of say, someone in the Big Brother's program. That isn't to say I don't spend time with him...we have a good friendship and have had some serious, Godly talks. However, I am afraid that if he continues to idolize me, then when I fail him as "a father," (which I will, since I am not) it will be another extremely large challenge in his life. Yet, at the same time, I can't sit down with him and say, "Quit liking me. You loser." That won't work either! Also, I am afraid that if I discourage how he sees me, he will feel rejected.

I don't think that I have "opened up my life" to him in any abnormal way. I don't think I have allowed him to break any natural boundaries or anything like that. I don't know...what do you guys think?

The Bear's Den (Online) Is Open for Business!

2008-08-13T09:25:00.000-07:00

Anyone who has visited Barclay College during the past few years will quickly recognize the poster at the top of this page. It occupies a prominent place on the wall of The Bear's Den, a cafe' located in the Student Center which represents the very heart and soul of community life on our campus. The Bear's Den is a great place to catch up with old friends or make new ones while sharing a cup of hot java or playing a casual game of pool. After a long day of study, practice, work or ministry, The Bear's Den provides an ideal setting for students to relax, unwind and share their lives together.

And that's the exact purpose of this blogspot. We hope that The Bear's Den (Online) will provide a place where you can continue the conversation with your friends, both old and new. Post a comment about something that caught your attention on our website. Ask a question that has been weighing on your mind. Submit a prayer request or praise report. Offer a word of encouragement to a brother or sister who may be struggling. Recommend resources that others might be able to use in their place of service. Discuss a current event or hot topic and its potential impact upon Christian life and ministry.

This is your space. Make the most of it. And please let us know if there are any improvements we can make along the way to better serve you. The Bear's Den (Online) is open for business!