LHC Longview

Dry spell, Have you ever been in a dry spell?

2007-10-23T08:33:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the dry spell. I haven't been keeping up with all the great blogs from John Bishop and Seth McRae, They are just a hard act to follow. You should know that they have a team of experts that help them with all of those great features.

I was asked this weekend about what has been happening in Longview and I thought I would take a minute and show you some of our recent sets and invite you to come and join us Sunday at 11:00 am.

So lets dive into some photo's and I will tell you a little bit about it. The first photo is from our Ark series with the Tiger. We weren't able to book the tiger so we had a surprise visit from the Living Hope Rhino and the Gorilla, Now in keeping with my fellow campuses if you can tell me who you think was in these suits I will award a small price to any non-staff members.

The Rhino was a big hit with the kids.

If you are a Living Hope attendee you know that we are currently in a series that has gotten a lot of publicity and big push back from the community. Must of the objection is centered around the use of the word sex in our sign. I personally am amazed at how the community can see the word every where in our society and think that the church should not talk about what God has to say about a subject that he authored.

Our worship team is one of the best, EACH and every week they get better and better. Come check it out this last week we had a Pan Cake feed serenaded by worship practice. Come join us this week for biscuits and gravy. Ricky and Penny have teamed up to provide some really great food. Breakfast starts at 10:15 with worship to follow. Sean Batterberry and the team will, I am sure bring glory to the heart of God and bless you besides.

We have been meeting in Longview since February and I have seen God do so much in the lives of many many people we will be having another baptism on the 4th of November. I wanted to return to the Cowlitz river, but with the cooler weather thought it better to Invite all of the Longview campus down to Brush Prairie for a 11th year anniversary and Baptism if you have never been to one of our spontaneous Baptisms you must come and experience what God can and will do in your heart.

Until the next time, keep the faith and remember Jesus Loves lost people.

Prayer Breakfast of Clark County

2007-10-03T12:09:00.000-07:00

Today I arose early to attend the Sixth Annual Mayors' and Community Leaders Prayer Breakfast. I have to say having attended these events in the past I expected the same old same old thing, But I was surprised by three high quality spirit filled people who said some things that moved me to tears. Yes to tears!

Testimonial Speaker (Rick Campfield) COO -US Digital - Rick is just an ordinary guy who has put God first through out his carrier. What I loved about his presentation was right there in front of almost 400 business leaders he had the courage to address the issue of the politically correct bunch who have taken over the business world so much that we can no longer share our faith with those who work for us. I was exited to hear that the leaders of US Digital still pray for Gods intervention in their day to day business. Rick was real clear about who he serves and invited anyone who wanted to know more about Jesus to come-up and speak with him afterward. Guys like Rick are my hero's.

Keynote Speaker (Karen Kingsbury) Novelist- Usually people who wright well don't speak well,

But Karen had a very classy smooth presentation. Her message was a Gospel presentation using the pages from her life (she was real) to teach people about how Jesus has impacted her life and to pave the way for others to follow. I really liked the way she used the story about her children to let us know that we need to choose, are we going to Heaven of Hell, and to drive home the point that we don't have a lot of time left to make up our mind, followed by the clincher to the pushy Cristian that pushes the undecided toward Disneyland not Jesus. Good job Karen!!

National Anthem (Rey Reynolds) of the Vancouver police Department- This guy can sing!!

what impressed me more was that he caught the mood and the sweet spirit of Jesus when he started out by blessing us with the opening verse to Amazing Grace how sweet the Sound. As I looked around the room it looked like One of those moments at Living Hope Church, People every where were wiping the tears from their eyes.

I want to personally thank Scott and Sam Mikel for inviting me and the other pastors to this very special event. Their investment in the community is making a big difference. I pray for more of these kind of people to step up and out for Jesus. We need help to develope big tigers from little cubs.

Do you have a Tiger by the Tail

2007-10-02T11:59:00.000-07:00

Wow what a weekend, Lions and Tigers and bears Oh my!

This last weekend was very exciting because we had a 350 lb tiger giving kisses to our senior pastor John Bishop. At one point John failed to remember, don't take your eye off the tiger, and as he always says remember to expect the unexpected. Please note the size of those paws.

And that there is no trainer holding this cat back. Is that the look of surprise on John's face or what? How was he able to keep his balance and his wits about him?

What would you do under these circumstances?

Can you say nice kitty. Maybe this is pay back for all those cat jokes that John has told over the years.

I know that I am glad that the wildest thing we had at our campus was Zack Gibson in a gorilla suit, and i am good with that.

Upon returning to the church on Sunday afternoon, Kathryn, M-G, Anna and I were treated to the opportunity of a life time. Getting our picture taken with a Bengal tiger. The process was wonderful to watch and experience. The tiger had this whole ritual that we went through for every picture. First they gave him a big ball of ground meat then he would eat it, lick the stage clean walk around in a circle and lay down. That was our Que to walk behind him and crouch down for the picture. I'm telling you that was a rush! How do you keep your eye on the tiger and smile for the camera? I have to say I was so proud of Kathryn she had to take a risk that was way out of her comfort zone. We learned from the group ahead of us to walk normal not sneak behind the tiger and definitely don't tickle the tiger.

The wonderful thing about all of the commotion was that out of the almost 3,000 extra people that came because they were curious, God got their attention just long enough to tell them how much he loves them, nearly 800 crossed over that line of faith to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Glory to God in the highest.

We had a similar experience at our campus with many of our people coming forward for re-dedication and prayer. God is so good.

Please plan to join us this week-end as we start a new series about sex-ed.

Give back, Invest in the young, It's worth it!

2007-09-19T11:37:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we were fortunate to be able to support our daughter as she was selected to play in " The First Tee Open at Pebble Beach". We had the opportunity to watch and be a part of the Champions tour up close and personal. It was a wonderful outing and one that all young golfers should strive to be a part of. It gives them all some thing to look forward too and work hard with a goal.

Anna my 17 year old daughter was paired up with Peter Jacobson for a three day tournament.you could not ask for a better role model for your child, he was great and so unselfish with his time, talent, and attention. I was very amazed that after two long days of competition, Peter took the time to give Anna a two hour lesson. He didn't have to do that, he still had another long day of tournament golf ahead of him, his back was hurting and he hadn't had dinner but he took the time to encourage and give a lesson. That's called giving back to your sport.

My goal and pray is that God will give me the strength and insight to do a better job of investing in those who like me have chosen to go into full time ministry. To give selflessly to better the kingdom of God.

Changing Places Changing Faces

2007-08-15T10:39:00.000-07:00

Wow, things can change fast, Just when we were getting settled into our new location at Kelso High School, They come back from summer and let us know that we will not be able to use the auditorium on September 9th or for two months after that.

So we are working on a new location for the 9th of September, one option is the building once used by Goodwill, this building would work well for our needs, but we are being told by the city planners that we will have to sprinkle the building prior to using it. We have a cost estimate for about $30,000. Our hope and prayer is that the building owner will see this as an up grade that will benefit them as much or more than us and agree to complete the work. With required permits and construction schedule we will not be able to get in by the 9th. So I have asked the owner if we can possibly use the cafeteria to meet in until our space is ready. Pray that this all works out.

God has been good and many lives have been and continue to be touched. Pray also that we know and see clearly the things he has for our church.

Only God!

xxx week end

2007-07-07T17:30:00.000-07:00

Well I just heard the message on porn in America today. I have to admit that I wasn't aware that the problem is as big as it is. The thing that really shocked me is that because it is such a private thing and that is so accessible on the Internet . You really don't know how many are hooked on it. You don't know who they are and for lots of them they just pass it off as no big deal and they consider it very acceptable especially the teens. The speaker said more money is spent on the porn industry than on all of the professional sports combined.

I was shocked at how many of these young people are hungry and open to hear about Jesus Christ. They have this hole in their life that they are trying to fill with porn, we have the antidote, only Jesus can really fill that hole. We need to share and do it meekly with the love of God. I was so impressed years ago when I first heard the definition of meekness. The speaker said a good illustration of meekness is a horse that has been trained to turn when you lay the reins on the neck. The best (meek) horse is the one that turns quickly and agilely transferring the riders wishes to the horse. This a true measure of the horses meekness, jerking the reins or yelling at the horse only confuses the horse and frustrates the rider. Share the love of Jesus with meekness and draw people to him more effectively. They need to hear, we have the opportunity to speak, and God gets the glory. Don't be afraid to talk to people, we have answer that will bring them freedom.

July 4th

2007-07-07T15:31:00.000-07:00

This year was my second year at the Matson family 4th of July celebration. The thought that we can no longer find the family values and patriotism in America is truly false. We had a great time, BBQ, swimming, basketball, volleyball, fire works, fellowship, friends, and family. Hope you had a great celebration to. The Matsons are doing a great job of holding up the values that made America the great place that it is, to live, and love God.

Change in the Summer

2007-06-28T11:53:00.000-07:00

How is your summer going? Drop me a blog and let me know what God is doing in your life.

Moving to Kelso High School 6-24-07

2007-06-20T09:51:00.000-07:00

The week of our move has arrived, Everyone is invited to join us in the newly remodeled Kelso High school. Service will start at 11:00, plan to come early at 8:00 am to help us set-up and enjoy the time to build relationships with great people, while we set the stage for great worship and a study on what the rules of LasVegas have to do with walking our christian walk.

Day in Court

2007-06-15T17:19:00.000-07:00

Wow,

I experienced a first this week. I have been called in for jury duty only three times in my life, this week was the first time that I was actually selected for the jury. I have to say that I learned a lot about people and how they function. Some good and some that are very hard to swallow. The most aggravating thing was how their lawyer would use tactics to get the case dropped or sway our judgement even though he himself knew they were guilty, as they say beyond a shadow of dought. What really fascinated me in the end was that 12 people from all walks of life, Christian and heathen could reach a decision of guilty in less than 30 minutes of deliberation.

The other thing was how 12 people going through the three day process bonded together. We could learn from the experience for small group gatherings. Because we were not allowed to talk about the case to any body for two days we talked about all kinds of things in our life like how many times we got into trouble with the law. I sure hope nobody had a recording device. I wonder if this might just might be the reason why God hasn't sold my home in Clark County?

Well I'm glad its all settled and I can spend the afternoon at the car show. If you get this soon enough come on down. Their are some great machines here.

We are moving across the River

2007-06-05T08:26:00.000-07:00

Keep praying we are finalising the deal on renting Kelso High School for starting the weekend of June 24 . What an exciting time as we keep knocking on doors and waiting on God to move in the hearts and minds of the leaders in Cowlitz County.

This week I have been very inspired by our guest speaker Ron. If a guy can have his attitude under his circumstances, why do I ever even come close to grumbling about my situation?
Then I was slapped again this morning as I read in (Numbers 20) about the nation of Israel in the wilderness. The Israelites were thirsty and grumbling about how Moses had brought them into the wilderness to die. They forgot that they made the choice not to go into the promised land and they also for got that God fed them with manna every morning and that their sandals never wore out. Well the story goes on as the attitude rubs off on Moses and he strikes the rock twice rather than speak to the rock like God had instructed. Well think about that? Attitude plays a very big role in Gods economy. Moses didn't get to go into the promise land because of his attitude and neither did the more than one million Israelites. Are you getting the picture? Attitude is really one of the main things with God. Remember we can't always change our circumstance but we can be the master of our attitude.

My prayer for you today is that you will have an attitude of gratitude no matter what the conditions.

Pastor Dean Jenks

I love warm weather

2007-05-29T10:37:00.000-07:00

We had a great time with a group of fellow Living Hope people for the memorial day week-end, lots of BBQ Chicken, hot dogs, and all the trimmings.

The hottest Item on my list is finding a new place to meet in the Longview area.

We need a space with about 15 feet of ceiling height and seating for 250 to 300 people let me know if you have something on your radar screen.

Plan to get out and enjoy the sunshine this week.

Pastor Dean

Life comes at you fast, Pray Hard!

2007-05-08T15:38:00.000-07:00

At the moment I feel a little out of my comfort zone. Last week I was trying to get permission to put signs-up for our meeting location and this week I discover that our signs are OK as they were originally installed, but we are being asked to be out of the building in 6 weeks making our last Sunday in Kessler Auditorium June 17th, 2007.

What does God have for us next? Are we suppose to stay and fight? Are we to find another place to rent? Are we to fight to occupy the building on Commerce? Is there another location that God has for Living Hope Church. My experience has been that when God closes one door he will open another. Pray that we find the right open door. Someone said to me today we must be doing something right Satan isn't happy.

We must and will continue our walk as we take back ground for the Kingdom of God.

Pastor Dean Jenks

New Life in Jesus

2007-04-24T15:50:00.000-07:00

It has been a great blessing to be a part of what Jesus has been doing in the life of our new friends Rich & Becky Smart. It gave me great joy to be able to baptise them and many others in front of 14,000 people on the Portland Rose Garden floor. Please be praying for them and numerous others that were baptised on Easter Sunday 2007. If you would like to see more of what God did on Easter, check out the Easter service. The baptism is the last half of the video.

Check it out at livinghopechurch.com

Life at Wharp Speed

2007-04-24T15:16:00.000-07:00

Things have been happening really fast these last couple of weeks since the Rose Garden event, and I need to apologize for not keeping you all updated. We are in the Grand Opening stage of the Longview Campus. Are attendance has grown consistently over the last two weeks and we are up to 174 people. Yaa God for bringing out people to visit. Their is such excitement as the new people come and as we see more and more life change. You tell me what is more rewarding than seeing people find freedom from bondage.

We are still looking for a more permanent location. last Friday we checked out a building at 1171 Commerce. Be praying that if this is God's will that every thing would go forward.

Please remember to invite your friends and co-workers to join us this Sunday.

Remember to thank the numerous volunteers that it takes every week to do church out of a box. They come before 8:00 and stay till after 2:00 each and every week so we have the opportunity to reach people that need Jesus. I love doing ministry with all of them. To Jesus goes all the glory.

Pastor Dean Jenks

Good Friday

2007-04-06T08:49:00.000-07:00

Are you expecting something great from God?

A few years ago I read a couple of books by Robert Lewis. Check them out some time, one of the thinks that really stuck with me was talking about evaluating our manhood. Here is the little nugget of wisdom.

Resist passivity

Accept responsibility

Do it courageously

Expecting a great reward from God!!!!!

I try to sift all of my thoughts through this grid and find I usually can do way more than I think I can. Are you expecting great rewards from God?

Prayer Changes Things

2007-03-24T17:42:00.000-07:00

I just attended the three o'clock message at the church and wow what a message. It's true churches need to be more like Fire Stations and Christians more like Firemen. They work as a team with a clear purpose to save those who are lost and dieing. We need to keep our focus on our mission to seek and save the lost. Invite someone to the Rose Garden for Easter. Do it today.

Jesus is at work we need to open our spiritual eyes!

2007-03-21T11:48:00.000-07:00

Wow there is a battle going on. I know who wins in the end. Just ask me.

It looks like God has provided a way for me to get into a vehicle with out a big financial out lay. One of the Godly families in Longview are getting a new car and are willing to sell me the old one on great terms so I won't have to pay off until after my house sells. Thank you Jesus!

Please keep praying for our permanent facility in Longview. Opportunities have come and gone but I don't know if they were the best thing for our church in Longview.

Currently we are looking at a building at New York and 9th street. It is an older building built in the early 50's. It would require new walls insulation and cooling before we could use it. And the problem of parking needs to be addressed. Please pray that if this is the place that it will work out.

Praise the Lord!!

2007-03-10T15:17:00.000-08:00

Mike is going to be out next week and says I can use his truck until he returns. That's why they call it a walk. Just keep stepping. I should get one of those pedometers so I can measure the steps. Keep praying that my house sells at the right price.

The Little Green Truck is a Goner!

2007-03-07T10:12:00.000-08:00

Will now what? I won't bore you with the details. Lets just say I am searching for a new ride.
The question at these points in our lives is what does God have for us next? Stay tuned in and see what he will do.

You don't know what you have till it's gone

2007-03-06T12:59:00.000-08:00

Thursday my little green truck as John likes to call it started smoking and today it went into the shop to see what might be causing all that smoke. Of course I can think of the worst and hope for the best, but that much smoke coming out the tail pipe can't be a good thing. When your ride is gone your world changes and you realise how spoiled we really are. I want to go when I want to go and I don't want to have to depend on any body. Quite the opposite I want to be able to help others when they call. Please pray that God works all of this out ASAP.

Pastor Dean Jenks

Facing The Giants in your life

2007-03-03T15:00:00.000-08:00

Are you facing any Giants?

I saw the new movie out Facing the Giants last week. The part that really got me was the part where the coach is asking the prayer warrior why God wasn't listening to him and I just loved his response. (In my own words) We have to ask and act as if God has heard our prayers. What does that look like in my life? The next time I am faced with a task that is bigger than I believe that I can do on my own. I need to ask God for the strength and boldly go forward with every thing I have believing that God can multiply (extend) past my previously perceived ability.
Remember God is in the business of forming and shaping us for his work. What wall are up against this week? Are you giving God a chance or are you limited (trapped) by your own mind.
Check out the movie this week let me know what you think.

I have to sell my home!

2007-02-28T15:13:00.000-08:00

Spring is on the way. There is more daylight everyday and for some reason my house is still for sale. My prayer has been for a quick sale so that my family and I can move to Longview, for some reason God has not brought the desired buyer. It's at times like these that we as humans start to second guess, and ask what Gods plan might be? What is our next step? If the property would have sold right away we would have concluded that yes, yes in deed, it must have been Gods will. But what do we do in this situation? How much do I push? Do I panic?
The bible says that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against powers and principalities. Do those powers want the voice of God to get loader in Longview? I think not.
Therefore I must press on buyer or not to champion the cause in Longview. My desire is to put all my efforts into growing the church, but I continue to struggle with the time and effort it is taking to sell my home. I Pray that the Lord will build my faith through this experience, and most of all that His will will be done in and through my life. Keep Praying that God and his army will be released to battle for his people.

Life Groups

2007-02-21T16:45:00.000-08:00

Last night I dropped in on Murray and Stephanie's Life group.

They have a very fun group of people who really love each other. What a great time. They like having so much fun that they created spiritual birthdays, another good reason to have a party and eat cake. Caution: If you plan on going, plan to be out late. Call ahead let Murray know that you'll be there next week.

What a differance a day can make!

2007-02-21T09:26:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was one of those red letter days.

It all started early yesterday when I answered a prompting in my heart to meet with a young christian in our church. It seemed simple enough all we started out to do was have a cup of Starbucks coffee.
As we sat there and shared life together I soon learned that his dad was ill and his mother had called to let him know at 3:30 AM a couple of nights earlier. He shared with me that getting a call at 3:30 in the morning was hard enough, but getting it from his mother who he hadn't seen or talked to for over three years was really hard. He went on to share about his poor relationship with his mother. I listened and heard about the hurt, the pain, and the separation that was growing wider and wider. God had prepared me for this very moment, I shared with him about my relationship with my dad and mom and how several years ago I to got the call from my mom, that my dad was ill, I told him how I didn't answer the call because of the hardness in my heart and how my dad died two days later, and how much I wanted to right that wrong, but that for me, it was too late. Then I challenged him to take the initiative to let God use him to reach his mom. I told him that I had personal experience, and that it wasn't easy, but that as we move towards the goal of honoring our father and mother, Like M. Jordan headed for the basket, the blessings and the growth in Christ are awesome. We prayed and went on with our day.

As I was on my way back to the office, I wondered if my friend was going to make that visit or if he was going to allow the hurt and anger to keep him in bondage. Then I got the prompting again to call him and let him in on some more good news that God has shown me. The phone rang and I said "I don't know if you are planning on going, but if you do please ask your mother if she will forgive you for your part in this broken relationship, God will take care of the rest."

The rest of the story goes like this, My friend took the drive, He visited his dad in the hospital and shared with his mom and dad, for the first time that he had started a personal relationship with Jesus. His dad was excited for him and professed his own faith in Jesus. Then he turned his attention towards his mother. The conversation started out very safe and surface only. Then my friend suggested that they take a walk, As they walked he asked her to forgive him for how he had handled things in the past. Her face softened and she began to weep and as she wept she shared some of her hurt and the loss that she felt. They talked on and on for a couple of hours.

Well as you can imagine a huge burden was lifted from my friend and the blessings have just began to flow. He called and blessed me with what had happened, then he called his wife and blessed her with the story, Then he blessed his life group leader with the story then the life group leader asked him to share with the life group, and now I hope you have been blessed by this miracle that God did with a couple of willing hearts. Are you willing? Lets do some life together.

Pastor Dean Jenks